Welcome to "Get Smart Before You Buy"
Welcome to Chris Kaufmann's new blog, "Get Smart Before You Buy".
These entries will be geared towards environmental technologies in the real estate field, sustainable products, green living and ideas in which you can save a little green. I may even throw in a few plugs for new listings in the Quad City area as well. All in all these entries will be very informative, always to the point and most importantly, written in layman's terms. So be sure to bookmark this site and check back often. I also encourage you to give your own thoughts on any or all of the subjects written about. I would like this site to become as interactive as possible.
Why the interest in "green"?
Nearly a year ago I signed up for whats called, EcoBroker Certified, which is an educational course specifically designed for the real estate professional. The course went over all types of potential environmental hazards and energy efficiency within the real estate industry.
The first module consisted of environmental hazards such as radon, mold, indoor air quality, asbestos, lead base paint, water quality, brownfields and many other issues. This first module was very informative and at times, very boring. A large portion of the information came from the epa's web site (no wonder it was boring). The rest was developed by EcoBroker International relating to how these factors pertain to the world of real estate. More importantly, they addressed how these issues should be handled if they are present. I see these issues becoming more and more of a popular topic when searching for a new home.
The second module, and perhaps the most interesting, consisted of energy efficiency within a home. The course went on to discuss all the factors which make up an efficient home such as; windows, types of solar technologies, insulation, appliances and the overall orientation of a home.
The third and final module discussed how to effectively market a green home and gave suggestions on how to retrofit an existing home with energy saving technologies. You would be surprised on how easy a lot of the suggestions are to incorporate into your daily living.
As of a couple weeks ago I was the first Realtor in the Quad Cities to earn the Certified EcoBroker designation. The EcoBroker designation doesn't make me an energy and environmental expert, but it allows me to better understand the issues and to convey this understanding to my buyers and sellers. I hope to position myself as the forerunner in green real estate within the Quad City market.
Through out this blog I will be discussing a lot of what I learned in the training materials. Anything else I see in reading materials will also be referenced. Simply put, I will include anything in which I think may save us some green and cause us to live healthier lives.
I look forward to your comments, suggestions or even questions!
These entries will be geared towards environmental technologies in the real estate field, sustainable products, green living and ideas in which you can save a little green. I may even throw in a few plugs for new listings in the Quad City area as well. All in all these entries will be very informative, always to the point and most importantly, written in layman's terms. So be sure to bookmark this site and check back often. I also encourage you to give your own thoughts on any or all of the subjects written about. I would like this site to become as interactive as possible.
Why the interest in "green"?
Nearly a year ago I signed up for whats called, EcoBroker Certified, which is an educational course specifically designed for the real estate professional. The course went over all types of potential environmental hazards and energy efficiency within the real estate industry.
The first module consisted of environmental hazards such as radon, mold, indoor air quality, asbestos, lead base paint, water quality, brownfields and many other issues. This first module was very informative and at times, very boring. A large portion of the information came from the epa's web site (no wonder it was boring). The rest was developed by EcoBroker International relating to how these factors pertain to the world of real estate. More importantly, they addressed how these issues should be handled if they are present. I see these issues becoming more and more of a popular topic when searching for a new home.
The second module, and perhaps the most interesting, consisted of energy efficiency within a home. The course went on to discuss all the factors which make up an efficient home such as; windows, types of solar technologies, insulation, appliances and the overall orientation of a home.
The third and final module discussed how to effectively market a green home and gave suggestions on how to retrofit an existing home with energy saving technologies. You would be surprised on how easy a lot of the suggestions are to incorporate into your daily living.
As of a couple weeks ago I was the first Realtor in the Quad Cities to earn the Certified EcoBroker designation. The EcoBroker designation doesn't make me an energy and environmental expert, but it allows me to better understand the issues and to convey this understanding to my buyers and sellers. I hope to position myself as the forerunner in green real estate within the Quad City market.
Through out this blog I will be discussing a lot of what I learned in the training materials. Anything else I see in reading materials will also be referenced. Simply put, I will include anything in which I think may save us some green and cause us to live healthier lives.
I look forward to your comments, suggestions or even questions!
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