Asheville ECO-GREEN Real Estate

 UPDATE 3/17/2008  SOLD-CLOSED

 UPDATE  11/19/07  PENDING!

UPDATE: 10/24/07  

HORSE FARM POTENTIAL!! GREEN BUILDERS/DEVELOPERS ALSO TAKE NOTE! MOTIVATED SELLER SAYS THIS LAND FOR SALE IS READY FOR YOU. ALMOST 60 AC, CLOSE-IN to ASHEVILLE, and IMMENSELY BUILD-ABLE.

This land for sale close-in to Asheville, North Carolina is a RARE FIND!

Horse farm? Investment Property ? Family Vacation Place?  With almost 60 AC, it could be your dream come true. It might be an incredible private retreat or eco-development. Rolling land with sheltered areas and trees make it ideal for a Horse Farm.  I walked down this path (see above) this week. Time and again, I had to stop to take in the absolute beauty of my surroundings.  

"It's hard to believe that land of this quality could be for sale so close to Asheville," I said to my companion.

Here's Fall photo JT  took of this incredible Land for sale for your 1031 Exchange or  ECO Development...

Whatever you choose, certainly THIS is amazing acreage.

CLOSE in to Asheville, yet with the feeling of an equestrian retreat, this almost 60 AC parcel awaits your land planning and design. A stream and rolling hills grace this property not 10 minutes from the cultural center of Asheville, the "Happiest City in the U.S.A.

FEATURES & BENEFITS: This land for sale is close in to Asheville, North Carolina where you will find a healthy impetus for "sustainable" development,diverse economic structure based on tourism,services,industry. Overall education levels ,wages and per capita income levels are great. Standards of living are ,too.

NOTE: THE DEMAND FOR GREEN-BUILT HOMES is huge here in the Greater Asheville area.

 According to the folks at the NC Green  Builder Program, "Green building" is also referred to as "high performance building" or "sustainable building." It means that energy, water, and materials are used efficiently during the construction and lifetime of the structure; the health and productivity of occupants is supported; and the impact of the structure on the local and global environment is minimized...

People around Asheville, NC are hungry for sustainable design and building. AND so this land for sale is a prime opportunity for investors and developers. Take a look at the topography here and the view...and you may conclude, as I have that THIS IS THE PERFECT LAND for an ECO-friendly development.

If you are not committed to another real estate professional, then please call me at 828-776-0773 . For more information, you can always check out my website at http://www.janeanne.com/where you can specify your property needs, design your dream , see my "prime property picks" and search the MLS that covers a 5-county area here in mountains of North Carolina. I specialize in incredible land for sale in the Greater Asheville area, and value-added, ECO-friendly properties, and focus on positive futures. My real estate practice inspires property investments for wealth of the generous kind.

This acreage is in the $1.5 million range. . .

 So today I'm writing about theABCs of Structuring both Facts and  Subtleties into Real Property Transactions. Here's how it  works. Look at the facts. Gather data, Know your parameters. Do the ground work. But never ignore what lies beyond the obvious.

EXAMPLE: This photo(I took it earlier this week) is  of a farmland scene... a large acreage with great potential.. I have the survey, plat map, aerial, utility information and so forth, ...however, the "atmosphere" here can influence one's perception of the facts.

My clients hear, "What's your gut feeling about the potential for this property ?"   I ask this question because over the years, Big Advantages have shown up for my clients when combining their insights with the obvious categorizing, comparing, and measuring (fact gathering.)

What's a real property transaction anyway without that intuitive response that provides the essential element of insight? When  structured into the decision-making process , that all-inclusive ( both, all, and side-by-side ) insight creates positive momentum.

