Chicago Real Estate

My predictions on price: The median or median existing-home price last month was $182,600, up 0.7 percent from a year ago.

You can credit Obama for this and his tax credit.
We all homebuyer tax credits for keeping home values stable for the past 18 months.
Now despite heavy job losses home values are now back in line relative to income, count on stability in the median–so don’t expect any measurable change in prices going forward.

I think we are at bottom on price on retail homes.

Wholesale: non financeable homes ( cash only) deals are another story. A house with no toilets still has further to go.

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What if you could pick up the phone, call you Alderman/woman and influence them to move 872,000 cars from the streets of Chicago?

What if you could help stop 41 deaths a year in Chicago from air pollution?  What if you could help 18,000 cases of Asthma be relieved in Chicago?  What if you could help stop two of the largest single carbon monoxide pollution sources in Chicago by lobbying your Alderman?  Those of you on the North Side may not know that the power plants at Fisk and Crawford are polluting your air.  Your bad days of breathing, well, just blame the plants in Pilsen and Little Village.  If you have asthma, all of a sudden, thank Midwest Generation.  These plants are from 1914 and are not anywhere near the state of the art technology.  They are old, dirty coal burners dumping fine particulates all over our city that can immediately enter your blood stream they are so small.  They are smog producers and climate warmers.  There is both a health issue here and a climate warming issue.  And intertwined is an environmental justice issue.

If these plants were located in Wicker Park do you think they would still be open?  I think not.

Well this is your time.  The Chicago Clean Power Ordinance is before the city council and it’s growing in support and we must continue the momentum.  Call your Alderman, because chances are out of the 13 that have signed on as of July 21st, yours is one of the 37 who have not signed on.

If your Alderman is one of the “bad” ones like Dick Mell, Aldreman Solis or Munoz call them and ask them, How can you be on the wrong side of history and environmental justice on this one?

My office is literally 5 blocks east of Fisk station at 2202 S. Halsted.  I was diagnosed with Asthma this year.  I carry my trusty inhaler with me.  I honestly believe that my eight years in Pilsen have caught up with me.  The environmental injustice this community is treated with, has now impacted me directly.

I don’t know how Alderman Solis can have a clear conscience, not being a leader out-front on this issue.

Now I can understand Dick Mell, the rules committee chair who is sitting on this ordinance.  Or Ed Burke, who is likley upset that he didn’t get to sponsor this one like the one that went down in flames in 2002.  But how can you rationalize Alderman Solis’ opposition?  He lives here.  His family does.  His friends.  His community inhales this pollution first, they are the closest to it. And they have a lower median income than most other communities, which means he should be working that much harder to make sure they have a healthy environment and not a dirtier one.

Fisk and Crawford  coal power plants are two of eleven in the state.  What’s amazing is that these two coal power plants are the closest to this large of a population!

Other cities have built them farther away.  Others have closed them.  Not only are these two plants still operating, they  are completely outdated!

How they have been allowed to continue to dump their pollution on Pilsen, Bridgeport, McKinley park is a secret I would like to know.

Let’s try and put some daylight on that.  Could it be that Charlie Parnell, Midwest Generations lobbyist who is a co-host for Alderman Solis’ (25th ward Alderman) upcoming fundraiser, has gotten Alderman Solis and other Alderman like him so much money that they have just lost their minds?  Could it be that community groups like the Resurrection Project who rely on the Alderman to give/get them free city land to build affordable units on doesn’t want to upset the hand that feeds them?  How does the Resurrection project cry foul about “gentrification” and not about the single largest pollution source in their community!  They are not signed onto this ordinance as sponsors.  This is a group of churches and community leaders in Pilsen.  This is not right.  Someone needs to put some daylight on the connection between where the Resurrection project gets its funding/support and why they are not supporting the Fisk stations regulation and closure.

I know Alderman Solis.  I like him personally, so much so that I supported him in his last election and think he’s a thinker not a order taker.  He has been involved with UNO (which by the way what’s their position on the Clean Power Ordinance).  But you would think that driving around Pilsen each day the Alderman goes down Cermak and eyeballs those smokestacks and is concerned that the asthma rates are so high here.  You would think he has those 50,000 lungs on his mind under the age of 15 that live within a mile of this plant!

