Eco Friendly Real Estate Blog

When it comes to being an Eco-Starevery home can shine, even an "Oldie but Goodie" like this one in an historic and  sustainable community in Asheville, NC.

Simple  changes at home can add up to real benefits for your family, neighborhood and contribute to a sustainable community.  

Here, for example, are at least 10 "re-greens' ( things you can do)  to retrofit an older home that I collected as part of an on-going series I am doing to highlight Active Rain bloggers who have caught my attention with their wit and wisdom(Look for my reBLOGS)

 

Here, from your AR colleagues at the ECO-All-Stars Group  are examples that represent value-added opportunities for real estate professionals and our clients in terms of sustainable living alternatives.

•1.      Tony ZimmermanReGreen Tips
•2.      Stephanie Edwards-Musa
•3.      Mary Bigelow  Energy Efficiency
•4.      Jonathan Blackwell Green Bathroom Renovation
"5.      Deb Hurt  Perspective
•6.      Diane Daley  Linoleum!
•7.      Tricia Jumonville  Which home is Greenest?
•8.      Johnathan Mullaney GREEN Living Tips
•9.      Kimo Stowell Beautiful Revival 
•10.    Sharon Simms NEAT Features in Old Homes 

 

 OK I'm liking this conversation.!   It's Winter! And I am thinking "Time for Creative GREENING Projects" ...and recycling. Did you know that according to the National Institutes of Health we generate about 208 million tons of municipal solid waste a year!  That's more than 4 pounds per person per day of   GLUNK!

SO! Recycle and Re-Green  is the by-word for 2009. You could  recycle glass bottles, save electricity and create countertops like this one by IceStone    that offers "  an environmentally friendly alternative to natural stone and solid surface materials. The non-porous, durable and heat-resistant qualities make them a good match for kitchens and bathrooms. ... Because the material can be shaped, cut, inlaid or mounted it can used for of applications from backsplashes to countertops to flooring. Due to its high recycled content, IceStone materials can be used for LEED qualification."

By the way!  IceStone received a Silver certification from Cradle To Cradle (one of my favorite organizations)  for its commitment to environmentally intelligent design."

So here are the 10+++++ (pluses)  to add to our Winter Re-GREEN Tip for Older Homes: 

1.Tankless water heaters.  Very popular in Europe. Hmmmm. Maybe they know more about preserving castles.
2.Compact fluorescent bulbs. You can replace the incandescent bulbs, one at a time as they burn out. John's record for fluorescent bulb: 13 years! (see above)
3.Radiant Barriers. Reduce summer heat gain and winter heat loss, and thus lower heating and cooling costs. The barriers consist of a highly reflective material that reflects radiant heat rather than absorbing it. 
4.Solar Panels . Modular panels that can be designed to meet any electrical requirement, no matter how large or how small.
5. Weather stripping. Caulk and check is as needed. And check the insulation in your attic, ceilings, exterior and basement walls, floors, and crawl spaces to see if it meets the levels recommended for your area.
6. Natural stone and solid surface materials. Love this one (See link above)
7. Geothermal Heat Pump Systems. Replace your old one when the time comes. They use 25%-50% less electricity than conventional heating or cooling systems and save  money.
8.Task Lighting. Direct light where you need it. Save energy and money.Good for romantic cooking. Better than candlelight they tell me .
9. Renewable Energy.  According to Wikipedia this is "energy derived from resources that are regenerative or for all practical purposes cannot be depleted."   Try solar-powered outdoor lights . Consider, too choosing renewable energy from your utility to even producing solar electricity at home with photovoltaic (PV) cells. Also check out Wikipedia for more info on renewable energy in the form of: 

•  
  • 1.1 Wind power   1.2 Water power     1.3 Solar energy use   1.4 Biofuel 
    • 1.4.1 Liquid biofuel   1.4.2 Solid biomass   1.4.3 Biogas   1.5 Geothermal energy  

10. Sayeth the U.S. Department of Energy

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Curious about sustainable Green real estate possibilities ? Simply pedal on over to  Convivial Blogger Greenolina's  "Green Wheels" BLOG  and SUBSCRIBE 

__~o
 -\_<,                                       
(*)/'(*)    ..........      ............to keep on rolling into the sustainable  world you can create today and tomorrow!. .........................    .............

