Sunday, August 12, 2007
I Feel Blessed
Picture yourself on a typical "work"day …
Rolling pastures, and Appalachian “countryscapes” dotted with red barns,, white steeples, and greening crops that mean a supply of locally-grown food, border singing streams that bring a smile to your face, and the “wake up” calls of roosters actually may surprise you at any time of day. Surprises are fun.
It is wonderful. . Country breezes bring aromas of newly mown hay. A rigorous walk through the pasture might be at hand. Good exercise. (see photo ) .
There’s a sense of history in the air, too. According to Wikipedia, “prior to the 20th century, the people of Appalachia were geographically isolated from the rest of the country. As a result, they preserved the culture of their ancestors (most of them Scottish, Scots-Irish, Irish, German, and English) who settled the region in the 18th century. The region's culture includes a strong oral tradition (including music and song), self-sufficiency…” .
"Self sufficiency.” Yep, that’s you. You’re in your hiking gear and so are your clients who are practically bubbling with enthusiasm, just like the cascade you point out as you drive on.. . They love the land (and so do you.) They love the all the animals, especially the horses (and so do you.) . They love riding in your car with the top down.
Maybe you’ll have to step over rocks to cross a stream, climb some granite outcropping, sit for a story or two with the farmer on a screened in porch by her perennial garden. . And at the end of the day, the gem having been found, offer on the way or not, you feel that certain sense of satisfaction that arrives when you are at home with what inspires you.
Talk about "right livelihood"! As a REALTOR® who specializes in acreages with improvements such as stables and farm homes the short list of 10 above just begins to describe my day. I feel lucky and blessed to have such experiences. ...gifts I happily will share with you.
Labels: acreage, asheville real estate, energy efficient homes asheville, green real estate, green-o-lina, horse farms, stewardship, sustainable
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
Saturday, March 13, 2004
Green Real Estate & Investment Topics
INTERVIEWING A REAL ESTATE PRO
How to Find THE "Right" ONE for You
From a Hilltop Overlooking the River!
A narrative on life in Western North Carolina
ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE DEVELOPMENT in the Asheville Area
Preserves and Land Conservancies
HOME ENERGY RATING
Good information for the home buyer
MARKETING EXCEPTIONAL PROPERTIES
Amazing tracts of land, land trusts, land preserves and spectacular properties require more time and marketing effort in order to attract just the “right” investor/buyer. When choosing a REALTOR to represent you in such transactions look for that person’s ability to:
CLUSTER HOUSING and large tracts of land
Interesting information on this form of development
LAND FOR INVESTMENT
Residential, horse farms and estates, vacant land, mountain getaways, 1031 Like-Kind Exchange
1031 LIKE-KIND EXCHANGES an Overview
Labels: 1031, active rain BLOG, asheville green real estate, green investment, green real estate, green-o-lina
Wednesday, January 28, 2004
From a Hilltop Overlooking the River!
I know where you can find a slower pace, homemade peach cobbler, and the noble truth of just being! That place is Western North Carolina where small towns nestle comfortably in the Appalachians, some of the oldest mountains on Earth.
Take the small college town of Mars Hill, in Madison County North Carolina, for example.
Mars Hill is is just twenty minutes or so north of Asheville. There you will find the old-time white wood gazebo on Main Street. And "good old-fashioned" things are always happening in Mars Hill. Last Holiday Season, as I chatted with a couple from Michigan who are investing in a Land Trusts for their family, a parade with horse-drawn floats and a 20-piece marching band distracted us. I could see my clients’ eyes light up. “How often do you get to enjoy the homespun pleasure of simple elegance?” they asked.
Yes, you may come to know what Albert Camus meant when he said, “A man's work is nothing but this slow trek to rediscover, through the detours of art, those two or three great and simple images in whose presence his heart first opened.”
Great and simple images. That’s what we have here! When you come to visit, you’ll find rotating exhibits paintings, photographs, sculpture, and other media from local and visiting artists in rotating displays at the College. And there is music in the air. Madison County has been home to some of the finest fiddlers of the Western North Carolina Appalachians. As the Madison County Chamber of Commerce says, “The mountains have nourished and sustained a musical heritage derived from the Celtic forbearers of present-day inhabitants.”
Traditional folk art is widely practiced here and in the many small towns of Madison County. Art. Music and let’s not forget Theater and Dance! The Folk Dance Company of Mars Hill College hosts the Southern Clogging Championships, and Mars Hill is well known throughout these parts for the Southern Appalachian Repertory Theater (SART).
What a great environment for a REALTOR to call home. I love finding unique properties for my clients around here, the great hiking on the nearby Appalachian Trail ;whitewater rafting and canoeing; mountain biking; horseback riding; fishing and more... It is a sweet place to call HOME.
Labels: active rain BLOG, asheville real estate, green real estate, green-o-lina, stewardship, sustainable
Thursday, January 22, 2004
and check out our BLOG at Active Rain
Labels: active rain BLOG, asheville green real estate, green real estate
