Level 01
NES Reviewed
Evaluation completed. The property does not yet meet a certification threshold, or one or more critical gaps remain.
NES Certified™
NES Certified™: AI-Era Residential Resilience Certification
A proprietary 52-point evaluation framework for high-value homes, measuring alignment across privacy, physical security, cyber resilience, protected infrastructure, clean air, backup power, communications continuity, environmental resilience, and vendor/staff access governance.
Issued by The New Estate Standard Institute LLC.
NES Certified™ is not a guarantee of safety or threat prevention. It is a quantitative, documentation-supported evaluation of how well a residence aligns with the Institute's AI-era residential resilience framework.
Why it exists
Why certification exists
Luxury homes are still often judged by what photographs well: views, glass, finishes, kitchens, pools, scale, and amenities. Those still matter.
But in the AI era, serious buyers are asking different questions. Can the home protect privacy from drones and public exposure? Does the security system continue working if Wi-Fi fails? Are the cameras hardwired and locally recording? Are smart-home systems segmented? Is there clean-air capability? Is there a protected space? Can the home operate through smoke, outage, or communications failure?
NES Certified exists because the market needs a clearer, more consistent way to evaluate these questions across properties.
The framework
The 52-point framework
The evaluation is organized around 52 questions across six categories. Every question can be answered by examining the property, its systems, and its plans - a property is scored against the framework, not measured by a checklist of features.
ASite, Perimeter & Physical Security12 questions
- What is the true physical perimeter of the property, including washes, golf-course frontage, easements, and service alleys, and what barrier, detection, and lighting secures each approach?
- Can someone reach the back of the lot or the house without passing the front gate? If so, how is that path controlled?
- Are exterior cameras and alarm components hardwired, and do they store and verify footage locally?
- What happens to the security system if Wi-Fi is jammed from the street: does it fail safe or fail blind?
- Is there a true safe room built to FEMA P-361 / ICC 500 standards, or just a reinforced closet?
- Is the protected space reachable from the primary suite by a short, direct path within the same secured zone, without crossing exterior or publicly exposed areas?
- Are sightlines into the most-used private spaces screened from public vantage points and from low airspace?
- Does the landscaping create concealment for someone surveilling or waiting, such as dense beds against the house or unlit zones?
- Is there exterior lighting and motion detection covering every approach, including the roofline?
- Does the property have controlled service and delivery access infrastructure, such as a separate service entry, video or intercom at entry points, access-controlled gates or locks, and electronic access-logging capability?
- Can the interior layout and high-value rooms be seen or inferred from publicly accessible vantage points, such as the street, sidewalk, a shared drive, or a neighboring elevation, through unscreened glazing?
- Does the security system support monitored alarm signaling with distinct armed-stay and armed-away modes, separately zoned interior and perimeter detection, and duress or panic signaling?
BPrivacy & Aerial Exposure8 questions
- From the cone of airspace a drone can legally occupy, which interior and exterior spaces are visible?
- How does the design baffle aerial sightlines into the primary suite, pool, and glass-walled rooms?
- Are outdoor living areas placed where they can be observed from above, and can they be relocated or screened?
- Does the property include at least one open-air space, such as a courtyard, atrium, or screened terrace, usable for private outdoor living without exposure to street or overhead observation?
- What glazing and window-treatment strategy protects rooms that face open sky?
- Is there drone-detection capability appropriate to the property, given that interdiction is unlawful for private owners?
- Are interior-facing cameras, microphones, and voice assistants positioned, and the system architected, so that private interior spaces are not wired or configured to continuously record or stream to third-party cloud services?
- Are the motor court, garage, and vehicle movements screened from street-level and overhead observation, so arrivals, departures, and vehicle inventory cannot be easily catalogued?
CNetwork & Cybersecurity12 questions
- Is the home wired with structured cabling, with Wi-Fi reserved for convenience rather than the security layer?
- Are the family's devices, the security system, and smart-home devices on separate, isolated network segments, such as VLANs?
- Is there a dedicated, business-grade hardware firewall, not the internet provider's default router?
- Do connected devices reject known default credentials, with none left on factory defaults, and is a current device-and-firmware inventory kept with the property?
- How is remote access to home systems handled: through an encrypted VPN into a controlled entry point, or through scattered cloud apps?
- Where do the smart-home platforms send data, and which are cloud-dependent in ways that fail when connectivity drops?
- Does the access-control and identity configuration enforce unique per-vendor and per-integrator accounts, least-privilege roles, multi-factor authentication, and access logging?
- Does the home's access and admin configuration show any standing master, installer, or default administrative accounts, or always-on vendor remote-access tunnels, rather than only per-user, revocable accounts?
