Green Florida Properties

As this week’s mortgage rates hit a new record low of 3.53%, buyers are being presented with more reasons to purchase a home.  According to Freddie Mac  these are the lowest rates since fixed rates were introduced in the 1950′s!  Click here to read the full article…

Parlaying this incredibly low mortgage rate incentive, buyers should seriously consider purchasing a more energy-efficient house or adding green remodeling costs into a mortgage while rates are low.  Consider this – when you buy a home with a higher HERS Index rating (like MPG stickers on cars) you can expect to live in a “leakier” home and have higher utility bills.  So what?

Well most everyone likes to enjoy more benefits from their money other than spending lots of cash every month to remain cool or have lots of hot water available 24/7.  I can’t think of any other benefits for the homeowner only the utility companies!  You might wonder what the benefit is of buying a house with a low HERS Index rating and paying thousands of dollars more for a place to live?  Imagine paying the same amount for your mortgage as you have been paying for rent or for the last house you owned but the monthly costs of keeping your home have dropped significantly…but that’s only one benefit of buying that new or remodeled energy-efficient home!  Other than the benefits of better indoor air quality which translates into better health for your family and possibly less days of missed work or lower medical costs you will also have the benefit of deducting the mortgage interest costs from your 1040 IRS returns each year!

I’m not a genius but I certainly believe I would rather have a deduction on my 1040 and live a healthier life than pay the utility companies and not receive any benefit from my hard-earned money!  So if you have been on the fence about buying a house AND you want to consider a healthier house NOW is a great time to consider buying!