When buying a home, keeping energy efficiency in mind is both good for your wallet and the environment.
When working with my clients to find a home or investment property, I always keep an eye on ways to make my business and my client's potential home more "green" and efficient.
During the home search, this includes everything from minimizing paper use, using recycled paper when needed, maximizing email, and using Google Earth to preview homes and areas, thus reducing driving.
I also stay on top of the latest home technology so I can make suggestions to my clients on ways to reduce the energy impact of their potential home. On the left are links to some articles about energy efficient upgrades you can make to your home as well as information on various tax credits that are available.
When you're buying a home, most people don't have a lot of money left over for upgrades after the purchase is complete. There is now a new Energy Efficient Mortgage program available from FHA to finance energy efficient upgrades to your home into the initial purchase loan! Click here for details.
In Tucson there are a number of green or sustainable communities. One of the most famous is Armory Park Del Sol, a unique and revolutionary solar-based community. Click here to check out their website. if this is the type of community that you'd like to live in, click here to see homes listed for sale in Armory Del Sol.
Water conservation is a critical concern in Tucson as it is in any desert community. If you'd like to learn about water harvesting, there is a great organization in Tucson called the Watershed Management Group. They have a co-op program where people help each other create water harvesting systems. For more information, here is a link to their website.