Green homes are hot right now, and even if your home wasn’t built green, there are plenty of things you can do now that will make it more eco-friendly and help it appeal more to buyers.

Using natural window treatments and décor items in your staging helps a lot, especially if the window treatments are staying with the house. Using other natural materials makes the home seem more inviting.

If you’re not convinced that green homes are selling better than conventional homes, take this anecdotal evidence: a new construction home near my house was built with energy efficiency and environmental friendliness in mind. While most well-priced homes in this area take 6-8 months to sell, this one was under contract within a month. Buyers care about a home that’s going to save them money in the long run (such as efficient heating and cooling systems, good insulation and passive solar design) and homes with energy-saving features fit the bill perfectly.

Realty Times has an article that covers more of why you may want to stage your home in an eco-friendly way. If you’re planning to upgrade any of your home’s major systems or appliances, it’s probably worth it to spend a little extra for greener options, such as Energy-Star rated appliances.

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A recent Zogby International poll conducted for the Foundation for Community Association Research concludes that there is high satisfaction among owners of condos and town homes. The survey indicates that 7 out of 10 owners of condominium units or town houses are pleased with their purchase. This form of ownership is particularly popular for second home owners, for a variety of reasons.

For more information on the results of this survey, click here for the rest of the story from Realty Times.

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The Wall Street Journal has a great article on the process of renting out your vacation home, including some of the pitfalls. It’s a good place to start, especially if you’re considering purchasing a second home with the intention to use it yourself as well as renting it out (as opposed to just purchasing a home primarily for rental use).

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Do you have major anxiety when not at your vacation home? Are you anxious about whether everything is okay? Have your pipes burst? Has someone broken in? What about making it appear that someone is there even when you’re not?

The New York Times has an article on technology that can help ease that anxiety by allowing you to monitor and control different systems within your second home (they could also be used on your primary home while you’re at your second home to avoid the same types of anxiety and let you worry less and relax more).

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Village of Tiki, Texas: $1,349,000

4 Bedrooms, 5.5 Bathrooms, .74 Acres

Incline Village, Nevada: $1,349,000

4 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, .45 Acres

Sarasota, Florida: $1,300,000

3 Bedrooms, 4 Bathrooms, 5470 Square Feet, 10 Acres, Waterfront

Block Island, Rhode Island: $1,300,000

5 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, 3.2 Acres

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina: $1,295,000

3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, Ocean Views, Condo

West Olive, Michigan: $1,200,000

4 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, 1932 Square Feet, .7 Acres, Waterfront

Johnsburg, Illinois: $1,199,000

4 Bedrooms, 4.5 Bathrooms, 2.62 Acres, Waterfront

Mathews, Virginia: $1,195,000

4 Bedrooms, 5 Bathrooms, 3511 Square Feet, 4.89 Acres, Waterfront

Sheboygan, Wisconsin: $1,080,000

4 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, .73 Acres

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