Colorado Green Real Estate

Denver Green Homes For Sale & Green Home Information Resources

Are you searching for a Denver Green Home? If so, then you’ve come to the right place. I am a certified EcoBroker specializing in energy-efficient green homes in the Denver metro area including Boulder County.

Green homes are healthier, more comfortable and more cost-effective compared to other similar homes that are not designed or remodeled green. Green homes make better use of precious resources while helping to protect and preserve the environment.

Green homes rely on innovative technology and design help create a home that is healthier to live in and good for the environment. The average green home uses up to 40% less energy than an ordinary home, which can mean significantly lower operating costs.

Denver green homes can be hard to locate because there is no convenient method to search for them in local MLS database listings. I have made it easier to locate a Denver green home and organized the listings on my website.

Visit my website at E3GreenHOMES.com for information, tools and resources on Denver green homes.

Click on the Selected Listings tab under Property Search to see Denver green homes grouped by price range. Click on the price range of interest to view Denver green homes in that range.

You will also see tabs for Energy Star Certified and LEED Certified Denver green homes.

In addition to Denver green homes, I specialize in Relocation to Denver. I have detailed market trend data and community information about neighborhoods, jobs and schools to help support your Denver green home buying decision.

You can use the Advanced Property Search and Custom Map Search tools on the website may be used FREE of charge to assist with locating your new home. There are thousands of homes for sale in the Denver area to choose from.

Please feel free to contact me with any comments or questions. I would be happy to schedule a personal tour of any of the available Denver green homes or any of the many other homes available in Denver that you may be interested in.

Please click the "Tweet This" button above if you feel this article may be helpful to others.

Previous Post: How to Make Your Blogs Post Viral in 3 Easy Steps Using Twitter

How to Make Your Blog Posts Viral in 3 Easy Steps Using Twitter

In a couple of previous articles, I’ve written about how to use HootSuite, my favorite Twitter client, to promote your website and your blog. The great thing about HootSuite is that you can track the statistics and see how many clicks your tweet generated.

In this article, I’ll outline how to embed a custom “Tweet This” button right in the body of your blog article. The benefit is that the reader now has the opportunity to become a promoter of your article by clicking the “Tweet This” button. You benefit from the added exposure with a tweet sent by the reader containing a link to your article.

There are three easy steps to follow. First, the assumption is that you have a Twitter account. If not, then you can set one up really easy. In my view, anyone interested in promoting their business should get on board with Twitter.

Step 1: Select a “Tweet This” button of your choice. There are lots out there too choose from. Here are a couple you can use or you can find another one you like. Just right click on the image and save it to your computer. Adjust the size if needed.You can also make your own.

Step 2: Insert the button image into your article in your preferred location. I like the image right up front so it isn’t missed, but you can put it anywhere you want.

Step 3: Create a link to the image within the AR editor or whatever editor you are using as follows:

http://twitter.com/home?status=article title and link

Article title=the title of your blog post or article.

Link=the link to your article or blog post.

Note: You'll need to post the article, quickly go out and grab the link from the outside blog and then come back and edit the article to insert the link.

You want to shrink the link so use your favorite link shrink tool. HootSuite, TweetDeck, or TinyURL.com will all work fine or you can use your own.

It’s okay to have spaces between the words in the title of your article and between your article and the link, but be sure the first letter in the string touches the equal sign.

Remember your article title and link must be less than or equal to 140 characters for Twitter.

And that’s it, you’re done!

You should test it once to be sure you haven’t missed a character or something. Once you get it down, you can quickly insert the ‘Tweet This’ button in all of your articles that you want the public to see.

The key is to customize the link for each article!

ActiveRain members: If you have an outside blog, be sure to grab the link for the subject article from there and not from AR. Otherwise, you’ll be driving traffic to your AR blog. Of course, that’s okay if that’s what you want.

The ‘Tweet This’ button gives all of us another way to support one another. If you see a ‘Tweet This’ button in a blog article you like, especially if you are leaving a comment, then click it. It only takes a couple of seconds to click the button and launch a tweet about the article to your Twitter followers. Everyone benefits!

