Today’s buyers have energy efficiency top-of-mind when looking for a new home. In fact, the number one feature the National Association of Home Builders found that the most- wanted green attributes in homes today are Energy Star-rated windows (89% of consumers rank it as either “essential” or “desirable”). Here are my top green projects to consider with the best ROI.

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Transcript

Hi there. This is Michelle Hatch with Beacham & Company REALTORS® in Atlanta, Georgia, and welcome to video number three in this series for sellers with the projects that you should be taking on when you’re getting yourself ready to go down the market.

Tip number three is: make your property energy efficient

Today’s buyer is obsessed with energy efficiency and rightfully so. There are some very good reasons why we need to be more energy efficient.

Replace your old windows

One of the things you should probably consider doing, especially if your windows are not double-paned and are 50 years old… and you can actually see the wind blowing through them in the winter… is to replace your windows.

That is a big buzzword in listing feature descriptions too. When buyers see that your windows are brand new and they are energy efficient, and low-e, buyers go crazy over that. According to remodeling dot nets 2019 cost versus value report. If you were to replace ten three by five low-e, double-pane vinyl windows, you would recoup 75% of that cost at sale. That’s a pretty amazing ROI on a project that large.

If you were to use wood windows, you would recoup 80% because wood is just more desirable. Plus, you can custom paint those and to really match the look of the new paint on your exterior.

Definitely consider making that investment for replacing your windows.

Install Nest thermostats

Another energy efficient item that buyers go crazy over are Nest thermostats.

I can’t you how many times I’ve taken a buyer through a home and they say, “Oh, good, there’s already a Nest thermostat.” It’s a really low cost to buy, and they’re very easy to install—my husband and I installed our own Nest thermostats—and they impressed buyers.

They love the fact that they are connected to an app and so when they’re away from home, they can turn the air conditioning down, or when they’re about to come home, they can turn the air conditioning up. So, for very little amount of money you can make a huge impact.

Bonus tip: Georgia Power Marketplace

And here’s another tip for you. Georgia power actually has incentives and rebates on their website for making energy efficiency improvements, and they sell Nest thermostats at a discount.

They also have rebates for getting your HVAC system serviced by a contractor that’s in their program. They have rebates for installing attic insulation, which is if your house is 50 years old, it’s probably pretty necessary.

Insulate your attic and get rid of unwanted house guests

Bring in an installer to take a look at what you have going on upstairs in the attic. It’s [new attic insulation] going to make a great impression again with buyers.

It’s also a good time to make sure you don’t have a rodent problem. Yes, I said rodent problem in your attic. It’s, believe it or not, a very common problem in Atlanta, especially in pockets where there are much older homes like the 1950s homes, 1920s homes. It’s just a fact.

Replacing that attic installation is going to do you a world of good if you do have a rodent problem. And before your house is under contract and the buyer finds out during due diligence and just decides to terminate because they’re creeped out about the fact.

I know that that’s kind of a sidebar there, but something that I’ve been through over and over and over again with buyers. You’ll definitely want to make sure to take that tip with you.

Links to the Georgia Power rebates and Incentive page are above.

I look forward to seeing you in the next and final video in this series on selling tips. Check out other videos in the series, too.

Best,

Michelle