With the residential real estate market in the doldrums, many local Realtors and lenders are searching for ways to drum up business and differentiate themselves from a very crowded field. A still small number (12) in the greater-Valley area are turning their own environmental consciousness into a marketing tool by becoming Eco Brokers. Although it may sound like nothing but more “green” hype, achieving an Eco Broker designation requires taking a series of classes and then completing continuing education classes each year to maintain it. The jury is still out, however, on whether the effort actually contributes to a business’s bottom line. Ray Calnan who heads Charity Alliance Realty says he was the first San Fernando Valley broker to achieve the designation. He took the course in early 2006. “I came across the Eco Broker program before it became popular,” said Calnan. “I wanted to learn more about how to make homes more energy efficient as well as more healthy, which is what Eco Broker is all about.” Calnan said that while getting the certification hasn’t yet, “led to people beating down my door,” it has helped him serve his clients better. Most of the people he works with are first-time buyers who don’t have the financial wherewithal to completely renovate a home. What Calnan is now equipped to do, he said, is give them advice on how the small things replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents or changing the filters in their air conditioning and heating systems, for example can make a big impact in reducing energy consumption and thereby lowering their expenses. The Eco Broker-certified husband-and-wife residential sales team of Ron and Tammy Schwolsky echoed Calnan’s sentiments. She says some call it a business niche but Tammy Schwolsky says it’s really more of a passion. “Ron and I have been interested in how green or environmental issues relate to our business for about four years now,” said Shwolsky. About two years ago, Eco Broker classes were approved by the California Association of Real Estate Brokers for continuing education units. Shwolsky said that, like Calnan, they haven’t seen a spike in people who are specifically interested in purchasing “green” homes, “I think that (the Eco Broker) education is helpful in letting customers know that we have uncommon knowledge. She also said that with more incentives being offered by utilities and the government, more people are getting interested. “The only homes on the market that are green are really high-end and they cost anywhere from $2 to $4 million so it’s not really affordable for the average person,” said Shwolsky. The duo are undertaking a green renovation project on their own taking a home in Studio City to help educate themselves and to show potential clients they have been there and done that. It’s also a way to try out different “green” professionals and evaluate their work.
