SO...   life is good. Today I got a "wish" list from an eco-savvy client longing to relocate to Asheville where the vocal demand for Asheville Green Real Estate and HealthyBuilt® Homes definitely is on the rise. You should know that when clients relocate to Asheville, we always ask them to provide a list of their Top 10 Must Haves in terms of "Green" features....That's what arrived today...When you look at  their Eco-Friendly Must Haves, you may wonder how we ever are going to be able to satisfy all these "green essentials"...But never fear, here in "green" Asheville, where the green real estate is more and more in demand, we may surprise our clients with meeting their wishes...and YOU.  Asheville Green Real Estate "Must Haves" List 1. On the way in...the driveway ... unpaved and pervio... 03/02/2008

  Over the years I have been privileged to have lived in and visited many wonderful places.  Asheville, North Carolina is one of the places that I am most proud of having in my life.  Seeing this fair city develop and gain the fame and respect she deserves could be likened to dating a girl in high-school who would one day become a movie star and warmly watching her glowing career assured that she still loves you.  It is true that more and more people continue to move here trying to see what the "happiest city in the country" has in store for them.  And even though this place seems to draw the socially and environmentally conscious it can still be a tad bit unnerving to witness such growth.  Sometimes its enough to make me consider switching careers from sustainable real estate and conse... 02/28/2008

UPDATE: October, 2008 With an economic situation with particular challenges at hand, I'm asking 1031 Like-Kind Exchange Guru,  Matt Linville to weigh in on this again. And in the meantime, here's an Asheville 1031 review...   Recently, I happened on an article about  Lunch and Learn, a program designed to expand training and development for staffers.  Lunch and Learn, I discovered ,could work to expand our real estate and real estate services training with a multi- outreach and professional education program. Because we are an Asheville Firm with a focus on 1031 Like-Kind Exchanges, this seemed like a great opportunity for staff and clients alike. So, we opened our office doors to the public and inaugurated a "green investment (1031s encouraged) and sustainable issues"community and neig... 02/26/2008

Living "Green".  It's About the Positive Momentum                                                                            One mellow afternoon last summer, as we watched the sun filter thorugh an old, old tree, a novelist and client-friend of ours talked about living "green" as we headed back from our review of some amazing conservation land.  A " rare bird", this author, a family man, an outdoorsman with the means to invest in what matters most to his heart, namely conservation real estate in the Greater Asheville area, is also a new urbanist. With both these perspectives in mind, that day, I asked him what living "green" was all about. Without hesitation, his fingers keeping track, he counted out:1)    BE humane- from the inside-out. Call your neighbors and talk before you make jud... 02/19/2008

 Asheville Waterfall Properties   As a green real estate agent I have many workplaces.  Sometimes my office is my car sometimes its the local coffee shop. I could just as easily find myself on a ridge top as the actual office itself.  That being said, some of my favorite places of work are the Asheville waterfalls.  And there are millions of gallons of them.  There are few things I know of in this world that are more relaxing, enchanting, and soul cleansing than the sound of falling water.  Bearing witness to the mountain springs as they tumultuously careen their way down the slopes eventually join the French Broad or Catawba rivers is certainly one of the jewels in the Asheville crown.  A lot of Asheville's waterfall properties are protected by the state or federal government, set asid... 02/18/2008

My last two blogs were about a seller of 52 acreshere in the Asheville real estate trying to sustainably develop his property without having to sell to a buyer who wants to do a traditional development of singe family homes with 4 homes on an acre lot. Bill, the owner has created several different options of how the land might be used as a green development, but as I indicated my boss Janeanne and I did present him with one other option and that was to create an Eco-Village or Conservation Subdivision on his property. Bill has studied these type of development concepts over the years but  is somewhat hesitant to create an Ecovillage plan because there are so many potential variations of this design that someone would like. His initial strategy is to let potential investors decide what ... 02/18/2008

Hello . This is my first post. I am happy to find out about Active Rain and especially to find all the green and eco-friendly information here. As a "green" buyer's agent and REALTOR in Asheville,NC I spend most of my time in previewing and finding residential properties that are energy efficient and sustainable for clients,but also look for land.  Whether finding green homes or land, this is something I can get excited about because everyone benefits. I have wondered if "green" is as popular in other parts of the country as it is here. Judging from what I am reading here, it seems that Green Real Estate is a trend not only in Asheville, N.C. but across the USA. With this in mind, I look forward to innovation in real estate and lots of good possibilities in 2008 and into the future,but ... 02/16/2008

