Course Name

The EcoBroker Certificate Program

Contact Hours: 18

Course Description

The EcoBroker Certificate Course provides real estate professionals with basic information about “green” homes and business practices. The program contains three courses leading to the EcoBroker Certified® professional designation. These courses are provided online in a completely self-paced format. A live instructor is assigned to each student. The instructor provides feedback on various interactive exercises and is available for additional assistance. EcoBroker Environmental Advantage is designed to educate real estate professionals to readily identify and understand various environmental issues as they relate to real estate transactions. Real estate licensees reduce potential liabilities through improved knowledge, understanding, and the ability to provide clients with information and access to technical experts in the field. Licensees who receive this training assist buyers and sellers in learning more about environmental issues, and encourage their clients to make informed decisions with regard to the energy and dollar saving benefits of a safe and healthy piece of real estate. Increased consumer awareness drives the market toward higher quality, healthier, and more energy-efficient real estate. EcoBroker Energy Advantage is designed to educate real estate professionals to recognize and understand the potentially energy-efficient attributes of a variety of products, appliances, building materials, and building designs. Real estate professionals benefit from increased knowledge, understanding, and the ability to provide their clients with information and access to technical experts in the field. In turn, the buyers and sellers of real estate, as well as members of the general public, enjoy a variety of energy and dollar saving benefits as a result of the reduced maintenance and utility costs associated with more energy-efficient properties. The EcoBroker emphasis on recognizing and taking advantage of the energy-efficient features of properties, or perhaps achieving financing for energy-efficiency improvements, allows real estate clients and consumers to experience a variety of financial, environmental, and health-related benefits. EcoBroker Green Market Advantage is designed to educate real estate professionals to recognize various environmental, energy, and dollar-saving features of real estate and, in turn, market such features to clients who are looking for homes and buildings with "greener" features. In an era of rising energy costs and heightened awareness of energy and environmental conservation, buyers and sellers readily benefit from professional guidance on the energy and environmental features of properties. Real estate licensees themselves, as well as the buyers and sellers of real estate, benefit from the EcoBroker emphasis on using the most efficient, credible, and ultimately successful approaches in identifying and addressing “green” markets and “green” features of real estate.

Outcome

By completing these courses you will learn to: Explain the potential need for radon testing in a real estate transaction based on Environmental Protection Agency findings Describe federally mandated disclosures and provide appropriate forms to assure the proper warning and disclosure of lead contamination potential in target properties Recognize the situations in which a seller or buyer may benefit from water quality information and possible professional testing in Metropolitan central water supply systems, Private water district supply systems, and Individual well supply systems Identify a properly qualified home energy rating contractor Assist a buyer or seller in evaluating the results of a Home Energy Rating System report and formulating appropriate questions for the rater Explain the use of a home energy rating in applying for an energy-efficient mortgage or other “green” financing Be able to understand and apply the principles of the Diffusion of Innovations to the concept we call the “green market” Realize that these principles and actual market performance demonstrate that energy and environmentally sound marketing is moving into the mainstream market And much more!

Assessment

This course has "activities" that call for the student to prepare a written response within the Activity Center that is part of our course platform. These activities are mandatory and are reviewed individually by an instructor. Each of the three courses has a 35 question online exam with 80% minimum passing. The courses also contain "review" questions that are mandatory to answer, not mandatory to pass.

Outline

EcoBroker Environmental Advantage This course will cover the following topics: Section 1: Radon (40 minutes) Section 2: Lead (40 minutes) Section 3: Water Quality (35 minutes) Section 4: Mold (40 minutes) Section 5: Asbestos (40 minutes) Section 6: Indoor Air Quality (45 minutes) Section 7: Historic Contamination (30 minutes) Section 8: Green Buildings And Health (30 minutes) EcoBroker Energy Advantage This course will cover the following topics: Section 1: Energy Ratings And “Green” Financing Options (50 minutes) Section 2: Energy-Efficient Windows (35 minutes) Section 3: Energy-Efficient Space Heating And Cooling (35 minutes) Section 4: Energy-Efficient Insulation (30 minutes) Section 5: Energy-Efficient Appliances (30 minutes) Section 6: Building Orientation (40 minutes) Section 7: Solar Technologies(45 minutes) Section 8: Green Buildings And Energy (35 minutes) EcoBroker Green Market Advantage This course will cover the following topics: Section 1: How Green Affects Your Real Estate Practice (40 minutes) Section 2: Green Misconceptions (45 minutes) Section 3: Adding Value to Every Transaction (55 minutes) Section 4: Green Market Data And Examples (35 minutes) Section 5: Identifying Green Properties (30 minutes) Section 6: Networking For Success (40 minutes) Section 7: Green Market Strategies (35 minutes) Section 8: Measuring Success(20 minutes)