Environmental friendly homes have been championed since the 80's but they are slowly coming into the mainstream. Rising energy costs and improved energy saving technologies/building methods have created a situation where homebuyers are taking a serious look at "going green".
It has gotten to the point where by looking at the money saved over a 5 year period, homeowners can save enough money to justify the construction cost to install energy saving aspect to their home.
If it's worth it to upgrade an old home, certainly it must be worth it for developers to do the same to new construction... but that is only if there is a large enough market for it. Have we progressed to the point where our buyers are savvy enough to see the value in green?
In a survey released by Green Media and Imre Communications 51% of builders said that buyers are willing to pay between 11 to 25% more for a green home. Average age of green homebuyer is between 35-50, college educated and have done their research on green technologies.
As we look to stay competitive in the future we need to look for the best new ways to appeal to our buyers and help our developers add value where it counts. Unlike the "upgrade" trends we have seen in the past to help maximize profit(the transition for white appliances, to black, to stainless...) we are now given an opportunity to promote an upgrade that will save money and the environment. A pretty exciting position to be in.
This is a topic I am interested in learning more information on. If you have any knowledge about this new trend please let me know!
Regards,
John Marlow
www.highendchicago.com
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