The ABCs of Structuring Facts & Subtleties into Real Property Transactions

• A. Understand the topography, the geology, the aesthetic.
• B. Ask good questions. Could the land under development be a conservation development? ( See AR's Corey Atherton's for in-depth description.)  What do the experts say?  (The great Lou Jewell who teaches Land 101   with his anthem , "I LOVE LAND!" might have a few words of wisdom.) 
• C. Utilize resources: Equinox Environmental for Baseline Documentation, Conservation Subdivisions, Farmland Preservation, Greenways Planning ,Native Plantings ,Park Planning ,Phase 1 Assessments, Private Lands, Sustainable Landscapes, Watershed Assessments, Wetlands Delineation.
• D. Dialogue. You can better gauge your insights when you open dialogues with those in the know.
• E. Ask local experts. They know the trends in the real estate market in their localities, the character of the land and the folks who live there.
• F. Utilize the fact gathering PLUS approach.

FACT GATHERING  with a PLUS                                                                   

1) Is their a healthy impetus for development?  
2) How popular are "sustainable" developments in your area?
3) Does your locality have a diverse economic structure? And is this based on tourism?
Services? Industry? or . . .What?
4) What about the overall education levels in your area?
5) What about the overall picture on wages and per capita income levels? And how do these affect standards of living?
6) Is there an increased need for residential dwellings? Commercial development?
  Retail services?
7) What insights can you share with me?

                                                                                                          More Facts: The photos you see here are of a large acreage near my home. For me, the property features of mountain views, rolling pastoral acreage + lively stream call for an equestrian. You should know that we are in a very strong market. Lots of eco-friendly development is I demand. This property (almost 60 acres) most likely could sell for $2M.

PLUS. . .. . . Get Into the Subtleties. . .

Use your  "gut feeling" to "know" if this is the "right" horse farm, or organic farm property for you/your client, a Cultural Creative, who wants to be near an amazing city.

 Use your  "gut feeling" to "know" if this is the "right"property for single family, multi-family, or eco-friendly mixed use development.

Test YOUR Insight. Take a few moments to consider what you see in the photos.
Do you "get"  a sense of place as you look at the photos?
Does the property "call" to you?
Tell me your insights.

                           update: if you like this post, please subscribe to my blog! Thankyou!

In real property investing as in nature, the shades of green-to-blue are many.
Arrays of choices on the colorful Investment Spectrum could work (or not work)
  to your benefit. For the 1031 investor, land investor, second or first home investor,
it  pays to know about  the "hues and tones" of the landscape.  

Tonight I'm writing about smart moves inspired by an investor-client of mine.
In a recent conversation, he allowed as how he wanted to combine his eco-friendly dreams with "reality".

"Reality?"  I exclaimed.  "What's more real than a triple win? "   I then opined , "That's what  ya' get when you
a) invest wisely in an appreciating market,  b) know what to look for in terms of healthy-built possibilities, and
c) add something positive to a community...."  OK, OK--I'll  admit --I am one person with lots of opinions and advice.

My first piece of advice is: Check out the trend-watchers if you want to make smart  moves within that  vast landscape I mentioned.  I have a list of 100 Smart Moves. ...I'll post the next batch if you're interested, but let's start with these:

5  Smart from the Start "Smart Moves"  

1. Familiarize yourself with the "sense of place" in a community in which you plan to invest. It's important to see properties of interest in context.  For example, my eco-friendly client is an avid hiker and bicyclist. A smart move for him is to take into consideration bike paths, and hiking distances. One of the first questions he had for me concerned trails, and outdoor gathering places.  More and more, such amenities are showing up in developers' marketing literature. Why?  Because more and more smart movers are looking for value-added points that a sustainable community racks up with today's buyers.
   
   
2.  Learn how to recognize value-added features.  AR's own Kevin Caldwell, ecologist,gives you an excellent summary of what happens in land planning before ground is broken proving that smart moves are not only about interior features. They include exterior amenities. Ask about native vegetation. Ask AR's David Britt about rain gardens. Discover green ways, and water-wise systems.
   
