>> not yet. >> it is coming. >> we have with us in the audience a couple of folks from the department of the environment. barry, what do you have to add? >> one is the exciting actions the association of realtors has been taking, to be the first and the california to provide space in their database for industry standard, recognized green measures. aside from cork flooring or other surface treatments, which are a consideration, a buyer could have summary information about if the home has been measured for energy performance, and has some independent organization confirmed that you have actually installed -- that there is a reason to call it green. that has only been out there few months. another metric of the fact that

could have on the market when that becomes a little more populated in the database would be looking at whether that affects the days on the market, which i would expect to be more likely a factor of change, because if you are filtering your search on that criteria, you have more buyers looking at those particular homes. >> i think it is a very good measure. as the measures become standardized, you are right. it will be something that people will look for. they will say other things about the property. they could say, this property owner really thought things through carefully. that is a good thing, versus someone who didn't. sure. >> the aesthetics are really important. we are seeing more things that are a lot more choices. i just put in new zealand pine, and approved material.

we are even getting the terminology, trying to get people used to be a the -- used to the idea. cork floors, some people really like them. if i can get away from the granola aspect of what people think about green, it isn't -- well, it can be, but it is also -- the aesthetics of it is certainly changing. not everybody wants corp. floors. you're getting a lot more choices. >> let me ask a question about a different topic, repairs and maintenance verses improvement. at what level should people do repairs to their building in order to preserve their property value? people say, i do not want to continue to invest. if you build through that work, is that some write-off on the

bottom line? >> generally it does. you have to do that work. maintenance is personal. it also feeds into a bigger issue. it should be a green consideration. how long does something last? if you are going to put a new deck in, are you going to use inexpensive wood because it is cheap? if you have to replace it in five years, it is not cheap because it will cost you double, and it is not good for the environment and the rest of it. you want to look at longevity of materials, and durability, and those kind of things. that is very important. i am not a green strip of fire, but that is how i would look at things. it is important, for sure. things like? -- it is a crucial point. there are many kinds of wood. some will last a few years if you leave it outside, and others

will last 25 years. >> that is the value of talking to your buyer. i believe this project that we have -- you can say, "this is not a redwood tenure deck. it is in new zealand pine 30- year? ." it is more money but will last to 50 years. >> the important thing about maintenance is not deferring to much. it just gets worse and worse. then when you are selling the property, more likely than not, you will have a pest inspection, which is where we have an expert go through. he sees there is dry rot or fungus or structural problems. then there is a number in that report which is how much he estimates repairs to be.

if you had spent $2,500 every five years to seal your deck, that might prevent you from having the $45,000 report you just got. >> we do that almost immediately upon receiving a listing from the cellar. the first thing we ask them to do is to get it passed report to find out what the damage is so there is negotiation up front. that is something that is known. we almost never have a zero report. >> to those usually come off the bottom line? >> i would say yes, oftentimes. >> it will affect the list price in some way. >> how much does parking? >> i see people putting garages under their houses. how does that work? >> an appraiser looks at it for

$50,000 to $100,000, depending on the area. if it is way out in sunset, there is more street parking. but in his family it could be a very big thing. >> parking is still super valuable, even though there is a citywide movement to get people out of their cars, which is quite good. and it is working, which is really working. we have bike lanes everywhere. it is great. we are really seeing that. it is nice to see that. but parking is still a big one. i think some of that will not change. the style of the cars change over a long time. that is still a very valuable feature. >> here is the secret. nobody knows about this. this is fire rated glazing. this is not a window. this is a fire rated transparent

wall. but putting in one of these, and i think mr. hall has done this, you can cut a hole in your property line wall ware windows are not allowed. you can put this in and get a view of the golden gate bridge. have you done this? >> yes. i have to fantastic view walls in the east side of my bedroom. i have this kind of transparent wall material that allows me to view the bay bridge and downtown, which otherwise would not have. i am not sure i want to tell city planning about this, but it is great stuff. it is expensive per square foot, but by comparison to the improvement of equality in my like having them view, i will take it. >> how much is a view of

