Thursday, August 09, 2007
GREENis Red Hot
another in the Featured at Active Rain series
"So, tell me," my silver-haired client with a printed copy of my article from janeAnne's Blog on Trends in hand asked, "I have read in Barron's , but I want to know what you, my REALTOR thinks....Is it true that there really is a trend toward green building these days?"
She continued by way of explanation, " You see, I am 72 now. I am on a clock. If there's a trend, then maybe there are more green builders around who could help my family and me." Yes, my friend. There IS a trend toward designing, constructing, and operating high performance "green" buildings.
And yes, too, more and more, developers are enrolling in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) classes to learn how to select environmentally responsible locations, reduce the negative impact on natural surroundings and benefit you with a healthier indoor environment.
LEED promotes a "whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: 1)sustainable site development 2)water savings 3)energy efficiency 4)materials selection 5)indoor environmental quality
"Finally! It's about time," she cheered. "My daughter and I are thrilled. We have heard about the whole system approach. Could you tell me about the LEED rating system," she continued with a smile. "You see, we were looking into buying a new home where I could have my own quarters and my daughter and husband and the twins all could live.But I didn't quite understand about the LEED rating system the builder mentioned."
Labels: active rain BLOG asheville real estate brownfields green green-built green-o-lina janeAnne LEED montford restoration grenn-o-lina stewardship sustainable trends, green real estate, LEED certified, nc
Monday, January 22, 2007
Asheville Real Estate Market
In general, North Carolina continues to see a rise in the amount of homes sold in 2006. Sale prices continue to climb and the average number of days a house is on the market has decreased. All of these indicators show that the real estate market in Western North Carolina is strong." (page 6, Real Estate Weekly -October, 2006)
In the City of Asheville alone, (pop about 75,000) a total of 1450 homes listed by January 1, 2006 closed by December 20th. In the Greater Asheville Area, 2820 homes were sold from Jan. 1 through December 20, 2006.
For those following the ECO-friendly stats in our region, in the period between January 1, 2006 and December 20, 2006, 14 Energy Star® rated homes sold, but wait! --there are 35 currently on the market and there are currently 32 certified NC HealthyBuilt Homes on the market and 378 in progress in the Western North Carolina area.
From 14 "green homes" to 378 in our market- looks like a Trend to me!
TRENDS TO WATCH
Residential Sales Trends/ Existing Homes Asheville, N.C. As of December, 2006, the average sale price for an existing home in the Asheville area is $261,098. The price has increased about 10% percent since this time last year according to Annual Percent Change in OFHEO MSA House Price Indexes through Q3 2006. ..
Home Appreciation ...Annual appreciation rate for homes in the Greater Asheville area is about 12.5 per cent as of the third quarter of 2006. The data reflects same-home sales information collected by the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO).
The Asheville area appreciation rate tops the nationwide pace of 10 percent and our area's appreciation rate ranks 83 among 275 metros across the USA.
December, 2006 Real Estate Market Stats Buncombe County (Asheville area), North Carolina
Residential Properties on the Market: 2078 Residential Properties Pending: 702Priced Over $1M: 117Priced Under $50K : 7Farms & Land on the Market in Combined Buncombe, Madison, Yancey Counties : 2107
Asheville, North Carolina Buncombe County
Pending: 242Priced Over $1M: 161Priced Under $50K : 2989
Our market is moving toward:
Lower operating costs- Lower utility bills for heating and cooling
Increased comfort- Improved indoor air quality
Creating lasting value- Third party review
Building with health in mind- Lowered Environmental Impact
NC Healthy Built Homes: DUE in 2007: 378
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Friday, March 19, 2004
Asheville is Getting Green
here in "Green" Asheville.
We talked about it at our staff meetings. We chose "Do well while doing good," as the firm's motto. Our mascot is the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker,thought extinct, re-discovered and now the symbol of a second chance and conscientious stewardship. Maybe all the guy needed was that second chance to find out for himself that REALTORS® are involved in work and value-creation.
REALTORS® play an important role when it comes to our clients. So much goes on behind the scenes from which our clients may benefit, but may be unaware. Take for example this month's meeting here in Asheville of REALTORS® who hold the ECO certification approved by the North Carolina Real Estate Commission, where were were hard-at-work behind the scenes.
Aware of the trend toward consumer interest in LEED certified green-built homes, we were preparing not only by educating ourselves, but by making choices in terms of how to share the benefits with our potential clients through public education. Aren't we all looking for the win-win-win situation?
Here's what I think: REALTORS® get it! We know that change is a constant..possibly even more so these days. Like the cycles of life, change happens. Relocation. Retirement. Moving on. Scaling down. More and more people see a trend happening. The changes may be subtle or not-so subtle, but they impact the way we perceive our surroundings, and ourselves in the context of opportunity. Opportunity Knocks...if we take the time to gather insights from first-hand experiences, and are willing to learn along the way.
