Joe Menashe’s Blog

“Going Green”, “Living Green”, Being Green….all can sound a bit intimidating.
From my perspective, and as a founding member of a residential real estate company’s “Green Team”, it’s OK to just be “G r e e n e r”. Simply making green choices can incrementally create healthier living environments for you and your family, help save the planet and help conserve critical resources such as energy and water. Maybe you don’t live in a certified green home. That’s OK. Modifying your home into a greener home pays dividends. Maybe your next project is to do some interior painting. Choose a low or no VOC (volatile organic compound) paint. If choosing to add hardwood floor, consider a sustainable solution such as bamboo or reclaimed wood. There’s nothing cooler than saying your floor came from an old barn in Central Oregon. When updating your appliances, consider “Energy Star” rated ones that will conserve electricity and/or water. Replacing old single pane windows with double or triple insulated windows will also have immediate dollar paybacks. Duct sealing isn’t sexy but this too colors you green and saves you some cash. From higher efficiency furnaces to on-demand hot water, weatherization projects, and choosing materials that have less off-gassing, you can wear the green badge and be content that you are part of a global movement. If you live in a large home with a massive carbon footprint, by most definitions, your house won’t be green. But who says we have to be purists. Be a little bit green…..be happy.

Joe Menashe
Hasson Company Realtors
Portland,Oregon

After you conduct an energy review of your home…….conduct one on yourself.

The “X” Factor with controlling or reducing your home’s energy use is you. Your lifestyle plays a huge part in how much energy your home consumes. We are a product of the “no waiting” generation. Every appliance we use is designed to work faster than its predecessor. We are no longer a patient society. The main complaint about “CFL’s”, compact fluorescent light bulbs, is that they take too long to illuminate fully, though they use far less energy than a standard incandescent bulb.

Today many cities in the U.S. are moving towards the implementation of requiring EPA’s, energy performance scores for homes that are newly built or homes that are being sold. There are standardized tests that when conducted come up with a score for energy use that can be used to compare one home to another.

The reality is that two identically built homes, that have identical energy performance scores, may actually consume widely different amounts of energy. The difference is caused by the way people live in their homes. Heat settings, the number of hours lights are left on, the number of people living in the house, air conditioning, multiple refrigerators, etc. Modifying one’s lifestyle can have a huge impact on energy consumption, but some things are out of our control.

Did you know that the use of electronic gadgets can be the biggest “silent” user of energy in your home? Your TV cable boxes drain more power than a new refrigerator. These devices are generally running 24 hours a day. The Environmental Protection Agency has established Energy Star standards for these devices and has plans to tighten them significantly by 2013. Cable boxes are not designed to be turned completely off, and even when in deep sleep mode, it takes time to reconnect and communicate with their cable or satellite network.

The technological “know how” is available to improve the energy efficiency of these devices. Few consumers have been made aware of this issue and therefore there has not been much pressure on the manufacturers of these devices and the cable companies. Hopefully blogs like this will stir up a little noise. As consumers we hold the power to demand change. If we were paying the same energy rates as people do in Europe, we would be screaming from the top of our lungs.

Joe Menashe
Hasson Company Realtors

When it comes to keeping up with what is green and sustainable, the landscape changes as often as our Portland, Oregon weather. This is why when a real estate agent becomes certified as a green agent, that they plan to continue to engage the many organizations that deliver this ever changing information and services.

Our Hasson Company Green Team offers quarterly meetings for our team members. It is my strong opinion that once an agent is certified as a “green agent”, this is merely the beginning of their journey through an ever changing world of organizations, resources and services begging for consumer awareness and involvement. Our meetings feature representatives from these organizations to help our members pass along valuable information and services that will benefit their clients and the environment.

Our recent meeting featured Valerie Garrett, Bureau of Planning and Sustainability for the City of Portland. Almost six years ago our first green team meeting was with a City of Portland representative. At that time we were the first local real estate company to invite them to speak to our group. We are now firmly on their radar and considered as a conduit for information for any new programs that are developed.