   
3. Find out all you can about energy efficiencymortgages,(EEMs). AR's Mary Bigelow knows all about them. Get really clued-in on high performance buildings, , Energy Star-rated appliances and energy efficient interiors.
   
   
4. Consult with an Eco savvy REALTOR®. When you get this person on your team, you benefit from her in-depth education on important matters including those indoor and outdoor features I just mentioned. Smart moves for today and tomorrow mean taking into account sustainable design and construction. Sustainability means increased value.
   
   
5.  Review the following Resources Links for a rapid overview from "A" to "Z" on everything from asbestos to Energy Star guidelines, LEED certification, Healthy-Built homes, Home Energy Ratings, "Low-E" windows, Low VOC paints, water management, and zero waste.

Resources Links:
http://www.energystarloans.com/
http://www.greenlightloans.com/
http://www.healthhouse.org/ 
Green Building, THE Active Rainer's Conversation

LET ME KNOW if you want to get another 5 or so "Smart Moves.

               "Subscribe to Your Favorite BLOGS, Comment & Bring Your 'Energy' to the Posts You Read"
                                                                                                                               ~ Green-o-Lina 

You may have read my post on creating an eco-friendly barn/stables  in which I told the story of our client, the avid equestrian, "Doc" . She stopped in to visit and to talk about  "Energy"-- specifically Energy Star  Rated buildings that might work for her horse barn construction project.

That really got us thinking.  Right away, I dropped an email on over to AR's Tricia Jumonville and  Janie Coffey who commented and gave Doc's project some ECO-juice. Don't ya' just love it when the gang gets together to brainstorm about healthy living space remedies?

That got me thinking about all our horse farm clients past, present and future. Could eco-friendly farming systems  be of significant benefit to them? 

I decided to look into those benefits including reducing farm energy costs, finding ways to deal with high energy costs, and capturing energy resources available on the farm.

I found out that indeed wind, solar, and biofuel resources are a value-added feature for our clients who are on the lookout for large tracts of land for agriculture and horse-related projects.  I hopped on over to North Carolina's Piedmont Biofuels and the Center for Environmental Farming Systems web site.  I was so-pleased to discover that they offer energy management and renewable energy workshops  and free tours of the on-farm biodiesel plant. This is  something the whole family might find informative..especially the inventors and investors among you. (You'll see what I mean when you look at the photos below.)

On-farm biodiesel demonstrations even include a demo
of the famous "mobile biodiesel reactor "
(photo courtesy of CEFS.)  

In fact, if the whole idea of sustainable design and cost reduction intrigues you, the Center for Environmental Farming Systems will host an all-day energy risk management workshop, "Fueling the Farm," at Cherry Research Farm near Goldsboro, NC on July 12. Will I see you there?

Resource: http://www.biofuels.coop/

####

The other day, one of our favorite equestrians "Doc" stopped in to the Office to talk about  "Energy"
....Energy Star  Rated buildings , that is. She wanted to explore how that might work for her horse barn construction project.   "Let me get you some  coffee while I bound up the stairs to the "Plaid Room" to gather some info on that, " I said, fearing that this might take a little while. 

Like most real estate offices, we have a library. Ours, the "Plaid Room" (so named for the Tartan design that decorates the walls) is the well-stuffed repository where a wealth of information, the result of our research over the years, is filed --at random intervals.

Since we specialize in sustainable design in land and healthy living spaces, you can imagine we've collected a huge stack of leading edge information. And, the Plaid Room is not always neat.  In fact, I can't ever remember it being neat. "That's OK,"  I tell the crew. We love the idea of stewardship and so we are great collectors of pertinent information.  

We have file cabinets full of items. We have stacks of  brochures ready to file. We have piles of odds ‘n ends. In whatever form you find them, they await the eager 1031 Exchange property investor, the studious client interested in LEED certified building, the devoted horse lover, like Doc who has purchased land and set a good-piece aside in a land trust, and now is ready to build...starting with the stables.  

