I began a "conversation" with a horse person via email. She is a potentialclient I met through Active Rain. She wrote something like this, "I am exploring relocating to an eco conscious, eco friendly community which welcomes and accommodates horses (5).  I am specifically interested in a situation in which there is minimum environmental toxicity in the community." Now folks, I know what she means by eco-friendly. "Green"  is downright popular these days. Thank goodness "old timers" and ecologists are readily available to point out plants and trees potentially toxic  to horses. But I also know about my horse-clients and their attraction to horses! I figured that five (5) horses  may  be the case now  ...but soon there could be one to be rescued and another as a total surprise ... inexpl... 01/19/2008

                                        "The Asheville green building business is booming, they just cant build them fast enough!", I overheard a man say at my favorite local fair-trade coffee shop the other day.  And you know what, he was right.  The growing real estate development in Western North Carolina has absolutely shown us where the demand is: Green Sustainable Development.  And now contractors and real estate investors are scrambling to create the supply.  It is so refreshing to see a trend that reflects the healthy interests of the market.  It is also nice to know that local government is following suit, for example back in 2006 Asheville City Council passed a resolution ensuring that all new municipal buildings are up to LEED specifications.       Many different states now h... 01/18/2008

I'm an avid watcher of trends (especially "green" trends) in the real estate market. So, in Part I,I compiled data in terms of my (and our Firm's) special GREEN focus: "GREEN-Built" Homes, ECO-Friendly Developments/Lots, Farms & Land /Acreage (20-100 Acres), Farms & Land /Acreage (100-500 Acres), Horse/Equestrian Properties w/ Residential Amenities, Luxury Residential Properties on at Least 5 Acres and/or Second/Vacation Homes in the Mountains, and Special Gems  ...I talked about the Greater Asheville Area's very strong, eco-friendly market. You can read more about this subject in the Best Housing Markets HERE Now, in Part II , I'm moving into statistics on: Horse/Equestrian Properties w/ Stables & Residential Amenities,  LAND /Acreage (100-500 Acres), Luxury Residential Properties on a... 01/17/2008

       For me, being a green buyer's agent in Asheville, North Carolina is the only way I could work as a real estate broker.  The are many reasons for this, from a passion for this area to my commitment to a sustainable relationship with our environment.        Asheville's realty market has been growing in great ways over the last several years.  Even this year's housing slump has only highlighted its desirability as it remained one of the last healthy markets in the nation.  To name just a couple of contrasting accolades; Asheville was named "Best Southern Town" by Outside Magazine as well as the number one most popular place to retire according to Topretirements.com.  This kind of growth and attention has brought out a lot real estate agents.  There are a lot of brokers in the Ashevi... 01/16/2008

Over the last several months, there have been hundreds of posts put on AR. It is obvious that there are many members here that are relatively new in the real estate business. By new, I guess I mean less than two years. There are, of course, members here that have been in the business for much longer and who are more career minded.This is a good place to learn, but certainly, not the only place.I see a lot of newer members seeking help on how to make their business model better and they sometimes ask questions seeking advice.For those agents working with Buyers, the one very important habit that they need to develop is the skill of asking questions. I'm going to write a post about that subject eventually, but first I had to get the title worked out. So here are the titles that I thought... 01/16/2008

Wow!  It has been a while.  I didn't think I would be away this long but the arrival of a little one tends to trash all of your plans.  I had a choice and I chose to focus on my little girl.  I'm feeling more comfortable these days and I'm ready to expand my focus to other things not related to diapers and bottles.  Ha!Asheville continues to grab headlines and good press.  A recent 20/20 that aired on 1-11-08 claimed Asheville as the happiest U.S. city.  Well, at least that is what journalist Eric Weiner claims in his book "The Geography of Bliss."  I must say, I do like living here but maybe not for the reasons he gives.  I mainly just like living in the mountains and being so close to outdoor activities and major cities.  The population of Asheville is around 75,000.  Buncombe County ... 01/15/2008

