Environmentally Conscious Real Estate of Cincinnati

Going Green seems like the latest trend for just about everything. Heck, even Wal-Mart has jumped on the band wagon. So you may ask, how can being greener help YOU sell your home?  Well, think about it.  How often during the day do you think about rising oil prices (gas prices), energy costs (Duke Bills), even the cost of milk and eggs are going up!  It seems like we can’t catch a break these days.  Everyone is out there looking to save a little green, so it only makes sense that the housing market is following the same trend. 

For example, lets put on our buyer hats for a moment….If you were out shopping for a home today, and you found two identical homes (size, location, amenities, etc..) but only one had “green upgrades.”  (Lower utilities, more insulation, energy star appliances, better air quality, etc…).  Which one would you choose? No brainer right??  The greener one.  Having a home that had lower energy costs and better health benefits would be the one just about everyone would choose.

Well, what if the greener one was a tad bit more expensive… say 3000-5000 more?  Would you still consider it?  Most everyone would.  You’d make that back in no time compared to a home with out green features.

So, how do you start?  The key is to start making improvements to your home’s energy efficiency and document how the monthly bills change over time.  Highlight the savings to your real estate agent and if you’re agent is smart (and green) they’ll also provide comparisons to typical bills for similar-sized houses in your area.

What if you need to sell now and haven’t done any of this stuff and still want to get a leg up on the competition?  We as agents recommend that you have an energy audit preformed on your home.  I actually just had Energy Que come out and audit my house.  They’ll take thermal pictures of your home and show you where your loosing energy, make recommendations as to how to fix the problems and also take your energy usage history and track your efficiency.  How COOL??

Once the energy audit is complete, you can make some of the major to minor repairs and document these for possible buyers.  Giving you a definite advantage over your competition.  But make sure you have an agent who is knowledgeable and understands how to sell this superior advantage.  Choose a GREEN REALTOR.

As for me, I’ll be documenting my progress on my house for all of you fine folks out there.  Stay tuned!