You would think that he would balance that 41 deaths a year that are caused by the power plants surrounding his community and might outweigh the 180 jobs that will be lost if these plants close (Midwest threatens this if they have to update the plants).

In this market one issue is mission critical for buyers. Price. How many builders can offer a home under $150 per square foot that hits a 400 point number on the Chicago Permit Green Score and is finished in luxury finishes with a great modern look?

I am committed to offering the “Green” attributes of energy efficiency, and environment smart materials  and the Healthy attributes in  a home like low VOC paint and Foam insulation at a great price.

Why should a buyer who is focused on frugality and spending what they might on a duplex condo to buy a home have to compromise quality? I want families to stay in Chicago, to fill out schools and streets…to live “better” lives in healthy homes that are bright, full of sunlight and are highly energy efficient… and the way to do this is to offer system built quality and deliver it without a “markup” where the builder pockets the savings.

I believe the condo-buyer who can afford a “luxury” condo “duplex” (which is typically what couples who have kids live in if they are in a condo, if not a townhome) should also be able to afford a green, healthier single family home? This pricing of $150 per sf or less delivers on that promise.

Quality construction and  luxury finishes are not exclusive to  “luxury homes”. Luxury features are and should be available to all. Green aspects of homes should be made affordable. Modern style should be made affordable. Healthy home features (no voc/low voc, solar chimneys, air purifiers, etc.) should be affordable.

The quality of modular homes-which are “system built” in a temperature controlled environment is at or above a “stick built” home that is typically built on site.I am surprised that these homes have not “caught on” because the advantages are so utterly clear.

Caring about quality and greener homes that have healthier and more affordability I have dug into this issue. I have read alot and now gotten out to tour these system built manufacturers. I have been very impressed each and every time at the lack of waste, at the consistency, and the ideal working environments.

Having General Contracted and personally wired, plumbed, framed, drywalled, etc my own personal home(s) and worked with dozens of developers over my seven years in Real Estate selling 75 million  I know quality when I see it. And… I like to see it and sell quality–you make an impact if you do things right.

I see major cost savings in building the modular way–and I see a healthier, dryer, quality-built and precision home that will be more efficient, straighter and built faster on a very predictable budget.  Tony Kovach of the Sun Times March 26th issue hits on many of these points–it’s about time the “mainstream” media delivered the obvious fact.  He points out that system built homes are “stronger, smarter, safer, stylish and saves money”. And he points out that “all” home builders – factory or “stick built” use factory-made components to erect their homes.

Another point of momentum of getting the word out about these homes  is the wide popularity of Dwell magazine and their popularization of the modular movement. Their website is a great resource for all of us who want to share and create… but their website is also all about “higher priced” designed modular. Most of their homes are not built under $150 per square foot. There are few builders offering a good, solid green home product that has a healthier home package for under $150 per sf. … This is why we have worked tirelessly to develop the +Plus House.

Then we have the arrival of a new book that is out this month “Prefabulous + Sustainable” (Amrams $25) takes on the old, tired idea that “factory built” homes are somehow inferior. This confusion comes from trailer homes, which are of course, factory built.  But trailer homes have nothing to do with “Mod’s” or “System Built Homes” .  System Built homes are shipped to the site and secured to the foundation–but are built in a temperature controlled space.

I have toured these “factories” lately and I have seen quality that I have not seen on the typical “stick built” sites. This quality is a result of building in an ideal environment.  When I have toured “stick built” sites I have seen rain drenched, mudded, humidity soaked building sites where insulation, subfloors, lumbed are soaked. In a 65 degree factory space you don’t have those elements to disrupt productivity, quality of materials and healthy aspects of the home (wet insulation, etc). The obvious advantages are immediate, logical and obvious to all.

In my opinion mistakes are made on “stick built” homes at a high  rate .  And, cost overruns are far more likely. Further, stick built homes are usually inspected less. A system built home — is checked at each and every station in most cases. Thus, the framers are inspected before the house “rolls” onto the electrical team’s station. Then electrical manager inspects quality before it rolls forward to the plumbing team’s station.  Etc.

If you would like to learn more about modular quality simple google manufactured homes and read about the hundreds of studies.

