Greening Your Home to Add Buyer Appeal
It is a sign of the times that the desire for home buyers to be able to find homes that are ecologically friendly is growing all the time. This can be a key point to take note of when you are looking to prepare your home for sale and can help you save money while you’re waiting for it to sell.
One easy thing that can help to make your home more eco-friendly is by getting rid of drafts in your home. A poorly sealed envelope costs home owners a lot of extra cash in heating bills every month so take the time to investigate your home and detect any drafty areas and seal them. Depending on the age of your home you will possibly need to replace the weather stripping around the doors and windows. Older homes may require the addition of insulating seals under the switch plates on outside walls as well.
While you would think that new homes would be insulated to a level where they would be classified as “green”, this isn’t always the case. The minimum standards of insulation that are required in new construction aren’t the same levels that are required for a green designation unfortunately. Most homes will require additional insulation in the attic at least to make up the difference.
Another easy area to add a green appeal to a home is with the appliances; while appliances aren’t cheap to replace, it is easy to find Energy Star appliances to install in your home. If the appliances have an Energy Star insignia on the front of them then it’s even better. It’s one thing to tell prospective buyers that your shiny new appliances are energy efficient; it’s another thing if they can see that for themselves.
If you have a little bit more time to invest into your project, you might want to look at replacing some of the flooring in your home with a greener option, particularly if your home has carpeting in the living areas. There are many good options for green flooring, including: ceramic tile, slate, hardwood, bamboo, and linoleum flooring. The option that will work best for you will depend on what kind of budget that you have for flooring and what area of the house that you’re looking to cover. Hardwood floors work in most any room of the home except basements or sometimes bathrooms. Tile and slate are hardy, but can be cold to the touch and are brittle. Take the time to do some research with someone at your local flooring supply store to determine which option would work best for you.
These are not all the different ways that you can add “green appeal” to your home when you’re looking to sell it, but they are a good start. If you want to strive for a green designation for your home then talk to an expert at your local home improvement store or talk to your realtor for more information.
Visit TommyPennington.com to search for Southlake TX homes for sale. Our team of Southlake TX real estate agents will be happy to provide expert advice to help you get the most out of today’s North Texas housing market.
May 2nd, 2010 at 4:17 am
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