But back to  Doc, who by now was probably on a second cup of organic, shade-grown coffee and conversation with some  illustrious member of our Team. In record time, I've managed to unearth, from a stack of papers carefully planted beneath the potted Peace Lily, some potentially pertinent paperwork, although I am not sure how applicable it will be to horse barns.

" I'm going to drop a note to my Colleagues Tricia Jumonville and  Janie Coffey who may  know more about how this would work for stables, and email you,"  I tell Doc as I hand over the following trendy news.

 Energy Star Checklist (<- In-depth at this link. Short list, below)

1. All Energy Star-qualified homes will be at least 15 percent more efficient than the State energy code.
2. Each home will be required to have a thermal bypassinspection to make sure the home is properly air-sealed and insulated
3. All insulation must be installed according to manufacturers' recommendations
4. A protocol for downgrading the R-value (resistance to heat flow, which describes the capacity of insulation materials) of the insulation depending on the quality of the installation is now in place.Jeff G just wrote this post on R-Value.
5. There are minimums for duct and envelope leakage, a big source of inefficiency.
6. All cooling equipment is sized according to the Air Conditioning Contractors of Americas' Manual J.
7. A copy of the cooling-load calculation must be submitted for each home.
8. Now, only systems above a 13 SEER will receive points.
9. The HERS index (Dena just wrote about that!) reflects energy usage instead of efficiency. So a score of 0 reflects a "zero energy home", and a score of 100 is a home built to the 2006 International Energy Code. An Energy Star home will fall in a similar scoring range, about 85 approximately 15 points and 15 percent above code.
10. The EPA is developing an indoor-air quality package and offers an advanced lighting package for additional certification.
11. All certified homes must comply with the new guidelines unless they were enrolled in a utility or state based efficiency program by Dec. 31, 2005.

You know, Doc did not look one bit
befuddled with all the SEER and HERS
and thermal bypass inspections
and such.     

Maybe you can tell
by the photo (to your right)
that she's the kind of person
who is careful about details.
She's aware that this all adds up to

•  durability
• performance
• comfort
• low utility bills in horse facilities ...
  and homes....

Do you suppose she'll choose an energy audit
for horse and home?

• Resources:     Plaid Room (I'm smiling) 
                      http://www.energystar.gov/.

 Plaid graphic courtesy of Wikipedia.

"Subscribe to Your Favorite BLOGS, Comment & Bring Your 'Energy' to the Posts You Read"
                                                                                                                               ~ Green-o-Lina 

####

 UPDATED (see updates 1,2,3, 4,.5 (6/26) and now 6 as of July 6th  below)

Background: Anatomy of Offer to Purchase and Contract
in Chasing Waterfalls Part I  and Part II  we told how our client, JT,had his finances in order  (pre-qualified for a CASH land purchase) ...about 40 acres with a waterfall --most acreage to go into a land trust.    

We found the property, wrote and delivered  a full-price CASH offer to purchase and contract with the  only contingency (beside the standard appraisal contingency) being that the waterfall actually is on the property, and negotiated with the out-of-State seller through the listing agent. The seller received the offer, but requested a few more days to "deliberate", then  came back with this list of demands  for the buyer:
·1)pay for the survey,
•2)pay for all closing costs,
•3) pay all the commission... thus rejecting the offer ...

Immediately thereafter, the seller asked the listing agent to update the asking price on the MLS. The new asking price was $50,000 more than the original asking price.  Was there a way to new, acceptable offer?

The Negotiations:   To our surprise, our client was ready to negotiate. His own "deliberations" had convinced him to "rescue that waterfall!" He wanted to make another full-price CASH offer and "see how far this will go". He is adamant.  "Possibly not the best  idea to start negotiations with a full-price CASH offer,especially in light of what happened last time, " I explain. "Let's look at this from another perspective. "    This negotiation  revolves around the seller's perception that this raw, unimproved land, with no power to the property and no actual road into the land is highly desirable on the market...which it is not.

