Realtor ®-The Woodlands Real Estate

Those of you that know me, you know that I believe that the topics of Green go much further than Global Warming.  It seems that the term Global Warming tends to make many people oppose the idea of Going Green, being better stewards of the Earth, etc.

The truth is, we can take the term Global Warming completely out of the picture. It really is time to consider change.

(Before you scroll down to comment or debate, please keep reading)  I was searching online yesterday for a completely unrelated issue and came across a GEM of a website.  It is put out by The Weather Channel and I thought I would share.

The Earth is Changing.  It has changed and will continue.  Do we need to Debate Global Warming?  Not really and I will explain by topic.  The links are for videos; each video is less than 3 minutes long but the message they put out are absolutely amazing.  

Melting Glaciers:    How does this affect us?  Is it really an issue right now?  This is one of the hot topics.  Check out how the Glaciers have changed.

• Alaska Ice Sheets-  The quote in my title came from this video.
• The New Tourist Attraction

Garbage:  Recycling is getting a little more common.  How else does throwing garbage everywhere hurt us?

• What's That Smell?
• Cleaning up after 3.5 Million

Both of these topics are one that we either do not want to hear about, or that many do not believe in.  When you see how things are changing,  it sort of puts everything in to perspective.  Does it make sense to pull together, all differences in thoughts aside, and consider how to fix/change all of this?

Now, for those of you wanting to know HOW IN THE WORLD this is Related to Real Estate....Stay Tuned.  :)

For December, Dena Stevens recommended that the Eco All Star Group do an amazing Challenge.  It is our GREEN Dream Home checklist, if money were no object.  What 5 features would one choose for their home?  This is all in Celebration of Brad Pitt's Pink Project in New Orleans.

If you follow Green Building, you know that this could very well be a difficult task.  There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of Green features one could choose from.  However, here is my list of 5.

Let's drift off to La La Land.  :) 

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I just invented a Battery for Solar Panels that can hold enough energy for a Year's worth of power for a 2000 sq ft home.  It takes about one month to be fully charged and throughout the year, the panels can make enough power to supply 12 surrounding homes while keeping the battery full.  This was a solution for average homes to be able to live off of the Grid for only 1% more construction cost.

I then sold the idea, and now I'm retired.  ( told you it was La La Land. )

I purchased 1500 acres of land in West Texas to serve as Preservation and I am about to start construction on a 2000 sq ft home.  During this process I am going to try and minimize the impact on the land.  To start I decided to raise the home about 17 feet off of the ground to find use for the land underneath.  Here is a list of the 5 Features.

1)  SIP's-  Because the home is raised, I decided to go with Structural Insulated Panels.  This way the home could be insulated on all 6 sides.  ( four sides, top and bottom ) 

2)  Solar-  Off the Grid!  I am NOT going to depend on getting Electricity from a Local Utility company.  Also, there is a Wrap Around porch for part of the home.  On one segment of the porch I decided to implement Hit Panels to allow the growth of plants underneath AND store electricity for other items on the property. 

3)  Pervious Concrete-  I mentioned that I want to minimize the impact on the land.  For drive ways and walking paths I am using a Pervious Concrete.  This allows water to go through (like a sponge).  The concrete can be near trees and not damage them.

4)  Rain Water Capture-  There are 4 Rain Water Capture systems sporadically around the property.  1 is Potable for home use and the other 3 are Non-Potable for Property use.  They are connected to 3 Ponds that gather water for Wildlife and watering the grounds such as the Edible Garden.  The ponds also serve as a Reserve water for times of drought.

5)  Geo Thermal-  Since money was no object, I decided to go GeoThermal.  How this will work with the home raised, I have no idea.  :)  But money was no object.

And there it is-  5 items from my DREAM GREEN home.  Darn the bad luck, back to reality.  :) 

If you have a chance, check out the link to Brad Pitt's site for his Pink Project and make a donation.  You can donate as little as $5.  They are building 150 homes and as of right now only 10 are sponsored.  This is a fantastic cause!  Each home will have Photovoltaic Panels and will be of Sustainable Design for Affordable Living.  They have joined with Architects Worldwide to make this happen.

Next I am going to write about the 5 Features I would choose for NO additional construction cost.  Stay tuned!

As the year comes to an end, we are still seeing and feeling the Over Corrected Mortgage issue around the Nation.  However, sometime in February when the Banks' Auditors decide how much money they have really lost or even made, will it start to come around?

Possible, but I think it will be more interesting to follow how Gas Prices affect our Real Estate Market in the next 2 years. 

Living in a Huge Metropolitan area like Houston, Employees have multiple areas in town to consider when buying a home.  Often times with families and affordability, many will choose to be in the Suburbs.  One can buy in the 'Burbs and still have not too long of a drive to work.

However, we are all not so lucky to have a car like the one above that can get over 100 Miles to the Gallon.  Gas Prices keep going up and we are all feeling the pain at the Pump.  Driving 40 Miles to work could get Extremely Costly.

So, how will this affect the Suburbs in Cities across the Nation?  Will people choose to move closer to the City?  Will Employers choose to move OUT to the Suburbs creating more jobs?  Who knows!

When I opened the Houston Chronicle this morning I had a small Glimpse of what we could be seeing a lot more often in my Area.  The article talks about how 3 fairly sized companies are moving and building in Tomball. (A Suburb in the Houston Area)  Each Company is going to relocate their employees and create more jobs as soon the Facilities are ready. 

Now, nothing in the Article obviously stated anything about Gas Prices but the Cost of Land seemed to be an issue.  These 3 Companies found the same as many others, the cost of land is cheaper. 

I can't wait to see what Companies will follow the footsteps of these 3.  Who will be next, or will it go the other way?  What are you seeing in your area?  Have Gas Prices affected Sales in the 'Burbs where you are?