Keep Austin Affordable
Posted Monday, May 5th, 2008 at 11:05 am
In an attemp to help “spread the word” I have cut and paste the following information from:
www. keepaustinaffordable.com
In early 2007, Austin Mayor Will Wynn released the Climate Protection Plan with the goal of making Austin the “greenest” city in the country. One part of that plan involves a proposed ordinance that would establish mandatory energy efficiency standards for existing homes. The city’s proposal could require that homeowners upgrade their homes and obtain a “Certificate of Compliance” from the city before they’re able to sell it.
We have several important concerns with this plan:
- Affordability – These upgrades could potentially cost Austin homeowners thousands of dollars. This type of out-of-pocket expense will prevent many homeowners from having the option to sell their home, particularly if they need to sell due to a difficult financial situation. In addition, these new costs will inevitably be passed on to homebuyers, making it even more difficult to afford a home in Austin.
- Extended sales process – Arranging the additional inspections needed to obtain a Certificate of Compliance (not to mention actually making the upgrades to your property) would draw out the time required to sell your home substantially. Further, Austin doesn’t currently have enough home inspectors in our city to fill the anticipated demand, promising even further delays.
- Do you want a “license” to sell your home? – As it’s proposed now, this ordinance would essentially require that homeowners apply to the city for a “license” to sell their home (i.e. Certificate of Compliance). Do we want to spend our city’s resources on this activity and add this complication to the real estate process? Austinites buy and sell more than 25,000 homes each year, so you can imagine the cost and bureaucracy that would be required to manage that type of volume through the city.
Energy efficiency for Austin homes is a great goal, but a mandate is simply the wrong approach.
