If so, you could ask for more money when it comes time to sell. In California, a green certified home carries a price premium of 9% over a conventional home. With energy prices increasing, along with awareness of environmental issues, green buildings are the wave of the future no matter where you live.
If your Santa Cruz home has many of the following features, it might make sense for you to look into getting it certified as a green building.
• Oriented to optimize passive solar
• Highly energy-efficient windows
• ENERGY STAR appliances
• Water Sense fixtures
• High indoor air quality
• High-efficiency HVAC
• Well insulated
• High percentage of local materials
There are national certification programs such as the National Green Building Program, which has four levels available for homes: Silver, Bronze, Gold or Emerald. There’s also the US Green Building Council’s LEED certification. There are also regional and state programs that certify green homes.
It goes without saying that homes with green features are also more comfortable and affordable to live in. If your Santa Cruz home has some green features, it could pay off in the long run to add more -- and get certified.
If you have questions about getting your Santa Cruz home certified as a green building, give me a call at 831.662.6522 or email me at Lauren@LaurenSpencer.com.
For additional information please visit my homepage at www.MySantaCruzRealEstate.com.
Links
National green building program
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