Sell Green & Profit Real Estate Course Debuts In Florida

By:
Carole L. Jaworski
Source(s):
Arlene Z. Stewart (352) 392-7854
Mickie Swisher (352) 392-1869

GAINESVILLE – A new University of Florida continuing education course for real estate agents debuts in Florida in October. Called “Sell Green & Profit,” the 11-credit UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences course trains real estate agents to spot passive design features in a home that reduce heating and cooling bills; landscaping that reduces water, energy and chemical use; and features that contribute to healthy indoor air.

Polls have shown that about 20 percent of the U.S. population is willing to pay from 5 to 10 percent more for ‘green’ products, said Mickie Swisher, UF/IFAS sustainable agriculture associate professor. “Many people are willing to pay slightly more up front for a home if they understand that they will recoup this money and much more over the life of their home in reduced operating and maintenance costs,” she said. “Real estate agents who sell these higher value homes naturally earn more in commissions.”

Energy efficient homes also qualify for a lower mortgage rate under the Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star program, said Arlene Zavocki Stewart, UF/IFAS educational materials designer with the Florida Energy Extension Service. “This clinches the deal with real estate agents: It provides features a buyer wants, and they can also get a better home mortgage rate. Everybody benefits, including the environment.”

Sell Green & Profit is scheduled in the following Florida counties in October: Wakulla, Oct. 1 & 2; Palm Beach, Oct. 8 & 9; and Sarasota, Oct. 15 & 16. For more information about the Wakulla course, contact Dale Bennett at (850) 926-3931; in Palm Beach, contact Audrey Norman at (561) 233-1712 or Alice Lewis at (954) 370-3725; and in Sarasota, contact Jean Meadows at (941) 316-1000. The Sell Green & Profit course is also scheduled for Manatee County on Feb. 19 & 26. For more information on this course, contact Brenda Rogers at (941) 722-4524.

Cost of the two-day, 11-credit course is $50.

The course is approved by the Florida Real Estate Licensing Board.

For more information or to schedule a course in your area, contact Stewart at (352) 392-7854.

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Posted: September 16, 1997


Category: UF/IFAS



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