Real Estate Insights

As California strives to improve energy efficiency across the state, REALTOR®’s can now offer their clients a rebate towards a home energy audit through the California REALTOR®’s Energy Audit Program (R.E.A.P.), a new program that provides rebates of up to $250 on Home Energy Rating System (HERS) home energy audits conducted by certified HERS raters.

Home energy audits help homeowners identify improvements they can make to their home to reduce their monthly utility bills. Improving the energy efficiency of your new home is a great way to counter rising energy costs and make your home more affordable.

To qualify for the program, homeowners must:

• Use the home as a primary residence
• Conduct a HERS home energy audit of the home prior to close of escrow (as part of the Energy Efficient Mortgage*) or no later than 60 days after escrow
• Use a California REALTOR® in the transaction (referrals do not qualify)

The REALTOR®’s Association hopes that this new program will help California homebuyers realize that an energy efficient home saves money. Additionally, home energy efficiency upgrades can now be financed into new purchase mortgages, or even new refinance mortgages (under certain circumstances).

The program is sponsored by the REALTOR® Housing Affordability Fund which is dedicating $250,000 towards this effort. If you are planning on purchasing a home in the coming months and are interested in applying for the REAP rebate just request an application from your California REALTOR®. For more information, including eligibility and application requirements, please visit www.carhaf.org