 The first part of this blog  began with my finding some very beautiful property in the Asheville, North Carolina real estate market for clients who are looking to build a green, dog friendly community. The owner, Bill, very much wants a conservation subdivision on it,  but has  serious cash flow problems and is facing having to sell to traditional developers who will build homes on quarter acre lots. To make matters worse, Bill and his wife, their children and families all live on property adjoining the land that is for sale, so their view-shed and neighborhood will be directly affected by any development that occurs on the land.  So Bill is effecting stalling the potential traditional developer while he and I start to think of other potential ways the land could be used.  One scenario... 02/13/2008

Just like many parts of the country Asheville and Buncombe County are being affected by the supply and demand rule of business. Our sales are down significantly. The pundits claim there is a pent-up demand for the Asheville area, but buyers must first sell their properties in the part of the country they now live in first, and many of the other areas of the country are still struggling.Asheville and Buncombe County however, are experiencing somewhat of an unusual phenomenon. Our market has slowed, yet our prices are going up on the existing inventory.We actually set a new record high on the Median Asking Price in January.It appears that the lower priced homes have been selling leaving behind the more expensive homes, which has contributed to this upward tick in prices, rather than causi... 02/13/2008

   Asheville Conservation Land Broker Lately I have been thinking quite a bit about what an adventure working on land deals around Asheville, North Carolina is.  The familiarity with the land that is demanded by this work makes me reminiscent of my time working in the Alaskan Wilderness.  These days there are so many factors and big players stepping up to the Western North Carolina mountains that it can often be complicated as well as a test of one's ethics.  I believe that it is at times like these that we must cling to our values the strongest.I can fondly remember so many nights in the wilderness wrapped snuggly inside a sleeping bag and pouring my mind over a map by the light of my head lamp before closing my eyes for a well earned rest.  These days the office has transformed from a... 02/13/2008

It all started out innocently enough. I had some clients that were looking to build  a green conservation development that would also be very dog friendly. These buyers were interested in obtaining a piece of property of at least 20+ acres fairly close to downtown Asheville owned by a seller willing to do some owner financing.  I found a very nice 29+ acres in the town of Weaverville located only 15 minutes from downtown that bordered an existing 52 acre, 50 lot green subdivision, meaning all homes there would be built to Healthy Built Home standards( not crazy about the density of this subdivision, but more on that later). Asking is price 1.9 million. The land is rolling with two distinct knolls that have great views to the east, south, and west. In addition, the seller also owned the ... 02/12/2008

  Asheville, North Carolina the shining green star of the east is closing in on another fantastic innovation that will permanently improve the quality of life in Western North Carolina.  The Asheville Greenways Plan will soon connect the lives of thousands of residents in a whole new way.  After all, what is better than a walk down a trail on a beautiful day?  Now imagine if some of your favorite trails that you hike, bike, or just meander down could be transplanted and dropped in place to connect your neighborhood and your place of work or perhaps your downtown.  If you can visualize that then your starting to catch a glimpse of the future in Asheville and its surrounding towns.  Already well underway, when the Asheville Greenways Project is complete there will be a minimum of 14 corri... 02/11/2008

Buncombe County, NC Real Estate Market Statistics - January 2007 and 2008 Active ResidentialListingsAverageAsking PriceMedianAsking PriceNumberSOLDAverageSOLDPriceMedianSOLDPrice       Jan 20072228$409,796$289,900248$285,950$220,000Jan 20082915$450,745$309,900177$286,601$219,000As you can see, the number of homes in the inventory has risen once again, but so have the Average and Median asking prices. One reason for that is that we now have more homes on the market at or over $1 million. The one concern is the number of homes sold in January 2008 versus January 2007. Inventory up, sales down indicates our market has slowed along with the rest of the nation.The January 2008 sales of 177 homes is the lowest since February 2004.  Post you listings and market reports at the Group: http://act... 02/07/2008

