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Making Your Home Green

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Your house needs as many selling points as possible. For each person who sees your place, one thing or another might really stick with them. It could be the look of the backyard, the design of the kitchen cabinets, or just how clean the place feels. Some people are going to be concerned with how green the house is, or how green they can make it. There are some simple things you can do to make your house greener as a selling point to potential buyers and keep the general sprucing-up process more eco-friendly.

Compost

Especially if you have a garden, a compost pile is a great thing to have in the backyard. Reusing your organic waste for fertilizer cuts down on what goes into landfills. On top of that, it is functional, and, if it is already started, it could be incentive for a prospective buyer. The best idea, for aesthetic purposes, would be to keep it in a bin. You can find ones made from recycled wood pallets, or you could use a container from around your house for it. There are a lot of ways to compost; you should ask your local greenhouse or look it up online to see what the most useful method is for you.

Painting

If you are going to put a fresh coat of paint on the walls, look for paints with low VOC (volatile organic compound) levels. These compounds are going to be present in any kind of paint (that means even organic paint), as VOCs can be synthetic or natural, so check the labels. If the greenness of your house is going to be a focal point of your sale, you might mention this during walkthroughs or let your real estate agent know.

Insulate your pipes

Another inexpensive way to green up your home for the sale is to insulate your pipes and your water heater. This will conserve energy by holding the heat in the water for longer. It also brings your heating bill down. This practice has broader application as well; it keeps pipes from freezing in the winter. A prospective buyer that is looking at the basement may notice that you've done this.

Other ideas

If you are really trying to position your house a green, energy-efficient steal, then there are a few other little details you could attend to that will speak volumes to someone looking for a greener home. You could also extol the virtues of a lower energy bill. Think about doing these things:
  • Make sure you have energy-efficient light bulbs installed.
  • Install low-flow showerheads.
  • Hook up a low-flow toilet flushing system.
You don't want to undertake large, expensive renovations on a house that you are selling. Leave that stuff up to the buyer. However, these small alterations could position your place as an energy-saving alternative to others in your area. Who knows? You might even encourage an otherwise apathetic buyer to go green him or herself.

Adam Mandelbaum  Posted by Adam Mandelbaum on May 14, 2010

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