Real estate market trends show that homebuyers are looking for energy efficient homes. Efficient homes experience lower utility costs allowing the borrower to stretch their income-to-debt ratio, making it easier to qualify for a larger mortgage. Energy efficient homes attract attention in a competitive market allowing real estate agents to ask for a premium, while marketing the higher resale value, affordability, and overall comfort of the home. The Green Building Registry® (GBR) enables real estate agents to directly access third-party verified home energy data through the GBR public portal. Optionally, they can work with their Multiple Listing Services (MLSs) to connect to the Green Building Registry™ application programming interface (API) to effortlessly pull data into a listing with the click of a button. Imported information is pulled from reliable and verified sources, undergoes quality assurance and validation procedures, is clearly documented, and formatted in accordance with the Real Estate Standards Organization (RESO) data dictionary before it is made available for MLS listings. The GBR eliminates the need for real estate agents to track down documentation of energy information and related documents. Home search results will include links to downloadable reports including home energy scorecards and certifications. The information captured in these reports is automatically updated with the most recent home energy audit and supporting data.
For a better understanding of how energy efficiency relates to real estate and appraising and how you might benefit, visit Real Estate and Appraiser Training.