Selling Your Home the Green Way
If you’re getting ready to put your home on the market, you are probably well aware that many of today’s buyers are especially attracted to properties that are environmentally friendly, or “green.”
Our real estate agents can advise you on a range of steps you can take to make your home more environmentally friendly. Possibilities run the gamut; some are more involved, while others are simple and won’t require you to fork over too much of the other kind of green.
Here are a few of the many possible ideas to consider:
- If you need to replace appliances to prepare your home for sale, ensure you buy Energy Star certified appliances. Energy-efficient appliances are often then first things potential buyers look for to determine a home’s environmentally friendly status – and the ones in your home could very well be the selling point for buyers looking to cut down on energy bills.
- Replace your old water heater with a tankless one. Tankless heaters avoid the standby heat losses associated with storage water heaters, meaning you won’t have to wait for hot water.
- If you need to replace insulation in attics and walls, use recycled products whenever and wherever possible. Buyers will appreciate the conserving resources while cutting down on energy costs.
- Install water reclamation systems to use the leftover “gray water” from household use for the yard and garden. These systems can save tens of thousands of gallons of water each year, while significantly reducing your home’s water bill.
- Utilize green landscaping with recycled, bio-degradable products and little to no fertilizer and pesticide. Your yard will draw buyers in by being cleaner, safer and more naturally beautiful.
- Don’t give potential buyers a chilly reception: Seal your windows and door jambs with weather stripping or caulk to plug air leaks.
If your home has a number of energy-saving or eco-friendly features, make a list of them and the benefits that they provide by saving on electricity, water usage, gas consumption, and if possible, utility expenses. Your real estate agent can help highlight these features to potential buyers.
