You might say that San Francisco Green thinking still has a way to go after we spotted a un-Green SUV (Range Rover) in the garage of an already well publicized Noe Valley Green house.
After speaking with the one of the owners they admit that it’s hardly Green to drive the gas guzzler but they say that it’s leased. And they have a hybrid SUV on their radar for their next purchase. As for how they’re adapting to and how they like some of the interior green attributes inside the house well that’s for a future entry.

We actually feel sorry for the owner for the owner of the Green house in Bernal Heights. That same property (338 Holladay Ave.) has been languishing on the market for almost three months. That’s the same residence where the house’s owner wrote a letter to the editor of the San Francisco Chronicle several weeks back, which practically exclaimed a rebuttal to the paper’s articles saying that Green houses are all the rage and will sell like hotcakes.

The owner can’t be a happy camper as he and his agent continually drop the asking price from $1,279,000 to $1,195,000 to $1,049,000 to $994,000. The owner claims that location sells houses, as evidenced by the Green house in Noe Valley.  True the Noe Valley Green house location represents a superior addy to the one in Bernal Heights. Also, that Noe Green house sale occurred in a slightly warmer market.

There may be a degree of truth in the owner’s statement but instead of location, location, location the seller and his agent should be more concerned with marketing, marketing, marketing. And education.

In this market you can’t expect a green house to sell that when people don’t know what it is, or its environmental, health and economic benefits. The real estate agent selling the Green house appears to have little idea of how to market the place. To him it’s just a cute eco-home for the warm and fuzzy eco-family. That’s sweet. From the marketing flyers and listings you almost couldn’t tell this house from any other one in Bernal Heights.

Is a house a house? Is a car a car? Would you want a Yugo salesman selling you a Ferrari? But they’re both cars aren’t they? Tires, engine, seats. What’s the difference? Same with the house. Roof, stairs, kitchen what’s the difference?

Green houses, like Ferraris can rate high as far as technology so if you want to build, buy sell, or make a dwelling more green then find someone who knows about what’s under the engine. Need a referral than contact us and we’ll find you someone who knows their Green stuff. Now please take that Yugo out of our driveway.