In today's 'Going Green' world many more buyers are seeking green sustainable options in their search for that perfect home.
This poses a major problem for Realtors seeking that right fit for the buyer. The Realtor of today is a hard worker but locating a Green Home can be akin to seeking a needle in a hay stack.
There are options that few consider due to lack of publication. Please consider this post a guide!
By definition, recycling an older home into a newer greener home with sustainable improvements is, in itself, going green. Nearly every home can become a Green Home with some improvements.
In part one of Going GREEN has never been EASIER we discussed some of the more major improvements that can be costly and maybe are good goals but outside of the financial realm for some. I have had many requests to write an article featuring some of the easier to attain methods of going GREEN and saving GREEN.
Consider some of these easy, low cost methods of GREEN blinging your home:
Start a mulch pile or make a mulcher. So much waste can be included in a mulcher! You can make incredible soil and keep much unneeded waste out of the land fill. Some things that can be tossed in a mulcher include; coffee grounds, tree leaves that shed away every year, plant clippings, egg shells, left over food and even dog feces as well as fireplace ash can be added. If it goes down the garbage disposal or will bio degrade, it can usually be added. I even know people who shred their paper and add it to their mulch pile!
Get a chicken. In most communities you can have a chicken or two so long as a 
rooster is not present. Roosters can be noisy and most neighborhood dwellers do not appreciate having one next door. Chickens will recycle tons of food waste, they eat almost anything from left over beef to last weekends beans about to go bad and even curdled milk. They will recylce this into the best tasting eggs you have ever had as well as some much needed ready made fertilizer that can be directly tilled in to your soil.
Consider a whole house fan. This is an extraordinary tool in my home and we swear by it! This is a large diameter fan mounted 
in the ceiling of our two story home. at the appropriate time of evening we strategically open windows and crank on the fan. It uses very little electricity but draws in a wonderful breeze full of cool night air all night long. In the morning we turn it off and shut up every window and door in the house thus locking in the cool air. We have had many 100 degree days that we easily survived by using this method. The fan costs MUCH less to run than an AC unit and also makes people feel cool by puling a gentle breeze in every room with an open window up and out the fan.
WHo knew your attic AND basement could really be keeping you hot?! Its an inexpensive upgrade to add a solar powered fan at the vents of your attic and basement areas. Remember your mom telling you "As long as you keep your head and feet warm (or cool) the rest of you will be fine"? Its true!!!! SO much cool air is expended trying to cool your basement and attic. You can lose more than HALF as these two areas of your homes heat up. Adding a solar fan that is thermostat activated can mean dropping the ambient temp in these areas by tens of degrees thus making it easier to cool the rest of your home.
SHUT IT OFF!!! Yup, this one applies to all of us. This is called phantom power usage for those appliances and electronics sucking juice when its not needed. Turn off that computer, get in the habit of scheduling your cell phone charges and definitely get in the habit of turning off any appliances not in use. This can be a huge savings and I have heard reports of as much as 17% of the overall utility costs go to phantom power usage.
Cover it up already. Try covering your windows. In our home we have utilized inexpensive roll down bamboo window coverings to block out the suns rays in the rooms we are not utilizing. When you go in, if you need light, open them up and let the sun shine in. This is especially helpful when the western sun makes its path over the horizon in the summer time. This method not only blocks heat rays from the sun it also acts as an insulator to keep the cool air in.
S-T-R-I-P tease! You got it and I mean it just the way you are reading it. Check out your windows and doors and just feel the
draft wafting through (get your minds out of the gutter see 'rain gutters' in Going Green Part 1). Try some very inexpensive and easy to apply weather stripping and block out those drafts. You might also check on your mechanical and electrical outlets. This can be filled in with inexpensive spray foam as a permanent solution.
Get adjusted. Try adjusting your thermostat accordingly. In the summer do you really need 72 degrees? Try 76 and maybe wear shorts around the house while in the winter try 68 and grab a long sleeve shirt to wear.
Plant some GREEN. You got it, plant a few strategically placed trees and within a few short years you can shade your entire home.
Hey this all sounds great but how to implement?
Just take it one step at a time! Every one of these above can be afforded on even the tightest budget but pick one small project at a time. Maybe start with weather stripping and tree planting in the fall and move on to whole house fans and basement cooling in the spring.
Stayed tuned for Part 3! We will be discussing the installation of a drip irrigation garden that will provide fresh vegetables for your whole family and cost you pennies all the while recycling water from your clothing washing machine.
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Chris McBrearty, CMPS
NMLS #274079
chris@equityiq.net
858-735-3512
Primary Residential Mortgage Inc.
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