Green Property Page
The building sector is responsible for roughly half of greenhouse gas emmissions annually. My job is to help reduce that percentage by educating buyers and developers on how to build and buy "Green".
As one of the few EcoBrokers in New Jersey, (and the only one in Hoboken) I feel it's important to help educate developers, sellers and buyers about the statistics on and incentives for green properties.
Analysis indicates home value increases by about $20 for every $1 reduction in annual utility bills ("More Evidence of Rational Market Values for Home Energy Efficiency" from The Appraisal Journal).
94% of 300 American consumers surveyed by the Cahners Residential Group in 2001, cited their most sought-after green upgrade as energy savings, followed by water-saving appliances and recycled building materials. In addition, roughly nine in ten (91%) said energy-efficient features in a new home are extremely or very important.
In a 2002 nationwide study of more than 400 home buyers conducted by American LIVES, more than half the respondents said they were willing to pay more for formaldehyde-free insulation, environmentally friendly paints, solvent-free adhesives, and other materials that do not release chemicals into the air.
In 2003, with the help of energy-efficient technologies, Americans saved over $8 billion on their energy bills while preventing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the emissions from 18 million vehicles. These benefits have helped develop a national market for energyefficient products, with more than one billion Energy Star® products sold and billions of square feet of building space improved.
The most important environmental issues for consumers are: saving energy, using recycled content building products, improving indoor air quality, and saving old-growth trees.
Here are some sites which I've found extremely useful:
Salvaged Material
Sustainable and Recycled Building Materials
Articles:
How Green Is My Realtor? (Wall Street Journal Feb. 19th, 2008)
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