Asheville ECO-GREEN Real Estate

Another Eco Certified® Real Estate Consultant and I happened on a "find" as we were out previewing properties for a client  here in Asheville, NC  not long ago. Horse farms and organic acreages are wonderful to visit on a mild winter's day. And, this time of year, most of the leaves have nested in the mountain crevices leaving landscapes free for viewing what otherwise might be missed.

One of those missed items was our "find"  ... a for sale by owner sign that was almost totally obscured by fallen leaves. The sign read...

 "For Sale By Owner 4 BR 5 Bath Luxury Green Home 10+ AC"

I could almost hear my eco-savvy "small footprint" proponent and pal exclaim, one eyebrow raised..
"Luxury  and Green. Can the two coexist?" 

 Echoing his sentiments I said to my companion, "It's amazing that land of this quality could be for sale so close to Asheville, but add to that  a luxury green-built home on the land ...I don't know. What do you think?"  

 Always on top of things, my Eco Certified® associate replied,

" Well....according to the folks at the NC Green  Builder Program, ‘Green building' is also referred to as ‘high performance building' or ‘sustainable building.'

So if a luxury home is built with the intention to use energy, water, and materials 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...I suppose it could be GREEN, eh?!"

"People around Asheville, NC are hungry for sustainable design and building, " I nodded ,as we cleared off the sign in search of an email address and/or phone number. This could turn out to be an Excellent Find!"    What do YOU think?  Excellent Find?  Luxury Green Homes: can they be for real??

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Curious about green building, remodeling and eco-communities ?
Simply pedal on over to the convivial blogger Greenolina's  "Green Wheels" BLOG  and SUBSCRIBE 

__~o
 -\_<,                                       
(*)/'(*)    ..........      ............to keep on rolling into the sustainable  world you can create today and tomorrow!. .........................    .............

Luxury Green Homes: Are They For Real ? .The Eco-Steward Firm, ALL Eco-Certified® Real Estate Consultants!  Copyright © 2008 All Rights Reserved

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It was during the last days of Autumn in the mountains around Asheville .The canvas of orange, purple, red and gold splendor was giving way that  morning to frostings of white

see photo JT took on an outing last week)

 ...Soon it would be time to gather by warming hearth-fires. The telling of stories of the lands and people we love will commence. December would  find characters coming to life as tales of the indigenous peoples and first settlers are told.  

And as the winter progressed, there would be, as there always was,  talk of recent history, current events , local lore and news of the neighborhood.

All this, of course, the stories told must be set in an authentic backdrop ..stories of a "favored" kind this green buyers' broker who loves this area is most likely to unearth ...

And so as the snow falls on our wee cabin in the mountains, here is the RECENT HISTORY of MADISON COUNTY, NC for your  real estate investment decision-making notes and for those wonderful snow-bound days we so appreciate. . .

 (photo...how do you like our wee cabin in the snow?)

Madison County, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains  of Western North Carolina, is a rural county. It is only about half an hour or so from Asheville, but with approximately 3,500 small family farms, agriculture is the largest industry in the County. In fact, agriculture accounts for half of the gross income in the County.  Here in Madison County, where streams and pastures and "coves" abound, you may look out your window as you drive the scenic (excellently maintained) country roads and notice tobacco crops. That's because Madison County is the largest burley tobacco  producing county in North Carolina. In fact, there are approximately 2,350 farms with burley tobacco quotas. (interesting side note: history of tobaccoin the USA) ...A decade ago, burley tobacco accounted for $10 to $12 million for agriculture income annually. But the demand for tobacco has been on the decline.

Not to be trounced, local farmers have become creative. Crops are changing, and farmers are diversifying.  ORGANIC FARMING   is big in the Greater Asheville area. Farmers have been cultivating the most amazing ORGANIC crops. Vegetable, organic and nursery crops have increased dramatically since 1998.  And farmers' tailgate markets thrive... (ask me for links to stories I've written about our local Tailgate Markets!)

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 Curious about green building, remodeling and eco-communities ?
Simply pedal on over to the convivial blogger Greenolina's  "Green Wheels" BLOG  and SUBSCRIBE 

__~o
 -\_<,                                       
(*)/'(*)    ..........      ............to keep on rolling into the sustainable  world you can create today and tomorrow!. .........................    .............

Research of A Favorite Kind: Neighborhood, Small Family Farms and Organic Madison County NC .The Eco-Steward Firm, ALL Eco-Certified® Real Estate Consultants!  Copyright © 2008 All Rights Reserved

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It's that  time of the year again. Time for real estate imagineering - 2009 style. Seems as the leaves begin to border the canvas of Asheville's  Carolina Blue skies with their dancing statement of color, that moving force affects us in most every aspect of our lives.  We head out to visit our favorite places in the mountains, and actually count how often we gasp with delight as we confront beauty in motion.

Yes, it is that time of the year again. We are inspired and, as real estate professionals, that "energy" leads  to "imagineering" 2009.

We're reviewing our position in the real estate market with a spirit of optimism. noting , for example, that for the fourth year in a row, North Carolina continues to earn  praise for an exceptional business climate --

NCAR reports that:  "North Carolina has been selected as the state with the top business climate, according to Site Selection magazine. Rankings are based on two factors: a survey of corporate site selection executives and a measure of new plant activity."

How does that spirit of optimism translate into a PLAN for 2009? At this colorful time of the year, it reveals itself as a healthy 2009 To Do List .

Nothing like having a few "chores" to take care of as the days shorten and we find time to relax by the fireplace and let those creative juices flow, eh?  (I'm smiling)

We thought that possibly our 2009 To Do List could be of interest and/or value to you. So here it is.

Please note: It could use expansion...so please feel free to add to the list with your comments. . .

 Time for Real Estate Imagineering - 2009 To Do List 

1.   Identify 2 strong real estate markets likely to hold a promise of relocation to our area. 

2.   Identify "GREEN" (or your niche market) interest/potential partners in those markets, and in the Asheville (your local) area  

3.   Create a specific  plan to address those potential buyers 

4.   Include in that plan writing a series of LOCALISM.COM posts based on the discovery

5. Post and promote the series. 

EDITED and ADDED from readers...11/21/08

6. (from Sally) update all websites and outside blogs and connect with other social networks as well.

7. (from Kate) keep up with Personal Notes to contacts

8. (from Alexsandra) order and use the NAR Relocation Report

9. (from Judy) back to the basics. with SIZZLE!

10. (from Christine) do more LOCALISM.COM posts

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 Curious about green building, remodeling and eco-communities ?  ...Subscribe to Greenolina's  "Green Wheels" BLOG.   

__~o
 -\_<,                                       
(*)/'(*)    ..........      ............and always remember that " poets are soldiers that liberate words from the steadfast possession of definition." -Eli Khamarov  .......  We are in a sustainable  world, so grab hold of your Muse... dream that world... and make it happen!. .........................    .............

Time for Real Estate Imagineering - 2009 To Do List .The Eco-Steward Firm, ALL Eco-Certified® Real Estate Consultants!  Copyright © 2008 All Rights Reserved

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and the highest good for all concerned....

our wish....from the mountains of Western North Carolina...