10 + "Re-GREENs" Breathe New Value Into Old Homes. The Eco-Steward Firm, ALL Eco-Certified® Real Estate Consultants!  Copyright © 2009 All Rights Reserved

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Can a "Luxury" Home also be "Green"?   If you think that it is possible for a home to be both a "luxury home" and  eco-savvyyou are one person who has given some thought to how the building is to be used.

Flexible design a key feature in green-built homes. Size and function matter when you are talking about environmental impact. In fact, size can be quite a lively, if not controversial subject with our green buyer clients and eco-friendly builders and developers.

Can a "Luxury" home also be "Green"?

As you consider  your answer, you may want to take into account the relationship between size and  sustainability.

After all, some people will tell you that  "luxury" real estate may come in many shapes and sizes. There are small footprints with three-stories rising in the trees and lots of square footage, there are larger footprints set neatly into the landscape.  

And then , too, you have to think about the green features. There are homes sited to take advantage of solar benefits.  And, there are those very large homes designed to take advantage of nature, or privacy, or  architectural excellence; signature homes that may, in some cases, offer eco-savvy features.

 Can a "Luxury" Home also be "Green"? YOU DECIDE.

I'm going to tell you about one of those cases right now; one that involves Amazing Views, Green Design & Ideal Location . I am going to tell you this story from the point of view of the artist/builder, a custom, eco-informed builder  in Asheville, NC.  And I will share a list of green features so that you can decide if this home, considered by many to be "luxury home" is eco-savvy...

What the green builder will tell you: "The home takes advantage of desirable Southern exposure, a passive solar design, and a large covered deck which maximizes the visual connection to nature on 3.5 acres of pristine forest with commanding year round mountain views.

The home was built using green design principles ensuring energy efficiency, health and low maintenance while providing an elegant ambiance and a close relationship with the surrounding environment. The home was sited to maximize the mountain views and the preservation of the existing hardwood trees and the flowering rhododendrons. Hiking trails and the best that nature has to offer await right at your back door [and there is ]  a beautiful and edible landscape featuring strawberries, blueberries, fig & cherry trees." 

GREEN BUILDING Specs:

 Green Building Attributes: 1. Passive solar design 2. low maintenance exterior 3. highly insulated exterior walls and roof 4. high efficiency variable speed heat pump 5. recycled kitchen cabinets 6. milled on-site cleared and wind-falling trees 7. recycled greenhouse plastic vapor barrier under cement pad 8. natural boric acid termite treatment 9. foiled faced rigid insulation on roof 10. low VOC sub-floor and interior paint 11. low maintenance native and eatable landscape 12. landscape rocks (walls and paths) were obtain on-site and within 1 miles of building site. 13. Over 90% of lighting is fluorescent 14. Grided and finished cement floor adds thermal mass and low maintenance 15. tight high quality Hurd windows 

Design: The main objective was to preserve the mature hardwood trees and rhododendrons while taking advantage of the southern exposure with good "green" and passive solar design. A significant design element is the large south facing sliding glass doors in the great room and bedrooms. This design configuration brings daylight deep into the house, connects the interior space to native hardwood trees, offer pristine views of the mountains, while the southern exposure allows for solar energy gain.

 
The kitchen, living, and dining areas are one big space with large areas of glazing on south side. These windows are protected during the hot summer months by the mature deciduous trees, adding to the house's overall energy efficiency. The north and west face has minimum window area. The color palette (bronze) of the exterior surfaces are dark, absorbing solar energy during the winter months. The abundance of hardwood trees around the house keep it cool during the warmer seasons while also maintaining complete privacy. The net result is extremely low energy use with an average utility bill of less than $50/month. All domestic energy demands are 100% electric supplemented with a wood burning stove. 

Construction: The house is built using basic stick framing with low maintenance cement board siding trimmed with western red cedar. A maroon-color standing seam metal roof adds aesthetic qualities while contributing to the sustainability and low maintenance of the exterior. The interior woodwork is highly crafted of fine hardwoods milled on-site. 

