Looking for any new home can be daunting, but we wonder what it’s like for people looking for green homes. We’re always coming across new buildings and a wealth of developments popping up that look amazing, but won’t be available for another 3-5 years! And, building a green dream home is just not in the cards for many of us. Where do you go if you want to go green RIGHT NOW?
We recently received word about Listed Green, billed as “The MLS for Green, Sustainable, Energy Efficient Propertiesâ€. Listed Green just celebrated its 100th listing - an impressive achievement. What we found most appealing about Listed Green was the amount of single family homes listed available, instead of the many green apartment buildings. If we ever go back to suburbia (hmmm) it’s nice to know there are choices out there for something other than your standard, wasteful developments.
There are also tons of great green information and resources on Listed Green’s site. Most important is Listed Green’s pledge to thoroughly review each property before it’s listed, ensure you’re getting a quality green home and not a ‘greenwashed’ one. Here in Panama, a yet-to-be-built luxury building was promoting itself as green. When we inquired about it, it turned out the only green aspect of the building were the gardens in the courtyard! You can even learn about becoming a Certified EcoBroker (if you’re already a licensed real estate broker), a special training program that goes hand-in-hand with selling green properties through Listed Green. We might be biased, but if the concepts of living green are going to progress at the rate they’re going now, having this special designation will be super beneficial.
Back to the homes…We found everything from eco-friendly condos in Chicago to super-modern lofts in Washington, DC; from two acres and a gorgeous “Bioshelter†in Alaska to this beautiful home in a green community in Southern Australia, complete with an organic orchard and dams raising native fish. Whatever your tastes are, we bet you can find something on Listed Green!