As a certified EcoBroker with Triangle Estates Realty, Jeanne Moyer goes beyond the typical duties of a buyer’s agent. Known as Green Jeanne to clients and colleagues, she has made a name for herself by matching environmentally minded clients with eco-friendly homes.

As a former educator and market researcher, Moyer entered the real estate industry six years ago after discovering the advantages of home ownership and noticing the positive effect it has on children and women’s self esteem.

“I do a lot of support work with women and am very sensitive to the needs of this community,” she says. “I have a lot of empathy as a former single working mother.”

Moyer’s passion has always evolved around environmental issues through living a sustainable lifestyle, and she eventually discovered that she could take her passion and bring it into her business as a broker. A majority of her clients come to her when looking for a green — or energy-efficient, sustainable — home.

“People are finding me through networking, and I am becoming a resource for this area,” Moyer notes.

Going green

By earning a certification through a national EcoBroker certification program based in Evergreen, Colo., Moyer has gained knowledge and expertise in helping clients achieve a sustainable lifestyle.

Obtaining an EcoBroker designation involves participating in a training program to learn the latest energy, environmental, and green strategies and tools. With this training, an EcoBroker also is more knowledgeable when dealing with common problems such as mold, radon, and poor indoor air quality.

She asks clients questions about issues that will affect their lifestyles and the sustainability of a home, such as whether it holds a septic tank or sewer, delivers well or city water, and its location and the owner’s commute. Moyer believes it also is important for clients to look at homes within a price range that they truly want to pay.

“I work mainly with buyers and have their interests at heart beyond the buyer agency agreement,” she says. “I help them analyze their lifestyle and find the home in the right setting that matches their needs.”

More than a trend

Moyer believes that green construction is evolving from a trend into a mainstream practice. As a member of the Mainstream Green Real Estate Brokers Guild, her mission is to aid in the process of bringing eco-friendly homes to the mainstream market.

“People don’t think of Raleigh as being particularly green…but the mentality is out there,” she says. “People really are ready for this change.”

Moyer cites Energy Star-certified homes as an example of this upward trend, and says companies such as Anderson Homes and Chesapeake Homes are committed to building sustainable homes throughout the Triangle.

She also applauds the efforts of Cherokee Investment Partners, builder of one of the first eco-friendly sustainable homes in a typical subdivision, which recently met the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) Model Green Home Building guidelines.

While Moyer admits that many of the technologies used to build these homes are readily available yet expensive, she says there are low-cost, efficient methods to add green features to new or existing homes, such as building a solar water heater or installing rain catchers.

She currently is working to create an organization that will provide a community green guide for the Triangle to inform the public on these issues.

“Right now, there isn’t a place where you can look to go green,” she says. “Having this focal point to go through will grow the community.”