Our recent meeting was also attended by the director of governmental affairs and the communication manager of the Portland Metropolitan Association of Realtors. They attended in order to learn from our team members as they plan on forming a Green Presidential Focus Group that will benefit the entire local realty community.
Because it is literally impossible to be an expert on all things green, the goal of our team members is to become a resource of information about the various programs, services and materials that are available to our clients. Beyond this, we ask our members to partake in many of the existing programs so they can have firsthand experience with many of these programs and their benefits.

It is our contention that more and more homeowners care about energy and water conservation, efficiencies that affect the cost of operating their homes, and the quality of the air they breathe. As dedicated full time real estate professionals we can address these concerns and provide the needed resources that will help them take action.
Valerie shared with us some valuable “Hot Lines” that we can call for any questions regarding “Green”, especially the upcoming curbside collection program for composting food scraps beginning October 31, 2011.
Whether the objective is to save the planet or save a buck, our green team members can assist their clients in either endeavor.

Joe Menashe
Hasson Company Realtors

Who knew five years ago, when I founded our company™s œGreen Team that I would have a voice about green issues on a national level? Who new that not only would I have a voice, but people would want to listen?

                      My first goal was to become educated about the green building movement. It was like there was this big green party going on and our local residential real estate community was not invited.

                      The next few years our green team and I focused on all things green, sustainability, and especially energy and water conservation. We began building relationships between local governments and various green organizations who to this point had not considered the real estate community in their equation. It became very clear to me that the goals of these organizations could be accomplished more efficiently with the help of Realtors ®.

                      As I was invited to become part of a city-wide focus group to evaluate mandates for energy performance scores for properties being transferred, I was realizing my initial goal of being relevant.

                      Two years ago I was asked by the National Association of Realtors to join them in Chicago and be a member of their focus group that was creating a national green designation for Realtors ®.   Our green team agents had already obtained a local green agent designation from Earth Advantage, an organization that promotes green building and offers green building certification for new homes. This national model was very similar. The main message that I contributed was that the realty community must commit to continuing education in all things green. Green issues are advancing at a very fast pace. What you learned last year could be obsolete this year.

                      Our local multiple listing service became the first MLS in the nation to integrate green certification and green products into their home search criteria. We as a group were influencing the residential real estate community to incorporate what we had discovered.

The consumer has a high interest in energy efficiency, water conservation and living in a toxic-free environment. The commercial building industry was way ahead of us in this endeavor. Five years ago in Portland, Oregon there was a big push to build LEED certified condominiums that have low operating costs and involve finishes made from sustainable materials. Now there is a big push to build LEED, Energy Star and Earth Advantage certified single family homes.

                      My main area of interest involves the green retrofitting of existing homes. In an effort to meet stated goals for reducing green gas emissions, there has been a big push in Congress to mandate Energy Performance Scores (EPS) on properties being transferred.

This would allow consumers to compare the performance of a home just like they do for automobiles.

                      Last week I was invited to join a conference call hosted by the National Association of Realtors senior policy representative on  Environmental Issues.   They wanted to hear the perspective of realtors as it pertains to EPS and energy audit mandates.

I telephoned in to the conference call at 9am PDT to discover that I was the only realtor that they intended to talk with. The NAR has a strong lobby in Washington D.C. and they needed input as to the impact that these mandates would have on the residential real estate industry. They asked me a few questions and before I knew it, we had been talking for 1 ½   hours. I could tell that my perspective was very meaningful to them and that my points were well taken.

                      My points of view were in line with the Portland Metropolitan Association of Realtors position that incentives over mandates is the way to accomplish the reduction of green gas emission goals. Audits and EPS inspections should be market driven and not mandated.

                      The NAR is the voice of all Realtors ® but for this morning, they were just listening to mine. I am not an expert but an advocate. The last five years have been a rewarding journey and it is inspiring to see how our efforts will become and indelible part of the services we offer as residential Realtors ®.

Joe Menashe

Hasson Company Realtors

Portland, Oregon

The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has a lofty goal of reducing green gas emissions in the U.S. by 25% by the year 2030. The clock is ticking. One idea being proposed around the country is to mandate that when a home is being sold, that the seller obtain an EPS (Energy Performance Score) for the property. The EPS provides a simple way for home owners to quantify a home’s energy use and costs. The lower the score, the better. A low score means an energy efficient home will have a small carbon imprint. A home’s EPS is based on many factors, such as home size, level of insulation, air leakage, heating and cooling systems, major appliances, lighting and water heating. The EPS allows for comparisons of one home’s energy use to another, without the influence of varying occupant behavior.

