Zero energy homes are the hottest trend in the building and real estate industry and it’s gaining momentum. The ability to effectively market and show zero energy homes will give you a competitive edge and leave your clients feeling confident that they are making an excellent choice.
Realty Sage is a national listing database, which highlights the unique features and benefits of eco homes tailored to the growing number of eco home buyers across the country. Not only is it free, it’s easy to add your listing! Using their technology, Realty Sage attempts to auto populate important eco information to help make the listing process simple and quick. Get started by simply creating or logging into your profile and adding your listing’s address.
When selling a zero energy home, it is important to recognize what inspires your client. Home buying is a big decision that can be personal and emotional at times. People see their homes as part of their value system and identity, so it is important to identify individual motivators when marketing zero energy homes. Begin by paying close attention to your customer and asking them open ended questions about their wants, needs and preferences in order to determine what is most important to them. Are they value and emotion driven or more technologically oriented? Is the environment their primary concern or is it a combination of all three?
Market research over many years has consistently shown that consumers value energy efficiency, but do not always act on their values. Anyone who has worked to sell an energy efficient home has noticed that there is sometimes a disconnect between what customers say they want and what they actually buy. To successfully promote zero energy homes requires that builders, designers and real estate agents recognize this disconnect and have effective strategies to support home buyers in keeping their actions aligned with their values. This gap and methods of bridging it are described in How to Sell Zero Energy Homes to Americans.
The green building features in a zero energy home are inherently scientific and technical. However, emphasizing details like U-Values, air change rates or how a heat pump works can be overwhelming to less technically savvy buyers and may be counter-productive. Numerous studies show that home buyers want energy efficient homes for comfort and health as much as for their environmental benefits. Value and emotion oriented buyers are usually more interested in how the home can benefit them and their family. Take the time to discuss how quiet, comfortable and healthy a zero energy home is to live in as well as how easy it is to maintain. Focus on the emotional benefits and value of the home, rather than talking high-tech. For example, you can ask them to imagine a home where advanced building technologies provide a blanket of comfort like none they have experienced before” or “imagine a home that is so well built that it’s peaceful and quiet inside even in noisy urban environments.” Then let them know that home is available right here and now.
In selling to value and emotion oriented buyers it is important to use a very simple language of value. Instead of tech-speak like: “The double walls with off-set studs allow for R-40 insulation in the walls, which are extremely air-tight and have no thermal bridging,” use emotional descriptions like: “This is the most comfortable home for you and your family. You can rely on this home to provide a blanket of comfort for your family throughout the year. No drafts and no more cold toes!”
The Department of Energy’s manual of value language can be used when describing the features and benefits of a zero energy home to your clients.
Some potential zero energy home buyers are technologically oriented, and many are “early adopters.” Now is your chance to share your zero energy technical knowledge to communicate the science involved in a zero energy home. Be prepared to know your terminology and explain how things work. You can provide them with detailed information such as:
Innovators may be attracted to different sales approaches, such as:
It is important that you mirror the same excitement that trendsetters often feel regarding technological innovations and emphasize that they will be buying the home of the future right now.
Some home buyers are very concerned about the environment, so it is important for builders and real estate agents to have a good understanding of how zero energy homes help reduce carbon emissions. You may need to communicate how their future home will be carbon neutral over the lifetime of the home. Many environmentally concerned buyers are equally concerned with the internal environment of the home. It is important to share with them that zero energy homes are built with non-toxic finishes, are very tightly air-sealed and have fresh filtered air systems, so that they will be exposed to a minimum of dust, molds, allergens and pollutants. In other words zero energy homes promote a healthy environment, inside and out.
You can also appeal to an environmentally concerned buyer by encouraging them to be a leader in protecting the environment for future generations.
When it comes down to it, many people are a combination of these three types of buyers. It is important to be able to switch easily from the emotional value benefits to the technical features to the environmental benefits. Use the “power of zero” to appeal to all three types of buyers, by reminding them that zero energy homes are powerful because they “live better, work better, last better and protect the environment better.”
Working together with appraisers and lenders is an important part of making the sale of a zero energy home. It is helpful to identify which lenders are most open to properly valuing energy efficient homes and to identify green certified appraisers in your area. Present a list of green certified appraisers to the lender and request that the lender use one of them for appraising your home. If there are no green certified appraisers in your area, fill out a Green Appraisal Addendum with the builder and bring it to the appraisal. You may also want to become familiar with other ways to finance a zero energy home. For more information on financing and appraisal strategies, visit our Lender and Appraiser page.
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