Given that Seattle has an unemployment rate under 6% it is hard to say just when supply and demand will come into balance. This is still one heck of a desirable town to live in and it seems like the majority of our homebuyers are coming from out of town for job related reasons. As the local unemployment rate continues its decline toward full employment, home values will continue to rise fueled by more demand than supply. Given this influx of homebuyers into the area we could be realizing an appreciation trend line that will outpace the rest of the country for months to come.

In celebration of Bike to Work Month/Week/Day here in Seattle – I thought I would challenge Agents (especially our greenie followers) to challenge their notions of why it is impossible to be a bike commuter in this line of work (i.e. real estate).

I recently read an article in Wired Magazine about some tech-guy out of Portland. I have no idea what the article was about – but I do remember one of the interview questions. The reporter asked if Portland was indeed like the show Portlandia. Hilarious show, right?

And his answer was: “It’s pretty close to the real thing.” He goes on to state that his most “Portlandia Moment” was reading a bike blog that was discussing a new tow-able hot tub. Commenters were excited about the possibilities and even went so far as to discuss mobile midwives being a primary user of the tow-able hot tub! (WTF?)

While the blog comments also dive into other harebrained uses for the tow-able hot tub, I am left scratching my head. If Portland has Bike to Work Midwives, why can’t Seattle have Bike to Work Real Estate Agents?  Why is this idea so far-fetched?

In comparison – it seems like a pretty doable business model and maybe even a clever way of making a sale.

Imagine it: You’ve got a client couple (maybe even relocating from Portland) who work at Googlezon and want to see a few homes in Ballard. You meet them at the home on your bike, help them unload theirs from their Suburu Outback, look at the home and muse about the neighborhood. Then you take them to the next home while stopping to sip some water in a nearby park, muse about how awesome it is to be so close to the park. Onward to the next home! Talk about the bike lanes, then finish off near Burke Gilman for a beer at Populuxe Brewery and grab a bite from their food truck Fridays! Wow, Ballard is awesome via Bike! Let’s buy that super energy efficient home and save money on Energy and Gas! We <3 Seattle! All without having to circle Ballard at 5pm to find parking (that in itself is a huge time-saver)!

Here is a sample map using several available Green Canopy Homes!  Lucy, Dinah & Maritime Lofts.

I asked our resident cyclist, Canuche (who bikes or runs to work EVERY DAY, like a total goon) what are some tips for Agents who may want to try out some different wheels for Bike To Work Day this Friday.

Here are his tips for making this doable:

Plan in Advance: Plot out your course and see if your client would be up for it!

Don’t go overboard. Maybe you want to show two houses in the neighborhood/maybe just one? Maybe you show them a place and you bike to a coffee shop to talk about it.

Bring Water: In a reusable bottle, of course.

Don’t overthink it: You don’t need a lot of gear to have a relaxing time and you don’t need to look like you just finished the Tour-de-France when biking 1 mile between homes.

Don’t invite the clients: Maybe this is just something you do for yourself – to stay fit, be healthy and enjoy the competition and the FUN of Bike to Work Month.

While Portland is CLEARLY number 1 on the country’s most bikable cities, Seattle is still in the top 10 (according to Walkscore). Bike to Work on Friday or Any DAY in May! You can find more tips for Biking here, at Cascade Bicycle Club. They are The producer’s of the Bike to Work Challenge here in Seattle and can help anyone get started!

If our construction guys can do it…. So can our agents, right? (Yes, some of Construction Project Managers have been biking this month!)

To do it well, real estate agents have to be graphic designers, web designers, bloggers, social media gurus, public speakers, PR aficionados, salesmen(women), community activists, construction experts, design experts, neighborhood experts… the list c

ertainly goes on.

What I also know – is that Agents have a world of tech at their fingertips to make their jobs “easier” (harder) and “less complicated” (super complicated). There are a million different ways to connect with clients and my feeling (totally un-researched) tells me that most of this is happening online.

In an effort to understand this phenomenon and to try and keep up with our Agent associates I have been trying to do more research. One of our Certified Energy Agents recently kicked this my way, and I have to say – I LOVE IT! These guys are apparently pretty hot in the real estate biz and they host an outrageous Google Hangout (yes people use Google Hangouts! WTF) about Real Estate Marketing. Their live video chats and interviews have been translated into iTune’s #1 Business Podcast – and for good reasons.

Chris Smith is entertaining and whip-smart i.e. not boring at all. So, take a minute or 45 and Watch/Listen/Learn about what you could be doing to boost your marketing efforts from these pros at the WaterCooler. Their live show airs every Wednesday evening at 9:15 EST and if you can figure out your Google+ Account, you can join them or watch them here.

You can also catch all of the past episodes on their Youtube Channel.

