Changing the Real Estate Industry with Craig Foley

Jun 27

In an ever changing and complex world, the real estate industry must change. The change needs to come from all levels: from designers and architects, builders and developers, planners and policy makers. This is especially true for real estate agents.

The residential real estate industry has been pushing out repetitive platitudes for a long time. Agents tout that they can help a buyer find their dream home; or they promise a homeowner that they can help sell a property for the most amount of money in the least amount of time.

But how many real estate agents talk about lowering operating costs? Or creating comfortable, resilient, and healthy home environments?

Craig Foley, the Chief Sustainability Officer for LAER Realty Partners and the team leader at REthink 39 of Boston, Massachusetts, has been working at the forefront of this change for more than a decade. What he first saw as an opportunity to work with buyers and sellers that were more environmentally motivated turned into an obligation the more he saw the threat of climate change.

Craig’s team, REthink39, is devoted to lowering the 39% of U.S. energy consumption attributed to the built environment and believe they can be part of a solution with every transaction closed. Their work has helped to forge the way to how high performance homes get valued, and how buyers can help update properties to be more energy efficient.

Through his work, Craig has been active with the National Association of REALTORS (NAR) through its Sustainability Advisory Group and currently serves on Fannie Mae's Energy Advisory Council and Freddie Mac's Energy Efficiency Task Force.

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Regenerative Real EstateNARNAR GreenREthink39Passive HouseLEED HomeHigh Performance HomeGreen BuildingGreen ValuationLaer Realty PartnersRealtyNeal Collins

Neal Collins (he/him)

Neal is the co-founder of Latitude, a regenerative-focused real estate company that works with change agents across North America. His work has brought him around the globe across three-continents as a business leader, consultant, and project manager. He has a dynamic background that combines sustainability with investment analysis and marketing and communications. He is the host of The Regenerative Real Estate Podcast, and is a public speaker, author, and father. He holds a Bachelors in Agriculture Economics, a Masters in Sustainable Development, and is Living Future Accredited.