Recently California Association of REALTORS® successfully did some heavy lobbying against a bill that would have forced “point of sale energy audits.” To over simplify it, the bill would have made it so that all residential sales would need to be inspected for energy efficiency before closing. Many good arguments were made on both sides of the question.

I am torn on the point of sale energy audit issue. On the one hand, I can step back and say: Every home sold should have an energy audit; both sides should have a clear understanding of the house’s efficiency. On the other hand, in today’s market HERS are a great tool to set us EcoBrokers® and “Green” agents apart from the run of the mill agents that will not know to push for an inspection to help their clients. In this I see a parallel to the open MLS issue. Do “we, in the club” get to use this tool to our advantage, or is this tool so intrinsically important to everyone that everyone should just have it?
 
I don’t think the public is demanding this info yet, and until “we” all want this, forcing it will be an unwelcome intrusion for most (and also affect a great moneymaker for some). 

As for the cost, this, like the supposed cost of all green improvements, is a situation where people miss the point. To say that this would be too expensive for the market to bear, only looks at the surface of the system. Much of the money that is spent in “greening” stays local due to the fact that much of it is labor. That money moves around generating value and buying power for people. Making the pie bigger.

Just think of all of the energy inspectors that would be able to buy homes due to the jump in business. They would also buy groceries, cars, meals, legal help, and books, or whatever. In other words, these would be good jobs created locally.
 
I think we all need to look at real estate as a long-term investment and each aspect of it in that light. In the long run will it be better to _________ than leave it the way it is right now? Fill in the blank with whatever change you want to question: Have every sale inspected, Do that pricey (but in the long run money saving) energy improvement, Get a solid reasonable loan, whatever.
 
I know my “socialist” is showing a bit on this one. It’s just that this is the way I see the question.

What do you think?