ASHEVILLE, N.C  Real Estate Market OUTLOOKIt's "Red-Hot"  and GREEN Do trends and statistics in land and home sales grab your attention? If you're like me, an avid real estate market watcher, they sure do, especially nowadays, and especially when it comes to the red-hot GREEN market.. Good News: In the Greater Asheville, N.C. area as we look out to 2008, we see on our glorious horizon "mountains" of opportunity with prosperous predictions for 2008 and "blue skies" as we look back at 2007. Check out these stats: Population: Greater Asheville Area 398,009    Asheville, proper: about 80,000 Appreciation in the Asheville area: One-year change: 9.44%Five-year change: 55.46% New Construction: "GREEN" NC Healthy Built Homes...DUE in 2008: . . .        !!!   470 !!!!  . . .The media might tell ... 01/14/2008

 Living and working in the Asheville green real estate market is not just day to day life for me... it is kind of an obsession.  This fact is not hidden from my family and friends.  And the result is much the same as it is for many of us these days when our family and friends know something about us...they forward every single piece of information remotely pertaining to your favored subject straight to your email.  I could write a small book containing all the accolades our fair city is honored with, and in turn is sent to my in-box.  The heart of the matter is that people just love it here and they like to sing, paint, or write about it. Yesterday I came upon a very great distinction for Asheville.  It seems that there was a piece recently on ABC's 20/20 exploring something we all want... 01/14/2008

    Green commercial real estate in Asheville, North Carolina is starting to make a big impression on the market.  Green real estate has quickly established itself as a growing powerhouse for Western North Carolina.  Asheville has put itself on the map once again for approving one of the countries largest LEED certified projects the Weirbridge Project.  Weirbridge Village is a 16 building, 21 acre, 100 million dollar project, designed to be LEED certified.  This is also the second largest of its kind in the nation.  Following suit, developers are looking for more opportunities to build or renovate sustainably in this Asheville market whose demographics are gobbling it up.  You just cant beat it when values and value come together.     Another great example of green commercial property i... 01/12/2008

Buncombe County, NC Real Estate Market Statistics December 2006 and 2007 Active ResidentialListingsAverageAsking PriceMedianAsking PriceNumberSOLDAverageSOLDPriceMedianSOLDPrice       Dec 20062145$405,217$279,900274$304,219$230,000Dec 20072918$442,399$299,900220$296,901$247,750As you can see, the number of homes in the inventory has risen, but so have the Average and Median asking prices. One reason for that is that we now have more homes on the market at or over $1 million. The one concern is the number of homes sold in December 2007 versus 2006. Inventory up, sales down indicates our market has slowed along with the rest of the nation. Post you listings and market reports at the Group: http://activerain.com/groups/CityStateListingsReports 01/10/2008

 Here are the trends and statistics for for the 4th quarter of 2007 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 1,040,000 hits. The number one site is Buncombe County. org.In comparison, if you put the word "ActiveRain" in you will get 581,000+ hits.As... 01/09/2008

While home sales keep slumping nationwide, the Asheville real estate market keeps creating homes that can save money for homeowners and are environmentally friendly. The 100th N.C. HealthyBuilt home in Western North Carolina was recently completed in Black Mountain.  Homes earn the certification by fulfilling a long checklist of details that include raising energy efficiency and using recycled materials while cutting down on waste and damage to the environment.. HealthyBuilt homes in the region priced from $150,000 to $1,000,000 and tend to stay on the market a much shorter time than traditional residences.  While the NC HealthyBuilt Homes Program  covers the entire state, the Asheville area has the lion's share of the energy-efficient residences, according to the Western North Carolina... 12/28/2007

  THE PULSE OF ASHEVILLEFrom every radio station, television news channel, and the Internet, the sky is falling. "The housing market is in a slump". According to the talking mouths, home prices are going down at an all time record rate and to new lows for many of the past years.Looking at the numbers for Buncombe County, it appears someone forgot to tell Asheville and Buncombe County, NC the news. Yes, our inventory is up at record levels and our sales have slowed but, declining prices have not been the news.One year ago today our inventory was 2,152 homes on the market with an Average Asking Price of $404,447. The Median Asking Price was $279,900.Today, 12/27/2007, our inventory of homes on the market is 2,965 with an Average Asking Price of $442,048. The Median Asking Price is $299,90... 12/27/2007

