When selling a home, it’s important to do everything possible to drive up the price. After investing and making improvements to the home, this becomes even more important because it’s always nice to see some sort of return on this investment. Especially when it comes to energy-efficiency upgrades, you might be told that these will increase the selling price…but how do you know this?
What’s Pearl Certification?
According to Pearl Certification themselves, high-performing homes can have 4% added to the sale price compared to a home that hasn’t invested in energy-efficiency improvements. When marketed correctly, there have also been suggestions that Pearl Certified homes have a 5% premium so it’s a brilliant feature for your listing agent or realtor to have.
Every year, the demand for high-performing homes is growing and this trend is only set to expand in the coming years. Therefore, when having your home valued, it’s important the right experts visit and consider the improvements you’ve made in this arena. While some people will have invested in solar panels, others may have added insulation, energy-efficient appliances, draft protection on doors and windows, and more. With all of these factors considered correctly, your home won’t be undervalued.
Choosing the Right Listing Agent
When choosing where to list your home, this can be a difficult decision because it affects the appraisal process and, ultimately, the price you receive for the largest asset you’re ever likely to own. In our experience, it’s always best to choose a company that has partnered with Pearl Certification. As we’ve already seen, this means all your energy upgrades in the home will be considered by somebody with specialist training and pivotal experience.
What’s more, this third party is also in partnership with Energy Star; a brand that was initially launched in the US to reduce greenhouse gas and all other emissions via the energy usage in our homes. As they assess your home, they’ll know exactly what to look for, the value of each upgrade, how it affects utility bills, the condition of certain upgrades, and also the potential for future upgrades. If you’ve done all possible energy-efficiency upgrades, you’re going to see a premium on your home.
Partnering with Pearl Certification has another benefit too; they can help the appraiser fill out form 8205. Unfortunately, there’s a risk of the appraiser not having a full understanding of this process and all the associated forms. With a Pearl Certification representative present, this is no longer a problem and the appraiser will have a much easier job finding true value.
If you’ve made energy improvements to your home, there’s no real disadvantage to having this third-party authority present. Not only do they provide a marketing advantage, they also provide knowledge, and even a sounding board, for the appraiser. Earlier, we said that it’s important to do everything possible to drive up the price. With Pearl Certification and the right listing agent, driving up the price is entirely achievable.
Summary
According to a 2016 study from the National Association of Home Builders, around one-third of all buyers see Energy Star appliances as being essential in their new home. However, it doesn’t end there because 90% of all people thought it was either essential or desirable. Furthermore, 34% of people wanted Energy Star windows and just under 20% wanted insulation that was a higher quality than that suggested by code.
To get the highest value for your energy-efficiency upgrades, Pearl Certification is the way forward!
