REAL ESTATE
THE GREENING OF HOME A Montreal-area real estate broker offers an eco-conscious approach to buying and selling houses BY PHILLIPA RISPIN
JE NNIF E R LY NN WA L K E R C A L L S HE R S E L F A N “ECO-REALTOR.” This Montreal real estate broker says she’s interested in “anything and everything to do with green (environmentally sound) real estate, homes, and lifestyles. I help people buy and sell homes with knowledge of the environment and the health of their families.” While Walker doesn’t have a specific certification in green real estate brokerage, she adds that she has integrated ecological principles into all of her work as an accredited broker. “It’s part of me. I’ve been doing it for 15 years as a broker.” Her greenness starts with her own business. “You get bare bones with me,” she says, citing such practices as giving clients materials that are printed on both sides and are not encased in a plastic binder. She recycles whatever she can, and she runs an office that is close to paperless. “Now everything’s stored in the cloud,” she says. When she’s with potential homebuyers, even for the first time, she’s proactive about getting the message across. “I’m always giving buyers options,” she says. “When we’re looking at houses, I immediately point things out that are green or not.”
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THE TRENDS ISSUE
