Q. How important are the Energy Star features in a home to your customers?
A. Energy Star features have become an increasingly popular request with buyers looking at new homes. Families know that by using Energy Star products not only will their homes be greener and better for the environment, but they will be saving a lot more money on their utility bills compared to homes built without Energy Star features.
Q. What is the demand for Energy Star homes? Is the expected savings from Energy Star homes helping to close a sale?
A. Energy Star rated homes have a significant advantage over homes that are not Energy Star certified. I’ve worked with families in the past where one of the first questions they ask is, “Are your homes Energy Star rated?” Other times families will purchase a higher-priced home that is Energy Star rated because they know that the value and the savings will have larger dividends in the long run.
Q. What is the most asked about cost saving feature?
A. Typically, there is not a specific item that families will ask about for their home, however they do ask what features are rated. It is the agent’s responsibility to let the buyer know what features are rated in their homes and what the cost saving benefits are.
Q. What are some of the items used to achieve energy efficiency?
A. Features that can be rated range from something as simple as light fixtures to larger systems like water heaters, and everything in between. Many of the builders will focus on air handlers, appliances, windows, and insulation, but just about everything in a home that uses energy can be Energy Star rated.
Q. What are you doing to educate your buyers about Energy Star homes?
A. The most important thing to explain to buyers about Energy Star products and homes is sharing with them exactly what Energy Star means. For example, letting them know that there are different Energy Star levels. It’s also important to let them know there are tax benefits as well and showing families how to capitalize on that. Energy Star homes are extremely beneficial, particularly for new construction, but it’s critical that agents and builders educate buyers on exactly what that is to help them with their home buying decision.
Q. How important are the Energy Star features in a home to your customers?
A. I usually get the most questions regarding Energy Star features from those buyers who are buying their first home. They are trying to determine their financial budget and the home’s average monthly utility expense is a very important item to them. Since this home purchase is a big leap in terms of their financial commitment, many of these buyers are not able to afford to pay an additional amount for the home just for the sake of reducing their carbon footprint. These buyers want to be responsible with their purchase and need to see an immediate return to them in terms of savings.
Q. What is the demand for Energy Star homes? Is the expected savings from Energy Star homes helping to close a sale?
A. Most buyers are looking for ways to reduce their costs. For those buyers interested in new homes, the savings that Energy Star homes provide are certainly very attractive to them. New homes with Energy Star features have definitely helped to close the sale. When buyers see on paper how much of a reduction they will get on their utility bills in a home with Energy Star features verses a home without those features, as long as the homes are comparable price points, they will generally go with the Energy Star home.
Q. What is the most asked about cost saving feature?
A. Probably the most asked about feature is Energy Star windows. This is also true of buyers purchasing older, re-sale homes. If these homes have older windows, the buyers can reduce their utility bills dramatically by replacing these windows with Energy Star windows. According to the EPA website www.epa.gov/iaq
Q. What are some of the items used to achieve energy efficiency?
A. Some other items that help to achieve energy efficiency are clean air ducts. For buyers purchasing re-sale homes, their home inspector can advise them on ways to achieve better energy efficiency. For instance, on older air duct systems buyers can use mastic sealant or metal foil tape along with added insulation to seal off many of the problem areas and save money on their utility bills. Another simple task that will reduce the energy use is to keep the A/C unit’s filter changed regularly.
Q. What are you doing to educate your buyers about Energy Star homes?
A. If the buyers are looking for new homes, the builders generally have good information on their websites and brochures that detail the Energy Star features of that home. For those buyers looking at re-sale homes, I provide information for areas of concern from the websites above or direct my buyers to those websites.
The bottom line is that today’s buyers are able to buy the home that best fits their needs and save money at the same time!