Brookfield Homes

March 27, 2010 is the official Grand Opening for the new Eco-Savvy homes of Rockrose at The Foothills in Carlsbad! We will unveil all the wonderful, thought-provoking, educational and money saving benefits of buying Eco-Savvy. We will explain why Eco-Savvy is the way to build in the future and the way to live today. Won’t you join us for the celebration?

Rockrose is the first new home community in San Diego to offer every new home standard, with an energy efficiency rating of 35% better than the California Energy Efficiency Standards for Residential Construction (Title 24). But, that is just where Eco-Savvy starts. Rockrose offers water conservation through tankless water heaters, WaterSense faucets, low-flow shower heads, recirculating hot water systems, insulated hot water loop lines and water sensitive landscaping. Rockrose is waste sensitive, diverting 70-80% of the construction waste material away from local landfills by recycling. Rockrose is environmentally sensitive to indoor air quality by including Merv 8 air filters, low VOC carpets and paints, and formaldehyde free adhesives. Rockrose supports sustainable building through the use of Sustainable Forest Initiative Certified lumber and engineered wood products. Home buyers may also select recycled materials for their floor coverings. Rockrose supports renewable energy and solar power by providing photo voltaic options for all home buyers. Rockrose is Eco-Savvy.

And, Eco-Savvy is being ecologically and economically smart. It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money to be Eco-Savvy!

Eco-Savvy is also being a good neighbor and offering educational materials and displays about energy savings, water conservation, indoor air quality, native habitat landscaping and waste reduction programs. Even if you are not in the market for a new home, stop by and see how Eco-Savvy can be utilized in your home today. Saving the environment can also mean saving money in your home right now!

See you on the 27th of March!

Saving water has become a major issue for residents of Southern California. While 2010 is off to good start for rainfall, the State of California is still weathering the past three years of drought conditions. Just this past summer, mandatory water conservation measures were introduced by many local cities and water districts. Then in November, the state decided on a new plan for moving forward with water infrastructure. All these activities will help California be more efficient with its water usage. What many people don’t realize is that new home construction has been leading the way in water conservation and water efficiency.

A new report, prepared for the California Homebuilding Foundation by ConSol, a nationally recognized consultant on energy solutions for homebuilders, examined the historical standards for water usage by California home owners and then compared those findings to the usage under today’s building code requirements and also, the new California Green Building Standards Code requirements that will take effect in 2011.

Not surprisingly, the study found that homes built in 2009 reduced water use by 20% compared to home built in 1990. With the introduction of low flow shower heads and low flow toilets, water usage in new homes has been significantly reduced over the past 20 years.

The study also found that under the new regulations for 2011, new home construction would further reduce indoor water use by 21%. The study estimated the cost of these new regulations to be around $350 per home.

Landscaping accounts for more than half of a home’s water usage. 57% of a home’s water usage is outside the home. Irrigation of landscaping is the largest single water use at most homes. The new Model Water Efficiency Landscape Ordinance are part of the new regulations for 2011.

In terms of gallons of water saved, today’s new homes in California use 15,000 gallons less than homes built in 1990. A 2011 new home will use 12,000 gallons less than today’s new home inside the house and 26,000 gallons less water outside the home!

Additional water savings can be created through retrofitting of the 7.5 million single family homes built before 1980, when the first plumbing standards went into effect. By replacing original shower fixtures alone in a pre-1980 home with the new 2011 standard shower fixture, the average home owner can save over 22,000 gallons of water. By replacing one pre-1980 toilet with a 2011 standard toilet, the home owner can save another 16,000 of water each year.

For more details and facts about water saving ideas, visit the San Diego County Water Authority web site or you local water agency. Remember, whiskey is for drinking and water is for saving!

Governor Schwarzenegger At Trellis, by Brookfield Homes

California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, took time out of his busy schedule to visit San Diego and the Brookfield Homes community of Trellis on Friday, February 5th, to promote his State Tax Credit for New Homes and his Jobs Creation Initiative. The Governor was supported in his efforts by local officials, legislative representatives and business / industry professionals. Local television and radio stations, print media and internet media covered the event. Local citizens and school children turned out to see the Governor and hear his remarks.

The Governor’s remarks focused on the need for California to take responsibility for job creation into its own hands. He said: “You know, in my State of the State Address I made it very clear that with all the big challenges that are ahead of us this year and the things that we want to accomplish, the most important thing for us is to bring our economy back and to bring jobs back. It’s jobs, jobs, jobs, that’s what this is all about. … we need to get people out there and buying the homes, that’s the important thing, so we can build more homes and so we can put people back to work. And the great thing is that when we give tax incentives for home buyers that has a rippling effect, a domino effect, because then all of a sudden builders begin pulling their permits. And we have seen that with last year’s tax credit, that builders began pulling the permits and the subcontractors began hiring again. And that means that people go back to work, if it’s the framers, if it’s the roofers, if it is the electricians, if it is the carpenters, if it is the plumbers. Everyone gets a job right away again.

