OK, you did it - you invested the time and energy (and cash!) to build your home utilizing green practices. You have had it inspected and certified - it's EnergyStar Certified and GreenBuilt Platinum. This house is a monument to your contribution to the planet!
But, wait a minute. While there are some obvious things a new buyer might notice ten years from now, many of the choices you made as part of the green building process are just not evident to the naked eye. So, how would they even know? How would you prove it? How would you recover your investment?? Right now there is no accepted method to record or document the results of your certification. EnergyStar inspectors provide a label to be affixed to your electrical box, but the GreenBuilt rating points are nowhere to be found.
Wouldn't it be nice if there were a big green stamp someplace? I think we need legislation or administrative directives establishing a common practice, so that buyers, realtors, inspectors, insurers, appraisers - anyone - could readily determine the certification status of any structure.
Some thoughts:
What do you think?
Are you a builder - what do you do?? If you're thinking of buying, what evidence would you want?