Making the decision to go green—or sustainable or healthy or high performance or whatever—may seem like it requires a leap of faith on the builder's part, and it's even harder to go forward with such a program in a soft market. “It's our hope that [green features] will differentiate us in the marketplace from the next builder,” says Gulfstream's Peel. “I think in a market where people get choosy, anything you can do to differentiate [yourself] is good.”

Pardee, for one, has proved that going green pays off. “We built our first Energy Star home in Las Vegas in 1998,” Joyce Mason says. “It was a very tough, competitive market, but the Energy Star homes sold faster than our other homes. So it was a nice way for us to differentiate [ourselves] from the other builders.”

STARTING OUT

These tips can help you start the process of siting, building, and selling a sustainable home:

  • Pick just a couple of green strategies and focus on them. Experts say energy efficiency is your best bet.
  • Look for features that have a five-year return on investment. Evaluate the payback of features carefully.
  • Maximize your site's natural topography to reduce drainage and grading costs.
  • Design with passive solar gain in mind.
  • Modify your exterior elevations to reflect the lots' orientation and maximize energy efficiency.
  • Use radiant reflective roofing materials to keep houses cool and energy costs down.
  • Use housewrap to create a tight envelope.
  • Reduce duct leakage.
  • Perform blower-door tests to save money later.
  • An energy audit can tell you whether your techniques are working.
  • Forget the word “green.” Instead, sell “high performance,” “energy efficiency,” or “health.” These terms resonate more clearly with buyers.
  • Showcase the benefits of green houses to help you differentiate yourself from the competition.
  • Tell buyers why your houses are different.
  • Give buyers a logical reason to pay a little more for sustainable features, such as the money and the natural resources they'll save.
  • Create a logo to help buyers identify your green products.
  • Train your sales staff to explain green benefits to buyers.
  • Join a voluntary green building program. A group's identifying label is good for recognition and marketing.