Maricopa County, Arizona Regional MLS, goes Green, Again!
As of today the official news is that the Board of Directors of
the Arizona Regional MLS has approved all of the green and energy efficient features on the proposed list submitted for vote! This is a huge victory for Arizona homes and a 5 month project. Watch for these features to be live in December, 2012.
Our first submission in 2009 contained very basic features such as Solar Panels, 16+ SEER HVAC system, Tankless Hot Water Heater, Gray Water System, Energy Star Appliances, Smart Home System, Sustainable Flooring, R Value (insulation) Upgrades, Energy Audit, and Green/Energy Certification.
Some of these will be integrated into existing fields to better assist real estate agents in recognizing them and including them in the listing of a home for sale on the Arizona Regional MLS.
But check out this list of new features in bold:
New field Solar Panels – Leased, Owned, KW ____, On Grid, Off Grid
Pool category to include - Variable Speed Pool Pump, Solar Thermal Pool System,
Insulation - Spray Foam, Blown in Cellulose
HERS Rating Yes/No ____ Score____ Year ____Certificate uploaded
Energy Audit – Date Completed _____
HVAC – Programmable Thermostat
NewPlumbing Category to include 6 types of Water Heaters & Electric Recirculation Pump, Low Flow Fixtures, Gray Water System, Water Sense Faucets®, Dual Flush Toilets
Landscaping category to include Rainwater Capture System
New addition to certifications: Home Performance with Energy Star® and Indoor Air Plus Package®
Laundry category to include Energy Star Washer & Energy Star Dryer
Construction category – to include Insulated Concrete Forms, Strawbale, Rammed Earth Aerated Concrete, and Panelized Construction.
New Window category to include; Energy Star, Vinyl, Wood, Dual Pane, Triple Pane, Low e, Tinted, Mechanical Sun Shades and Sun Screens
Low and no VOC paints
Roofing – sub tile roofing
Reflective Coating for roofs
Add Light Rail near bus category (hurray Phoenix)
Add to Green Feature Category – Fresh Air Mechanical Ventilation System, and
Solar Tubes
Thank you for all your hard work fellow Residential Green Building Committee members and to the Arizona Regional MLS for your forward thinking MLS Committee and Board of Directors! A huge win for energy efficient homes and raising the bar with values!
Dry Rot and Water Damage www.tromlerconstruction.com Mobile - 916-765-5366 - Placerville, CA
General Contractor, Dry Rot and Water Damage
It looks like Maricopa County has taken Green to all higher level Jan.
Thanks for the information.
Oct 22, 2012 05:14 PM
Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate - Leesburg, VA
Real Estate Broker - Virginia & Maryland
I believe that we're going to see more and more of these additional fields in various MLSs across the country. That said, I speak with a huge number of prospective home buyers and, with one exception "green" is simply not in their list of features of interest.
Oct 22, 2012 08:22 PM
Captain Bill Realty, LLC - Gilbert, AZ
Broker/Owner
I find the same thing as Lenn. To most, green is Kermit.
However, if the buyer finds 2 somewhat similar and acceptable homes, with one being green and the other not-green, the Realtor can educate the client who may find that the energy efficient home is a better deal overall.
Oct 22, 2012 10:16 PM
Woodbridge, VA
Your Commercial Real Estate Link to Northern VA
Jan, as people become more energy conscious, we will see more of this in the MLS's. I think the problem now is the higher cost of energy efficient homes.
Oct 22, 2012 10:46 PM
Value Added Service, 602-620-2699 - Scottsdale, AZ
HomeSmart Elite Group, REALTOR®, EcoBroker, GREEN
Thanks Tom! Yes, they have. We are the oldest MLS in the country with some very progressive folks at the helm!
Lenn - Thanks for commenting. Yes, I can undertsand how some folks perceive that green is more expensive. But it depends on what features they are adding. Energy Star Appliances are less than Bosch, which is the highest efficiency made, so it all goes to budget. Most people think of solar as the first green option to add, but it's the last item a homeowner should add and the worst case ROI. An Energy Audit needs to be performed first to determine the least expensive fixes and again, it all goes to budget and level of concerns.
Bill - you're right! That is our added value service as realtors, to explain the differences in one home vs. another. If one home has a newer AC unit than another, then we explain that. Thanks for commenting.
Michael - Energy efficient homes don't cost that much more than regular homes. Here in AZ I just closed a Shea Xero home that cost $10,000 more only because we added solar and paid the lease up front. There is a huge misconception about price vs. value. Thanks for commenting.