Here, in Part III we remedy that perception by moving off the full-price CASH offer.  We add a number of contingencies--Instead of closing within  a few weeks, we now expect four months to close, financing,  survey, perc tests, access to the land for hydrologists, geologists, a busy ecologist and the moon. We fire off the new OPC, dubious at best.

Just before the deadline, the seller's agent calls to say the Offer has been accepted.  But wait!
It's not in writing... It is a verbal response. FAX to follow to confirm. 48 hours later. No FAX...

•                         UPDATES

UPDATE# 1 :  a further demand from the seller who refuses to "sign anything until the Pre-Approval Letter is in the seller's hands..." 

UPDATE # 2:  Pre-Approval Letter delivered

UPDATE # 3: FAX arrived with signature. Listing agent has sent documents to seller for original signatures to be signed before a notary (out-of-State protocol) and we are moving ahead at slow waterfall speed. 
Look for Update #4 and the conclusion of this adventure in the Anatomy Series.

UPDATE # 4:  It has now been a week and we still do not have the originals back from the seller. The OPC was supposed to have been signed before a notary (it will be a mail-away as the seller in now in California) and overnighted back to the agent. As of last night, the agent reported that he didn't know for sure if it had been notarized and that he thought his seller would maybe send it on Monday...regular mail...stay tuned...

UPDATE # 5:  The listing agent called today...He's asking...."If we have a signed FAX copy (attorneys and banks accept such documents here in N.C.) and no originals...do we still have a contract?
How would this play out in YOUR STATE?

UPDATE # 6: The listing agent explained that his client has been out in the wilderness camping. ..missed the post. The contracts, signed and ready to fly through due diligence have arrived. The listing agent even delivered them to our offices. We all breathed easier. . .and now we just have to make sure the waterfall really is ON the property!    CHECK BACK

 "Subscribe to Your Favorite BLOGS, Comment & Bring Your 'Energy' to the Posts You Read"
                                                                                                                               ~ Green-o-Lina 

####

update: if you like this post, please subscribe to my blog! Thankyou!

UPDATE: Part III  is now up...

In Part I of this unfolding land sale transaction, our  client, JT told me that when he first became interested in 1031 Exchanges in conjunction with conservation development, he considered himself lucky to bump into one real estate professional who understood the intersection of a "cultural creative" investor and his quest for land with a waterfall he could steward.   

Surprised, I noted that there‘s a market trend toward sustainability in design and construction as expressed in  conservation development properties.

 But all that aside, this land transaction was going to be a fantastically interesting one (see Part I for the details)  that would take us to last week and to making an offer to purchase and contract on a 40+ AC parcel with a tall, tall waterfall as its centerpiece.

The property had only been on the market for a week, so JT was anxious to secure his find. It was Saturday and we had little time to research the seller and the seller's motivations and concerns. So,we advised that JT present a "reasonable" offer. He insisted on making a full-price-cash offer with the only contingency being that the waterfall actually fall within the property boundaries. A metes and bounds survey had been done, but that was way long ago!

So the OPC was prepared, signed and delivered in one of our recycled envelopes with the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker emblem upon it. (SCAN) It was accompanied  by a very friendly hand-written note by our client who described how he would take good care of this land and waterfall. He assured her that he did plan to put most of the land, including the falls, aside in a land trust.  She need not be concerned that he intended to build his home atop it.

The seller received the offer, but requested a few more days to deliberate!

Deliberate what?   Our client OK'd the extension of the deadline and he (and we) awaited the seller's response wondering what her deliberations would mean for us.

Here's what. The seller came back with the following:

•1)      Buyer to pay for the survey (probably around $20,000.)
•2)      Buyer to pay for all closing costs
•3)      Buyer to pay all the commission...

