Welcome to the Asheville Area which includes Hendersonville and numerous small, nearby towns. People often ask me, Where is Fairview? What is the Asheville community like? Is everybody in Hendersonville retired? This blog is designed to acquaint you with the many communities in this area and to answer some of those questions. If you have questions, please post them and I will find an answer for you.  If you live in this area and have suggestions and comments, please post them. Asheville is an old/new city with a traditional/modern, green/tourist mecca of mixture. In the center of the city old buildings have been renovated for condos and boutique type stores. New buildings have been built for the same purposes. Adjacent to downtown are traditional homes from small to grand. The grand old... 01/19/2009

DECEMBER 2008 Buncombe County is the home of Asheville, NC. Buncombe County and the surrounding areas of Asheville, Leicester, Black Mountain, Biltmore Forest, and Arden, like the rest of the country, have been experiencing many of the trends that keep the real estate markets unsettled.  Active listings inventory would normally drop this time of year due to sellers not wanting to have their home on the market in winter conditions. There has been a slight drop in active listings, but they are not yet at the "healthy" level. If they would stay at these levels or below for the next several months, then we might be able to see the market stabilize, but if, as it usually does, the inventory begins to build in mid-January, then we will most likely see a continued drop in house values. There h... 01/16/2009

Asheville, North Carolina!  So many people want to be here. What for? 'll give ya' three quick reasons: 1)  Asheville is a center for Cultural Creatives so there is an abundance of art and music to enjoy. . And 2) we have amazing organic produce readily available as per this and other  tailgate markets   so there is incredible food to delight in-even organic menus at local restaurants. AND 3) the Greater Asheville areas just happens to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. (note the photo I took overlooking a neighborhood nestled in the hands of the mountains here) A particular interest to our eco-friendly clients is good information about relocating to these fair climes. In response, over the years we have gathered a ten-foot stack of resource materials having to do with RELO I... 01/16/2009

   Here are the trends and statistics for for the 4th quarter of 2008 for Asheville & Buncombe County, NC. Buncombe County is made up of  Asheville, Leicester, Weaverville, Candler, Woodfin, Arden, Barnardsville, Black Mountain, and several other area locations. If you go to Realtor.com to search for listings in the Asheville area, be sure to put in Leicester and the other areas to get the complete picture of what is available in our beautiful part of the country. If you put just the word "Asheville" in a Google search you will get 14,800,000+ hits! The number one site for Asheville is Asheville.com. If you put the words Buncombe County NC you will get 294,000 hits. The number one site is Buncombe County. org. In comparison, if you put the word "ActiveRain" in you will get 1,700,000+ hi... 01/14/2009

Asheville Real Estate Report  www.JimCottam.com  jim@jimcottam.com  828-775-3288 Asheville December 2008 Home Sales ReportPercentage Changes 2008 vs 2007 Homes Sold                        -31.40% Avg Days on Market            +38.94% Avg Selling Price                 -10.30% Median Selling Price            -17.35% Total Sell Price Volume        -38.67% Data is from the 5 county WNC Regional MLS system and represents total home sales in Buncombe, Madison, Haywood, Henderson and Transylvania counties.   December 2007 Sales   December 2008 Sales   Single-Family Homes Sold 476 Single-Family Homes Sold 327 Average Days on Market 113 Average Days on Market 157 Average Selling Price 277,971 Average Selling Price 248,151 Median Selling Price 231,098 Median Selling Price 191,000 Average List Pri... 01/12/2009

green school  /grEn skül / n. a school building or facility that creates a healthy environment that is conducive to learning while saving energy, resources and money--  Not long ago teachers across the USA helped pass a resolution: "WHEREAS, green and sustainable schools are new or renovated schools that create a healthy environment that is conducive to learning while saving energy resources and money.   Green schools focus on improvements in site selection, daylighting, indoor air quality, thermal comfort, acoustics and classroom design - all of which have an important impact on a child's ability to learn and a teacher's ability to teach ..."  You can see the entire resolution here: http://www.buildgreenschools.org/news/news_story_4.html  Teachers are SMART!  So that is why  I am wonde... 01/10/2009

Once you have experienced Asheville,  where beautiful sustainable living is the norm, you will understand why the "Paris of the South" in the mountains of Western North Carolina ranks among the favorite second home and vacation spots-and that is true even in the depths of winter. You will be able to create some amazing adventures and join our great storytellers perhaps over some hot chocolate while enjoying the locally -grown FOOD  and telling tall tales.... (do you see tall tale teller in photo? ) TALL TALES like... the tale of the lonesome canoe (see  photos taken by the lake, newly kissed with snow) ... Local lore says that it was abandoned one summer's day-far out on the lake.        Just in the nick of time, as the winter winds approached, it is said,  a passing REALTOR® , always k... 01/10/2009

