Rehabbing Going Green

The days of thinking "going green" is too expensive have been tossed to the curb so to speak. Better be sure your house at bare minimum has CFL lights and a recycling container. Seriously though there are countless examples out there where the initial cost of a green initiative can be recovered in six months or less. Making your rehabbed house green friendly is just another way to make it more appealing to potential buyers.

A recent survey found that 75% s of homeowners said it was very important for them to lower their utility costs. The same survey asked tenants what green initiatives were most important to them. The number one and two “go green” initiatives requested by homeowners are energy efficient lighting and HVAC systems. Also important to buyers are lighting and temperature controls, recycling, green interior finishes and decorations and water saving devices like High-efficiency washers.

So how can you get some skin in the green game? First, don't render your flip obsolete by not adding important green features. One of the top things buyers want to know these days are the energy saving features of your house on the market.

Here are several ways to add some green fair to your flip that won't cost you a ton of green.

Programmable thermostats-This is a no-brainer now days. Make sure you add one to your house.

Energy efficient appliances-Replace any non-functioning or obsolete appliances with matching energy efficient ones.

Plant a garden- More times than not our flips have a less than desireable back yard. Normally it has not been cared for and there are several overgrown areas. Plant some nice flowers or veggies for the new home owners. Bet your competition is not doing it.

Stand out from other flippers by "going green."

Motion detection lights- They will come on when you enter a room and are timed to go off after a certain time of non-movement.

Stage your home with Cloth napkins- They look great in the dining room, you picked them to match the new paint color. Why not leave them for your new tenant to use as an added bonus?

Donate your goods--Many times we will have left over trim, an old dishwasher or a door or two. Instead of trashing these used items you can actually re-purpose them. Just donate them to a place like Habitat for Humanity. They resell the items and re-purpose home materials and goods in order to build affordable housing for low income families.

More tips:

http://theartofsimple.net/tips-to-go-green-at-home/

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