Thanks to the new home sustainability skills of Bayleys Nelson agent Bruce Farquhar, Lynn Marshall and Bryan Turner's energy efficient house can be better marketed

A new breed of estate agents who understand how eco-improvements can add value to homes and increase property ‘saleability’, is coming thanks to a decision, announced today, to make ground-breaking eco-savvy estate agent training officially available for the first time in New Zealand. With homes in New Zealand generally being cold, damp, and energy-inefficient, this training on home sustainability performance could help transform the market to value warmer more comfortable homes.

The Home Sustainability Training Programme was developed by The Hikurangi Foundation, an independent charity who partnered in the project with Sustainable Design, the REINZ Industry Training Organisation (ITO), Open Polytechnic, Bayleys Real Estate, and the New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development. A pilot in July 2010 saw eight Bayleys Nelson agents learn about home performance in areas like heating, water use, materials and insulation.

Bruce Farquhar from Bayleys Nelson, was one of the first eight agents to complete the training. “It was a smart thing to do – it was a business decision“, says Bruce. “There’s a very genuine groundswell of demand for us to upskill in this area.” An industry-needs analysis completed as part of the project found that 95% of salespeople view more knowledge of sustainability issues as something that will make it easier to market a home.

The training, eventually for both existing and new real estate agents, has been accepted by REINZ ITO who have integrated it as a CPD module into their ‘Introduction to Property’ training for delivery in high schools across the country. This will be available in 2011.

The Open Polytechnic is the first educational institution in New Zealand to integrate the upcoming module into their national certificate in real estate training. The national certificate is a unit standards-based qualification.

Open Polytechnic tutor Keith Harris says it is important for the polytechnic to show concern for the environment and current trends. “Especially in Christchurch at the moment – there’s a huge opportunity for Christchurch to ensure that the rebuilding of houses takes into account sustainability aspects“, Mr Harris said. “People are saying ‘I hope they don’t build quick-fix, ugly buildings’.”

Hikurangi Foundation Executive Director Liana Stupples hopes that soon valuing the sustainability of a home – whether selling or buying one – will become a ‘no-brainer’. “This is not just about selling a few more super eco-houses. It’s about making many more bog-standard NZ homes perform better and sell better. And it’ll help create smarter estate agents, not just greener estate agents” says Ms Stupples.

Want to access this new training?

Please contact w: www.realito.co.nz | e: info@realito.co.nz | p: 09 353 2257

Want to know more about sustainable housing?

If you would like to speak to an independent advisor about how to ensure your new home or rental is energy efficient, you can contact the Home Energy Advice Centre on p: 0800 388 588 or visit energyadvice.org.nz.