10 Dec Greenwashing A Concern For Buyers And Agents

Incorporating green features is necessary to compete in today’s market.  No one is going to debate that.  With the demand for green products come the schemers and the dishonest.

According to a recent Builderonline.com article, “greenwashing” has officially landed in the housing market and Realtors, builders, and homebuyers are concerned.  While sustainability has found its rightful place in real estate, there is still a lack of knowledge on the consumer side.  This has allowed sneaky firms to offer fake Energy Star plaques for homes.  This is obviously a problem for agents and buyers.

The numbers don’t lie.  Buyers are looking for green features in their next home.  According to the article, the price premium in Portland, Oregon was 18 percent for a green home.  Here in Atlanta, a certified green home sells on average 14 days faster than conventional homes.

It’s easy to see why sellers are so eager to slap that Energy Starr rating on their home.  And even if they are real Energy Star plaques, there is still a lot of gray area to deal with.  In Arizona 70 percent of homes have ceiling fans in them.  This qualifies as a green feature but it could be misleading to claim green features in a home with ceiling fans as its only feature.  For the most part, green claims are self-policed creating a challenge for buyers and real estate agents.

It really all comes back to educating the buyer.  As long as you can understand and show them where the savings and benefits are, you are eliminating any doubt and you are also making sure that a home is truly green.