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New homes in the Portland metro area that received a third-party sustainability certification were sold for more money, according to a report released Friday by Earth Advantage.

Homes built between May 1, 2009 and April 30, 2010 that were certified – with Earth Advantage, Energy Star or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Homes designation – on average sold for 18 percent more than homes without a certification. Existing homes that received a certification sold for 23 percent more.

鈥淭here are things that add to the price (of a certified home) like the quality and durability of materials,鈥� said Ann Griffin, community program manager with Earth Advantage. 鈥淥ne of our requirements is a 90 percent efficiency furnace. With better ingredients going in, you’ll see an increase in the overall cost of the home.鈥�

Bucking the trend is Clark County, which was the only Portland-metro region where certified new homes did not fetch a higher price. Certified existing homes in Clark County, however, sold for 16 percent more than their non-certified counterparts.

The data for Earth Advantage’s report came from the Portland area’s Regional Multiple Listing Service, which began tracking the number of certified homes three years ago.