Landscape Design:The 3.5 acre site is blessed with an abundance of mature hardwood trees, native rhododendrons and mountain laurels. The house site was carefully placed on top of a sloping knoll so as to maintain the largest oak, hickory, and maple trees and the many native (flame) azaleas. After careful thinning of the wooded area, native plants were incorporated into the landscape, such as oak leaf and flowering hydrangeas, ferns, dogwoods, hemlocks, rhododendrons, hollies, irises, daylilies, laurels, hostas, etc. Many low maintenance edible fruit bearing plants were added including blueberries, strawberries, cherry trees, service berry and herbs. Finally, an area was designated to accommodate a vegetable garden. All planted vegetation is grown organically utilizing the site's top soil supplemented with organic fertilizers and generous amounts of on-site produced compost. 

HVAC:Force air heating and cooling- Trane high efficiency heat pump 14 seer rating, 34,000 BTU/HR Max Blank (Mfg. in Germany) woodstove with baking oven. All HVAC duct work and air handler are within the insulation envelope of the home.

Site: A beautiful south facing mountain property was an opportunity to design a contemporary passive solar home that limit the disturbance of native vegetation while maximizing visual connection to nature. The 3.5 acre site is located  just a 15 minutes from downtown Asheville and 15 minutes to the regional airport. ..and offers complete privacy, sloping land, mature hardwood trees, southern exposure, and 180 degree pristine mountain year-around view. 

Exterior Materials:Hardi panel cement board accented with Vermont slate roofing shakes, vertical grain western red cedar and mahogany, standing seam metal roof, ipe (ironwood),
white oak and locust decking (milled on-site), stainless and galvanized steel fasteners. 

Interior Materials:Painted drywall, quarter-sawn white, red oak and hickory floors, quarter sawn oak, walnut, and cherry trim, white oak/steel tubing baluster, split-face block, granite counter top and hearth, stainless steel counter tops, and T&G spruce cathedral ceiling in great room. All hardwood flooring and trim were milled (quarter-sawn) on-site from building site trees and wind fallen trees found near the site. 

Cabinetry:Custom built and recycled kitchen cabinets (birdseye maple faced drawers and doors featuring Blum hardware with full extension under-mount slides and soft close blumotion). Bathroom cabinetry utilizes black cherry, mahogany, white oak, black walnut, and stainless steel.

Windows:High Efficiency Hurd sliding doors and windows. Anodized bronze aluminum cladding with wood interior. 

Insulation: Formaldehyde free fiberglass wall insulation R19 and R30 (1st level). Foil face polyisocyanurate foam insulation under 1st level cement floor R14, behind block walls R17, and roof R42

Now to your evaluation and your answer to the question. For sure, this home is a LUXURY HOME.
So- Can a "Luxury" home also be "Green"?  
Let me know what YOU think. . .

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Curious about sustainable Green real estate possibilities ? Simply pedal on over to  Convivial Blogger Greenolina's  "Green Wheels" BLOG  and SUBSCRIBE 

__~o
 -\_<,                                       
(*)/'(*)    ..........      ............to keep on rolling into the sustainable  world you can create today and tomorrow!. .........................    .............

Can a "Luxury" Home also be "Green"? .The Eco-Steward Firm, ALL Eco-Certified® Real Estate Consultants!  Copyright © 2009 All Rights Reserved.

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 Sustainable (GREEN) Energy News: I am always "keeping a good-eye-out"  for news about sustainable energy. .. and not only local news from Asheville, but across the USA. 

This week, for example, I've been out exploring around the WWW for green energy news that could be valuable to you.

I am focused on North Carolina Sustainable Energy News. Headlines in the news such as: "Deals in Alternative Energy" and "Green Initiatives Could Bring JOBS"  are so promising!

I've compiled the following list of promising sources for information (see just below) that could be of interest and use to you as they were to me, and I'd like to ask you a question:

Would you kindly add Green Energy NEWS/information from your state? 

