> I’m thinking about selling my house and renting for a while. This will be a big change, since I live in a passive solar home with a solar greenhouse – a remodel I did a few years ago. Whoever buys this place will have amazingly low utility bills (the biggest selling point aside from the views!), but what will I get when I rent? I’d love an energy efficient home with garden space and low energy bills, and apparently, I am not alone.
> There’s an old saying that the cobbler’s kids have no shoes. I find that to be true so often. My dad was a dentist, and I now have six fake teeth due to his negligence. When I was landscaping, people would ask if my yard was a showcase for my work. It wasn’t; the gardener’s lawn was overgrown. In the building world, do eco-conscious contractors and architects have energy efficient homes? Some do.
> As a Realtor®, I have seen homes get appraisals without their energy efficient features figured into the value. I spoke with a local appraiser about this, and she said that once green homes became more popular, the green features would be considered in appraisals. What a lame response! Appraisers and lenders need to get on the same page about energy efficiency, especially now that communities are putting it into building codes. If it’s a requirement for builders, then lenders and appraisers are going to have to get on board. Education and cooperation are key.
> Then there are the folks who embrace green building. Energy efficiency is where it’s at in all aspects of a business.
> Who said energy efficiency had to be odd-looking or hippie-ish? Take a look at a beautiful contemporary home that is not only efficient, but was also designed with the surrounding land in mind. Stunning……..
