What’s the difference between a high-performing home and a regular home when it comes to selling? If you don’t market it correctly, nothing. Buyers don’t know what they don’t know. That’s why it’s important for real estate agents like you to know how to properly market the energy-efficient features of a green home. Otherwise, it will be as if those features don’t even exist.
That's where Pearl Certification comes in. We make high-performing home value visible—helping agents better identify, market, and sell energy-efficient homes.
So what’s the correct way to market these features to their fullest potential? At Pearl, we call it The Big Three, and we’ve perfected a system around the three major things an agent can do to effectively market a high-performing home.
Step 1: Identify the home is high-performing
I know, it sounds silly. My experience with many of my realtor clients is they get so fixated on the things we can see — the countertops, the flooring, etc. — that they forget to ask about what runs the house. Things like the quality of the HVAC system, insulation, or even solar panels. Once you know what you're dealing with you’ll be able to create a compelling listing that will excite buyers and bring more money to the seller.
Step 2: Correctly document the features
Energy-efficient features are a powerful way to differentiate a listing and create a complete picture of the home. There are many places in a listing to highlight energy-efficient features: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin — even the MLS has green fields about energy-efficient features! And yet, very few agents leverage these avenues. Why is that?
When you neglect to include energy-efficient features in your listing, you're asking buyers to make one of the most important decisions they can make with missing information. It’s like buying a car without knowing what safety features come with the car. Would you put your loved ones at risk just because you love the color of the car?
Step 3: Market the benefits
When you market the real-life impacts that a high-performing home provides, you tell a story that buyers will respond to. Create a lifestyle message around the benefit each energy-efficient feature has in the home. For example, instead of just saying, “This home has a new furnace,” speak to the cleaner air, less noise, and lower bills the unit will provide their family. Leverage your marketing space with engaging commentary on what a "day in the life" of a homeowner would be like in that home, and tap into the emotions that buyers experience and care about when looking for a home — such as safety, comfort, and peace of mind.
By following these three steps to marketing the green features of a home, you'll create an unforgettable listing, a better experience for the seller, and a perfect picture of a home filled with all the comforts and benefits that buyers want — and will pay more for.
Not an expert? Let Pearl be the easy button that gives you the deep dive of differentiating your marketing, and ultimately, yourself.
