Green homes for sale

I just stumbled upon this Web site , where realtors and homeowners can list “green” homes they have for sale.

Here’s a look at the current Washington listings and here are Idaho ‘s. The one in the photo above is the only Spokane house I found listed, although there’s a house with passive solar design in nearby Reardan on the list, too.

The ad for the Spokane house says it’s owned by a green author and consultant who renovated it with the environment in mind. The owners used zero-VOC paint throughout the interior, put down natural wool carpets with recycled carpet pads, installed water-conserving toilets and plumbing fixtures, and planted water-wise landscaping outside, among other “greenovations.” On top of everything, it’s only a couple of blocks away from Huckleberry’s!

So what makes a home worthy of being listed on greenhomesforsale.com, according to the site? Here are the ways houses can qualify:

-Made with generally non-toxic building materials
-Energy efficient - a generally tight house with energy efficient appliances and windows and HVAC and ventilation systems
-Solar home - derives most of its space and water heating from the sun
-Recycled content materials
-Resource efficient materials
-Materials from renewable resources
-Sensitive to its neighbors and context
-Use of locally manufactured building materials

The site also limits its listings to homes smaller than 5,000 square feet. How does that sound to you? Can any house that big really be considered green or are you just happy to see people making earth-friendly decisions when they build or remodel, no matter what the size?

The next time you buy a house, will you be looking for one with some of these features? Are you willing to pay more for a house with a smaller carbon footprint (keeping in mind you will see some savings to water and energy bills)?