Some of the responses have been positive, most have not.

The not good…

“I don’t believe a ‘few weeks’ as you indicate below should be the litmus test for sales and most importantly should not be verbalized to the community…”

“I think to say that ‘net zero doesn’t sell’ when we have very few examples of true net zero energy residences in the greater area is irresponsible…”

“I don’t think you should make universal statements based on a sample size of two…”

“I think you can say…” this or that thing

“I don’t think you should…” make this or that statement

And so on.

The good…

“Keep speaking your truth”

“Thanks for sharing even when the news isn’t the best for you guys or maybe what we want to hear, good for you.”

Comparisons and references have been made to the Bullitt Center, zHome in Issaquah, and Bainbridge Island NetZero project. Assertions made about premiums for green homes and buildings. I sincerely respect and appreciate the responses our newsletter has generated. For this reason I am responding with an explanation of our intentions.

Green Canopy’s mission is…

to inspire resource efficiency in residential markets. By “residential markets” we mean homebuyers, sellers AND all players in the real estate market: Real Estate Agents, Lenders and Investors, and builders.  We strive extremely hard to accomplish our mission by paying close attention to what is required by the market to be inspired. When we titled our newsletter, Netzero Doesn’t Sell, we were only referring to the project that was referenced in the newsletter, and that project only. We did not offer comparisons to any other project. We made a declarative statement referring to our project as a note of caution and optimism for other builders… green efficiency does sell, but promoting this project as NetZero hurt its salability. As stated in the newsletter, “netzero in Seattle doesn’t sell quickly.” As a builder in a red hot real estate market we cannot afford to have projects linger. The longer a home sits verses comparably priced product negatively impacts the overall market perception of the home, driving the price down beyond our control.

My observations:

The hyper or deep green efficient homebuyer in today’s market is still an outlier. Very few certified LEED for Homes have been offered for sale in this market and fewer still netzero homes. This suggests that there is little demand for super deep green homes on behalf of homebuyers, otherwise this simply would not be the case. This does not suggest that the deep green buyer doesn’t exist. They absolutely do exist, and they are minority players in the larger market.

My conclusions:

Green Canopy will continue to target the larger market, not the outliers, by offering green efficient homes that inspire along our brand pillars: value, innovation, beauty, efficiency.  In targeting the larger market we hope to help transform the market. Demonstration projects such as zHome and the Bullitt Center are incredibly helpful in demonstrating to the market what is possible. I am thankful for these projects. They create awareness and incrementally increase demand. However, the typical builder cannot afford to build demonstration projects due to the combination of the additional cost and risk… getting out in front of the market, selling product to outliers, is not a recipe for success for a market-based, for-profit company regardless of the sector.

The challenge for Green Canopy is to build and remodel homes that: (1.) buyers want to buy (2.) allow us to have a sustainable profit margin and (3.) inspire resource efficiency… all at the same time. Remove any one, or all of these criteria and building the project gets easier and is typically the role of either government, well-intentioned non-profits, or non-mission driven companies. If Green Canopy can consistently deliver on all three of these criteria we will enjoy a sustained competitive advantage for years to come and perhaps one day claim success in our hope to transform the market to consider green efficiency when homes are bought and sold.

Sincerely,

Aaron Fairchild, CEO

In working with so many real estate agents to try and sell our product – we saw the need for a more formal education on Green and Energy Efficiency. Agents know that it can add value to a home – but how do you explain it to clients? How do you understand the building science and the gadgets behind the innovation? What if it’s not beautiful?

For this Education Series, Canopy Homes has brought together the best and brightest authorities in advanced residential building practices to share their insights and knowledge with the local real estate community. And we are extending that conversation into an online community. A new Facebook Group for Energy Agents and Green Geniuses has just launched. This is an AMA (ask me anything) group is for ongoing questions beyond the Green Genius series – a place where you can ask the experts about how a certain system may work, get recommendations for sub consultants for your clients or give tips to other agents.

The Green Genius Sponsors include, Puget Sound Energy, CommunityPower Works, BuiltGreen, Puget Sound Cooperative Credit Union, SustainableWorks and O’Brien and Co.

The Instructor is Dave Porter, the nationally recognized speaker, trainer, and writer who will engage class participants with his infectious and enthusiastic style.

And the Producer, Green Canopy Homes, well we simply build the best homes in Seattle. Every home we bring to market is firmly grounded on our FIVE ROOTS (add hyper link), which offers more value to homebuyers than any builder or home-seller has ever delivered.

Come to one of the classes or come to them all…! The Green Genius series will not disappoint. A meal and great refreshments are provided with every class and the information is designed to put you above the rest.  Nearly 50% of all new construction sold in 2012 in Seattle was certified BuiltGreen… Come to a Green Genius class and begin learning more about the cutting edge of residential homebuilding.

