Sustainability in real estate continues to rise in popularity and convenience. With increased awareness for the environment, builders and homeowners alike are prioritizing sustainable practices and materials in the real estate market. Here are some of the most important benefits of sustainable real estate:
As you might expect, there are many environmental benefits to sustainable practices in real estate. Traditional real estate construction creates a tremendous amount of waste. Sustainable construction methods include renewable sources and materials to reduce and avoid waste. Sustainable real estate also prioritizes conserving water during construction.
Building sustainably also means building in an energy-efficient way. The latest and greatest in windows, roofs and insulation help the home remain energy efficient and reduce its carbon footprint while keeping funds in your wallet.
Minimizing waste and reducing water usage also help keep costs low. Sustainable real estate can cost significantly less to build as it consumes fewer resources and efficiently uses waste. Sustainably built homes benefit the homeowner, as well. Not only does sustainable construction have excellent ROI and resale value, it helps keep individual energy costs lower. The better insulation and energy-efficient features like windows and roofs equate to spending less on heating and cooling. Low-flow bathroom fixtures will keep water & sewer service bills more manageable no matter the size of the home.
Green buildings and sustainable real estate are better for homeowner's health than conventional construction. Sustainable techniques and materials avoid the use of harmful chemical compounds that contribute to pollution and exacerbate existing health issues. Paints, carpets, cleaning supplies and even insulation are constantly improving to become more health-friendly as well as environmentally friendly. Sustainable architecture that prioritizes gardening and other green spaces can also help improve homeowner's health by providing extra oxygen and air purification.
These are just a few of the major benefits of sustainable real estate. As technology and materials improve, homes will only get more efficient and more eco-friendly.
I'm John Mahan, Sales Associate with William Raveis Real Estate, Harwich Port Office.
Throughout his childhood, John Mahan spent summers on Cape Cod at his parents’ home in Dennis Port. His intro to the Cape was, as he puts it, when his parents “carried me down the stairs at Sea Street Beach when I was a week old.” With a lifelong connection to Cape Cod, it seemed only natural for John and his wife, Mary, to move to Harwich – where they still reside – with their two young children in 1996.
Prior to moving to Cape Cod, John lived in the Worcester-Auburn area where he worked for Mass Electric for 10 years and was a member of the International Brotherhood of Utility Workers. When John and his family moved to the Cape, he worked at NSTAR for six years.
John began his career in real estate in 2002 when he joined Team Waystack Realty in Harwich Port. He has been a consistent top producing realtor in the Harwich area for the past 20 years. John’s approachable demeanor, combined with an integral understanding of the Cape Cod residential real estate market, have allowed him to build trusting, long-term relationships with his clients – both sellers and buyers.