Travis Close

While more homeowners begin to look for energy efficient, environmentally-friendly solutions for their homes, the real estate agents selling those homes are getting an education.

Some local agents already have been certified as EcoBrokers, a designation that helps them educate buyers and sellers looking to put green features in the homes.

Ryan King, a Realtor with Real Estate Partners, was one of the first agents in the Chattanooga area to become an EcoBroker. Today, they are three agents in Chattanooga registered with EcoBroker.com, and 28 in the state, according to officials with the Colorado-based company that issues the certification.

Through the classes he took, Mr. King learned about new developments in eco-friendly building such as tankless water heaters, solar panels and recycled carpet products.

“There is no doubt that this is the way it is all going to be heading as far as building practices go,” he said.

EcoBroker.com was formed in 2002 to serve as a green designation for real estate professionals. Through the series of classes in the certification process, agents learn about addressing environmental issues in existing homes such as asbestos, lead and mold. They also learn about energy-saving features and programs such as Energy Star, LEED and Built Green.

Public awareness of environmental issues has led to an increase in the number of agents seeking the certification, said John Stovall, vice president of business development for EcoBroker.com.

“It comes down to, would you like to save money on your energy bill and in that process also learn how you can make your living conditions cleaner and healthier,” Mr. Stovall said.

Travis Close, a Realtor with Prudential Realty Center, was also among the first agents locally to become certified through the EcoBroker program. He currently has homes listed for local builders with green construction.

“The biggest advantage in Chattanooga is really being able to explain the difference between lower quality window in construction or how some upgrades could help them save energy,” he said.

Mr. Close also has received the National Association of Realtors Green Designation, which he said is a relatively new offering for agents. The Green Designation is similar to the EcoBroker certification in that it is designed to address the educational needs of agents in several different markets, incuding residential, commercial and property management.

Locally only a few builders are building truly green homes, he said, though there are ones like Ethan Collier leading the industry in Chattanooga.

For agents in Chattanooga, the appeal of selling an eco-friendly home is more focused on the potential to save money on energy bills rather than the fact that a house was built with recycled materials and is pre-wired for solar panels, Mr. Close said. The interest in green building just has not developed that much here.

“We don’t run across that a lot in Chattanooga yet, hopefully soon we will,” he said.