The phrase, “You’re being audited,” can strike fear into the heart of anyone. I am personally recovering from our latest lab audit, or, more accurately, our latest surveillance assessment. Unlike an IRS audit, however, the audits we undergo as an accredited third party are not at all unpleasant; in fact, they’re very beneficial. But they do take a big commitment of time and energy, and involve a certain amount of stress as our company’s credibility relies heavily on the value imbued by our accreditations. Find out what's involved and how this helps define our culture of accountability.
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Having just marked our 50th year in business last week, it seems like a perfect time to look back on some of the key home building innovations our team has helped to gain acceptance in the mainstream by eliminating barriers to market penetration. While there's probably no one builder who uses all these innovations, I bet most builders use at least one on a regular basis. We're proud of that legacy.
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For decades, cities have been grafting green building certifications into commercial building codes, but more and more they're doing likewise with residential building. Rather than invent yet another green code, building departments can benefit from using a proven, off-the-shelf green home building certification that can be implemented quickly and effectively. Plus, homeowners get the added benefit of having a nationally recognized green home certification, adding market value to properties in a sale or refinance.
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When the NGBS was originally developed, some builders opposed it for fear that local jurisdictions would adopt it as code, turning a voluntary, above-code program into a mandate. Those fears have been largely unfounded. A number of government agencies and a few public utilities have incentivized NGBS compliance, but very few have outright mandated the NGBS as code. Find out why Home Innovation encourages the incentive approach.
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For multifamily building owners, the old excuse that the appraiser "just didn't get it" when it comes to receiving a green appraisal, doesn't have the validity today that it once did. It's more a matter of owners not knowing how to properly seek an appraisal process that values green attributes. Bob Sahadi of the Institute for Market Transformation discusses the existing gaps he's seen in green multifamily building owners receiving appropriate green appraisals that reflect their buildings' inherent benefits — lower operating expenses, faster absorption, lower vacancies, and even more favorable capitalization rates.
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