Look at Your Home Through “Green” Eyes

Real Estate News

Apr 28, 2011

   

More and more people today want to live in a house that is cost efficient, environmentally sustainable and responsible and healthy for all of its occupants.
Portland, Oregon Realtor® Joe Menashe notes that with each passing day our world gets greener and greener so your home had better be eco-friendly to make it meet the new ”green” standards.



“New technologies and heightened intolerances about how building materials affect our health are becoming an important focus for home buyers. And if these issues are important for buyers then they are important for sellers.
After buying your new home, the natural thing to do is to make it your own. This is accomplished through taking care of the previous owner’s deferred maintenance and most likely improving weatherization issues including the heating and cooling systems, painting, flooring, lighting, etc. It is important that as you address the personalization of your new home, that you look at your home through green eyes. The future buyer of your home, expecially in the next five to ten years, will focus on how green your home lives and how healthily they can live in your home.
They will most likely want to know the EPS (energy performance score) of your home. I will explain this issue in more depth in a future blog. So as you approach the extensive ‘to do’ list, you will need to enhance your’ green living’ education and approach each project as if you will be marketing all of these improvements to the homebuyer of the future.
Even though your home was built to code, the code standards are changing rapidly. These changes are being driven primarily by the Green Movement.  Keep a house record of all that you do to improve your home. Any green retrofits will be appreciated by the next owner. But more importantly the retrofits needed to make your home a healthy one should be completed as soon as possible so that you can enjoy the benefits while you are living in your home.
Sure, your home can become outdated cosmetically, but a healthy environment, along with a home that is affordable to operate year after year, is something that never goes out of style. A green certified real estate agent is a professional Realtor who can help you become educated about greening your home and guide you through the issues that will help you accomplish your goals. In many instances they will help you find rebates and tax incentives for your projects. It will not be far down the road that homebuyers will be asking, “how healthy is this home for me and my family and the environment?”

Learn more at Realtor.com