How Making Your Home Greener Can Increase Property Value

Green building is the practice of increasing a building’s efficiency to use energy, water, and materials while preserving resources and remaining environmentally responsible.

Making your home greener comes with many benefits. You will save on utilities, increase energy efficiency, and reduce pollution. But did you know making your home greener can also increase the value of your property? According to a Los Angeles Times report, green-certified homes sell for 9% more on average than their non-greener counterparts.

Here are three sustainable home improvement tips that will make your home greener and increase the value of your property.

1. Fix Your Plumbing

One of the most important things you can do to make your property greener and increase its value is to fix your plumbing.

A trillion gallons of water worth $6 billion go into waste every year because of running toilets, leaking faucets, and other types of leaks. A great way to reduce this wastage is ecological plumbing. Fixing damaged faucets or pipes and replacing old ones is also a great way of reducing water wastage at home.

Using water-saving and energy-efficient appliances in your home can promote efficient usage of water and minimize wastage. Low-flow faucets can help you save thousands of gallons of water every year. They can be installed in areas where water is used the most, including the kitchen, bathrooms, and toilets.

More potential buyers and real estate agents prefer greener houses. Hence, the presence of greener water and plumbing systems in your home will increase the value of your property.

2. Practice Smart Landscaping

Smart landscaping helps in conserving energy and utility bills. Strategically planted trees can help reduce energy costs by up to 25%. Shade from trees reduces the need for air conditioning. Trees also block cold winter winds, thus reducing energy used to heat water.

Apart from making your home greener and conserving energy, smart landscaping can add value to your property. A well-landscaped property has a higher price than a property with no landscaping. This implies that your home landscape is significant when it comes to selling your property. In fact, having a landscape filled with large, mature plants of different kinds will attract many prospective buyers as it gives people the first impression of your home.

Smart landscaping adds value to property instantly and as years go by. While materials and styles used in interior décor and design can wear out or become outdated, plants grow and mature with time.

Smart landscaping entails several things apart from just planting a couple of flowers and grass. Consider having a landscaping plan to improve your property’s landscape and increase its value over time. Incorporate curves in your garden, maintain fresh edges around your lawn, and plant various flowers in your flower bed.

Plant trees a few meters from the house, parking lot, and sidewalks. Regularly prune trees grown near the home to reduce obstruction.

3. Use Eco-Friendly Remodels

Remodeling is a typical green practice used to increase the value of a property. Remodeling allows you to renovate your house by reusing materials that are already in your home.

One area you can consider remodeling in your home is the bathroom. Remodeling the bathroom by installing eco-friendly water and plumbing appliances like dual-flush toilets and low-flow showerheads will lead to the effective use of water and reduce wastage.

Another reason why you should consider remodeling is the return on investment earned by the homeowner. According to a report released by Remodeler Magazine, the average cost of remodeling a bathroom is nearly $17,900. The same report reveals that a homeowner can recover at least 66% of the cost of a bathroom remodel when the house is sold. Improvements like bedroom remodeling can earn a homeowner up to 70% of the bedroom remodel.

When contemplating making renovations, homeowners should consider going greener. This is because of the high demand for eco-friendly homes and the cost recovery value of renovation and remodeling. Making structural and design improvements in your home using eco-friendly technology will add value to your property.