1) Both of you have taken very different paths to becoming real estate agents. How has your background prepared you for this?

Kris – My degree and early work experience was in the hospitality field, so customer service has always been the central focus of my career. Following that I worked for a software development company in a client services capacity.  The technology and customer service skill sets have provided a very solid foundation for real estate.  The industry has become extremely “techy” in the past several years; however the need for customer service skills will never go away.

Daniela – My educational background is in art and architectural history as well as languages. However, like Kris I ended up in the software industry (12 years at Microsoft) working with vendors around the world on the internationalization of Microsoft Office products as a localization program manager. Therefore, Kris and I approach real estate very much from a very systematic project management method with the goal to let nothing in the complex web of tasks fall through the cracks. “Death by Flow Chart” if you get my drift …

2) What gets you excited about Seattle Real Estate?

Seattle is in the throes of change!  Between light rail, rezoning, new architecturally interesting dwellings and the whole “green” movement, there is never a dull day.  We pride ourselves in being Seattleites, embrace the urban village lifestyle, and are excited to be part of all the on-going and coming changes as the city continues to evolve. Growing up in Germany which is a model for green and energy efficient building methods, Daniela is excited to see these changes (finally) coming across the ocean.

3) How do you differentiate yourself and your brand?

Nothing gimmicky.  We have worked extremely hard to build the track record we have today, and pride ourselves in extremely high standards which are reflected in everything we do.  When potential clients see our on-line or printed materials, or walk through our listings, they immediately see the difference in both detail and quality.  We understand that leaving out small details can cost our clients many $$$ and we take that responsibility seriously.

Real estate to us is as much art as it is a science. Anybody can look up sales data, hire a stager and a photographer and put a listing on the MLS but to us every client and every home is unique and from the choice of the stager to the meticulous choreography of the photos – of the home as well as the surrounding area attractions such as parks, schools, coffee shops, grocery stores and coffee shops -we attempt to capture the essence of each home and the lifestyle that goes along with it.

At the end of the day, we pour our hearts and souls into what we do (sometimes to a fault and have a lot of fun working together – despite the sometimes heavy workload there is a lot of laughter around every day. This love & passion for what we do inspires & transpires to our work. So really our brand is who we are as people and human beings.

4) How does green and energy efficiency make an impact in your work as a Seattle Real Estate Agent?

We are always striving to expand our knowledge in these areas.  Once you learn about the impact green features have on an individual and a community there is no turning back.  We find that the green knowledge finds its way into all real estate conversations even if just advising a client on how to make their old drafty (yet charming) home more energy efficient and making them aware of the many resources, programs & incentives that are available.  We find we are a much more valuable resource to our clients and spheres having this knowledge and we feel very fortunate to live in a city that promotes and supports these principles politically and like to see Green Canopy pushing these issues forward.

5) What does success look like to you in this market?

That’s very simple: Extremely satisfied and happy clients that come to us with any real estate need, concern or questions they may have and that feel compelled to refer their friends, family and neighbors to us because of the great experience they have had in working with us. That’s why the majority of our business comes from personal referrals and we plan to keep it that way J.

6) You both think outside of the box. What are the most creative projects you have taken on and how have they panned out?

A few years ago, we had the opportunity to market a home of significant architectural history.  The home was built in the 50s by a visionary single woman who was the head of the Interior Design Department at UW for almost half a century (from the 20s to the 60s). She is credited with founding the Northwest Contemporary style by bringing “Modern” to the Northwest and merging it with local materials and Eastern themes.  She camped on the land for many seasons before breaking ground to find the perfect orientation of the home, and the finished product was very “Frank Lloyd Wright” in style. You felt as if the structure simply grew out from the ground; that’s how well it was integrated in the surrounding landscape.

This was a very unusual home for this particular neighborhood, so it was important that we ventured outside the usual channels to find our audience; and find them we did.  We had 60 brokers show up for our opening broker’s lunch/open house.  We took a chance, knowing this property was very special, and found ours comparable in different neighborhoods.  Our list price was approximately $300,000 over the neighborhood expert’s pricing recommendation and it sold almost at that price. But more important than the final sales price, it was a true honor and pleasure to have the opportunity to delve into such an important part of local architectural history. That is also why we love working with Green Canopy on their projects and see dilapidated properties restored and reinvented for the 21^st century.

7) What do you see in the future of the Seattle Market and the real estate profession?