I hope you find this useful. If so, please click the ‘Tweet This’ button at the beginning of the article ;-)

Previous Posts: Boulder Colorado: A Great Place to Live, Work and Play

Boulder Colorado: A Great Place to Live, Work and Play

Boulder is a small community of approximately 103,000 residents located 25 miles north or Denver. Nestled in the foothills up against the Flatiron range of the Rocky Mountains, Boulder Colorado offers a unique lifestyle combing the best of outdoor activities with a healthy living environment and professional workplaces. The elevation of Boulder is 5,430 feet and the weather typically includes over 300 sunny days every year.

Boulder Colorado was rated the number one Sports Town in America by Outside Magazine largely due to its wide variety of sports and recreational activities that are available year-round. From hiking and backpacking to running and bicycling, Boulder has it all with spectacular views, vast open space and crisp clean air. There are more than 30 art galleries in town in addition to 4 museums and 32 movie and stage theaters. Many different festivals are held in Boulder throughout the year including the Colorado Shakespeare Festival and the Colorado Music Festival.

With more bookstores per capita than any other city in the country, Boulder Colorado is also the most highly educated city in the U.S. with more residents per capita holding college degrees than any other city nationwide. Home to the University of Colorado, and numerous Federal research laboratories, Boulder is a professional worker’s dream location. Top industries include aerospace, bioscience, data storage, renewable energy, and software in addition to natural and organic products.

Denver Colorado 3rd Quarter Neighborhood Price Change Map

Your Castle Real Estate is well known in the Denver area as the leader in local real estate market data analysis. Your Castle has developed proprietary software tools for extracting vital market statistics from current and historical MLS data. Your Castle agents are frequently interviewed on local news programs and quoted in media publications. The firm has developed a reputation as a trusted source of local market information used in a variety of articles and reports.

The map below shows the price changes in the northern portion of Denver Metro. Prices over the most recent 12 months (10/08 to 9/09) are compared to the 12 months prior. The map was constructed by segmenting the Denver Metro area into 400 small neighborhoods and then tracking statistical trends within each neighborhood.

Price changes are divided into 5 segments with each segment containing approximately 20% of the total price change. The darker red zones represent the 20% that declined the most in value during the term. The legend is hard to see but for this particular map the dark red corresponds to a decrease in value of -11% or more. The orange is -6% to -11%, Yellow is -3% to -6%, light green is -3% to +1% and the dark green is +1% or better.

Within each neighborhood segment there is a set of data. The first line contains the area name followed by the percentage of sales in the last year were either shorts ales or foreclosures. As one would expect, the higher percentage of distress sales correlates with a decrease in appreciation. Most foreclosure activity occurred with properties priced at $250k or under.

The second line shows the average price of properties sold during the term followed by the percent change from the prior 12 months. The last number is Days on Market for the area.

Your Castle produces price change maps for the entire Denver Metro area on a quarterly basis. Your Castle agents like myself can then use the maps to help clients understand market trends for areas of interest and to help guide pricing decisions for both home buying and selling. This data has enormous value to consumers and can help them to understand why one region holds value better compared to another when other factors like proximity to schools and light-rail transportation are considered.

The map above is just one sample of the many charts, graphs and plots used by Your Castle to assist clients. Classes on market trends are periodically taught free of charge for the public.

If you or someone you know would like to purchase or sell a home in Denver Metro or surrounding areas, I can help. As a Your Castle agent I have access to a wealth of resources including comprehensive market trends information to help assist you with your real estate related buying or selling decisions.

While I specialize in 'green' homes throughout the Denver Metro area, I can assist with all types of real estate buying and selling transactions.

Previous Post: More Doctors Smoke Camels Than Any Other Cigarette-I Wonder What They Would Think About Green Homes?

Denver – Boulder – Fort Collins Sustainable Living Business Directory & Resource Guide

ReDirect Guide is a Sustainable Living Business Directory & Resource Guide that is published in April of each year. Since its inception in 2000 ReDirect has continuously improved upon it promote businesses that are committed to better environmental practices.

The ReDirect guide may be thought of as a Green Yellow Pages Directory for Denver, Boulder and Fort Collins referencing businesses dedicated toward healthier living and a greener world. And like the Yellow Pages, the ReDirect Guide is FREE to consumers.

The corner stone of ReDirect is its promotion and practice of embracing the triple bottom line by considering the environmental and social impact of businesses in parallel with economic success. This is a holistic and balanced approach to business that expands upon the meaning of value beyond money to include people and planet as integral metrics of success.