- Is there an encrypted, air-gapped backup of irreplaceable data, physically disconnected from any network?
- Is complete, current system documentation resident with the property, such as network as-builts, security and smart-home configuration records, and a credential register, sufficient for any qualified party to maintain the home's systems over time?
- Are the home's networked devices, such as cameras, NAS, and routers, current vendor-supported models still receiving security updates, rather than end-of-life or unsupported models?
- Does the network architecture support rapid containment - the ability to isolate or quarantine a compromised device or segment without disabling the whole home, with logging to support investigation?
DThe Protected Core9 questions
- Does the design include a single hardened core that combines safe room, server/communications room, data vault, and shelter?
- What is the shell - reinforced concrete or CMU - and is the door vault-rated?
- Does the core have a filtered, positive-pressure air system independent of the main HVAC?
- Does the core have independent power, such as battery plus generator, sized to ride through a multi-day outage?
- Is there a stored potable-water reserve sized for the protected space's design occupancy and intended duration?
- Are the network's heart, firewall, air-gapped backup, and security monitoring located inside the hardened shell?
- Does the protected core retain a hardened, last-resort communications path within the shell that does not depend on the street cable or street utilities?
- Is the data storage in the core fire-rated, ideally fireproof?
- Is the protected core structurally integrated into the building, with an engineered shell, load paths, and utility penetrations that are part of the structure, rather than a non-structural enclosure fitted into finished space?
EBiosecurity & Air4 questions
- Can at least one core space be sealed and run on filtered, positive-pressure air during an airborne event?
- What grade of filtration does the clean-air system use, and is it built with accessible, serviceable filter stages and condition monitoring, such as differential-pressure indication?
- How is fresh-air intake positioned and protected relative to the street, mechanical equipment, and prevailing wind?
- Is the clean-air capability integrated with the protected core, so one system serves smoke, contamination, and shelter needs?
FResilience7 questions
- Is the home built with ember-resistant roofing and venting, non-combustible cladding, and tempered glazing?
- Is there genuine defensible space, and is landscaping specified to reduce fuel near the structure?
- How long can the home sustain refrigeration, medical equipment, communications, security, and air handling during a grid outage?
- Does the whole home retain an independent communications path for continuity if local infrastructure fails?
- Does the design limit post-event smoke and contamination persistence, through compartment sealing, filterable or ductable spaces, and cleanable, non-porous interior materials?
- Are the resilience, security, and privacy systems physically coordinated - sharing the protected core, backup power, and communications, with non-conflicting layouts - rather than independent systems with redundant or conflicting infrastructure?
- Does the construction show security and resilience built in natively, such as concealed conduit and cabling and dedicated mechanical and electrical capacity, rather than surface-mounted or retrofitted additions?
The method
The proprietary evaluation method
NES Certified uses a proprietary weighted scoring model built from the 52-point framework. The evaluation does not simply count features. It considers design integration, documentation, redundancy, failure behavior, retrofit feasibility, operational readiness, vendor access governance, and whether systems continue working under stress.
Presence
Whether the feature exists.
Design integration
Whether it was designed in or added later.
Redundancy
Whether critical systems have backup paths.
Failure behavior
Whether systems fail safe or fail blind.
Documentation
Whether systems are documented and maintainable.
Governance
Who controls access, credentials, maintenance, and updates.
Operational readiness
Whether the family, staff, and vendors know how systems are used.
Retrofit difficulty
How hard it would be to correct deficiencies.
Risk relevance
How important the issue is for the specific property, location, and owner profile.
The detailed weighting, evaluator guidance, and critical-gating methodology are proprietary and may vary by property type, location, construction phase, and owner risk profile.
Scoring
How each question is scored
Each of the 52 questions is scored from 0 to 3, for a maximum raw score of 156 points.
0
Not Addressed
1
Minimally Addressed
2
Sufficiently Addressed
3
Exemplary
Maximum raw score: 156 points.
Designation is determined by total score, category performance, documentation quality, and critical-gating rules. The detailed scoring rubric is proprietary.
- Site, Perimeter & Physical Security12 questions, 36 points
- Privacy & Aerial Exposure8 questions, 24 points
- Network & Cybersecurity12 questions, 36 points
- The Protected Core9 questions, 27 points
- Biosecurity & Air4 questions, 12 points
- Resilience7 questions, 21 points
Certification levels
Levels of alignment
NES Certified uses four designations. They describe how completely a property aligns with the framework; they do not describe a property as safe, secure, or threat-proof.
Level 02
NES Aligned
The property demonstrates baseline alignment with the framework across most categories.
