| |
To find out how buyers really feel about “going green,” Chicago Agent magazine launched a new reader survey to get to the bottom of whether or not agents think that green still matters in this difficult housing market.
Coinciding with the release of the Green issue that arrived in offices on July 19, Chicago Agent conducted an online survey to its readership composed of numerous questions to gauge buyer sentiment when it comes to seeking out green homes and features.
Of the agents surveyed, 67 percent still feel that the green movement is relevant, while 33 percent feel that it is not. Megan Batia of Om Realty in Chicago was among those that believe that the green movement is still important to buyers today. “Homebuyers are very budget conscious these days,” Batia responded. “They don't want to be surprised with a huge utility bill after they move into their new place. Plus, I've found they also like to know what improvements – large and small – they can do to make the place more energy efficient in the long run.”
Ivette Rodriguez Anderson of Keller Williams Success Realty in Barrington was one of the respondents who disagreed with the notion that green matters. “In the NW suburbs, the most attention paid to green is dollars!” she says. “Seriously, the only questions I get involve energy-efficient appliances and mechanicals.”
When asked how many green transactions they have completed in the last two years, 64 percent of the agents questioned responded none. However, 28 percent have had one to five green transactions, while 8 percent have had more than 10. Additionally, 33 percent of Chicago Agent readers noted that they have had clients specifically ask them to seek out properties with green features.
There are still plenty of skeptics out there, as 29 percent of those surveyed suspect that using the term green is just a marketing ploy. Thirty two percent believe the term doesn’t make a difference to buyers in our current housing market, while 36 percent of our readers believe that the idea of going green is still meaningful to buyers.
It is clear from agents’ responses that the green movement isn’t at the forefront of buyers’ minds as it might have been during peak market times, but it is still a topic that buyers want to explore. On the whole, more than half of our readers feel that using the term green makes buyers believe that they are helping the environment, and thus reveals that the notion is still relevant, despite the current state of the economy.
To view the full results of our survey, pick up Chicago Agent’s Green issue today, or visit our Web site at ChicagoAgentMagazine.com.
About Chicago Agent
Chicago Agent magazine and ChicagoAgentMagazine.com is a subsidiary of Agent Publishing, the only media company that unites the residential housing industry in local markets across the U.S. Realtors, developers, lenders and industry affiliates look to Chicago Agent for news, information, advice and important data relevant to the Chicagoland area. The only company that addresses the business and personal needs of the real estate professional, Chicago Agent magazine is delivered to thousands of agents in hundreds of realty offices in the Chicagoland area.
|
zipporah[.]chicagoagentmagazine.com 
