TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR CUSTOMERS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Our industry has an enormous impact on our physical
surroundings and in shaping the communities in which we live. With this impact comes significant responsibility.
           As this month’s cover article addresses, the challenges of mitigating climate change are on the minds ofleaders throughout our state and nation. With residential buildings accounting for 21 percent of the nation’s energy use, our industry bears a considerable responsibility to do our share to build more efficiently and to consider the impact of building materials on our natural environment.
           As various local and state jurisdictions begin to increase energy mandates on residential construction, one of the most important things we can do is support the home builders association of metro Denver’s built Green® program. As our industry-created program, built Green has become a national leader. The broader the membership in the program, the easier it will be for our industry to engage and inform jurisdictions as to how we are addressing the needs for sustainability and environmentally conscious building practices, without government intervention. As different jurisdictions begin to pass different requirements, efficiency and consistency in residential construction are being lost, houses are becoming more costly, and buyers are not necessarily seeing the benefits. As an industry, we can help educate jurisdictions about our program and the benefits it brings to construction practices and, ultimately, to the home-buying consumer.
           As an industry, we need to develop a cohesive approach to the growing issue so that jurisdictions and the buying public are not confused by the dozens of different green building programs and sets of requirements that are in the marketplace. I think we can, and must, make substantial progress on this issue in 2008. And as the story highlighting our built Green award winners shows, one of the best things we can do as an industry is showcase the best of the best.
           Responsibility is also significant as it relates to how we as an industry address warranty issues, the subject of the other feature story in this issue. While we worry that the new legislation passed last year will lead to more lawsuits and more costly insurance, I think that we can avoid many of the problems simply by taking better care of our customers. if we communicate effectively and quickly address issues that lead to warranty claims, we can overcome many of the small issues that can quickly become larger. We all cringe when another story on the TV news exposes a builder that has shirked its responsibilities to its buyers, whether a valid claim or not. We are disappointed by the impact a story like that can have on the entire industry. The only way we can stave off potential situations such as these is to take a more proactive approach to warranty issues and ensure our buyers’ issues are addressed in a timely and meaningful way.