Green Homes

Commercial innovations lead way for green homes

Green building practices are not only paying off more quickly as costs decline with demand, but home buyers also are seeking out greener developments over ones without green features ... if they aren't too pricey.

Permalink to GreenBuild Blog 3- How LEED Certified Homes Impact Homeowners

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a green building certification program developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to help identify and implement practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.

US builds one million Energy Star green homes

Houston, Dallas and Las Vegas are the top three cities with the most qualified green homes, followed by Phoenix, Los Angeles, New York, Tucson, San Antonio, Sacramento, San Diego, Columbus, Des Moines, Indianapolis, Austin, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Boston, Denver, Orlando and Oklahoma City.

Green Sales

How to Boost Your Home's Value Before a Sale by Going Green
Green Real Estate Education is green "training the chain" of professionals in real estate transactions to bring information to home buyers and sellers on achieving basic economical energy savings, as well as financing these types of renovations. Energy-efficient homes, and especially green-certified properties, are some of the most sought-after residences and are gaining strength daily. The entire building industry is changing towards sustainable and green techniques; it's about time we embrace the new green revolution.

Six Green Strategies for Selling Your Home
Let’s face it. This is not an easy time to sell a house. Improving your home’s energy efficiency is always a good idea, but when you’re getting ready to sell, a few simple, green fix-ups could help put a sold sign on your lawn.

7 Eco-Friendly Tips To Sell Your Home
If you’re going through the same thing or are thinking about selling sometime soon, then you might be interested in some eco-friendly tips to sell your home.

For more information on green selling - and buying - contact the Eco-Broker Certified experts of the NOVA Green Team!

Green Flooring

How to Choose Green Flooring
Two of the most common flooring materials -- carpet and vinyl -- pose risks to ­the health of the environment and your home.

Bamboo flooring: Looking good for the environment
Bamboo flooring has come a long way in a short time. Once only available in lighter natural shades and hard to come by, it is now a hot new choice for flooring in new homes and remodels.

A House for the Future, Now
Camela and Wes Speer’s new house in Lorton will be environmentally friendly, energy efficient and unlike anything else around. It will also be one of the most carbon-neutral homes in Virginia.

Green Tax Credits

2009 Top Green Tax Credits and Deductions
A tax credit is a one-for-one dollar reduction in your total tax bill. Think of it as the government literally giving you a credit for a particular amount of money off of your tax bill. A tax deduction on the other hand reduces your taxable income. Once you have all of your deductions taken off of your total income, this amount is then the amount of money you will be taxed against. The difference is a large one in that a tax credit is much more beneficial than a deduction, but both are useful in reducing your tax bill.

Green Energy Home and Auto Tax Credits in the 2009 Economic Stimulus Package
As a soon to be home owner, I was surprised at the amount of "green" tax credits available in President Obama's $787 billion economic stimulus package (aka 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act). The $1500 energy efficiency credit has been well publicized, but there are a lot more goodies in there that you could save you a lot of money when it comes to tax returns next year, and reduce your carbon footprint to boot.

Green Benefits

Benefits of Going Green
Building the Green Communities way offers a wide array of benefits for building developers, investors, residents and the environment, leading to healthier homes and communities, lower energy and water costs, and a protected environment.

The Benefits of Going Green
Green design not only reduces a facility’s impact on the environment, but also benefits a business in financial — and nonfinancial — ways.

5 Benefits of Going Green
Everywhere you look in the news and media today you see stories about global warming and our effects on the earth. While it seems to make sense that we should all be a little kinder to Mother Earth, what exactly are some of the benefits of going green?

Green Tax Credits Available in 2009
Here is a brief run-down of the credits available in 2009