2020 National Green Building Standard: Understanding Land Use Updates

 The ICC 700-2020 National Green Building Standard® (NGBS), had important updates to a couple of key sections regarding land use and housing development. According to the National Association of Home Builders, it is important for builders to take notice of these changes. Although there is continuity from the 2015 NGBS in many areas, understanding the changes and new offerings will enable developers and builders to determine the compliance path that works best for their project.

In Section 4 of the 2020 National Green Building Standard site design and development are defined. This section will give points for sustainable land development that is ultimately planned for residential construction. This section was created to help reduce detrimental environmental impacts by enhancing the natural features and improving the quality of the site.

A builder can earn between one to four stars for the number of points earned by the certification defined in Section 4. In the spring 2020 edition, changes were made to Subsection 403.6 Landscape Plan, Subsection 403.7 Wildlife Habitat and Subsection 405.11 Insect Mitigation.

Subsection 403.6 Landscape Plan allows up to an additional 28 points. The new categories in the 2020 update include points for spray irrigation and third-party qualified water-efficient grasses. An example is Turfgrass Water Conservation Alliance (TWCA) which limits water and energy use anywhere turf is planted.

Subsection 403.7 Wildlife Habitat allows up to an additional 6 points. Points are awarded on the design of sites abutting wildlife corridors, fish and game parks, or preserved areas. An example of this would be the outdoor lighting that would be close to the wildlife habitat.

Subsection 405.11 Insect Mitigation is a new category that has been added to the 2020 NGBS. A builder can receive up to 19 points for landscaping that helps reduce insect-borne disease.

Section 5 includes lot design, preparation and development. The points earned in this section have increased in the 2020 NGBS in subsection 503.1 Natural Resources, 503.4 Stormwater Management and 503.5 Landscape Plan to 19 points. Also, the following subsections have been added in 2020, 505.7 Multi-Unit Residential Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Vehicle Fueling which allows 4 points, 505.8 Street Network gives an additional 5 points and 505.10 Exercise and Recreational Space gives up to 9 points.

Other notable changes made between 2020 and 2015 NGBS are that 2020 verifies practices via the Environmental Protection Agency, the International Wildland Urban Interface Code and the Turfgrass Water Conservation Alliance (TWCA). The 2020 National Green Building Standard® is a great tool for builders to work with and helps improvements on the development of land and lots. The standards give builders and land developers the flexibility needed to develop land and lots that are sustainable, cost effective and appropriate for their geographic location.

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New Challenges For New Home Construction

The housing market began with a bang in 2021 but with the demand for new homes came some uncertain challenges. Builder's confidence is strong with such buyer's high demand. The shortage in home inventory and low mortgage rates coupled with buyer's high interest and a new generation of buyers hitting their peak home-buying years makes for a great time for new home construction.

Zillow reported in their New Construction Consumer Housing Trends Report 2020 that 40% of those buyers who purchased a new construction build, were only interested in buying a new construction home. On the negative side, these new construction buyers hit more obstacles this year than in the past.

Close to half (45%) new construction buyers are under 40 years of age and 70% of new construction home buyers are first-time home purchasers. This shift in demographics has changed what a first-time home buyer might find challenging and what this demographic might struggle with.

This young generation struggled with several top challenges during the purchasing process. A fair price for a home seems to be a challenge. It was sighted that 30% of new construction buyers found that determining a fair price for a home was hard in 2019 and this rose to 37% in 2020. Many blame COVID-19 for this reason. The transaction of coordinating the build of a new home with the sale of their current home was also hard to handle for 36% of new construction home buyers.

The relationship between the sales agent and the home builder has become extremely important. In 2019 84% of new construction home buyers relied on their sales agent to communicate with the builder. In 2020 this rose to 90% which was a 17 point increase over last year.

Challenges can be overcome with help from a Realtor. A Realtor can help a buyer with pricing and financing. They can also be a great mediator between the buyer and home builder. A professional sales agent will help both the building process and purchasing process become an easy streamlined process.