A couple of years ago, I was part of a City of Portland (OR) focus group to determine the viability of EPS mandates for new construction buildings, homes and also for existing buildings and homes. As the “greenies” applauded the effort, the various impacts of these mandates floated to the top of the discussions. I chimed in on the impact perspective from the residential realty community.

In a consumer centric world, the EPS makes a lot of sense. Comparing apples to apples is always easier. The EPS creates a measurement that is respected world-wide. With the cost of energy skyrocketing, the cost of operating a home will become a major factor when buyers are deciding which home to buy. The buyer benefits from having an EPS score for comparison purposes in considering multiple properties to purchase is easy to understand. The impact on sellers and the added layer and complication to a real estate transaction is where I put on the brakes to advocating for an EPS mandate. I had to question a mandate that would put the burden of meeting the EPA goals strictly on the backs of people wanting to transfer property.  

Ultimately the reduction of green gas emissions must be accomplished through education and incentives. The appeal of rebates, tax credits and lowering the operational costs of one’s home will cut a wider swath and lead to accomplishing the overall goal. The approach that would call for mandates works for new construction much easier than existing homes that require retrofitting. An older home that has end of life systems and was built to outdated code requirements could represent a major investment by the owner if he attempts to improve the home”s energy score. If a seller wants to compete with a much more energy efficient home, there is a newly blossoming industry that is equipped to help.

 Many cities today have organizations that offer rebates for green retrofits along with state and federal tax credits. Contractors are being trained to provide energy audits for existing homes and are also equipped to explain and help consumers apply for various incentives being offered. It is my opinion that with ongoing education, especially at the elementary school level, a new awareness and mentality will support the idea that our environment needs protection and will ultimately lead us to reach the green gas emission goals.

  And let’s not forget about our realty community. Real estate agents are the perfect conduit for information about green living and sustainability. Realtors can deliver the much needed green information from the various “green” organizations directly to the consumer. One shining example of this can be seen on our company website. Here the consumer will find useful links and information to all things green. I invite you to take a look.  http://hasson.com/greenliving

Joe Menashe

Hasson Company Realtors

Portland,Oregon

So you bought your home within the last few years and plan to live there forever. The reality is that “life happens” and you may face an event that causes you to put your home on the market sooner than you had planned. With each passing day our world gets greener and greener. New technologies and heightened intolerances about how building materials affect our health are becoming an important focus for home buyers. And if these issues are important for buyers then they are important for sellers. After buying your new home, the natural thing to do is to “make it your own.” This is accomplished through taking care of the previous owner’s deferred maintenance and most likely improving weatherization issues including the heating and cooling systems, painting, flooring, lighting, etc.

It is important that as you address the personalization of your new home, that you look at your home through green eyes.The future buyer of your home, expecially in the next five to ten years will focus on how green your home lives and how healthily they can live in your home. They will most likely want to know the EPS (energy performance score) of your home. I will explain this issue in more depth in a future blog.

 So as you approach the extensive “to do” list, you will need to enhance your “green living” education and approach each project as if you will be marketing all of these improvements to the homebuyer of the future. Even though your home was built to code, the code standards are changing reapidly. These changes are being driven primarily by the Green Movement.

 More and more people today want to live in a house that is cost efficient, environmentally sustainable and responsible and healthy for all of its occupants.

 Keep a house record of all that you do to improve your home. Any green retrofits will be appreciated by the next owner. But more importantly the retrofits needed to make your home a healthy one should be completed as soon as possible so that you can enjoy the benefits while you are living in your home. Sure, your home can become outdated cosmetically, but a healthy environment along with a home that is affordable to operate year after year is something that never goes out of style.

A green certified real estate agent is a professional Realtor who can help you become educated about greening your home and guide you through the issues that will help you accomplish your goals. In many instances they will help you find rebates and tax incentives for your projects. It will not be far down the road that homebuyers will be asking, “how healthy is this home for me and my family and the environment.

