Boston Midtown Real Estate: Making your condo energy efficient

Boston Midtown Real Estate: Making your condo energy efficient

Boston Condos for Sale and Apartments for Rent

Boston Midtown Real Estate: Making your condo energy efficient

Are you thinking about putting your downtown Boston condo up for sale this spring? You may be looking around for low-cost improvements you can make to boost your Boston Midtown real estate value. Or maybe you’re a new Boston Beacon Hill real estate owner who felt the cold air seeping through your single-pane windows last winter and thought “Ouch, this is definitely hurting my heating bill.”

You’re not alone. Ninety percent of home buyers these days are looking for energy-efficient homes, with features like good insulation and efficient appliances. In Boston’s cold winter temperate climate, energy costs can be high. 

Unfortunately, measures to reduce the amount of energy it takes to run your Boston Beacon Hill home can often be costly. Don’t let that stop you, though. Tax credits and rebates allow homeowners to make energy-efficient improvements for a lot less. Follow these steps to learn how to get cash back for greening your home:

Energy Audit

First step you can take for your Boston Beacon Hill condo is to get an idea of where your home needs the most help. It’s free. Just contact your energy company and you can do it online or over the phone. You can also start watching your electric bill through an energy tracker.

Conclusion

Don’t forget, you can not only get money back for greening your home through cash incentives and tax credits, your home’s value will reflect energy efficient improvements as well. Talk to your Boston Beacon Hill real estate agent to find out more!

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2. 2. Let’s say that the energy audit confirms your suspicions about those windows and recommends replacing them with double-paned glass. The next place to go is to

PMAR’s (Portland Metro Association of Realtors) client resource page

1.  for

a list of cash incentives and state and federal tax credits for energy efficiency home improvements.

1.  They also link to assistance opportunities for those with low to moderate incomes.

1. 3.

State and federal tax credits

1.  are always changing, so it wouldn’t hurt to check these lists also to see if your windows (or other improvements) are eligible:

Oregon residential energy tax credits 

1. and federal tax credits for consumer energy efficiency.

1. 4. Find a licensed independent contractor to install your new windows through

Energy Trust of Oregon’s database

1. .

1. 5. See

Portland General Electric’s list of low-cost improvements you can do yourself

 to see if there is anything else you can do to make your home more efficient. Don’t forget to check for tax credits and rebates for any of these (you can even get money back for planting trees!)

Don’t forget, you can not only get money back for greening your home through cash incentives and tax credits, your home’s value will reflect energy efficient improvements as well. Talk to your  Portland real estate agent to find out more!

1.  to monitor your energy use over the year.

1. 2. Let’s say that the energy audit confirms your suspicions about those windows and recommends replacing them with double-paned glass. The next place to go is to

PMAR’s (Portland Metro Association of Realtors) client resource page

1.  for

a list of cash incentives and state and federal tax credits for energy efficiency home improvements.

1.  They also link to assistance opportunities for those with low to moderate incomes.

1. 3.

State and federal tax credits

1.  are always changing, so it wouldn’t hurt to check these lists also to see if your windows (or other improvements) are eligible:

Oregon residential energy tax credits 

1. and federal tax credits for consumer energy efficiency.

1. 4. Find a licensed independent contractor to install your new windows through

Energy Trust of Oregon’s database

1. .

1. 5. See

Portland General Electric’s list of low-cost improvements you can do yourself

 to see if there is anything else you can do to make your home more efficient. Don’t forget to check for tax credits and rebates for any of these (you can even get money back for planting trees!)

Don’t forget, you can not only get money back for greening your home through cash incentives and tax credits, your home’s value will reflect energy efficient improvements as well. Talk to your  Portland real estate agent to find out more!