NEW YORK—Navigating the green world can be daunting for people who are looking for a more sustainable home choice. Corcoran’s Senior Vice President Susan Singer, is as much a green consultant as an eco-broker in the current market of retrofits and refurbishments.
Her clients range from those looking for a new home, to families wanting to refurbish before their next child arrives; they want to know how to make their home toxin-free.
Many are not looking for a home with extra green features, but Singer is quick to explain the long-term benefits of going sustainable—most enticing is the saving of money on utilities—and her clients trust her judgment.
“Everything is going to be green,” she says. “If you’re buying or building now, the best advice I can give you is to go green.”
Studies are showing sustainable buildings are definitely a growing market, and Singer is on top of the wave.
Armed with a vision for a green future, Singer moved to New York City in 2006 and became the city’s first eco-broker after completing a course based in Denver.
“I knew we were going to build green and I was going to be the expert,” she said. A London Towers resident, she once gave out 570 eco-bulbs as gifts to the tenants; her way of advocating change and raising awareness.
Working her way quickly up the ranks, Singer first earned the title of Corcoran vice president after a mere two years in the business.
In the first and second and quarters of 2008 she was named one of NRT’s Top 1,000 sales associates out of 54,000.
“A home is your biggest investment,” she said. “That’s a huge responsibility.” The same responsibility lies with going green, she said. “I can influence people about green.”
The real payment for Singer is when she can help people, she said. A few weeks ago she got a call from a women who had to sell an apartment that belonged to her son who had just died. Singer waived the fee.
“That’s how I do my business and it comes back to me,” she said.
Singer said there is a pent-up desire right now to own a home after the market uncertainty and wariness over January bonuses.
As the market surges in New York, with buyers ready and inventory down by 20 percent, Singer is optimistic.
Her clients range from those looking for a new home, to families wanting to refurbish before their next child arrives; they want to know how to make their home toxin-free.
Many are not looking for a home with extra green features, but Singer is quick to explain the long-term benefits of going sustainable—most enticing is the saving of money on utilities—and her clients trust her judgment.
“Everything is going to be green,” she says. “If you’re buying or building now, the best advice I can give you is to go green.”
Studies are showing sustainable buildings are definitely a growing market, and Singer is on top of the wave.
Armed with a vision for a green future, Singer moved to New York City in 2006 and became the city’s first eco-broker after completing a course based in Denver.
“I knew we were going to build green and I was going to be the expert,” she said. A London Towers resident, she once gave out 570 eco-bulbs as gifts to the tenants; her way of advocating change and raising awareness.
Working her way quickly up the ranks, Singer first earned the title of Corcoran vice president after a mere two years in the business.
In the first and second and quarters of 2008 she was named one of NRT’s Top 1,000 sales associates out of 54,000.
“A home is your biggest investment,” she said. “That’s a huge responsibility.” The same responsibility lies with going green, she said. “I can influence people about green.”
The real payment for Singer is when she can help people, she said. A few weeks ago she got a call from a women who had to sell an apartment that belonged to her son who had just died. Singer waived the fee.
“That’s how I do my business and it comes back to me,” she said.
Singer said there is a pent-up desire right now to own a home after the market uncertainty and wariness over January bonuses.
As the market surges in New York, with buyers ready and inventory down by 20 percent, Singer is optimistic.
