How long have
you been with RE/MAX? How long have you been a REALTOR? How long
have you been the Chief of Energy Solutions at RE/MAX Leading Edge?
I joined RE/MAX Heritage in January of 2012 after
spending 12 years with another firm. I jumped on board with REMAX Heritage and
the broker-owners Linda O’Koniewski, Eileen Hamblin, and Steve Chuha primarily
because it was clear that they are a forward thinking partnership and extremely
supportive of their agents and their communities. Their willingness to think
creatively stands out in the real estate industry. When I joined Heritage at
the beginning of 2012 we agreed that I would take the title of Chief of Energy
Solutions at that time. It was immediately apparent that they are committed to
being industry vanguards for energy sustainability and were willing to put
resources towards innovative and solution oriented ideas. I can’t express how grateful
I am that they gave me this opportunity.
At the end of 2012, we merged with RE/MAX Leading
Edge and Paul Mydelski. Paul has joined the ownership team with an equal
commitment to ensuring that RE/MAX Leading Edge continues to be a responsible
partner with the communities we serve. Now I have the opportunity to bring my
mix of energy management expertise and my 13 years of real estate experience to
over 180 agents and twelve communities in the Greater Boston area. I could not
have chosen to partner with a better group of broker-owners at a better time.
Why is home
energy and efficiency important to you?
I want to be part of the solution, and increasing
the energy performance of residential homes and commercial buildings in our
region is the best place for me to participate. We use more energy per
household in New England than any other part of the country and we pay some of
the highest utility rates. From my energy management experience I often refer
to the energy stress triangle in our region, stress on the rate-payer
(homeowners and business owners that pay those high utility bills), the
environment, and the regional energy grids is significant here in New England;
energy efficiency is one of the few solutions that relieves stress on all three
points of the triangle.
Why should
home buyers and sellers be aware of the “green” movement?
That’s a great question. The answer, to me, is
really about gaining control of the operating costs of your home or business as
well as lowering your energy consumption which lowers your carbon footprint and
relieves stress on the regional energy grids. As we lower demand for power in
our region, the price we pay for energy drops. That’s the kind of recurring
cycle that can help everyone in our region. Also green/sustainable
building practices bring other pluses to the equation besides just energy
efficiency. These include building healthy homes, sustainable construction
materials, recycling and disposal of debris, and proper site management in new
construction that can take advantage of the best practices in water and energy management.
I’d like to make a few comments about the “green”
movement, however. What is referred to as the green movement goes back to the
70’s. Personally, I can support many of
the initiatives of that movement, but sustainability, the issue I am truly
interested in, was only one bullet point in that movement. I understand that
not everyone in the real estate community in our region is supportive of the total
package of the “green” movement as it was originally conceived. It is
unfortunate that there is a segment of our population that is turned off by the
concept of “green.” This is why I prefer talking to my clients first about
gaining control of the energy operating costs of their home or business.
What are you
most proud of with your business?
I
am very proud to be a member of the RE/MAX Leading Edge team. Moving from my
former
firm was one of the best professional decisions that I have ever made.
I
am proud that I have the opportunity to make a difference with one of the most
difficult
questions that we face today; how we use energy.
I
know that my family is able to experience a sense of pride in what I have done
with my work and
the commitment I have made to being part of the energy solution.
Where do you see
the “green” movement in MA and your business in 5 years?
Massachusetts is at the leading edge of energy
efficiency in this country. The legislation, initiatives, and incentives recently
passed (and in the works) in the Commonwealth will change the skills real
estate agents need to serve buyers and sellers of property in our region.
In 5 years, my plan is to be the guy that everyone consults
about buying or selling a high performance home.
What advice
do you have for other agents?
Get
your NAR Green Certification. Despite the fact that it is rigorous, and that it
does not count
for CE credits in Massachusetts (this needs to be changed), it
is well worth doing. Because of
my energy management background, I see that
this emerging market in Massachusetts is about
to explode forward. I truly
believe getting the NAR Green Certification will make a big difference
to your
business in the near future.
Feel
free to reach out to me if you are a REALTOR suffering from “green fear”-- I
can probably help get you through it!
Homes heated with
natural gas sold at a higher percentage of the list price than homes heated
with oil.
There is a lack of
adequately educated industry professionals to serve high performance
properties. Currently there are 0 green certified appraisers in Massachusetts
(according to the Appraisal Institute) and only 0.5% of realtors nationally
carry the National Association of Realtors (NAR) GREEN Certification, and that
underwriters are not aware of the lower annual operating costs of these type of
properties and the effect on their market value.