by Miranda G. McLeod
Staff Writer
As the nation watches the real estate market fluctuate, Realtors and builders are finding ways to continue to sell homes. Bruce Doueck of the JEA gave a brief overview of the Green Built program at November’s Sales and Marketing Council. He also gave Realtors talking points on promoting homes that are Green Built.
The program is a collaboration between JEA and the Northeast Florida Builders Association and aims to promote the use of energy and water efficient building practices in new single-family homes constructed in North Florida. It’s been in the works for two years and was officially launched this summer.
Green building results in lower insurance costs for builders/developers and homeowners, as well as a positive cash flow within the home and higher resale values, according to Doueck. Green building provides higher comfort because of temperature control, he said, and can help homeowners with their health because of the control of moisture and pollutants.
He said green building adds to the durability of a home with the longevity of building materials that could reduce fading and the method has a positive impact on the environment by reducing the impact from home energy and water.
Doueck also said green building can help homeowners attain a lower mortgage.
“JEA is going to the marketplace. It would behoove you to be informed when they ask. It’s an important product to sell,” said Doueck.
Living in a Green Built home could save homeowners an average of $40 or more a month on utilities. Minus the additional mortgage costs, that’s a net savings of more than $300 a year, according to Doueck.
“(Green Built) is a lower cost of ownership,” he said.
Doueck mentioned several builders already using the Green Built method including Beazer Homes who “leaped out” in the market. There are seven builders with Green Built communities and five that are engaged with wide construction.
Doueck gave a rhetorical question: Who is the consumer that will buy these homes?
He answered: It’s the home decorating and entertaining maven, the real estate mogul, the penny pincher, concerned parents and environmentally conscious homebuyer.
Doueck said a representative of JEA could come to Realtors’ offices for free agent training; there is camera ready art for use in advertising; and JEA has submitted the paperwork to Northeast Florida Association of Realtors for Continuing Education credits — there’s a class coming in 2007.
Also at the meeting:
• SMC Chairperson Pud English of Palencia finishes off her tenure as chair this year and said she wants to “go out in a blaze,” alluding to the organization’s Christmas celebration Dec. 8. She announced the group placed at the national competition of sales and marketing councils, but won’t find out if the group is No. 1 or not until February.
• At the breakfast, SMC members donated enough money to help 300 people at the Trinity Rescue Mission . The mission purchased 24 turkeys and 12 hams this week because the donations, according to Gene Pruett, executive director of the mission.The total for the turkeys and hams was just over $800, and $1,200 was collected.