Thursday, March 17, 2011

Colorado real estate listings go green

After living in Boulder county for so long, I'd become used to seeing sustainability improvements like solar panels and energy efficient systems going into homes in the area. I'd always assumed that improvements like these were easily reflected and searchable in property listings. As it turns out, they haven't been... until now!

Green construction professionals have sought to integrate these overlooked eco-friendly features for some time. Previously, a lack of clear resale value limited builders to merely suggesting that green improvements would bring return on investment for the home. Now, at least five of the eighteen MLS systems in Colorado are joining about 80 MLS systems nationwide in adding quantifiable environmental/ green data fields on the MLS and financing input sheet providing appraisers with critical comparable information.