by Michele Gillis
Staff Writer
The green movement is moving forward and Jeannette Moore of Green Florida Properties is leading the movement for Realtors.
“In real estate, the three most often heard words were ‘location, location and location,” said Moore. “If you are involved in real estate in some capacity, you are probably now hearing ‘green, green and green’.”
Moore was recently elected to a three-year term on the board of the Florida Green Building Coalition as a director in the Real Estate, Finance and Property Services category.
Last year, she became the first North Florida Realtor to earn the National Association of Realtors’ Green designation. She earned her EcoBroker certification later that year.
“I’ve been involved in the Green movement since the 1970’s,” said Moore. “I became a member of the Northeast Florida Chapter of the US Green Builder Council and learned more about that. I decided I wanted to become more involved in the FGBC. They seem to be a lot stronger in the state and they need help getting the word out as well.”
The Florida Green Building Coalition is an independent non-profit organization that was established in 2000 to promote green building through the development of voluntary green building standards. FGBC’s membership is comprised of individuals and businesses from all areas of the building industry including research, design, materials, products, construction, inspection, marketing, financing, sales and government.
Moore’s company used to be named JM Properties and she focused on listing and sales of bed and breakfasts. She changed the name to Green Florida Properties in June to show her eco-friendly qualifications in order to help B&B and homeowners make their homes more eco-friendly.
Moore said the two main Green certifications in Florida are the LEED certification and the Florida Green Building Coalition certification.
“LEED is very expensive, so what we are seeing is more people going toward the FGBC certification because it is more affordable,” she said. “In St. Augustine there is a builder who is building affordable housing and his houses are FGBC certified because it is affordable housing.”
Moore said it rewards the sellers that want to make their home stand out: a home with eco-friendly qualities has a better chance of selling.
Moore said that the perception that “greening” a property or anything is going to cost a lot of money and she said that is not true.
“It can be affordable,” she said. “It becomes unaffordable when you don’t really know where to go and what to do. So, I’m working with inns, based on their budget. There is a huge segment of travelers who are eco-minded people that are seeking hospitality properties that are green.”