San Antonio Board of Realtors (SABOR) goes Green!
I was surprised as I was reading notes from the MLS that they had added green certifications and green features as searchable categories to the MLS. I cannot tell you how happy that makes me and how much it will help in providing clients with the home they desire. I often have to look over homes individually to ascertain if they have any true green features, which makes having an auto-email function useless. This new feature is a step in the right direction!
I say a step in the right direction because now we need to make sure agents use it properly. I say this due to the options available for you to choose from! How many agents know what a HERS rating is? Better yet, which is the better score, a home with a HERS rating of 25 or a home with a rating of 100+? Yes, as often with progress comes the need to learn! HERS stands for Home Energy Rating System. As for the answer to the other question you can look it up just type it into your favorite search engine. One other ratings that is available for searching is the LEED standards. LEED is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is a third party verification system of design, construction and operation of high performance buildings and homes. It has several levels of certifications. Build San Antonio Green is also a searchable variable. One caution here Build San Antonio Green is also instituting a 3 level program and the current database in the MLS supports one level.
Homes that just have green features are searchable too as an option for this has been added to the search database. This will aide in listing homes that have had green remodels done but do not meet the criteria for certification.
The MLS has done its part now it is time for us (Realtors) to do ours! Lets get those green certifications and features listed properly!