Most everyone would agree that green can be an attractive selling point — for some people. But how do homeowners feel about green? There can be a difference in perception between “green” and energy efficient.” Most people will eagerly replace appliances and devices when the cost is not too prohibitive and they know that there are savings to be had. If a low-flow shower head can save on their water bill, what’s not to love?

But there are certain green things that are not necessarily energy efficient. For instance, using reclaimed wood for flooring is certainly green, but will it really save money in the end? And what about less familiar materials? If you were to offer your customer a bamboo sink in a kitchen remodel, would they be intrigued by its many green qualities and overlook the fact that they are getting a wood (or technically, grass) sink? Or would they stay on the safe side and go for stainless steel or cast iron?

In this current housing market, are your customers focused on getting the most bang for their buck or is green a big factor in their decisions? Tell us in the comments!

Wood, stucco, brick…just some of the regular materials that regular houses are made of. Of course, shelter and home can come in any number of forms. MSN Real Estate recently listed a few. Here are our favorites.

Converted churches: Soaring ceilings and gorgeous light.

Airplanes: According to MSN, the owner of this airplane/home bought it for $2000, moved it for $4000 and renovated it for $24,000. Not too bad!

Shipping containers: Save the “living in a box” jokes. These homes, made out of old freight boxes, are stylish and comfortable.

What’s the most interesting place you’ve ever built or renovated for your customers to live in?

Photos courtesy of MSN Real Estate.

Connect the Lots
Big Builder
“As the housing market fell, lot t development stood still. After more than a year’s land rush for ready-to-build lots, the pickings for right-priced finished lots in prime locations are slim to none. So, even while home sales remain lackluster, many production builders find themselves keenly in need of land.”

Breaking Down the Housing Policy Debate
The Atlantic (Blog)
“With the Wall Street regulation bill behind Congress, it has already begun to tackle the next big fiscal issue: housing policy reform. With the government sponsored entities (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac shaping up to be the most costly of all bailout recipients, it’s a problem that deserves serious attention. What should Washington decide?”

Women as a Growing Force in the Housing Market
Fine Homebuilding (Blog)
“…Generation Y women are now 1.5 times more likely than men to earn undergraduate and graduate degrees, and, in many metropolitan markets, single women in their 20s earn 105% of what their male counterparts earn.”

The first viewpoint comes from Richard Florida, author of the book “The Great Reset: How New Ways of Living and Working Drive Post-Crash Prosperity.” In a nutshell, he believes that when the economy recovers, it “will demand cleaner, more efficient ways of living, traveling, working and arranging our communities if we hope to climb out of our hole and catch the next wave of prosperity.”

Smaller homes and better, more efficient public transportation seem to be two of his main viewpoints. And this idea of transforming the way we live is important and valid and may come to pass.

But MinnPost also featured the viewpoint of author Joel Kotkin (“The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050″). His view is that the new green urbanism is a bit of a pipe dream. Partly this has to do with psychology: a large number of Americans will always prefer single family suburban homes to multi-family urban living.

But isn’t the problem of urban sprawl something cities are racing to fix? Kotkin believes that cities will decline in importance. Jobs and services will keep moving outwards to where people live, hopefully cutting down on time spent in the car.

What do you think? Which vision will take hold after the recovery? Will you find yourself building urban mixed-used developments or suburban homes with picket fences? Or will some third building trend drive the recovery?

A blog entry on BUILDER Online posed a provocative question: Can big homes be green? The answer, as with most things, is “it depends.”

As everyone knows, there’s been a shift away from McMansions. Not only can they cost more to build, but they’ll also be more expensive to heat and cool — not to mention the homeowners will need to buy more stuff to fill it up. And yet, would you consider a large LEED-certified house built with the greenest of materials less sustainable than a small house that was built in a less green, energy-efficient way?

How about context? If a family of 10 moves into our fictional large house and needs and uses all the space there, does that make it green? What if it’s just a family of four, and all those bedrooms and dens are sitting empty? Does that make the house less green?

Now, we’re certainly not saying that people shouldn’t be able to live in houses as large as they want. And no doubt, large homes can be a homebuilder’s dream. But what about building smaller, more livable homes using higher quality, more innovative materials?

When do you think a house’s size affects its green-ness? Let us know in the comments!

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Green Homes Sell Faster, But Harder to Appraise
HGTV Pro – NAHB (Nation’s Building News)
“While official statistics may be lacking, many builders attending the NAHB National Green Building Conference in Raleigh, N.C., on May 16-18 said that they have been able to sell sustainably built homes considerably faster than the traditionally built new homes that have been languishing in today’s tough market.

