If It's a Green Home Can I Afford It and What's A Green Home Anyway

So you’re thinking about buying a green home. What does that mean, actually?  Does it mean buying a really big expensive home with “green” features?  Does it mean buying a really small home with a tiny ecological footprint?  Does it mean solar panels and a wind turbine in your back yard?   Does it mean you’re being a hypocrite if you don’t use rainwater barrels and stop driving your car?  Does it mean spending a lot more money than you ever would for a regular house?  “Forget it.  I’ll just buy a regular house.  It’s all to complicated, expensive and politically correct for me to figure out,” you might decide.

Or, you decide to sell your home that needs some work to get it on the market anyway.  So you decide to do all green upgrades.  Well, what does that mean exactly?  Do you have to replace your 5-year-old hot water heater with a tankless one?  Do you have to install all new windows that are triple paned and very expensive? Do you need to replace your oh, so ordinary hardwood floors, with bamboo?  Do you have to invest in solar panels to say your house is energy efficient? Will you recoup the investment?  “You know what, I’m just going to do the old standard stuff—paint, carpet, replace a couple of appliances and be done with it,” you might think.

NO, NO, NO and more NOs to all of these questions.  The myths about what a green home is, and how much it costs are many.  So I’m going to tackle some of the myths in my next few blogs and suggest some articles along the way.

The biggest myth is that buying a green home means buying a home that is many, many thousands of dollars more expensive than a regular home.  First, there are nuances to what a green home actually is and that, in and of itself, is confusing.  Unfortunately green can be in the eye of the beholder.  Most new homes calling themselves green really just have some green features.  Until there are nationally agreed upon standards, what’s green will remain open to interpretation.

Buying a home with better insulation, a more tightly sealed envelope and EnergyStar rated appliances, HVAC systems and windows, does usually add a modest premium to the cost of the home.  But what is ultimately saved in energy costs and energy use, more than makes up for the additional premium.  But these are green features and do not give the builder the right to call the home a green home.  In fact, some new evidence is showing that homes that are tightly sealed but that still have VOC (volatile organic compounds) in cabinets,  carpet sealants, hardwood floor finishes, paint, etc—may be causing damage to the health of the home’s inhabitants!

There are some really great reasons to consider using sustainable standards when you buy or sell a home.  So, the bottom line is—buy or sell your home with an expert—someone who can guide you, advocate for you and protect you from greenwashing.  That would be ME–your EcoBroker certified and NAR Green Designee.

Gayle Fleming

www.goinggreenhomesva.com

gaylefleming48@aol.com

703-625-1358

My purpose is to serve my clients and advocate for their highest and best good, so they attain their real estate goals.