Can a "Luxury" Home also be "Green"?   If you think that it is possible for a home to be both a "luxury home" and  eco-savvyyou are one person who has given some thought to how the building is to be used. Flexible design a key feature in green-built homes. Size and function matter when you are talking about environmental impact. In fact, size can be quite a lively, if not controversial subject with our green buyer clients and eco-friendly builders and developers. Can a "Luxury" home also be "Green"? As you consider  your answer, you may want to take into account the relationship between size and  sustainability. After all, some people will tell you that  "luxury" real estate may come in many shapes and sizes. There are small footprints with three-stories rising in the trees and lots of ... 01/07/2009

  There he stood at the end of a curious crossing. I didn't know how he got there. He seemed very pleased with himself, however, and he was beckoning me to cross where he had already gone. It was a beautiful but frigid wintry day.Carolina blueskies above. A noisy river below. No ice on the plank that served as his bridge. I didn't want him to assume I was any less brave then he was.....so I took this shot (just in case I fell in )took a deep breath...and crossed to the other side....... 01/06/2009

Vacant Land, Lots, and Acreage - Buncombe County, NC - November 2008 Buncombe County includes the cities or areas of Asheville, Weaverville, Leicester, Black Mountain, Arden, Skyland, Candler, and Biltmore Forest.     Buncombe County land sales in 2008 have averaged about 54% of sales in 2007. That would indicate that the land sales have lagged behind just like home sales and that would seem to indicate that investors/developers/speculators have slowed in concert with the existing housing market. 348 parcels have been Sold in 2008 with an Average Sold Price of $145,712, a slight decrease from October prices.     A breakdown of those sales, year to date, looks like this:   1 acre or under - 166 parcels sold with an Average Sold Price of $90,953. 1 to 2.99 acres - 111 parcels sold with an... 01/05/2009

     UPDATE- September, 2011NC Healthy Built Certified : 539NC Healthy Built Certified in Progress: 244 UPDATE -June 2011  NC Healthy Built Certified as of 05/31/11: 511NC Healthy Built Certified in progress as of 05/31/11: 312   Over the past few years, have you noticed a change in perception about the way people choose where and how they live and what they need? Is this a trend? JT (see photo) has been keeping an eye out . He has noticed a change. And it does appear to be a trend!   But just to be sure, I am looking for the "proof in the pudding" so -to-speak; I'm looking at statisticsunearthed from our Mountain MLS System here in Asheville. xo Although putting numbers on my intuitionas a REALTOR® feels a little "dangerous"- (I don't want to lose my intuitive edge) - this  search for... 01/04/2009

Asheville Area Residential Single Family Home Sales per WNCRMLS as of 1-4-09   2008 2007 Difference Homes Sold 4351 6458 -32.8% Dollar Volume $1,226,732,444 $1,921,341,846 -36.2% Avg. List Price $282,007 $297,513 -5.3% Avg. Sell Price $265,197 $284,707 -6.9% Med. List Price $234,900 $236,900 -1.0% Med. Sell Price $216,250 $227,000 -4.8% AVG Days on Market 149 133 +12.0% Recent Home Sales in Your Neighborhood-click and type in your address. On the Market in your WNC Neighborhood-click and type in subdivision name. 01/04/2009

Asheville's Charm: Weaving the  Threads of "Smart Growth" and Cultural Creativity:  Various and charmingly interwoven cultural threads make up the historic and eco-friendly communities in Asheville, NC. As Green Buyers' Brokershere in Asheville, we feel lucky to be a part of "the design team for the future".  Our small city, Asheville, N.C. can only grow so much until it becomes a large city. As we grow, and judging from the influx of folks (especially Baby Boomers) relocating to Asheville indicate, we will continue grow,  how we grow requires consideration.  If a community likes its "small town feeling" then the community needs to acknowledge that growth must stop at some point in order to preserve that feeling.What choices are available in terms of  sustainability? Read on!  Asheville... 01/03/2009

