Going Green in the Chicago Real Estate Market

Eco-Homes in Chicago are becoming more and more visible as Chicago begins its push toward becoming known as an environmentally focused city. Chicago's Sustainable Homes Market is freshly emerging and many potential home buyers understand the benefits of higher initial costs vs. long-term residual savings. Looking to the future, comprehensive city programs, such as the Chicago Green Home Program, cover a myriad of topics and city services including:

• Recycling;
• Smart Bulb Program (promotes use of compact fluorescent lightbulbs or CFLs);
• Greencorps Chicago; and
• Energy Efficiency

You are welcome to browse the properties to the right that have been marketed as 'green' to get a broad picture of the Chicago Green Homes Market.

Green Home resources in Chicago are quite plentiful, from government subsidized programs to community initiatives. The Historic Chicago Bungalow Initiative, which demonstrated 'green building' home construction and rehabilitation through its Green Bungalow Model Block program, offers greening tips for bungalow owners. Illinois State Government provides an "Environmental Helpline" that offers information and assistance to residents with questions or concerns related to the environment. Homeowners that want to 'green' their home will begin the project with a Home Energy Rating performed by a member of the IL Assoc of Energy Raters.

Guidelines for Sustainable, Environmentally Friendly Green Buildings

When shopping for a Sustainable Home in Chicago, be aware of the terminology and specific aspects of what defines a Green Building. Some homes will be geared toward energy efficiency whereas other properties may tout environmentally friendly construction materials and methods. The National Association of Homebuilders cites six eco-friendly guidelines for Green Homes:

• Lot Preparation and Design
Evaluating the impact of construction on the soil, vegetation, and wildlife of the immediate environment surrounding a building site can yield considerable long-term benefits, as well as highlighting areas where the impact of construction can be reduced or eliminated all together.
• Resource Efficiency
Advancements in technology and building methods have allowed for a far more efficient use of building materials which can reduce the demand on the environment and the overall waste produced by construction.
• Energy Efficiency
Reducing immediate energy needs and integrating techniques that utilize available energy more efficiently are two of the most significant long-term benefits of sustainable design. Realistically, most energy efficient upgrades and hardware will recover the cost of initial expenses within a five year period.
• Water Efficiency/Conservation
True 'green design' will encompass a plan that manages and encourages effective use of water supplies. This one aspect can cover more areas of home design than any other, from faucets and other interior hardware to rain gutter downspouts and exterior cisterns.
• Occupancy Comfort and Indoor Environmental Quality
The interior environment of a home is also factored into a building's overall green design. Indoor air quality can be more severely polluted than the air outside, so managing interior ventilation and moisture is a significant aspect to consider in the design of any green project.
• Operation, Maintenance and Education
After all of the time, energy, and commitment that a builder puts into a green project, it is absolutely critical that the homeowner is educated on how to maximize their return on the features that have been built into the home.

Green Home Features: What to look for when buying a Green House

Emerging technologies and increased efficiency have created a myriad of do-dads, gadgets, and gizmos specifically designed with the environment in mind. From water conservation to energy production and everything in between, green design not only reduces negative environmental impact, but can also significantly contribute overall to the clean Earth movement.

Windows: The most significant aspect of windows and how they contribute to the 'greenness' of a home is in their energy efficiency. Specialty coatings, called glazes, on the panes of glass can greatly reduce the amount of UVA and UVB rays that are permitted to pass through into your home which can help to reduce the workload on air conditioners. Multi-pane windows do better than single pane windows at insulating a home from the exterior elements and retaining a higher percentage of heat which can significantly reduce wintertime heating bills. Dressed windows have some form of light control built into them; usually a style of blinds. The important feature to note here is that with the blinds encased in the window, there is a drastically less amount of surface area on which dust and other particles may accumulate, leaving less airborne pollutants to contaminate indoor air. Smart Windows use cutting edge technology such as 'suspended particles' and 'liquid crystals' to increase window efficiency in ways never before imagined. Whether you've decided to install new energy efficient windows or retro-fit existing windows for greater efficiency, there are few other projects that can drastically decrease a homes' overall environmental impact and the costs of heating and cooling your home.