(Charlotte Observer) N.C. businesses thrive on renewable energy
(WRAL-TV) 'Cleantech' opportunities will be focus of RTP event
(Charlotte Business Journal) Dragonfly finds deals in alternative energy
(Raleigh News & Observer) Energy: Green initiatives could bring jobs
(Charlotte Observer) Energy: Reward for being green: Cash 
(Rocky Mount Telegram)QVC starts its own green electricity farm

(Greenville Reflector) N.C. needs to prepare for changing climate, ECU report states
(Raleigh News & Observer) Green funds are attracting investors
(Fayetteville Observer) Outshining conventional electricity 
(Charlotte Observer) Utilities seek stimulus money to improve energy efficiency(Newsweek Magazine) 50: Jim Rogers; The CEO of Duke Energy could make dreams of renewable power a reality.

 

As I mentioned,  I am always interested in news about sustainable energy. ..and not only local news from Asheville, but across the USA. ..so please let me (and all of us) know your news.
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Curious about sustainable Green real estate possibilities ? Simply pedal on over to  Convivial Blogger Greenolina's  "Green Wheels" BLOG  and SUBSCRIBE 

__~o
 -\_<,                                       
(*)/'(*)    ..........      ............to keep on rolling into the sustainable  world you can create today and tomorrow!. .........................    .............

Green Energy NEWS HEADLINES Across the USA .The Eco-Steward Firm, ALL Eco-Certified® Real Estate Consultants!  Copyright © 2008 All Rights Reserved

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Farm stewards across the USA and CSA Farms here in the Greater Asheville area contributed so much to our holiday season. All across the nation farmer's markets offered sustainable, useful gifts such as honey, molasses, jams, jellies, pickles, salad dressings, and herb vinegars and oils directly from the person who made them.

Did your family, friends and wonderful real estate clients enjoy the small tokens of affection found for them as much as mine did? 

 I found "non-edible"  gifts such as soaps, salves, lotions, pottery, baskets, quilts, pot holders, bee's wax candles, brooms, and more local wood and fiber crafts.

The excellent thing about this is that the offerings are not just for the holiday season. Would you expect less from a CSA, a community supported agriculture enterprise(community farm with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production?) CSA and farms selling healthy products have something for you no matter what time of year it is.

FIND a CSA Across the USA: for those of you NOT living in Asheville, visiting or relocating, here is a link to http://www.localharvest.org/csa/  Locally Grown is GOOD, no matter where You Live =)

Asheville Links:
Slow Food Asheville's  monthly newsletter http://www.slowfoodasheville.org/ which may be of interest to you

Firefly Farm (Burnsville,NC) 
Cane Creek Asparagus & Company (Fairview,NC)
Green Toe Ground Farm (Burnsville,NC
Jake's Farm (Candler,NC
Homegrown Heritage (Candler,NC)  
Gaining Ground Farm (Asheville,NC)   
Flying Cloud Farm (Fairview,NC) 
Mountain Harvest Organics (Hot Springs,NC)  

 

UPDATE: January, 2009...Cane Creek CSA is now accepting subscriptions. 

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CSAs Acriss the USA! Locally Grown is GOOD! Copyright © 2008 All Rights Reserved  Asheville ECO Real Estate: Trends, Legacies & The Home Place  Subscribe to Greenolina's  "Green Wheels" BLOG and keep  those creative wheels a turnin'  

__~o
-\_<,
(*)/'(*) 

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Over the past few years, have you noticed a change in perception about the way people choose where and how they live and what they need?

Is this a trend?

JT (see photo) has been keeping an eye out . He has noticed a change. And it does appear to be a trend!  

But just to be sure, I am looking for the "proof in the pudding" so -to-speak; I'm looking at statisticsunearthed from our Mountain MLS System here in Asheville.

 Although putting numbers on my intuitionas a REALTOR® feels a little "dangerous"- (I don't want to lose my intuitive edge) - this  search for statistics could be important for everyone our clients and for brokerage business planning.

