Can greening your house make it sell faster?

A new year often stops speculation in the real estate market. Will you find it difficult to sell, or will homebuyers take advantage of lower home prices and bid on available properties? If you find that you must lower your price to compete with others, you may need to do so at your own discretion…or on the advice of your real estate agent. You may also wonder if simple investments to “green” your home can make your home more attractive without touching the cost.

What makes a green home attractive to buyers? For one thing, if someone knew there were fixtures and other things designed to save a homeowner money, they would likely bring more interested bidders to their door. For those who have been interested in reducing their carbon footprint, you may first see learning that a home already comes with green features, as opposed to a home that isn’t set up. A green home can save a homebuyer’s home, especially if they don’t have to invest more to make the improvements.

If you’re interested in making your home more energy efficient, first determine what needs to be done. Do you need greener insulation or install more efficient windows? Do you have energy efficient light bulbs in all your light fixtures and are your bathroom fixtures low flow to conserve water? Some of these little touches can be purchased at a hardware depot and probably won’t hurt your wallet, but the more you do for your current home, the more chance you have of attracting a buyer.

When you put your home on the market, highlight green features. When you sell through a real estate agency, your agent will help you properly market your home so people see its true value.

If you find that the market isn’t working in your favor as a home seller, consider making green adjustments to attract foot traffic to your home. Some fixes go a long way in saving money and can result in a quick turnaround for you.