Each Monday, we'll let you know what's coming in the week ahead, including important residential and commercial report releases, as well as our feature articles.
CoreLogic Home Price Index — Feb. 2
CoreLogic will release its December Home Price Index on Tuesday, Feb. 2. Last month, CoreLogic announced home prices rose 0.5% between October and November. That increase was higher than the slight 0.1% rise CoreLogic had predicted in its October report.
Although some areas saw price growth slowdown — including Texas, which coincides with a recent report that the oil slump is stalling the area's housing market — the fact that November's increase was higher than predicted reinforces affordability concerns.
In its November report, CoreLogic predicted home prices would remain unchanged between November 2015 and December 2015. Will Tuesday's report affirm CoreLogic's prediction?
Home renovations for aging in place feature article — Feb. 2
According to Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies, 5.5 million older households include someone with mobility difficulty but are without accessibility modifications, such as no-step entryways and ramps. Researchers have concluded that there is at least a $13 billion opportunity for the remodeling industry just by installing these features.
In our feature article on Tuesday, Feb. 2, we will discuss what kind of home renovations are best for seniors looking to remain in their homes after their mobility is diminished, as well as what design considerations should be taken into account when renovating or building new housing for seniors.
Net-zero buildings feature article — Feb. 4
The trend of net-zero buildings — or structures that produce as much energy as they use — is on the rise. During the Greenbuild event in November, Stacy Smedley, director of sustainability at Skanska USA Building, said of the growing interest in the high standard, "I'm really excited. There are now built products that show it's attainable."
Also in November, Tesla officials revealed that their massive battery "gigafactory" under construction in Reno, NV, will be a net-zero energy facility and will have carbon neutral operations.
In our feature article on Thursday, Feb. 4, we will explore how and why building owners are attempting to achieve net-zero energy status, and what the standard means for the environment and the owner's bottom line.
