When you come to a point where you need to sell your house, you certainly want to do it as easily and quickly as possible. In order to make that happen, you should be aware of what the potential buyers are looking for in homes for sale nowadays. If you keep on asking yourself: “How to sell my house fast for cash?” one of the most important aspects you should familiarize yourself with is the term of home energy efficiency.
To make sure your house is not using too much energy, you should call a professional energy auditor. In this way, a potential buyer will know that their future utility bills will not be higher than necessary, which can facilitate the process of selling your home to a great extent. To find out what this energy audit is all about and how it can help you sell your real estate, keep on reading!
Home Energy Audit – Explanation
A home energy audit, also referred to as a home energy assessment, may tell you a lot about your house’s energy use. Thanks to it, you will know the amount of energy your real estate uses, and where it is lost. What is more, home energy audits can identify the problematic areas and make it possible for a specialist to come up with the most effective solutions.
If you want to add any energy-saving home enhancements to increase its value before selling, you should know as much as possible about the current energy efficiency. You should also be aware that a potential buyer may ask you how energy-efficient your home is, and with such an audit being already performed, you will be ready to provide a reliable, proven answer.
Preparations for Home Energy Audits
Prior to a home energy audit, you should list all the issues that you have identified on your own, such as drafty rooms or constant condensation. Apart from that, it is recommended to have copies or at least a summary of your yearly energy bills. Do not worry if you do not have them already – you can always ask your utility to help you in that. When an energy auditor sees such data, they can establish what to search for during their examination.
Usually, they start their home energy audits with checking the outdoors, which helps them to find out the size of a building and its features (including the size and number of windows, or the wall area). Also, they need to know some crucial information about the residents’ behavior, such as:
- The presence of people during working hours
- The number of people living at your home
- The frequency of use of particular rooms
- The average thermostat setting for both winter and summer
Such data can provide the professional with simple solutions for improving the energy-efficiency of your home. You can walk through with them as they work and ask all of their questions to facilitate the energy audit. To get more precise information, they will use some specialist tools, such as infrared cameras, surface thermometers, blower doors, or furnace efficiency matters.
Benefits of an Energy Audit
Checking how energy-efficient your home is can be an excellent help in selling it. Keep in mind that potential buyers may have a wide choice of homes to choose from, so being ahead of other sellers and providing more detailed information may give you a great advantage. There are some reasons why:
- You will be able to show a buyer that a lot of savings can be made (up to 30% lower energy bills)
- The home’s comfort levels will be increased
- It will increase the eco-friendliness, and it can be one of the most significant features of a house for some buyers
- All the significant potential issues with the home can be identified, and you will be able to take care of them before putting your home at the market, increasing its value to the maximum
- You will be able to prove everything you say about your home with a reliable document, and potential buyers may be more interested in your offer, knowing that you are not lying or hiding anything concerning the energy use in a building
Guidelines on Finding and Picking the Right Energy Auditor
If it is the first time you hear about an energy auditor, you may not know where to find one. Here are some guidelines on getting such a specialist:
- You can contact your state or local government energy or weatherization office to help you to pick a local company or organization offering such audits for homes
- You can ask your gas or electric utility if they conduct residential energy audits or can at least recommend some local professionals
- You can look for a specialist on your own, either on the internet or in your telephone directory (such companies are enlisted under the headings beginning with the word “Energy”)
The Bottom Line
The home market is very competitive, and potential buyers have a lot of options to choose from. For this reason, every seller who wants to increase their chances of their house being purchased in no time and without too many difficulties should do everything to stand out among other offers. One of the best ways to do that is to perform a special audit at your home, collecting all the necessary data about its energy-efficiency.
In this way, you will be able to identify all the issues that need to be taken care of before putting your real estate in the market. What is more, you will be provided with an expert document that you will be able to show to any potential buyer to prove that what you are saying about your home is true. As fraud in home-selling is nothing new, the proof for your credibility can be crucial in the decision-making process, and it can turn out to be your trump card. Therefore, do not hesitate and look for a reliable energy auditor now!
Paulina Dolatowska
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