3 Energy-Efficient Home Improvements That Will Boost Your Property Value

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There has been an increased focus on energy efficiency over the last decade. Many homebuyers have energy efficiency near the top of their wishlist. If you plan on selling your home soon or down the line, you may want to think about investing in energy-efficient appliances to boost your property value. Continue reading and discover a few energy-efficient home improvements that will increase your property value.

Invest in energy-efficient appliances

There are all sorts of energy-efficient appliances available today. Some of which include refrigerators, ovens, washing machines, and dryers. Many people do not realize that many old appliances can be easily swapped out for energy-efficient units. For example, your old dishwasher can be replaced with an energy-efficient with minimal to no construction. If you are hesitant to upgrade appliances because of the cost, you may want to consider selling your old appliances if they are still functional.

Reinsulate the property

Because it is covered up by drywall, insulation is often overlooked by homeowners. If your home is poorly insulated, you are likely throwing away money on your heating and cooling bills. If you want to increase your property value, you may want to consider reinsulating a few rooms in your house. Your attic is a great place to start. New insulation can be something you can highlight in your property listing to appeal to homebuyers.

Upgrade your windows

Old windows can be a major turnoff to home buyers. Also, they may be negatively affecting your energy bills. By replacing your outdated windows with modern energy-efficient ones, you are also elevating the appearance of your home as well.

HUD Foreclosures

HUD foreclosures and VA Foreclosures are some of the best homes to buy when price is part of the equation. As with most Americans, price is always a concern. If not buying the same house for less, why not buy more house for the same dollar invested? When looking for a good deal it is hard to do better than the VA or HUD foreclosures market. The simple truth is that there are just more VA and HUD homes on the market, as they represent such a large number of mortgages that are generated each year. This translates into more foreclosures just by the magnitude of difference between all others comparing to the two largest.

The two largest also being government owned and operated means that they have less time to wait to make money back on the home. The FHA is especially known for selling HUD homes for less than the average sales price in a given area. FHA foreclosures represent a fraction of HUD but they are still a significant number of homes and both should be considered.

VA (Veterans Administration) and HUD (Housing and Urban Development) have different and unique opportunities for the buyer. Both are often forgiven for the local taxes normally associated with the purchase of a home (this is on a county by county basis). Be sure to ask the local title company or escrow company to look into it for you before closing as this is often missed due to their are not used to dealing with the 2 to 3 percent of the market that VA and HUD foreclosures represent.

Foreclosure Listings Increasing

As the market settled after the mortgage meltdown foreclosure listings also settled and fewer homes were on the market with a placard reading “Bank Foreclosure” in big red lettering. This was a good thing for the entire real estate market. Having an abundance of foreclosures brings the entire market down and it makes it harder for home owners, who would like to move, to get the appropriate price for their home as a similar home down the same street was sold for substantially less and the appraiser is using the foreclosure as a comparable sale.

This is just one of the problems when there are too many foreclosure listings in any area. Another issue is the television set that sits in everyone’s living room harping about the price of homes based on the number of foreclosures and this constant barrage of negative information makes most people sit on the sidelines waiting for the market to either implode completely or to correct itself. Meanwhile while they wait, others are buying foreclosure listings and making great investments.

Whatever the reason, a market can only handle so many foreclosure listings at any given time. The more foreclosures, the lower the market gets and this is a lesson the banks that were foreclosing and selling off realized too late. The market and their investments would have been better off if there had not been a rush to divest themselves of the toxic assets made more toxic by their own actions.