If you want to go green, don't buy a new house. A report by USA Today says that 14 million homes or 1 in every 9 homes in the United States is actually sitting empty. By buying a new house, you will exacerbate this problem. What will happen to your old house after you move to the new one? The following are the reasons why you should choose green remodeling over a new home purchase:

Reduce Waste
The recent real estate bust and subsequent rash of foreclosures has left a lot of homes empty. To solve the housing price slump, as well as to save on administrative costs, some banks are resorting to demolition; this video footage shows 4 homes and 12 almost-finished homes in Victorville, California being demolished. Save your home from the same fate. Don't leave it empty and reduce it to waste; green remodel it instead.

Reuse Building Materials
Through green remodeling, you can reuse your home's original building materials. There really is no need to replace entire walls, floors and other built-in components of your home unless they are energy-inefficient. By reusing your home's building materials, you are helping prevent waste. First, you're not throwing useful things away. Second, you're not unnecessarily using up energy and resources that are naturally expended in the manufacture of building materials.

Recycle Building Materials
Even if some of the original building materials cannot be reused in their original capacity, you can still recycle them when green remodeling. If you have replaced stone floor tiles with cork flooring, you can repurpose the stone floor tiles. Perhaps you can use it to remodel your old kitchen countertops.

Save Money
Right now, you can probably get a new, more energy-efficient house for a low price. However, the new home's purchase price is not the only cost of buying a new home. Since you can't sell your old home right away, you'll have to pay property taxes, administrative fees and maintenance fees for your old home as you wait for the real estate market to turn. You'll also have to pay taxes and other fees applicable to your new home – and you'll have to make monthly mortgage payments as well.

Save Yourself from Inconvenience
Buying a new home means moving. This entails a lot of packing, straining and lifting; it also means moving costs. A new home also means starting from scratch; you'll have to pick out furniture and furnishings and you'll have to spend time, money and energy designing your new living spaces. Remodeling can also be inconvenient, but it's not as inconvenient as moving into a new home.

Essentially, buying a new home does not accord with the "reduce, reuse and recycle" principle that underpins the green home movement. Green remodeling is much better than buying a new home in this regard. If you're worried about the cost of green remodeling, talk to a remodeling specialist to get an estimate.

Article by Jinky Baganan