It's Not Easy Being Green (Or Is It?)

Yes, the real estate market is picking up and there is a surge in activity as people rush to take advantage of the homebuyer tax credits that expire on April 30. But not everyone chooses to make a move in order to change up their living space. If you're considering remodeling to give your home a new desired (or needed) look and feel, there are so many options to incorporate green or sustainable design into your plans that it's most definitely worth a look!

Remodeling a bathroom the green way finds most benefits from the way water is used and in the materials. My favorite cheap and easy change you can make in a bathroom is to install a dual flush toilet converter. And while it used to be that you had to buy a whole new toilet to get this functionality, there is now a retrofit kit you can buy for about $70 and convert your existing toilet (and avoid sending the old one to a landfill).

Whether you want to make a few changes or take on a major renovation, there are great options out there than not only help Mother Earth but can increase the value of your home and the appeal to a new set of environment-conscious buyers.

Understanding the Process

Whether or not you've purchased a home before, when it comes time to go through the process again, it's helpful to go into it with a good understanding of the process. If you're selling and buying, you need to understand your role as both a buyer and seller. It can be daunting with all the complexities built into the process - financing, negotiations, inspections, title work, etc., but a good agent can guide you through the entire home buying process and take the unnecessary burden off of you. Take some time to understand several agents' philosophies and what they offer in terms of support through the process - some are end-to-end service providers while others handle just the basics. Educate yourself as much as possible so you know what you want in an agent and hire the right person to represent you.