Duffy Realty of Atlanta Goes Green; Firm is doing its part by driving high gas mileage company cars, eliminating paper usage and encouraging use of Fluorescent bulbs by Sellers

October 17, 2007: Atlanta, GA — When one thinks about industries that can hurt the environment, real estate might not be at the top of the list, but it should be. And, local real estate company Duffy Realty of Atlanta 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,” Rhonda Duffy, broker and owner of Duffy Realty said. “By educating ourselves and our clients, we believe we can implement energy-friendly ideas to do our part.”

Some of the ways Duffy is going green included the purchase of six high gas mileage company vehicles for showings and listings. Duffy says she hopes to obtain more company cars in the future to reduce the amount of premium gas guzzlers SUVs and expensive cars that most agents drive.

Duffy Realty is a hybrid of traditional real estate companies, flat fee brokers and For Sale By Owner companies. Duffy provides full service representation without the high commissions, offering a $500 MLS listing plus 1/3% commission at closing and has done that over 8,000 times since opening their doors, making Rhonda Duffy the #1 Agent in Georgia and #10 in the U.S. Duffy understands the importance of the Internet in real estate marketing, encouraging sellers to market their homes using the least amount of paper possible.

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

One additional consideration Duffy 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 Duffy Realty means a better, more beautiful future for Atlanta and Georgia and more green in your wallet, which is always nice, too!” Duffy said.

Duffy Realty of Atlanta was founded in 2002 as a hybrid real estate company to bring Atlanta an alternative to traditional and discount real estate companies. Duffy Realty is owned by Frank and Rhonda Duffy and the company uses 70 pieces of aggressive marketing including Internet marketing, full-service expert representation and real financial savings to bring a better way to Atlanta sellers and buyers. For more information, visit www.DuffyRealtyofAtlanta.com or
call 678-366-7846.