4.16.2008 - 05:50pm ET

(CSRwire) PORTLAND, OR - April 16, 2008 - Home buyers want properties where the grass is always greener. Now, with the introduction of the first-of-its-kind Green Certified Home Search by Portland-based Realty Trust Group Inc., buyers can search for homes that are greener; specifically, all of the green-certified homes in the RMLS (Regional Multiple Listing Service) system. The search tool also allows buyers to view only LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-, Earth Advantage- or Energy Star-certified properties.

Realty Trust Group is the first brokerage in Portland to offer this search capability. This online tool is part of a larger sustainability initiative by the ten-year-old real estate company.

More than 150 Realty Trust agents and staff (86 percent of the company) have been certified as Earth Advantage S. T. A. R. (Sustainability Training for Accredited Real Estate Professionals) agents - more than any other brokerage in the state of Oregon. This two-day training gives real estate agents expertise in the pillars that make up a green home, including energy efficiency, indoor air quality, resource efficiency and environmental responsibility.

"At Realty Trust Group, we believe that we should leave things better than when we found them and that we should lead by example," said Todd Prendergast, Realty Trust Group partner. "With these principles in mind, we've made a commitment to sustainability to better serve our clients by providing easy-to-use tools to find green homes and educating our real estate agents about green building practices."

"While the commitment to sustainability and green building is somewhat expected in the city of Portland, the level that Realty Trust has adopted is significant," said Sean Penrith, executive director of Earth Advantage. "The value of green building is being faithfully delivered by each and every Realty Trust agent that attends our S.T.A.R. class."

Kristin Staver, a Realty Trust agent, is now one of the instructors delivering the S.T.A.R. certification trainings. Additionally, the brokerage has made an ongoing commitment with Earth Advantage to certify every new Realty Trust agent.

The brokerage's commitment to sustainability is also evident in the management of its four offices. Realty Trust staff follows sustainable business practices including carefully considering energy and material use and encouraging and facilitating recycling whenever possible. The company has adopted numerous web-based paperless transaction tools, introduced compact fluorescent light bulbs, and purchased office supplies made from recycled materials – everything from paperclips to file folders.

The company chooses vendors that have a mutual respect for sustainable business practices. It has hired a cleaning company that uses eco-friendly products and a printer that offers 100 percent recycled, chlorine-free, paper created with wind-power for all Realty Trust print jobs.

The brokerage is pursuing a stringent third-party green award by RecycleWorks, which is presented to businesses serving as a role model for others in Portland by reducing, reusing, recycling, making sustainable purchasing choices and going beyond recycling by participating in at least one other sustainable practice.

Additionally, all Realty Trust agents are encouraged to practice sustainability on an individual level and lead by example. Upon learning the size of his carbon footprint in the EA S.T.A.R. training session, one agent in the Hollywood office decided to switch to a hybrid car. He convinced three other agents to negotiate a "fleet" price on Priuses for each of them. Another agent based out of the Pearl District stored his Land Rover and now uses a hybrid Zipcar to show his clients properties.

The company recently launched a new page focusing on sustainability on its website. It features direct links to all of its Earth Advantage S.T.A.R. certified agents and links to constantly updated eco-resources and sustainable content relevant to buyers and sellers. For more information, visit www.realtytrust.com/sustainability.

ABOUT REALTY TRUST GROUP

In December 1997, Realty Trust Group was formed by five established Portland real estate professionals in response to the growing trend in the real estate industry toward consolidation, a focus on transactions rather than relationships, and anonymous out-of-market corporate ownership. The partners of Realty Trust Group envisioned a real estate company that was owned locally, successful by the highest standards, and respected by clients and professional peers. For more than ten years, Realty Trust Group has defied the notion that bigger is better—aiming instead to provide a local real estate option dedicated to client service and intimate knowledge of the Portland market. For more information, please visit www.realtytrust.com.

For more information please contact: