FMLS Listings Go Green

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by Ted Cater

With so many builders and developers designing and constructing green homes, Realtors and their listings often miss out if a home completed a green building program. The next 'green' hurdle for energy-efficient homes is to distinguish them on real estate listings. To solve this lapse, First Mulitple Listing Service (FMLS) decided to incorporate two new fields into their listing database: a home's green building program and its Home Energy Rating or HERS index. 

Although programs like LEED for Homes, ENERGY STAR and EarthCraft House provide certificates and stickers for homes, builders should not solely rely on these items to sell their homes.  According to Carson Matthews, an Ecobroker and agent with Keller Williams Realty, "I've shown several homes where I know the builder certified to EarthCraft standards and would be surprised to know it's not listed as an EarthCraft House; the realtors and potential home owners don't know when they walk in." To ensure that Realtors and home owners know these key features, Carson encourages builders to list a home's certified building program on FMLS and to educate their real estate agents on a HERS index or the EnergySmart Home Scale.

A HERS index estimates the energy efficiency a home. Like with golf, the lower the score, the more energy-efficient the home is and the more money a home owner should save on energy bills. The EnergySmart Home Scale is an easy way to display and compare potential homes. The scale begins at 0 (a Net Zero energy home) and reaches to 150 (a typical older home). As a reference, a current code-built home achieves a 100; an average EarthCraft House receives a 72. 

Other cities such as Seattle have already started tracking their green home sales versus standard code-built homes. Seattle currently has twice as many green homes listed as Atlanta. Seattle's research shows that green home sales get a 6 percent premium price over code built homes and are on the market about one-third less time than code built.

Carson conducted similar research on the FMLS listings in metro Atlanta, and the statistics closely mimic Seattle.  "FMLS started listing the category August 2008, so the total number of homes listed is still small. But based on the sales so far, green homes sell about 5 percent higher price than a standard home, and the number of days on the market for a green home is about half the time of a standard code-built home."

"I tell builders to build green, because the market for green is getting better. But it's not enough to build it green, you need to find a way to market it green, too."

EarthCraft House Sponsors

Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association
1484 Brockett Road
Tucker, GA 30084
770-938-9900 atlantahomebuilders.com