Posts Tagged ‘Green’

Intero Real Estate Services, Inc. makes new, more efficient real estate office model available to franchisees worldwide

By Teressa Francis | May 4th, 2010 2 Comments

The ‘AndareSM‘ Office, launched in Silicon Valley, enables real estate brokers to sustain profitability while delivering a compelling customer experience

CUPERTINO, SILICON VALLEY, USA – May 4, 2010 — Intero Real Estate Services (http://www.interorealestate.com), a leading U.S. real estate brokerage that has recently expanded its brand globally, as a franchisor, through Intero Franchise Services, Inc. and Intero International Franchise Services, LLC, has announced that its groundbreaking Andare office model is now available to companies choosing to affiliate with the Intero brand.

The Andare model, first piloted by Intero in Silicon Valley, re-wrote the book on what a real estate office should be: a cost-efficient operation that delivers a memorable experience to agents and consumers alike. Gone are the seldom-used cubicles, replaced with wired pods for agents who drop-in and head out. Gone are the fax machines, file cabinets and copiers, replaced with wireless Internet and Web-based transaction management. The Andare office is an environment built for today and tomorrow, not yesterday.

A multimedia presentation of the Andare office can be viewed online.

‘The economics of a real estate brokerage today are different than a few years ago – that’s a fact that cannot be ignored’ said Gino Blefari, President and CEO of Intero Real Estate Services. ‘The real estate office as we have known it needed to change, so we reinvented it completely with Andare.’

Intero has developed a turnkey plan for franchisees around the globe to create their own Andare offices. Research, floor plans, operational and management practices and consulting are available to Intero affiliates that wish to open Andare offices in their markets.

‘Andare was a big part of my decision to affiliate with the Intero brand because it gave me something new and exciting to bring to the marketplace and will put me on a profitable track from day one,’ said Sandy Miller, the owner of the soon to be built Intero Rancho San Diego, California branch. ‘There’s a lot of talk about innovation in real estate right now, but Intero was the only company that delivered substance.’

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San Jose Makes Effort to Become Completely Energy Independent

By Theresa Wellman | September 8th, 2009 0 Comments

San Jose Councilman talks about San Jose’s plans for becoming energy independent.

Led by Mayor Chuck Reed, San Jose, CA is working toward a 15-year plan to Go Green and become energy independent with the design to also grow the local economy in the process. The unique plan is focused on three main elements: Clean Tech Innovation, Sustainability, and Green Mobility.

San Jose’s Green Vision includes:

1. increasing trail connectivity for alternate transportation

2. converting all public fleet vehicles to alternate fuel

3. planting 100,000 new trees

4. converting all street lights to zero-emission lighting

5. recycling or reusing 100% of our waste water.

6. getting 100% of it’s power from renewable sources

7. divert waste from our landfills

8. adopt a plan for sustainable development

One key challenge the mayor set forth, is for local solar companies to come up with creative financing so San Jose residents can install photovoltaic systems on their homes. The intention is obvious; to help the local businesses grow and decrease energy consumption in San Jose’s neighborhoods. The mayor even put solar cells on his own home just this past month.

Local students at Santa Clara University and California College of the Arts are creating excitement about green and sustainable building too by building their very own Refract House, a Zero-Energy Home. It is obvious this topic is on the top of the minds of tomorrow’s leaders, so it is great to see our local leadership today making goals and progress toward a green and more sustainable future as well.

Green is not just a fad, it’s a new way of living that we are seeing more and more apparent in the homes we sell in Silicon Valley. Energy consumption and sustainable materials are a concern for many of my clients and friends and family.

To learn more about green living in a home you are looking to buy or sell, talk to a certified EcoBroker.

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