EcoBrokers®
EcoBrokers are equipped with additional energy and environmental information and tools. I provide added value to all of your real estate transactions. Being a qualified EcoBroker allows me to address the newest topics in real estate, such as green home certification programs like Energy Star Qualified Homes, energy-efficiency, and sustainable design. Having an EcoBroker designation will also assist you in working through issues that may arise in real estate transactions, such as mold, radon, and poor indoor air quality, providing real solution.
Buyer Advantages
Having the knowledge and to know the potential monthly savings or costs of your home: We have the understanding of energy efficiency and costs or savings associated with insulation, windows, appliances, heating and cooling systems, and other features of your home that affect you month after month.
Know more about indoor air quality and healthy environments: EcoBrokers® can help you address environmental issues including: indoor air quality, ventilation, use of low VOC paints, quality radon
testing, and reliable water testing.
Consider building orientation and natural
landscaping features: EcoBrokers® understand energy savings that can be derived from proper building orientation and delighting, overhangs, and placement of trees (for shading and windbreaks).
Find homes with "green" features easily, on EcoBroker.com: Your EcoBroker® can help you search for new homes and information on the EcoBroker.com site.
Seller Advantages
Get the most from your home or property sale: EcoBrokers® understand energy efficiency and environmental features of homes. Working with your local EcoBrokerTM ensures you are working with someone who can highlight these attributes and their value.
Communicate the energy cost savings of your home: EcoBrokers® help you highlight energy efficient features in your home that may help you get the best price for your property.
Communicate to buyers the indoor air quality and health benefits of your property or building: EcoBrokers® can help you highlight healthy features of your home's indoor environment.
Emphasize building orientation and landscaping features: Your EcoBroker® understands how to properly highlight favorable building orientation and landscaping, when marketing your home.
Differentiate Your Listing: Working with an EcoBroker® helps you market your property to the growing number of green-minded consumers and gets your listing the attention it deserves!
Promote Healthier, Cost-Effective, and Green Practices in Real Estate.
EcoBroker is a certification program for real estate professionals who care about the environment and want to promote energy-efficient and "green" features in homes and buildings. The EcoBroker® logo is the symbol of environmentally responsible and sustainable practices in the real estate industry. Certified EcoBrokers® meet buyer and seller demand for realestate professionals with a real understanding of the issues that drive current market decisions.
GREEN IS A BI-PRODUCT OF AN ENERGY EFFICIENT HOME
Frequently Asked Questions
About Energy Efficient Mortgages
The Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM) realizes that energy efficient homes cost less to operate on a month to month basis than standard homes since they use a lot less energy. Buyers today who purchase energy efficient homes can afford to spend more on their housing expenses because their new home costs less to operate with low energy costs. The EEM enables Read more...
Your Homes Energy Performance
Home energy ratings are performed on new and existing homes to evaluate each home's energy performance Home energy ratings are performed on new homes to verify Read more..
Energy Efficient Appliances
Immediate savings come from energy-efficient appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, clothes dryers, dishwashers, toilets etc. Savings can be earned from lower utility bills for electricity and/or water. The performance levels of these appliances meet Read more...
Energy Efficient Windows
Enormous amount of savings can come from windows. If you have not upgraded, your windows will probably be a major source of heat loss. In cold weather, windows transfer heat out of the building through both Read more...
Controlled Ventilation Systems
Focusing toward "tightening the home" improves a home's energy efficiency by controlling air and moisture flow to and from the home. Making the home "tight" with incorrect ventilation will cause the home to retain Read more...
Insulating for Energy Efficiency
Improving insulation can save a lot of money. Insulation obstructs the flow of heat and is a cost-effective investment you should make. The effectiveness of insulation is measured by its resistance to heat flow which is known by the "R value Read more...
Moisture Management for Energy Efficiency
You can increase comfort and save money by controlling the moisture of the air in your home. People are most comfortable at a relative humidity of 50%, plus or minus 10%. Relative humidity is a term used to describe Read more...
Natural Daylighting
Savings come from home designs that are designed around natural lighting. Much of the day, people benefit from natural light and reduces electrical consumption needed by interior lights. Tests have shown that natural light is the a standard by Read more...
"Green" Checklist for Properties
Energy-efficient appliances
Energy-efficient clothes dryer
Energy-efficient dishwasher
Energy-efficient freezer Read more...
Conservation Easements
Conservation easement is basically an encumbrance — even including a transfer of usage rights (easement) — thus creating a legally enforceable land preservation agreement between Read more...
Fire Safety - Choices that Fight Fire Devastation
Fire threatens from inside and outside of the home. Stats for 2000 show that 368,000 accidental home fires occurred, resulting in 3,420 deaths, 16,975 injuries and $5.5 billion Read more...
Indoor Air Quality
90 to 95 % of people spend their lives indoors. This makes indoor air quality extremely important. Gasses and particles can upset the indoor air quality. Proper heating Read more...
Mold Mitigation in Homes and Buildings
Molds are a natural accurance. They reproduce in the form of spores. When a person touches or inhales mold or mold spores Read more...
Radon
Advantages come from designing and building features that effectively remove radon from your home. Radon is a colorless, tasteless, odorless radioactive gas that can seep into. Read more...
Passive Solar Heating
Passive solar refers to means of using sunlight for energy without active mechanical systems (as contrasted to active solar). Such technologies Read more...
Solar Electricity
Photovoltaics basically convert radiant light energy into electricity. Photovoltaic cells, are the building blocks of this technology. Read more...
Alternative Decking Materials
Alternative decking materials are becoming more popular due to the fact they are durable and last longer, with little to no maintenance, and most are made from Read more...
Bamboo Flooring
Bamboo flooring is a cost-effective and an excellent environmentally choice among traditional hardwood flooring. A very attractive material, Read more...
Building Materials
Why not save money and prevent future problems and choose and install building materials that are safe? There is no specific route to success with building Read more...
Roofs - Durable, Lasting Roofing Materials
Slate, clay, concrete, and composite shingles, and metal roofing, last longer and have mny advantages over common asphalt-based shingles. Correctly maintained, roofs made Read more...
Straw Bale Home Basics
Stands up to numerous types of climates, straw bale homes can be comfortable and can manage moisture effectively if designed Read more...
Heating-Central Location for Heating Unit
Burning units for heating buildings may be centrally located within the floor plan of the building. This placement offers extra Read more...
Heating-High Combustion Efficiency
Savings are gained with improved combustion efficiency. Many buildings are heated by burning fuels incompletely in furnaces Read more...
Heating-Outside Source for Combustion Air
Combustion heated homes benefit from drawing combustion air directly from the outside using sealed and insulated ductwork. The advantages Read more...
Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning
HVAC (heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning) refers to the equipment that provide either collectively or individually the heating Read more...
Radiant Floor Heat
Radiant floor heating is very cost-effective and comes with a great deal of comfort. There are three types: 1.) radiant air floors Read more...
Water Heating-Instantaneous Water Heaters
Demand (instantaneous or tankless) water heaters provide hot water only when needed. They do not produce the standby energy losses relayed with storage water heaters, which can save you Read more...
