Denver Real Estate Buyer: Going Green From Closing On

Most of us in Real Estate realize that there is a huge amount of paper shuffled as a house changes hands.  Anyone who has been through the process can recall the writers crap from just signing all the paperwork involved at a closing.  While these documents are all legalese and need to be fairly specific to cover the huge variability and complexity of a Real Estate transaction, everyone of us is looking to be a little lighter on our environmental impact these days.

While we might not yet be able to go to a paperless house purchase, there are a great number of things we can do when we transition to a new home to help cut down our non-eco-friendly-consumption.   Here are the first things I’d target in Denver:

1. Stop the real paper wastes before they get on a roll:  A new home means new junk mail, new yellow pages, and new newspaper solicitations.  When a Real Estate deal goes down, it becomes public record.  Your name and new address are not only published in the newspaper, but are sold to marketeers galore.  Some actually send useful things, like move-in specials or a free newspaper for a few weeks, but most are quickly discarded.  The Green buyer will determine what paper they want to consume and will minimize the wasted efforts.  

1a. To stop junk mail, tackle the big three.  Email abacusoptout@epsilon.com with your full name and current address or follow their online instructions, to stop the catalogs.  To stop credit-based loan and credit card offers, call 1-888-5-OPTOUT, or fill out a form here.  Visit the Direct Marketing Association help page to get removed from junk mail lists (note: the credit card offer phone number and form are also listed on the DMA list).

1b. Most of us left the phone bookyears ago and use the Internet to find phone or address information.  To stop the yellow pages (which arrive several times a year from multiple companies) call 1-877-243-8339 to opt-out of receiving DEX phone books, call 1-800-929-3556 to stop receiving the Yellow Book, and call 1-800-555-4833 to dis the Verizon phone book.  If you do like a phone book around, ask a neighbor.  They likely have many extras.

1c. To stop the newspaper(during a free subscription) : Stopping the paper can be like getting rid of weeds.  The most effective way I’ve found is real strong insistence.  When you buy a new home in Denver, it is not uncommon for the newspaper to start showing up.  It’s a “gift” for the new homeowner, but if you are not reading it, it’s waste.  Go green, even if it means getting tought.  The subscriber/delivery services numbers for the The Denver Post is (303) 832-3232 and the Rocky Mountain News is (303) 954-6397. The print version of these papers is dying off (or in a long term recession). Either way, they REALLY want you to get a free paper.  If you don’t want it and don’t want the waste, tell them and be firm.  An easier out would be to place a vacation hold beyond the gift subscription period (like 60 days), but of course I subscribe to the honesty first and last policy. Give them the hard truth: You are not happy receiving their paper and will call them to demand explanation why any futher papers arrive.  Carriers get daily route changes printed, so any “it takes time” rubbish is not accurate reporting from the DNA.

2. Do the CFL thing: If you have no idea what CFL bulbs are, you might need to catch up.  They are entirely main stream now.  With low to no warm up time, a variety of form-factors from bathroom bulbs to chandeliers, and with prices dropping from reasonable into compelling, today’s CFL ain’t your older brother’s CFL baby.  Go green and buy CFLs to replace the bulbs in the house.  In my current home, including exterior lighting, we have 20 bulb sockets per 1000 sq/ft.  So if you multiplied 0.02 times the square feet of the house your are buying, you’ll be in the ball park for how many you need to buy.  Take the number you estimate (or count), add the number you want in reserve (2 or 3), subtract specialty and non-shaded bulbs and note their type and number, and then subtract rarely used lights like closets or utility areas.  This should leave with a number of regular CFL bulbs and a good list of the types of specialty CFl bulbs you’ll need.  Don’t forget to have a spare or two of each type if that’s your MO. 

3.  Do an energy audit on the cheap: Don’t have big dollars to throw at an energy audit?  Get 80% benefit with 20% cost.  Home Depot has a DYI (Do-It-Yourself) video on defeating drafts.  In Denver, insulating hot-water pipes is a no-brainer.  Wrapping a water-heater tanks takes very little time or investment.  Another area to “audit” would involve mentally estimating appliance effienciency based on decade of manufacture to prioritize replacements. Finally, observe how the sunlight comes into the house in morning and evening during winter and summer and maximize and minimize their effect as would be desirable during that season.

 4. Sign up for Denver’s Recycling Program: If you’re new home didn’t come equiped with a large purple, rolling recycle bin from the previous owner, then order one.  They are free and required by the green buyer inside you. If you do have one, you probably didn’t get the schedule (every other week) and location for pick up.  You’ll need to give them your address in their unusual form, but the service is free to homeowners, and it is entirely co-mingled and they receive many more types of recyclable items since 2006. 

5.  Plant something:  Plant a (free) tree, some shrubberies, or some wonderful urban gardens.  There are plenty of ways to encourage our outdoor spaces to be both useful ad beautiful, and Denver is recapturing a spirit of “husbandry.”

 What other ways are you “going green?”  What am I missing from my list?  Let me know.