At the end of October, 2007 I posted a survey called Survey: How many $1million homes on the Market in your MLS region?Thanks to the members below that sent in their statistics for their location. If you would like to add your numbers for your location please go to the link above and submit your results in the format requested, i.e., A., B., C., D. I'll then add your info to this chart.If you would like to know more about the member's location below, click on their name.Number Of $1 Million Or Over Homes On The Market In Various LocationsLocationNumber of Active Single Family HomesNumber of Homes Over$1 MillionOverall Percentage of MarketAsheville, NCDon Davies7,6825017%Las Vegas, NVRenee Burrows - Las Vegas NV Real Estate26,4131,2524.7%Grand Rapids, MIKaren Webster9,68185.9%S.E. PA, pa... 12/17/2007

Picture from Cover of book " Your Green Home: A Guide to Planning a Healthy, Environmentally Friendly New Home (Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series) (Paperback)This blog is in response to the Pink Challenge Contest   going on at the Eco-All Stars groups. The basic premise is this: If money were no object what 5 Green Home features would you include in the design of your new or existing home. I only read a couple of entries before writing this because I did not want to be unduly influenced by what others were putting in the green homes.  This 1800 square foot home would be located near Asheville, North Carolina  in the mountains on a south facing parcel of land, with a year round creek on at least 100 acres. The majority of land would be in conservation easement.  An alternative site w... 12/17/2007

Buncombe County, NC Real Estate Market Statistics November 2006 and 2007 Active ResidentialListingsAverageAsking PriceMedianAsking PriceNumberSOLDAverageSOLDPriceMedianSOLDPrice       Nov 20062188$420,986$289,900330$293,581$225,000Nov 20073062$448,295$299,900254$288,816$234,950As you can see, the number of homes in the inventory has risen, but so have the Average and Median asking prices. One reason for that is that we now have more homes on the market at or over $1 millon. The one concern is the number of homes sold in Novenber 2007 versus 2006. Inventory up, sales down indicates our market has slowed along with the rest of the nation.  Post you listings and market reports at the Group: http://activerain.com/groups/CityStateListingsReports 12/13/2007

The biggest problem with our market in Asheville, is the low volume of new home sales. In some cases that market is down over 40%. And with more new construction coming on the market , prospects for 2008 are not looking to good.....for sellers, that is. As for buyers, developers are making all kinds of concessions. If you are in the market for new construction, don't be afraid to ask for all sorts of perks. Want upgrades in floors, appliances, finishes, etc, just to name a few. Maybe you want the developer to bu down the rate from 1/2- 1% point. Good chance they will do it. Make payments for 6 months or a year? Could be. What they won't do is lower the purchase price, so don't ask. This would effect the appraisal values of other units within the complex. All the perks are not seen in th... 12/11/2007

We are on so many top ten lists, but this one is very interesting. While the price of homes went up double digits in many other parts of the country, Asheville moved just a little ahead each year. Now while the big boys are in steep declines, Asheville's real estate moves into the top ten of communities with an increase in appreciation. In fact, the value of single family homes went up 9% over last year. Now the fact is that the market is down in total volume about 10% in Asheville Board of Realtors' territory, but what they are buying is up in price. Isn't that interesting. What does that really say. Well, for one thing, it says that maybe there are fewer cheap houses available, period (which I think is the case).If you are a serious buyer or investor, make December your month to look ... 12/11/2007

 Sorry for the delay in blogging this month,but I have been traveling and am currently in Las Vegas at the National Associations of Realtors convention. (Tough life!) While learning the best and latest techniques in getting property sold, I also got to completely understand absorption rate calculation and what it means. In doing the rate for Asheville, we find that we have an inventory of 16 months. This means that it will take 16 months to sell all the houses currently on the market. While that is high (6 months would be a neutral market) it is better than it was 3 months ago (22 months).So the trend is positive. If I was a buyer I would be looking now for bargains since this probably won't always be the case next year. There is plenty of mortgage money for investors as well as owner o... 12/11/2007

Whether real estate buyers, sellers and investors are aware of it or not, they must know certain facts and obtain certain information regarding the Environmental Laws of a State. photo I took of my pal, and fellow  Eco Certified® Consultant and REALTOR® telling us important information at a demonstration she organized.Here are a 5 ways a real estate professional can be of assistance.REALTORS® can point the way to reliable information.  As more and more investors express a particular interest in conservation subdivisions/eco-developments and sustainable landscape design and a general inclination towards maintaining and improving the environmental health of home, community and lands surrounding, they need reliable information.REALTORS® can shed light and perspective on the nature of a com... 12/06/2007