Buying a 'Green' Home in College Station, Texas | College Station ...

Susan Hilton College Station Real Estate

Realtor & Vice President of Sales of Bryan College Station Real Estate

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May 24th, 2012 Categories: Buying, Real Estate

When a home is marketed as being ?green? in Bryan, College Station or beyond there are several things to consider before purchasing the home on faith alone. There are many variances on definitions of the word ?green.? This term can represent many different things, including environmental conservation, responsibility to the community, and financial savings. Buyers should be wary to purchase a home believing it is ?green? without first fully understanding the advertised features.

?Green? certifications are available for prospective home buyers, but can be rather expensive. These certifications set services or products apart as being environmentally sound. Several companies set standards for ?green? products as well as compose and administer programs to encourage ?greener? lifestyles and products.

Defining ?green? isn?t where the complications stop. It is important to know differences between terminology to fully understand what a home and seller is really offering to the buyer. The term ?eco-friendly? is not the same thing as ?energy efficient.? This popular subject of improving the environment and essentially living a lifestyler healthier for the environment comes with its own jargon. Words such as greenie, solar, conservation, compost, vegetarian, vegan, reusable, locavore, herbivore, mindful consumption, carbon footprint, ecological footprint, vermicomposting, vermiculture, biofuel, ethanol, biodiesel, biomimicry, post-consumer recycled, compact fluorescent lightbulb, emissions, pollution, organic, global warming, and environmental can be just plain confusing.

Getting your terminology right is one of the more important things when it comes to dealing with ?green? living. To define all of these words however, would take quite a while, so instead we will focus on what it means for your house to be classified as ?green.? Keep in mind also, that even if your ?green?-friendly features in your house are not certified, they can still benefit the house by making it easier to live in and possibly even increasing the value.

It is wise for homeowners to discuss any ?green? features they wish to add to their house with an expert so they can more accurately consider their options. This will give homeowners a better idea of what they are considering in comparison to the entire field of ?green? features, and will clarify what value it can add to the house. One benefit of this is that the buyer won?t make a return on some additions, such as solar panels, for up to several years. It is also smart for homeowners who add ?green? features to their home to keep a running record of all of the items that have been added to the house. Tags, packaging receipts, and photos of these improvements should be kept and filed away. Realtors representing sellers should ask for these pieces of proof.

It is vital for consumers to ask questions, repeatedly, to ensure they fully understand what they are getting and to ensure that they are getting exactly what the seller is advertising. It is unwise for a consumer to take the sellers word for it or to feel that he or she has enough proof simply by looking at something that appears to be a ?green? feature.

If you feel uncomfortable with the information you have about a ?green? feature, do not hesitate to ask an expert. NAR Green employees are a great resource. It is beneficial to the environment to add ?green? features to your house, however there are also benefits to making your living space comfortable and cost effective that are not technically considered ?green.?

When you are advertising your home for sale, be wary of calling it ?green? without the proper certifications and standards required by certain programs. Instead, it is effective to include statements about how you have made the house more environmentally friendly and cost effective. ?We upgraded our insulation and we changed our windows? is a good alternative to using the term ?green,? which can be difficult to defend. Many avoid using ?green? and instead use ?quality.?

There are ?green? investments that are worth the cost to many buyers. There are several choices of course, the value varying depending on the homeowner?s opinion of what is most valuable. Some are low cost and some are more of an investment.

You can check your doors and your windows in your home for leaks. Making sure that the weather stripping around the home is in good shape is one way to do this. Also check to make sure that all the latches and locks are tightly secured.

Another thing you can do is switch to compact fluorescent lightbulbs. These light bulbs may cost more up front, but over time they pay back by consuming less electricity and lasting up to 10 times longer. Your savings become evident when your electricity bills begin to drop.

Spending extra money on low VOC paint is worth it to the environment. When you use paint that does not off-gas volatile organic compounds, it makes the environment healthier than it would?ve been with your alternative.

Change leaky faucets and install showerheads and spouts that are low flow. Checking for an efficient hot water heater can also save you money in the long run, as an inefficient hot water heater can actually be more draining on your budget than the cost of installing a new one altogether.

Ceiling fans are also a smart installment, as they increase air flow throughout your home and give you?re a/c a break during the long hot summers. Putting up blinds and other shades contribute as well to taking a load off of the a/c in a home by providing shade and cooling off rooms that are shaded.

Installing a rainwater catchment system will also make your home more ?green.? Those who live in the country know that in today?s time it doesn?t take much to dry up a well, and it doesn?t take much rainwater to fill up a catch system and rainwater may be the very thing that gets you through a drought.

Choosing naturally ?green? flooring and countertops will also avoid off-gassing that won?t be avoided in cheaper options.

Many people choose to implement ?green? features into their home for cost savings, but the biggest benefit is in helping the environment. You don?t have to make large investments either to go ?green.? All it requires are small daily choices that you can do to help out the environment.

PS ? Susan Hilton is Bryan College Station, Texas? real estate specialist in foreclosure sales and real estate agent career building so if you need help ? CALL! 979-219-3970

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 24th, 2012 at 10:12 am and is filed under Buying, Real Estate. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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