Austin Real Estate Blog

An amendment attached to a solar bill that’s steaming through the Legislature could torpedo a City of Austin energy efficiency program.

The Austin rule taking effect June 1 requires Austin homes receiving electricity from Austin Energy to have an energy audit before being sold. (Homes can be exempted for a number of reasons, such as if they’re less than 10 years old at time of sale or have received energy-efficiency improvements through Austin energy.) The goal of the plan is to make old building stock more efficient, by encouraging buyers and sellers to learn ways they can cut energy use by doing things like adding insulation.

Violating the ordinance is a Class C misdemeanor, and violators can be fined up to $500.

Read the rest at Latest on Austin’s Energy Audit Ordinance

My comment…

If you want to get an energy audit, no one is stopping you. Go and upgrade your home as you see fit. Be ready when the buyer decides to give you exactly what you’d get for a home without the audit or upgrades, but do it because it’s right and you can afford it. If you want to keep your house at 60 degrees, go ahead, but be ready for the bill.

Many people struggle to pay their mortgage and don’t make a ton of money when they sell so the audits can amount to a monthly payment to them. There is no way anyone should face criminal charges and fines for failure to comply with an unfair law anyway.

If you want to list with a real estate agent who charges $500, do it. If you want full service, pay for it. That’s the beauty of choice and freedom.

Why people think it’s ok to turn Austin from a group of laid back folks who want to coexist with others of differing viewpoints to psycho, militant, legislate everything ya do nut-balls, I’ll never know. But it isn’t cool. It isn’t Austin. At least not the Austin I love and enjoy calling home.

Joe

As an aside, I do feel sorry for all the people who rushed out to corner the mandatory energy audit market and are now potentially sitting on a goose egg. That’s kinda rough.

Austin has been a front runner for green living almost since the topic became a mainstream ideal. The city has created many incentives for homeowners to select a more energy efficient way of life.

As a way of continuing this venture, Austin has recently signed into law an ordinance that requires homeowners to have their homes inspected for energy usage before they are able to put it on the market. This new law will go into effect this year. The ordinance is just another way that Austin is truly trying to go green.

Homeowners who are planning to place their homes on the market may need to do a few upgrades to be sure they are prepared for the energy audit. In Austin, energy is mostly used to heat and cool the home; therefore it is important to learn about any leaks in the duct work, cracks in doors and windows, and updating insulation within attics. While the energy audit is required before placing a home for sale, the upgrades are not currently required prior to purchase. Any potential buyer must be made aware of the energy audit results.

These upgrades may not be the most noticeable when looking at buying a home, but can save money in the long run. The bottom line is, the less energy you use to heat and cool your home, the more you will save on utility bills throughout your life there. Austin has recognized the importance of these small, but important, parts of a home. The new law enables buyers and sellers to be on the same page at the time of sale.

Starting this June, those who wish to sell a home in Austin will be required to have their home inspected for energy efficiency. This new ordinance does not require the seller to upgrade any leaks or other problems that may be found, but it does state that the buyer be made aware of the outcome of the audit via disclosure. Of course, given the current market and economy, anything that may decrease the value of a home should be repaired prior to sale. Buyers don’t want to think of what needs to be fixed when looking at a home, so it will be better to make any necessary upgrades before putting the house on the market.

The energy audit will be looking into four areas of energy efficiency. There will be a duct pressure check on the air conditioning unit to check for leaks. Weather stripping around doors will be inspected. Shades and screens, especially on the east, west, and south sides of a home will be looked at, as will the type of insulation found in an attic. Energy Raters can be found online at Austin Energy’s Website, and will generally run about $300 for every 2,000 square feet. If you decide to go ahead with the upgrades, the home will need to be inspected again when complete.

There is another option considered in compliance with the new ordinance. Homeowners can participate in the Home Performance with Energy Star Certificate program. Homes that have already done so within the last ten years are exempt from the ordinance. In this case, a home performance contractor will inspect the home, sometimes for free with a bid for work. The same areas will be reviewed as with the energy audit, and then the information will be sent to Austin Energy for review. To receive a certificate of completion, three of the requirements must be met or the homeowner must have received a rebate of $500 or more from Austin Energy.
In either case, Austin Energy must approve the upgrades for energy efficiency. The information must be contained within the Seller’s Disclosure and is good for ten years.

