As ongoing loadshedding starts to bite deeper and electricity tariffs rise inexorably, interest among home buyers in properties with energy-saving features is picking up considerably. This is according to a recent survey.
Given the severity of loadshedding, the most popular ‘green’ feature buyers are currently looking for is solar, with more than a third (35.4%) of all votes.
Second was boreholes and JoJo tanks, which is a pertinent reminder that water remains an issue in much of the country.
It is clear that for sellers, having alternative power and water storage will sway the decision their way when a buyer is weighing up two similar properties.
“The result is that we are seeing that properties with ‘green’ features such as these sell quicker than those without. Buyers tend to prioritize by viewing these properties first – they welcome the fact that all the work is already done, which adds considerable appeal.
“Notably almost a quarter of the respondents in the survey indicated that more than 50% of their home buyers are asking for solar and other green features when buying a home.”
Encouragingly for sellers, the survey also revealed that 68.8% of home buyers would pay a premium for a home with green features, making green solutions like solar an increasingly important driver of the price that sellers are able to achieve for their properties.
