Buy or Sell a Better House

What’s in?  Efficient, green, and useful.

What’s out? Big, fancy, and….well, frivolous.  (I think they called in luxury in 2005).

No one wants to heat unused rooms, drafty windows, and poorly structured homes anymore.  The economic downturn has made it difficult, and the trend of environmental consciousness has made it very uncool.

A few years ago, a new house would be revered for it’s open spaces, the media room, three full baths and extra bedrooms.  A well-appointed living room was the center of every beautiful home and a three car garage the epitome of the good life.

But the economic and demographic trends make these homes outdated and hard to upkeep.  Tight budgets have buyers on the lookout for energy efficient homes with useful rooms, the environmental trend is for sustainable production and little waste, and the demographics show that many homes are for only one or two individuals.

A new study released by the National Association of Home Builders points to what these trends mean for houses over time.  “The New Home in 2015” suggest home will be built 10% smaller.  Expect “low-e” windows, engineered wood beams, joists, and trusses, water efficient features and whole-home Energy Star ratings.

As a seller, the trends of new homes is important to you because they tell you what buyers really want.  Make some changes in your home to match these needs:

1. Increasing the efficiency of your home with new widows, better isolation, an efficient heating system, etc.  Show the proof with your new energy bills.

2. Make the living room a useful space, and any other room that is not lived-in.  For example, a rarely used bedroom can be staged as a den, study or library.

As a buyer, you know what you need but you also must consider resale value in the years ahead.  If you plan to live in the home for less than 5 years, this is especially important:

1. Look for energy efficient homes

2. Don’t judge a home by it’s size, but by it’s utility and use.

3. Always choose a home you find beautiful and pleasant.   You can make changes to it later.

Don’t forget that housing trends have a long cycle, so a new trend today won’t change so fast.

Have you make your house greener in any way?  Comment below.

 

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