E75: Green Housing: It's Not What You Think

Market Moves welcomes the "Queen of Green," Sandy Adomatis, for a deep dive into what green building really means and why it's so often misunderstood. Is sustainability in housing just about solar panels or is there much more beneath the surface? Sandy breaks down the key elements of green construction and energy efficiency, explains why buyers, sellers, agents, and even appraisers struggle to fully recognize and communicate green features, and explores how this knowledge gap impacts valuation and decision-making in today's market. Whether you're in the real estate industry or simply trying to understand the true value of a green home, this episode brings clarity to an important topic that's more complex than many realize. Want to dive deeper? 1. The Appraisal Institute has a Green Appraiser Registry that lists the appraisers that have completed 28 hours of green building valuation education. 2. The Appraisal Institute library of Green Classes is available online or in-person. 3. The RESNET Appraiser Registry offers appraisers access to HERS ratings at no charge. This portal gives the rating, energy usage estimated, savings amount, and verifies Energy Star ratings. 4. The Appraisal Institute Residential Green and Energy Efficient Addendum is a communication tool builders and others should use to identify the features in a home. These are great for model homes, should be attached to a contract, given to the lender, appraiser, and agent. It is most useful for appraisers to understand why a home should sell for more. 5. Interview with Sara Gutterman 6. https://www.pvvalue.com/ is an excellent tool for appraisers, real estate agents, homeowners, and lenders. It provides a value of the energy produced by solar PV. It is a good consulting tool to assist homeowners in right sizing the system to maximize the return on the investment. 7. https://us.greenbuildingregistry.com/ is a free database that lists a large number of homes and multiunit with green and energy features. It is helpful to assist appraisers in identifying market acceptance and green growth patterns.