“So Brookfield Homes, which is the building development where we are right now, they had a 300 percent increase in the sales of homes last year. And then, of course, 70 percent of those buyers used the tax credit. But then, as soon as the money ran out, then you saw again a drop in the sales of homes. And this is why I made the recommendation this year in my job creation package that I put forward that we should put it back again, this $10,000 tax credit for home buyers, which is so important. We are offering a total of $200 million in the credits to buyers. We want to get people off the fence and into the sales office to buy those homes and to be part of the American Dream, because I think it is the American Dream, to own your own home.”

The Governor also commented on the balance of his Jobs Creation Initiative. The list includes:

• Eliminating the sales tax on green technology manufacturing equipment,
• Streamlining regulations to get shovels in the dirt, which means to move forward with ready to go construction jobs and projects,
• Eliminating frivolous lawsuits that hurt small businesses and kill jobs,
• And, the creation of as many as 100,000 new jobs through the $500 million new-hire tax credit.

Specifically he said, “The bottom line here is, of course, that we don’t want to wait for the world economy to come back. Why should we just sit there and wait? We can do something about that. We also don’t wait for Washington to create action. We can create the action. Anytime we don’t do something now about creating jobs, those are self-inflicted wounds. This has nothing to do with the world economy. We can do certain things. We only have a small amount of power when it comes to bringing the economy back or creating jobs but, whatever power we have, let’s use that power. And this is what this initiative is all about here.”

The Governor then answered questions from the media and guests. He took time to visit with local residents and took pictures with the children. Then, to the chagrin of his startled staff, the Governor ventured onto the construction site to shake hands with the workers, thank them for their hard work and encourage them to support his Job Creation Initiative.

As highlighted in my earlier post, the Governor has called for the re-institution of the Tax Credit for New Home Purchasers. We now have the first action by the California legislature to address that call to action.

SBX8 21, by Senator Ashburn has been introduced into the California State Senate. And, ABX8 34, by Assemblyman Jeffries has been introduced into the California State Assembly. Both of these bills would create a $10,000 tax credit per qualified buyer, to be paid over a three year period. Both bills are introduced into the Special Session #8 of the Legislature and could become law by passage during the special session. Both bills call for a May 1, 2010 start date, to coincide with the completion of the Federal Tax Credit program currently in place. For any other particulars of these bills, please see the links highlighted above.

The bill will normally undergo a series of changes as they work their way through the legislative approval process. Differences in the bills may arise as amendments and edits are made along the approval path of each chamber. There are a few key issues to keep watch over as the bills progress. First, the start date is a key issue. The Federal Tax Credit applies to purchase contracts entered into by April 30, 2010 and the home closes escrow by June 30, 2010. Starting the California Tax Credit on May 1, 2010 provides for a continuity of benefits available to the California purchaser. This continuity is important to maintain the construction of new homes (hence the benefits the State receives by offering the Tax Credit) and to support the confidence that is building in the demand for new homes. Any gap in this time line, from the Federal Tax Credit closing and the State Tax Credit opening, could create a hesitation in the minds of buyers and hence a slow down in the jobs recovery.

Another key issue is the direction to the Franchise Tax Board (FTB) to create a “reservation system” for the State Tax Credit. Again, modeled after the Federal Tax Credit, the reservation system allows buyers to contract for the purchase of a new home and receive a “reservation” of a future Tax Credit from the FTB. This approach allows buyers to purchase homes during the availability of the Tax Credit and close escrow at some time in the future, when the home construction is complete. It adds surety for the buyer that they will receive a Tax Credit and incentive for the home builder to create those needed construction jobs.

Most of the other qualifications for the Tax Credit remain consistent with the 2009 version. A new provision would cover First Time home buyers. The 2009 Tax Credit applied only to newly constructed homes, because of the greater surety around job creation and fiscal benefits to the state. The 2010 Tax Credit provides a portion of the Tax Credit Allocation be set aside for first time home buyers. There is no restriction for First Time home buyers to buy a newly constructed home. This provision will be a source of debate among the legislators. As proposed, the Ashburn and Jeffries bills each set aside $100 million for the qualified purchasers of newly constructed homes and $100 million for the purchase of homes by qualified first time buyers. This new provision will be ironed out through the legislative process.

Stay tuned for more information as the process unfolds.

Congratulations!

Some people say I write too much.

Some people say I don’t write enough.

My general rule is “Don’t write unless you have something to say!” Well, I got something to say!

At the International Builders Show, in Las Vegas last week, Brookfield Homes San Diego received a special prize. www.brookfieldsd.com was named the Best Builder Website! Yup, it’s true. Check out the judge’s comments on reviewing the nominees …

• “Great graphics, color scheme…”
• “… easy to access and use …”
• “The quick search …”
• “… incentive is brilliant …”
• “… great content …”
• “… Online Sales Center … Awesome!”
• “… thoroughly optimized …”
• “… using social media properly and in a forward thinking manner.”
• And, my personal favorite …”The President writes a blog! Nice!”

Need I say more? You bet! Thanks to Jim Adams at NewHomesDirectory.com for submitting www.brookfieldsd.com to the competition.  And, thanks to Bailey Gardiner, 10th Degree and Scribe Communications for their enthusiasm, professionalism and patience in getting us there. Thanks to Lora Heramb, VP Sales and Marketing and Debby Marshall King, Director of Marketing for taking charge and making it happen. And, most importantly, thanks to our buyers and prospective buyers for their feedback and ideas regarding how to improve our site. What a great team!