Level 03
NES Advanced
The property demonstrates strong, well-documented alignment across categories, with a limited set of recommended improvements.
Level 04
NES Exemplary
The property demonstrates comprehensive, design-integrated alignment, with redundancy and documentation across categories.
The process
How the certification process works
01
Private Inquiry
You contact the Institute and describe the property at a high level.
02
Scope and Pricing
We propose an appropriate scope tier and provide formal pricing.
03
Document Request
We send a tailored list of documents to assemble for the evaluation.
04
Document Review
We review plans, specifications, network and security documentation, and vendor information.
05
On-Site Evaluation
A structured walkthrough of the property and its systems - perimeter, cameras, access, network, protected space, air, power, and communications.
06
Specialist Review
Where appropriate, a specialist contributes to specific categories. NES Certified does not replace licensed professional opinions.
07
Proprietary Scoring
Each of the 52 questions is scored under the proprietary rubric.
08
Confidential Report
You receive the full written report and designation, if awarded.
09
Optional Remediation Review
After improvements are made, we re-review specific items for an updated score or designation.
10
Certification Mark Use
If a designation is awarded and approved, use of the NES Certified mark is authorized in writing.
Scope
Evaluation scope tiers
Scope is matched to the property and the decision at hand. Formal pricing is provided after intake, and depends on property size, location, build stage, available documentation, evaluation depth, travel, and whether specialist review is required.
- Preliminary Desktop ReviewA documentation-based first read of strengths and gaps, without an on-site visit.
- Standard Property EvaluationFull 52-point evaluation with an on-site walkthrough and a written report.
- Comprehensive Certification ReviewThe standard evaluation plus specialist review and full documentation assessment.
- Builder / New-Construction AdvisoryDesign-stage guidance so resilience is integrated before construction.
- Remediation Re-ReviewA focused re-review of specific items after improvements are completed.
The report
What the certification report includes
- Executive summary
- Overall score
- Category scores
- Question scoring summary
- Green flags
- Red flags
- Critical gaps
- Documentation gaps
- Recommendations
- Retrofit feasibility
- Optional builder remediation roadmap
- Certification level, if awarded
- Date, scope, and limitations
The report is designed to be useful to owners, builders, advisors, agents, and family offices. It helps identify where a property is already aligned with the AI-era residential resilience framework and where further work may be appropriate. Reports are confidential.
For builders & developers
For builders and developers
- Ultra-luxury spec homes
- Custom estates
- Scottsdale / Paradise Valley / high-visibility luxury markets
- Properties designed for athletes, executives, public figures, entrepreneurs, and high-net-worth families
- Homes with extensive smart-home systems
- Properties with visible privacy / security exposure
- Homes marketed above $5M, $10M, $20M, or $30M
NES Certified gives builders and developers a credible way to show that a high-value residence has been evaluated against a serious AI-era resilience framework. For new builds, the most important recommendations can often be integrated while they are still inexpensive: wiring and network segmentation, the protected core, clean-air capability, backup power, sightline control, perimeter planning, and service-access design.
For buyers, agents & advisors
For buyers, agents, and advisors
NES Certified helps buyers and advisors ask better questions before falling in love with a floor plan. It also helps agents explain why privacy, cyber resilience, clean air, protected infrastructure, and continuity are becoming part of the luxury conversation.
The mark
Certification mark and use
Properties that complete the evaluation may be eligible to reference their review status or certification level, subject to written approval and the terms of use for the NES Certified mark. Certification language must remain accurate, non-misleading, and tied to the specific property, scope, and date of evaluation.
NES ReviewedNES AlignedNES AdvancedNES Exemplary
Certification status reflects evaluation against the framework as of a specific date and scope. Systems, threats, ownership, vendors, maintenance, and property conditions can change over time.
Disclaimer
NES Certified™ is an evaluation of framework alignment. It is not a guarantee of safety, security, code compliance, insurance acceptance, or threat prevention. It is not a substitute for licensed security, engineering, cybersecurity, legal, insurance, fire, HVAC, or other professional advice. No residence can be certified as immune from crime, intrusion, cyberattack, fire, smoke, outage, contamination, or other risk.
Related resource
Luxury Homes in the Era of AI
The technical white paper behind the 52-question framework - the full evidence base across privacy, security, cyber resilience, clean air, protected infrastructure, and continuity.
Request a review
Request a certification review
NES Certified™ is not a guarantee of safety or threat prevention. It is a quantitative, documentation-supported evaluation of how well a residence aligns with the Institute's AI-era residential resilience framework.
NESCertified™AI-Era Residential Resilience