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Green Retirement Apartment

Where do old activists go when they retire? Everyone is becoming more eco-aware, including about the way that we live. Seniors do not stop caring about the planet as they reach retirement age. With that in mind, choosing a green retirement apartment for the older ones in your family one should be just as much a priority as having a green vehicle or finding the right solar panels for your home.

As a career choice, opening this type of apartment building can be very rewarding, not only because apartments typically generate guaranteed income, but because you are contributing towards the greenness of the planet and toward educating as many people as possible in the process.

What do I need to know before I get started?

Owning an apartment building is a lot of work. Owning a green apartment building may be even more work, especially at first. Getting the building up to code may be difficult, but to make it green, you will have to go further. It will be worth in the long term once you realize that you are saving energy, resources and the planet, one building at a time.

What are the initial investments going to be?

The initial investment of the building will be your biggest expense. You will then need to decide on an alternative source of energy, and the best way to get that energy to the tenants. Other upgrades to each apartment would include low flow toilets and shower heads and solar hot water heaters. After the major upgrades are completed, other smaller projects can be started which could include a community garden, compost pile and a recycling center.

What are the risks?

After all of the upgrades are completed and the units are ready to go, you will know what costs were involved. You can then determine a cost per unit, per month to break even or to include a profit. There is a risk that the amount of rent that you would need to collect would be too high for most people to handle, especially seniors on a fixed income.

What is the best location?

Anywhere that older people tend to gather for their retirement, is a good place to start. However, asking some seniors to recycle or use solar panels might be more difficult to convince them to do.

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