Recently in the news near here on the west coast of Canada there was a story about a real estate agent who received a fine of more than $60,000. The reason being she didn’t disclose to buyers that a property listed through her was subject to current development constraints and limitations because of it being an archaeological site. The buyer who bought the property had to figure this out on their own, and needless to say they were quite dismayed and upset as they weren’t able to build the home they wanted there. Not without considerable additional expense. So how would this connect to the idea of sustainable real estate leads in Canada?
It’s very important that realtors are entirely ethical in their operations, and it’s worth nothing that the person in question here who received the fine was an older and well-established agent who wouldn’t come across any other way in nearly any professional situation. But it goes to show that even the most seemingly standup agent may not be operating entirely legitimately as they serve customers who are looking to either buy or sell a property. There’s a real need for everyone in this industry to join Canada’s sustainable real estate movement.
When it comes to sustainable practices in real estate development, however, the focus tends to be more on what is involved with the building of homes and commercial properties. This isn’t something that falls under the umbrella of the services a realtor provides, but it’s very helpful if realtors can increase their knowledge on the subject matter so that they’re more knowledgeable with what they share with clients. Homebuyer clients especially, as these days many of them will prefer to be buying homes that are in line with sustainable home building ideals.
Realtors can take this angle when promoting themselves to people who have shown themselves to be ready to buy a home, and so this is what we mean when we talk about sustainable real estate leads Canada. It’s not to do with the relationship with prospective clients, and more to do with being able to being a source of solid knowledge and insight if they are insistent on buying a home but doing so with the greater environmental good in mind. You’re encouraged to get paid real estate leads, but what we’ll look at with this blog entry – the importance of sustainable practices in real estate development.
Pro Environmental Housing
Sustainable real estate will feature commercial and residential real estate property that has been designed, built and operated in a way where environmental impact has been minimized. This trend towards sustainability in the real estate industry and sustainable real estate leads Canada has been pushed by a number of factors. The biggest among them is the need to increase global awareness around the urgency for protect the environment. Working in conjunction with stricter government regulations and the desire to save money on operating costs are also contributing.
Properties are made more sustainable by using green building materials, and also by following a regular and smarter maintenance schedule. Then there is the way many of these newer homes feature upgrading to energy-efficient lighting and appliances, and the developers have added onsite renewable energy systems. Examples of this can solar photovoltaic, wind, micro hydropower, and hybrid systems. The way that homes are retrofitted is also changing, and this is an area where a realtor may be able to advise a homeowner who is willing to make investments in their home to upgrade it in these ways before selling it. In this way the may also be choosing to join Canada’s sustainable real estate movement.
A term that is often used here is ‘greenhabbing’, which is to mean refitting an older building to be more eco-friendly. This is something that is being done as property owners see both the eco-friendly contributions in it, but also that it can increase the resale value of these properties. Keep in mind as well that low-carbon building is proven to have lower operating costs, improved resale value and higher occupancy rates. As such it really does make sense for forward-thinking developers, real estate agents, buyers and tenants to look into these options.
Sustainable Real Estate Benefits
There are plenty of reasons why the sustainable real estate movement is picking steam and gaining momentum, and a big part of it is that it’s becoming increasingly more affordable to make some of the original-design choices and / or home retrofits we talked about earlier. Sustainable real estate development takes into consideration the entire life cycle of a project, from planning and construction to operation and maintenance. Realtors will do well to familiarize themselves with this part of the project process, and especially if they work with presale homebuyer clients regularly.
For homebuyer clients of all types they can also make a point to stress that these homes will have lower operational costs. Sustainable buildings are designed to conserve and use resources more efficiently, thus lowering the costs that come from heating, cooling and operating the building. This is also very much of what can go into getting potential clients to take an interest in you by different means, and contributing to the success you have with Sustainable real estate leads in Canada.
Agents will also be highlighting the improved resale values seen with homes that are designed this way. Buildings that meet current sustainability performance standards and include up-to-date infrastructure and equipment gain nearly always end up with a higher resale value. And again, many of these homebuyers will also be pleased to know their new home is going to have a lower carbon footprint. They’ll be more eager to be investing in a sustainable building ensures the least amount of carbon emissions are released and that the project avoids negative impacts to the environment and communities once complete.
If you’re in early communications with these types of potential clients you may also want to expand the circle even further and mention how this is also part of contributing to healthier communities. Sustainable buildings create healthier communities due to less intrusive and pollutive building methods, lower use of toxic materials (particularly with interior paints), less resource-intensive maintenance requirements and the creation of spaces that promote wellness for both humans and the surrounding environment.
Better community resilience is also part of the equation. These more sustainable buildings also support community resilience to withstand the impacts of climate change. Sustainable buildings feed back into the local community by promoting better conservation of resources, contributing to enhanced biodiversity and putting less of a strain on aging utility infrastructure. With regards to the last one there, you may even be able to convince clients that by buying a home of this type you may end up seeing reduced property taxes in the future!
Future Look
The green building movement has been underway for a long time, but it’s only in more recent years that new homes are seen to be radically different from their predecessors in these ways. If you are a real estate agent in Canada you will do well for yourself to be very familiar with this trend and all the different ways that new technologies are being incorporated into home design. There is much to suggest sustainability is going to become a key component in real estate estate and permanently into the future.
It’s also fair to stay that the greatest focus is on energy efficiency, and that makes sense given the focus on the environment and making it so that homes have less of a footprint. Familiarize yourself with energy-efficient appliances, automation technology and intentional design, and be very proactive in passing this information onto clients any time the opportunity presents itself. it is now possible to build homes and office buildings that use less energy and use it effectively.
Another major trend is the use of ethically-sourced, green building materials. Green building projects are using more low-carbon materials such as reclaimed lumber and steel, as well as plant-based materials like hemp and bamboo that are relatively low-maintenance and less water-intensive to grow.
The last thing we’ll mention around sustainable real estate leads in Canada is to suggest you also take not of how buyer preference in increasingly being shaped by industry compliance on the part of new home builders. The numbers of especially forward-thinking developers and eco-conscious homeowners preferring to work with them are growing all the time and all across Canada. This is bigger-picture framed by the way more sustainable practices and minimizing environmental impact is slowly becoming mandatory for all industries, not just new home building.
Sign up for real estate leads here and you’ll begin receiving a set quota of qualified buyer and / or seller leads each month, and these are ones that only you will be getting. No other realtor will receive them, and that includes other realtors in your city or town that are also signed up to get paid real estate leads in Canada from us. This creates a very valuable opportunity for you to be the first realtor to make contact with these homeowners or soon-to-be home buyers. And we encourage you to join Canada’s sustainable real estate movement! Get in touch with us if you have any questions about our lead generation service for realtors.