Joe Menashe

Hasson Company Realtors

Portland,Oregon

This morning as I prepared to leave the house for work, I unlocked my car and then noticed that my front driver side tire was a little low. I thought about it for a second and then got in the car, put it in reverse, and then begun to back out of the driveway. My wife who is rarely up when I leave for work, was up and waiving goodbye to me. At the top of the driveway she hollered for me to stop! I stopped, rolled down my window when she told me my rear driver side tire was totally flat. How could I have noticed that the front tire was a little low but not noticed that the rear tire was completely flat? “I guess you see what you are looking for”.

In today’s residential real estate market, sellers are seeing what they want to see. Their perception of the market is supported only by what they want. As Realtors, we have had plenty of time to adjust our thinking to the reality of residential real estate values. Sellers only begin to absorb this reality when they are actually dealing with it. Their perception, or reality if you will, couldn’t be further from the truth. For the most part, their understanding of today’s property values will only set in when they test the market for an extended period of time without success.

 Today our technology affords us some magnificent tools for analysis. One of these tools is the “history report” from our local multiple listing service. It provides a running history of when a property is first listed for sale, dates of price reductions, failed sales, and hopefully an eventual closed sale. These reports show what the market thinks about the value of a listed home in relation to the competition. If the property has been on the market for an extended time, we often see multiple price reductions with at least two different realty firms and that the last listed price was changed a couple months ago….This report shows clearly that “the market is talking to you”.

 So today’s sellers can wait to hear what the market has to say to them over a long period of time or they can listen to their professional Realtor as to the value in today’s market. Some statistics show that property values have retracted to 2003 levels.If a seller is truly interested in selling their property, then they will need to remove the blinders, take a deep breath and breathe in some reality.

Of course, real estate is local and all markets and sub-markets perform differently. Booming real estate values have gone the way of disco dancing and green colored appliances. It will be a slow, arduous journey back to the values we once enjoyed. It has taken me a long time to believe what the market is telling me, and I am an active real estate professional. I can truly understand that a seller of residential real estate today will need some time to digest the truth about the value of their property. We may have to waive our arms in front of them to let them know that the air has come out of their tires and are totally flat.

Joe Menashe

Hasson Company Realtors

Portland,Oregon

Several years ago the playing field for green building and sustainability focused on commercial buildings, large condominium projects and certified green-built single family homes. The grass roots organizations emphasizing these practices struggled to reach their target audience beyond architects, builders, designers and engineers. The lay public was essentially out of the equation, as were residential Realtors ®.

In the last three years there has been a concerted effort by these organizations to reach the consumer through a never before used conduit for their information and causes; the residential real estate agent. Today, the Portland, Oregon local residential real estate community is deeply involved in the local and national effort to bring a better understanding of green building and sustainability issues to the consumer. In Oregon, the RMLS Realtors Multiple Listing Service has been a trend setter by programming search criteria to include all things green. The consumer who wishes to search for a certified green home or specific green features such as a tankless water heater or bamboo floors can do so.

Understanding the importance and the appeal of œgoing green and living a sustainable lifestyle, today™s realtors ® are expanding their knowledge in the œgreen arena in order to offer a wider spectrum of services to their clients.  Many real estate agents from across the country have become œCertified Green through local or nationally offered programs. In Portland, The Earth Advantage Institute offers their S.T.A.R. program (Sustainability Training for Accredited Realtors) while the NAR, National Association of Realtors offers a similar program. Many of my colleagues have aligned themselves with the Energy Trust of Oregon as œTrade Allies listed among the numerous contractors specializing in green building and green retrofitting of existing homes.

Realtors ® who are committed to expanding their knowledge of green issues as they pertain to housing are becoming a valuable asset to the consumer who is interested in green building practices and materials, a healthier living environment, as well as energy conservation.

An existing inventory of older homes may offer a strong architectural appeal but not necessarily a healthy environment. And although strong markets and weak markets do not change the importance of œlocation, location, location as being the most important criteria to buyers, following closely is the desire to either find a home or create a home that offers healthy living options, is energy efficient and is friendly to the environment.

