Loan me some Greenbacks: Exploring the Eco-Mortgage

It’s true: We’re inundated daily with green this, eco that. Earth-friendly fashion, planet-kind cleaning supplies, even carbon-conscious construction. Granted, it’s easy to fathom a green product — something you can sink your teeth (and your money) into. But whoever heard of green lending?

According to Re-Nest, a green-minded offshoot of the sweet-space–crazy Apartment Therapy, some mortgage companies offer additional funds or rebates to borrowers who are planning to purchase earth-easy homes. Whether the new digs are verdant by virtue of their location (within walking- or bussing-distance of amenities) or their construction (built with recycled or reclaimed materials, and/or tricked out with energy efficient appliances and architecture), organizations like The Location Efficient Mortgage and MortgageGreen are ready to lend big bucks to homebuyers who want to invest in sustainable housing.

Of course, the more you borrow, the more you repay. In the long run, however, it may be better to sink some dough into a property that won’t simply lower the monthly heat bill; more important, I’d wager, is the fact that a green home can help you down your impact on the planet.

Plus, some of these fresh-built green homes look kinda cool, in a Le Corbusier–meets-Sleeper way — they give “organic mod” a whole new meaning.