The ReDirect Guide is a combination of community, business and educational material neatly organized as a resource and a guide to local businesses offering various green products, practices and services. Everything from real estate to food, clothing, household goods, and health treatments are included. Clients may choose from a variety of ad sizes to promote the business.

There is also a comprehensive list of local green events, activities and trade fairs taking place in Denver, Boulder, and Fort Collins. A sister guide is also published for the Portland Oregon area.

The Re-Direct guide has an extensive website at ReDirectGuide.com. All clients purchasing ads in the published guide also have a promotional ad on the website. The material is cross-referenced to help find the subject, product or service desired. 

If your business is located in Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins Colorado, or Portland Oregon and you promote healthier living in a greener world, consider advertising in ReDirect Guide.

It's a great way to gain access to other businesses that share a passion for social, environmental and economic balance in business success and to promote those features and benefits to consumers.

Previous Post: More Doctors Smoke Camels Than Any Other Cigarette--I What They Would Think About Green Homes?

More Doctors Smoke Camels More Than Any Other Cigarette-I Wonder What They Would Think About Green Homes

It wasn’t that long ago, just 50-60 years or so, that there were doctors on television promoting cigarette smoking. The video below is a t.v. commercial that ran in 1949. The spokesperson boldly states that “doctors in all branches of medicine and doctors from all parts of the country prefer Camel…”

An online resource of tobacco facts states:

“About 10 million people in the United States have died from causes attributed to smoking since the first Surgeon General's report on smoking and health in 1964--2 million of these deaths were the result of lung cancer alone.”

Yet, there are millions of people that continue to smoke.

Is it any wonder then that whenever we discover something new or better many of us search for reasons to hold on to the old. We enjoy our way of life and we resist change even when we know it may harm us or cost us in some way.

Now fast-forward to 2009 and consider the features and benefits of green homes. We now know that there are countless harmful toxins and pollutants in many of the materials used to build our homes. We also know that the air inside the average home is more polluted than the air outside.

According to the USGBC, homes and buildings consume approximately 72% of all electricity, 40% of primary energy use and produce 39% of all carbon emissions in the U.S.

Green homes and buildings significantly reduce energy use (25% - 50%), reduce carbon emissions (33% - 39%), use less water (40%) and produce less solid waste (70%) than non green homes.

In sum, we know green homes are healthier, more comfortable and cost less to operate! So what’s up? What is the delay? Why are we not demanding more green homes?

Personally, I think the answers are hidden in the habitual nature of our conditioned patterns of behavior. It took many years for collective public awareness about cigarettes to take hold. It may take us a while to catch on to the issues around green homes.

I know we’ll get there eventually--better sooner than later as far as I am concerned.

I can't help but wonder what future generations will think when they look back at us on the future equivalent of YouTube?

What are your thoughts and feelings on this subject?

Previous Post: REGREEN Online Green Home Renovation Resources for Homeowners and Professionals

REGREEN Online Green Home Renovation Resources for Homeowners and Professionals

In my last post, I looked at the green home renovation guidelines published by REGREEN, a joint partnership between ASID and USGBC. Today, I’ll give a brief summary of a couple of the online tools available from REGREEN. Each of the tools can work together with the guidelines published in the booklet.

When considering a green remodel project click the Green Remodels tab on the REGREEN website. There you’ll see three subcategories: REGREEN Basics, REGREEN Projects and Case Studies.

REGREEN Basics provides a generic outline about how to begin a project broken down into four steps: Audit, Plan, Prioritize and Dig In. This is a great way to begin to think about you project from a ‘whole-house’ systems level perspective. As you look through the four steps, you’ll begin to think about how it applies to your project.

REGREEN Projects reviews nine sample projects:

• Bathroom Remodel
• Kitchen Remode
• Home Addition
• Deep Energy Retrofit
• Gut Rehab
• Home Office
• Outdoor Add-ons
• Weatherization

Project details are provided with the information organized in the following manner:

• Overview
• Case Study
• Design Approach
• Systems
• Lessons Learned
• Team & Finances

The project reviews are a great way to develop an understanding of the green home renovation process and will help you to begin to think about how to approach your project. Each review is summarized and written in a format that is easy to follow and understand. References are included for additional information.

Case Studies of 18 different green home renovation projects and project types are reviewed. Lots of pictures are included and the information is very well organized. Reviewing case studies is a great way to get ideas about your green home renovation project.

