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March 2010
Welcome to the National
Association of Green Agents and Broker’s newsletter.
Green
Real Estate News
The curb appeal of a home
is a critical element to ensure the timely sale of a property.
Particularly in the cases of well-established neighbourhoods, the
surrounding mature trees and landscape can be a significant selling
point for buyers. However, in some cases these trees are diseased and
must be removed shortly after the sale of a home, causing significant
distress to the home buyer. It is wise for home buyers who are
purchasing a property with mature trees to schedule an inspection with
an experienced arborist. Jeff Thompson of Thompson Environmental
Services offers these inspections across Southern Ontario (from
Windsor to Peterborough), and can be reached by telephone at
519-748-4021.
Government News
Did you know
that the Canadian federal government was the first government of
Olympic host countries to offset the carbon emissions produced by the
Games? Canada’s Environment Minister, Jim Prentice, announced the
initiative just prior to the Games Opening Ceremonies in February. The
program will invest approximately $150,000 in carbon reduction
initiatives to offset an estimated 7,600 tonnes of emissions created
by the activities of thousands of government employees involved with
the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which concluded this weekend in
Whistler. For more information, visit
www.ec.gc.ca.
New
Products
How can you
be sure that the green products that you are purchasing are truly kind
to the environment? How can you avoid ‘greenwashing’ (the practice of
fooling consumers into buying products that aren’t actually
environmentally friendly)? One way is to look for the EcoLogo
certification on these products. The EcoLogo certification program
initiative is owned by Environment Canada, and since 1988 has become
the most widely recognized and respected environmental certification
program in North America. For more information on the program, visit
http://www.ecologo.org/en/index.asp
Association News
Spring is the perfect time
to schedule seminars for yourself or your real estate selling team.
Classes can be scheduled and held at your convenience – simply contact
the Association for information on how to schedule a class at your
location. Information on courses offered can be found at
www.nagab.org
Membership News
Home energy evaluations have
become an excellent tool in helping homeowners understand the energy
efficiency of their homes – while also qualifying them for the
lucrative government grants currently being offered by both the
federal and provincial governments. However, homeowners are not the
only ones who can benefit from using energy evaluations. In the ever
increasing competitive housing market – many realtors are using energy
evaluations as an effective marketing tool. NAGAB is pleased to
recommend The Energuy to members of the Association. For more
information on how you can use an energy evaluation to differentiate
your listings contact AnaBela Azevedo at The Energuy at 226-208-6637
or click here to schedule an energy evaluation:
http://www.energuy.ca/evaluation.html
GreenrealestateTM
– Buy/Sell/Lease
The future
of sustainable housing in high-density areas is here – a new detached,
two bedroom sustainable laneway home featured on CTV news is for sale
in the Annex area of Toronto. Due to many energy-saving features, the
home has very low utility costs and has an EnerGuide rating of 79.
More information on the property can be found at
http://www.58garnet.info
Contact Us
If you require support or information, please call 877-524-9494, or email
us at
info@nagab.org.
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