asheville sustainable real estate: A Tale of The Incredible Momentum of Holiday Acceptance
- 12/15/08 03:05 AM
"What are you doing out here all on your owney-o?" ~Diana Gabaldon,A Breath of Snow and Ashes
Deep within every one of us, I am told, lies a secret place. Within that primordial chamber the web of life is woven. And here, the "owney-o" shines in concert with the grand tapestry,bringing to the creation the incredible momentum of acceptance.
There follows a tale of that incredible momentum . . .
The Holidays, A Winter Visit and the Gift of Acceptance, 2008.
Warmed by the fire, newly stoked, embraced by the welcoming atmosphere in their home, I sat on the pleasantly overstuffed sofa. I had been here … (31 comments)
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asheville sustainable real estate: GREEN Buyers' Broker Tells Tons About Asheville, NC Relocation
- 12/13/08 05:02 AM
-FRIENDLY BUYERS' CONNECTIONS & RELOCATING in the Asheville, NC Area
Wee GREEN tree house (see photo I took not long ago) or grand sustainable estate, there's no doubt about it, even moving to beautiful ASHEVILLE, NC can be a challenging experience.
RELOCATING to new surroundings can disrupt the flow of your daily life, be time-consuming and costly. Working with us to scout out and secure that "perfect" eco-friendly property, while it is an exciting adventure, can also bring up concerns. That transition needs thoughtful coordination. Not to worry...we can help! Actually, we enjoy providing eco-friendly information and details of interest … (7 comments)
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asheville sustainable real estate: ASHEVILLE AREA: "Sweet Spot" for Unpretentious, Eco-Friendly Excellence
- 12/12/08 04:41 AM
The Greater ASHEVILLE Area is a "sweet spot" for eco-friendly folks looking for the rare and much appreciated homebred quality of life.....Viewsheds, valleys, waterfalls are nature's gifts. (see photo taken by J.T. Narrin)
When you add to these the sense of community, the uncommon blend of neighborliness and "cultural creative" verve, everyone wins, even during difficult days. There is a song under an ancient tree. You can almost hear the Cherokee peoples.
A Royal Proclamation of 1763 from King George III forbade British settlements west of the Appalachian crest and encroachment on Cherokee lands. While that was very long ago, … (1 comments)
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asheville sustainable real estate: GREEN (and Other Interesting) Land, Horse, and Eco-Friendly Buyers' RESOURCES in Asheville, North Carolina
- 12/10/08 02:19 AM
GREEN (and Other Interesting) Land, Horse, and Eco-Friendly Buyers' RESOURCES in Asheville, North Carolina.It's that time of year again. Time to light up the world with the gift of possibility. And time to share positive information from our very generous local experts in the interesting green real estate market here inAsheville, NC. (here is a photo of Asheville's skyline during the season of possibility)
Because most of us are inspired by ideas, empowered by knowledge, and moved to change by greater understanding, each year our ECO-friendly GREEN TEAM updates and compiles a list of resources to support that possibility.
We hope that … (2 comments)
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asheville sustainable real estate: Jittery Real Estate Market? Expectations, Running Dogs and Mutual Respect
- 12/03/08 01:38 AM
December, 2008. Today there are at least a million REALTORS® around the USA. How many will make it to 2010? Here in Asheville, N.C., we are holding strong finding the support of NAR's Four-Point Plan to calm a jittery real estate market (see graphic) gratifying and of special interest.
Although our sustainable-GREEN real estate market is attractive here in the mountains, we are part of the bigger picture, and so there is concern. Possibly NAR's Plan can lead to stabilization across the market.
" Time is of the essence,"NAR tells us."This week and next, NAR is mobilizing hundreds of REALTORS® from all … (15 comments)
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asheville sustainable real estate: The Universe is Conspiring in Your Favour, Part One.
- 12/03/08 12:12 AM
Here's a positive post for the holiday season. The message here is, " The universe is conspiring in your favour, if you can recognize it...." Take a look at the green-built project here...where the author of the post says, " I was excited to know of something interesting, aesthetically (for me anyway), utilizing green features (...VOC coatings and like building materials).
Have you ever heard the saying "the universe is conspiring against me"?
Well, don't believe it. The universe is conspiring in your favour, if you can recognize it. This has generally been my experience.
I suppose sometimes things may … (1 comments)
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asheville sustainable real estate: Is THIS The Moment to Buy Green Real Estate in Asheville? What's in Your Eco-Savvy 1031 Tool Box?