+PlusItBack Entry

The new electric mini has 100 cars on the road. It takes 850 a month to lease one and if you use a 220 volt charger it charges in just about 6 hours… A normal 110 outlet takes 24 hours to charge fully. The driving radius/distance is 100 miles. I personally drive a mini so my interest in this electric car is heightened by the idea of using solar/wind to re-charge the car eventually. Using electric would give me an option to getting to a more carbon neutral position with my transportation. As a Realtor it’s very challenging to try to use public transportation.  See article here.

I included this excellent article From Chicago Assoc. of Realtors-Phil Buoscio

Living LEED: Green Residences Gaining Ground in Chicago

Numerous downtown office buildings, several branches of the Chicago Public Library, and even the new Target store at Peterson and Damen are evidence of Chicago’s citywide resolve to build in accordance with the standards of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Facilitated by the U.S. Green Building Council, the LEED Green Building Rating System™ “encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through the creation and implementation of universally understood and accepted tools and performance criteria” (USGBC).

For several years now, the City of Chicago and various corporations headquartered in Chicago have worked to achieve LEED status. Now, architects and builders are beginning to apply LEED standards to residences, with a new series of LEED for Home designations. Imagine living under a green roof, or in a zero net energy house, or even helping your college-aged child settle into their LEED-certified dorm room. Now, thanks to the popularity and success of commercial LEED properties, eco-conscious living has reached a whole new level. And this new trend is citywide, not simply concentrated in new construction-heavy neighborhoods, like the South Loop.

LEED-ing the Pack

The LEED for Homes Green Building Rating System™ awards designations based on a point system, ranking buildings for their sustainability in eight categories: Innovation & Design Process, Locations & Linkage, Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy & Atmosphere, Materials & Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Awareness & Education. Based on the total number of points earned by a property, it is given a designation of, from lowest to highest: Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. More information on the rating system can be found at the U.S. Green Building Council Web site, www.usgbc.org.

Renewable Energy Homes

At 4895 N. Ravenswood Ave., ground has broken on a 2,675 square foot that hopes to be “Chicago’s first functional zero net energy home,” with aspirations to earn the coveted LEED for Homes Platinum designation (www.greenhomechicago.us). Working with Chicago-based architecture firm Farr Associates, whose concentration is sustainable urbanism, owner Michael Yannell has commissioned every conceivable conservation measure, from solar panels to rainwater harvesting to two green roofs for the two-story plus basement home. He has also earned the distinction of being the first single-family home in the City of Chicago with a greywater system approved by both the City of Chicago and the Illinois State Public Health Department.

Yannell claims that two factors influenced his decision to pursue his zero net energy home, which is still under construction in Ravenswood. “First, I had always wanted to build a home like this,” he says. “But second, in Chicago over the past 10 years, there’s been a rash of tear downs and construction of cookie cutter homes that aren’t taking the environment into consideration as they’re being built.” Yannell should know—he currently lives in one of them. He has tried replacing windows and doors and the whole roof in order to increase the efficiency of his current home; but when he saw the lot in Ravenswood with sizeable southern exposure and an unobstructed view to the west due to the Metra tracks, he knew it was perfect.

Yannell knows that it is unlikely other Chicagoans will go to the lengths he has to design and build a zero net energy home—the maintenance of the greywater system alone requires a great investment of his time, and the Department of Health will be stopping in to inspect the system for the first year. But his hope is that people will consider adapting one of two of the conservation measures he has implemented. For Yannell, however, the extra effort will almost certainly pay off with a LEED Platinum designation.

Farr Associates, the architectural firm collaborating with Yannell on the project, hails the LEED for Homes rating system as a benchmark. “There are often companies representing processes and products that are not as sustainable as they claim to be,” says April Hughes, Project Manager, Farr Associates. “LEED for Homes maintains a level of accuracy.”

Yannell is already looking forward to his next collaboration with Farr Associates: a LEED-certified animal shelter for cats.

***

The Wis Tavern building at 1825 W . Wabansia Ave. in Bucktown is home to the Mauceri family, and upon completion in 2007, was the first LEED Home Gold Certified residence in Illinois. Workign with the owners, design team Aerotecture International and Wilkinson Blender Architecture Inc., created the first wind-supported, renewable energy, multiunit building in Chicago. Aerotecture Aeroturbines power the home quietly and safely, which keeps the neighbors happy, and the potential for zero energy consumption keeps the eco-conscious homeowners living green.

