About Earth Advantage

New Homes

Design Resource Center

Financing

Special Features

Classes and Events

Real Estate Professionals

Click here to register online.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Earth Advantage S.T.A.R.
(Sustainability Training for Accredited Real Estate Professionals)

This course is designed to educate real estate professionals about the features and benefits of new and existing green homes and provide them with the tools needed to communicate these advantages to their clients. The S.T.A.R. class is a unique opportunity for real estate professionals to

Understand basic green home concepts, trends, and features.
Learn to communicate the benefits and issues of green homes that are important to clients, such as energy and water efficiency and air quality.
Develop the best language to use with and approach to take with clients who have varying green values.
Differentiate themselves in the market as knowledgeable, accredited professionals.

This course includes three powerful components that are designed to make you an accredited green expert:

Reference Guide – This comprehensive guide outlines fundamental green home concepts. Participants should read this material and complete the exercises at the end of each chapter before attending the workshop. It is critical that participants are familiar with the Reference Guide in order to fully benefit from and participate in the workshop activities.

Interactive 2-Day Workshop – Consisting of group activities and small-group exercises, the workshop will help participants hone analytical and speaking skills, as well as provide them with the confidence to present green home concepts to clients. Participants will apply their knowledge in group discussions and learn from leading green building professionals about green building systems, products, and home certification programs. Participants will also have opportunities to ask questions, learn about useful resources, and visit two green homes.

Online Exam – Designed to test a participant’s command of green home concepts, this convenient exam can only be taken after completion of the 2-day workshop. Upon successfully passing the exam, participants will become certified and listed on the Earth Advantage, Inc. Web site as an Earth Advantage S.T.A.R. Broker. S.T.A.R. graduates will also receive other benefits, including eligibility in the Energy Trust of Oregon Trade Ally Program, a customized monthly newsletter, and on-going marketing and technical support.

Who Should Attend
This program is a must for real estate professionals who wish to stand out from their competitors and establish themselves as green home experts. Title agents, home inspectors, mortgage brokers, appraisers, and other professionals involved in real estate transactions will also gain from this extensive 2-day course. The training program has relevance to both the existing and new home markets.

Location
Portland classes are held at 16280 SW Upper Boones Ferry Rd. Portland, OR.
Bend, Southern Oregon, and Eugene class locations vary.
Custom group classes are available.

Dates
Classes are held almost every month in Portland. E-mail cwiller@earthadvantage.org or click here to register online.

Registration
$365 per person (graduates eligible for $100 rebate from ETO). Fee covers course materials, meals, The Northwest Green Homes Primer, green home tours, and most graduate benefits. To sign-up, click here.
Refund Policy $365 per person is non-refundable.

Contact information
Charlotte Willer, Real Estate Education Coordinator, cwiller@earthadvantage.org

History
In February 2007, the Regional Multiple Listing Service (RMLS), the region's most authoritative source for information on home sales, added leading green building programs to its searchable listings database. The action was encouraged by Earth Advantage, Inc., a Portland-based nonprofit specializing in the delivery and certification of green building programs.

The new search form allows real estate agents to help a home seller describe a property's green qualities with more ease and precision. A key feature allows agents to select a green building certification program from a pull-down menu.

Each of the nationally known and rigorous third-party certification programs are offered by Earth Advantage, Inc., the largest third-party verified program in the nation. The programs include ENERGY STAR®, an energy efficiency program designed by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency; Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) for Homes, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council; and Earth Advantage®, a green residential building program prevalent in the Pacific Northwest.

The green home listings on RMLS will help builders and homeowners assess the value of energy efficiency and green building measures added to homes. It allows real estate agents and appraisers to compare groups of properties with and without energy efficiency and green building standards to see how they affect sales prices. Based on the understanding that some borrowers can afford higher mortgages because of their lower utility bills, this may eventually encourage lenders to offer bigger loans to borrowers with resource efficient houses.