So just what green features have the highest appeal among buyers? A double-pane or low-e window tops the following list of 17 features that fall within the category of “green.”

Green features that buyers were looking for in their home search in the past 12 months: Double-pane or low-e windows 39.1% Energy-efficient appliances 36.8% Insulation 25.7% Heating/cooling/climate control 25.5% Solar panels or solar powered heating or appliances 22.4% Non-specific energy efficient or desire to keep bills low 15.1% Tankless or other high-efficiency water heater 14.8% Water conservation (rain barrels, low flow toilets) 9.7% Low- or no-VOC paint 7.9% Energy efficient and/or sustainable roofing materials 5.9% Tech shield/radiant barriers 4.8% Bamboo flooring 4.3% Energy efficient lighting 3.9% Air quality / Allergies / Asthma 3.0% Fans 1.8% Landscaping, xeriscape 1.0% A home that is “off the grid” 0.5%

Are you looking to buy, sell, or refinance a green property? Contact us and we’d be glad to have one of our green property specialists talk to you about your options.

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EEMs are mortgages that allow a purchaser roll the costs of certain green renovations into their purchase loan, over and above the loan amount that is needed to actually purchase the property. The size of the allowable renovations is based on the amount of energy that the greenovations are expected to save over the long run; this webinar hosted by HUD & FHA explains how to obtain the “present value of the energy saved”, calculating the increased dollar amounts allowed for energy efficient packages. This training course is intended to provide Realtors, home counselors, & lenders with added value for their services in a highly competitive market.

Registration on HUD’s website is required.

(EEMs are one of the many green mortgage solutions that Ethical Homes and the myEnergyLoan team offer consumers; if you’re interested in learning more about those green mortgage options, feel free to ask.)

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On the more directly real-estate-related front, the “700 SIX” office building just opened in downtown DC as a LEED Platinum building, indicating that they are at the cutting edge of sustainable design and construction. DCmud has some more details on the new development in DC’s still-gentrifying Chinatown. (Another recent LEED Platinum building to open in DC is the headquarters of the USGBC; since USGBC is one of the driving forces behind LEED, though, that’s not nearly as good of an example of how the local market is embracing green construction in general and the LEED system in particular.

Much of the rest of the sustainability news recently has been focused on transit issues. Greater Greater Washington gives a good roundup of recent bicycle transit-related news from DC’s Department of Transportation (DDOT), including the addition of new bike lanes, and proposed legislation to require office buildings to allow people to bring bicycles in with them if they bike to work. Meanwhile, DCmud notes that as part of the deal to have DC subsidize the construction of the long-delayed Marriott Marquis adjacent to the DC Convention Center, DDOT is asking Marriott to install new SmartBike stations.

On the rail transit front, Arlington County announced that they are going to attempt to have the Columbia Pike corridor removed from Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) control in order to give them more freedom to move forward with light rail plans for that corridor. In less encouraging area light rail news, though, one analyst predicts a five year wait before DC finally opens light rail lines along the H Street corridor, despite the fact that DC has already purchased the cars for those lines.

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Southface is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, with a longstanding reputation for providing sound environmental education and outreach programs. Southface has been recognized for excellence by the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, American Institute of Architects, American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers, Georgia Environmental Council, Earth Share of Georgia and numerous other industry and community organizations. Southface began as a grassroots organization, and memberships and sponsorships continue to support their efforts. The very first myEnergyLoan was underwritten for a Southface Fellow for a condominium at Glenwood Park in Atlanta, GA., and the myEnergyLoan team is a strong supporter of Southface, whom we recognize to be longstanding leaders in the shift to a sustainable economy.

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EarthCraft House™, created in 1999, is a residential green building program of the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association in partnership with Southface. This program serves as a blueprint for energy- and resource -efficient homes. Ethical Homes and the myEnergyLoan team are proud supporters of Southface and EarthCraft House and many of the homes myEnergyLoan has financed were EarthCraft House certified. EarthCraft House is a the most widely accepted and utilized residential green builder program in the Southeastern United States; in the DC area, EarthCraft House Virginia provides certification of homes that have properly sealed their building envelopes and mechanical systems, resulting in buildings that are more energy efficient, less costly to occupy, and more durable overall. Ethical Homes is proud to consider various ECH certification levels as standard measures of efficiency for myEnergyLoan Efficiency Credits on our green mortgage offerings.

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The United States Green Building Council was formed in 1993 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit community of leaders working to make green buildings available to everyone within a generation. At Ethical Homes, we use USGBC’s LEED green building certification as one of the available measures used to determine the myEnergyLoan Efficiency Credit that we provide on green mortgages. The myEnergyLoan team has facilitated funding for multiple LEED certified buildings, and we applaud the USGBC for its premiere leadership position in the market.

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Arlington real estate agent Steve Hawkins gives some quick tips on his website about ways that homeowners can go green, even if they live in a condo, where some of the bigger projects like installing a geothermal system or a green roof might not be feasible.

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As advertised by NVAR:

The Time is NOW to Go GREEN! GREEN DESIGNATION This July, NVAR is offering you a great way to beat the heat. Take all 3 classes for a special price of $349! In 3 days, you’ll learn what makes a property “green”, how to educate clients, what are the financial incentives available to buyers, and how to market your edge as a GREEN specialist. CLICK HERE to register. Details: July 20 & 21, 2009 (9 a.m. – 5 p.m.) – Core Course July 24, 2009 (9 a.m. – 5 p.m.) – Elective Class Fairfax Center 8403 Arlington Blvd., Suite 100 Fairfax, VA 22031 $349 for NVAR Members for Core Course & Elective Class, this month only!

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SBNOW is offering a seminar for business to teach them about what consumers are thinking about energy efficiency and green products, and how to effectively implement advertising, marketing and public relations campaigns in that space. Real estate agents in particular seem to be trying to become greener, but often have trouble integrating a green message into their branding; agents interested in focusing on green clients may want to attend the seminar to learn how to better focus their marketing.

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SBNOW has created the Green Business Certification program, which not only provides an objective evaluation of your green business practices, but also pairs you with an Eco-Coach trainer to help you identify ways for your company to improve its sustainability. SBNOW will be hosting a Certifiably Green 101 seminar to explain the benefits of the Green Business Certification and review the process for obtaining that certification. The program is currently in its pilot phase and is not taking any new applicants, but will be opened for general admission in September 2009; participants in the Certifiably Green 101 seminar will get special discounts on the certification process at that point; real estate brokerages that are committed to green practices are encouraged to attend and pursue their Green Business Certification.

(Update: SBNOW is a non-profit, and non-profits being what they are, it turns out that the link to register for the event doesn’t have any details about the event beyond the registration form. Details can be found at the bottom of the main SBNOW news page.)

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