What To Look For In A New Green Home

We all know that green homebuilding is hot in new home construction. But do you know how to spot a green home? Today's Atlanta Journal-Constitution outlines some things to look for when choosing your new home:
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   Green Home Building

Builder Incentives Can Distort Home Value

As builders get creative with rebates and incentives, Fannie Mae raises the red flag to lenders citing "Value Distortion". Situations such as this: "shows signs of price distortion is the sale of a home on Olen Mattingly Road in Avenue, Md. The two-story, 2,158-square-foot home, built within the past two years, was originally listed for sale in February 2005 for $635,000 but languished on the market for more than a year, according to local real-estate agents. The owner, builder Bennett Homes LLC, gradually reduced the price to $469,000 by March 2007. In May, however, the home sold for $600,000, far above the recent asking price. Vangie Williams, a real-estate agent who represented the buyers, says the sale involved a payment by the builder to an organization that collected fees for finding buyers." , are prompting Fannie Mae to tighten disclosures of incentives and rebates to ensure banks are loaning on true values of homes. Builder Incentives Distorting Values
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   News

National Association of Home Builders Chief Economist Talks on Weak Housing Market and Inventory

NAHB Chief Economist David Seiders on the continued weakness in the housing market and how inventory is weighing on sales and profits.
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   News

Latest Construction Spending Data Shows Continued Slowdown

Slowing to a snail's pace, construction spending continues to fall. This fact will have some effects on the overall economy at some point. "Spending on private construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $863.2 billion, 1.4 percent below the revised September estimate of $875.2 billion. Residential construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $503.7 billion in October, 2.0 percent below the revised September estimate of $514.2 billion."
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   News

Only 24% of Californians Can Afford Entry Level Housing

A recent study by the California Association of Realtors shows that only 24% of Californians have enough income to qualify for a typical entry-level home at $482,910.
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   News