Daniel Island Mortgage Becomes the Nation's First myEnergyLoan Local Provider

Submitted by Michelle Salater • March 18, 2009

Responding to the growing demand for a sustainable, local economy in Charleston and all of South Carolina, Daniel Island Mortgage has become the nation's first myEnergyLoan local provider.

CHARLESTON, SC - March 17, 2009-Committed to providing a new green mortgage product that builds value in homes, saves clients money, and facilitates a healthier environment and sustainable economy, Daniel Island Mortgage announces it is the nation's first myEnergyLoan local provider.

Daniel Island Mortgage is leading the way for Charleston and all of South Carolina to shift from a carbon-based economy to a sustainable economy. Teaming up with myEnergyLoan, the nation's top green mortgage program, Daniel Island Mortgage is well positioned to be the market leader in green financing throughout South Carolina and the nation.

myEnergyLoan provides a simple and reliable way to get closing-cost discounts and lower interest rates for energy-efficient homes and buildings. Unlike traditional loans, which are limited in size and scope, myEnergyLoan works with all property types and all loan types, allowing it to serve a much larger segment of the real estate market. The greener the project, the larger the energy-credit rebate back to the consumer.

All property owners, who are increasingly interested in building or renovating using energy-efficient features, now have a mortgage product that recognizes and rewards them for going green. Homeowners who choose green typically capture tremendous savings through lower energy bills while adding value to their homes and lowering their environmental impact.

"One of the most important aspects that led me to partner with myEnergyLoan is that, at its core, it is truly committed to supporting sustainable financing and green real estate," says Gary Harwyn, president of Daniel Island Mortgage. "It has long-standing ties to some of the top green building programs in the country, such as the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED, EcoBroker, Energy Star, and EarthCraft. Not many financial institutions or builders can offer these types of green credentials, and this is what makes myEnergyLoan more genuine and authentic in the eyes of builders and consumers."

"Continuing with our sustainable mission, we also want to try to circulate dollars back through our local providers and businesses. Local dollars are said to circulate about six times more through the economy than if you did business with a large bank or store, where much of that money essentially gets exported," says Harwyn.

Daniel Island Mortgage has already received tremendous support from notable green builders and developers in the Charleston metro area. Hunley Waters, Battery Island Row, and Mixson, to name a few, have all added Daniel Island Mortgage as the preferred lender for their respective sustainable developments here in Charleston. Those developments alone represent over $400 million in projected sustainable developments in the Charleston market.

Daniel Island Mortgage is also fielding calls every day from green developers and homeowners all across the state interested in finding out more about green financing options. "We are very proud to help serve this green market while providing real value and green financial leadership in the South Carolina economy," adds Harwyn.

About Daniel Island Mortgage:
Daniel Island Mortgage is a SC licensed mortgage broker serving the Charleston market and all of South Carolina. Recognized for exceptional service and superior mortgage rates since 2004, Daniel Island Mortgage specializes in a full range of residential and commercial mortgage products and is proud to promote a triple bottom line focusing on profitability, the environment, and the community. Their experienced, licensed mortgage brokers stay up-to-date with the latest market conditions, trends, and available programs, bringing clients closer than ever before to experience the ultimate personal mortgage service at the local level.

ECOBROKER NAMED NAHB NATIONAL GREEN BUILDING AWARD FINALIST

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Evergreen, CO)—March 9, 2009 The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) announced today that EcoBroker International is a finalist for the 2009 NAHB National Green Building Awards.

The prestigious annual awards honor home builders, remodelers, home builders’ associations and other organizations for advancing green building through innovative design and construction techniques, excellent educational programs, and successful advocacy efforts.

EcoBroker was nominated in the Advocate of the Year category for education.

EcoBroker International is the premier provider of green designation training for real estate professionals. Founded in 2002, the company has built a solid foundation of environmental education and outreach, helping consumers and communities take advantage of energy efficiency and environmentally sensitive design in real estate properties.

Through EcoBroker's unique energy and environmental curriculum, real estate professionals acquire the knowledge and resources to become Certified EcoBrokers®. These real estate professionals assist clients in their pursuit of green properties that provide affordability, comfort and a healthier environment.

The awards are part of the NAHB National Green Building Program, NAHBGreen, which includes education, advocacy, marketing and certification services for green homes. Since NAHBGreen debuted in February 2008, it has certified homes across the country.

“Between 2006 and 2008, the number of award applications quadrupled. The tremendous growth of this program reflects the growth of green building practices all over the country,” said NAHB Green Building Subcommittee Chair Eric Borsting, a California home builder.

The awards will be presented at a gala dinner during the NAHB National Green Building Conference. The 11th annual conference is set for May 8-10 in Dallas.

About EcoBroker
EcoBroker is the premier provider of green designation training for real estate professionals. Through its unique and award-winning energy and environmental curriculum, real estate professionals acquire the knowledge to become EcoBroker Certified® and assist clients in their pursuit of greener homes. Certified members are known to consumers simply as EcoBrokers® and Ecosociates™. Since 2002, EcoBroker has grown to more than 5,000 members worldwide.

