On my recent Real Estate Insight Blog I wrote about having Chris West and David Kessler on the weekly radio show, where we talked about the LEED certification and a home we are listing for sale that is designed to meet the Platinum Certification.  They were just great guests and really are in tune to building green structures.

One interesting point really surprised me. To build green, the government statistics show that up front costs may be more expensive by no more than 10%.  However, when you factor in the usage costs and, if retrofitting, the avoided maintenance costs, the overall cost factor for a green building is actually less.  All of these comparison calculations are based on the equivalent energy cost of $60/barrel oil.  Last time I looked, the cost of a barrel of oil was at $78 and rising again.

Going forward, don’t be surprised to see more of this type of construction becoming the norm, and if it isn’t the norm from your builder, you may want to question whether he can build this way. If we all question the status quo and work towards more sustainable construction techniques, we can save ourselves from a lot of problems.

When we think of Newport, there is Fort Adams with the folk and jazz festivals, the mansions for touring, the Tennis Hall of Fame, Bowen’s Wharf, Tall Ships and the U.S. Naval War College.  I know, you don’t think of the Naval War College.  I had heard of it, but didn’t know why it existed in Newport in the first place.

That was until Rear Admiral Roger T. Nolan gave a group of us a tour of the facilities last evening.  It is a truly amazing place steeped in history dating back to the civil war and graced by the presence of some very significant figures over the years. Admiral Nolan is a man who loves his job as head of the War College Foundation to support the institute and is a decorated service man who worked most recently between several branches of government in the Iraq conflict.

The school was originally headed by a Commodore Luce, and was expanded during the Presidency of Teddy Roosevelt.  The main goal was for the advancement of war planning.

However, the mission has changed significantly since its early days.  Now, it not only trains folks from all branches of our government, but it also conducts a session for world leaders. This past week heads of defense agencies from 47 different countries graduated from the curriculum which now stresses how to work together to avoid war by building rapport. So, if we can get more people to understand the importance of peaceful coexistence, perhaps we can minimize future conflicts.

Oh, by the way, they have a naval museum and do give tours of the facility, which I believe you need to request ahead of time, and the place provides one of the most fantastic views of Narragansett Bay that I have ever seen.

Everyone is asking the questions  “How is the housing market fairing these days, and what are the trends for the future?”  Those are always good questions to which one would like to know the answer, especially the latter. So, with that in mind, I searched for some interesting tidbits on the National Association of Realtors’ site. NAR has a weekly update on the economic indicators and publish this on Facebook.

In their latest release, here are some interesting facts – some of them one would expect. For instance, new mortgage applications and purchase contracts have fallen in May. This is most likely due to the surge in applications through April 30th. Sales of furniture and home improvement products have increased in May while overall consumer spending has gone down some, a possible secondary effect of the tax credit legislation.

But here is an interesting piece of information from this week’s report.  The number of buyers that may not get the tax credit due to failure to close by the 30th of June deadline because of an excessive workload is estimated to be as high as 180,000 nationally. The number is so large that legislators are pushing a bill to extend the closing date deadline to the 30th of September. Short sales seem to be playing a part in this. No one is sure how this is going to affect the market.

Interesting trivia? Certainly. Economic trends? Maybe. While the overall sentiment and data are pointing to an interesting time ahead, there seems to be one constant over the years in economic cycles. The economy recovers when everyone thinks there is a recovery brewing.

Created by architect Richard T. Foster in Wilton Connecticut this spinning house is certainly something you don’t see every day. Yahoo! Shine showcased the eight-room house with panoramic views this week. The rotation is activated by a push of a button. The base of the house contains a powerful motor allowing the house to spin. It takes 48 minutes for a complete rotation. Check it out!

Work and social events sometimes do cross paths.  That is, you’ll never know when a casual conversation will lead you to something you have just encountered in your professional life. It happened recently over the last weekend.

In the Kingstown and Narragansett area there is the Pettaquamscutt River, or more commonly known as the Narrow River. Several months ago we filmed it as we put together several videos on properties in the area.  It appeared to be a great body of water for kayaking or fishing.  Little did I know that an acquaintance is the president of the Narrow River Preservation Association and he recently received an award for his 40-year involvement with the association, which focuses on the preservation of this river’s environment. But as he put it, the award belongs to everyone involved.

He then told me of the 10K and 5k run/walk they held in May and the upcoming 5th annual Mile Turnaround Swim they are holding on the 19th of June. Both of these events benefit the preservation efforts.  He indicated the swim is a beautiful site to watch.

It is getting to the season where visiting the beaches and rivers of South County will become more common activities.  It is nice to know that there is a dedicated group of individuals around to make sure the resources are preserved for us to enjoy.