Green Strategy Generator

Another useful online tool on the REGREEN website is the Green Strategy Generator. There are three fields selected with pull down tabs: Project Name (bathroom, gut rehab, etc.), Green Topic (Indoor Air Quality, Materials and Resources, etc.) and Design Elements (Equipment, Foundation, Lighting, etc.). When the fields are selected, a group of project strategies will appear. Each strategy includes an explanation, a summary of potential issues, references and links to related strategies where applicable.

The Green Strategy Generator is a useful tool for developing an understanding about how to approach and what to expect on almost any type of green home renovation project.

REGREEN Website is an Educational Tool

The resources on the REGREEN website are an excellent way to learn about green home renovation. The REGREEN online tools combined with the green home renovation guidelines will provide you with almost everything you need to know to get started on your green home renovation project.

If you or someone you know is looking to buy or sell a home in Denver Metro or Boulder County Colorado, I can help with most any type of transaction. Visit my website at E3GreenHOMES.com for more information.

Previous Post: REGREEN: A Collection of Green Home Renovation Resources for Homeowner and Professionals

EGREEN: A Collection of Green Home Renovation Resources for Homeowners and Professionals

I like to say the greenest home is the one that is already built. A green home renovation of even a small number of the 130 million homes in the U.S. could have a significant positive impact on the environment. For anyone that is either planning or interesting in learning about green home renovation there is no substitute for professional high quality project specific information.

REGREEN is an outstanding resource for green home renovation project information. REGREEN is a program jointly sponsored by the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The main purpose of the program is to provide a comprehensive set of green home renovation guidelines to support all of the major components of a green home renovation project including water use, energy efficiency, materials and resources, and indoor air quality. In this post, I’ll review the green home renovation guidelines produced by REGREEN.

REGREEN has published a 164 page booklet titled ‘Residential Remodeling Guidelines.’ The booklet, which is available in PDF form on-line, is a powerful resource for home owners, builders and design professionals interested in green home renovation. A well organized collection of green home renovation strategies are presented complete with recommendations on proven technologies and case studies of real projects. Project guidelines are presented for either whole house or individual green home renovation projects such as kitchens, bathrooms or bedrooms.

The green home renovation guidelines address ten specific green home renovation projects:

• Kitchens
• Bathrooms
• Bedrooms
• Living and Working rooms
• Finished Basements
• Home Performance
• Major Addition
• Gut Rehab
• Deep Energy Retrofit
• Outdoor Living

A ‘whole-house’ systems approach to green home renovation is emphasized even when a project only consist of one or two rooms. The reason is that maximum results are achieved when a green home renovation considers how all the systems in a home work together to reduce the overall environmental impact. From this perspective systems design and integration practices are organized to cross-reference one another for maximum benefit.

The green home renovation guidelines are not intended as a stand-alone resource. The guide includes extensive reference to additional sources of information on specific topics. Users are encouraged to explore the added resources and to formulate their own project plans to formulate their individual green home renovation techniques, strategies and materials.

An emphasis is placed on project planning in order to identify resources and formulate strategies for everything from design features and building codes to overall performance. Each of the 10 green home renovation projects is presented with a project plan template covering pre-design and implementation related issues. A case study is also presented for each of the 10 green home renovation projects.

Regardless of the size or scope your green home renovation project, the ASID/USGBC Residential Remodeling Guidelines is a must-have for homeowners planning a project or interested in learning more about green home renovation.

If you or someone you know are interested in buying a green home in Denver metro or Boulder County Colorado, give me a call. I am a certified EcoBroker and I can help you locate a green home to suit your needs.

Previous Post: LEED Certified Homes and Green Home Buyer Benefits (Part 2 of 2)

LEED Certified Homes and Green Home Buyer Benefits

In my last post I introduced LEED and the LEED for Homes program. In this post I’ll review the LEED for Homes Certification system and LEED home buyer benefits. All LEED programs are managed by the U.S. Green Building Council. The certification systems are periodically updated as new benchmarks are determined.

LEED for Homes is a rigorous certification program with well defined metrics for green home performance nationwide. The rating system evaluates home’s performance in eight principle categories.

1) Sustainable Site Selection: Location in proximity to schools, shopping, work and transit along with other factors enhancing the quality of life are encouraged. Attention to potential erosion, pollutants and interference with natural environment is discouraged. LEED Home Buyer Benefits: Homes conveniently located central to work and community services means less travel time and lower fuel cost in addition to more efficient use of personal time.

