Kelly J. Kim asked:


In the process of attaining your Broker’s license, gain the knowledge you need to assist clients looking to improve on the energy efficiency of their homes.  

With green building issues becoming increasingly important to buyers and sellers as well as businesses, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) now offers a Green Designation to help its members meet this growing demand.  Real estate professionals who have earned this designation are prepared to provide valuable aide to their clients in the search for environmentally-friendly properties and work to incorporate green principles into their own practice.

The NAR’s Green Designation indicates knowledge of industry rating programs and standards, such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, ENERGY STAR qualifications, and the Home Energy Rating System (HERS) index.

During recent testimony before the Housing and Community Opportunity Subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee, the NAR expressed support for the approach and overarching goals behind the Green Resources for Energy Efficient Neighborhoods (GREEN) Act, H.R. 2336.

In addition to creating incentives to promote energy efficient building, rehabilitation and upgrades, the bill also provides a loan fund for states to put into action renewable energy projects and would encourage a number of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development demonstration and pilot programs to provide best practices for promoting energy efficiency.

“We know that many of today’s consumers want homes and communities that are sensitive to the larger environment, and we are pleased that the GREEN Act would offer resources and incentives to help them improve the efficiency of their homes,” said David Wluka, a member of NAR’s Global Climate Change Presidential Advisory Group.  “The consumer education efforts funded by this legislation would also increase public awareness of the availability of energy efficient mortgages and encourage movement toward green housing.”

Knowledge of our nation’s green initiatives and how they pertain to your buyers and sellers will provide your real estate career with a vital competitive edge.  Enhance your broker license education with a green real estate training course.  Choose a convenient, online program and obtain the solar training you need in your free time.

Kerry Mitchell asked:


Our company works 24/7 to try to get sub-contractors, agents and mortgage professionals to understand how important they are in the energy and climate issues we all face. The built structure contributes to adding such unhealthy levels of Co2 and other gasses into the atmosphere. Knowing that existing homes and building need to drastically change is a monumental task. Being invited to teach at the GO GREEN EXPO in Philadelphia is such an honor and we teach those that are in these structures everyday, that suggesting proper upgrades and renovations to property owners is a responsibility they have. As I sit here and watch snow falling in Maryland and along the east coast, I can’t help but feel capturing this moisture and storing it for those days we have little precipitation, offers such a viable solution to drought areas. Just put a cistern and silo in many areas and it is done- When Atlanta just received snow, they could have stored and used this moisture. They are one of the most extreme examples of drought problems in our country.

So I beg all continue to work hard. The energy sector represents new jobs FOR THOSE WHO ARE LOSING THE ONES THEY HAD. Jobs for those who can manufacture, install and sell and market these systems, for rainwater, recycling efforts and the labor needed to build windmills, plant crops that produce energy and so on. It is almost as if we have the new “gold rush” in front of us. We just need to shift our perspective to understand the possibilities. Installing solar has such benefits and yes, will take new skills. Most all involved in the new “green revolution” will confirm education is needed. We are writing courses around the clock for all of this. But offering education for $200-$500 and more will cancel out 90% of our population to get this much needed information. We are doing this for under $100 which is why we have educated 4,000 in just under 23 months. 

Why are so many under estimating the buyer today? Can the economists not see they are brighter and smarter than in the past? It isn’t the $1200 mortgage payment that stops them, it is the extra $ 800 in taxes and insurance, and then another $200 or more for home association fees? Wake up and get green! Consumers are smarter today than ever before. They can get on the net and learn.  A home has to produce better and more lasting results for lower utility bills in the near future and must be better for our living environment. A property must not only meet our needs, but more and more consumers are demanding that they exceed those needs. DO you want a $400 utility bill or one that is $150? Using renewable energy to power our homes as they do in other countries will be necessary to kick start the real estate market. 

 

We used to move every 5 to 7 years. But todays consumers want to stay longer. The home they buy or rent must be healthier too. Do you want a home that is off gassing unhealthy fumes to your family while they sleep and watch TV?

Similarly, to keep employees happy and coming back, our workplaces must offer more. Our lifestyles are changing, and this is reflected in our ideas of home purchase, or when corporations decide to move their offices or build branch visibility.

Today we know that green built structures document higher productivity and lower absenteeism rates  because of  the healthier materials used. Many more people are beginning to accept the fact that first costs are not the only factor to consider when building or renovating. It is the life expectancy of the structure that is considered for green upgrade decisions.

 

I encourage everyone to join the new revolution. Begin to care about your own family and friends carbon footprint and make a difference for them and for your clients and customers. As consumers, begin to look at the long-term value of the renovations you invest in. In the long run, you will see a difference in the quality of your life and your bottom line. 

Escapeso Austin Real Estate asked:


Austin has long been a home for friendly folk- friendly to each other, friendly to animals, and friendly to the environment. What used to be considered as only the concerns of hippies and the bohemian sect, environmentalism is now at the forefront of commercial and residential design, and “green” businesses are popping up nationwide. Austin, however, was the first city in the United States to establish a local green-building program, laying out environmentally friendly and sustainable guidelines for home builders and its interested citizens back in 1991.

Since the Austin real estate market is known nationwide as the leader of these green building methods, the National Association of Home Builders chose the city as its hub to launch an industry-wide effort to establish green-building guidelines in 2004. These guidelines now provide a practical nationally recognized framework for builders to follow to reduce a home’s environmental impact by making them more energy efficient, improving indoor environmental quality, and so on. Though Austin has already been using similar guidelines for over a decade, now the rest of the country is following suit.

The City of Austin and Austin Energy provide a great resource to owners of Austin homes, and new home builders, who are looking for ways to conserve energy, and build an environmentally friendly home. The city’s website offers a list of companies willing to do an energy analysis of a home that will determine possible options to help the house conserve more energy, with suggestions ranging from air conditioning repair to weather stripping doors. The city then will offer a 20 to 75% of that cost.

For those Austinites building a new house or commercial building, the city created the Austin Energy Green Building organization to promote the construction of high quality, more sustainable buildings, and has even zoned sections of the city’s real estate to require an Austin Energy Green Building rating. Four times a year, the organization also holds a one day “Green By Design” workshop open to the public. The workshop provides an overview of the green building process, and brings in design, building, engineering, landscaping, and Austin real estate professionals with many years of experience in homebuilding and remodeling, to help make sense of it all.

In March of this year, Austin was named as the city leading the country in “cleantech” by SustainLane, an online resource center that offers sustainability tips to state and local government. The term “cleantech” refers to venture capital-based startups based in green technology, with Austin as the front runner with seven such startups, ranging from internet-controlled irrigation to geothermal energy technologies. To keep Austin on the cutting edge of green technology, the Clean Energy Incubator program was set up to help young clean energy businesses succeed by commercializing their ideas. With citizens, government, and forward thinking businesses, Austin will likely be the city to follow in the environmental battle for years to come.