Listing and Selling Your Green Home

If you want to get the full value for your green home when it comes time to sell, use a green real estate agent and a green MLS.

You've upgraded your home with the latest green features and there's an eco-friendly buyer out there looking for a green home. How can the two of you connect?

CHOOSE A GREEN REAL ESTATE AGENT

Hire a real estate agent who knows as much about green homes as you do. About 5,000 REALTORS® nationwide have earned the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS Green Designation by taking classes in green building, sustainable business practices, and green home marketing. A private company offers the EcoBroker designation.

Questions to ask a REALTOR who specializes in green homes:

* Have you had special training in selling green homes?

* Do you serve buyers seeking green houses and do you have a list of buyers actively seeking green homes?

* How many green home sales have you completed in the past year?

* How do you market a green home differently than a regular home?

ASK WHETHER YOUR MLS IS GREEN

About 30 to 40 of the 900 home MLSs nationwide (databases where agents list properties for sale) have special fields in which your agent can identify your home's green features. Agents for potential buyers can search a green MLS to look for a green home or green features like solar panels or an energy-efficient furnace.

Over time, as the home MLS data grow, the results will help appraisers easily find comparable sales of green homes, which they can then use to more accurately value a green home like yours.

On the web, large sites that use home MLS data offer some green home search capacity. At http://www.realtor.com(http//www.Realtor.com), you can search broadly for energy-efficient homes, but not for specific features like solar panels. At Trulia.com you can use keyword search terms like "solar" or "green," but in addition to pulling homes with green features, that search will also bring back listings by real estate agents named Green and homes on streets with the word "solar" in the name.

Curious if your area has a green MLS? Among other places, you'll find them in:

* Albuquerque

* Austin, San Antonio, and Houston, Texas

* Charleston, S.C.

* Memphis and middle Tennessee

* Portland, Ore.

* Santa Barbara and southern California

* Traverse City, Mich.

* Triangle region of North Carolina

* Tucson and Phoenix, Ariz.

LIST YOUR HOME'S GREEN FEATURES

You can trumpet your home's greenness in two ways in the typical green MLS.

Your real estate agent can note if your home or its features have been officially certified or designated green. Then, agents for homebuyers interested in green homes can search for local designations as well as national designations and certifications like:

* Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)

* Energy Star

* Enterprise Green Communities

* The Environmental Protection Agency's airPLUS Guidelines and Water Sense programs

* Home Energy Rating System (HERS Index)

* Living Building Challenge

* National Green Building Standard

The other way to highlight your house's green features is to specify them in the home MLS' searchable fields. For example, if you have solar panels, water-saving devices, or geothermal heating, your agent can check those fields. Real estate agents helping buyers interested in a green home can also use the search function to find green homes with specific features.

In some green MLSs, your agent can highlight the brand and model of energy-efficient appliances and building materials. The result is a movement toward a more standardized and accurate way for buyers to find the type of home they want and for you to highlight your home's green upgrades.

USE THE HOME MLS COMMENTS SECTION

What if your local home MLS isn't green? Your agent can market your home's green features in the home MLS by listing them in the additional remarks space. Work with your agent so she knows which features you'd like to highlight, which feature she recommends highlighting, and how those features contribute to your home's energy efficiency and eco-friendliness.

CAN YOU GET MORE MONEY FOR A GREEN HOME?

Data show your green home could sell faster and at a higher price than a similar house without green features. In 2009, certified green houses in Atlanta sold 31 days faster than traditional homes, according to the Earth Advantage Institute, a Portland, Ore., nonprofit that certifies green homes. Certified green houses in Seattle built from 2000 to 2008 sold for 8% to 9% more per square foot than traditional homes, according to local sales statistics.

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G.M. Filisko is an attorney and award-winning writer who just added energy-efficient windows to her Chicago condo. A regular contributor to many national publications including Bankrate.com, REALTOR Magazine, and the American Bar Association Journal, she specializes in real estate, business, personal finance, and legal topics.

Article From Houselogic.com

By: G. M. Filisko

Published: August 04, 2010

Reprinted from HouseLogic (houselogic.com) with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS (R).Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.

Eight Eco-Friendly Tips Make "Going Green" Easy

Incorporating eco-friendly measures in homes has moved beyond installing energy efficient appliances and swapping out incandescent light bulbs for compact fluorescents – going green is giving home sellers a competitive advantage. With luxury condos touting eco-friendly features like rain water recycling, and home builders incorporating energy saving features into new homes, it’s no wonder real estate professionals say more and more home buyers are asking about “green homes.” In the end, small changes to a home can help the environment and help a property stand out among the competition.

It makes sense on a number of levels to incorporate green principles into a home and many consumers are surprised at just how easy it is to do so. Not only is it great for the environment, but homeowners are looking at "going green" as an opportunity to have their home stand out from the crowd.

The following are eight tips from the professionals at Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty that outline how to make homes sustainable, energy- and cost-efficient now, and appealing to eco-conscious homebuyers:

1. A Ray of Light:
South-facing windows provide more natural daylight making a home more bright and cheery. But, more importantly, natural daylight can help keep the indoor climate comfortable during the winter months, allowing a homeowner to set the thermostat a bit lower. Alternatively, drawing shades during key daylight hours during the summer can help cut down on air conditioning needs.

2. Green Gardening
Sustainable landscaping is becoming all the rage to eco-conscious homeowners. Planting native plants, vegetation and shade trees strategically around a yard can keep a home cool during the summer and block cold winds during the winter. And native vegetation will thrive in its preferred environment without requiring excess water.

3. Switch to Green Power
The use of renewable energy in a home, such as solar, wind, water or geothermal, greatly helps reduce pollution. However, installing solar panels or wind generators property can be cost-prohibitive for some. Fortunately, many utility companies in the United States offer options to purchase a form of renewable energy that is cost efficient for the homeowner.

4. Dial it Back
Lowering the settings on water heaters, refrigerators, dishwashers and laundry machines reduces the amount of energy required to maintain the temperature. Installing low-flow sink faucets and shower heads also lessens water consumption.

5. Reuse Rain
Recycling rain water for gardening is another great way to conserve. For example, a water collection system under drains can catch the water and then reuse it for watering landscapes.

6. Less Lawn does More
Eliminate as much of the lawn as possible and plant native bushes, flowers, etc. Depending upon a number of factors (including the climate of the region), homeowners can simply cut back on the amount of space that they have to mow to promote energy conservation in lawn care.

7. Turn Old into New
Refurbish the home's existing materials when remodeling instead of buying new ones (cabinets, tiles, flooring). If brand new appliances are required, homeowners should make sure they are energy-efficient, and should consider donating their old appliances to be recycled or reused.

8. Insulation is Key
Insulating cold-water pipes will prevent them from dripping condensation, and insulating hot-water pipes will prevent costly heat loss and save on energy bill.

For more information, please visit http://www.seacoastrealty.com/ or become a fan of Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty on Facebook.