Realtors point buyers to ecofriendly homes
Las Vegas Realtor Michael Campbell finished his official business with Mark and Sherry Pinder in mid-November, when he helped the couple close on their new home.
So why was Campbell back at the Pinders’ Silverado Ranch property three weeks after closing, swapping out incandescent lights with energy-sipping fluorescent bulbs and planting a pygmy date palm tree in the backyard?
The handiwork was part of a “Going Green” package Campbell, of Keller Williams Realty Southern Nevada, offers clients.
Beyond reducing power usage and clearing the air of greenhouse gases, Campbell said the practices boost his listings: Energy-efficient lightbulbs help attract buyers who want lower power bills, and trees enhance a home’s curb appeal. He also believes, though, that he has a responsibility to guide his clients toward environmentally friendly actions, no matter how minor. He’ll even take their cell phones in for recycling to keep electronic waste out of landfills.
“I don’t think something small like this will necessarily help create business, but it’s the right thing to do,” Campbell said.
Campbell represents a growing movement designed to promote environmentally friendly practices within the real estate sales sector.
There’s also 9-month-old ListedGreen.com, a solar-powered, Las Vegas-based Web site emphasizing sustainable homes for sale. Lasvegasgreenrealestate.com launched a month ago to connect home buyers with ecofriendly local projects. And EcoBroker International of Evergreen, Colo., just struck an agreement to promote its green-Realtor certification program on the Web site of the Nevada Association of Realtors.
John Stovall, vice president of business development for EcoBroker, said home buyers and sellers are spurring the spike in green realty services.
The 2007 Profile of Buyers’ Home Feature Preferences, a publication of the National Association of Realtors, reported that 65 percent of home buyers said energy efficiency was very important to their purchase. A summer survey from Marketing Solutions in Las Vegas revealed that 89 percent of local new-home buyers wanted energy-conserving properties.
“People will call up our program and say, ‘I have a client hunting for a home that has green features and I don’t know what those are,'” said Stovall, whose group’s membership has jumped from 120 agents 21/2 years ago to 2,200 salespeople today. “There’s a good amount of consumer demand for this.”
Heightened interest among buyers and sellers means that touting green practices can give Realtors and the homes they list a marketing advantage, agents say.
Lisa Santacaterina, a Realtor with Easy Street Realty in Las Vegas and one of 10 certified EcoBrokers in Nevada, said her environmental savvy helped her win a listing after she showed the homeowners how she could use their property’s green advantages — its orientation toward the sun and its insulating windows — to promote the house.
“It does help you stand apart from the competition,” Campbell said. “It helps show that you have different angles and different motives from other (agents).”
So is the greening of real estate sales just a trendy promotional gimmick Realtors are using to lasso a ride on the environmental-marketing bandwagon, or is it a movement with long-term potential?
David Syring, founder of ListedGreen.com, said he’s rejected a lot of listings from agents who “get creative with verbiage” in an effort to snag a unique advertising hook.
There’s also evidence that buyers aren’t as keen to go green as they used to be.
An October survey from Shelton Group Energy Marketing and Advertising in Tennessee showed that consumers were on average 16 percent less likely to go green in the home, with 11 percent saying they’re less likely to buy fluorescent light bulbs and 19 percent saying they’re not as inclined to buy Energy Star appliances.
But Syring said continued high utility bills will translate into a sustained need for green goods and services. .
Two of Campbell’s clients, at least, believe interest in eco-oriented home sales will have staying power.
The Pinders didn’t retain Campbell for his green credentials, but Sherry Pinder said she’ll cite Campbell’s tree-planting and bulb-changing when she recommends him to friends.
“More and more, people are trying to do what’s right for the environment,” Pinder said. “If someone they hire can help them with that, they’d definitely use the person.”
Contact reporter Jennifer Robison at jrobison@reviewjournal.com or (702) 380-4512.
Greening your home for saleGreen Realtors can help prep your home for sale to energy- and eco-conscious buyers. Here are a few of their tips for quick fixes that can attract consumers interested in lowering their impact on the environment:
— Upgrade your appliances. If you plan to buy new household equipment before you list your home for sale, look for refrigerators, dishwashers, ovens and water heaters certified through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program. Some Energy Star appliances can cost more up front, but the 10 percent to 50 percent savings on power and water use that the government says come with such products could pique the interest of prospective buyers.
— Improve your flooring. Consider installing floor coverings made from environmentally sensitive materials. Carpets recycled from plastic soda bottles cost roughly the same as conventional fabric versions. Better yet, hard surfaces such as tile save energy over the long haul because homeowners can maintain them with sweeping rather than vacuuming, said Michael Campbell, a Realtor with Keller Williams Realty Southern Nevada. Lisa Santacaterina, an EcoBroker-certified Realtor with Easy Street Realty, recommends bamboo flooring. Unlike most hardwood trees used in flooring, bamboo grows quickly, so it’s highly renewable.
— Invest in new light bulbs. If every household traded in five incandescent bulbs with fluorescent alternatives, it would equal taking 1 million cars off the road, Campbell said. At anywhere from $4 to $12 a pop, fluorescent bulbs cost more than their incandescent counterparts, but the Environmental Protection Agency says homeowners will save about $30 in energy expenses over the life of a bulb — cost savings that would appeal to potential buyers, Campbell said.
— Play up existing attributes. Many homes have at least a few green elements. Find your property’s eco-friendly components and market them in promotional literature. A south-facing orientation can tamp down heating bills in the winter. Deep overhangs shield windows from the summer sun. A light-colored roof will deflect sunlight and suppress mid-year cooling bills. And dual-paned windows provide an extra buffer against weather year-round.
