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Real estate professionals are finding it’s important to become more familiar with the “green” in their housing market as more clients show greater interest and more sustainable properties hold perceptions of being more valuable. Half of more than 2,500 REALTORS® recently surveyed say they’ve recently helped a client buy or sell a home with green features, a significant jump from 32% the previous year, according to the National Association of REALTORS® newly released “2022 REALTORS® and Sustainability Report.”
“Sustainability continues to play a growing role in consumers’ purchasing decisions, and this is becoming even more prevalent in the real estate market,” says NAR President Leslie Rouda Smith. “With the residential property market, in particular, home buyers have expressed increased interest in eco-friendly factors like solar panels and energy efficiency.”
Sixty-three percent of REALTORS® surveyed said that they’ve found promoting energy efficiency in listings was very or somewhat valuable. Fifty-one percent said their clients were very or somewhat interested in sustainability.
These features are increasingly getting promoted in the MLS. About one-third of REALTORS® say that their MLS has green data fields. The MLS fields were used to call out green features, energy information, and green certifications.
“More sustainable homes bring benefits to homeowners like cost savings from energy efficiency, health benefits from improved indoor air quality, and increased comfort and durability from material use and construction, and may also increase resale value,” Lautz says.
Read more: 2022 REALTORS® and Sustainability Report