downtown worth? >> and lot more than the roughly $200 a square foot. >> this is an odd piece of value enhancement. >> that would not necessarily be considered a window from the planning department. >> that is correct. it is a wall. it is made with special high- temperature glass with coating between layers. how about that? there is a thin steel that goes around inside. it is not structural. we are working on the structural glazing. you need to take care of the structural issues, just like a window. anyway. i just thought i would mention there are ways to substantially increase the value at very low costs. putting in windows were you previously did not have that

opportunity might be one of them. >> i like that. >> that will get your attention. you can put this in a high-rise. >> who makes that? >> there are a number of companies that make it. this company is called a technical glass products. there are some other things that i see. a look at buildings all the time. sometimes i look at them with you guys. one of the things i see that seems to be -- it to add tremendous fight to a building is interior moldings and tramp -- crown mold, baseboards, chair rails, ceiling rails. do you find that to be the case? >> it depends on the style of the house. if it is a traditional house, edwardian, victorian, certainly. but not just everyday ordinary home depot crown molding.

probably something in little bit nicer, more traditional. but i think the contemporary -- in the last 10 or 20 years, you probably want to consult with an interior designer before you slap of a molding. >> i suggest an architect. these are people who are trained to look at the appearance and make decisions. but i have seen it to great advantage, especially in the older buildings, victorian and edwardian period >> i agree with you to go with a professional. but is there a particular group? another list in the yellow pages and all that. for the exterior, you talk about the curb appeal, something like windows. where do i find a list of these people, without having to trouble a realtor who is maybe just interested in selling it?

>> i think in that, just to address if different ways, you might want to get a couple different opinions. it does not take long. you might want to get an opinion from a realtor, even though they may just be interested in selling it. that may be true or may not be true. a 50 minute opinion might be worth it and help round out your decision from your next professional, who might be the architect, as warren suggested, especially now, because architects are out looking for work. they are happy to spend a little time with you. they could give you ideas about potential problems are complexities with the ideas you have, or come up with new ideas. >> on the exterior, there are many talented painters in the

city that not only paint -- the have a good eye. >> there are designers who are also stagers. it is not limited to the interior. it is the whole house. there are also landscape architects if you are thinking of the outside. there are stagers and designers that can do that. >> most of those professional people, architects and engineers, will sell their services by the hour. you do not have to buy the whole program. you do not have to hire them to do the whole building. you can say, "i would like to consult with you for an hour or two hours. that makes it very reasonable. you get a lot out of it when someone really knows what they're looking at. >> as long as you say up front -- some people will say that they might sell it. we are happy to go to people so

we might be known. an hour of our time would be well spent in getting to know you and your house. we will give you advice for who to call. we have a good database of people. we are always asked to give it out. >> they have tremendous experience in doing what you're talking about. i do think that is an important resource to call. >> let us talk about what the assessor reporter does when you do improvements to your building. if you look at page 36 on the handout, we have some information from the assessor reporter's office, things that are a sensible and things that are not accessible -- things that are assessable and that are not asssessable. there will be addressed for tax

purposes. for every edition or every major permit, most permits we send to the assessor reporter's office. they have a staff who looks at building permits. they do not use the value that is on the building permit. that is our the dow elation purposes for charging fees. they have a whole mechanism for praising and assessing valuation. a horizontal addition and a vertical addition certainly will result in additional assessment. by the way,? are interesting because the rules change. if you are on the ground and it is a patio, it has different rules. if you lay a flagstone patio, you're not getting a permit for a deck. but if you build -- let us say you build a deck that is less than 30 inches off the ground.

no permit is required. it does not go to the assessor reporter's office. between 30 and 36 inches off the ground, you need a permit. you can expand the entire size of your rear yard. if you are more than 36 inches off the ground, you have to meet the planning department open space requirements and encroachment requirements. there is a whole range. another thing would be converting an unfinished basement or adding living area, which is happening very often. people are taking the back of their grosz and turning it into their room, or an attic. that is happening in lot. you have to be assessed for that. i think that is a very green thing to do because you do not have to add building. do you have anything to say about general improvement?

>> it is a big additional we are talking about attic space. when you are retrofitting for earthquakes two stories up in an edwardian, the expense involved, i think, would be hard to justify in most neighborhoods. >> it is hard to get enough windows with dormers, etc. >> how about converting the attic into storage? >> you said you recently did that, alice. >> that is fairly simple. i would get a permit. and you are allowed a certain amount of space. you have to have ventilation. i do not remember all the rules. >> will the property tax increase? >> i do not think so. >> to convert an existing empty attic into a storage attic? that does not sound like you are

converting it into the living area. the a sensible addition would be converting it into a living area. >> it is usually by a letter that pulls down. a staircase would have to be deliverable area with a valid staircase. >> thank you. >> adding a bathroom, adding a ron shipp is a sensible. we see a lot of people putting elevators as our population, including us, ages. >> or houses are getting more vertical. >> that is right. no permit is required for a tool shed that is less than 100 square feet of area looking down, bird's eye view. less than 100 square feet, no permit is required. without a permit, there is no trigger for an assessment.

>> you could go up two stories? >> no, actually. the planning department has a height limit of i think 10 feet in the required the rear yard area. eight or 10 feet. [laughter] keep your hot tub in your toolshed. >> in this market, if you bought your house recently and you are thinking about doing one of these that you think is going to make your assessment go up, you can always apply and have your assessed value go down. >> we have some information here about that. we will get to that in a second. having a swimming pool or a sauna will change the assessed value of your property. i would get approval.

it is the least improvement value that gets passed on. >> it is so extraordinarily expensive. >> increasing the square footage of your home and to assess the value. demolition of an existing structure in order to construct a new building -- i am not sure how that plays out. do they reassess it when you demolish it? i do not know, but it is on their list. new additions that are non- assessible. if you put new solar energy systems until january 1, 2010, like solar hot water heating, that does not trigger additional taxes. bathroom renovations, which include structural changes or plumbing changes, kitchen structural changes and upgrades

of the system, taking the entire house or a portion of the house down to the studs, or a change in use from one to another -- residential to commercial or whatever -- they will consider the new assessed bellevue. repair, replacement of fixtures with similar quality is not assessible. plumbing to copper is not. replacement of circuit breakers. dry rot or termite repair is a non-assessible maintenance. replacing windows, doors, roofing, and ventilating and air-conditioning repairs. >> i could have a kitchen remodel.

a home owner may get their permits and have their permits signed off and eventually the department of building inspection notifies the assessor's office that the homeowner did a kitchen remodel and they have a formula. the up their property tax a little bit. the home owner, depending on the type of remote -- i do not know where in the process i just described it is described clearly to the tax assessor the similar quality material issue brought up. for example, if somebody took out a kitchen from the 1950's, which might be pretty good materials, and your place something with cabinets you bought today off the rack somewhere, it is it a similar quality? should the kitchen remodel be reassessed? you might get that tax bill, but if i were you would consider what that meant. i do not know.

>> next year we should have the tax assessor reporter's office here to answer those questions. >> that is a tricky thing. i read the fine print and it says similar quality materials, so i do not know exactly what that means. >> along the same lines, the next section are repair and maintenance base say are assessible, but under state law you can file a claim exempting this. >> i did not know this. >> these are possible exemptions. i had not heard this either. disability improvements -- they will assess it unless you file. disability improvements, seismic retrofitting of an existing building has an assessment exclusion. fire escapes and so on.

this is very interesting. i think we do need to get someone from the assessor's office one of these days. >> it is unfortunate you are going to be assessed or punished for putting in new york electrical and plumbing in some instances. >> i think replacing it you are not, but if you of credit. it is an improvement, and i guess that is how they do it. the next few pages are general information of the assessor recorder's office, including the appeal someone mentioned, the appeals process where you can dispute evaluation assessment. there are other contact numbers, so i encourage you to call them and ask questions. anything you would like to add? >> i appreciate being on the panel here and on your program. i think it is important to look

at goals carefully. i think that is important to help round out your vision process. >> i am going to keep the green thing in mind. >> thank you for coming. see you next month for "building