Real Estate Information and Market Trends| Real Estate Victoria BC

The “Green Movement” is changing the way we all do business and it will also eventually effect how Victoria Real Estate is purchased and sold.  A recent article published in the Times Colonist written by Kathryn Young, CanWest News Service reads;

Every Canadian home should have a mandatory energy evaluation before it can be put on the market, says a Toronto real estate broker who is setting up a national green real estate association.

“Within five years, we hope to have mandatory energy audits right across Canada on every resale home,” said Elden Freeman, executive director of the non-profit National Association of Green Agents and Brokers, which has 15,000 members.

Freeman plans to join forces this fall with James Rodgers, executive director of B.C.’s Greener Realty Association, to help teach real estate agents — about 88,000 in Canada — how to promote green homes and encourage homeowners to make energy-efficient upgrades. In Canada, 40 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions are attributed to the construction and operation of homes.

“REALTORS® have a huge opportunity to be very effective communicators,” said Rodgers. “They’re the ones sitting down at kitchen tables chatting about houses.”

He and Freeman believe mandatory energy evaluations — which assess insulation, appliances, furnaces, air conditioners and exhaust fans, and measure how airtight a home is — are the way of the future. Britain plans to introduce them Aug. 1 for houses with four or more bedrooms.

Freeman has begun talks with Ontario officials in the energy and environment departments about energy evaluations as a way to reduce power consumption.

“Weak houses would be forced to improve or sell for less money,” he said.

Rodgers began his green realty company in B.C.’s Kootenay region 18 months ago. He offers buyers $500 towards an energy audit or site assessment for solar, wind or micro-hydro system. He also uses such tools as a solar pathfinder to tell clients how much sunlight they’ll have for their solar panels or gardens, a handy tool in a mountainous region.

“The response to green real estate has been incredible,” said Rodgers, who can provide potential home-buyers with references to green real estate agents in B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec. “There’s market demand right across the country.”

Hundreds of REALTORS® have taken the first course Freeman set up on energy efficiency, which can earn Ontario REALTORS® credits towards their re-licensing, which is required every two years.

Real estate agents and brokers are good at “staging” a home to boost its curb appeal, but rarely mention energy-efficient windows, insulation, low-flow shower-heads or high-efficiency furnaces, Freeman said, who has a master’s degree in environmental studies. End of article.

We at Properties In Victoria Professionals will look in to this furthers. In the meantime we would love to hear your comments. You can contact us anytime should you have any questions about Victoria Real Estate.

 Cheers, Anders

Anders Treiberg, REALTOR®

Properties In Victoria Professionals- Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty

Anders Treiberg has been a REALTOR® in Victoria, BC. since 1990. He has extensive Real Estate Expertise and can be reached on his website www.PropertiesInVictoria.com