Affordable LEED Living

While building a LEED designated home can be expensive, living in one doesn’t have to be. Affordable and mixed-income housing developments are earning LEED distinctions in Chicago as well.

Completed in November 2005, Wentworth Commons, owned by Mercy Housing Lakefront, offers 51-units of affordable housing to at-risk and low-income families and individuals, and provides supportive services, such as employment training and a family resource center, to its residents. Visible solar panels and recycled materials helped earn Wentworth Commons its LEED designation, and a graffiti-resistant exterior and native plants (eliminating the need for irrigation) keep the building looking beautiful.

The City of Chicago and several developers are working on implementing conservation measures in many more affordable and mixed-income housing developments, citywide

LEED Condominiums Move North

For green homebuyers who love the idea of LEED condominium living but aren’t interested in downtown high-rise buildings, there is good news: LEED condominiums are creeping northward, and not necessarily in high-rise form.

Helios Realty and Development chose 2800 Lincoln Ave. (www.2800lincoln.com) as the location for their forthcoming nine-unit, sustainable condominium building in part because of access to public transportation. “The location is phenomenal in that it is so close to the Brown Line and connected to both Lakeview and Lincoln Park,” says REALTOR® Hans Fedderke of Helios. With green features, such as energy efficient appliances, recycled quartz countertops, and an estimated 50% annual energy savings for its future residents, 2800 Lincoln is gunning for an LEED Gold designation, and according to Fedderke, it seems well within reach. 2800 Lincoln uses a geothermal system, solar energy for water heating, and a green roof.

“We think that the homeowners will derive an immediate benefit from the energy savings,” he says. Three of the units are penthouses, with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and two-story decks.

With delivery expected in late spring/early summer of 2009, pre-sales in 2800 Lincoln are already selling at listing price, indicating that homebuyers who make green living a priority are willing to pay for it, regardless of market conditions.

LEED Dorm Living

St. Xavier University is always conscious of the impact its new construction has on the surrounding environment; so in 2006, they broke ground on the Rubloff Hall dormitory, which became the first university building in Illinois to receive the LEED Gold designation. Today, Rubloff Hall and its new sister residence, which also received LEED Gold status, are the most popular residences on campus. “Rubloff and its new sister building filled immediately,” says Joe Moore, Director of Media Relations at St. Xavier. “The natural lighting, emphasis on recycling, in-room bike racks, 1,000-square-foot roof garden, and other green amenities are very popular. They are beautiful buildings that teach students to live in harmony with the planet.”

In addition to building all new construction on campus to similar standards, University President Judith A. Dwyer, Ph.D., was the first university president in Chicago to sign the Presidents Climate Commitment, “a pledge by more than 450 colleges and universities across the nation to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions,” says Moore. “Saint Xavier also begins its unique GreenBike program this fall, which will allow SXU students, staff and faculty to borrow bikes for free in increments of 15 minutes from 14 computerized docking stations around the Chicago Campus. SXU is the first in the country to import this proven concept, which is designed by Veolia Transportation subsidiary Veloway and extensively used in Europe.”

In single-family homes, condominiums, affordable housing, and even dormitories, LEED is changing the way homeowners look at the places they call home.

Check out this video from Realtor®TV talking about Eco-Friendly Kitchen Design. Whether you are building a + House ™ or you want to update your current house, there are many ways you can be “Eco-Friendly”. Being able to customize and upgrade your Kitchen on a + House allows you to maximize your energy use. From Energy Star appliances to low flow plumbing fixtures, there are plenty of options to put less of a burden on mother nature and put money back in your pocket. Give us a call today to find out how “Eco-Friendly” your kitchen could be in a + House 800-603-5251 Ext. 248.

+ House (Plus House) is marketed and sold by Plus House, Inc.

Check out this video from the National Association of Realtors.  It goes through what an energy audit is and how it can help you save money on your utilities.

If you would like to learn more on how to save on your utility bills or make your home more energy efficient please give our office a cal at 312-330-3730.