Contact Us
You can reach EcoBroker International at 1-800-706-4321, online at www.ecobroker.com and by email at kyoung@ecobroker.com.

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GREEN: A Recession-Proof Industry?

GREEN: A Recession-Proof Industry?
By Ryan Moehring


If you flip through any of the broadcast news channels or publications these days, you undoubtedly will be greeted with a barrage of headlines surrounding the current state of the U.S. economy. (For those of you who haven't been paying attention, it's not good.) Terms like "financial bailout," "recession," "inflation," and "the worst financial crisis since the great depression," do anything but conjure pleasant images in the minds of Americans and, unfortunately, they now dominate our daily news.

Yes, times are tough, and the constant media coverage seems to amplify the uncertainty we all feel, but are things really that bad for us as green real estate professionals? I'm going to propose that there is a silver lining to this dark cloud. Fortunately for EcoBrokers®, the bright spot in this dark time is the enduring stability of green building.

A study released this summer by McGraw-Hill Construction and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) found that over the past three years more than 330,000 "market rate" homes with green features were built, making green building a $36 billion per year industry. Of that number of homes, an estimated 60,000 earned third-party property certifications through LEED or another certification program.

The study also surveyed existing owners of green-certified properties in an effort to gauge their attitudes about their homes. An overwhelming 83 percent of respondents stated that their new green home will lower operating costs. Seventy percent of those surveyed said that they would be "more" or "much more" inclined to buy a green home over a conventional home in a down market like the one we face today. The study also found that 78 percent of lower-income consumers (those who are most affected by a market downturn) would be more inclined to purchase a green home.

While these numbers paint an optimistic picture for green buildings, a cynic might point out that the findings were released before today's economic meltdown had completely matured. Now that we more fully understand the gravity of our economic woes, is green building really as strong as this summer's study reported? Are LEED and other property ratings going to go the way of the Starbucks® Venti Triple Mocha Latte—a luxury consumers might have to have to do without until things improve?

Michelle Moore, senior vice president for policy and public affairs at USGBC, doesn't think so. "So far, we haven't seen any slow down," Moore said. "Our green buildings numbers are really strong, our membership numbers remain strong. In fact, we're at record levels across the board, from registrations and certifications of projects to the number of people taking the LEED AP test. They're all way up."

At the Greenbuild conference in Boston this month, Nancy Floyd, founder of the clean tech venture capital firm Nth Power, echoed Moore's sentiments. "The economic downturn will actually be good for this sector," Floyd said, "because the market meltdown is accelerating innovation. There are opportunities now because builders and decision-makers have more time to consider new ideas. There also is more competition among builders; so some will differentiate by adopting green building products and practices."

So, if more and more green buildings are being built, and consumers are increasingly satisfied with green buildings, the logical conclusion is that green real estate professionals should have more opportunities to help facilitate these transactions. While your EcoBroker® training ideally positions you as the most qualified real estate professional to handle these kinds of deals, you can't possibly expect deals to just fall into your lap. So how can you capitalize on the continued vitality of green building?

Maybe the time has come to revisit some of the concepts you studied in the EcoBroker Green Market Advantage™ course. Perhaps you should take another look at the online marketing materials that became available to you once you earned your designation. If you haven't completed your training, the rapidly approaching holiday season may be the gift of time you need to finish, setting you up to hit the ground running in 2009. Maybe you could get more closely involved with your local USGBC chapter and its builder members. Regardless of which path you take, a variety of opportunities are out there for you to build business and make a difference in your community.

Another piece of the green housing pie that the USGBC believes will be full of opportunities during this recession is green home retrofits. "This is an incredible opportunity for the industry to turn its focus to existing buildings," Moore said. "In any given year, new construction makes up only 10 percent of the overall building stock. But now, there will be fewer people building but just as many people wanting sustainable living or working environments." While helping a client retrofit their home may not result in a commission check, it is yet another way to provide real value to your clients, which will always create loyalty and referrals.

The fact of the matter remains that more green properties are being built every year, and the occupants of those buildings are increasingly satisfied with their purchase. Green building and remodeling is truly hitting critical mass, even in one of the most challenging economic times of our generation. Someone is getting hired to sell these properties and it might as well be you. Certainly no one is more qualified and more deserving than an EcoBroker®.


Sources:

http://www.fypower.org/res/news/green-homes.html
http://energypriorities.com/entries/2008/11/nancy_floyd_greenbuild.php
http://www.usgbc.org/Docs/News/Green%20Homes%20Affordable%20and%20In%20Demand%20-%20Press%20Release%20for%207-24%20am.pdf
http://greensource.construction.com/news/080725GreenHousing.asp

http://www.archpaper.com/e-board_rev.asp?News_ID=2950