Home Green Home

The Appraisal Journal recently published data illustrating the amount of value a little ‘greening up’ of your home can add: for every $1 green home improvements decrease the property’s annual energy bills, the home’s value increases by $10-$25. As realtor Tara-Nicolle Nelson points out, that can translate to an increase of $8,000 to $25,000 to the market value of a greened-up 3,000 square foot home. In her recent article, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that green homes not only sell faster but buyers are willing to pay more for green or energy efficient homes. That’s because they likely know they will save 20-30% on average on utilities, or possibly even reduce electricity expenses to zero and sell power back to the grid (go windmills! Our favorite we call the ‘Southwester’ after the town on Mt. Desert Island in Maine and is made by Southwest Wind Power, but I digress).

Tara also points out that the greening need not stop at dual-paneled windows – a green household can help you lose weight, feel better, live longer and hopefully avoid diseases like cancer and other plagues that are caused by exposure to toxins and unhealthy living. This doesn’t mean you need to give up your favorite foods. On the contrary, try making them with only fresh, unprocessed ingredients. Organic fruits and vegetables really do taste much better than ones that have been genetically modified and sprayed with pesticides. Nothing is better than a cocktail with fresh mint picked from your own plant on the windowsill or back porch. Having your own little kitchen herb garden also means you’ll never run out of fresh basil or cilantro for guacamole. That’s reason enough for me.

Happy Earth Day!