After the improvements were complete, it was a healthier home—that was the main focus. But it was also more energy efficient.
In Georgia, homeowner Terje G. was inspired to learn everything he could about improving the performance of his house. When he moved into his home in 2015, he found that the house was exhibiting signs of energy loss and inefficiency, such as condensation on the windows in the winter. So, as an enterprising individual, Terje began a course of self-study through online videos and other forums to get to know his house and make some improvements for a healthier environment and increased efficiency.
“I could have a second career in home performance,” Terje said.
After the improvements were complete, “It was a healthier home, that was the main focus,” Terje said. “But it was also more energy efficient.”
Shortly after he made the improvements, however, Terje and his family needed to relocate for work purposes. He put his high-performing house on the market, but it didn’t immediately sell.
Around this time, Terje heard a podcast from Bill Spohn, a building HVAC expert who reports on issues of building science, comfort, health, and efficiency. Terje had been a guest on the podcast in the past to discuss his own home health issues and performance improvements.
The particular episode that inspired Terje this time was about the benefits of Pearl Certification for contractors, homebuyers and sellers, and others. Terje was excited to learn that, at the time of a sale, having an independent home performance certification could help a home sell faster and for more money. On average, Pearl certified homes sell for 5 percent more.
Because his house wasn’t moving, Terje enlisted the help of his 14-year old computer-savvy son to identify a local Realtor®, Josh Hooper of Keller Williams Realty Atlanta Midtown, who had a good web presence. It was also important to Terje that the agent had familiarity with Pearl, so Terje shared this information with Josh. “He found it fascinating, he could see the benefit,” Terje said.
For Terje, one of the key benefits of working with Pearl was the home report card.
“The whole process of the Pearl home certification report is excellent and a good idea for the buyer and the buyer’s agent. Most people don’t understand home performance at all, they don’t understand the dynamics.”
The value was clear in a greater understanding of what made Terje’s home special. “For a lot of people that walked through the house, it was an eye opener, a nice visual representation of what people are looking at,” Terje said.
“If they don’t buy the house, they’ve been through the house and have seen the improvements,” Terje said. “Can you forget that when you see the next house? You’re going to look at the next house down the street, maybe it has a better granite countertop, but then you remember those cards showing the home performance of the house down the street. It will intrigue people, as it should.”
Many of the improvements that Terje made to his house were to improve the health and safety for his family. “When you go up in the attic and see an AC unit, most people see a box. But no, this is a special box. Once you stop for a second, you start understanding that this box will keep you healthy.”
Without the certification report, it might have been more difficult for potential buyers to make this connection and recognize the value of the improvements. “The Pearl certification had an ancillary benefit. It led to more effective communication between myself and the appraiser and this appraisal came back right where we needed,” said Josh Hooper, Realtor®, Keller Williams Realty Atlanta Midtown.
With Pearl, homeowners who seek certification of their home will work with Pearl to schedule a high-performing home asset inventory of their house with an independent certification contractor. “Here’s an organization that has no skin in the game per se, other than providing a quality product. It’s a great value-add,” Terje said.
Working with Pearl Certification helped Josh’s business, too. “The Pearl certification and documentation provided spurred several useful conversations for me as a realtor for future business,” Josh said.
While Terje has no immediate plans for a second career in home performance, he recommends Pearl certification for others, no matter their level of expertise. “I’m certain Pearl Certification will be valuable for others who want to sell their home now and far more in the future,” Terje said.
