As people, we are funny sometimes.  We are skeptical about things, and rightfully so.  Let’s take for example you were looking at Energy Efficient products.  If we placed two Electrical Products side by side that had labels on them showing how much electricity they used per year and they were about the same.  However, one had an Energy Star label, and the other didn’t.  Which one would you choose?

Most people in the market for an Energy Efficient product would likely take the Energy Star one.  Even if it cost a little bit more.  Why?  It’s that skepticism.  It’s knowing the meaning behind Energy Star.  It’s …. Real!  Or atleast that is the perception.

There has been quite a bit of discussion lately about whether or not Builders and Homeowners choosing to build Green should pay the cost to get a LEED Certification, or any other Certification for that matter.  After all, we can realistically build a home to the Greenest of Green and not have any Certification what so ever.  That is very true.

However, the one thing that my clients in the past have asked when looking at a home that is “Built Green’ according to any advertisement is:

“What makes it Green?”

Well, sometimes the builder doesn’t know…sometimes the home is just Energy Efficient…Every once in a while the home is pretty Darn Green once you sit down and visit with the builder!

So, let’s take a look at that Energy Star example again.  If we were looking at homes on the MLS that are stated as being Green, yet one home has no Reasons WHY it is GREEN-  But the other one is projected to be or is LEED Certified- Has an Environments for Living label, or what have you..

Do you feel that home would be set apart from the rest?

Absolutely! In just a Year and a Half we have gone from a Very small percentage of people even hearing the term Green Building, to a rather large percentage of people being curious and wanting to do the right thing…but maybe not knowing how.

Along with this has brought out a lot of ‘Greenwashing’ or ‘Hopping on the Green Train’

Now more than ever as we start to filter through what REALLY is Green, we need these Certifications.  Just as Builders and other Contractors are looking for Greenseal or Energy Star rated products- Consumers NEED to see a Certification on their Home.  There is that skepticism of ‘Is it really green?’

Builders, if there is an opportunity for a Certification or 3rd Party Verification on the Home- I say take it.  Spend the money and Pump UP the marketing behind it.  As Green gets Washed and Diluted, Certifications will be worth their weight in Gold when it comes down to separating one home from another.

Well, According to the NAR 2008 Home Buyer and Seller Profile:

“Environmentally friendly features also were important, cited by 90 percent of buyers. Heating and cooling costs were of primary importance, followed by energy efficient appliances and energy efficient lighting.”

This statistic was amazing to me.  Of a 55 point checklist that I read today this is the one that really caught my eye.  90% ?  What a HUGE number.  This seemed like an amazing statistic to share.

If you are considering selling your home, this is something that you may want to keep in mind.  Even if you are not thinking about selling for a year or two or three, when you are making any changes to your home you may want to think about this- 90%.

Trends are changing- It’s not all about Granite countertops, Hardwood floors and Designer Color paint.  Home buyers are looking more and more in to the Performance of a home.  They are looking at the maintenance required and the out of pocket costs to maintain it on a daily basis.  It is also likely that this trend will not go away.

Home buyers are looking at not having to paint siding every 2-3 years- Maybe the A/C system changed out already and for it to be High Efficiency or Updated light fixtures and appliances that are also Energy Star Rated.

Make sure that your home is standing out from the rest and it helps to have a listing agent that can point out these items and explain the benefits to Potential Buyers.  Maybe offer an Energy Audit to show proof?  I offer them for my clients.

When it gets down to it, Green updates/upgrades may not only help your home sell quicker, but they will likely add value.

Hat tip to Lani Anglin-Rosales for pointing out the 2008 Survey and her amazing recap…and Ken Brand for bringing it to my attention.

The misconception is that one must purchase a ‘new’ home or one that has been all decked out Green..to be Green.  When you think about it, how Green is it to tear down a home and send the debris to a landfill?  How about the Reuse side of Green?  Why not take a nice home in a great location and make it Green?

Buying a home as a tear down to build is a great option but unfortunately it can take the price of a home well outside of the price range for some buyers or maybe one needs to move quickly.  To buy a new Green home inside the loop may limit you to a 3 story townhome which some may not be physically able to buy or want.

Are there options to buy an existing home to make it Green? Absolutely.  You do not have to have thousands of dollars in cash or sacrifice living in the home when it is not up to par.

The Hypothetical Remodel Series is about just this topic.  It is about opening doors for Homebuyers to go Green in Houston and to point out all of the tools available to you.  This will likely be an ongoing and never ending series of posts, but here is what we will go over:

• Energy Audits- How they can help you buy the right home
• Mortgages-  How to find the right home and have your GREEN Improvements rolled in to it so that you can move in to your GREEN home ASAP
• ASID and USGBC ReGreen Program-  LEED Remodeling guidelines that can take the most Environmentally UnFriendly and Unhealthy home to a dark shade of Green at LEED guidelines and what the process entails
• Different Products-  What products can help get your older home GREEN
• Pricing-  There will be information on how I look at the price of a property to make sure that you do not over improve and what improvements will likely improve your property value

I have gathered the top GREEN Experts around town to help out with this.  We are using real homes, real comps and real designs to use as an example.  Some of the examples will not actually have any work done but it will show how to find the home, what the process is to figure out what improvements you want to make and what the mortgage would be afterwards.  The first one lined up will be a Bathroom Remodel with Energy Efficiency in mind as well.