Housing Components

Building a Better Way
GE’s new public website simplifies life for builders, remodelers, architects, designers and trade partners
GE offers help in the form of BuildWithGE.com, a website that offers convenient access to a wide variety of practical information — without the need to register, remember a password or sign in.

The site is organized by trade group, with special areas designed for single- and multi-family builders, property managers, architects and designers, remodelers and the hospitality industry.

Product specs, photos and installation instructions
Site visitors can search GE’s extensive product library, by model number or category (such as cooking products, laundry, dishwashers or water heaters). Search results include access to full model specifications, with photos and dimensions, as well as “quick specs” and installation instructions.

Energy-efficient solutions
Resources include a link to ENERGY STAR®-qualified models.

Design resources

A Universal Kitchen Design (ADA) section lists an array of appliances
from GE that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Customized brochures

BuildWithGE.com includes a number of easy-to-use tools, including a
“brochure wizard” that can be used to create a customized project
brochure for customers.

When Clients Ask About Siding

The March 4 Money Pit e-newsletter provided a link for homeowners who
are thinking about changing exterior siding or building a new home. The
“How to Choose Siding Material” guide lists the pros and cons for six
siding materials. This newsletter is distributed by ASHI member Tom
Kraeutler, and it is an adjunct to his MoneyPit website
(www.moneypit.com). Your clients may appreciate knowing what’s
available for homeowners via The Money Pit.

Lacey Act Bans Illegal Logging

The illegal logging ban passed during the summer of 2008 has received a great deal of attention within the flooring industry.
This legislation is significant for a number of reasons. First, it protects our world’s forests. Second, it protects buyers who practice due diligence when importing wood from outside the United States. Third, it eliminates the influx of low-cost, low-quality wood flooring produced from illegally harvested wood. Penalties for noncompliance with this new legislation are severe, and can include the forfeiture of the material, $500,000 fines and five years of jail time.

Since the U.S. Lacey Act prohibiting the import of illegally logged timber into the United States. was passed, the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has been working on behalf of industries like the flooring industry in supporting its implementation. With the success of the law in the United States, the EIA also helped to introduce similar legislation in the European Union, which was passed on July 7, 2010.

To view a detailed PowerPoint presentation about the act, visit the National Wood Flooring Association at www.nwfa.org.

Technology

Is Real Estate Valuation News for You?
Are any of the following topics of interest to you?

• Breaking the Paper Chain by Ernie Durbin, SRA, CRP
“As a result of these difficult changes in my appraisal practice, I have emerged as a truly mobile paperless appraiser. Looking back, going paperless was one of the best business decisions I ever made.”

• Has the Time for Voice Recognition Software Finally Come?by Frank Lucco, SRA, CRP
“If I get a new computer, smart phone or other device, the first
program I load is my voice recognition software.”

• Is Mobility a Myth? by Joel Baker
“The reason is that two key pieces of technology came about in the last decade, and neither of them sounds particularly groundbreaking at first blush: the cloud and multi-touch screens. When it comes to mobile appraising, these two pieces of technology changed everything.”

If so, you might want to respond to the offer from LiveEvaluation Magazine to send you its electronic newsletters and the printed version of the magazine at no charge. Visit www.livevalmag.com/subscribe.