Even as low appraisals are slowing home sales and undermining contracts, an innovative green remodeling program is bucking the trend and delivering solid results.

The G Home Program is a partnership between Lowe's Commercial Services, the NAHB Research Center and G Street, a green remodeling firm based in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Launched on Aug. 1, the program targets contractors, builders, Neighborhood Stabilization Program recipients and organizations that remodel at least 10 pre-1980 homes annually.

A G Street team of professionals — including an ASID interior designer, a licensed landscape architect, a RESNET-approved energy rater and a green certification project manager — participates on every G Home renovation.

G Street is not the contractor; participants in the program are required to have their own contractors.

The G Home certificate sets a benchmark for design requirements and building performance.

Philip Beere, founder of G Street, is a leading innovator in green remodeling.

He is focusing the G Home program on older homes in established neighborhoods, combining best practices in green remodeling with a market-driven approach that bases all design decisions on the budget, scope of work and the projected exit price or entail rates.

The program is geared to help each remodeled home achieve certification under the National Green Building Standard for pre-1980 homes.

All houses that are remodeled to the G Home specifications qualify for green certification by the NAHB Research Center.

“I’m a strong advocate that every home should be certified to the standard and done in a way that is profitable,” Beere said.

“We have a track record with the G Home, and appraisers are familiar with us,” he said.

“We supply appraisers with as much information as possible so they can justify the G Home as a unique property and justify higher comparables.”

The G Home Program assists building professionals in making the renovation process simple and affordable and in getting their homes green certified.

The G Home sells in fewer days on the market and typically appraises for above market.

Additional benefits of the G Home Program include:

• Higher return on investment
  
  
• Lowe's national account status and benefits of major discounts and an assigned personal and local account manager
  
  
• Marketing and a national brand, resulting in increased exposure
  
  
• Eligibility for national green building certification by the NAHB Research Center
  
  
• Award-winning design teams

“Lowe’s has a nationally established inventory of improvement items,” Beere said.

“We wanted to help participants in this program get the best prices possible and the benefit of personal service from a Lowe's commercial account manager on every project,” he said.

Lowe’s customer service, numerous outlets and competitive pricing made it the perfect retailer for the G Home program.”

Beere said G Street has worked hard to make sure the appraisal community understands the value of a G Home-certified remodel, by displaying informational material and branding information at each house to help support the label of a “unique property.”

“The feedback we hear from builders around the country is that one of their biggest problems is low appraisals,” he said.

“On our G Home brand, the appraisers in Phoenix and Denver are expanding the comp radius, sometimes going out seven or eight miles versus the industry standard one- mile radius and referencing historical data as far back as two years compared to the industry standard of 90 days, because they recognize the G home has greater value,” he said.

More information is available on the NAHB Research Center website.

G Street presents monthly live webinars on the program (fees and registration required).

Upcoming sessions are on Nov. 10 and Dec. 6.

For more information, email Blake Smith at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8583.