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Natural Resources Canada worked with the Canadian Home Builders Association to establish a national competition was announced and entries were By 1989 it was clear home energy consumption had to focus on the whole house, not just the space heating. Along with this came an awareness that houses had to protect indoor environment (air quality, safety and health) and external environment (the actual building of the house and the ongoing operation.) The codes themselves have been upgraded considâ€" erably as a result of these demonstrations of efficienâ€" cy and cost effectiveness. (Continued from page"6) In 1982 the R2000 proâ€" gram brought together the energy efficiency research of various federal governâ€" ment teams who set about demonstrating the possibiliâ€" ty for mainstream builders to construct safe, comfortâ€" able and super efficient houses. The R2000 program is still going strong after 6,000 homes certified as R2000, and more than 60,000 houses built to stanâ€" dards that were well above local building code requireâ€" ments. Capitalize on assets Not only were they selling into a market crowded with properties â€" including several on their own street â€" but their home had a leaky roof, a basement stairwell with "scruffy red carpet that looked like it had not be After nearly two years in the home, they both secretly longed for a new home with all the bells and whistles that builders are including these days. Now they must go about the task of selling their first and only home. They knew it wouldn‘t be easy. . their modest two bedroom, 63 year old home. All it was going to take was time, a lot of hard work and a little extra cash. But Jim‘s company wanted him to transfer and it was an offer that couldn‘t be refused. They had no choice. They had to move. Iim and Diane had big plans for All of us living in houses built before 1980, or even 1990, can learn a great deal from the 10 winning entries. I‘ll write more about them in the future. The NEAT House stands for Novel Environmentally Advanced Technology because of its focus on energy conservation. The Green home focused on choosing products that used little energy in their manufacture and mainteâ€" nance. Materials had to be environmentally friendly in their acquisition and their manufacture. A minimum landâ€"fill destination was also a factor. We are fortunate in havâ€" ing two of them close by. One, called the Green Home, is in Waterloo and the other is the NEAT Home on Highway 53 just west of Highway six in Hamilton. invited. The focus would be on field testing a set of environmentally advanced technical requirements; getâ€" ting manufacturers and supâ€" pliers to fast track the development of "green" projects. Ten winning entries from all across Canada were announced in February ‘92. Each one is unique and reflects <the _ criteria demanded. And then they cleaned house, literâ€" ally, to make the home look neater. "We were told our house had to ‘shine‘" says Diane. Emotional appeal Experts in the reâ€"sale market claim potential buyers have to be emotionally attached to the house before walking down to the baseâ€" To make the 63â€"year old house look better, they tore up the carpet and painted the stairwell gray. They added a neutral beige runner to the staircase and replaced light fixtures in the thirdâ€"floor attic and above the fireplace. So, toâ€"sell it the couple capitalized on their assets and fixed some of the problems. vacuumed in years," and an upper hallway and living room â€" like the stairwell, painted avacado green â€" that could have been a set for Married with Children. esc NEW BUNGALOW SERIES, Buyer Participation Program (we work withj you to customize your home) 19 SPECTACULAR DESIGNS Bungalows 2 storeys {150, 90( 3.175% ON SELECTED MODELS ; Rated "Excellence" for after sales service by the Ontario New Home Warranty Program The actions taken by the seller are what leave a first â€" and lasting impression. Homeowner‘s role The homeowner‘s role in selling a house is often underrated. In fact, it‘s the homeowner â€" not necessarily the realâ€"estate agent â€" who can make the difference between a home that sells and one that doesn‘t. In a market glutted with available homes, they say that only places "fixed up" by the owners have a chance of attracting bids near the asking price. Emotional appeal sells homes, and creating that emotional appeal to sell you home quickly and profitably is up to you. Upgraded luxury| features| 19 EXCITING L/ DESIGNS || Hamilton ’?Halton 1 Home Builders For Windemere (Waterdown) Please call: Castellano Real Estate Inc (905) 522â€"2269 (905) 689â€"4828 Then go to work on what you can reasonably afford to do, both in terms of money and time. The small investment can make all the differâ€" ence. Making cosmetic improvements is what most experts recommend. And such changes need not involve spending tons of money. You know what they say: "A little touch of powder and paint makes a lady what she ain‘t!" Simply stand back as Jim and Diane did, and honestly evaluate the general "first impression" of your home. Evaluate "first impression" The question facing most sellers is what, if anything, they should sink into their house in order to help it sell. Most experts acknowledge that sellers should not undertake massive projects like additions simply to move a property; assuming the walls aren‘t crumbling and that the baseâ€" ment and roof don‘t leak. Highly visible work like painting and papering can be just what it takes to make a house sell. Office