Sarah Bytyqui, founder and
managing broker of
Verbode, Green Certified
Realtor
Last year, the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Association of Realtors organized a Green Resource Council.
We modeled it after a national group in order to "green" up the real estate industry. The council recognized there was a disconnect between Realtors and builders and one place we could bridge this gap was through some changes with the Multiple Listing Service, or MLS.
Let's say I have a client who is looking for a property LEED- or HERS-certified, that is, certified by the Home Energy Rating Service. There is no way that I can go to the MLS and conduct a search for real estate with those kinds of features. This information had not been included in the database.
Until now.
Working with the Green Building Council of the Oklahoma State Home Builders Association, we have added identification fields in the MLS. This feature connects Realtors with homes containing green components for which our clients are asking about when buying property. This is a way to bridge that gap between the people who build homes and those who are buying and selling.
And, by adding 20 new fields to the search functionality of the MLS, appraisers will have the ability to compare properties with similar green characteristics. This is something they have not been able to do in the past as no comparable properties were listed.
Realtors can help promote green building and awareness within the industry.
We are reaching out to other Realtors across the state to attend the Oklahoma Green Building Summit Sept. 27-28 (www.okgreenbuildingsummit.com).
It is important to attend and learn about these new features in the MLS, green building in general and help promote the standards and options available to buyers. This is a great opportunity to encourage all of us to work together. Buyers, sellers and builders all stand to benefit.
Sarah Bytyqui, founder and managing broker of Verbode, Green Certified Realtor
