Twelve Ways to Make Love Stay
A Checklist for a Green Home Purchase
By Susana Field, Buyers Resource Real Estate Steamboat
You love the floor plan, the woodwork and the two sinks in the master bathroom. But have you asked yourself just how comfortable and healthy the living environment is going to be, both inside and out? Is it a love affair that can last?
With so many properties for sale right now, buyers can afford to be pickier about more than just location, looks and price. Here are twelve pointers to help you keep the love alive.
1. Age and Condition of all Properties
Steamboat has many older houses in downtown, as well as in the neighboring communities of Oak Creek, Phippsburg, Yampa, Milner and Hayden. Many were built in the 1920s or before. Some have been upgraded; the coal-burning furnaces replaced with modern boilers or furnaces, new plumbing and electrical installations, and the single-pane windows replaced with double pane, but many have not. Depending on previous renovations-or future renovations you are willing to make-energy consumption can be high, and your level of comfort questionable.
Even homes in Steamboat II, built in the 1970s, and the newer homes and condos up at the Mountain, for example, should be evaluated in terms of their "Green" qualities. Brand new homes should likewise have the sales contract contingent upon the results of a home inspection. You can negotiate with the seller over who will fix what. You will know what you are getting into if you proceed with the deal, or you can choose to get out of the contract without repercussions.
2. Ease of Making Improvements
With condos and townhomes, it is harder to make individual improvements to your dwelling; the walls, roofs, foundations and outdoor common spaces are all shared. Homeowners' Associations (and all the personalities which make them up), must be worked with if you want to make any changes.
A single-family home gives you greater freedom in construction upgrades and landscaping choices, but again many older homes come with inherited problems, and you won't be able to spread the costs out amongst several homeowners.
3. Appliances, Plumbing and Lighting
Are the appliances Energy Star rated and likely to last a long time? Are rebates and tax incentives available for upgrades? Is the plumbing respectful of the value of water in the West? Does the plumbing have to be redone or can you just replace the fixtures? Is the lighting sensibly placed in the home so lights are less likely to be left on? Has the owner already changed all the light bulbs to fluorescents?
4. Heating
Is the thermostat programmable? Is the heat efficiently "in-floor" or emitted from wasteful old furnaces? Is the fireplace gas or wood-burning, and if wood, will you enjoy stoking it up before your first cup of morning coffee? Will your ankles feel a draft when you're watching TV? Can parts of the house, if unused for a time, be easily closed off? How much unnecessary space will you be paying to heat, and how much is that worth to you? Is the hot water heater on-demand? Is the roof oriented for solar panels?
5. Shade and Circulation
Is the house shaded during the summer? Are there indoor fans or cross ventilation? Can windows be easily opened to cool the house down at night, or will you be dependant on costly air conditioning or, worse, left to swelter at night?
6. Sun and Blinds
Is warmth and light from the sun available during the winter? Are there ample blinds to block out the sun's heat during the day, if necessary, and keep the warmth in during the nights when the temperature drops to the single digits?
7. Insulation
Is the roof free of snow when the neighboring roofs are still covered? That means there's not enough insulation. How much more will you need? Will you hear your spouse grinding coffee in the kitchen when you're trying to sleep in on a Saturday, or your neighbors upstairs throwing a party to which you weren't invited?
8. Outdoor Winter and Summer Maintenance
How easy will it be to plow the driveway? Will there be icicles dangling above your head, ice patches at your feet or drainage problems in the spring? What happens when the snow sheds? Will you have to climb up on the roof to shovel? How long will it take the snow to melt from your yard and patio in the spring, so you can start to enjoy them? How easy will it be to mow the lawn, and water and weed the landscape? Will the lawn and landscaping binge on water or can they thrive almost without? Is there an automatic sprinkler system with drip lines to the trees and shrubs to conserve water usage and keep your plants healthy while freeing up your time and attention? Will your outdoor living spaces be shaded-or sweltering-during the summer heat?
9. Walkability vs. Isolation
How far will you have to drive to work, the kids' schools, the grocery stores and a night out on the town? How much time will it take you, how much gas will you use and how much of a pain will it be to park? Is it easy to walk around the neighborhood for both exercise and neighborly visits? Or will you be isolated at home and have to drive to the gym? Are there parks and playmates nearby for your kids, or can you spell "chauffeur"? Can you walk your dogs and let your cats out easily? Or for that matter, can you walk home or take the bus after a night out with your friends?
10. Clutter and Storage
How prone is the house to clutter? Is there ample storage and closet space? Is there a garage to protect the investment you have in your car and toys? A garage saves gas-and your time, knuckles and sweat-by keeping the car warm and deiced during the winter. Does the lot and home give you the needed room to grow, so that you can put down your roots and not feel like you have to sell when the economy is down?
11. Environmental Pollution, Indoors and Out
Regardless of all other considerations of age, style or orientation, all homes are equal in one thing: their potential for pollution from radon gas which comes up from the earth. Have your home tested, and consider mitigation costs, if needed, when negotiating with the seller.
Inside the home, if new or newly updated, beware the off-gassing from new carpet, and fumes from fresh paint. If you're doing the upgrades yourself, you can choose environmentally friendlier products than might have been used by the builder.
How prone is the property to noise pollution (don't forget the nightly-rental party units next door or the ball fields or rodeo across the street), light pollution and highway fumes?
How prone is the home of your dreams to flooding? Or to mold in the basement and mildew in the bath? Are there infected or dying trees (although some, when removed, can leave you with fabulous views)? Will nearby wetlands delight you with red-winged blackbirds and frogs? Or just bring clouds of mosquitoes?
12. Breathing Space
Can you recycle? Take compost out to the yard? Grow food? See the stars and the moon, the mountains and the river, or even just a bush and tree? Can you stretch and touch your toes without feeling self-conscious? Can you make the mortgage payments and maintain the home without it being a financial burden? In the end, will your new home be somewhere you can open your doors and let your pets, your children, your spouse and yourself run safely free?
Many of these considerations are intuitive when you look at a home and connect with it emotionally; these features are already enmeshed with your sense of aesthetics. But beyond the countertops and the great view, some things we have to train ourselves to see, so that what we love now, at first sight, will continue to be what we love still, long after we've moved in.
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