Game changer for the existing housing market.

Hot on the heels of the Green Star Performance tool for existing buildings (see our last blog) comes a new initiative by LJ Hooker Real Estate.

Since the introduction of sustainable principles and energy efficiency as a consideration in our housing stock, the existing housing market has posed a significant challenge. Representing the majority of our carbon emissions from fossil fuel in the residential sector, the existing housing stock is more difficult to measure and more costly to quantify. As a result, with the exception of the ACT, most of Australia has ignored the existing home market when it comes to efficiencies and comfort.

LJ Hooker has introduced an initiative that tackles this head on. Released in October 2013, the Sustainability Index provides a seventeen point score card assessment of an existing home that will be used to inform purchasers and sellers of the buildings’ capacity to meet performance standards that will provide a more liveable home at a lower cost. Ecolateral has been a long time supporter of the concept of educating homeowners on how to best use their homes efficiently. Through the development and introduction of the Economix Indicator tool, Ecolateral has helped to educate new homebuyers in liveability and energy control.  Existing homes, however, present a greater challenge.

This new initiative by LJ Hooker is a great advance as it engages the agents and the clients in the concept of sustainability and liveability. Well done to LJ Hooker’s Cecille Weldon and her team for bringing this tool to the market.