The conversation around sustainability in real estate is no longer hypothetical or reserved for high-end developments. As environmental risks and consumer preferences evolve, the demand for greener homes and more climate-conscious communities is influencing buyer behaviour across income levels, property types, and regions.

A recent CREA Cafe article highlights the momentum building in Canada around sustainable building practices. What began in the late 1980s as a fringe academic interest is now part of how an entire generation of architects, engineers, and planners are trained. Today, that shift is becoming increasingly visible in how homes are marketed, evaluated, and purchased.

For real estate professionals, this creates a new kind of pressure – and opportunity. Those who can speak knowledgeably about climate risk, sustainable building features, and the long-term implications of green design will be better positioned to advise clients, differentiate themselves, and remain competitive in a changing industry.

Why Sustainability Is Becoming a Core Concern for Clients

Clients aren’t necessarily using the word “sustainability” when they ask about utility bills, home durability, or flood risk, but that’s what they’re talking about. Concerns about affordability, climate-related events, and long-term value are converging. Buyers want homes that will hold up over time, cost less to maintain, and carry lower exposure to risk. Governments and lenders are also aligning incentives around those goals.

Some key drivers of this shift include:

• Energy efficiency and operational cost savings: Rising utility costs have made buyers more aware of performance metrics such as insulation quality, HVAC efficiency, and appliance ratings.
• Climate resilience: Wildfire zones, flood plains, and storm-prone areas are seeing increased scrutiny, not just by buyers, but by insurers and lenders.
• Policy and market incentives: Municipal codes, retrofit grants, and net-zero initiatives are influencing both supply and demand.
• Generational values: Younger buyers are more likely to consider environmental impact in their purchasing decisions and are more open to mixed-use or transit-oriented neighbourhoods.

Practical Ways REPs Can Embrace Sustainability

Although cutting-edge sustainable properties may be a niche, sustainability in properties is becoming more mainstream, and real estate professionals can benefit from being a part of the movement.

Look for New Technologies in Properties

Green building technologies are evolving quickly in Canada, and professionals should be aware of which innovations are gaining traction, especially in preconstruction, where developers are more likely to integrate cutting-edge systems from the ground up, but also in resale properties.

Emerging technologies include:

• Air-source heat pumps, now viable in cold climates due to newer cold-climate models
• High-performance building envelopes using materials like triple-glazed windows, advanced membranes, and prefabricated wall systems
• On-site renewable energy, including solar arrays and, in some cases, shared battery storage systems
• Low-carbon concrete and mass timber construction, reducing the embodied carbon of the structure itself
• Smart ventilation and energy recovery systems, ensuring indoor air quality without sacrificing efficiency
• Greywater recycling and rainwater harvesting, capturing and reusing showers/sinks runoff and rain for non-potable uses
• Green roofs and reflective roofing materials, providing insulation, stormwater management, and heat-island reduction
• Carbon-sequestering materials (hempcrete, mycelium insulation, low-carbon concrete), storing CO₂ in the building fabric
• Passive solar design and dynamic shading systems, maximizing winter solar gain and minimizing summer overheating

For preconstruction, review the developer’s sustainability strategy and certifications, such as LEED, Passive House, or Zero Carbon Building standards, and research long-term emissions targets, energy performance modelling, and operational carbon metrics.

In resale, look for documented upgrades like energy audits, improved insulation, efficient HVAC systems, and water-saving fixtures. Homes built or renovated post-2015 are more likely to align with newer code standards and may offer a higher baseline for sustainability, even if they don’t advertise it explicitly.

Understand and Communicate the Practical Benefits of Green Features

Clients often need help interpreting what “green” really means in terms of cost, comfort, and performance. Be ready to explain:

• What a heat pump does and why it matters
• The difference between R-value and insulation effectiveness
• How triple-glazed windows improve comfort and reduce energy bills
• How rooftop solar interacts with the local grid and affects utility costs

It’s important to be able to clearly translate features into benefits that matter to buyers and sellers.

Evaluate and Disclose Climate Risk Factors Transparently

Real estate professionals should be prepared to answer basic questions about flood zones, wildfire history, and insurance implications. Even without specialist knowledge, you should be aware of efforts like fire and flood mapping in your region, insurance eligibility and premiums in high-risk areas, and other such related factors. This is increasingly a core part of the risk assessment clients expect.

Connect Clients with Incentives and Retrofit Programs

Many provinces, municipalities, and utility providers offer incentives for energy audits, retrofits, and efficient equipment upgrades. REPs who can help clients access these resources, either during the transaction or in preparation for listing, can increase deal value and client satisfaction.

Work With (and Learn From) Specialized Professionals

Partner with experts in sustainable construction, such as:

• Home inspectors trained in energy performance
• Builders focused on low-impact or net-zero homes
• Mortgage brokers familiar with green financing options

These relationships can deepen your own knowledge and help you serve a wider range of clients.

Moving Forward

Buyers and sellers are more aware of how sustainability factors into property decisions, and professionals who can respond to that awareness with substance, not just marketing, will have an advantage. Real estate professionals should be fluent in how climate, energy, and policy are affecting the homes they represent, to answer questions that increasingly coming up in today’s markets.