What intuition and observation tell me:

1) I am aware of a bubbling apprehension in  the Appalachians when it comes to
  mountaintop removal .
2) I have witnessed some pretty noisy community meetings about such topics.
3) Then there have been the lively neighborhood charettes .
4) Time and again, I have seen community members insist on sustainable innovation.

You could say that sustainabilityis the by-word here in Asheville. So it is not surprising that my intuition, based on in-your-face observations, tells me that there is a significant public interest and shift(at least in the Asheville area) toward environmentally-sensitive residential properties.

Could there be more evidence than this, for example, (see photo) a new urban, green-built community being evaluated by members of the local community.

It's walkable. It's green. It's energy efficient and it invites neighborliness.

 It is a new green-built urban community in Asheville.

** And  intuition is  born out in client demand. 

 

 As Green Byers' Brokers, with eco-savvy  clients, if they are not buying NEW green-built homes, our clients are demanding  green retrofits.

 

Here is a photo I took recently. This is an environmentally-sensitive new home. It is situated to take advantage of the sun. (Note solar panels)

This home is in West Asheville. You can walk to the bakeryfrom your front door. And, although you cannot see it, there is an organic garden  to the left of this photo.

 

 

Energy efficiency is important to all our clients whether they are looking for income-producing rentals (green investor-buyers ) or for personal residences. 

All follow the trend toward being particularly serious about Energy Star Rated homes.  Take a peek at this array! I took this photo earlier this week at a site evaluation on a Gold Certified Healthy Built Home just outside of Asheville.  

We can tell our clients about NC Healthy Built Homes  but, for the purposes of future planning,  you may be interested in a just a couple of the most obvious  features of sustainable, healthy-built  homes, and some numbers on the trend.

 

Features:

Energy-.Energy Star appliances, florescent bulbs, high efficiency water heaters,
fifty (50) year shingles, low flow faucets and showerheads ,sealed crawl spaces, cellulose and icynene insulation, solar preheat for hot water, and oh so comfy radiant floor heat...

Low Toxicity-.Low VOC paints, Bamboo, hardwood or a natural linoleum floor that is made with 100% natural ingredients.

 

 Benefits: In the long run; sustainability- lasting value, lower environmental impact, and right now today; lower utility bills for heating and cooling, improved indoor air quality, and happier faces on family and neighbors.

STATS:   OK! Are you ready to check out the stats? The numbers? The proof in the pudding?

In 2006~ Asheville Area NC HealthyBuilt and/or Energy Star Rated: 39

Three years later in 2009 - There are currently 230 certified HealthyBuilt Homes and 687 "in progress"in the Greater Asheville Area in Western North Carolina. 687!!! Talk about a trend!

 

Resources GREEN HOMES

This information could well change how we look at  where we stand and the direction in which  will be moving  in 2009 and beyond.,and maybe it will make a few people feel better knowing that this direction is not "simply intuitive"... but is  based on a hard, objective look at the stats.

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Curious about sustainable Green real estate possibilities ? Simply pedal on over to  Convivial Blogger Greenolina's  "Green Wheels" BLOG  and  

__~o
 -\_<,                                       
(*)/'(*)    ..........      ............to keep on rolling into the sustainable  world you can create today and tomorrow!. .........................    .............

Statistics: Where is the "Proof in the Pudding"?.The Eco-Steward Firm, ALL Eco-Certified® Real Estate Consultants!  Copyright © 2008 All Rights Reserved

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It was during the last days of Autumn in the mountains around Asheville .The canvas of orange, purple, red and gold splendor was giving way that  morning to frostings of white

see photo JT took on an outing last week)

 ...Soon it would be time to gather by warming hearth-fires. The telling of stories of the lands and people we love will commence. December would  find characters coming to life as tales of the indigenous peoples and first settlers are told.  

And as the winter progressed, there would be, as there always was,  talk of recent history, current events , local lore and news of the neighborhood.

 

All this, of course, the stories told must be set in an authentic backdrop ..stories of a "favored" kind this green buyers' broker who loves this area is most likely to unearth ...

 

 

And so as the snow falls on our wee cabin in the mountains, here is the RECENT HISTORY of MADISON COUNTY, NC for your  real estate investment decision-making notes and for those wonderful snow-bound days we so appreciate. . .

