For years, most of us have gotten used to strong smells in the house- and I'm not talking about your brother's socks. From the seemingly innocuoust Pine Sol aroma that hovered in the air for hours, to the smell of fresh paint, or newly finished floors and new carpet, we didn't have the perception of these as being potentially dangerous chemicals "off gassing" into the air we breathed every day. Interior quality is just as important as smog when you think of how many hours we spend inside.

I never would have realized as a Realtor and a homeowner how fascinated I could become with insulation, R values, vapor barriers,or tankless water heaters and heat pumps. My "Energy IQ" classes had me going around checking my home appliances with a Kill-O-Watt.

A recent OregonLive article wonders if green broker certification is meaningful. While I have also seen my share of dubious green products, such a semi-disposable bamboo plate, my green designation does offer both my buyer and seller clients an entry into the world of green real estate, heightening my ability to point out the plusses and minuses of new construction or how to re-use an existing property, and bring it up to speed with better insulation. Read OregonLive article and my comment.