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Asheville, NC Real Estate News

  Here are the trends and statistics for for the 2nd quarter of 2008 for Asheville & Buncombe County, NC. Buncombe County is made up of  Asheville, Leicester, Weaverville, Candler, Woodfin, Arden, Barnardsville, Black Mountain, and several other area locations. If you go to Realtor.com to search for listings in the Asheville area, be sure to put in Leicester and the other areas to get the complete picture of what is available in our beautiful part of the country. If you put just the word "Asheville" in a Google search you will get 11,000,000+ hits! The number one site for Asheville is Asheville.com. If you put the words Buncombe County NC you will get 1,100,000 hits. The number one site is Buncombe County. org. In comparison, if you put the word "ActiveRain" in you will get 600,000+ hi...
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By ASHEVILLE REALTY REFERRAL RESOURCE 828-776-0779, CONTACT janeAnne365@gmail.com
( REAL ESTATE REFERRAL NETWORK )
Asheville's  primary community development goal is to "preserve and increase the supply of workforce/affordable housing so that decent, safe housing is available in Asheville for people of all income levels."  As Eco Certified ®Real Estate Consultants, today, keeping the above statement in mind, the "E-Team" at our Firm has been checking around to see what's out there for first-time home buyers. We are looking to see if we can find several single residential properties that  could meet the needs of (for example) a schoolteacher with a young child. Here are a couple one of our Brokers found right off the bat: "... a new starter home with large living area and spacious kitchen. Dining area features french doors to back yard. Neutral colors throughout and all kitchen appliances provided. ...
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By ASHEVILLE REALTY REFERRAL RESOURCE 828-776-0779, CONTACT janeAnne365@gmail.com
( REAL ESTATE REFERRAL NETWORK )
The LOOKS COUNT Series.  Urban infill communities. Part III.  Re-Development of a Brownfield Area/ The River Arts District. "The plan celebrates the area's rich past, its present reinvention as Asheville's premiere arts district, and its future as a vibrant sustainable community." FIRST Imagine stepped pathways public plazas terraces and courtyards a bowling alley a children's library of art and architecture an artists' cooperative restaurants and shops THEN check this out  to see what the developer envisions.        A newsletter containing this artist's rendering from the develpoer reveals that, " ...  the ground floors along [the street] and the pedestiran alley will be a vibrant, energized mix of art galleries, cafes and shops. The floors above will be residential lofts perfect for a...
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By ASHEVILLE REALTY REFERRAL RESOURCE 828-776-0779, CONTACT janeAnne365@gmail.com
( REAL ESTATE REFERRAL NETWORK )
LOOKS COUNT Series.  Urban infill communities, What's True Green?  The headline read, " Urban Infill Project Embraces Green Building Guidelines." Intriguing, eh?  First of all...what are they talking about? 1) What is an urban infill project? And 2) what is meant by "Green Building Guidelines"? Seems GREEN is red-hot these days, especially right here in Asheville, N.C.  But, let's face it, there's small-case green, my friend the author calls this "Faux Green"... and then, well, there's True Green. As Eco Certified® Real Estate Consultants, we are impressed with the WNC HealthyBuilt® Home program. It's checklist of Green Requirements encompasses all aspects of environmental design and construction including:  site and landscape, materials, indoor air quality, heating and cooling systems,...
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By ASHEVILLE REALTY REFERRAL RESOURCE 828-776-0779, CONTACT janeAnne365@gmail.com
( REAL ESTATE REFERRAL NETWORK )
Land, being mostly privately held, as you know, makes the landowners/stewards, developers, and the local city-county elected officials the land use decision-makers. That's something to consider when it comes to what we all can do in terms of land use and community planning right in our own/combined backyards. So, bring on the Permaculture Pros, our real estate clients.  They explain the above and more... that Permaculture is about designing ecological human habitats and food production systems. (further defined below) We sure have expanded our land use perceptions since we met them....and  not only for farmland, but for urban-dwellers. Our Permaculture Pros, with their innovative thinking and foresight, are a bonus of our being in the practice of real estate here in Asheville.  As Eco C...
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By ASHEVILLE REALTY REFERRAL RESOURCE 828-776-0779, CONTACT janeAnne365@gmail.com
( REAL ESTATE REFERRAL NETWORK )
  So...we have touched on Green ECO Communities,and the process of Land Planning and Design. The initial steps in land planning are so important.  Equinox Environmental, is one of a few  Greater Asheville Area Firms whose core services can provide land planning for our real estate clients.   The path to land planning is exciting. ( I took this photo at an eco community about 25 minutes from downtown Asheville. Hiclory Nut Forest.) Oftentimes, our clients use land planning  services during the due diligence period and prior to building. .  Then the land-savvy  professionals may have due diligence deadlines to deal with, but we have seenthem come through on time and with worthy plans that really assist our clients in making site and building decisons. . Sometimes too, land planners come ...
