10 Best Cities for Green Homes – Two Florida Cities Make the List

In honor of Earth Day, Redfin analyzed residential real estate listings in each of their service areas from March 2014 to March 2015, looking for those mentioning “green” features. No, Miami did not make the list (this year) but two other Florida cities did! Congratulations Tampa and Orlando.

What exactly counts as a green feature in a home? Green features include solar panels, low-flow faucets, dual-pane windows, energy-efficient appliances, environmental ratings and certification programs such as ENERGY STAR®, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and local programs like “Built Green”…

The top 10 cities with the highest percentage of green homes, and the top three neighborhoods for each city, according to Redfin:

• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Squirrel Hill
  • Fairmount District
  • Olde Kensington
• Orange County, California
  • West Floral Park
  • North Euclid
  • Peralta Hills
• Ventura County, California
  • Oxnard Harbor District
  • Silver Strand
  • Greenwich Village
• San Diego, California
  • Allied Gardens
  • Clairemont Mesa West
  • Sycamore Estates
• Boston, Massachusetts
  • Fenway/Kenmore Square
  • Eagle Hill
  • Bellevue Hill
• Fresno, California
  • Hoover
  • Fresno-High
  • Pinedale
• Orlando, Florida
  • Cypress Lakes
  • East Park
  • Waterford Trails
• Tampa, Florida
  • Palma Ceia
  • Westchester
  • Easton Park
• Richmond, Virginia
  • Fan
  • Wilton
  • Stony Point
• Los Angeles, California
  • Arts District
  • Garvanza
  • Yucca Corridor

Redfin’s analysis also found that the green homes identified in their survey:

• had a median sale price that was $52,500 higher than homes without green features
• were mostly built in the 1960s and ’70s
• were slightly larger than non-green homes, with an average square footage of 1,765 vs. the 1,588 for other homes sold

It looks like Miami needs to “green” our Multiple Listing System and start promoting all of the green building happening in our own city.