November 28, 2018 – Vienna, VA – Pearl Certification announced today a new chapter in its partnership with HomeSmart International to help Phoenix homeowners capture incremental value of their energy efficient, solar and other performance upgrades when they sell.

Agents from HomeSmart, the nation’s fifth-largest real estate brokerage, will assist qualifying Phoenix homeowners to certify their homes through Pearl. Pearl’s certification system highlights a home’s most efficient features and suggests points of improvement to make before selling. This new appraisal study will analyze sale price and days on market for up to 100 homes that get certified and sold in a targeted area of Phoenix.

A 2017 study by an independent team of nationally recognized appraisers found that Pearl Certified homes in Virginia sold for prices that were on average 5 percent more than the prices of comparable, non-certified homes. HomeSmart and Pearl are facilitating a similar study to see how much value Pearl Certification Reports add to Phoenix homes (includes the Appraisal Institute’s Green and Energy Efficient Appraisal Addendum).

“Homebuyers want high performing homes – homes that are energy efficient, safe, and comfortable,” said Pearl CEO, Cynthia Adams. “Survey after survey shows they’ll pay more for them – but only if they have reliable, investment-grade information about the home’s features. We believe the Phoenix market will confirm that buyers want and will pay more for homes with features that improve their quality of life.”

As part of the study, Pearl will train HomeSmart listing agents focused within a target area of Phoenix zip codes to identify homes that are good candidates for certification. Pearl will provide the needed third-party certification of the energy efficient, smart home, and renewable energy features and provide the documentation which can then be used by the agent and homeowner in the sale of the home. Homes falling within the primary focus area within Phoenix will be certified at no cost to the homeowner. For agents looking to have homes outside of the area certified, HomeSmart is contributing 100 dollars toward certifications that qualify for the study.

“HomeSmart agents are skilled at helping their clients get the highest possible sale price for their home,” said Carol Perry, chief business development officer at HomeSmart. “This study and our partnership with Pearl Certification gives our agents another tool to differentiate themselves while helping sellers maximize the value of their home.”

By providing Phoenix buyers information about a home’s high-performing features, such as insulation, high-efficiency heating and cooling equipment, ENERGY STAR® appliances, and smart devices, Pearl’s extensive documentation helps buyers understand why these features have value that goes beyond environmental impact and cost savings.

“Both Pearl and HomeSmart are eager to get the study started, believing it will go a long way to raise awareness and education on the importance of data accuracy and marketing of high-performing homes,” said Robin Lebaron, COO and cofounder of Pearl.

For more details and information on how to participate, visit www.PearlCertification.com/HomeSmart.

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Pearl Certification is a national firm that provides third-party certification of high-performing homes: homes with “performance assets” that make them healthy, safe, comfortable, energy and water efficient. For more information, visit https://pearlcertification.com/. Follow Pearl Certification on social sites: @pearlcertification - Instagram and Facebook, @PearlCert on Twitter.

HomeSmart International was founded in 2000, and quickly became the fastest-growing real estate brokerage firm in Arizona. The company is ranked in the top 5 real estate brokerages in the United States and the number one brokerage firm in the Phoenix market. From its international franchising headquarters based in Scottsdale, HomeSmart International offers franchisees efficiency and innovation coupled with the systems and technologies necessary to succeed in today's evolving real estate industry. Today, the brand has 140 offices in 24 states and nearly 16,000 agents nationwide. For more information on HomeSmart International and its franchise opportunities, visit https://www.homesmart.com. Follow HomeSmart International on Facebook at www.facebook.com/homesmartfranchise and on Twitter and Instagram @HomeSmartIntl.