Spectrum - THANK YOU! See you all around the green block!
Oct 23, 2012 06:30 AM
Keller Williams Realty East Valley - Tempe, AZ
Realtor - Tempe, Chandler, Mesa, Gilbert, Phoenix
A client this summer bought a very energy efficient new built in Gilbert with all the latest features. By comparison, my house is a mud hut! But at least I have a garage fan....
Oct 23, 2012 06:53 AM
Value Added Service, 602-620-2699 - Scottsdale, AZ
HomeSmart Elite Group, REALTOR®, EcoBroker, GREEN
Rich -LOL! I understand. Did you know that the average production built home in AZ has a HERS Score of 66! That's 34% more energy efficient than a traditional stick built home without the Energy Star features. Amazing difference in ROI!
Oct 23, 2012 06:56 AM
United Real Estate - Phoenix, AZ
Your REALTOR® For The Valley Of The Sun
Jan, congrats on the feature and thanks for all your work on the Residential Green Building Committee, all Valley agents will benefit from your hard work. Kudos to ARMLS for helping to move Arizona Real Estate into the GREEN!
Oct 24, 2012 06:19 PM
Anonymous
Lenn, I think you are missing the point with this comment "That said, I speak with a huge number of prospective home buyers and, with one exception "green" is simply not in their list of features of interest."
Ask that same home buyer if they pass the gas station at $3.89 per gallon for the one that is $3.84 per gallon and almost every one of them will say yes.
Green means saving them money! In my opinion this is a core responsibility we have to our clients and is just the new level of competence necessary to do a good job.
Green Means showing them how to get new appliances and fix up the house with the electric company picking up the tab.
Green means getting them cash back to pay for their move or buy a bring screen TV.
Green means getting them tax credits which is effectively lowering their purchase price.
Green means lowering their electric bill $50.00-$200.00 per month.
Green means increasing their appraised value before they move in 10-20%
Green means they live more comfortable without hot and cold rooms, Healthier with less allergies, valley fever or mold, It means they have to dust less and live longer. It means their house needs less maintenance.
Don’t get lost in the features, sales 101 is to sell the benefits not the features.
If you can show me one buyer that does not want 10-35 thousand dollars in upgrades like new appliances, and a whole lot more Free, because its paid for by the same money they are giving to the electric company anyway if they move in as is, Cash back to pay for the move, tax credits to lower their effective purchase price, lower bills every month and increased their wealth with higher appraisals and values before they move in, while living healthier and having less maintenance, I will be shocked!
You are not selling Green you are selling a better way to purchase a home!
If you get a chance check out EnergyWiseHomeLoans.info and welcome to real estate 3.0
Oct 25, 2012 07:26 AM
#10
Value Added Service, 602-620-2699 - Scottsdale, AZ
HomeSmart Elite Group, REALTOR®, EcoBroker, GREEN
Nancy - thank you so much. This has been the culmination of 5 months worth of work and 4 years of research. I appreciate you!
Marlo - thank you for enthusiastically supporting our group efforts and for being a champion for homes with green features. Too many agents dismiss green features without fully understanding that green is much more than just solar panels. If you can imagine that the Scottsdale Green Building Council has certified over 1300 new homes since 1998 in their green program, then there's an entire market segment in our small city alone that subscribes to energy efficiency, healthier living, and higher ROI. Not to mention the annual building of all of our production built homes that are so very green! See you at our next event.
Oct 25, 2012 07:36 AM
Value Added Service, 602-620-2699 - Scottsdale, AZ
HomeSmart Elite Group, REALTOR®, EcoBroker, GREEN
Marlo - as usual - forward thinking. Thanks!
Martin - Thank you! I was happy to be spearhead this project!
Nov 30, 2012 06:19 AM
Rainmaker
1,257,295
1,257,295
Jan Green - Scottsdale, AZ
HomeSmart Elite Group, REALTOR®, EcoBroker, GREEN
Service Areas
Real Estate Resources
Recent Posts
Real Estate Market Trends
about 2 months ago
Just for Fun
4 months ago
Real Estate Market Trends
4 months ago
Certified EcoBroker, The Green Chamber, US Green Building Council (USGBC), AZ Chapter, Energy Efficient Homes,
REALTOR, HomeSmart,Scottsdale, Phoenix, Cave Creek, Carefree, Tempe, Arizona, home buyers,home sellers, EcoBroker, GREEN Certified Homes, Selling Arizona Solar https://www.linkedin.com/in/janlgreen
Subscribe to my blog!
Comments(13)