[nradov]

It's also a matter of information asymmetry. Most potential renters or buyers don't have a good way to check for construction quality and interior noise levels. Even an independent pre-purchase inspection doesn't tell you much beyond really obvious problems. Customers aren't willing to pay more for higher quality because they can't easily determine quality, so most developers will go with the cheapest possible option and then slap on some granite countertops to make it look nice.

This could be addressed through stricter building codes. But that would drive up construction costs at a time when we already have a housing shortage in many areas.

[SilasX]

Another fix would be to independently measure noise isolation and report that, so renters can actually make decisions based on it, and builders would have an incentive to include it, since they could more reliably charge more for it.

[jacobr1]

Someone should do that with good branding. Sorta like carfax. Call the Zillow Report or find a similar firm. License the standards and a saas interface to Inspectors to have another revenue stream (or maybe more broadly to contractors). Then it could become a defacto standard, especially if you get in with real estate agents.