 (photo...how do you like our wee cabin in the snow?)

 

Madison County, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains  of Western North Carolina, is a rural county. It is only about half an hour or so from Asheville, but with approximately 3,500 small family farms, agriculture is the largest industry in the County. In fact, agriculture accounts for half of the gross income in the County.  Here in Madison County, where streams and pastures and "coves" abound, you may look out your window as you drive the scenic (excellently maintained) country roads and notice tobacco crops. That's because Madison County is the largest burley tobacco  producing county in North Carolina. In fact, there are approximately 2,350 farms with burley tobacco quotas. (interesting side note: history of tobaccoin the USA) ...A decade ago, burley tobacco accounted for $10 to $12 million for agriculture income annually. But the demand for tobacco has been on the decline.

Not to be trounced, local farmers have become creative. Crops are changing, and farmers are diversifying.  ORGANIC FARMING   is big in the Greater Asheville area. Farmers have been cultivating the most amazing ORGANIC crops. Vegetable, organic and nursery crops have increased dramatically since 1998.  And farmers' tailgate markets thrive... (ask me for links to stories I've written about our local Tailgate Markets!)

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 Curious about green building, remodeling and eco-communities ?
Simply pedal on over to the convivial blogger Greenolina's  "Green Wheels" BLOG  and SUBSCRIBE 

__~o
 -\_<,                                       
(*)/'(*)    ..........      ............to keep on rolling into the sustainable  world you can create today and tomorrow!. .........................    .............

Research of A Favorite Kind: Neighborhood, Small Family Farms and Organic Madison County NC .The Eco-Steward Firm, ALL Eco-Certified® Real Estate Consultants!  Copyright © 2008 All Rights Reserved

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SO...having spent this weekend by a waterfall (see photo JT took ) on "forever wild" land adjacent to a conservation neighborhood our Asheville, N.C. real estate firm is getting to know...

 a number of questions about conservation easements popped up in my mind. . .22 to be exact...and there are probably some I haven't even thought of yet!  But here, as a REALTOR® (and as an interested party) is what I want review . . .

 

1. What is a conservation easement? 
2. What is a land trust or land conservancy? 
3. Why do landowners donate conservation easements?
4. What are the financial incentives for donating a conservation easement? 
5. What are the costs of a conservation easement?
6. How much is a conservation easement worth?
7. What types of land can be protected by a conservation easement?
8. Does a Land Conservancy accept all easement offers?
9. How long does a conservation easement last?
10. What are some disadvantages of donating a conservation easement?
11. Will a conservation easement grant public access to the property? 
12. Who actually owns land protected by conservation easement?
13. What types of uses are allowed by a conservation easement?
14. What types of uses are not allowed by a conservation easement? 
15. Who is responsible for maintenance and liability on a property protected by conservation easement?
16. Do other organizations accept conservation easements?
17. Can a conservation easement be donated by will?
18. Is land protected by conservation easement immune from condemnation?
19. How long will the easement design process take? 
20. Is the landowner ever obligated to proceed with a conservation easement?
21. What does a Land Conservancy gain from accepting a conservation easement?
22. Does a Land Conservancy charge a fee?
    
    

THOSE are the 22 questions....OH! and just one more...
Where to go for the answers?

 

Luckily for the Brokers at our Firm, the eco-developers of this conservation neighborhood are "‘salt-of-the-Earth"  folks.. Having spent many years in placing Land into conservation easements and understand all the in-and-outs of the process. More than that, they are generous in their time and energy. As we made our way to the waterfall (one of many adjacent to the conservation neighborhood) they talked about what it meant to them and how it happened that they placed this large acreage in a conservation easement.

For those ofo you who don't get to spend your weekends by waterfalls...or may be consdiering doing so....They also shared THIS LINK ... where those interested can find the answers .

By the way, landowners interested in learning more about managing their land in the Greater Asheville, NC area can participate in an educational event this summer (2008), when a team of land management experts from federal and state agencies, universities, and the private sector are coordinating efforts to offer the annual Woodland Owner Short Course through the Biltmore Forest School.