It may seem like a little thing when you think about it. The address number on a residence is probably one of the last things on your to do list. You know your address, what does it matter if someone can’t see it from the road? Consider this, however, for just a moment: there is an emergency and you have dialed 911 for help. If the people who may help you are traveling down your road at ten o’clock at night, can they see your address? What if they miss your house entirely and spend precious moments trying to find you. It is a scary thing to think about, and certainly not something you will want to wonder about if there actually was an emergency.

The unincorporated areas in Jefferson County, Texas have had such troubles, and the legislature is trying to do something about it. Recently, a group including volunteer firemen and members of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s office attended a meeting at the Texas Capitol in an attempt to regulate address signs. The group did focus primarily on the more rural areas where it is more difficult to locate specific addresses. The purpose of the bill is to regulate and enforce, if necessary, a standard that will properly identify homes in hard to see areas. This will allow emergency personnel to find homes easier in parts of the county where it has been hard to do so.

The county is hoping for a timely decision in this matter so that regulations may go into effect and provide better safety for residents.

Many people purchase manufactured homes (mobile homes) over traditionally constructed homes but either don’t consider having the home inspected, don’t think one is necessary or don’t think the inspection process is available for a manufactured home, but an inspection by a professional inspector is critical part of purchasing any home. Whether it is a brand new or pre-owned manufactured home, many important safety, and structural and mechanical factors should evaluated before moving in. Some of these are:

• Is the home properly secured to the ground such as with tie down straps? Are the straps and anchors correctly installed?
• What type of foundation/support is being used under the home and is it proper e.g. concrete block, steel jacks, type of pad used under the piers, etc?
• If multi-wide, are the two sides (double wide) mated and secured properly?
• Has the roof been joined/installed properly in this area?
• Are proper connections made to utilities such as electricity, gas, sewer and water?
• Do items such as appliances, outlets, fixtures, heat and air, sinks, toilets etc. work inside the home?
• Are there leaks in HVAC duct work, or plumbing underneath the home?
• Is the underside floor insulation still in tact?

These and many other safety, functionality and livability factors should be evaluated for a manufactured home. Make sure that you have a professional inspector who is familiar with manufactured homes evaluate your home before you move in. This will help you be more knowledgeable and have peace of mind about the home you are purchasing.

Photos of things we see on manufactured home inspections are shown below.

Exposed, hanging electrical wiring under the home.

Overheating circuit breaker panel. Note charring of bus and burned labels on breaker.  Bus temp. measured over 350°.

Improperly installed chimney flashing – missing collar – allowing water to come into the house.

Termite tunnels on wood skirting in contact with the ground under the home.

Disconnected HVAC ductwork and missing under floor insulation and moisture barrier.

For more information contact:

Jerry Schmidt

Professional Building Consultant
Inspections, Home and Termite Inspections
512-501-3560 (Austin), 512-942-6071 , 254-421-0612 (Bell County)
888-871-5740 (toll free)
sunviewinspections.com, customer_care@sunviewinspections.com
TREC 9102, 9437, TPCL 13863

The Community Development Program in Lubbock, Texas, is producing some highly energy efficient homes that can also resist tornadoes. The city government partnered with the community, government agencies and the building industry to design high quality homes that are environmentally and structurally sound.

Thirty structurally unsound homes in some Lubbock neighborhoods have been demolished and replaced with these redesigned homes, which have been found to use 30 to 50 percent less energy for heating, cooling, and utilities when compared to a new wood frame house. The wood frame construction is replaced with an insulated concrete form (ICF). These ICFs were the result of structural research done at Texas Tech University, in a research project looking to find a material that could withstand hurricane and tornado force winds and the projectiles that result from these storms.

The rebuilt homes have also contributed to the quality of the neighborhoods by eliminating urban blight, providing an increased quality of life for the inhabitants, and saving money on energy costs which can be redirected toward other needs. Energy and material costs are fueling the research and innovation in developing the more energy efficient, safer and economic housing.

Twenty more ICF homes are planned and interest is being stirred in other cities nationwide. Brad Reed, Senior Building Inspector for the City of Lubbock, who has been working with the program for nearly 10 years, says the Community Development Program can be replicated in many other cities. With matching funds from Housing and Urban Development, the program could assist a city’s efforts toward building affordable, energy efficient housing.