We have been working with buyers this summer who have shopped the short sale/foreclosure market and as a result have been seeing lots of properties that have not have the TLC they really need for years.
Lots of these properties have needed new roofs. One pair of clients went ahead and bought a home that needed a new roof (we wrote that into the contract and got a nice credit).
They are thinking of a metal roof as they plan to install a rain-catch system to us for their garden (they bought a 2 acre place). This is a green option for a roof since it does not give off petroleum residues. IN addition, metal roofs can reflect heat in sunny locations, reducing cooling costs in the summer up to 40% (see http://www.bartonroofing.com/austin-metal-roofing.html).
Another good green roofing material to consider are photovoltaic shingles. These shingles collect solar energy just like the big panels, but they look like traditional shingles. My sister's family installed them on a barn they added to their property in Northern California, and since the barn now produced more energy than they use in their house on on-site business, they get credit BACK from the power company because they are putting more volts into the power grid each month they they pull out! Not a bad way to do something good for the environment AND your wallet. Photovoltaic shingles are more expensive to purchase, but in the long run they are worth their cost and you can feel good about doing something good for the environment.
For more information on photovoltaic shingles see http://www.oksolar.com/roof/
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