Winter Park, Colorado - What shade of “Green” are we? - by Mike Periolat

Having just taken a Green Home continuing education course..it has me thinking. Two of the biggest purchases in our life are Homes & Cars. If we all started purchasing Homes with the same qualifications as we do Cars, we have a lot of education to catch up on. When buying a Car, we painstakingly consider: quality, safety features, reliability, maintenance costs, features/benefits, etc and of course, color. The internet is loaded with information resources and a consumer can quickly gather great information when purchasing a car. But when shopping for a home, which is much greater in cost, we dont always do our homework. The Green Revolution is going to change all this and for the better. New home builders and custom home Builders are leading the way, but resale of existing homes will also be pulled into the Green qualifications. Brokers beware -- Consumers are well on their way to making a more specific Green Checklist. Location, Location, Location will always be a part of home buying checklist, but now we will experience more & more consumers specifically shopping for Homes where the Home systems work together to provide an energy-efficient, eco-friendly and healthier environment for their Family. Home Buyers are going to start asking about: tight thermal envelopes, Smart solar design, Heating & cooling systems, indoor air quality, lighting/appliances/energy-star products and Performance Testing!!! Green Built homes are built better for people and the planet. Consumers will expect and pay for: energy efficiency, increased quality & comfortable homes, lower maintenance homes, healthier indoor air quality and reduce water usage. Over time, these qualities of the home will pay off in improved resale values! Real Estate Brokers and consumers need to become the experts in these Green qualifications, and we all need to understand the long term cost savings and increased quality of the Green Revolution. Get on board, get on line and start getting educated! ENERGY STAR, BuiltGreen Colorado and LEED-H Checklist will one day be as common terms in Homes as MPG is in the Car business.