I met Shawn from a sign call in September of 2009. He called on a condo. Sean came to the office and we hit it off. I used to be a teacher and he is now a hardworking teacher. He is looking to build equity and I understood how to help him–and I passionately wanted him to get a great deal and be secure. Every teach I help stay in the city–improves hundreds of kids lives I figure and Sean is a gift to CPS. He is a very bright guy. As I interviewed him as a buyer that first day he was thinking of buying a condo. He liked East Pilsen but was interested in what he could secure in the West loop for under 200,000.

As a teacher he has his grant coming from the city, on top of the tax break from being a first time buyer. Once we talked about his larger goals–beyond 5 years–the issues of having outdoor space, and room for a family came up. This inital interview proved to shift my perspective of him — and I saw that I could challenge him. I always challenge my clients–that’s my job. To ask probing questions. “Why a condo?”  “Why not a house?” Why a two flat, why not a 4 unit?” I figure you have to get to someones “essence” by being a mirror and just asking the questions throughout the process. Let them hear themselves as they visit properties and throw options at them and test them–they find their way to their path.

What I heard from Sean on a deeper level was. He really wanted to settle in–plant roots. And he was frugal. Smartly so. He asked the right questions. He noticed things like the taxes were $400 high on one listing than another and wanted to know why. He wanted to know why things like why a 5th floor unit was $20,000 more than a 3rd floor unit–and questioned the logic of it.

Sean already lived in an apartment in Pilsen and he liked East Pilsen. We didn’t narrow out condos… but as we looked at the first 10 or so in Pilsen and then the South loop and Kenwood I ran the monthly payments for him, against two units in East Pilsen and showed him how not paying assessments and having a renter covering half his mortgage put him in a property of his own, with a yard, garage, and a tennant, with more square footage for the same payment as a two bed condo. I showed him a few houses and he liked what $200,000 could buy in a house in Pilsen.

Then we opened it up to two units and we quickly found a 2 flat on Morgan, very near Simone’s (the new hot spot in Pilsen and 18th) that was under $180,000. It needed work. He loved the block, and… ever testing him… I threw out that he could do a rehab loan. Not sure what he would say….

Now Sean, not having rehab experience, was very open to doing rehab to my surprise. He amazed me with his openness to learn about it. I have many years of rehab experience so I talked him through the process. He had an unusual courage to try something new. He is very unique for  buyer in this way–as a buyer you have plenty of other issues to worrry about let alone taking on a construction loan and trusting a General Contractor.

So here you have a first time buyer, who started with a condo search… going to a multi unit where he would pay less… and now taking on a rehab project. But….it was all driven by the end goal. He is getting a home he can stay in for ten to twenty years in the n’hood of his choice at a great price with a low monthly payment that gives him freedom. The rehab can use non-toxic paints, green aspects and it’s all customized to what he wants in the property.

Sean was a great student of the process. He jumpred right in, did his research, interviewed many contractors, etc. I was very impressed with him and asked him if I could please share his story… and ask him some questions to benefit other buyers we work with.

Graciously… he said yes. And, he supplied his email below… so you can email him questions as you process of buying heats up.

So here you go.. and interview with Sean Lawler. A courageous, pioneer and new property owner who has earned a Masters degree in Buying a property in the last 4 months.

INTERVIEW
Phil :  This is your first purchase and you decided to do a remodel loan “203k” — isn’t it alot to jump into being a homeowner and doing construction all in one fell swoop?

Sean:  Since it’s all new it seems like a lot to jump into at the beginning.  But I found that the government has the 203k loan set up so that the borrower won’t be taken advantage of.  In fact, it’s set up so that the borrower can’t make bad financial decisions.  You can’t get the loan if the bank finds out that the work you plan on doing does not meet market value.

The jargon regarding financing, mortgages and home construction work was all new to me.  I didn’t really need to know much about what the jargon meant, I just needed to know how to compare prices as I shopped for different mortgage brokers and general contractors.  In fact, I didn’t really need to shop around for different general contractors, I just needed to find a general contractor that would agree to do the work at the price determined by me and my 203k loan consultant.  This consultant is on your side, itemizing all the work you want done on the property and placing a market value price on each item.  He’s got your back.

I suppose the biggest risk I took was deciding which realtor I wanted to hire.  Phil Buoscio impressed me not just because of his knowledge of the industry and the neighborhoods and the market, but because he challenged my thinking about what to buy based on what I could really afford.  This is a much better business method than just agreeing to do whatever the client/buyer/me thinks is best.

