Eco Friendly Real Estate Blog

Sellers, if you want to make your home stand out from all of the rest take a look at the photo here.It is a study in possibility. There are numerous FREE, inexpensive, cost effective and eco-friendly improvements that could be made to this home to meet the demand of today's Buyers. What would you do right away?

Would you trim? Would you remove clutter? Would you call in a Feng Shui expert? Would you paint? What kind of paint would you select? 

 Imagine a landscape, spruced up and enriched with fruit-bearing trees and/or native/edible plantings. Imagine what a sun tunnel or two might do to create light within, save energy via daylighting. If you can imagine these improvements, you will attract the interest of today's eco-friendly Buyers.

Sellers if you want to tap into a market where sales are brisker than average, check out Part 1 of this series about GREENING UP your home. Then please come back to the link list below for excellent resources you can use to attract interested Buyers.

RESOURCES

Home Energy Audit 
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=home_improvement.hm_improvement_audits

TAX CREDITS 
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=tax_credits.tx_index|
http://www.dsireusa.org/

EPA's Energy Star for Homes/Home Improvement
 http://www.energystar.gov/

Green Design and Building -Certification Programs -

Earth Advantage®
http://www.earthadvantage.com/

EarthCraft® House
 http://www.earthcrafthouse.com/

GreenPoint® Rated
http://www.builditgreen.org/about/

NC HealthyBuilt® Homes
 http://www.healthybuilthomes.org/

LEED ®for Homes
 http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=147

NAR GREEN®
 http://www.greenresourcecouncil.org/

DOE Energy Information Administration
 http://www.eia.doe.gov/

Passive Solar Gain
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_solar
US DOE Daylighting
http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/lighting_daylighting/index.cfm/mytopic=12290
Solar Tubes
http://www.solatube.com/

Inventory to Improve Indoor Air Quality in the Home
 http://keec.ky.gov/homeownerinventory/indoorairquality0609.pdf
US EPA  Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
 http://www.epa.gov/iaq/
Non-toxic Cleaning
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/five-basics-for-nontoxic-cleaning.html
Plants for IAQ
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_air-filtering_plants  (NOTE: Peace Lily is poisonous to pets)

NO VOC PAINT
http://www.earthpaint.net/

Home Performance with Energy Star
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=home_improvement.hm_improvement_hpwes

Non Toxic Flooring
http://www.ecobydesign.com/

Social Network Marketing.
Real Estate Professional's blog (s)

listedgreen.com
where each listing is vetted by the service for authentic green credentials.
http://www.listedgreen.com/

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Asheville NC Real Estate:  MOUNTAIN HOMES< >LAND and LOT EXPERTS- Going Green/ Eco-Friendly Properties.  Tools for Sellers and Buyers. Mountain Homes, Land Legacies, LOTS and Land For Sale by Owners.
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(*)/'(*)    ..........      ............" We are on the roll  for  sustainable  innovation."  © 2010. Asheville NC Real Estate     Unauthorized reproduction of any information on this site is a violation of existing copyright laws. All rights reserved. 

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As real estate clients become more and more interested in energy and cost savings, before investing in a residential property or building on eco-friendly land, many buyers want to know more about  solar capabilities.  So I put together this list  of 5 Steps Buyers Can Take to Learn More about a home's  Solar Capabilities.

There's much to learn and consider, including, for example, the differences between passive and solar building features and the costs involved. (Unlike passive solar systems, active solar systems, use mechanical devices such as fans and pumps to distribute solar heat or cooling effect from a collector.)

(Photo shows expert David Tuch from Equinox Environmental in Asheville as he  talks with REALTOR and client...)

There are so many  things to consider for inquisitive buyers into sustainable design and development, that the green buyers' brokers at our Firm here in Asheville, NC, turned to Solar Experts to learn more about a home's  solar capabilities. Here are the suggestions:  

1.         Learn the Lingo.  Good jumping off point: US. Department of Energy' s web pages on Active Solar Heating

2.         Learn about the many types of  SOLAR COLLECTORS(usually roof-mounted) used to heat the air or liquid that is used in residential applications to heat water, indoor spaces, swimming pools-these may include flat-plate, evacuated-tube, and concentrating collectors- to solar water heating systems used to heat water or a heat-transfer fluid housed in collectors--- to liquid solar collectors which distribute heat to radiant floor, hot water baseboards or radiators, and central forced-air- to stand-alone photovoltaic systems that  produce power independently of the utility grid. 

3.         Learn about issues of cost and savings. For example:  Some photovoltaic systems can be more cost-effective than the alternative of extending power lines. Taking the cost of extending power lines into account significantly enhances the payback period associated with photovoltaic applications.

4.         GO out to the home or building site with a professional solar evaluation team. Get your own feel for the process.

5.         Refer to the list of renewable energy experts that a real estate professional provides.

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Curious about sustainable Green real estate possibilities ? Simply pedal on over to  Convivial Blogger Greenolina's  "Green Wheels" BLOG  and SUBSCRIBE 

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(*)/'(*)    ..........      ............to keep on rolling into the sustainable  world you can create today and tomorrow!. .........................    .............

5 Steps Buyers Can Take to Learn More about a Home's  Solar Capabilities .The Eco-Steward Firm, ALL Eco-Certified® Real Estate Consultants!  Copyright © 2009 All Rights Reserved

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