This question was recently the focus of a Vermont-based consulting team under the direction of The High Meadows Fund and Efficiency Vermont. The team, composed of VHFA, Energy Futures Group, Milne-Allen Appraisal Company and Fifth Element Associates, conducted extensive housing market, demographic and direct consumer research. Results and conclusions are summarized in a comprehensive report released this week.
While these homes do not yet command a bona fide “market” in the traditional sense due to general consumer expectations and cost considerations, there are action steps that can facilitate the development of a market in the future, the report concludes. Recommendations range from focusing on consumer needs for specific types of information and a “trusted advisor” to targeting certain types of high performance homes to particular locations in which prevailing land prices and home sizes make them more competitive.