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“When we help our environment, we help ourselves stay healthy,” said Pat Thompson, also an EcoBroker with Coldwell Banker Uptown Realty. She finds that her experience working in the health field spills over into real estate, “ As ventilation in a home can impact an owner’s health,” she observed. “A healthy planet is directly related to our own personal health,” Thompson said. People began looking at conserving energy |
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Find out more about the benefits of becoming a member of Built Green® Clallam County |
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Built Green® of Clallam County Directory of “Green Goods & Services” |
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Featured Member of Built Green® of Clallam County |
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Coldwell Banker Uptown Realty
Windemere Realty, PA
Coldwell Banker Uptown Realty
Brokers Group. Sequim
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Link to Built Green® Clallam Realtors and Certified EcoBrokers |
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EcoBrokers: Trained to Spot Sustainability |
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Find a Built Green® Clallam County Member |
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By Diana Somerville
No surprise if you’ve never heard of EcoBrokers. “There are only nine in Clallam County,” according to Harriet Reyenga, of Windermere in Port Angeles. Reyenga is the second person on the Olympic Peninsula to earn this particular designation. EcoBrokers evaluate a home’s energy efficiency –- not only for items like insulation and windows, but also guidance on how to maximize a home’s “green appeal” early in the design process.
Rather than just clearing 20 acres to develop a subdivision, you can save trees & habitat, reducing development & landscaping costs,” Reyenga said. “Rain gardens filter runoff instead of sending the water into the sewer.” Placing buildings wisely can add significant value to a home. “Trees can save a lot of energy, providing windbreaks and summer shade,” she observed. |
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EcoBroker training includes learning to spot subtle problems like radon, asbestos, lead, water, mold, & indoor air quality. Reyenga found the education so fascinating –- that it spilled over into making decisions about her own home. “ Buy new appliances every 10 years because the technology is so different. New front-loading washing machines spin clothes so much dryer that it takes less power to dry your clothes.”
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Contact Us
PO Box 748 Port Angeles, WA, 98362
Ph: 360.452.8160 Fax: 360.452.8197
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Harriet Reyenga |
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Brooke Nelson, with Coldwell Banker Uptown Realty in Port Angeles, agreed. “I started to learn more and make changes personally. I’ve been teaching my family as well as talking to clients. “Sustainability is not just about recycling.” |
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Brooke Nelson |
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to save money, using less energy means fewer chemicals & pollutants in the air --“& our bodies take in fewer toxins simply by breathing. The health of our water is related to the health of our fish –- which we eat – and so to the health of all of us,” she said. Remember to get in touch with an EcoBroker or some one with Built Green experience when planning to remodel or build an addition, Thompson added. “There’s an idea that being energy efficient costs more, but savings last longer. And often the cost will be the same, but making green choices in materials will be healthier in the long run.” |
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Perhaps the biggest energy savers most easily forgotten when thinking about buying a home are energy efficient light bulbs. “Look at all the light bulbs in a brand new house,” Reyenga said. Often designs place light fixtures in high places nearly impossible for a homeowner to reach. “So, wouldn’t you want light bulbs that are going to last seven or eight years in those high places?”
Few buyers notice such details, while an EcoBroker can point them out to their clients. Sustainable energy is an increasingly important part of a home. |
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Pat Thomsen |
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“I’m looking at a place that has the potential to sell energy” back to the utility company, said Sherry Siegel, an EcoBroker with BrokersGroup in Sequim. |
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How do you price a home that not only provides its own electricity but can run the meter backwards, giving homeowners a tidy profit? Without trained inspectors on the peninsula or appraisers who understand “green” houses, “We can’t take advantage of all that’s available,” Reyenga said. Special loans are available for energy efficient houses, for example, but no local bank offers them. “We need inspectors and appraisers –- & bankers,” Siegel added.
Although these additional green services are not yet available on the peninsula, interest in sustainability is growing.
No surprise, the number of EcoBrokers is increasing as well. Interested in learning how an EcoBroker can help you and your clients? Link to these Built Green Clallam member EcoBroker names in the box at the left.
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Sherry Siegel |
