Green Real Estate Features

As the health of our environment and our own personal wellness become issues of greater importance, the demand for eco-friendly homes continues to rise. Home builders and developers have responded to this rising demand, and are building green properties in greater numbers. According to McGraw-Hill Construction, a home must contain at least 3 of the following 5 elements to be considered green energy efficiency, indoor air quality, resource efficiency, water conservation and site management (site management would refer to a home’s exterior use of water resources and electricity).

Buyers can enjoy a multitude of benefits associated with the ownership of eco-friendly properties, not the least of which is significant annual savings on energy bills. Most of all, owners of green properties delight in knowing that they’re effectively doing their part to contribute to a healthier environment.

Green Real Estate – What Homes Qualify and Which Don’t

There is an uprising trend in the number of green homes. Perhaps the much insisted eco-friendly solution have finally caught up with real estate as people are now adopting to using renewable energy sources and materials without residual toxins inside their homes. But if you are a newly celebrated eco-friendly folk and you are on your way to buying your new eco-friendly home, there are a few things that you need to look out for.

The first thing to look for is the type of flooring. Hardwood floors are important in not only maintaining the aesthetics of the house, but in house warming as it conserves heat especially in the cold seasons of winter. It eliminates the need for carpets which are usually prone to dust.

Text Message Marketing – The Next Wave of ‘Green’ Real Estate Marketing Tools

Real estate agents are always looking for a new method to increase their marketing effectiveness while reducing their efforts. Digital flyers via SMS text messaging is the way to go!

SMS (text message) marketing is poised to see ten-fold growth during 2010, and triple digit increases through 2012 (according to data from the Yankee Group). Through the use of mobile short codes and keywords, real estate agents can use this technology to deliver comprehensive data about their listings directly to prospective clients.

Green Real Estate Upgrades and Renovations – How to Save Money on Heating and Cooling

The following interview was conducted with Marlayna Phenechka, a building subcontractor based in Asheville, North Carolina who practices green building and sustainable thinking. Phenechka has worked on both residential and commercial real estate projects in North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. She outlines some basic upgrades to facilitate more efficient and less expensive heating and cooling. The upgrades are a smart investment for the average consumer since the money spent is quickly recouped.

Turn Off the Hot Water! On-Demand Hot Water Heaters
(Estimated Cost $250-800 Labor $400-1400)

The resources used to heat water is expensive, often the second highest residential energy use in homes. Did you know most hot water heaters in homes are designed to keep water hot constantly One good way to save electricity or gas is to simply turn off the hot water, and turn it on only when needed. Consult an electrician to install a timer or switch. Have them turn the water heater down from a manufacture’s scalding 140 to 115 degrees. Another overlooked method to cutting costly water utility bills is to simply buy a ‘blanket’ for your water heater.

Dominate the Green Real Estate Market

It might seem that in rough economic times, people’s main priority would be on saving or generating money. There is some truth to this statement, but it is not the whole truth. Some home buyers are not just looking for a good financial deal. They also want to buy a green or environmentally friendly property. Actually, they might even be fusing their financial and environmental concerns by seeing saved energy as saved money, and a healthier planet as good for their own health, too. Either way, it might behoove home sellers and real estate agents to see how they can attract and keep the attention of eco-conscious buyers.

Firstly, you might try making small but critical changes to the property itself in order to make it more environmentally friendly. Some of these changes can actually be classified as basic sprucing-up of a home that is up for sale. For instance, a seller might want to fix a leaky pipe. Fixing that pipe will save precious water-a plus for many environmentally-conscious buyers. However, it should appeal to most buyers, whether they worry much about the environment or not. Bad plumbing will definitely make the property harder to sell, and may get you in trouble after the sale, if you concealed the problem from the buyer and did not fix it. Some areas have very strict laws about such things.