What you don't see are the trimmings from jeans in the walls of this rowhouse facing Baltimore's Riverside Park.
What you do see are bits of glass in the surface of the kitchen island.
It's all green, in the environmental sense, from the cotton insulation to the recycled glass and concrete counter.
And it's all familiar to Amanda Lopez, the listing agent from City Life Realty, who came to the house with a working knowledge of green features, putting her on the leading edge locally of agents developing such expertise.
She is one of six Maryland agents certified as an EcoBroker, after completing the 18-hour course this year from Colorado-based EcoBroker International. It teaches about products and what makes them green; how to deal with utilities, find green resources and explain the value to customers; and how an agent can address such environmental concerns as radon, indoor air quality and mold. That's information Lopez sees as valuable for all her dealings, not only for homes as green as this one.
"She understands the product," said seller Laura Steensen, noting that she and her husband grew so weary of getting blank looks from potential agents about the environmentally friendly aspects of the house that they put it on Craigs list.org before Lopez enlisted them as clients. They want to sell, but in the current market, will rent it as well.
Laura and Erik Steensen, who have a startup green construction outfit, rehabbed the rowhouse to use as much as 41 percent less energy than an ordinary home.
Among its features: carpeting made from recycled plastic bottles, a water-saving plumbing system, an on-demand water heater, roofing made of scrap rubber, tubes that funnel sunlight inside, a whole-house fan that can fill the rooms with fresh air in 25 minutes, electricity-conserving lights and appliances.
Outside, the deck hides a box into which rainwater and condenser drippings are funneled - water that trickles to keep the plants green.
As energy costs have soared and eco-awareness has moved into the mainstream, real estate agents around the country are starting to get with the green trend to meet client interest in the increasing number of environmentally aware features in homes. Costs of many green products have come down while the number has gone up. In addition, homeowners believe there may be tax and health advantages, as well as immediate payback in shrunken energy bills.
"Within the next five to 10 years, [in] houses that are being built from the ground up or being rehabbed - we are going to see a lot more of this," Lopez said. "It's kind of a no-brainer."
EcoBroker, a national program, is the brainchild of John Beldock, a former U.S. Department of Energy scientist, who said real estate professionals who know fundamentals of environmental issues such as which paints emit fewer dangerous fumes and what makes certain floorings green can better help consumers.
Lopez is one of three City Life EcoBrokers; others are among the Maryland agents taking the classes now. City Life is part of a family of three local companies, including a builder and developer, capitalizing on the green building trend.
"I think more brokers are becoming educated about these issues so that it becomes part of the day-to-day matters of real estate," said Stuart D. Kaplow, a Baltimore attorney specializing in real estate law.
Green listings
The Greater Baltimore Board of Realtors recently began talking with the Metropolitan Regional Information Systems Inc. about adding a green heading to home listings, similar to what is available for listings in Oregon.
That would allow sellers to list green features, from environmental certifications by different building groups to bamboo flooring.
Agents could use that heading to search listings. MRIS officials say they hope to incorporate green notation fields in home listings next year.
One of City Life's principals, Brad Rogers, is teaching agents about green features through a continuing education class at the Greater Baltimore Board of Realtors. He also chairs its green committee, which garnered an unusual amount of interest among members.
GBBR also is exploring holding classes for agents with the Green Building Institute in Jessup.
"People are looking for these design features that make a building more environmentally friendly and more energy-efficient," said Joseph T. Landers, executive vice president of the Greater Baltimore Board of Realtors.
Knowing the features
Agents say that, although they don't think the market is there yet to develop a niche only in exceptionally green homes, they still need to know about green features as a marketing tool to reach the increasing number of consumers seeking environmentally equipped homes.
Cindy Conklin and Bob Merbler, a husband-wife team with Yerman Witman Gaines & Garceau Realty in Baltimore, were trained so they could be the agents for Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse homes at Clipper Mill. There, the semi-detached homes are expected to meet the silver level of LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
"I now know about dual force toilets," Conklin said. "We met with all the vendors - what about their product makes it green," Conklin said.
The knowledge helps, as many potential buyers interested in the homes because of the green qualities ask informed questions, she said.
That was the case with True and Elvon Lloyd, an Arlington, Va., couple seeking to live in an eco-friendly home in Baltimore. True Lloyd said their agent did not know the details of Clipper Mill, and told them she was getting an education by listening to the project coordinator and Merbler discuss the green aspects of the homes with the couple.
Renee M. Willis, with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Annapolis, is one of the few agents in the state who is LEED-accredited by the Green Building Council, having completed a technical workshop and passed an exam about green construction this year.
That green education is helping Willis develop her new consulting firm, which teaches nonprofits and corporations about green real estate. And it helps her discuss the benefits of including green building practices with developers, she said.
Trying to standardize
The National Association of Home Builders is seeking to turn its environmentally friendly building guidelines into standards for builder - not broker - certification, and agents say it is part of the package of green practices and products they are learning about.
But they are also learning that green means different things to different people, many of whom have little philosophical or political interest in green housing but may want a high-efficiency furnace or bamboo floors. While few houses are as green as the Steensens' home, many have green features.
Some clients' sole interest is courtesy of BGE: They want to reduce electricity bills.
But agents said clients' interests include being able to walk to stores and nearby mass transit as well as air quality and air filtration systems, which many don't think of as being green, while fewer express interest in recycled materials and passive solar components.
Lynn Davidson, with Coldwell Banker in Catonsville, said she wishes buyers would ask more about green features. But when they do, she has a question for them: "I ask them specifically what are they talking about," she said.
andrea.siegel@baltsun. com
GOING GREENER
Greening your home can include simple steps:
Lighting -- Switch to compact fluorescent bulbs to lower utility bills.
Electric -- Program your thermostat for 78 degrees Fahrenheit or higher in the summer, 62 degrees Fahrenheit or lower in the winter. This saves money on utility bills, as well. Buy Green Power, an optional utility service. Customers pay a premium on their electricity bill to cover the extra cost of purchasing clean, sustainable energy.
Repairs -- Plug air leaks that commonly occur around windows, doors and other wall penetrations with weather stripping or caulking.
Painting and cleaning -- Use low-VOC products. Improve your indoor air quality by switching to products that don't give off "volatile organic compounds." Some common low-VOC or no-VOC products include paints and cleaning products - though you can make your own VOC-free cleaning products using household ingredients such baking soda, borax and vinegar.
Flooring -- Use rapidly renewable flooring materials. Bamboo, cork, and eucalyptus flooring products are a sustainable alternative to traditional hardwoods.
Landscaping -- Use nontoxic gardening techniques. Many gardeners over-apply or improperly apply pesticides, putting themselves, their families and pets at increased health risk as well as affecting air and water quality. Incorporate native plants in your landscaping and minimize high-maintenance landscaping such as turf grass to conserve water.
Appliances -- Buy Energy Star appliances, which use less electricity. For more information go to energystar.gov.
[Source: The U.S. Green Building Council]