The Emerald city lives in Austin! Check out the latest steps we are taking to become the greenest city in the USA!

Austin is earning the title "The Emerald City" one house at a time.

Details of the proposed Austin Energy Audit

In an attempt to rename Austin the "Emerald City" because of our clean and green lifestyle recently Mayor Will Wynn proposed a new law. This law would force all home sellers to make "necessary repairs to correct energy inadequacies" to make their homes more energy efficient. The proposal was pretty controversial and many people had signs in their yards "Motivate don't Mandate!". We would rather see people rewarded for good behavior, than punished for not having the money to make the newly required improvements. This proposal might have even prevented some homeowners from selling their homes, as some homes could require several thousand dollars worth of improvements. This "mandate" could negatively impact both buyers and sellers. Upon hearing about this proposal, the Austin Board of Realtors and many active Realtors began looking at ways to improve upon Will Wynn's idea. At this point there has been some agreement; however there is still some fine tuning to be done.

Starting June 1, 2009 the ordinance will require:

•· 100% compliance within the City of Austin and customers of the Austin Utility District for all sellers.

•· Prior to listing you will need to hire a certified energy audit professional to perform an energy audit on the home. The energy audits will cost approximately $300.

•· The audit will show the current status of the homes energy efficiency. It may even compare the ideal efficiency ratings to the existing rating and explain how improvements will reduce future energy bills. They may be able to list some cost estimates for the suggested repairs necessary to bump the rating up.

•· This report will be handled much like a Sellers Disclosure and given to the potential Buyer. The Buyer will need to sign a copy of the audit and submit it with the contract.



If you are in the market for a new home and are not presently working with a Realtor, call me.

I would be happy to help you through the process of buying a home. I specialize in Relocation

and I have a network of experts to make the process simple and easy to navigate.

I look forward to the opportunity to earn your business.

Betina Foreman, Realtor

Keller Williams Real Estate

1801 S. Mopac, Suite 100

Austin, Texas 78746

512-771-6318 Realtor_Austin@yahoo.com Betina@BetinaForeman.com www.BetinaForeman.com

Member: Austin Board of Realtor, Texas Association of Realtors, National Association of Realtors, ActiveRain, Trulia-Top Voices, and Zillow-Neighborhood Pros.