Daily Real Estate News  |  November 7, 2008  |   Selling Green? Practice What You Preach
Haven’t embraced green in your business yet? What are you waiting for?

“If you’re not doing green at some point, it will effect your profits,” energetic instructor Terry Watson told REALTORSŪ attending NAR’s first-ever GREEN designation course in Orlando Thursday.

Approximately 250 people signed up for the course, eager for more knowledge on this money-making niche. After all, buyers who purchase green homes spend an average of $12,400 more than the median home price in 2007, according to NAR’s 2007 Profile of Buyers Home Features Preferences.

A green focus gives you a marketing advantage because customers are hungry for all things grean, Watson said. Earth-friendly homes and features are popular because of potential long-term energy savings and benefits to the environment. Once you have specialized green knowledge, they’ll seek you out for their transaction.

The two-day course gave REALTORSŪ the knowledge of what to look for in green and energy efficient properties.

Watson also shared strategies for educating buyers about green features and financial incentives available to them. For example, you can develop green fact sheets for customers and make them available on your Web site.

Watson recommended creating a helpful handout on “Top 10 Most Common Green Mistakes” (such as being lured to a property just because it’s marketed as green, without knowing what really qualifies it as green. Watson called this mistake “greenwashing”).

Here are some other ideas on how to showcase a green niche.

• Boost your green Web presence. Have a domain name and e-mail address that include the word “green.” Start a blog devoted to green-home trends.
• Practice what you preach. Use soy-based ink on recycled paper for your business cards. Instead of printed handouts for clients, give them a flash drive that holds information and photos.
• Be a source, not “the” source. Beware of giving advice on green-building decisions; that may increase your liability. If they ask: “Should I add a green roof?,” point them to sources such as the Environmental Protection Agency Web site (www. epa.org).
• Give green closing gifts. Gift certificates to organic food stores, CFL light bulbs, LED night-lights, or gift baskets full of eco-friendly cleaning supplies.
• Inform about buyer rebates and incentives. Several financial incentives are available to home owners who adopt green features. Direct clients to Web sites such as www.dsireusa.org, a searchable database to find rebates by state.

To earn the GREEN designation, you must complete the core GREEN course and least one elective on either residential, commercial, or property management. The GREEN designation was created by NAR’s Green REsource Council and launched this September.

To learn more about NAR’s GREEN designation and a list of upcoming classes, visit www.greenresourcecouncil.org.

—Melissa Tracey