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The Celebration Must Go On... Mardi Gras During COVID 19

 St.Tammany is keeping Mardi Gras 2021 alive this year in a special kind of way. Two Northshore krewes spread the "house float" idea that a New Orleans resident originated. Megan Boudreaux, an insurance agent in New Orleans, came up with the idea to keep Mardi Gras going through decorating her house as a float. She posted on social media to share her idea with a few friends and the idea spread from local New Orleans up to the Northshore and now has made its way to parts of Alabama and Mississippi.

“Everyone loved the idea and wanted to jump in to make their own house floats,” she said. “A shop owner decided to call her theme Yardi Gras, and it just exploded from there.”

The idea has been making its way through neighbors and friends who have been decorating their homes and office buildings to resemble floats. Many residents are also decorating their yards calling it Yardi Gras and for animal lovers, Mardi Paws is decorating doghouses and will have an animal costume competition.

Covington residence Gina and Buddy Campo decided to decorate their house as a part of the "Northshore House Floats" and Covington-centric "Rollin' on the Three Rivers" krewes. The Northshore House Floats theme is special vacation spots so the Campo's decked their home with a Jamaican flare calling it "Jamaican Me Crazy."

To keep with their Jamaican theme, they created a thatched roof dog hut in honor of their three doodles Bourré, Dani and Gabbie Roux. The three were dressed up and photographed for the Mardi Paws' Mardi Gras Costume Competition.

The community wants to lift Carnival spirits and is doing a great job of keep Mardi Gras alive this year.

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Three Trends That Changed in 2020 When It Comes to What New Construction Buyers Want

 Zillow Consumer Housing Trends Report 2020 data shows some changes from what buyers want in a new construction home. More buyers are purchasing new construction homes now more than last year. The survey revealed that 40% of new construction buyers that were surveyed only were interested in new construction homes. Here is what has changed in a new construction buyer's mindset in 2020.

Smaller, less expensive options gaining appeal

Those new construction buyers surveyed showed that they are choosing smaller homes. A small home is considered a home with less than 1,000 square feet. In 2020, 9% of new construction buyers purchased a small home which is 6 percentage points higher than in 2019.

This change might have stemmed from more houses being built in urban areas or home builders swapping size for more upgraded options. One definite catalyst is the price buyers want to pay for a home. In 2019 9% of new construction buyers paid less than $100,000 for a new construction home and in 2020 this jumped to 19%. The growth in households buying less expensive new construction homes coincides with a 10-point drop in the share of buyers who pay between $200,000 and $299,000 — 21% of NC home purchases fell in that range in the 2020 survey, compared to 31% in 2019.

A shift in home feature preferences

In 2020 many homebuyers are still looking for many of the same top features as in 2019 such as air conditioning, the preferred number of bedrooms and bathrooms and preferred floor plans. There were some changes to new construction buyers' preferences in 2020. Buyers were looking for rental income, smart technology and space for cars.

Close to 32% of new construction buyers are looking for a home that will generate rental income. Those that only wanted to rent a portion of their home (home-sharing) grew to 27% in 2020.

Nowadays smart technology is a big part of society in many aspects. New construction home buyers have placed importance on smart technology in their homes. In fact, 45% of new construction home buyers felt that having smart home capabilities was extremely important. Homebuyers want devices that provide everything from security to temperature control.

Having a place for a car has become a must in 2020. Seventy-four percent of new construction buyers say that off-street parking or a garage is one of the top must-haves and 67% said a parking space is also on the list. These items came in 6 points higher in 2020 than reflected in 2019's data. As mentioned before, urban new construction is on the rise and there is always a scarcity of parking in the city.

Top reason for buying new construction

In 2020 new construction home buyers place the top reason for purchasing a new construction home is for the free builder upgrades. In the survey, 14% of new construction buyers said free builder upgrades swayed their decision to purchase new construction. Still in the top reasons were desirable location at 39%, appealing home features at 38% and everything new and never used at 37%. Buyers want to have the ability to customize features on their new home.

If you are in the market for a home, consider a new construction home. Always use a Realtor who can help you with the building process as well as the purchasing of your new home.

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