NATURE CAN KEEP HEALING POST- QUARANTINE — HERE’S HOW
It’s often overwhelming to shop for a new home because it’s nothing like shopping for a T-shirt or even a car — it’s a purchase that can last lifetimes. What do you look for first? Where can you start? Here are three things to pay attention to as you begin searching for the perfect home. Are You Ready for Your Dream Home? 3 SIGNS YOU’RE BUYING THE IDEAL PROPERTY FOR YOU
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a mixed bag of consequences. One upside seems to be that as water and air pollution decreased, even briefly, the natural world was starting to heal. Reports circulated of dolphins returning to Venice’s canals, which gave people hope. But when those stories turned out to be false, they just as quickly felt despair. Another downside is that health concerns have led to a dramatic increase in single-use plastics, which generate more waste. Despite these negatives, nature has an incredible ability to heal itself, and there are things we can do to help nature along and stay hopeful. Frans Schepers, managing director of Rewilding Europe, told Forbes.com that nature is healing, and the trend started long before COVID-19 changed our daily lives. “If people release pressure on nature, as we can see happening now, nature bounces back,” Schepers said. “There is a huge resilience in nature to restore itself, which gives a lot of hope. It’s also good news for people because we depend on nature and everything it provides, such as clean water and clean air.”
No. 1: The historical sale prices (on the prospective property and local properties) have been on a consistent uptrend.
Traditionally, one of the safest investments a person can make is in real estate. Economic recessions can often flip the national and local markets upside down. That’s why historical sale prices can tell you about the general growth of your specific local area. Simply comparing properties to those currently in neighboring cities, or even nationally, might not give a full picture of the location’s long- term desirability. The rise in historical prices is what matters in a time where communities are recovering at different rates.
So, how can we do our part to help the environment continue to heal?
Whether you’re at home, in the office, or in your car, focus on conserving energy. When shopping for home or office equipment, look for supplies with the ENERGY STAR label. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people carpool, bike, or walk whenever possible, and when they must use their vehicles, drivers should fill up their tanks carefully and only purchase gasoline containers labeled “spill-proof” for maximum gasoline efficiency after purchase. There’s plenty of opportunity to conserve energy at home, too. Heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems account for 30%–40% of most electricity bills. The right HVAC technician can give you advice on effectively insulating and ventilating your home and also utilizing natural light and energy-efficient lighting systems to reduce both your energy consumption and your bills (not to mention updating your ventilation system will improve your air quality).
No. 2: The neighborhood has an influx of jobs and growing household incomes.
While the recent economic circumstances have made drops in employment a national phenomenon, a recent steady influx of jobs can indicate a path to economic recovery. Also, it’s good to keep in mind that a neighborhood with healthy household incomes can boost the home prices for the entire neighborhood as a whole, since wealthier homeowners will maintain and renovate their property. Use the census data to find the median household income in a potential area.
No. 3: The homeowners have access to great schools.
A Realtor.com survey once found that 91% of prospective homebuyers report school boundaries as important to their home search. With or without kids, many find that a home’s resale value is greatly affected by the available access to the best schools in an area. Identifying the best schools, though, takes some diligence. Factors include graduation and college admission rates as well as SAT and Advanced Placement exam scores. What clubs, sports, and extracurricular activities are made available for kids? GreatSchools. org will list schools and compare their test results, but it isn’t the best representation of the opportunities and outcomes a child will experience.
Despite a few of the environmental setbacks brought on by COVID-19, we can act more responsibly and incorporate more
energy-efficient technology at home to decrease our demand on energy producers and power companies. Our actions will help nature to continue healing itself, and as a bonus, we can feel even better and safer at home, knowing it’s healthy for us and the environment.
There’s so much more for you to consider, but hopefully this gives you a great place to start! Best of luck house hunting!
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