RMLS, the search database for Portland Metro and SW Washington real estate has gotten a little greener. It is now possible to search for whether a home is green certified and if so, what certification(s) it has. It will probably take some time for the potential of the change to be realized. First, Realtors with listings that meet the requirements are going to have to enter the information into the database (that should happen to day but reality says otherwise). Then client-side search engines are going to have to be updated. That may take some time. Finally, we’re going to have to see whether being green is a deal breaker or an added perk.

If there are two identical houses side by side and one is green certified and the other is not and they are both priced the same, the choice seems pretty clear. If one has solid surface counters and other visual upgrades and the other has laminate counters but is green certified, which house wins?

Earth Advantage has both new construction and remodel provisions. I’ve emailed them to see if the remodel portion can be done retroactively. If a home was remodeled to their standards and for whatever reason, was not certified as the project was done and cannot be added now, the RMLS field is going to “punish” those houses and skew the effectiveness of being able to compare properties. I’ll report back when I hear back.