Researchers, engineers, architects and experts from the international building sector recently gathered in Copenhagen for the first international Active Housing roundtable discussion. The group focused on the concerns associated with climate changes, energy consumption and indoor living conditions. The event, hosted by VELUX, highlights the challenges of how to combine energy design and liveability factor considerations in new and existing housing stock, or 'Active Housing.'

"The overall aim of doing this is to create a catalyst effect for formulating a visionary response for innovative measures and solutions that tackle current challenges in the construction and building industry in one solution," said Michael K. Rasmussen, VELUX CMO, in his introduction to the Round Table Forum Meeting.

During the day, the participants were divided into seven groups focusing on defining content and values for the two overall 'Active Housing' terms, energy design and liveability factor. The most repeated points about liveability factors focused on the human behavior, incentives to act responsibly, as well as the need for scalable and flexible design solutions that can change during the life span of the building and its users.

"The energy design of tomorrow could be one of the greatest breakthroughs since modernism," the discussion group concluded. "We are searching for the good life -- health, fresh air and lots of daylight -- just as we did in the 1920's, but this could actually become a new era."

Themes concerning energy design included the need to re-brand sustainability with less focus on technical issues and more emphasis on creating a positive, appealing and rewarding story about being environmentally consciousness for users and experts. Another theme focused on the need to develop a means of measuring and benchmarking liveability.

Increasingly liveability is gaining traction in technology and advancements for the home and the persons living within it. Home Automation, Inc. (HAI), for example, a manufacturer of integrated automation and security products, offers a new suite of wireless energy management products designed for ZigBee&Reg;, a technology well suited to a wide range of energy management and efficiency, building automation, industrial, medical, and home automation applications.

One product, the Omnistat2 Wireless 7-day programmable communicating thermostat, is for conventional single stage heat/cool, heat pump, two speed heat pump, two stage conventional, and zone control systems. It can be controlled both locally and remotely and is designed to precisely control the temperature and humidity within the home. Using advanced digital technology it actually "learns" a home's heating and cooling patterns and adjusts control to maximize both the HVAC system's efficiency and the occupants' comfort.

In addition, HAI is a Gold Key sponsor of The Louisiana House - Home and Landscape Resource Center, better known as LaHouse, a family-type home designed to showcase innovations in home construction for Louisiana's sub-tropical climate and provide a model for the public to learn about technological advances in home building. HAI is the sole home control partner.

"HAI is always looking for ways to work with educational institutions that are helping to get the message out about how technology can make your home more energy efficient and the LaHouse is an excellent partner to work with in this endeavor," said Thomas Pickral, Jr., HAI Director of Business Development. "The LaHouse is a rare opportunity for the building industry and the public to see technology that is available today to make their home more sustainable."

"Both consumers and professionals can see first-hand and learn about many solutions - from ways to protect their homes from hurricanes, floods, mold and termites to the employment of highly energy efficient and healthy building, air conditioning and lighting systems to interiors that combine beauty, comfort and convenience with eco-friendly benefits," said Claudette Reichel, LSU AgCenter housing specialist.

[Note: Summaries from the Active Housing roundtable discussions, keynote speaker presentations and short video interviews of the keynote speakers can be found online at www.activehousing.net. VELUX which has manufacturing companies in 10 countries and sales companies in just under 40 countries, creates better living environments with a wide range of roof windows and skylights, along with solutions for flat roofs.] Today's Local Market Conditions Report

Q: Can you tell me about a rule that you are not allowed to refinance a home if it was on the real estate market less than six months ago? I was told by my lender that because my house was on the market last September (it didn't sell and I took it off that month) I would be unable to refinance until it was off for six months. What is the reasoning for this rule?

A: If you are applying to refinance your primary residence, the lender's underwriting guidelines provide that the loan will be given to you only if you use the home as your primary residence.

If you have listed the home for sale, the lender has knowledge of your intent to cease using the home as your primary residence and does not want to take the chance that you'll obtain the loan and then decide to sell or rent the home.

The lender wants to give you the loan only if you will continue to use the property as your primary residence. Also, it's expensive to underwrite and process the loan, and lenders don't want to go through the expense of giving you the loan and then have you pay it off a short time later.

If six months have gone by after a home has been taken off the market, the lender then can view the prior listing for sale as too far in the past to affect the lender's underwriting decision. So, the lender can proceed to refinance the home and once again ask you whether you use the home as your primary residence and ask that you confirm that you will continue to use the home as your primary residence after the closing.

Given the state of the real estate and financial markets, lenders are being extra careful in evaluating each loan. In past years, some lenders might have decided that a listing of a home close to the application time would not affect the application process, but in today's market more lenders would view that as a negative.

But you may find that "six months" is not a rule with every lender. Some lenders may be willing to refinance your home if the home has been off the market a shorter period of time.

You should probably call around and talk to at least one other mortgage lender, one mortgage broker and your credit union (if you are a member of one), and find out what their guidelines are for your situation. You might also want to investigate an FHA loan.