Asheville, Buncombe County, NC Real Estate Market Statistics - Active and Sold - November 2008 and 2007 Comparisons Our Active Residential Listings have increased 6% from this same time last year.  The Average Asking Price has increased 3.8% and Median Asking Price has increased 1.7%. What we faced this month was the lowest number of homes sold in a month in over 7 years! It was a decrease of 53% over November 2007. That is the  real problem we still face, the SOLD numbers are down. This month the SOLD prices are also down significantly from November 2007. As you can see by the chart below, we have been down significantly on our SOLD numbers and that has been the case all of the last 12 months, yet our inventory has increased. Also the number of Days on Market is at the highest levels i... 12/29/2008

Relocating to Western North Carolina? (see map courtesy of Asheville.com) Asheville, North Carolina is a favorite choice! From baby boomers to first-time home buyers and young families, from artists to organic growers, Asheville is the spot for relocation.  Happily, our real estate practice is well-prepared for the "newly arrived."  We love the idea of introducing our clients to Asheville area ECO-friendly  properties-green-built homes in eco-friendly, sustainable communities, and in particular land for horse farms, organic growing and conservation.   Here in the mountains, we serve clients who demand healthy-built homes thoughtfully sited below the ridgeline. Careful planning is a must here in the mountains where an appreciation for sustainability is almost a  given....  Our clients se... 12/29/2008

          A gentle soul once told me,".....there's a pathway to contentment here in Asheville.  It is like the rainbows over the ridges. The surging flow of a waterfall. It's an uncommon force. When you see it you can measure it by your heartbeat ... an all-at-once coming together and letting go... ." ... Yes...Artists and Poets and Creative People love it here. Inspiration. . . and Pure Potential really are in the air! Something exciting ...on so many levels ...arranges itself like a waterfall over boulders. Somewhere between the coves and rising ridges, the artists and the eco-friendly buildersfind a meeting place in  possibility-thinking. For this Green Buyers' Broker, it's a good  place to start.           At our very fingertips is anything we could ever wish for...an abundance of c... 12/28/2008

Luxury Real Estate . This phrase brings to the fore a question on the minds of many a "green" buyers' broker here in Asheville of late. That question is: "Can a luxury home also be GREEN?" It's a good question and one bound to elicit opposing viewpoints. But here in Asheville we are taking some time tonight just to consider the beauty of a winter's eve. It is one of those perfect nights. The sky is a canvas of pale blue decorated from east to west with clouds of pink and silver and deepest rose.   From the ridge, facing north, it seems a million stars above might well call your name. Families are together for the holidays. Winter vacationers at Reynolds Mountain enjoy the view from their lofty perches above Asheville. Here in the venerable mountains, almost as old as time itself, they m... 12/28/2008

The Greater Asheville area of Western North Carolina has seen an influx of people relocating and investing in real property in recent years.  As you can imagine farmland (as described in the previous post) is disappearing at a rapid rate. And, where "working the land" used to mean laboring to harvest corn, tobacco, hogs, cattle, sheep, and native plants, "working the land"  now calls to mind bulldozers, cranes, and construction crews erecting residential properties. Still farming, noted for its impact on the history, economy, and culture of our region, is alive and breathing  in the hills and coves just miles from downtown Asheville. And although you may see a group of new homes rising up in the middle of a pasture while cows look on placidly from the other side of the fence, where the ... 12/26/2008

I am an avid admirer of furry creatures, the four-legged kind. They seem to like me, too. Mules appear to be especially fond of me. Bodie-the Mule greets me with a huge noise that starts with a whinny, and ends in a hee-haw whenever I round the bend to visit the Jones' at their place, a 30+ acre eco-friendly spread we brokered for them a few years ago.  It is now set aside for organic farming and not to be developed.   For some reason, I also am one Buyers' Broker who also keeps attracting dog lovers. Maybe that's because I am a dog lover myself. I hop in the car with families and their poodles, beagles, hounds and mutts. I take dog biscuits with me to my appointments. I carry dog goodies in my glove box. And I have a list of pet-friendly establishments here in the Ashevillearea where m... 12/26/2008

I've been thinking about TIME so much lately! Time must be the most convenient invention of the human mind - sometimes it's even a tool for getting to a Holiday Party just about when everyone else does. (I'm smiling.) Our holiday gathering this year will find us with high hopes and aspirations. Despite a challenging economy there is much positive news to share. Maybe it is just time for GREEN and our Green Buyers' Brokers here in Asheville. Headline: Asheville's Real Estate Weekly " Green Building Growing Despite Tight Housing Market." That's good timing, eh? As Asheville's GREEN Buyers' Brokers we all applaud that!  But I am wondering if  2009 will bring the expected "Green Revolution" and a surge in green buildingnot only here in Asheville, but across the country. Only time will tell.... 12/25/2008