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By ActiveRain City and State Listing Group
A real estate market can be evaluated on a daily basis and look either, good or bad, depending on the numbers you are looking at. One true way to gauge the health of the market is to go further back in history for the market and take a look at what was going on at a particular time frame, so that a true comparison can be made. It is not necessary to go back more than 2 or 3 years. We all know the country, as a whole, is not as healthy as it was several years ago. We also know that the real estate market is local and certain locations may not follow the trends of other parts of the country. Asheville, inside Buncombe County, is a good example. About 5 or 6 years ago, Asheville was truly "discovered" by the outside world. Any travel magazine worth its salt wrote about the virtues and app...
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By ASHEVILLE REALTY REFERRAL RESOURCE 828-776-0779, CONTACT janeAnne365@gmail.com
( REAL ESTATE REFERRAL NETWORK )
FYI- DURABILITY:: Green-built homes are constructed to last for more than a hundred years.  (Here's a photo I took of "tree houses" each beautifully constructed and on a small footprint.  No wonder these days more and more I'm hearing...'green is Beautiful!' )     WHAT DO HOME BUYERS  EXPECT?   Expect not only durability, but increased energy efficiency, the use of building materials from local or regional resources...   Expect attention to eco-friendly design, environmentally sustainable building practices, site sensitivity and craftsmanship whether a residential property, new construction or remodel utilizes passive energy-saving  principles or  emerging green technologies. Expect lower utility ,heating and cooling bills, better indoor air quality and the comfort of knowing that the ...
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By ASHEVILLE REALTY REFERRAL RESOURCE 828-776-0779, CONTACT janeAnne365@gmail.com
( REAL ESTATE REFERRAL NETWORK )
Asheville, NC is home to the University of North Carolina/Asheville (UNCA ) It's a welcoming campus with paths beneath tree-lined streets  leading to the various buildings. Off-campus housing is a big plus for many students.  Some are first-time home buyers, but others possibly have convinced 1031 investors/ parents of the wisdom of investing in income-producing multi-family properties in this solid Asheville market.  Here in Asheville, we define multi-family properties as 4-plex, Tri-plex  and Duplexes. Here's  a typical description: "Tri-plex on great street in central location. Close to UNCA and downtown. Views of Sunset Mountain and Grove Park. Has excellent rental history because tenants love these apartments. Lots of windows, granite fireplaces and hardwood floors. Landlord pays f...
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By ASHEVILLE REALTY REFERRAL RESOURCE 828-776-0779, CONTACT janeAnne365@gmail.com
( REAL ESTATE REFERRAL NETWORK )
WHAT BELONGS HERE? YOU can enter your "Land Design and Development Sketch" in the ECO-All-Stars June Challenge Contest! Following consumer demand, or just because they are smart eco-friendly developers and building contractors who've contacted me through Active Rain, have let it be known that they're seriously considering the value of healthy-built homes. So, in this fifth post in a series that looks at sustainability and the undeniable trend toward consumer demand for attractive, green-built homes, I want to say a word or two about New Homes- the "Good", the "Bad" and how this might all come back to an ancient notion of respecting the Ecosystem.   Ecosystem   As a real estate professional, I'm always interested in what's new on the horizon that will bring satisfaction to my clients. So...
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By ASHEVILLE REALTY REFERRAL RESOURCE 828-776-0779, CONTACT janeAnne365@gmail.com
( REAL ESTATE REFERRAL NETWORK )
Here is the fourth post in a series that looks at sustainability and the undeniable trend toward consumer demand for attractive, green-built homes. This series was inspired by the questions of a number of developers who have contacted me just this past couple of  months. I heard from them via Active Rain. Active Rain, thanks for the introduction!.    So this series is all about climbing the stairs to Quality, Longevity & Healthy Living Spaces (see photo to right taken in a green built home with details to follow, the green shoes are mine) It seems that this exercise of "climbing to new heights" is getting more common due to the insistent prodding of consumer demand. Or it could be just because smart developers/ contractors are thinking about the value of healthy-built homes in an eco-co...
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By ActiveRain City and State Listing Group
Buncombe County includes the cities or areas  of Asheville, Weaverville, Leicester, Black Mountain, Arden, Skyland, Candler, and Biltmore Forest. Vacant land sales can be an indicator of the health of the real estate market overall. Land sales in 2008 have slowed to about 42% of sales in 2007, 180 parcels have been Sold in 2008 with an Average Sold Price of $171,516, a decrease from April prices. A breakdown of those sales, year to date, looks like this: 1 acre or under - 86 parcels sold with an Average Sold Price of $94,955. 1 to 2.99 acres - 57 parcels sold with an Average Sold Price of $152,420. 3 to 4.99 acres - 14 parcels sold with an Average Sold Price of $177,800. 5 to 9.99 acres - 6 parcels sold with an Average Sold Price of $275,000.. 10 to 20 acres - 6 parcels were sold with a...
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By ASHEVILLE REALTY REFERRAL RESOURCE 828-776-0779, CONTACT janeAnne365@gmail.com
( REAL ESTATE REFERRAL NETWORK )
Here is the third post in a series that looks at sustainability and the city of tomorrow. A number of developers have contacted me through Active Rain. They are thinking about the future-the value of an eco-community, the way this comes together.  They are asking about what this means in terms of energy and resource efficiency.    Energy and Resource Efficiency  Recently, we  visited  a new green-built home that represents the spirit of energy and resource efficiency. This home, on a city lot subdivided in the early 1900's, is part of a sustainable community here in Asheville, NC.  Mature trees line the  street in the neighborhood providing  much appreciated shade. Neighbors walk to the market where locally-grown food is selected and toted home. Resource Efficiency: As you approach this...