AHA! Now we knew more about the seller. Never mind the note our client had written about how he would take good care of this land and the waterfall. Her motivation had nothing to do with that.
Dismayed, our client decided to "deliberate" himself.
He headed for a photo shoot on the other side of the State.

Within days, the property was re-listed at a new asking price.

Tune in for Part III (still unfolding as I write) where the Seller raises the asking price by $50,000.
And our client makes his move.

UPDATE:Much to our amazement...JT decides to make a New Offer....
Will it be another full-price one? Your guess is welcome.

Resources and INFO: Are YOU a Cultural Creative? Here a QUIZ

                     "Subscribe, Comment & Bring 'Energy' to Every Post You Read" ~ Green-o-Lina 

####

     Our client, JT, a professional photographer, (black & white) - tells us he has been "chasing waterfalls".    I ask him my favorite question: "Tell me what is most important to you about this much sought-after waterfall."

His eyes light up. He explains that often he passes his days photographing rectangular structures. So, when he is at home, he prefers to be close to the organic shapes and forms (and energy) that nature provides.

He has his finances in order (he's pre-qualified) for a land purchase of about 40 acres with a grand natural water feature and is ready to make an Offer.  

In addition, JT is very interested in Small-Scale Hydroelectric Generators.   We listen attentively as he describes the sustainable design that includes the "low-impact hydro" system of his dreams. It consists of an enclosed water wheel that spins by jets of high-velocity water coming from the (much sought-after) waterfall. The water dashes down  to a turbine through a long penstock. Then it picks up speed, and is directed at the blades of the turbine by nozzles. He'll connect this whole to an electrical generator, and happily thereafter run his energy efficient appliances. (see graphic)

GRAPHIC courtesy of  Green Power

He anticipates starting his project which also includes building a small, but elegant eco-friendly home in a year or two. This getaway will be sequestered away from the roar of the crowd and close to the sounds of nature. And, being a steward of the heritage of our bioregion, he intends to place his waterfall and most of the surrounding acreage into a land trust.  (See AR's Corey Atherton's detailed post on conservation development and land trusts here.)

There are hundreds of  waterfalls and hiking trails in the mountains, so our quest for the "right" waterfall may not be too difficult. We begin a journey that must be every REALTOR'S® dream. It's summer, we are on our way to explore some of the most beautiful places in North Carolina, take photos along the way, and possibly cool off in the mists of our famous native falls. 

Along the way, I discover that this is a special individual -an eco-wise investor with a gentle sense of humor. His internal dialogue sings of self worth, of harmonizing elements that secure quality of life , of valuing what is natural, wild and free.  His "song" happens to be one of mine-  "saving endangered waterfalls". I say "endangered" because when one person builds atop a waterfall, in a way, that waterfall can become "extinct"--others may not benefit from the experience of mists, rainbows, the exploration, the picnic there by the shallows, could lose that unique and energizing gift.  But back to our journey.

"Tell me about the time you will spend at home when we find your waterfall, " I ask.The answer comes quickly. He recites a list for his shelter that will complete his dream quoting the "building biologist,  Todd C. Sheets, Ph.D.          "Every home built should be embellished with self-esteem."

• - a respectful distance (within earshot of the falls)
• - products that work for clean air
• - natural light
• - low electromagnetic radiation
• - sustainable, non-polluting materials/products to build with LEED certified Healthy Green Built

"Through the use of such products," he laughs, " a sense of security survives -even that close to a wild and wonderful waterfall. My home will reflect back to me, my own spirit, personality, and sense of place in the world."

  Epilogue:  Waterfall found! (See JT's photo to right)

THE STORY CONTINUES:

I haven't finished with telling the story of this waterfall adventure...
there is a Part 2 (with a challenging Seller holding on to the Falls) ...
we don't know how it will turn out yet...stay tuned

Resources: http://www.wncgbc.org/membership/business.php

                               "Subscribe, Comment & Bring 'Energy' to Every Post You Read" ~ Green-o-Lina