Will we see you there?. .or would you rather meet us by the waterfall (I'm smiling)

Copyright © 2008 All Rights Reserved  Asheville ECO Real Estate: Trends, Legacies & The Home Place   Subscribe to Greenolina's  "Green Wheels" BLOG and keep  those creative wheels a turnin'

__~o
-\_<,
(*)/'(*)

 

UPDATE: March, 2009

PLEASE KNOW  that all of us at the Eco-Steward Real Estate Firm are Eco Certified® Real Estate  Consultants, and specialize in land carefully and thoughtfully reviewed for eco-friendly development. Also, please know that we consider steep slopes and landslides a potential hazard ( I have personal experience with the result of  flat-lander inexperience in my own neighborhood and decry it)...and that we DO recommend that our clients contact Professionals and bring in a State licensed geotechnical engineer, if necessary ... to look at potential hazards ...  

HERE IN BUNCOMBE COUNTY just this month in fact, we have been having quite a brouhahain terms of Steep Slope development...and landslides ...Fingers have been pointed at Developers, Sellers and at REALTORS® . .. THIS IS ONE Real Estate Firm NOT to be disparaged . Again....in the Eco-Steward Real Estate Firm ALL members are Eco Certified® Real Estate  Consultants, and specialize in land carefully and thoughtfully reviewed for eco-friendly development

I wrote the following post back in 2007....

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Real Estate Investors and Developers with little experience in terms of steep slopes might want to seek out the assistance of an ECO certified REALTOR® and her team of Experts. Here in Western North Carolina, Landslides are a reality as you can see with this graphic shared at a class we recently took with Richard Wooten at the Warren Wilson College Environmental Leadership Centerjust outside of Asheville.

 

Some landslides only consist of soil, called an earthslide. Some are a mixture of soil, rock trees and mud, called a debris flow. Other landslides contain only rock, called a rockfall or rockslide. In any case, it behooves the REALTOR®, and developer to be conscious of that fact, and so advise clients.  Not long ago a developer from a State where mountains are not so common, bought a huge ridge top where he planned to erect 4000 sq ft homes on 1 AC lots and place them atop the lofty peaks. What the developer didn't know was that this" prime acreage" was unstable.

 The result for the developer was a combination of community concern, private embarrassment, and public back-peddling. Once the community found out that the "flatlander" was planning to build on steep slopes in an area prone to landslides, they were (rightly) distressed. Who wants to live downhill from where a landslide might take you for a fast ride in the middle of the night?  For that matter, who would want to invest in a home under those conditions?  Obviously, the community groups reasoned, that developer must not have a clue as to the dangerous conditions with which he was tampering. Shouldn't he at least have looked at the property to see if there were signs of danger such as breaks in the ground surface and/or curved trees?  (see photo below our photographer took at an acreage soon to go on the market.)

Back to the story....Community members, fueled by their feelings of extreme concern,
 formed vocal groups.
They came in noisy droves to the commissioners' planning board meetings,
making it necessary for the meetings to be moved to larger and larger rooms.

The media picked up on the story. A few months passed. The developer learned that the community groups had hired an attorney. Having done that, the attorney began his process of discovery. He verified that slope stability analyses from the planning through construction and inspection phases of developments can help mitigate the potential for landslide damage.He also found out that the analyses, best done by the cooperative efforts of qualified geotechnical engineers, geologists and soil scientists, were nowhere to be found.

This lack of due diligence on the part of interested parties created an opening for the community groups to question the safety of the project. They were able temporarily to halt development pending environmental assessment studies and review of steep slope ordinances.

Soon, in our part of the mountains, landslides and potential landslide areas will be mapped.Then investors, developers and REALTORS® will have readily accessible tools with which to identify and disclose that home sites and homes in those areas are vulnerable to landslide. For all of us, it is a good idea to know certain pertinent facts about the topography and geology of a tract of land that go beyond desirability of location.  

What do you think?

Copyright © 2007 All Rights Reserved  Asheville ECO Real Estate: Trends, Legacies & The Home Place Greenolina

 

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