I just got back from a very successful business trip to Austin, Texas — home to both positive people and amazing food.
While there, I had a chance to hold a Resilient Community meet-up at Lamberts (where we enjoyed some of the best barbecue I’ve ever eaten). As you would expect, it was a great group and we had a lively discussion. At the lunch, Jon Lebkowsky (the former “Internet guy” for Whole Foods) asked a great question. He was in the process of buying a new home and wondered if I had any insight on how to buy a Resilient House.
Wow. That’s a big question. It’s definitely a question that is worth a full, well researched, report. Particularly since the resilience of a home is going to become a major driver of home valuations going forward.
Unfortunately, that report isn’t going to be written overnight. So, here are some thoughts on how to buy a resilient house in the meantime.
An Introduction to Buying a Resilient Home
A resilient house isn’t an empty box you can sleep in and stash your things.
Instead, a resilient house is a dynamic asset. It produces food, energy, water, and much more. It makes it easier for you to succeed in the world.
First, the location and the community it is part of is extremely important. A community that supports efforts to become resilient is a thousand times better than a community that fights every improvement.
NOTE: Our world is becoming very competitive and turbulent. Due to this unmitigated long tail risk, communities that aren’t resilient may end up looking like Braddock:
How can you tell if a community is resilient? Here are some questions to get you thinking: Does the zoning allow you to grow food in your yard? Are community garden plots available? Does it have a farmer’s market and is a CSA available? Is rainwater harvesting encouraged? Does your town have a micro-grid or a power company? Does it have a maker or coworker space you can join? Is it connected to high speed Internet?
Second, is the house itself. Traditional valuations are all about square footage and amenities (number of bathrooms, kitchen features, etc.). Resilient valuations are largely based on the ability to produce food, energy, water, and other things in the future.
So, here’s some things to get you thinking on what to look for when evaluating a house that is going to increase in value in the future. Look for a:
- Roof that faces the sun’s path, in order to maximize the home’s ability to generate solar power.
- Yard, regardless of the size, that has good soil (optimally, soil with a high organic material percentage). Get it tested.
- Gutter system on the roof that will enable rainwater harvesting in the future (as well as the right materials).
That’s just the start. There’s LOTS more. I’ll put them all into a the report on this and structure it as a checklist and add some diagrams to make it easier to evaluate.
Well, that’s it for today. See you again on Saturday.
Resiliently Yours,
JOHN ROBB
PS: If you are interested in setting up a rainwater harvesting system and need some help, please consider consulting Devin, a contributing expert at Resilient Communities. His hands on experience and insight can save you lots of hassles and $$ on your future system.
PPS: If your house is your retirement program (few people make money on stocks/bonds anymore), then this report on “how to buy a resilient home” is going to be something you can’t afford to miss.