Phil(as we get to the next question let it be know I didn’t ask to be complimented like that). Question: In starting to search you were thinking about buying a condo, and then you decided after weighing options to buy a 2 flat that you could remodel. What items did you weigh in making this decision?

Sean:  As I became more familiar with what’s involved in owning a home instead of a condo, I realized that owning a home wouldn’t be a time-consuming headache.  So much is straight-forward.  It didn’t take long for me to realize that owning a 2-flat and renting out a unit makes financial sense.  Getting that additional income from rent is a smart move.

I was also drawn to how by owning a home you become more connected to the neighborhood.  You have more of a stake in community programs, environmental issues, political development, etc.  It’s about time for me to settle in a neighborhood and be involved in this way: to develop relationships and help the community grow.

Phil: How does the 203k loan process work – once you find a property and get it under contract?

Sean:  Well, first your bank (mortgage broker) has you hire a 203k loan consultant.  This consultant will visit your property with you and help you decided what work you want done, what work will be mandatory to obtain the 203k loan, and what work you can afford.  He will draft a Specifications of Repairs document that itemizes all this work.

Then you’re ready to shop for a general contractor (a GC).  This GC will be hired by you to get all the work specified, done.  The GC hires subcontractors to do the labor.  She/He will hire a plumber to do the plumbing, a roofer to do the roofing, etc.  But that’s all his responsibility.  You just want to feel comfortable that the GC will make sure the job is done well.

In the meantime, you will attend a First Time Homebuyers training session conducted by the Rogers Park Community Center.  This is a requirement for the loan.  It was also quite informative.  They cover all your bases, answer all your questions and make sure you have all the resources you need in making your home safe & sound and the people living in it happy.

That’s really about it.  You want to be sure to spend a good amount of time with your 203k loan consultant determining what work you want done on the place; what kind of wood floor you want, what bathroom fixtures you want, if you want to demolish and rebuild a garage, etc.  He/She will help you figure out what is best for you based on your budget.  Then your GC has to just match your Specifications of Repairs doc.  Many people have horror stories about GCs.  That they end up doing crappy work, or jack up the price tag after they start working on the place.  Well, you’re safeguarded against suck shady practices with the 203k loan.

Good luck!
Sean Lawler.. (open to answering questions by email)
HYPERLINK “mailto:seanmichaellawler@gmail.com” seanmichaellawler@gmail.com
12/13/09

+ House. Plus House TM. The Plus House’s modern, smart shapes will be sprouting up in all quarters of Chicago soon. Now buyers won’t need to buy old and upgrade live in a “healthy and green” home — they will have an affordable, 3 star certified Chicago green permitted 4 bed healthy home that delivers at a base price of $300k in 9 weeks!  Keep checking in with me as we roll it out. We finally have the floorplans now.. and the pricing breakdowns are on the way. We recently lined up the financing component – 3.5% fha loans can be used with a bridge component to buy the land and the house with an fha qualification!!! There is nothing else like this out there… and it is going to take off. Time to get in line.

Email Phil for the floorplans. We are beta testing the website.. it will be up soon for full downloads. The cost of the lot plus the $300k base for the house gives you the final price. No gimmicks here. These are 4 bed, 3 bath homes with 3100 sf of gross space. A finished basement is an upgrade. A garage is an upgrade but a parking pad is standard.

