What Is an Eco Friendly House & Its Features

Eco-friendly houses are increasing, with newly built properties considerably more sustainable than their older counterparts. Sustainable homes are proving more favoured as well because many potential buyers are keen to have a home cheaper to run in an efficient and environmentally friendly way. 

If you’ve developed your home to be more eco-friendly or built an eco friendly household and are looking to sell, we’ve put together a guide on selling an eco friendly house, the pros and cons, and the best options for selling. 

What is an eco-friendly house?  

An eco-friendly house, also known as a ‘green home’, is constructed with the environment in mind, such as using recyclable materials and installing elements to reduce the environmental impact. The home focuses on sustainability through its building process, using eco materials, prioritising energy efficiency and implementing symptoms to lessen the inhabitant’s carbon footprint. 

Environmentally friendly homes can come in all shapes and sizes, located off the grid as countryside cottages or large homes with extensive gadgets and hefty price tags. The most common element of an eco-friendly household is installing solar panels to generate electricity and reduce the dependency on fossil fuels that add to carbon emissions.  

Which features are in environmentally friendly homes? 

Environmentally friendly homes are created with the planet in mind, using materials and systems to reduce the house’s environmental impact. Whether that’s energy usage or eco materials, here are some of the most popular eco features:  

Pros and cons for potential buyers of selling environmentally friendly homes 

Selling an eco-friendly house has pros and cons, and it’s essential to consider them before you take that step. With the increasing popularity of environmentally friendly properties, you’ll have a unique advantage in the market, whilst, on the other hand, potential buyers may not want a complicated system in running their home. 

Advantages of selling an eco-friendly home

Energy efficiency 

 Running a home is a consideration when purchasing a property as it adds to the living costs. In the UK, each property has an energy-efficient rating, ranging from A to G, with A as the most energy-efficient and G as the least energy-efficient. Eco-homes generally have a higher rating, meaning they are a superb investment. Potential buyers moving from a house or flat that isn’t energy efficient may see this as a huge benefit when buying a home. 

Financial benefits of home running costs 

Aside from saving on energy costs as eco-friendly homes, sustainable properties can save other home-running costs. For example, having solar panels and sound insulation throughout the house will prevent paying high prices for electricity and energy. Most buyers will be interested in saving money on home running costs. 

Drawbacks of selling an eco-friendly home 

Complications in running the home  

Even though the sustainable elements added to the home help with costs, they can be particularly complicated to run, and potential buyers may not be interested in such an advanced property. For example, the various window shutters and insulation systems work differently from the classic gas and electric the majority of people are used to.   

To add to complications, to maintain the eco status of the home when the new owner buys it, they’ll need to ensure to meet all the energy requirements of an eco-home, such as a high Energy Performance Certificate rating. This status can be challenging to meet as it may require turning off particular devices and using energy more thoughtfully. 

How to sell an eco-friendly household 

The options for selling an eco-friendly household depend on your requirements and how quickly to sell, whether you’re selling urgently due to personal circumstances or looking to downsize and move to another area.  

Auctions  

Property auctions open up the pool of potential buyers, whether it’s property developers or those scoping out their next investment project. The auction route has two types - the traditional auction and the modern auction. The traditional auction is the type many people are aware of, involving a live event where bidders place bids on the eco-friendly home and the highest wins. A modern auction is a slightly longer process, taking place online, where bidders bid on the platform for a set period and the highest wins. 

With auctions, advertising is done beforehand by the auction house, encouraging many buyers to take part in the traditional or modern auction. With the traditional auction, the winning bidder pays a deposit immediately and clears the rest of the money in 28 days. If the bidder doesn’t pay, they’ll face penalties. The modern auction is similar, with the highest bidder clearing the amount in a month to finish the purchase. 

Auction houses are a popular option for selling an eco-friendly house because there’s the potential to earn more than expected, with a 70-80% success rate. However, there’s always the risk that bidders won’t bid above the reserve price or your property won’t sell. 

Estate agents 

The traditional method of selling your eco-friendly home is through an estate agent. Estate agents help advertise your property, organise the viewings and take offers from buyers. With an estate agent, however, it’s one of the slowest selling methods and can take anything from 16 weeks to an entire year. It all depends on the current market conditions, the chain the buyer is in and the price your home is up for.  

There’s always the risk that even with a serious offer from a buyer, the sale can fall through if they change their mind or someone else pulls out in the chain, such as the person buying their house. In this situation, the process will need to begin again with finding a buyer for your property, adding tedious lengths of time.  

Estate agents will charge you fees to sell your home, such as commission on the final sale and the costs involved to advertise the property, evaluate it and essentially, be the front person in selling your eco home for you. Many sellers prefer an estate agent as they can be more involved in the process and know it goes to the most suitable buyer. 

Cash home buyers 

Cash home buyers are the answer if you’re looking to sell your eco-friendly home quickly for cash on a timeline that suits you. As a cash buyer, we understand the importance of making the selling process hassle-free, covering the cost and communicating the legalities on your behalf. You won’t need to worry about the tedious parts of selling a home, but instead, enjoy the process and move on to the next chapter in your life.  

We’ll use our online system with local data, current market conditions and the location to give you an accurate offer for a quick home sale. Generally, house-buying companies take the hard work out of the home selling for you and provide the best possible price, where you receive all the money offered. 

House-buying companies are a popular method because they sell your property fast, ideal if you’re in an urgent situation to put your eco-friendly household on the market. Once they receive the property details, they can provide an offer and, if you accept, set a selling date.  

Do you have an eco-friendly home you’re keen to sell fast? As expert house cash buyers, we purchase properties for cash, offering a swift selling experience and handling everything from start to completion, including solicitor costs.   

Our flexible approach means you can choose the completion date with a minimum of 7 days hassle-free. Contact our team today, and we can advise you on how to sell your property, the process and the considerations to make before working with us.