I have been working with many buyers & many of the homes they are looking at in the Richmond area  are either foreclosures or short sales, and as everyone knows, these types of purchases are “as is”, meaning that there will be no repairs by the seller!  This means that the buyer of the home will need to do those repairs after closing.  Of course, with many of these homes, not only do you have to do repairs, but many of the homes need updating & renovating!  So many of my buyers are thinking about some of the things that they can do after closing to put their own personal stamp on the house!  And one of the things they are thinking about more and more is how they can incorporate some energy efficiency and green features into the home, without spending a fortune doing it, or having to tear down the home and rebuild it!  So here are some of the ideas that many of my buyers have come up with for the houses they are considering!  And none of these will cost them a lot of money, but can potentially save them lots of money over the long haul! 

1. Install a programmable thermostat!  This will allow the buyers to regulate their heating & cooling and over time, will save them much more than the $150 it may cost to buy and install!
2. Install low-flow showerheads & toilets!  For instance, low-flow showerheads can start at $8, but can slash the bath water consumption by 50% to 70%!
3. Install Energy Star Appliances!  If the appliances that they buy have this label on them, it means that the item is at least 10% to 50% more efficient than the standard models!  A home that is equipped with all Energy Star rated appliances will use 30% less energy – a potential savings of $600/year!
4. Upgrade or Replace Windows!  In older homes, you may have the old windows.  If the windows don’t need to be replaced, you can boost the efficiency of the windows by adding weatherstripping and storm windows.  If the windows do need to be replaced, replace with the energy efficient windows, where you can potentially save anywhere from 7% to 24% on your heating & cooling bills!
5. Plant shade trees & shrubs around the house!  This will be especially good if you plant them on the house’s west side-in the summer the foliage helps to block the infrared rays that heat the home up (and make the air conditioner work harder); in the winter, the bare branches let the rays come into the house, helping the house to retain heat!
6. Insulate your home with a coat of paint!  Recently when I showed a house, I met someone who was renovating the home across the street and he showed me a new product he is using to paint the home.  It is paint with a ceramic additive to it which has been proven to increase the “R” insulation level of the walls & ceilings.  If used on the outside exterior walls, the insulating properties are increased even more since it blocks the extreme heat of the sun!  Since this is a new product it may be hard to find and it may be something that you will have to go to a specialty store or even order it online.  But if you are looking at renovating an older home with very little to no insulation, this may be a great product to consider using!
7. Shade the outside central air unit with shrubs 3 to 4 feet way – this can help to increase the unit’s efficiency by up to 10%.
8. When landscaping the yard, try to use native plants since they will use less water and are able to withstand the weather conditions.  You may also wish to incorporate rain barrels at the downspouts to collect the rainwater and use this to water the yard.  In the summer about 40% of the water you use will be for the lawn and landscaping!
9. Have an energy audit done on the home!  This will show you where you are losing money on your energy usage and will recommend things you can do to increase the energy efficiency of the home!
10. Finally, if you need to make some energy efficiency improvements, you may wish to consider getting an FHA Energy Efficient Mortgage.  This can also be great to get in conjunction with an FHA 203K (renovation loan).  The cost of the energy inspection could also be included in the mortgage. 

As you can see there are lots of low-cost ways to renovate & update a house that may be a little outdated!  Many of my buyers are excited about the thought that maybe they can get something that they can put their own personal stamp on!  But of course, whether or not this is the right move to make depends a lot on the condition of the home, how big a mortgage you are willing to take on, what the market value of the house would be after you do the renovations, and, of course, the buyer’s tolerance for doing the renovation!  But I am sure that there are many other low-cost things you can do to upgrade and improve on a house!  So if you have been thinking of buying a house and have not considered a foreclosure or “as is” property in the past, perhaps you should reconsider this as an option!  Sometimes looking beyond what it looks like today will get you a great bargain that will look good tomorrow!!!  Let me know if you have any questions!