Sustainability...Growing Trend for Home Buyers

[Foster Algier]

More and more clients are interested in 'green' homes, tiny homes, and making sustainable choices in their property purchases. Learn how you can better support their interest and stay ahead of this growing market trend!

NAR report: More clients interested in sustainability

Growing consumer interest and demand for greener, more sustainable properties is driving more conversations between Realtors® and homebuyers and sellers. According to the National Association of Realtors' (NAR) recent Realtors and Sustainability report, over half of Realtors said that consumers are interested in real estate sustainability issues and practices.

"As consumers' interest in sustainability grows, Realtors understand the necessity of promoting sustainability in their real estate practice, such as marketing energy efficiency in property listings to homebuyers," says NAR President William E. Brown. "The goal of the NAR Sustainability Program is to provide leadership and strategies on topics of sustainability to benefit members, consumers and communities."

To meet growing consumer interest, more Multiple Listing Services (MLSs) are incorporating data entry fields to identify a property's green features; 43 percent of respondents report their MLS has green data fields, and only 19 percent do not. Realtors see great value in promoting energy efficiency in listings, with seven out of 10 feeling strongly about the benefits in promoting those features to clients.

The survey asked respondents about renewable energy and its impact on the real estate market. A majority of agents and brokers (80 percent) said that solar panels are available in their market; forty-two percent said solar panels increased the perceived property value.

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