- 10/08/08 08:46 AM
Is it time to start buying real estate in the much sought-after Greater Asheville, N.C. area ? Are you looking at 1031 Plan and thinking that a slow-down in the real estate market means watch out? Wrong! For our eco-savvy clients, seems to me there's a river of pure potential just beyond the brambles (see photo) and an exciting ride to "green" investing with lots of GREEN in sight.
It's all about sailing with your 1031 Toolbox in tow. Those tools: 1) Intuition-You have to be able to intuit where the basement is in a local market, 2) Timing- you have … (5 comments)
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asheville sustainable real estate: Debate Watching for Real Estate Professionals: Clues from the League of Women Voters.
- 09/21/08 05:07 AM
Mother was a member of the League of Women Voters. Even more than just being a member, she got involved...volunteered. Time and again over the years Mama was up at 4:00 AM and out of the house before "dawn's early light" to work at the polling place. She always came home after dusk, but with a smile of satisfaction on her face bringing with her amusing tales and a shared sense that she had participated in the democratic process at the "grass roots" level.
She also loved watching a good debate, and then opening up a discussion about it... in a … (3 comments)
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asheville sustainable real estate: Green-Builts in Asheville, Asheville's GREEN and Positive Real Estate Trend
- 09/09/08 02:39 PM
Someone asked me just this week for my opinion on the "green-built situation" in today's mortgage market. Personally, I am very positive. Why" Because excellence and sustainability seem always to stand for themselves, even in challenging times.
So, maybe I am more than "positive".... You could say that I am excited about the possibilities and the positive impact happening in terms of green building (and remodeling) here in Asheville and across the country.
More and more, eco-friendly homes are on the minds and buying lists of our clients. As I poll REALTORS® across the country, I find that the interest in … (6 comments)
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asheville sustainable real estate: Humanitarians and REALTORS®, Asheville's GREEN Real Estate Collaboration
- 09/06/08 04:24 PM
I was just 21 and getting ready to vote for the first time when Dad revealed his take on the "dense forest of politics" and how to decipher what "branches" are in play when the game is all about dispensing power and money.
"Just remember two things," he said, "First, know your own philosophy of life. Be able to say what it is in a short sentence, and act on it; and second, do your homework on the candidates using objective resources. Then pick the one most in line with your philosophy"
"I don't know if I am a Republican or a … (8 comments)
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asheville sustainable real estate: Marketing Unique Properties: Know Your Target Market.
- 09/03/08 01:38 AM
As you read the re-blog below, you will find the kind of information that is useful no matter how "mature" you are in your practice....You will also find out why I subscribe to Rich Schiffer's BLOG! Here, Rich offers a comparison of common marketing practices, and how they might differ when marketing a unique property...for those of us who work in the eco-friendly market, the applications are right on!
By Rich Schiffer, REALTOR, e-PRO
(This article is part of a training series presented for real estate professionals, whether new to the industry or experienced, to help them discover, understand, and benefit from the tools that … (9 comments)
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asheville sustainable real estate: Eco-communities, Organic Farms & Farm Life : #1 in The Carolina Blue Skies Local Color Series. Asheville Area Sustainable Agriculture
- 08/14/08 08:12 AM
When you think about sustainable agriculture, organic farms, eco-communities and quality of life in Asheville and the towns surrounding Her, you may wonder if this post is simply nugacity in an otherwise (hopefully) worthy landscape.
However, some redeeming wisdom possibly survives- especially if you are a lover of guineafowl. So I'm gonna' take the risk, and tell this story . . .
"Which One's the Guinea?" (A Carolina Blue Skies Local Color Story).
Once upon a time, approximately 11 miles from downtown Asheville; or 7 miles from the where bustling Patton Avenue intersects Highway 63; or 5 miles from … (4 comments)
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asheville sustainable real estate: Asheville's Sustainable Communities. A Series. 1. Montford, a Charming, Sustainable Neighborhood of Asheville, NC
- 07/11/08 03:33 PM
The Montford Neighborhood ~ Asheville, N.C. ~A Community Embracing a Sustainable Future. Part I.
MONTFORD: Where one picture tells the story. (see photo)
The MONTFORD NEIGBORHOOD in Asheville, North Carolina: Historic and Happening!
Here is a neighborhood of about 300 acres that expresses a rich diversity of architectural styles, most constructed between 1890 and 1920.
Montford, like its residents, is a place of complex overall character.. .Romance and history are in the air, so expect to " feel" the artistic influences.
Even residents of other neighborhoods in and around Asheville find themselves drawn to Montford. Maybe you will see them strolling … (15 comments)
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asheville sustainable real estate: Workforce Housing in Asheville and /or Your Town
- 07/07/08 11:40 AM
Asheville's primary community development goal is to "preserve and increase the supply of workforce/affordable housing so that decent, safe housing is available in Asheville for people of all income levels."
