As people become more conscious of the environment and aim to reduce their carbon footprint, there is a new premium on products and features that promote energy efficiency. Real estate is no exception, and today’s homeowners are taking steps to “go green” as a way to cut costs and to make their home more desirable to buyers.According to the U.S. Department of Energy, going green can cut your bills by up to 25 percent. You can achieve these savings by jumping on one or more of the following green home trends:
- Choose environmentally friendly LED lighting, which gives off the same light as regular bulbs, but lasts 50 times longer.
- Low flush toilets use one or two gallons of water per flush, compared to three to five gallons for a typical toilet.
- Purchase appliances marked with the ENERGY STAR label. This designation means that they meet the strict energy-efficiency guidelines set by the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.
These few small things can help you save money, protect the environment and make your home more attractive when you decide to sell it.
In other news – open house traffic has seen a change since this time last year. Homebuyers seem to be responding to the attractive home prices and historically low interest rates that make the current housing market one of the most affordable in decades. For the weekend of July 31 – August 1, attendance at Weichert Open Houses was up 6 percent compared to the same weekend in 2009. In addition, the average number of attendees at each Weichert Open House was 17 percent greater than last year. The bottome line is that…..
…..Buyers are out there!
So, if you are considering a move into or out of Basking Ridge, NJ, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly so we can talk about the market here in town.
