I’ve engaged in a lot of green talk over the last few posts, partially because it’s something that’s becoming increasingly important to me, and partially because it’s simply a hot topic these days.

Real estate broker Bandele Oguntomilade of Bogun Enterprises, first shared her thoughts on the key upgrades to do for resale. A day or two ago, she shared some  green improvements that cost less than $500.

Today, she chimes in one last time to give us what she feels are the most compelling reasons for going green with our home renovations.

• A Healthier Home – “The things that affect our health are in all of our home products, fabrics, and building materials.  We are finding that we have to change our whole lifestyle.” Bandeles often makes closing gifts of green cleaning products and other items that promote sustainable living to her clients, especially when they’ve expressed a prior interest in going green.
• Net Cost – To be able to reduce the monthly cost of operating a home through energy efficiency is a huge selling point. “This is a major motivation. ” Some upgrades, like solar panels have the potential to generate income when so much power is saved that the power company ends up buying back the power from the homeowner.
• The Value of a Green Home – in addition to more immediate cost savings and energy efficiency, more and more queries are being made into the difference in value of a green home versus one that has had no green upgrades made.  While there are still very few homes built entirely to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) specification, the more eco-friendly a home is certainly affects the overall value, and possibly even the listing price. “The tracking for this is an ongoing initiative,” explains Bandele, the first step of which, she adds, will be getting some kind of icon for a green rating posted on MLS (Multiple Listing Certification) information.
• Tax breaks – Whether you’re preparing your home for sale, or improving the home you just bought, the tax credits for green renovations are a huge incentive.  “This really encourages people to implement these changes in their homes.”
• Mother Earth – Our consumer society has trained us to tie every benefit to the almighty dollar–the bottom line, the return on the investment, making serious bank.  But there’s one side-effect we can’t avoid:  implementing any green upgrade, no matter how small, helps the planet. “People have taken the time to learn about these things, and realize that there are effects beyond one lifetime, beyond their generation.”

With all of these good reasons to go green, what are we waiting for?

Last 5 posts by KellyThacher

• O Tannenbaum . . . - December 23rd, 2009
• Lighting a Candle - December 22nd, 2009
• All For Show - December 21st, 2009
• Faking it with Flowers - December 20th, 2009
• Color Clinic - December 19th, 2009

Author: Kelly Thacher

Kelly has been a writer since she was in grade school where she received early recognition for her Young Author's project. Magazines like Home Entertainment, Luxury Consumer Electronics, Vertical Living, Luxury Home and the Robb Report were happy to have Kelly's editing talents on various projects. A series of career twists and turns has offered her invaluable experience in journalism, magazine and book publishing, and fiction writing.

Kelly Thacher has written 30 articles for us.