As Eco Certified ®Real Estate Consultants, today, keeping the above statement in mind, the "E-Team" at our Firm has been checking around to see what's out there for first-time home buyers. We are looking to see if we can find several single residential properties that could meet the needs of (for example) a schoolteacher with a young child. Here are a couple one of our Brokers found right off the bat:
"... a new starter home … (8 comments)
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asheville sustainable real estate: OF RIVERS and REALTORS® WNC Rivers Series: The Pigeon River
- 07/06/08 12:50 AM
River Update
As REALTORS®, more and more we are educating ourselves about and facing environmental issues. One such issue is pollution. Pollution affects quality of life. And quality of life is important to our real estate clients and to all of us. This post is one in a series of posts on environmental issues having to do with water, water supply and rivers. Although local in outlook, the story touches everyone, so please tell us what's happening with your rivers.
Situation: The Pigeon River Watershed struggled to improve its water quality for at lest 30 years. The Clean Water Act of 1972 helped … (15 comments)
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asheville sustainable real estate: LOOKS COUNT!! ! What We All Can Do About 'Em ( Land Use, and Community Planning)
- 07/02/08 10:11 AM
Land, being mostly privately held, as you know, makes the landowners/stewards, developers, and the local city-county elected officials the land use decision-makers. That's something to consider when it comes to what we all can do in terms of land use and community planning right in our own/combined backyards.
So, bring on the Permaculture Pros, our real estate clients. They explain the above and more... that Permaculture is about designing ecological human habitats and food production systems. (further defined below) We sure have expanded our land use perceptions since we met them....and not only for farmland, but for urban-dwellers.
Our Permaculture … (12 comments)
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asheville sustainable real estate: Greater Asheville, NC Area Multi-Family & Eco-Friendly Market Report, Summer 2008
- 06/22/08 04:02 AM
Asheville, NC is home to the University of North Carolina/Asheville (UNCA ) It's a welcoming campus with paths beneath tree-lined streets leading to the various buildings. Off-campus housing is a big plus for many students. Some are first-time home buyers, but others possibly have convinced 1031 investors/ parents of the wisdom of investing in income-producing multi-family properties in this solid Asheville market.
Here in Asheville, we define multi-family properties as 4-plex, Tri-plex and Duplexes. Here's a typical description: "Tri-plex on great street in central location. Close to UNCA and downtown. Views of Sunset Mountain and Grove Park. Has excellent rental history … (3 comments)
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asheville sustainable real estate: 2008 Markets Stats. Good News Trends...But Where? Green Glasses.
- 05/31/08 09:47 AM
2008 Markets Stats. Good News Trends...you will find this when you look (through green glasses?) at Green-built homes, Eco-communities, Sustainable Neighborhoods.
I'm known for looking at the world of real estate through "green glasses". If you saw how sturdy the trend toward sustainable housing, the "Green Market" is, and how it's kicking up interest on the part of REALTORS® and clients alike...I imagine you'd be finding your own green glasses ASAP.
Some look at this eco-friendly trend as THE connection not only to healthy income, but to "a common good"... a place where dollar opportunity in the form of a growth industry … (10 comments)
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asheville sustainable real estate: Cohousing, A Trend-in-the-Making?
- 05/17/08 12:40 AM
I ‘m wondering if, like me, you are seeing a growing interest in cohousing ? Is this an idea whose day has come? Possibly even a trend-in-the-making? I'm heading out this morning to do some "hands-on" research.
I'm going to look at one eco-developer's concept for an ecovillage with cohousing potentials,not far from Asheville. Here's what I know so far: An ecovillage may be in an urban or rural area and is not defined by its location, but rather by concept.
I've been told that this one (still in progress) will be defined by another standard: the very caring eco-developer's love of … (12 comments)
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asheville sustainable real estate: Green-Shaping Asheville with Renewable Resources and "Human Energy"
- 05/15/08 03:53 PM
Green-Dreaming? I was reading a newsletter from one of our city commissioners here in Asheville today.
She seems to be "dreaming green" and her fans say she is a "light in the community" ... From what I know, she challenges Asheville's citizens to apply some creative "human energy" to look at the city's trajectory. She suggests that we work together to build positive futures. Depending on a variety of lifestyles and choices, solutions to how a city thrives may differ.
(Photo of eco consultant and his dog taken at eco community, Hickory Nut Forest near Asheville. )
So, from the perspective of real estate … (9 comments)
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"What are you doing out here all on your owney-o?" ~Diana Gabaldon,A Breath of Snow and Ashes 
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