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By ASHEVILLE REALTY REFERRAL RESOURCE 828-776-0779, CONTACT janeAnne365@gmail.com
( REAL ESTATE REFERRAL NETWORK )
I could write a long, long essay on development impact. According to Wikipedia, low impact development, which is of particular interest to our eco-friendly clients, involves a land planning and engineering design approach to managing stormwater runoff. LID emphasizes conservation and use of on-site natural features to protect water quality. This approach implements engineered small-scale hydrologic controls to replicate the pre-development hydrologic regime of watersheds through infiltrating, filtering, storing, evaporating, and detaining runoff close to its source.[1] And that would leave out another long, long essay on "lean construction"...but, hold the phone...this post is part of a series on eco- communities and green-built homes, so today I will focus on just one home (see photo )...
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  Buncombe County, NC Real Estate Market Statistics - Active and Sold - May 2007 and 2008 Our Active Residential Listings have increased 27% from this same time last year.  The Average Asking Price has increased 8% and Median Asking Price has increased almost 8.5%. The real problem we face is the SOLD numbers and the SOLD prices are down. As you can see by the chart below, we have been down significantly on our numbers all of the last 12 months. The number Sold in May 2008 is down 30% from last May 2007 and the Average Sold Price is down 10%. Also the Days on Market are at their highest levels in over 5 years.   Post your listings and market reports at the Group: http://activerain.com/groups/CityStateListingsReports  
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By ASHEVILLE REALTY REFERRAL RESOURCE 828-776-0779, CONTACT janeAnne365@gmail.com
( REAL ESTATE REFERRAL NETWORK )
I'm excited about Green-built Cluster Subdivisions. (SEE STATS on Asheville area communities below.)  I am attracted to the idea of siting WNC HealthyBuilt® Homes on smaller parcels of land, and setting aside additional LAND that could have been allocated to individual lots to common shared open space for eco-friendly residents. I know our eco-developer clients are, too. So, when I saw Randall Arendt's book,  Conservation Design for Subdivisions, A Practical Guide to Creating Open Space Networks.  I just had to pick it up. Randall Arendt has me fascinated. REALTORS® --if your clients really appreciate simple explanations of how subdivisions around open space and how cluster housing can work to everyone's advantage-- grab this book!  In today's GREEN market you and your clients will ben...
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Buncombe County is the home of Asheville, NC. Buncombe County and the surrounding areas of Asheville, Leicester, Black Mountain, Biltmore Forest, and Arden like the rest of the country, has been experiencing many changes in the real estate market, some good and some, not so good. This is going to sound like a broken record or a repeat of the same report last month. It is, because it is basically the same story, except some of the numbers have changed. The Asheville area was once believed to be immune from the negative real estate trends that the rest of the country was experiencing.   Perhaps that would be true if the rest of the country hadn't suffered such deep slow-downs and upset markets.   The Asheville area has continued to see a dramatic slow-down of Sold homes, and returning inc...
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By Rich Cooke, Western North Carolina Real Estate
(Beverly-Hanks & Associates)
Asheville is a shining example of the natural beauty that Western North Carolina real estate has to offer.  Its combination of beauty, community pride and friendliness are what have put it on the top of many "Best" lists around the country.  Asheville real estate has been named one of the "top art destinations", a "New Age Mecca", one of the "most alive places to be" and the "happiest place for women", just to name a few.  With over 30 fine art, mountain crafts and folk art galleries in the city as well as several performing arts centers and theaters, it is easy to see why Asheville is a mecca for art and cultural enthusiasts.  People also flock here to enjoy the miles of hiking, fishing, hunting, hot air ballooning and bicycling around God's green earth.  Asheville is also home to the ...
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There are many sources where we can seek real estate market data and statistics. Some say the media can only survive on the "bad news" they put forth and that they skew the statistics in favor of the stories they think will perk up the ears of the listeners or readers. As we all know, there is plenty of economic news we hear every day that is negative and it all seems to be connected to the results of the housing market going south. No pun intended, but North Carolina is in the South and we do not have all bad news. One source that is not partial to negative or positive news, but reports only the facts is The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO). According to this agency it seems that Asheville, NC is ranked number 13 (hopefully that number will not jinx us) in the nat...
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By ActiveRain City and State Listing Group
In order to truly know your local real estate market, you must know the makeup of all that makes your market appealing or is negatively affecting it. Statistics and numbers are not all that appealing to many real estate folks, but in order to keep pace with the current trends, and in order to help your buyers and sellers understand the current condition of the market, you must do some research of what is taking place. AR is "supposed" (by design of the AR gods) to be a web site "primarily" designed for real estate related subjects, yet I see many posts and comments saying that some members don't want to see Market Reports or Market Condition posts. WHY? Keep in mind that if we are to reach customers, potential customers and agents willing or needing to refer business to your area, you m...
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