2) Water Efficiency: Innovative techniques and technologies are used in LEED homes to reduce a home’s water use and to incorporate creative ways to reuse water. LEED Home Buyer Benefits: Lower water bills and more efficient use of water resources.

3) Energy Efficiency: LEED homes use up to 60% less energy compared to the International Code Council’s standards for minimum energy efficiency. LEED Home Buyer Benefits: Lower energy bills and lower carbon emissions.

4) Materials and Resources: The use of recycled and reclaimed materials is encouraged in LEED homes. LEED Home Buyer Benefits: Efficient use of resources and lower carbon emissions.

5) Indoor Environmental Quality: LEED for Homes certification establishes benchmarks for indoor air quality by minimizing exposure to potential toxins and pollutants. LEED Home Buyer Benefits: Healthier homes mean healthier people.

6) Innovation: LEED encourages innovative ways to improve a home’s performance while improving durability and comfort. LEED Home Buyer Benefits: Innovative design and creative selection and use of materials take advantage of the latest technologies to help maximize operating performance which can increase comfort and lower operating costs.

7) Site Development: LEED homes use construction processes that minimize environmental impact and incorporate design practices that protect the land where the home is built. LEED Home Buyer Benefits: Improved landscaping and external water management systems.

8) Awareness and Education: LEED is actively involved with helping to educate homeowners about green home features. A LEED certified home is intended to be an educational example to the community. LEED Home Buyer Benefits: Everyone benefits with greater community awareness of the features and benefits of LEED certified green homes.

LEED for Homes certification is awarded on the basis of points earned from compliance to LEED rating benchmarks. A total of 136 points are possible. The more points achieved, the higher the rating which means higher home performance.

There are four levels of LEED for Homes certification:

     1) Certified: 45-59 points

     2) Silver: 60-74 points

     3) Gold: 75-89 points

     4) Platinum: 90-136 points

LEED homes help create a healthier home and a healthier planet. LEED home buyers benefit from purchasing a LEED certified home while helping protect the environment and helping preserve natural resources.

Visit E3GreenHOMES.com for information about locating Colorado green homes in Denver and Boulder areas.

Previous Posts: LEED Certified Homes are a Green Home Buyer's Dream (Part 1 of 2)

LEED Certified Homes are a Green Home Buyer's Dream

LEED homes are healthier and more comfortable for their occupants. In this post I will introduce the LEED for Homes certification system and highlight the benefits for home buyers.

LEED stands for ‘Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.’ The LEED Green Building Rating System was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to establish guidelines for characterizing and monitoring compliance with green building benchmarks. The first generation of benchmarks called LEED Version 1.0 began in 1998. LEED Version 2.0 was released in early 2000. Both Version 1.0 and 2.0 apply to commercial buildings. Adherence to the benchmarks is voluntary and consensus-based and relies upon existing proven technology. The purpose of LEED is to encourage and support the building industry toward the adoption of more sustainable building practices.

Following the LEED rating systems for the commercial sector, LEED for Homes first arrived as a part of a pilot program in mid 2005. Designed exclusively for the residential market, LEED for Homes was officially launched as a part of LEED Version 3.0 in late 2007. The LEED for Homes certification program was developed to provide a means of determining how well a home is designed and built with regard to energy and resource efficiency and to evaluate the how healthy a home is for occupants.

By November of 2008 1,084 homes across the U.S. had received LEED for Homes certification and over 13,600 homes had registered to pursue certification. Today, approximately 3,000 homes have received the LEED for Homes certification and over 16,000 are registered to pursue LEED for Homes certification.

The USGBC estimates potential energy savings of 30% for the average home rated at LEED-Certified level compared to homes built to the Internation Energy Conservation Code. Energy savings of up to 60% are possible.

Homebuyers seeking a premium green featured home will want to consider one that is LEED certified because a LEED Certified Homes are a Green Home Buyer's Dream.

As a certified EcoBroker, I can help homebuyers locate and evaluate LEED certified homes in Colorado. Please feel free to contact me with any comments or questions.

Visit my website at E3GreenHOMES.com for information on Denver Colorado Green Homes.

Previous Post: Green Building Renovation Market Forecasts is Great News for Home Buyers & Sellers