Tuesday, January 04, 2005
~for Real Estate Investors~ Appreciation, Cluster Housing and Land Use in Asheville
"We have been working with a real-estate person here on one project involving some land he has had on the market a long time. He wants to help us build greenways along crucial paths for the animals that migrate and need 1000's of acres in order to survive (I am not sure of his full motivation...time will tell). The wild cat alone needs 10,000 acres to live and yes we still have these big cats in the NW corner of the state.
We would take a look at your town plan of conservation and development and see what the community vision is. Here we want to retain the "rural" character of the town. Yet, depending on the make up of the commissioners on the Planning and Zoning and Inland Wetland Commissions...retaining the rural character can be seen very differently. .. cluster housing...The idea is to not have large tracks of farm land (or forest) covered with zillions of houses. Instead you group the houses on smaller parcels and the people and animals can enjoy the open/wild space. Plus there is far less pollution from pesticides and artificial fertilizers, mowing on the good ol sit upon mowers....surface of roads and drives is reduced...etc.. "
CLUSTER HOUSING IS AN ALTERNATIVE OF INTEREST TO REAL ESTATE INVESTORS
EXAMPLE: ONE ASHEVILLE AREA CO-HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
a Planned Unit Development (PUD), which allows for clustered buildings and preservation of commons green space
http://westwoodcoho.home.mindspring.com/westwood.htmlWESTWOOD, A PUD is on an urban edge softened by a small orchard and grove of trees in urban West Asheville. Nearby are schools, a city park, shops and services of all kinds, and public transportation. Downtown Asheville, the Farmers' Market and Pisgah National Forest are short drives away.Westwood includes 23 energy-efficient dwellings and the original farmhouse clustered around pedestrian commons and central common house. This leaves much of the land free for trees, gardens and play areas.Westwood used Permaculture principles for the site design and early landscaping.
Permaculture applies knowledge of natural ecosystems to design and maintain a harmonious integration of landscape and people. Westwood utilizes passive solar design, tight building envelopes for energy efficiency, centrally supplied hot water and radiant floor heating, landscaping for light and shade and multiple functions. The community is organized as a Planned Unit Development (PUD), which allows for clustered buildings and preservation of commons green space.
~Real Estate Investors' NOTE:
The purchase of the average home in the open-space community, according to research, will yield a higher rate of return on investment than one in the conventional development, despite the nearly 2:1 lot-size differential...
In the Greater Asheville area, home-buyers, speaking in dollar-terms through the marketplace, appear to have demonstrated a greater desire for a home with less land-consumptive attributes than for one located on a bigger lot....and this trend may continue for the next 5 years..
.Real estate transactions have proven that the City of Asheville continues to be one of the best communities in which to live and work. (named # 1 for investing in Second and Vacation homes) Property sales continued to be strong during calendar year 2004...so the likelihood of the trend working in your favor is excellent.
TWO EXAMPLES of appreciation in the Asheville market..
1)
http://netscape.homestore.com/Finance/HousePriceIndex/yearly/14.asp#projectioncalc2) http://netscape.homestore.com/Finance/HousePriceIndex/yearly/14.asp#projectioncalcHope this helps...be happy to refer you to tax/financial folks...
Let me know what you think.
Contact me at www.janeAnne.com
