What happens when a buyers’ real estate market meets environmentally conscious consumers who look for a green alternative with every purchase?Those eco-friendly homebuyers find options all over – and even off – the grid.

Today’s buyers are looking for a home or property that meets many requirements. With so much inventory on the market, buyers are able to make a purchase that not only provides them with a place to live or an investment, but also gives them peace of mind and a way to care for our environment.

This peace of mind comes in many shapes and sizes. Some buyers want their family’s new home to be consistent with their existing green lifestyle. They may be interested in homes with passive solar panels or energy efficient appliances. Others are looking for a weekend retreat that will allow them to escape the chaos of everyday life: a property in the woods or on a mountain that has little or no contact with the outside world. These types of properties, often with no electricity or using all renewable energy sources, can be termed “off the grid,” offering the owner a reprieve from ringing phones and buzzing PDAs.

Consumers seeking a green dream home or an off the grid retreat can search properties located in every corner of the nation on the United Country website, which allows visitors to search through thousands of properties sorted by any criteria they desire, from vague parameters such as “green” or “environmentally friendly” to specific requirements such as “solar energy” or “organic farm.”

“We truly have something for everyone, when it comes to green living,” said Dan Duffy, chief executive officer of United Country. “Our company has been helping customers find their freedom for 85 years, and for many buyers today, that freedom includes environmental responsibility. So no matter the budget or the location, we have properties to fit your needs.”

Some of our recent green properties include a historical fishing cannery with eco-tourism potential on Kodiak Island, an energy-efficient home in New Mexico with a passive solar design and a geodesic greenhouse, and a beautiful straw bale home built off the grid in the woods of Kentucky.

Eco-friendly homebuyers also can find the only USDA-certified organic farm in southwest Colorado, a Wyoming ranch with spring-fed creeks and a buffalo herd, and a Colorado ranch with both active and passive solar ability and a wind power generator listed with United Country. Ranging from $50,000 to $4.3 million, we have property that fits any budget.

Some consumers are looking for not just a home to fit their current lifestyle, but instead are committed to changing their entire life to support the environmental cause. United Country offers many investment and business opportunities for these buyers, ranging from a health food business in small-town Missouri to an organic farm and vineyard in Colorado.

Another opportunity for consumers looking for a big move is Teal Farm, a future-looking farm and ecological preserve in Vermont seeking to prototype perpetual food, building and energy systems that are responsive to climate change, fluctuating energy supplies and a shifting global economy.

Surrounded by a state forest and privately-owned preserved lands, Teal Farm is a world unto itself, with 530+/- acres, a sustainably-managed northern hardwood watershed with streams, pond, wetlands, an extensive trail network, waterfalls and mountain pastures. The Farm complex includes a luxurious, circa 1865 renovated farmhouse, an insulated energy barn and a 10+/- acre permaculture orchard of fruits, nuts, fuel-wood, berries and fertilizing. Teal Farm offers luxury living in a sustainable fashion.

Consumers today are savvy and responsible, and they’re looking for the best value – not just for their budget, but also for their world. And these consumers can find their freedom – whether that means their dream home with solar panels, an off-the-grid retreat in the mountains, or a luxurious estate and ecological preserve in Vermont – with United Country properties.

Have you found your freedom by choosing an environmentally friendly lifestyle?