Realtors Resources
As a licensed Realtor, you are an important component of the green building industry. Sellers rely on you to input the pertinent green features of their homes into the MLS system in order to demonstrate the added value associated with their property. Research has shown that homes with green features sell at a higher price and in less time.
Buyers search online for features that are important to them, so the more complete the MLS listing, the more likely a prospect is to make an appointment to view the property.
Appraisers look to the MLS inputs to determine comparable properties and values. Omissions of the green features within the MLS can negatively affect appraisals. It’s a complete circle orchestrated by you, the Realtor!
Our website strives to provide you with information that will help you better identify green features within a property, correlate the benefits of those features to your prospects, and provide you with in-depth knowledge to differentiate you from other Realtors. If you are looking for specific information or a brochure that you are unable to find, please contact us and let us know what you were unable to find and we will address it promptly.
Marketing Florida Green Certifed Homes
Many real estate practitioners have a strong interest in green building, energy conservation and the environment, sometimes it can be difficult to imagine how to integrate them into their business.
Green building isn’t about spending money for a lower functioning product. Green homes cost less, last longer and are healthier to live in.
They translate into higher appraisal values and sometimes provide a buyer with better underwriting options. Florida Green represents an opportunity for homebuyers to optimize their investments and purchase the best homes possible.
But marketing and selling green brings a whole set of new challenges for Realtors, especially when it comes to educating consumers and cutting through the clutter of information - and misinformation - about sustainability, energy efficiency and green.
Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC) standards and certification assesses the technical performance of buildings based on a comprehensive set of factors, as determined by third-party, certifying agents.
Realtors and appraisers can look to Florida Green certification to meet climate specific criteria for green building standards that gives homeowners verification of performance.
Selling the Value of Green
Show buyers the value in an FGBC certified home.
- Lower operating costs – Green homes require less heating and cooling and use less water are at the same time highly marketable and resource-conserving.
- Increased comfort -- More even temperatures throughout the home, with less drafts and better humidity control. Homebuyers are much more likely to buy green if it doesn't mean sacrificing comfort.
- Increased resale value -- A growing number of homeowners are reporting better selling value with documented lower monthly utility bills, and a green certified home can provide this.
- Improved environmental quality -- Builder attention to moisture control construction details, low-VOC paints and air exchange/filtration can contribute to a more comfortable and healthy indoor environment.
Do the Math
Any Realtor that can talk about putting money back in the pockets of consumers has a strong sales proposition. Cost savings is by far the number-one economic feature when selling green.
If a Florida Green high-performance home saves money in monthly utility costs, play it up during the selling process by "doing the math" for potential buyers.
Some green home builders provide potential buyers with a side-by-side cost comparison of their Florida Green home versus a typical area home. Rather than showing straight dollar amounts in comparisons, use colorful charts and graphs.
Avoid talking payback periods for systems and equipment. Frame the discussion in terms of ongoing, monthly savings, using today's low interest rates and high utility rates to your advantage.
It's the Little Things
When listing a green home, focus on the features that will boost its value to outdistance the competition. Begin articulating green features to clients. Ask them what green features they're interested in.
Before 'green,' the key term was 'environmentally friendly.' Be prepared to discuss everything from energy efficiency to healthy carpeting, flooring, and walls. Guide them to homes with solar hot water or photovoltaic panels or point out tax credits and incentives.
Rock the Audit
Florida Green can be a useful tool. If you are selling homes with certified energy-saving features and sustainable construction that buyers don’t understand, you are missing a valuable opportunity.
More than 14,000 construction projects have earned Florida Green certification to date around the state. This means that your buyers don’t have to take your word that the home is an energy-efficient, high-performance home.
Florida Green can be attractive to prospective homeowners if they understand what they are getting and how it will make their lives richer, healthier and more comfortable.
Additional Tips
- Lay off the Environmental mumbo-jumbo. Buyers care more about their home’s efficiency, keeping their family safe, and lowering utility bills.
- Use the word “High-Performance.” In the buyer’s point of view, it sounds much more accurate and not nearly as vague.
- Sell on the needed, not the nice. Instead of using the term “eco-friendly”, try using “non-toxic” or “low toxins” because that registers more in the mind of a homebuyer.
Handling objections is a way of life for Realtors, and selling green only adds to the deluge of questions, especially when explaining costs are involved. Be proactive at explaining and demonstrating the benefits throughout the entire sales process.
At the end of the day, it’s all about selling on the value of the home. Be clear, concise, deliver relevant facts about the home’s features, and show the growing value that an FGBC certified home provides.
Know your audience, deliver the right message, and go sell Florida Green.