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We need more than the education being offered to appraisers if we want to to eliminate the difficulty of valuing the more expensive clean and alternative HVAC systems. Current underwriting methods and appraisal regulations delay and undervalue innovation within the building and retrofit industry. Once grants and tax credits are removed from the real estate sector, a vacuum will exist.
The EPA has developed a toolkit to aid local municipalities in assessing and upgrading their sustainable building guidelines, regulations, ordinances and permitting process. Apartment developers with an eye to the future would be wise to promote the Toolkit to local officials.
Searching for an apartment on-line is a truly great way to limit the time and energy normally invested in finding a rental. Although nothing beats actually viewing an apartment, new tools can help eliminate properties that could never meet your needs.
In an exclusive interview, Anson Snyder, Director of Multifamily Lending at Sun West Mortgage Company, Inc. of Cerritos, California, explains why his company has taken a leadership role to encourage green building within the multifamily industry.
Ben Walsh, a builder in Portland, Oregon, wanted to build homes with one luxury amenity: net-zero energy status. This article is a companion piece to our first, Portland’s Green Building Rockstar. In it, Walsh explains the rationale for some of his choices and innovations.
How did a residential gut-rehab reduce energy consumption by as much as 75%? We asked Paul Scardina of Paolo Design Group about his winning design for the official LEED for Homes Platinum Certification his project received last year and learned he also salvaged, reclaimed and re-used 99 percent of the generated construction waste. In a word? Wow!
Commercial buildings and tenants often lead the way in unconventional design. This leadership is evident in the leasing of green commercial and mixed use buildings. The largest and latest Midtown Manhattan lease may be another green indicator for multifamily.
