Kari Klaus' Bio

Bringing Sustainability to the Real Estate Industry through Big Data. 

Kari Klaus is the Founder and CEO of Realty Sage, a dynamic real estate platform solving one of the largest problems to consumer adoption of high performance and sustainably built homes -- education and return on investment. 

Realty Sage applies intelligence to big data, shaping consumer behavior and improving ROI on clean & smart technology investments for high performance homes and homes with renewable energy. Utilizing big data, Klaus’s award-winning tech start-up company, showcases eco-certified homes and evaluates the features of millions of homes across the country and applies a Sage Score based on the quantity and quality of a home’s sustainable features, clean energy, certifications and overall sustainable design. Realty Sage (formerly VivaGreenHomes) was a regional and national winner in 2017’s CleanTech Open and a sponsor for the US Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon. It also received 2019’s Best Global Business Insight Award: Leading Eco-Friendly Home Provider, Build Award for the best Eco-Friendly Home Providers (Virginia) and Best in Sustainability 2018 Award: Top Industry Experts. It has also increased public awareness about the issues of integrating sustainability into the real estate industry through stories such as the Huffington Post, Washington Post, and The Chicago Tribune.

Klaus also advances clean energy advocacy and integration as a former Arlington, Virginia Commissioner on the Environment and Energy Conservation Commission and through her work as a US Speaker for the US Department of State’s Bureau for International Information. She speaks through embassy invitations in different parts of the world talking about sustainability and female entrepreneurship. She was also a chosen US representative to The Hague, Netherlands for the 2019 Global Entrepreneurship Summit. In 2021, Klaus was a LEED Homes Awards judge US Green Building Council USGBC. 

She graduated from American University cum laude in Washington, DC with a BA in International Studies specializing in International Sustainable Development.  

Other Fun Facts:

Kari has lived abroad, speaks Spanish and spends her time traveling, jogging with her dogs and advocating for sustainability and equitable access in city planning and public spaces.

Find eco experienced professionals on www.realtysagepros.com and find home listings on www.realtysage.com