The Construction Source America

National Association of Home Builders | 9 praisal Institute, the nation’s largest profes- sional association of real estate appraisers, updated forms to now help analyze and cal- culate values of energy efficient home fea- tures. This move expanded on the Institute’s 2011 Residential Green and Energy Efficient Addendum utilized as an optional adden- dum to Fannie Mae Form 1004 which has been the most widely used valuation model used in mortgage lending practices. The new updated addendum reflects input from the U.S. Green Building Council as well as the National Association of Home Builders. The Appraisal Institute is also continuing to add educational programming to further assist appraisers in identifying and assessing ap- propriate valuations for green building, and Morrow indicates these are positive steps that help promote clearer understanding and opportunities in the market. Morrow says it is essential that home- owners contract with professionals who gen- uinely understand what sustainability means and have been trained to approach it in a sys- temized manner, saying that green building isn’t simply about energy efficiency, water conservation, better insulation, technology integration or any other singular nuance. As a system, Morrow says sustainability is rep- resented in the way all the separate pieces work together to reduce impact on the en- vironment, increase performance and create greater value for a homeowner. To learn more about the ICC 700 Green Building Standard and how to be- come certified as a green builder, or details on the variety of other services and programs offered by theNational Association of Home Builders, visit the NAHB website at www. nahb.org .