Smaller footprints, sustainable materials, low maintenance, simple clean lines, increased energy efficiency. “Green” will eventually go mainstream and become the new building standard. Clients are already asking for these features; they don’t want to spend their whole wad on their dwelling but also do other things such as travel or have another little cabin in the mountains or on the water, be part of an active community where they know their neighbors rather than being locked behind gates. At the same time, they want high quality materials that will stand the test of time and be responsible with the earth’s resources for a better future of the planet.

8 ) Please highlight a project you’ve done with us; whichever one you get the most excited talking about!

We are super excited about the upcoming Twins project in Tangletown.  Having a new construction, single family, net zero project in the neighborhood where we live and work, really gives us something exciting to talk about.  It involves more learning for us and in turn provides an opportunity to do educational community outreach about a deep green project powered by solar energy.  Sol and Solange we can’t wait to show you to the world!

In 2012 nearly half of all new construction homes sold in Seattle were certified BuiltGreen, 15% more than 2011. With home buyers clearly demanding greater quality of certified green homes, Green Canopy Homes decided last year that we should try to help the Real Estate Agent community increase their green home IQ.

The Green Genius Educational Series became our solution to help increase awareness and understanding of the pull of green homes in the marketplace. Green Canopy Homes is producing a yearlong educational series that kicks off with the first class on January 25th. Every month we will produce a certified clock hour approved class (minimum 3.5 hours per class). Each class will be held regardless of class size as well as lunch and refreshments always being provided.  The knowledgeable and entertaining David Porter will be instructing the classes which are being sponsored by the regions most informed set of sponsors on residential energy efficiency and green.

The first course, Anatomy of a Deep Green Home, will chronicle the journey from idea to reality of a national award-winning deep green demonstration home. The curriculum provides a snapshot of residential green building concepts including ratings, design, energy and water use reduction, and materials.

Follow these links to register and learn more about the Green Genius Educational Series!

Series Flier Course Flier

West Seattle Development: Trio of tear downs? Not quite…

In an effort to provide each agent with as much value as possible – we have created a new tiered membership structure. Agents can engage a little or a lot and will have the opportunity to work alongside Green Canopy in several capacities.

We have created the Silver, Gold, and Platinum Energy Agent Tiers. The Gold and Platinum are Certified Agent levels, and the only levels that will be able to list our homes. You can learn more about these below.

Along with enhancing the Energy Agent membership program we have expanded our education component tremendously!

Below are the new Membership Tiers and an overview of the Green Genius Education Program. Classes start January 2013!

How to Become a Member

Like us on Facebook

Download The Membership Package and Sign up for Energy Agent Mailing List

OR Attend one of our Happy Hours/Events/Classes and sign up!

What Are the Benefits of Becoming a Silver Member?

You will be signed up to receive our Blog and Event Invitations – including Happy Hours and Property Preview Tours

You will have your name and contact information posted on the Green Canopy website

You will receive a “Silver” discount to our Green Genius Classes

How to Become a Gold Level Certified Agent

$50 Certification Fee (to offset the cost of happy hour events!)

All Gold Certified Members will be required to attend 2 Green Genius classes (prior to January 2014) (Sign Up for A Class)

All Gold Certified Members will be required to attend 1 Happy Hour Event (prior to January 2014)

What are the Benefits of Becoming a Gold Level Certified Agent?

You will be Signed up to receive our Blog and Event Invitations – including Happy Hours and Property Preview Tours

You will have your Name, Photo and Contact Information posted on the Green Canopy Website

You will receive the Energy Agent Branding Kit

New Gold Certified Agents will be promoted Quarterly on Puget Sound Business Journal

Gold Certified Agents will be eligible for Awards during Happy Hour events

You will be eligible for Listback Opportunities with Green Canopy

You will receive Vendor Discounts

You will receive a ”Gold” discount to Green Genius Classes

How to Become a Platinum Level Certified Agent

$50 Certification Fee (to offset the cost of happy hour events!)

All Platinum Certified Members will be required to attend 2 Green Genius classes (prior to January 2014) (Sign Up for A Class)

All Platinum Certified Members will be required to attend 1 Happy Hour Event (prior to January 2014)

Complete a deal with Green Canopy (SELL a Green Canopy Home, FIND A DEAL or LIST A HOME)

Green Canopy Value and Offer

You will be Signed up to receive our Blog and Event Invitations – including Happy Hours and Property Preview Tours

You will have your Name, Photo and Contact Information posted on the Green Canopy Website

Special Recognition

You will receive the Energy Agent Branding Kit

You will be eligible for Listback Opportunities with Green Canopy and be part of our Lead Generation Distributions List

New Platinum Certified Agents will be promoted Quarterly on Puget Sound Business Journal Gold Certified Agents will be eligible for Awards during Happy Hour events

You will receive Vendor Discounts

You will receive a “Platinum” discount to Green Genius Classes

We’ll continue to keep you posted, have a great Holiday season!