20 Eco-Savvy Steps Sellers Can Take to Attract Eco-Friendly Buyers and a Spe
edier Sale
Looking for added value, Buyers demand eco-friendly features and Sellers benefit from that demand. . Sellers, you know the "Banish the Clutter!" anthem.Creating a great first impression is important, but investing in a home- and that's what Buyers are doing- means Buyers also are looking for added value.
Today's buyers demand eco-friendly features such as those found in an energy-efficient house.
Going healthy sells. Smart eco-renovations sell. And slashing the monthly energy bill, reducing water usage and costs, improving indoor air quality attracts Buyers. 
If you want to make your home stand out from all of the rest and tap into a market where sales are brisker than average consider the following advice from an Eco Certified® Real Estate Consultant who knows the local real estate market and can point clients in the "right" direction.
Here is a list we offer to Sellers. It reflects the current market buyers' demand for eco-friendly features and benefits. Taken step-by-step it can provide sellers with a way to stand out in the crowd.
20 Eco-Savvy, Free, Inexpensive and/or Cost Effective Steps Sellers Can Take to Attract Eco-Friendly Buyers and a Speedier Sale
•1. Order an energy audit. (Free)
•2. Investigate potential for federal, state or local tax credits associated with going green. (Free)
•3. Learn about green certifications-EPA's Energy Star for Homes, HealthyBuilt® and/or LEED ®for Homes programs. (Free)
•4. Connect with buyers and a real estate professional who has earned the NAR GREEN® Designation who "speaks the language" and works with eco-friendly clients. (Free)
•5. Implement energy savings suggestions from the energy audit. (Cost Effective)
•6. Impress buyers with a flyer-display that documents how monthly bills change reflecting energy savings. (Inexpensive)
Show comparisons to typical bills for similar-sized homes in the neighborhood.
•7. Use CFLs. (Cost Effective)
•8. Emphasize daylighting and passive solar advantages. (Cost Effective)
•9. Go green with rainwater harvesting. A simple rain chain and rain barrel can make an eco-friendly buyer smile. (Inexpensive)
•10. Put aerators on faucets. Save 50% on water consumption. (Inexpensive)
•11. Spruce up the home's exterior with native and edible landscaping. (Cost Effective)
•12. Pay attention to indoor air quality (IAQ.) a) Plants can help reduce by 50% airborne molds and bacteria. Try: Rubber Plant, Ficus, English Ivy, Boston Fern, Spider Plant. (Inexpensive) b) natural aromatherapy with essential oils. (Inexpensive)
•13. Clean. Use only non-toxic cleaning formulas. (Inexpensive)
•14. Brighten walls with non-toxic (NO VOC) paints. (Inexpensive)
•15. Donate "energy hog" appliances to charity
•16. Install Energy Star® appliances- 10% to 50% more efficient. (Cost Effective)
•17. Install a programmable thermostat. (Inexpensive)
•18. Caulk cracks. (Inexpensive)
•19. Create healthy alternatives underfoot. Recycled wood. Natural throw rugs. Bamboo. Or eco-friendly carpeting that does not emit allergens and toxins. (Cost Effective)
•20. Utilize social network marketing. (Free)
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Asheville NC Real Estate: 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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Asheville NC Real Estate Journal for Mountain Homes and Land Legacies- Asheville 1031 Realty© 2012.. Designations: NAR GREEN®, EcoBroker®, Eco Certified ®Real Estate Consultant, ePRO®. Unauthorized reproduction of any information including photos and graphics on this site is a violation of existing copyright laws. All rights reserved.
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What a great list. It seems our eco-friendly new homes here have an extraordinarily high price associated with them, so even though people would like to have them, initial price still plays a significant factor.
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Super list! Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm and your good ideas!
Anything that makes a home more energy efficient qualifies under the FHA 203k rehab unbrella as well. Plan on getting a solar panel? Want to replace the old windows and put in more solid exterior doors? May as well get it financed in with the loan.
Aloha JaneAnne,
Excellent greentips that are easy to implement and best of all super cost effective ideas for sellers on a tight budget.
Thanks for getting this out to us today. I'm bookmarking this for the future.
Patricia/Seacoast NH
Great list. I like the price markers to show the least expensive and free things. Thanks for sharing.
great information and worth a reblog. Thanks.
Love your list of easy cost effective green practices that any homeowner can benefit from.
JaneAnne, that is a great list. Thanks for taking the time.
JaneAnne:
I like your post, although I will say that energy audits are not free in all areas, and are not available in many areas.
janeAnne,
I was just about to flag this when I saw it's already featured! This is a wonderful list of low cost things homeowners can do to make their homes safer, more saleable and save money too....
Jo
How about extensive virtual tour and video tour so that buyers can ch3eck out the house without having to drive there over and over...
;^ )
Great job with this blog, worthy of a reblog!
Oh, and feature - congrats!
Thank you for the very extensive list - you have given me some good ideas here.
You are right on time! This is exactly the same information I love to share with my clients. I believe its a great opportunity as a home inspector to point out things that can be done to green a property. Before anybody even moves in.
HI janeAnne -- Thanks for the tips on the plants, we have a fica tree, but should probably have a few more varieties, thanks for the resource. I just painted half my main level with Sherwin Williams low (or no) VOC and I couldn't smell a thing, neither could anyone else, and I did it in the winter. First time ever. Wish I had used this years ago.
Good list. Going to bookmark and already have reblogged it. Thanks for posting.
Nice List--I reblogged. I like the donate old energy hog appliances one. Good excuse for a new fridge or washer!
Hi JaneAnne,
A great list, and a good nod to so many green features NOT being so hugely expensive!
Jim~ Jeff and Kimo~
Great to hear from you and glad you like the list.
Li~
Thanks for the nod...I'm Smiling ...and your dog is contributing to my happiness...and look! he's surrounded with Green =)
Patricia~ I will be posting a batch of Resource Links to support the list of 20 here...thanks for your comment.
Joseph~You commented, " I like the price markers to show the least expensive and free things.." THX!!! So often people hear how expensive green-ups are...I hope this list will show they do not need to be...
Wow, thanks so much for the great suggesstion. I had written some similar in a recent blog, but missed some of the great points you mentioned.
I love anything "green" - thanks for the post and allowing reblogging.
janeAnne, In part I & II you mention a free energy audit. Can you explain and expand on this? I've never heard of a free energy audit.
Thanks for compiling all of these into a single article. Individually they don't seem like a huge change but putting them together brings it into a new perspective.
Southern California Edison, out here in my part of the country, does free audits both online and in person. They will give you a written report, 8 or 9 pages, which summarizes the electricity, gas and water usage for one year, a sort of snapshot report, including many suggestions for improvement. I requested a personal audit, and the gentleman from SCE was very helpful and had some good ideas that I am implementing. He was also prepared to change out all our lightbulbs to cfl's, but we had already done that. The audit wasn't nearly as comprehensive as one done by a RESNET auditor, but was very helpful in my case.
Hi janeAnne,
Wonderful list of "Green Tips" for sellers! By utilizing some of the free & inexpensive things for sellers to do, it can certainly make their home stand out in the crowd! Thank you so much for the tips! I appreciate it! I have bookmarked your post and will re-blog!
Rita
We are getting more and more eco-friendly in New Hampshire. I think sellers will find this guide very useful.
Good list except I do not agree with 15 being eco friendly. Yes, the person who replaces the appliance is reducing their impact; however, the overall impact is not reduced. The impact of the energy hog appliance is simply moved to another family (side note - the other family would benefit from an efficient appliance more so than the family that owns a house).
Aaron