As we continue to move forward in the future, more and more thought is put into whether housing is sustainable or not. We also expand investment sectors to include more than just traditional housing, as cities and states reconsider regulations around new builds.
If you’re considering taking on new investment projects this year, you might want to think about sustainable housing. It’s becoming more relevant, and it’s a great way to increase your knowledge of property investment in general so that you can cover it all. Let’s take a look at how to invest in sustainable housing successfully.
Reduce Costs with Insulation
While most cities or states will have updated insulation regulations these days, even if you live somewhere where they aren’t, insulation is important. If you’ve just bought an investment property and plan to make as much on it as possible, insulating it is a great way to reduce your overhead.
The great part is that you can go one step further with your insulation to promote sustainability, too. You can choose to use either cotton or sheep wool instead of commercially-made insulation. This will keep the house warm, reader for renters, and reduce heating costs sustainably.
Make the Most of Renewable Energy
If you want to expand your property portfolio, without expanding your carbon footprint, then think about renewable energy for your next house. From wind turbines to solar panels, there are plenty of ways to invest in a property sustainably, so that you can keep that footprint light.
The good news is that as sustainability becomes more and more relevant, you’ll most likely be able to increase the home’s value through investments like this, too.
Renovate with Sustainable Materials
Perhaps you have bought an investment property that requires some renovations to bring it up to snuff. If this is the case, then you’ll need to make sure that you can do so sustainably, if this is important to you. One of the best parts of using sustainable building materials to complete your investment property is that they will save your property money in the long run.
However, one slight downside to this is that sustainable building materials might cost you more than their commercial counterparts. If this is the case, then you could consider taking out a personal or title loan to make the most of your investment. But be careful; if you’re not familiar with these loans — or even if you want to prequalify for a car loan — you first need to do your due diligence by going online and looking up the term ‘title loans.’
Think Design as Well as Location
Investing in property takes skill and experience, but if you want to invest in sustainable property, you’ve got your work cut out for you. However, the rewards are worth it if you have a good architect on your side, as well as a good location.
From making the most of shady areas to reduce energy usage, to rejigging the plumbing to become more earth-friendly, there are many things that you can change in an investment property to make it more sustainable.
Investing in property has become so much more than a numbers game. Now, it’s thinking about how you can recreate it for reselling purposes and to preserve the future environment.
Photo Credit: stock photo
When we built our current house in 1985, I did a double wall construction method, because I had a boat load of 2×4’s from the pine I logged off the property. Inside walls are on 16″ centers, outer wall is 24″ OC. There is a 1″ space between walls, they join only at the top with a 9″ wide strip of 3/4″ plywood. The outside sheathing is 1″ foam board.
This method provides an R value of around 30 compared to the traditional wall which gives an R-11 to 13 range (higher the R, less heat loss/gain). Similar measures followed in floors/ceilings, which have given us a low energy requirement house for 35 years.