Your Options For Buying Green in Houston-2008
The Energy pushing the Green Building Movement is gaining momentum everyday in Houston right now. More and more people are deciding that they need a Healthier and more Energy Efficient Homes and actually relating GREEN to that.
But where do you start? I have received several emails wanting to know how exactly to find a GREEN home in the Houston area. I thought I would put out some ideas of where to start.
To start, with gas prices being so high right now, the idea of living closer to town and/or work is starting to get more popular as well. But, if you are familiar with Houston Real Estate you probably know that buying Inner Loop may not be the most Affordable option. If you are looking well under $400,000 you will need to look over many options..let’s go over these.
- As Houston has grown over the last…well, many years…construction started closer to town. Green can also be making something ‘older’ - new again. If because of work you need to be close to a certain area, how about taking an older home and Remodeling it? At Green Houston Homes I have place a Gas Calculator where you can calculate how much money you would save (or not) by buying a more expensive home BUT saving on Gas Mileage.
Houston also has some amazing Remodeling Companies that are well versed in GREEN. Two for a fact I know are VERY familiar with the new LEED for Remodeling Guidelines. This could be one of your options.
- If you are looking for a little more custom, another way to go GREEN is to De-Construct a home and build new. One area that could be Fantastic for this is the Heights. We are already seeing GREEN Builders do this….YOU could do this also.
So, you have gone over these options and still not finding what you want..or something in your price range?
- Let’s take a look a little further out in some of the Suburbs around town. Maybe there is a community close to Major Road that could get you to work quickly? For example, Discovery at Spring Trails is just 2 minutes off of Hardy Toll Road.
By looking at these Communities on all sides of town you can also focus on other ammenities that may be important like schools, community pools-parks-trails, etc. If you are not looking to build right away you may be able to get in on some of the New Urbanism Communities being planned.
- Now, building new is important to you-but being close to town does not matter? Check out some of the Acreage communities on the outskirts of the Suburbs. This way you may be able to optimize Passive Solar, Rain Water Reclamation…just about any Green Feature you could imagine.
Until more Developers and Builders hop on to the Green Scene around town it may take quite a bit of searching, but is VERY possible. The options right now are endless, you just need to weigh your options and keep in mind Price Range, Location, Amenities, etc.
Buying GREEN in Houston right now is very possible at nearly any price range. It may take a lot of searching but don’t get frustrated. Just do some research for what is going on around town that fits YOUR specific wants and needs.
If you need some help getting started, feel free to shoot me an email and let’s roll over some of these ideas.
