Using Green Home Features to Help Sell Homes

While the right location remains the top priority for home buyers, energy efficiency and low maintenance are rapidly moving up the list of things all buyers look for when searching houses. It is not just about leaving a small carbon footprint and better planet for future generations. Homes with green features save the owners a lot of money on utilities, make sustainable living easier, and are now getting their own unique kind of appraisals that put real value on the features. With all the focus and interest on reducing energy consumption, there is growing evidence that highly efficient homes sell faster and at a higher price than the competing houses. With that being said, here are a few of the top value green features.

Green features that make a home more appealing to buyers

• Natural light- Any feature that utilizes natural daylight inside the home. This can be as simple as a tubular lighting and passive skylights to the new sun-tracking skylights and floor-to-ceiling windows. When retrofitting an existing home, improving the natural light utilization is one of the least costly and most noticeable things a seller can do.
• High-value windows- Though top quality windows can be quite pricey, they are one of the features potential buyers appreciate most. Anyone who has owned a home previously appreciates the difference good insulated windows will make in utility bills. Most of the heat wasted in American homes goes right out cheap windows.
• Solar panels- The current generation of solar panels will pay for themselves in about 12 years. The payback is better with federal, state, or local incentives. Once the investment is recouped, these money savers require very little upkeep and continue to add value to the home.
• Energy ratings- Savy buyers are familiar with the significance of Home Energy Rating System (HERS) scores, EnergyStar and Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certifications. These ratings are rapidly becoming as important to home buyers as MPGs are to automobile buyers.

How to sell a home with green features

The term green has a negative connotation to some people. They associate it with low-quality products made of recycled material and government mandated changes. While younger buyers are more inclined toward environmental conscientiousness, older buyers are more interested in saving money. Rather than stick rigidly to terms like eco-friendly or green, find opportunities to use "high-performance" and "energy-efficient" when applicable.

Buyers are most interested in the opportunities for sustainable living in their own home and backyard than they are in saving the rainforest. While most people do care about the environment, there are daily essentials like food, warmth, and lighting that take president.

Federal Trade Commission's Green Guides

Not surprisingly, with buyers being motivated by green features, there are a number of unscrupulous people who are willing to use deceptive marketing to attract people. The FTC has recently updated their Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims. Any agent should be familiar with the guidelines and review all of their marketing for compliance. Basically, the FTC wants all environmental claims to be specific, measurable, and verifiable.

Most green features are more easily incorporated into new constructions. But you can still highlight features like energy-efficient windows, a high-performance HVAC system, and EnergyStar appliances. Make a point to mention walls painted with no-VOC paint. A non-toxic or low-toxic home is desirable to any family. Use placards throughout the house to draw attention to various features. It is easy for agents to get sidetracked when speaking and a lot of potential buyers will remember what they read more than what they hear. You can visit the NAHB Research Center for more information on having a home Green Certified.