Green builders, however, have little immunity from the tight financial conditions that have been plaguing the housing market and imposing difficulties for both home buyers and sellers. And the widespread problem of low appraisals — driven largely by a glut of foreclosed properties and a slow market — has been doubly frustrating for green builders because the vast majority of appraisers are unable to recognize the value that green features add to the home.”

New Lead Paint Laws Updated
Charles & Hudson
“The new lead paint rule instituted by the EPA that requires special handling when remodeling all pre-1978 homes has now been slightly altered.”

Home-Efficiency Program Takes Hit
WSJ – Developments Blog
“White House-backed effort to encourage home-energy improvements was dealt a blow Tuesday after a federal regulator said the program posed significant risks to mortgage lenders and investors. The Federal Housing Finance Agency, which regulates Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, suggested the mortgage finance titans should avoid participating in the program or should tighten their lending standards where the initiative moves forward.”

The design of Greenhaven homes was conceived by Pace Homebuilders. The “Green Team” they brought together designed Greenhaven as a home that is livable and green. Greenhaven is certified by the US Green Building Council’s LEED for Homes program. Its three floors are filled with luxurious extras like a home theater and private office.

To help Greenhaven get the high-end look that today’s eco-conscious homeowner desires, Pace Homebuilders windows by Integrity® from Marvin Windows and Doors.

Made of a pultruded fiberglass called Ultrex, Integrity windows are durable and high-performing. Not only is Ultrex eight times stronger than vinyl and as strong as steel, but it is made of silica sand, a virtually unlimited natural resource. It’s even green in its manufacturing process, made in the only pultrusion facility in compliance with the 1990 Clean Air Act.

Anyone lucky enough to buy a Greenhaven home will get to live in a house that is truly green and truly beautiful.

Photos courtesy of GreenhavenHome.com

Nonetheless, the home is very modern in its energy efficiency: it has ENERGY STAR appliances, geothermal panels and plants that don’t need constant watering. And it also features Integrity windows. With energy efficient glass and Ultrex’s durability and green manufacturing, Integrity helps this house achieve an optimal green balance.

Please check out the article to learn more!

Photo courtesy of USA Today and Paul Wicklow

U.S. Average House Size Shrinks in 2009
Big Builder Online
“The average size of a new single-family house shrank significantly from 2008 to 2009, the census figures show. Nationally the average decrease was 51 square feet, to 2,422 square feet.” The Wall Street Journal Developments Blog also comments on this trend here.

Job Growth is Key for Housing Recovery
Residential Architect
“According to the JCHS report, the housing recovery will hinge on employment recovery. Historically, high employment rates have driven both existing-home purchases and new-home purchases. Unemployment is at an all-time high, and as of April 2010, 6.7 million workers had been out of work for six months or longer.”

Demand for Windows Forecasted to Rise
Pro Sales Online
“Demand for windows in the United States will reverse a four-year slide in 2010, climbing 10.5% to 43 million units and then continuing to rise steadily through 2013, a research group working for two major trade associations has forecast.”

To support this growth, many sites such as USA Today and the Wall Street Journal are now offering well-trafficked “Second Home Destination” pages. Furthermore, a recent article in the Wall Street Journal highlights the slow rejuvenation of the luxury second home market and lists the top 10 places to buy a second home, going into detail on the specific locations and even celebrity neighbors.

Now you may wonder: How can anyone other than celebrities afford to buy a second home in times like these? The majority of buyers were most likely minimally affected by the sub-prime mortgage crisis and are now taking advantage of low prices — up to 40 percent off the peak. Ideally, what drove the vacation home market in the earlier part of the decade will continue to do so for the years to come: baby boomers.

A BusinessWeek article cited that, in 2009, 39.2 million people in the U.S. were between the ages of 50-59 and an additional 44.8 million people were between 40-49. A very large percentage of vacation homes are purchased by people in these age brackets, which align closely with the baby boomer generation.  These boomers are now within their peak earning years or are even moving towards retirement, providing either extra cash or extra time to devote to a second home. While these purchases did drop in 2008 and 2009, there was slight growth in recent months and the long term demand looks favorable.

As aforementioned, the reasons behind purchasing a second home vary. Some people just need a place to get away, relax and spend time with their family. Others use it as an investment, a potential future primary residence or simply to diversify their portfolio. However, investors beware. Although we’ve stopped our downhill slide, it may take quite some time for your new abode to appreciate in value.

So whether you are actually considering purchasing a vacation home (take a look at these tips!) or if it is just wishful thinking, take some time to check out these sites and enjoy the fact that while prices are down, this market is looking up.

Photo courtesy of Alex. E Proimos on Flickr