Baltimore City Paves the Way for Building Green

(Baltimore, MD – August 31, 2010) Baltimore Housing in partnership with the Planning Department displeased to announce the release of the Baltimore City Green Building Standards (BCGBS). The BCBGS are meant to be a quicker, less expensive alternative to the traditional LEED certification currently required under the Baltimore City Code. The standards will apply to newly-constructed or extensively-modified nonresidential or multi-family residential buildings that have or will have at least 10,000 square feet of gross floor area.
The new standards are innovative and designed to achieve certification for green buildings with guidelines that work with Baltimore’s unique building and land use issues. As awareness of environmental and energy issues has increased, demand for green buildings has also grown as. The BCGBS incorporate elements of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system and will serve as an ‘incentive’ for green development without additional cost to developers. They are also designed to best achieve the goals of the Baltimore Sustainability Plan.
“The development of the Green Building Standards is another opportunity to show the City’s commitment to being environmentally responsible,” said Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

“Baltimore City’s Green Building Standards give developers an incentive to go green,” said Housing Commissioner Paul T. Graziano. “We understand the challenges facing developers and have created a plan that addresses their needs and our commitment. The new standards are sensible, effective, enforceable and will be seamless and transparent.”
Compliance with these standards will, among other things: protect and restore the City’s water supply, reduce Baltimore’s urban heat island effect, encourage alternative transportation and promote and improve access to more green spaces throughout the City
“Certification for green building projects in Baltimore will take less time, because they will be reviewed as part of the City’s existing development review processes,” said Tom Stosur, Director of the Baltimore City Planning Department. “Baltimore City is committed to being eco friendly and this is just another step towards that end.”

So What's the Real Deal?

Any homebuyer or seller who peruses the news headlines can become quickly disheartened or elated depending on which publication, blog, or news station they are following. There is no doubt that conflicting information is being reported on the real estate industry on a daily basis.
The information reported is not necessarily false, but the reality is that real estate is a very local business. What is happening in regards to sales, pricing, or foreclosures nationally or even state-wide, may not be the reality in your local community.
Understanding how this information impacts you directly can also be difficult to navigate. The National Association of Realtors®, the leading source of information for the real estate industry, just reported that the national median existing-home price for all housing types was up 0.7 percent in July from a year ago; a very positive sign that home prices and the market have stabilized. Yet completed transactions dropped 27.2 percent in July from June; initiating news reports that the market is far from recovery.
So what's the real deal? How should this data impact your home buying or selling decisions? Is the market stabilizing or flailing?
Its times like these that I can provide you with the solid facts that are relevant to you in your local area.
I not only have the experience and knowledge to assist, but deal in the local marketplaces everyday and have access to pertinent local data that can help you make sound home buying and selling decisions.
Whether you are a home seller who needs professional guidance to price a property appropriately, or a home buyer who needs a responsible representative who will lead you through the process, I can advise you, dissect those national headlines, and give you the right kind of information to help you make the decisions that are right for you.
For help navigating the real estate landscape, please contact me.

Buyer Beware- Permit Needed

I want to share with you something that has come up for one of my buyers that anyone purchasing a home should be aware of.

After moving into their newly rehabbed home, which had previously been a shell, these new homebuyers received notification from the Baltimore Housing Authority informing them that no “Use and Occupancy Permit” had been issued and that there would be fine if this was not completed by a fast approaching deadline.

After following up on this with the city, and paying $25 for an application for a permit, they still need an inspection, possible repairs made, final inspection, and final permit from the city. All of which is costing time and money for something that was to be completed prior to selling the home for, residential use, by the seller. After speaking with the lender and title company, we have found that it is not common for the title company to research this permit unless the lender requires it for the loan and that’s usually only when financing new construction.
We are still working on this in order to obtain reimbursement from the seller but going forward I recommend checking with the Baltimore Housing Authority for any outstanding violations and permits on all property when making a purchase and if the property was a shell or is new construction, asking for an “U&O Permit” is a good idea so you don’t get this nice welcoming gift from the city.
Check out http://www.baltimorehousing.org/ for additional information and if you’re in the market to buy/sell, give me a call.