      A Day in the Life of:  Asheville Green Building and Real Estate This is just a brief peek into today and my adventures in Asheville's green building and real estate market.  Although today should be pretty busy it is more or less a typical day and a good indicator of several parts of the green real estate brokerage process.First thing is first.  That means getting up early and heading to the local Black Mountain coffee shop, The Dripolator, to touch base with various clients and write something on ActiveRain about what I am going to do today.  Great part of the day, sitting at the window watching the sleepy mountain town spring to life while I sip my green-tea.Next thing is next.  In a few minute I will "head up the hill" to a small development that I think of as one of the best k... 02/07/2008

     Buying Asheville Green Real EstateSomething you hear a lot around our office when considering Asheville green real estate is the question, "what is important to you?".  This is really a doozie of a query because of the nature of sustainable building.  Some people are drawn to Asheville because they have a conservation mindset and want to belong to a community that tries to uphold these values.  There are those that want to buy green because they know that it is an intelligent investment, the look at how green homes appreciate and sell and that is all they need to know.  Some also seek the recognition that comes with owning a high performance home, similar to the mentality of buying a luxury automobile.   Regardless of what stirs you to buy or build green, once the sustainable choic... 02/01/2008

 "Can a "bigger than life" luxury home still be eco-savvy? " you ask. Good Question! And you may already know (or think you know) the answer. Size and function matter when you are talking about environmental impact. In fact,  size can be quite a lively, if not controversial subject among the eco-savvy tribes. But as you consider the relationship between size, and "green" remember that  "luxury" real estate may come in many shapes and sizes. There are small footprints with three-stories rising in the trees, there are larger footprints set neatly into the landscape. There are homes sited to take advantage of solar benefits.  And, there are those very large homes designed to take advantage of nature, or privacy, or  architectural excellence; signature homes that may, in some cases, offer e... 01/30/2008

   The Grove Park Inn on Macon Avenue in Asheville, North Carolina is one of the regions most legendary sites.  You name it and you can have it around the Grove Park Inn.  Luxury, relaxation, beauty, history, and perhaps even a brush with the supernatural are all things that this part of Macon Avenue are famous for.  The Grove Park Inn itself draws visitors form all over the world and Macon Avenue real estate is some of the most sought after in the Asheville area.  The famous Grove Park Inn was completed in 1913.  It was the dream of a man named E.W. Grove.  Grove had made his fortune peddling a miracle elixir that at one point was outselling Coca-Cola.  The giant resort was constructed out of granite boulders hauled from the local Sunset Mountain and modeled after the grand railway hot... 01/30/2008

      You don't have to search to deep with Google to find out that Asheville's housing market is still in pretty good shape.  Their are many many reports and blogs on this subject.  This is a comforting fact for someone like me, who works in the Asheville Real Estate Market but listens to dark speculation about the national market every day on my way to work.  What we are currently faced with is not a depression but a ridiculous amount of opportunity.I have heard other brokers say to me and their clients that Asheville is still a sellers market.   I think this is true only so far.  We have been effected by the national housing market slump and scare in the sense that our growth has slowed down a little.  This slowing has been caused by the fact that people caught up in injured markets ... 01/25/2008

$309,000Asheville and Buncombe County, NC has been acting strange lately. As the majority of the country seems to be having a downward spiral of home prices, at least according to the news media, Asheville has been experiencing something a bit different.Annually, in the past, we had been seeing the inventory go down in the early fall, but that is not unusual for the fall and winter months of November through about the middle of March. Now, our inventory is beginning to creep back upward earlier than usual.Our Average Asking home prices have basically been stable, with some up and down movement, but today we hit an all time record high for the Median Asking price of single family homes (which include: homes, mobile homes and Condo/Townhomes).Outside of the North Carolina beaches, that ma... 01/24/2008

      Asheville real estate has taken a turn for the green.  With Western North Carolina quickly becoming America's number 1 place to relocate and Asheville unveiled as the happiest city in the nation, more and more developers are trying to find a way to do what they do with the limited mountain terrain.   Some of those developers, who will remain nameless for the purpose of this article, have little interest in preserving the spectacular natural setting that actually draws their prospects here.  These developers only see the golden opportunity to capitalize on a good thing.    However, there are many other developments that are trying to simultaneously embrace Asheville's sustainable mindset and the ripe real estate market that makes it possible to develop.  One large example of these ... 01/22/2008