What do the home buyers want in Northern Virginia

I was recently invited to speak to the Northern Virginia Building Industry Association, NVBIA Green Building Committee to discuss what it means to be an EcoBroker.

The first thing that I wanted to share with the dozen folks in the room, which ranged from track builders,  custom home builders, renovation flippers, design builders and architects, and everything in between was that NO. Not everyone who comes to me to look for real estate assistance is looking for the green real estate knowledge. No. They are not. I consider it a “gift with purchase” that I can aid someone in understanding how the home will function as a system for the buyer, or market a home’s high-performance features for the seller to ultimately get them top dollar.

This was an interesting scenario for many of these builders to wrap their minds around. They thought this was my “niche”- you know… like all that I do, all day long. Yeah, I am an EcoBroker, but what that really means is that I can take the knowledge that I have about the high-performance home, and translate into how that will be a cost savings for the buyer client in the operation cost, or a cost benefit for the seller. I can also help to define the healthy living strategies that go into good passive design, and building a home tightly, but ventilating right.

I loved being able to educate these builders, and developers about the many facets of sustainable real estate in our Northern Virginia market. What I really love doing is helping my clients in a way that they understand that I’m building community with them, and helping to find them a home where they can live a healthier, high-performance life in a home that will endure when it is built properly.

On the sales side, I truly enjoy bringing a seller the highest possible price because they have put the time, effort and thoughtfulness into a home that has lower operating costs and creates a healthier living environment. Homes that are oriented for passive solar design, have good use of layout for form and function, are insulated and air sealed properly and have the correct systems for the size of the home will run in a much more efficient and streamlined manner. Comfort, health and high-performance are things that are important to today’s buyer.