Agents say green home features help to sell

Real estate agents are becoming increasingly aware of the advantage of energy efficient features within a home, with 69% saying that promoting these aspects was “very” or “somewhat” valuable, according to the National Association of Realtor’s newly released Realtors & Sustainability report.

The NAR survey of around 6,000 real estate professionals demonstrates that agents should be prepared and ready to talk about the topic. Some 34% of agents said they’d been directly involved with buying or selling a home with green features in the last year. But 36% of agents said they’re not always comfortable answering questions about a home’s energy performance.

More than half of all agents and brokers say they’re interested in sustainability, however. Many admitted that they’re often questioned about energy upgrades and solar panel installations.

The problem is that many of these are still not educated enough. Half of the agents surveyed admitted that they’re not sure if such features increase or decrease a property’s time on the market. Another 38% said they’re unable to connect clients with a lender that could assist them with financing such improvements.

The below infographic provides more detail on the NAR’s sustainability findings: