Johnson Realty of St. Louis Goes Green Firm is doing its part by driving a hybrid car, minimizing paper usage and encouraging use of Fluorescent bulbs

June 20, 2007: ST. LOUIS, Mo.— When you think about industries that can hurt the environment, real estate might not be at the top of the list. But local real estate company Johnson Realty of St. Louis realizes agents do have an impact and they are doing something about it.

“Thousands of miles of stop and go driving, countless reams of unessential, unused paper and thousands of kilowatts of wasted electricity showing homes with every light on have an impact on pollutants and carbon emissions,” Cheryl Johnson, co-owner of Johnson Realty said. “By educating ourselves and our clients, we believe we can implement energy-friendly ideas to do our part.”

Some of the ways Johnson is going green include the purchase of its first hybrid vehicle for showings and listings. Johnson says she hopes to obtain more company hybrid company cars to reduce carbon emissions and dependency on foreign oil.

Johnson Realty is a hybrid of traditional real estate companies, flat fee brokers and FSBO. Johnson provides full service representation without the high commissions, offering a $500 MLS listing plus 1/3% commission at closing. Johnson understands the importance of the Internet in real estate marketing, encouraging sellers to market their homes using the least amount of paper possible.

Johnson Realty provides talking signs so the public can have all the information they need about the home 24 hours a day. Johnson has found that paper fliers get wet, are expensive and are mostly taken by neighbors. Using reusable signage saves roughly $150.00 per listing in paper, work hours and ink per home, as well as saving trees.

In addition, all of the company’s faxes and contracts are presented via email saving countless reams of paper. Johnson Realty also places disclosures online so they are available to all agents and even non-agents electronically.

One additional consideration Johnson encourages clients to implement are compact fluorescent light bulbs instead of halogen or tungsten light bulbs. Fluorescent bulbs can use up to 75% less energy and can cut down on greenhouse gases.

“Remember, thinking green with Johnson Realty means a better, more beautiful future for St. Louis and the Metro East and more green in your wallet, which is always nice, too!” Johnson said.

Johnson Realty of St. Louis was founded in 2005 as a hybrid real estate company to bring St. Louis an alternative to traditional and discount real estate companies. Johnson Realty is owned by Cheryl and Mike Johnson and the company uses aggressive Internet marketing, full-service expert representation and real financial savings to bring a better way to St. Louis sellers and buyers. For more information, visit www.johnsonstl.com or call 314-726-3174.

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