Can Idaho Multiple Listing Services Come of Age in the Emerging Green Economy?

I have an increasing number of clients in Boise and Sun Valley asking about homes with energy efficient & other green features.  The problem is that I have no way of specifically searching out those requests.  The traditional Multiple Listing Services (MLS) that I use in my day to day business contain no specific search criteria related to energy efficiency.  I would like to see these categories added to our Idaho regional MLSes.   Things like LEED® certified, Built Green® Certified, Energy Star® appliances, solar panels, upgraded insulation, xeriscaping, recycled materials, and many more can be added fairly easily.

The board of directors for the Oregon Regional Multiple Listing Service (RMLS ^TM) has already expanded its database to include searchable fields for energy efficient and green features Related Article .    The Northwest Multiple Listing Service in Seattle, Mid America Regional Information System in St. Louis, Metropolitan Regional Information Systems in Washington, D.C., the Northern Nevada Regional MLS, and other markets have begun making similar changes.  This is only the beginning of a trend as the multiple listing services of the United States and appraisers in Oregon are already expanding their ability to incorporate these features into the appraised value of homes.  There is no reason Idaho cannot be one of the pioneers in this new way of building value in real estate.

With the increasing prices of energy and Boise status as an air polluter there is no better time than now to show the public that we are proactive in the emerging green economy and we see value in these efficient property features.  According to Natalie Middleton, communications manager for RMLS, "these RMLS capabilities formalize the additional value these features bring to a home."  We can mobilize consumers to start asking for these features when they search for homes with their REALTORS®.  This may also start to get buyers off the fence and into new homes in our current Real Estate market.

Give me some feedback so we can work together to adopt these new standards on all Multiple Listing Services throughout the country.

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