Green Features: Opportunity in a Difficult Market

Today’s challenging real estate market has left many home sellers searching for any way to position their property ahead of others. Buyers hold the power and are intent on getting what they want since delaying a purchase may only prove profitable.  One important factor that stands out among many homebuyers is a desire for green features in their next home. Adding green features to a home is a beneficial marketing strategy that resonates well with today’s homebuyers.  Green features reduce ownership costs, create a healthier living environment, are less damaging to our environment, and increase the marketing appeal of the home. 

Homebuyers are interested in green features because they directly benefit their health, wealth, and the environment.  Green features reduce energy and water consumption, which reduces the cost of living. With the cost of energy becoming increasingly expensive and therefore responsible for draining homeowners’ savings, homebuyers find it practical and wise to factor energy efficiency into their home buying decision. 

Many homes contain household products and materials that emit harmful chemicals into indoor air.  Products such as paint, cabinetry, furniture, and carpeting may be off gassing the chemicals used to make those products into the home.  Homes with green features often contain alternative materials and products that do not emit these chemicals and are therefore less harmful to its occupants.  These features resonate well with homebuyers and help differentiate the home from others. 

Homes with green features may also contain sustainable materials that are less harmful to our environment which is a significant concern among many eco-conscious buyers today.  Aside from the economic and health benefits of green home features, aspects of a home that are environmentally friendly are important to many buyers who want to reduce their impact on the environment.    

Adding green features to a home is a strategic way for sellers to position their home for sale.  In a market where buyers can afford to wait if they do not find what they want, the selective incorporation of green features and an effective marketing strategy is key to reminding homebuyers exactly why your home is something they want now.  In a depressed housing market where finding a buyer remains a challenge, green features offer an opportunity home sellers should not overlook.

Green Staging: What is it and does it work?

Over the past few years many industries have found ways to reduce their impact on the environment while subsequently lowering costs and growing profits.  Home stagers have been struggling to find ways to incorporate sustainable principles into their staging businesses and hence, have been unable to adapt to the green trend. However, many home staging companies have now begun offering a new service to their clients, which capitalizes on the rising demand for green homes.  This service is known as “Green Staging.”

Green staging is the process of identifying and creating green features in homes that appeal to homebuyers who want to save money, reduce their carbon footprint, and desire a healthier home to live in.  When a professional home stager green stages a home, the stager will view the home from a whole-house approach, understanding that in addition to what may be aesthetically appealing, they must also consider the environmental and health features that homebuyer’s desire. 

A green stager will help the homeowner identify existing features of their home that can be marketed as green features, as well as advise the client on how to create green home features if they desire to do so.  Green features are aspects of the home that make efficient use of energy and water, reduce indoor air pollution, and lower the home’s carbon footprint.  Green stagers are also highly selective in the materials and staging props they use in a client’s home.  Eco-friendly materials are used to create a more natural, earth-friendly look and feel in accordance with being green.

Are Homebuyers Interested in Green Features?

Green features are appealing to homebuyers on many levels. They make the home healthier to live in by incorporating products that do not emit harmful pollutants into indoor air.  These features are especially important to homebuyers with children.  Green features also reduce the cost to maintain the home through energy and water efficiency, which is something every homeowner desires regardless of their standpoint on the environment.

Homeowners see value in green staging because it helps them adapt to what homebuyers want.  Differentiation is important in today’s market.  With demand for green homes rising, homeowners view green staging as an opportunity to make their home stand out from others.

Research shows that home staging often creates value through a higher sales price and/or lower time on the market.  Green staging now offers homeowners an additional option to enhance their home’s marketing appeal and give homebuyers what they want in their next home.  In a depressed housing market, green staging may be exactly what homeowners need to give their home that extra marketing edge.