AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Come Monday, many Austin home sellers will have one more chore, along with touching up the paint and sprucing up the yard, before putting their house on the market.
That's when a new city ordinance kicks in that requires sellers of homes older than 10 years to get an energy audit and disclose the results to prospective buyers.
City leaders who approved the audits last year said it was one more way to reduce Austin's energy consumption and make Austin greener, although sellers are not required to make any improvements as a result of the audit. The idea is to encourage sellers or buyers to make their houses more energy-efficient.
But with the requirement taking effect in a slower housing market, some real estate agents say it could delay or torpedo sales and will add costs for sellers.
"There's never a good time to add fees to a transaction," said City Council Member Mike Martinez, "but I think this requirement is a good thing. It allows the consumer to fully understand the purchase they're about to make. If you spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on an investment, you would want to know how efficient that investment is going to be for you."
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