Revealed preferences of residential decarbonization: Real estate agents and marketing sustainability amenities

Source abstract

Decarbonization of the residential built environment requires widespread adoption of social practices that improve energy efficiency, support electrification, and integrate renewable energy. Real estate agents can influence how such interventions are interpreted at open houses and at the point-of-sale, especially given they must frame the homes they sell for the imagined lifestyle demands of future occupants, yet their role in shaping buyer-facing narratives is unclear. Drawing on qualitative data from “mystery shopper” participant-observer visits to 60 open houses in United States cities Boston and Phoenix, this study investigates how real-estate agents frame residential sustainability amenities to potential buyers. We find that agents rarely volunteer information about sustainability features unless prompted by interested buyers. When prompted, agents offered ambivalence about solar technologies, particularly leased systems, but mobilize more favorable frameworks for other amenities, including electric vehicle charging capability and high-quality insulation. Applying Shove’s account of resource-intensive practices organized around “cleanliness, comfort, and convenience,” we show that, when discussed, sustainability amenities were most often favorably communicated when supporting convenience, followed by comfort and protection. These findings highlight real estate agents as overlooked intermediaries in residential decarbonization and suggest that point-of-sale communication may shape whether sustainability features in residential exchange are recognized as desirable or risky.