Luxury home buying decisions often come down to the amenities; having a fireplace, fitness center, beachfront, or pool may be the icing on the cake of your dream home. However, one amenity in particular in luxury homes is often overlooked. That is, the measure of its sustainability. 

In addition to the benefit of using fewer limited resources and producing less harmful emissions, green buildings' financial returns are trending upwards. Having a green property increases your asset value by 7-18%. This appreciation is largely because of the high demand and low inventory. The trend has started, but the implementation is still catching up. Additionally, they are on average only 2% more expensive to develop, and reduce 14-19% of operation costs. So needless to say it’s a win win for everyone.

Given this information you may be asking, “how can I tell if the properties I am looking at are green or not?” At Remmes & Co. we like to use the Energy Star Certification and LEED Certification as first measures. 

A frequent question our team gets is: should I use a national or independent local brokerage? There are many pros to using a national brokerage and they work for many people. We are focused however on the main perks of using an independent local brokerage. Most notably: their autonomy and knowledge of the local market.

Up first, autonomy in an independent local brokerage means that it has heightened responsiveness and adaptability. Without all encompassing guidelines, they can make additional adjustments to resolve each client’s needs and stay one step ahead. For example, they may have more liberties when tailoring a client’s multi channeled marketing strategy.