By Melanie Robitaille, Sr. Staff Writer & Graphic Designer
What if, as a real estate professional, you could be part of the solution to two of the biggest issues facing the housing sector? As the push for an all-electric grid and more efficient homes keeps moving forward, and the need for increased affordable housing seems more evident than ever across North America, agents like Associate Broker, Wayne Beals of EXIT Strategy Realty in Chicago, IL have become part of a silver lining, only in his case, it’s green.
Wayne was a general contractor and remodeler early in his real estate career and would come across properties built by Greenline Homes, a development company established in his area in 1999. He was impressed by the quality, so he reached out and maintains a close appreciation for and relationship with the owner, Benjamin Van Horne saying, “If you can’t beat ‘em, become their REALTOR®. I’m a serious fan of what they’re doing.”
By acquiring land and building “on spec,” as Wayne calls it, Greenline is partnering with the Cook County Land Bank, the city, and through a network of landowners to try and unlock opportunities to build new and semi-custom homes. And these aren’t just any homes. They’re sustainable, affordable, and many are geared to the multi-family needs of the population.
Hailed as one of Chicago Magazine’s 2020 Best Places to Live , many of Greenline’s latest designs are created with an “on grade” accessible unit on the ground floor and a single family living unit upstairs. Their homes carry the U.S. Green Building Council’s highest rating and cater to other green features Wayne sees as gaining popularity both from a builder’s and buyer’s perspective. Features like induction cooking surfaces that greatly reduce indoor air pollution from gas stoves, to heat pumps that replace furnaces or work as part of water heater and condensing dryer systems.
“The future is green. Climate change will impact every house on the planet, and we need to start making our homes more efficient and resilient to keep our markets economically viable. Eighty percent of the homes we’ll have by 2050 are already here. This means we need to get to work on making these homes, and all new homes, better. REALTORS® are in a perfect position to lead this way forward as part of their business plan,” he shared about why now is the time to be buying or investing in green homes and knowledge. “They make your family safer from polar vortexes and heat waves, as well as save you money on utilities. They’re quieter and more comfortable because they’re better insulated. There’s no possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning. I could go on.”
To best service this market and these clients, Wayne recommends that all real estate professionals obtain their Green designation from the National Association of REALTORS® saying, “You really should educate yourself in building science if you want to be a great agent. We all need to better understand our homes and how they function as shelter from climate, how they impact our environment, how they’re fueled, and their resiliency. These factors all impact the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of a home as well, which makes it our business as market economists.”
Read more on how Wayne incorporates green technologies into his own property, in the latest Integrity Issue of The EXIT Achiever.