If you find out that another lender is willing to assist you in refinancing your property, you might decide to go with that lender and plan to stay in the home for a while.

Q: We submitted an offer on a bank-owned foreclosure on a Monday. That day, we were told that the bank requires us to fill out a mortgage application with their mortgage division in order for them to consider our offer. We were also informed that two other parties were interested in the house.

We complied with the request and they received our offer on Tuesday. On Wednesday, we were told the bank was going to give a counteroffer to the best-qualified party only. Then Thursday, we were presented an offer from the bank and we gave a counteroffer. Later that day we were told that our offer had been rejected and they were going to open the bidding and all interested parties were to submit their best price.

We increased our offer and had our agent submit it. Later we were informed that someone else had given them full price but had to include the closing cost in the loan. Right now the house is still pending 30 days later. Have any laws been broken or any ethics violated?

A: You should know that negotiating for a house can be tricky in the best of times. In these times, where so many homes are owned by lenders, the information you get may not always be accurate and you should always remain vigilant.

If a seller lies to you in the course of negotiating the purchase of a home, that seller may be committing a fraud. If a real estate agent lies to you while negotiating the purchase of a home, that agent at best is violating the ethical rules of the real estate profession and is, at worst, committing a fraud.

Having said that, the description in your letter does not seem to indicate that you were lied to or even that anybody in the transaction violated any ethical rules.

Other people may have been interested in the home at the time you were looking at the home. In some cases those other interested buyers could have seen the home in person or could have been shopping for foreclosed homes in bulk and negotiating directly with the lender.

If the home is still available and is not under contract, it's possible that the deal to sell the home to another buyer may have fallen through or may have never even reached contract.

If you are pre-approved by a lender, have a high credit score, and have 20 percent to put down towards the purchase of a home, you should be the ideal buyer for any seller.

But just because you don't end up with a home during the negotiation process does not mean that the seller or the agents involved did anything wrong.

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Copyright 2009 Ilyce R. Glink and Samuel J. Tamkin

Chances are, these towns don't ring a bell, but perhaps they should.

They are among a list of 100 metro areas across the nation that have housing markets worth serious consideration.

Over the past year, housing dollars spent in these towns have faced little if any risk, according to San Juan Capistrano, CA-based HomeSmartReports.com , a number-crunching company that examines property values and housing market risks.

They are locales where both buyers and investors can cash in.

"My lament over the last several years is that people have not paid any attention to risk-related factors in real estate. The market was going up and it was 'The market will take care of everything.' That was the mind set. On the flip side now, we don't want to look at all the bad news. Well, let's point to areas that are more stable where people can think of moving to or investing in," says HomeSmartReports co-founder, Mike Ela.

Recent studies have shown migration patterns and rural locations can point to buying and investment opportunities, but HomeSmartReports examined risk factors -- foreclosure activity, property flipping, sales volatility, property history, site issues -- that can positively or negatively affect values in an area.

"There are some areas of the country that are reasonably stable and where risk factors are minimal. Over the long haul, stable areas tend to fare better from a value standpoint," Ela says.

Ela says even markets where home prices have fallen, but economic strength remains, reveal a greater potential for sound real estate investments.

Using a Collateral Risk Measure (CRM), based on a scale of 0-100, where zero is very stable and 100 extremely risky, here are the Top 20 towns scoring 1.12 or lower. Compare them with the nation's riskiest market, Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, MI and its CRM of 46.26.

Hinesville-Fort Stewart, GA; Manchester-Nashua, NH; Lebanon, PA; Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT; Abilene, TX; Odessa, TX; Burlington-South Burlington, VT; Cambridge-Newton-Framingham, MA; Bismarck, ND; Farmington, NM; Hartford-West Hartford-E Hartford, CT; Norwich-New London, CT; Portland-South Portland-Biddeford, ME; Grand Forks, ND-MN; Essex County, MA; Fond du Lac, WI; New Haven-Milford, CT; Jackson, MI; Jacksonville, NC; and Barnstable Town, MA.

Ela plans to soon post the complete list of 100 low-risk towns on HomeSmartReports.

Using the factors mentioned, HomeSmartReports also provides a Market Risk Score, graded from "A" to "F," based on local market factors, to rate areas around a property. Plug in your ZIP Code and get your region's grade.

Here's a descriptions of each grade.

A - Low Market Risk Conditions exist. Sales trends are consistent and market activity is normal.

B - Some Market Risk Conditions exist. Foreclosure activity exists combined with market price appreciation which may not be consistent with a low risk market.

C - Moderate Market Risk Conditions exist. Foreclosure activity and market price appreciation appear higher than normal. More research recommended.

D - Medium to High Market Risk Conditions exist. Foreclosure activity is abnormally high. Market price appreciation is higher than normal.

F - High Market Risk Conditions exist. Very high foreclosure activity exists in the area. Very high market price appreciation exists which is not normal in a high foreclosure market. Flipping activity is present, and fraud rings may exist in the area. We strongly recommend that you seek the advice of a real estate professional. Today's Local Market Conditions Report