Shamrock Realty Group

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Thirty-two percent of Realtors said they had been directly involved with buying or selling a property that had green or ecofriendly features in the past 12 months, according to a new report from the National Association of Realtors.

NAR’s 2021 “Realtors and Sustainability Report”surveyed Realtors about sustainability issues facing the real estate industry. The association released the report in recognition of this year’s upcoming Earth Day celebration.

Sixty-five percent of respondents said promoting energy efficiency in listings was valuable, with 36 percent reporting that their multiple listing service had green data fields. Among Realtors who did have MLS green data fields, 36 percent used them to promote green features, 25 percent highlighted energy information and 13 percent listed green certifications. More than half of those surveyed – 55 percent – said their clients were interested in sustainability.

“A growing number of consumers are seeking homes with features that are good for the environment and, by extension, good for their wallets by reducing utility expenses in the long run,” said Jessica Lautz, NAR vice president of demographics and behavioral insights. “The pandemic has led to an increased focus on wellness and sustainability is an important variable in that overall equation for some people.”

A strong majority of Realtors – 82 percent – said properties with solar panels were available in their market and 40 percent said solar panels increased the perceived property value.

Twenty-two percent of respondents said that a high-performance home – defined as a systematic building science approach to home improvements that enhance indoor comfort, health, operational efficiency and durability – increased the dollar value offered compared to other similar homes.

The home features that Realtors believed were most important to clients included the windows, doors, and siding (39 percent); proximity to frequently visited places (38 percent); a comfortable living space (37 percent); a home’s utility bills and operating costs (23 percent); and commuting costs (15 percent).

A quarter of respondents – 25 percent – had clients who frequently or sometimes requested to see properties close to public transportation. Fourteen percent of those surveyed said that a neighborhood’s walkability was very important to their clients while 8 percent said the same about access to bike lanes and paths.

Home staging big part of process

Continued from page 6 10 percent of buyers believed homes should look the way they appear on TV shows. Sixty-three percent said buyers requested their home look like homes staged on television. Sixty-eight percent of Realtors reported that buyers were disappointed by how homes appeared compared to those seen on TV shows.

In some cases, agents found that TV shows could influence a buyer’s perspective about a home. Seventy-one percent of respondents said that TV shows that depict the buying process impacted their business by setting unrealistic or increased expectations.

Sixty-one percent said that TV programs set higher expectations of how homes should look, while 27 percent said that TV shows result in more educated home buyers and sellers.

“The magic of television can make a home transformation look like it happened in a quick 60-minute timeframe, which is an unrealistic standard,” said NAR President Charlie Oppler, a Realtor from Franklin Lakes, N.J., and broker/owner of Prominent Properties Sotheby’s International Realty. “I would advise buyers and sellers alike that before house hunting or before listing, they connect with a trusted Realtor to get a reasonable sense of what’s out there and an idea of what to expect.”

Eight-one percent of those surveyed said buyers had ideas about where they wanted to live and what they wanted in an ideal home (76 percent) before they began the buying process.

Forty-five percent of surveyed Realtors said they have seen no change in the share of buyers who planned to flip a home in the last five years, while 42 percent said they had.

Also, 59 percent said they have seen an increase in the buyers who planned to remodel a home in the last five years, while 34 percent said they have seen no change. Agents surveyed said that typically 25 percent of buyers who plan to remodel will do so within the first three months of owning their home.

OCEAN PINES

11049 Racetrack Road Ocean Pines, MD 21811 Office: 410-641-5000

www.shamrockrealty.com

Demand is High – Now is the Time to Sell or Rent Your Property Let Us Get TOP DOLLAR for Your Home Sale or Rental

201 E MARKET STREET • SNOW HILL • $949,900

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