By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine

Green building and products continue to gain traction in real estate, and some of the latest “green” products not only are helping home owners trim energy bills but also making their homes work smarter.

ONE ‘SMART’ GREEN HOME

The Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry has unveiled its fourth version of its “Smart Home,” a 2,200 square-foot home that boasts some of the latest innovations in green construction. Here are a few of its features:

Photo Credit: J.B. Spector, Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago

–Monitor energy usage. This home was wired to keep a constant close watch on its energy usage. The home features a large flat-screen television that displays a room-by-room measurement of the home’s energy consumption. The home’s automation system also controls the lighting and can track daily and hourly use of energy.

Photo Credit: J.B. Spector, Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago

–A mirror not just for your reflection. The Cybertecture Mirror in the home’s master bathroom is no ordinary mirror. You can use a remote to turn it instantly into a computer monitor where you can even check your Facebook page. You can also use it to display time, traffic reports, news, temperature, and even keep track of your weight.

–Movable solar panels. Located in the front of the house, a 45-foot wind turbine provides some of the energy to power the home from the sun. The Smart Home’s rooftop solar panels also are an energy source. Unlike typical solar panels, these panels are soft and roll out on the home’s flat roof so home owners can even take it with them if they ever move.

Photo credit: J.B. Spector, Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago

–Reuse and recycle. The home features several examples of recycling everyday products and turning them into household items. For example, the upholstery on the chairs in the living room are made from recycled automobile tires.

LOW MAINTENANCE UPKEEP WITH GREEN

A dated 1968 ranch style home in Cape Coral, Fla., was transformed with a interior and exterior “greenovation”–a green-inspired renovation. Dubbed the “Lemonade House,” the home has become the Florida High Performance Green House, a demonstration home showing off eco-friendly features.

As part of the renovations, the home’s yellow ranch clad in stucco got a facelift with new siding, windows, and roof–all of which are more energy efficient and maintenance free.

Photo Credit: Florida High Performance Green House, www.flgreenhouse.com

Paul Shahriari, the eco-entrepreneur behind the renovation, used energy efficient vinyl cedar shake siding from The Foundry to wrap over the home’s stucco exterior. The maintenance-free siding never needs to be repainted and also helps to give the home a unique, modern, beach-style look, he says.

To contrast with the yellow vinyl, Shahriari used a green, maintenance-free trim (cellular PVC IQm Trim in crisp Polar White). The home then was topped off with an Energy Star-rated silver metal roof.

“A house is greener if you spend less money and time taking care of it,” Shahriari says. “If you can build something in a way that all you have to do is hose it down once a year, that’s green.”

Other renovations to the home included vinyl impact windows, LED lighting, solar hot water heating, low-VOC adhesives, and several green products incorporated throughout the home’s interior.

Photo Credit: Florida High Performance Green House, www.flgreenhouse.com

Shahriari documents all of the greenovations he did to the home–and the savings–at the Florida High Performance Green House web site.

“It’s the only renovation you can do that makes you money instantly, where you don’t have to wait to sell your house to recoup your investment,” he says. “The moment I turn my house on, it’s saving me about $400 a month.”

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine

Any number of things has the potential to devalue a property and turn off buyers. According to a recent article by Investopedia (“Sellers Beware: 8 Factors That Devalue a Good Home”), here are a few common factors that often devalues a property … Do you agree?

Nearby eyesores. Cell phone towers or power lines overlooking a home can make some buyers skittish about the property. Also, messy neighbors or unsightly abandoned nearby homes also might devalue your listing (e.g. According to research by the Center for Responsible Lending, foreclosures will affect 91.5 million nearby homes by 2012 and reduce property values of these homes by $20,300 per household.). Read: Battling the Neighborhood Eyesore

Renovations gone wrong. Investopedia refers to this as the “DIY nightmare” when home renovations are done poorly.While renovating a property can help increase its value, renovations that are not done properly can have the opposite effect. If buyers look at the renovation as something they will have to redo, they may bypass the property, or submit a lowball offer to factor in the “DIY nightmare.”

Bizarre design choices. Some buyers just can’t see past that pinkish honeysuckle accent wall, even if it is this year’s “color of the year.” Unusual paint colors or home design choices that are overly trendy can be turnoffs and even devalue the home. Also, customized spaces that are no longer serving its function, such as a converted garage that now functions as a home gym or bedroom, might make some buyers think twice. And even “a professional chef’s kitchen or marble bathrooms in a modest home suited to first-time buyers won’t likely provide a good return on investment,” the article notes.

Uninviting curb appeal. The exterior of a home offers buyers their first impression of the property–so if the exterior looks outdated or in poor condition, buyers likely will assume the same applies for the inside too. Old fences and sheds can devalue a home. Also, gardens should be weeded and lawns freshly mowed so buyers won’t misjudge a home by its exterior cover.