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Energy Certified Home? That’s Cool!

Energy certification: very cool!

Your home is the most beautiful house on the block, inside and out; you are ready to list at a competitive price; and, you have taken every step to ensure that potential buyers will have access to see it at their convenience. You have created what agents call the real estate trifecta!

It’s hard to do better than winning the Triple Crown. But, since this is a house race not a horse race, we’ll do one better to help you jockey your way to the win. Here’s the tip: Get a Home Energy Audit Inspection and have your home energy certified and rated. It’s a “whole house” approach and it is what makes selling a home in 2013 different than selling a home 20 years ago.

The Home Energy Audit Inspection identifies the primary source of your home’s heating and cooling deficiencies providing buyers with the exact answers to the questions they are asking: How much is it going to cost me to live in this home? How energy efficient is it? 

The rating is a standard measurement of a home’s energy efficiency and will allow a homebuyer to easily compare the energy costs of your home to other homes at the top of their list. On the flip side, a homeowner who wants to upgrade the home’s energy efficiency can use the energy rating to evaluate and pinpoint specific cost-effective improvement needs and make those improvements to improve their sale potential. Getting your home Energy Certified will truly set you and your home apart from the competition. Whether yours is a home in a “hot” neighborhood (where homes are selling quickly) or in a “cool” one (where there are many comparable homes for sale), or even if yours is an older home, the home energy audit inspection is a great opportunity to bring your home up to today’s high standards of green living.

The inspection and report costs between $300-$400, and the cost for repairs and upgrades will vary. The tips, however, will make your home a more cost-effective property, more energy efficient and more attractive to a potential homebuyer.

Where to start: 

The government has pages and pages on making your home more efficient. Start here at the energy.gov homes page. For our part, Rozansky Realty Group offers a Home Energy Audit inspection through our professional partnership with Northern Virginia Roofing (www.nvroofs.com).

Here is how the Home Energy Audit inspection works:

The Home Energy Audit Process – Inspection & Testing: Inspectors use advanced procedures to test your home’s energy efficiency. These tests include a blower door test, to test window and door seals, and a thermographic scan, to see where energy might be escaping your home. The results outline where your home is losing energy.

Energy Saving Improvements: The report will outline recommendations for home improvements that can reduce energy loss, save on energy bills and can also translate into tax credits. These improvements could range from air duct sealing and upgrading your insulation to replacing inefficient doors or windows.

Turning your home into a certified energy efficient one can undoubtedly mean the difference between a buyer choosing your home or choosing one down the street. Getting a home energy audit and increasing the energy efficiency in your home sends the potential buyer an important message: If they purchase your home, their gas and heating costs will be only for usage, not for heating or air that escapes through the roof, windows and doors. 

In today’s competitive real estate market, taking an extra “green” step can have a positive impact in the way your entire home sale transaction unfolds. 

About Brad Rozansky

Licensed for 35 years in Maryland, DC and Virginia. Recognized among the Top Real Estate Teams in the United States by The Wall Street Journal from 2008 to the present. Now working with our second generation of home buyers and sellers!

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