Insulation: A well insulated home requires less energy to maintain a comfortable interior temperature. Insulation is rated according to its effectiveness at reducing heat transfer on an R-Value or R-Factor scale, where a higher R-Value translates into more efficiency. Different areas of your home will require different levels of insulation, so be sure to check with your builder and/or local sources for the recommended R-Value(s) of your property.

Water: Conserving water is one of the most immediate ways to contribute to a cleaner Earth. Low-Flow fixtures, such as faucets and shower heads, actually restrict the volume of water flow; greatly reducing the overall water consumption of your household. At one time, low-flow fixtures meant poor water pressure, but engineers have completely overcome this drawback. Dual-flush toilets are a significant contribution to water conservation. The design offers two options when flushing: One flush is approximately a half tank of water and is best for flushing liquid waste; Two flush uses a higher volume of water to eliminate solid waste. Cisterns: Common in California, cisterns capture and store non-potable water for use in watering lawns and other needs. The most effective cisterns will be integrated into the rain gutter system of a home, reclaiming and retaining more water than stand-alone cisterns. One of the most energy efficient and water conserving features that a home can offer is on-demand hot water, or 'tankless' hot water heaters. On-demand hot water supplies save energy and water in two specific ways: 1) The amount of energy used by a tankless hot water heater is drastically less than traditional water heaters in that on-demand systems do not continually and perpetually heat a reserve of water; 2) Less water is wasted while waiting for hot water to get to the faucet. On-demand hot water is immediate and there is no need to allow water to run for a couple of minutes while it warms up.

Energy: For more information, see the Chicago Energy Page.

Protect the environment while you sell your home with Eco-Friendly Marketing

Chicago Home Estates is committed to a smaller 'Carbon-Footprint.' Leaving our planet in a better condition for future generations to enjoy and prosper is possible while selling your home when you list with Chicago Home Estates.

Our commitment to the environment means:

• We do not encourage mass-mail marketing. Mass-mail marketing increases pollution in two very specific ways: (1) Fossil fuels are used in the transportation and distribution of mail; and (2) Non-renewable ink sources, unlike sustainable inks such as soy, may contain petroleum distillates and even heavy metals, possibly including lead.
• We do not use print advertising as our primary marketing tool. Many brokers are still using antiquated print advertising to market your home. The simple truth here is that consumer subscriptions of print media are dropping; everything you want to know from a newspaper can be found online, usually in a digital, no-waste necessary format.
• We do encourage the digitization of documents. In striving for completely 'green marketing,' we aim to reduce the amount of paper use and paper waste as much as possible. We are able to present and receive every document involved in your property transaction in a digital format. This assists with both the settling of your transaction and archiving of all pertinent documents.

"Well, then," you may ask, "how do you propose to market my property?" Cutting edge technology is the answer! In place of wasteful mass-mail marketing and expensive print advertising that may or may not lead to the successful sale of your home, we utilize every technological advancement available. With viral email marketing, we give your property a 'buzz' factor. Your agent will email your listing to appropriate clients in our extensive 'buyer's database'. Your home will have stand-out appeal that just cannot be garnered from print advertising where your home's ad would be competing against numerous others on the same page for a simple first glance.

Our "Email this Listing to a Friend" feature allows clients to share your property listing with their personal contacts by automatically composing an email featuring your property. All the client has to do is fill in a few email addresses of friends they think would like your property. After all, the most powerful marketing has always been word of mouth and referral; and, an email featuring your listing can be forwarded again and again!

• Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED): "LEED is a third party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings."
• U.S. Green Building Council: "The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a non-profit organization committed to expanding sustainable building practices. USGBC is composed of more than 15,000 organizations from across the building industry that are working to advance structures that are environmentally responsible, profitable, and healthy places to live and work. Members includes building owners and end-users, real estate developers, facility managers, architects, designers, engineers, general contractors, subcontractors, product and building system manufacturers, government agencies, and nonprofits."
• EPA: "Homepage of the U.S. EPA Green Buildings program, providing information on various components of green buildings, applicable to homes and offices."
• Chicago Green Building Initiatives and Programs: An exhaustive resource on Building Green in Chicago.
• MyGreenElectronics.org: Offers users comprehensive information regarding electronics from what features to look for to methods of disposal.