Web site helps buyers home in on the `green'.Byline: REAL ESTATE By Randi Bjornstad The Register-Guard Finding houses with "green" features just got easier for homebuyers interested in saving energy and using sustainable building products. The Residential Multiple Listing Service, which maintains a database of properties on the market in Oregon and Southwest Washington, began expanding its Web site on Tuesday to include information about environmentally friendly Environmentally friendly, also referred to as nature friendly, is a term used to refer to goods and services considered to inflict minimal harm on the environment.[1] characteristics of individual houses. `People interested in buying a `green' house can have their Realtor search the listings for certifications and find out whether a specific house meets their requirements,' Natalie Middleton of RMLS RMLS Regional Multiple Listing Service RMLS Reusable Military Launch System said. For example, customers should be able to find out if a home they're interested in has a high-efficiency natural gas furnace Gas furnace An enclosure in which a gaseous fuel is burned. Domestic heating systems may have gas furnaces. Some industrial power plants are fired with gases that remain as a by-product of other plant processes. or heat pump heat pump: see air conditioning. heat pump Device for transferring heat from a substance or space at one temperature to another at a higher temperature. , solar heating solar heating Use of solar radiation to heat water or air in buildings. There are two types: passive and active. Passive heating relies on architectural design; the building's siting, orientation, layout, materials, and construction are utilized to maximize the heating systems or energy-efficient appliances, or if it's been built or remodeled with sustainable materials such as metal roofs, stucco exteriors, natural fiber carpets or quick-growing wood flooring, and finishes with low levels of volatile organic compounds volatile organic compound Environment Any toxic cabon-based (organic) substance that easily become vapors or gases–eg, solvents–paint thinners, lacquer thinner, degreasers, dry cleaning fluids . "When Realtors put a new listing into the system, they will be able to indicate specific certifications such as Energy Star, Earth Advantage and LEED, but also more detailed information about the materials used in the home," Middleton said. John Hoops, principal broker with Windermere Real Estate Windermere Real Estate, a real estate company based in Seattle, Washington, was founded by John W. Jacobi in 1972, when he purchased an eight-agent office in the Windermere neighborhood of Seattle. Lane County and president of the Eugene Association of Realtors, said he expects the new capability of the RMLS system to become popular quickly. "Consumers are becoming very aware of the whole green movement," Hoops said. "You hear about the subject a lot more now - there was even a green home show at the fairgrounds n. pl. 1. same as fairground. - and some Realtors are responding by educating themselves about green construction." Brady Cox with Re/Max Integrity is one of four agents locally who has earned certification as an EcoBroker through a Colorado organization called EcoBroker International. "I completed the program a month ago, but I have been living very green for a long time," Cox said. "The environmental impact of housing is a newer concept, but it's growing." Most people don't realize that 40 percent of greenhouse gases actually come from homes, first through manufacturing and building and then through habits of everyday living, he said. Another 30 percent of the gases come from vehicles, and the remaining 30 percent from industrial uses. Cox sees his mission as a Realtor as not only selling houses but also helping people learn about the environmental and health impacts of housing. "When people become aware, they care," he said. According to a recent survey conducted for the National Association of Home Builders The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is one of the largest trade associations in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the association organizes one of the largest conventions in North America, The International Builders' Show, which draws more than , 78 percent of homebuyers said they would choose one home over another based on energy efficiency. Nearly as many said they would prefer to work with a Realtor who could track homes for them on the basis of sustainability and efficiency. Among builders, 64 percent said they either do or will build with energy savings and sustainability in mind. LOOKING FOR Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. "GREEN" HOUSES Several organizations evaluate houses for energy efficiency and sustainability and offer certification. Energy Star: www.northwest ernenergystar.com Earth Advantage Inc.: www.earthadvantage.org LEED: www.usgbc.org |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion