Survey shows rising interest in green, sustainable properties
Growing consumer interest in and demand for greener, more sustainable properties are driving a dialogue between Realtors and home buyers and sellers.
In April, the National Association of Realtors introduced the Realtors and Sustainability report. This report surveyed Realtors about sustainability issues facing consumers in the real estate market, and ways Realtors are setting their goals to reduce energy usage. According to the report, which stems from the NAR’s new Sustainability Program, more than half of Realtors find that consumers have an interest 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,” said Maurice Taylor, president of the Arkansas Realtors Association. “The goal of the NAR’s 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 are incorporating data-entry fields to identify a property’s green features. Forty-three percent of respondents report that 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,” Taylor said.
The survey asked respondents about renewable energy and its impact on the real estate market. A majority of agents and brokers ( 80 percent) said solar panels are available in their market; 42 percent said solar panels increase the perceived value of a property.
Twenty-four percent of real estate brokers said tiny homes are available in their market, compared to 61 percent who reported that tiny homes are not yet available.
When asked about their involvement with clients and green properties, 27 percent of agents and brokers said they have been involved with one to five properties that have green features during the past 12 months. Seventy percent of members said they worked with no properties that had green features, leaving a great deal of room for future growth.
Realtors said the home features their clients consider to be either very or somewhat important include a home’s efficient use of lighting (50 percent), a smart/connected home (40 percent), green community features such as bike lanes and green spaces (37 percent), landscaping for water conservation (32 percent), and renewable energy systems such as solar and geothermal (23 percent).
— Maurice Taylor president, Arkansas Realtors Association As consumers’ interest in sustainability grows, Realtors understand the necessity of promoting sustainability in their real estate practice.”
“When it comes to the sustainableneighborhood features for which clients are looking, 60 percent of Realtors listed parks and outdoor recreation, 37 percent listed access to local food, and 9 percent listed recycling,” Taylor said.
The transportation and commuting features of a community that Realtors listed as very or somewhat important to their clients include walkability (51 percent), public transportation (31 percent) and bike lanes/paths (39 percent).
For more information about the Realtors Sustainability Program, visit www.nar.realtor/topics/sustainability. Visit www.realtor.com/realestateagents to connect with a Realtor to learn more about buying a home.