Your Realtor ® can help you make sound decisions before, during and after the transaction to purchase. You will appreciate the new dimension of the Realtor ® who knows and lives œGreen.

Joe Menashe

Portland,Oregon

 As the founding member of the Hasson Company™s Green Team, over the last five years my focus has changed from learning to doing. At first it was a journey of exploring how the green movement related to residential real estate and the effort to define our role as Realtors in this movement. The recognition that as Realtors we would be a valuable entity to the grass roots organizations promoting green building, living, sustainability and energy efficiency. We, (Realtors) are the perfect conduit for this kind of information to the consumer.  As I became more familiar with the educational programs from the local, regional and national green  organizations, it was time to personally adopt these programs by bringing them into my own home. Much of the green real estate movement focuses on the green building of new construction. This is very important and a great arena to learn what the latest and greatest products and systems are for a new green home. However, as an owner of a home built in 1962 my main area of interest is in green retrofitting.  My first step was to order a œfree energy review offered by Energy Trust of Oregon. The inspection took 2 hours from start to finish and resulted in a prioritized list of solutions for better energy efficiency. In 2010, Energy Trust in an effort with the City of Portland, conducted a pilot program of several hundred homes to determine the EPS (energy performance score) of sampled homes. I was able to have my home included in this pilot program. This was a significantly more detailed inspection of the home and included a blower door test which more accurately measures how efficient your home heating and cooling systems operate. “OK, now I have my laundry list and know exactly what I needed to do. I just needed a push to actually do it. I started with replacing as many existing light bulbs with CFL™s (compact fluorescent lamp) as I could. With rebates from Energy Trust, I then installed a high efficiency gas furnace and water heater. As the 2010 Federal tax credits would be greatly reduced in 2011, I scurried to complete a major window replacement project that also would qualify for cash rebates from Energy Trust as well as a 30% Federal Tax Credit if completed by 12/31/2010. The window project, in order to qualify for the ET rebate required a second   weatherization project. One of the œto do items on my list was to see if œduct sealing would be a worthwhile endeavor. On the Energy Trust list of œTrade Allies, I found a company who quickly responded. They inspected the ductwork and found that it was as leaky as the œTitanic. I ordered the work. A œbefore and œafter blower door test was performed and the results showed a major decrease in heat loss. My 96% high efficiency furnace now heats the house instead of my crawl space and the outdoors.  The duct sealing contractor also was instrumental in completing the required application for the cash rebate.  The importance of this retrofit work of course is to lower the operating cost of my home.  Weatherization helps prevent unwanted air escape or intrusion, controls moisture and keeps pollutants out. And it™s one of the easiest ways to increase comfort, conserve energy and save money. The EPS pilot program focus groups revealed that because of the weakness of our current economy there was heavy  push-back against requiring home owners to conduct energy audits in order to determine an energy score that consumers would use in order to compare homes energy efficiency.  It is my opinion that we will eventually have mandated energy retrofits  when the timing is right. In the meantime, homeowners will continue to voluntarily green their homes because it just makes œcents.  

Joe Menashe

Today I achieved more clarity about what needs to be done with the green building movement. On our local MLS website I saw a link to a website to an association of independent fee appraisers. I clicked on the link and saw that there was another link to contact the local representative. In my email to them I asked a short question about how they quantified both new construction that was built green with 3rd party certification and/or green retrofitting for existing homes. The response was shocking. He basically said that they do not have this knowledge and asked me if I would be available to speak to their group on the matter. It does not matter how we come up with formulas for added value when building green if the appraisal community is not up to speed on the impact of green features which insure energy efficiency, cleaner air, water conservation,  or use of alternative energy. For those of you involved in the green movement as realtors, one of your missions must be to include the residential appraisers into the outreach efforts of those organizations that promote sustainability. Appraisers need to understand that green building is not a niche. Going green on the residential front is not only a way consumers can control the operating cost of their homes, but can act in a socially responsible manner to help control green gas emissions. It appears that the appraisal community is lagging behind the times. I challenge them to crash the green building party soon and determine how they will measure the added value to going green.

Joe Menashe

Portland,Oregon