-Phil Buoscio 312.953.6725

All American Homes® Builds Near Zero Energy Use Duplex and Zero Energy Single Family Home as Test Homes for the Boulder County Housing Authority Paradigm Project Larger project of 153 units planned for 2010 based on these results Elkhart, Ind. – All American Homes, LLC announced today that it is nearing completion of the Boulder Colorado Housing Authority’s (BCHA) Paradigm Project. The Paradigm Project is a collaborative effort of the BCHA, All American Homes, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Workforce Boulder County, and other key supply contractors to develop affordable housing with near zero and potentially zero net energy consumption in Lafayette, Colorado. “We are extremely proud to be involved in the Paradigm Project” stated Rick Bedell, President of All American Homes. “This project fits perfectly with our corporate vision to be the industry leader in providing affordable, eco-friendly homes to the nation,” he concluded. Scott Simkus, Development Manager for the BCHA stated, “This project has many goals, one of which is testing multiple levels of technology to determine what works best. The team at All American Homes did a fantastic job of working with us to value engineer these homes to make them affordable,” noted Simkus. “When you add the fact that these homes will operate at near net zero energy consumption, you quickly realize we have a model here that can be used by any community in the country,” he concluded. All American Homes constructed the home and Boulder County’s Green Jobs crew built the insulated concrete form foundations and the covered entrances for a single family home and a duplex on a half acre parcel to serve as “test homes” for the construction methods and energy saving features specified. What is learned in this phase will be carried forward to the larger 153-unit community planned for next year. Simkus stated, “The green jobs field training program is called TIGRE and stands for Training Innovative Green Renewable Energy. This is the first time such a combination of renewable energy job training with systems built technology has ever been accomplished in the country. The total design, zoning and entitlement planning and construction to occupancy took only eight months”. Each living unit of the duplex is 1,560 square feet with three bedrooms and two baths. It features many eco and energy friendly building components: Icynene® foam insulation, engineered hardwood floors, Energy Star® appliances and light fixtures, water efficient plumbing fixtures, high-performance Low-E windows and a Energy Recovery Ventilation system to introduce tempered fresh air into the home. It also boasts an impressive list of renewable energy features such as: · 2.22KW Solar panel system, · Geo Thermal heating and cooling · Solar thermal hot water and supplemental heating · On-demand (tankless) hot water system, · Insulated Concrete Foundation (ICF) · Clerestory construction that allows the unit to function as a thermal-chimney, venting warm air out of automated windows at the top of the structure keeping the home naturally cool—so cool in fact that no air conditioner is required. The single-family home is 906 square feet with two bedrooms and one bath. Because this is a test home the mechanical features in the home are different from the duplex. This home is all electric with a 2.22 KW solar panel system to support the ground source heat pump (geothermal) heating and cooling system with a planned solar carport brining the PV energy created to about 4.8KW. This same carport will serve as a charging station for testing a plug in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). The rest of the home has the same features as the duplex. “Curb appeal was also very important,” said Doug Stimpson, General Manager for All American Homes of Colorado. “These homes not only have to perform at near zero net energy consumption but they also have to look great. BCHA, HB & A architectural firm and our engineers at All American, worked together to create a contemporary design and a warm feel. A clever mix of textures and shades of earth tones on the exterior provide the perfect curb appeal to these modern and energy efficient homes,” Stimpson concluded. Simkus noted that there was quite a bit of skepticism concerning using systems-built (modular) construction for this project. “All it took to overcome any concerns on quality or construction methods was a trip to the All American Homes facility in Milliken, Colorado. Once our Chief Building Official saw the construction process, the tolerances, workmanship and benefits from building out of the weather in a controlled environment, he was sold on the idea as well,” stated Simkus. The target price range for these near zero homes is between $105 and $125 per square foot. Coachmen Industries, Inc., doing business as All American Group™ is one of America’s premier systems-built construction companies under the ALL AMERICAN BUILDING SYSTEMS®, ALL AMERICAN HOMES® and MOD-U-KRAF® brands, as well as a manufacturer of specialty vehicles. All American Group is a publicly held company with stock quoted and traded on the over-the-counter markets under the ticker COHM.PK. This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which are inherently uncertain. Actual results may differ materially from that projected or suggested due to certain risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, liquidity, the ability of the Company to bond major government contracts, availability of working capital, availability of credit to the Company and its customers, the depth and duration of the recession, the ability to produce buses to meet demand, the potential fluctuations in the Company’s operating results, price volatility of raw materials used in production, the availability and cost of real estate for residential housing, the supply of existing homes within the company’s markets, government regulations, dependence on significant customers within certain product types, consolidation of distribution channels, consumer confidence, uncertainties of matters in litigation, and other risks identified in the Company’s SEC filings. For more information contact: Bill Martin Director of Marketing All American Homes, LLC 2831 Dexter Dr. Elkhart, IN 46514 Phone: (574) 266-2534 Fax: (574) 266-3304 Email: bmartin@allamericanhomes.com For investor or financial information: James T. Holden Corporate Secretary and Assistant General Counsel (574) 266-2500 Boulder County Project.JPG Boulder County Project.JPG 1501K Vi