As the foreclosure-filled housing market creeps into its sixth year, one Texas developer has found a way to market his company's homes and gain attention through the promise of building under green guidelines, Bloomberg reports.

According to the news source, Ron Betenbough was awarded with a certificate from an industry-run program that he now uses to promote his company, Betenbough Homes, and continue building operations despite the poor economic environment.

To be certified "green," Betenbough Homes only had to add about $500 to the building price of a single home, which included installing low-flow toilets and paying to have an inspector on site at various times during construction. Betenbough has built about 250 green homes since he was certified, the news outlet stated.

Betenbough told the media outlet that it was as much about pragmatic finances as it was for the environment.

"If I can do something that does increase the cost and the buyer can recover the money in two years, I’m game," he said. "If it takes 10 years, you’ve lost me. Most people don’t live in a home that long."

The certificate is given by the National Association of Home Builders, an agency which vows to make housing a "national priority."