Real Estate

Energy Efficient Homes Important to New Buyers

Selling your home? Then consider upgrades to make your home more energy efficient to attract more buyers.

I recently attended a segment on Eco Friendly homes. This is a subject I have not mentioned in my weekly articles, but most home buyers consider energy efficient systems as a part of their buying decision.

This is especially important to the 40 and under buyer.  They want to see steps have been made to have a greener home.

Specific items that are viewed as eco-friendly are:

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

1. Double pane windows are a requirement for these buyers. Window replacement is not a cheap undertaking. For many the best way to do it is in segments.

If you already have double pane windows, check to see if seals are broken. A broken seal is not just cosmetic, it also is a sign the window has lost its thermal value and there is no benefit being double paned.  If this is something that needs to be done, do it now and take advantage of any savings while you live in the home. There are tax credits that homeowners should check out which may help offset these cost.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

2. Hire a Home Energy Auditor to do an energy audit. They can make recommendations about areas where you can improve. This will allow you to save significantly on monthly energy bills. Some utility companies will do this for free.

3. Energy efficient appliances will be very attractive to your future buyer.  The US Department of Energy created the energy star logo as a means of identifying appliances that go beyond the requirement in energy efficiency. Before you buy your next appliance  you might visit  www.energystar.gov. to learn more.

4. Have your HVAC serviced and ask if they can rate it on efficiency. Many will provide this as  a service and that can be very helpful to you living and also when you are ready to sell. You should have a seasonal check up of these systems for safety reasons as well.

5. Make sure your insulation meets or exceeds code requirements. This will  be something you can learn more about either through your energy audit or from your HVAC  company.

6. Consider purchasing a tankless hot water heater. I do not have one but I have only heard rave reviews from sellers who have purchased them. The savings are tremendous.

Do these things for yourself. This will not make a buyer fall in love with your home but once they have fallen in love then these items will be the reason the buyer will be willing to pay more. 

It will also seal the deal with a buyer who is in love with your homes exterior. You need the lipstick on your home to have buyers fall in love but you need substance when the buyer decides to make an offer.

For more information contact Nancy Minor at 404-955-7653 or email Nancy at nancy@minor.net See all Peachtree Corners listings at PeachtreeCorners.com.

New on the market this week is 4043 Wild Ginger Path in Amberfield Subdivision. This home is priced at $650,000 and is shown by appointment.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Peachtree Corners