Green: the Lean, Clean Sellin’ Machine 
With the media’s homogenizing of the suffering national real
estate market starting to affect our local real estate market, sellers need to
find creative ways to make their home stand out from the crowd in an appealing
way. The current market conditions are
not near as bad as the doom & gloom that’s being spewed by the anchors on
the evening news, HOWEVER, it’s not the same market as it was in recent years. We’re starting to hear more about “home
staging consultants” and buyer incentives such as
Purchasers are increasingly seeking eco- friendly,
energy-efficient homes, and that trend will only continue to grow now that
energy prices are rising, the economy is slow, and concerns over global warming
are rising. While it may seem unrealistic, expensive, or flat out
impossible in terms of preparing your home to sell, there are plenty of simple
things that can be employed to make your home eligible for marketing green
features.
The following are just a few things that can be altered in an existing home to increase the energy efficiency, thus increasing the marketability:
- Programmable thermostats help to maximize energy savings without
sacrificing comfort by simply setting back the thermostat while away from
the home or during the night.
- Installing rain
barrels to collect rainwater and use in gardens
or to water
house plants. - Switching over to compact fluorescent light bulbs
is a real “no-brainer.” CF bulbs use about ¼ the energy of normal light
bulbs and CF bulbs can last up to 10 times as long as standard bulbs.
- Make sure you use low
VOC paints
(volatile organic compound) – healthier for the family and durable as
well!
- Install energy
efficient appliances and illustrate the “lifecycle
cost” – the reduced operating quickly earns back the potentially higher
purchase price.
- Install low-flow
showerheads & low flush TOILETS. Toilets are
typically the single largest use of water inside of a house. Cut back by
installing an ultra-low-flush toilet. After toilets and clothes
washing machines, showers are next up as residential water hogs.
- Have a composting
system in place. Don’t throw out all of those scraps;
save landfill space & make your own rich potting soil.
- Have an energy audit
done prior to listing and make changes/adjustments as suggested by
the auditor
- Consider a tankless
water heater. You get instantaneous hot water, no
waste while hot water slowly cools in the tank, and extra storage where
the water heater used to sit.
- Install aerating
faucet attachments. These easy screw-on upgrades
aerate your water so that you get the same cleaning power with much less
water.
- Make sure your windows & doors don’t leak air.
- Make sure you have sealed
and insulated heating/cooling ducts.
Needless to say, these are sensible
renovations/alterations regardless of whether or not you are preparing your
home to sell. Whenever possible, involve children in these changes and
capitalize on these unique “teachable moments.”
- contributed by Skip Slocum, REALTOR® 