Green is the future. Lennar has a sign in the model center about their solar panel homes, says everything else will be obsolete in 10 years. I believe it.

Hi Vickie, it's true. Even the Appraisal Institue of America has said that homes will be obsolete if they are not built 'greener'.

I suppose you know how I feel already. I'm not jumping onto the Green Train because I was on it already!  I've actually taken a softer approach, only because I don't want people thinking on participating for the moment. Of course that designation behind my name should give me the crediablity I need. But my 'green' posts have declined on purpose. Come find me if you Mr. Buyer and Mrs Seller  are serious, otherwise keep wallking.

Hi Dena,  :)  Yes.  Well, I have taken a different approach to my business plan as well.  Thus, as of today I am now an agent for Prudential Gary Greene.  I'll email you what my ideas are...but I don't have your email address anymore.

Can you shoot me an email?  They cut off my email account already..

Hi Stephanie,

I was thinking about Dena's post from several months ago as I read yours.  It seems to be the trend, but getting rid of a perfectly good car to buy a hybrid isn't necesarily green either.  And that is what is happening.  It is nice to see it happening, but people really need to know more about what they are doing.  The town I live in has recently also adopted a Sustainable Building code, and in fact, I am in the process of writing a blog post about it.  I am also working on my eco broker designation, so hope to be writing more posts about it.  Good luck with your new company!

Thanks for the stimulating post. I agree with Dena... I was green WAY before the green movement ever began in earnest. But that does not mean that I am not interested in capitalizing on it now, or in encouraging it! For all of the so-called greenwashing out there, there is the undeniable smell of change in the air regarding how companies do business, and especially how we think of homes. Everyone thinks of carbon footprint. Great! Personally, I would like to encourage this as much as possible, and then work to make it more meaningful. In Tallahassee, I work both as a "green realtor" and as a green home certifying agent for the LEED for homes standards, and for the Florida Green Building Coalition. I'm learning as I go, and every new house and builder I work with gains me more understanding of what green means now, and more of an idea of where I would like to see green going in the future.

Stephanie - I read Threasa Boardman's article on Innman News and actually posted a response there. Basically - I feel that Cynicism is about as In-Vogue as is "Going Green" - as Theresa's Inman post reveals. To be fair, her article brought up a lot of really valid points, but I think we (Realtors) need to be careful about criticizing and questioning the motives of those who say they are working toward a more green planet.

And you are right "A solar panel or a little more insulation does not make a green home" but when less than three percent of the homes in my state (FL) are Energy Star certified, how many "green homes" are there out there for me to sell anyway? Something is better than nothing so let's get clients thinking about solar panels and a little more insulation. With the increasing cost of energy, consumers are now just beginning to push for more energy efficient homes and we are in a unique position to help steer the drivers, so to speak.

Getting my EcoBroker designation and marketing it could make me a hypocrite? I don't think so. I think we should applaud anyone who takes the time and effort (and spends the $) to learn more about green issues. One of the areas stressed in the EcoBroker course work is helping clients find the appropriate resources so that they can make truly informed decisions when confronted with "green" options.

Here's how I see it. There are all levels of "green" - in building, in energy efficiency, in everyday living. Ride my bike to work? Not going to happen. I don't live in a place where I can do that (wish that it were different) But I have changed vehicles and I do plan my trips more carefully. I work with buyers to tour homes online instead of driving willy-nilly all over my two county market. I no longer print flyers for my listings and direct clients to online tours instead. And the list goes on. These are just a few personal examples of my attempt to minimize my own footprint (and that of my business) here on the earth.

In my market there still really isn't much interest in green building or the green movement, so I know I will not get a big business bump from marketing the fact that I am an EcoBroker. However, I will market that fact. I will work on the education committee with our local Home Builders Association to draw attention to the energy saving construction techniques now available, I will volunteer in my local schools to talk about recycling, I will do what I can.  And for that I will sleep better at night, have more satisfied employees and maybe, just maybe, end up with a better bottom line at the end of the year. Just my two cents . . .  

Hi Joanne,  I'm so glad to hear about you doing EcoBroker!  Let me know what you think about it.  It is so true that we really need to consider some of the things and ways that we perceive things.  Very interesting..

Hi Alex,  Glad you enjoyed it.  This is all so true.  It's all good that the homes are softer on the environment, but there is still a huge crowd out there that does not care.  I believe it is important to show them that green building is different and it really does benefit them...then they won't know they are helping the environment.  ;)

Hi Robin,  I think you may have misunderstood most of my post.  I am not saying that we should not care about the environmental effects and benefits of building green, I'm just saying that the two movements are being lumped together way too much.  As far as criticizing who is going green...I do not criticize anyone at even an extremely light shade of green as long as the systems are good.

I think you should consider studying the building science of how green homes work.  There are SERIOUS legal ramifications for selling something as 'green' when it isn't.  As a matter of fact, in 20 minutes I am about to attend a panel discussing this very topic.  Over the next 2 days there will be 4 different sessions about legal and green vs. greenwashing.  I too am an EcoBroker and have been certified for over a year now and it kills me to see people using spray foam insulation and not changing or using a different HVAC system and calling it green. It doesn't work that way.  We need to be careful with our clients.  They are expecting healthier IAQ/IEQ and low energy bills.  If the systems used are wrong, they will be counter productive.

You should pull up the website www.eflhomes.com there are many builders there using the program.  There is more than energy star there...and it's a great program for production homes.  It has become a popular program in Florida due to its focus on water conservation...which is a really big issue over there right now.

As far as marketing your EcoBroker...I still think you misunderstood.  You are saying exactly what I was.  It's not about being a 'green realtor' as much as it is being the expert real estate agent that understands green building.  Part of that is knowing whether or not a home is really green.  Or is it just high performing?  The terms are changing almost daily.  If we want to be considered green agents we need to keep up with the changing times.   We are all taking steps to change our ways but few of us are pristine green.  However, we can hold the knowledge that would help our clients, builders and developers push the green building movement forward.

Sorry if there was a miscommunication with all of that.

Can't wait to hear all the news! denastevens@yahoo.com

Good post, I think the important thing is that we are all collectively becomee more aware of the fact that we need to address the ''green issue" - whether it is a small change or a big one.

We have a long way to go in New Hampshire.  The good news is that people are talking green and there is a task force looking into becoming greener -- I hope this moves things forward.

I think it behooves us all to think a bit more ecofriendly primarily because it's in our clients best interest to do so.  I've heard from people that are having a hard time affording their home not because of taxes, or house payments, but because of utilities.  Thinking green usually puts more green back into their pocketbooks along with helping the ecology and future generations!

I'm writing my own "green" post right now. I think it's my first post that's officially JUST green =)  I've had bits and pieces of information that I wanted to combine. I finally put it all together.