Eco Friendly Real Estate Blog: North Carolina: Asheville: West Asheville

 Sustainability.
The New Urbanism.
 Establishing and engaging in green communities.
A creative yet traditional approach.

If you are a person who find the above phrases intriguing,  you may be interested to know how some Asheville NC developers approach these concepts.

A number of Asheville’s eco-friendly developers  host design charrettes where they, urban planners and architects hold conversations with interested parties.

 Creative studios, cafes, shops, homes  on a “human scale” and on a workforce could well be on the agenda for discussion. Neighborhood participants can let them know a “wish list” at that time…perhaps this will include:  Solar hot water, extra insulation, radiant floor heating, solar gain and natural light, locally-harvested wood floor and/ or bamboo floors, high efficiency HVAC and HeathyBuilt® Certification in state-of-the-art GREEN homes, a community organic garden, a meditation garden by the stream and a short walk to Asheville’s amenities...as I found not long ago on the  site evaluation in West Asheville...pictured in the photo here.

Did you know that a number of such green- dream places already exist here in Asheville?  Let me know when you are ready to give yourself a gift to last for generations . . .  .

While reviewing a sellers’ bungalow built in the 1900s our inspector discovered “issues” that could be of concern depending on the objectives of the sellers and their potential buyers. Were the sellers interested only in a cosmetic update? Would buyers plan to live in the home as they remodeled it?  Or, would buyers need to plan for a ‘Gut Rehab’?

 

Major Rehab: These sellers would leave the major rehab to buyers. They had ball parked the cost for major improvements including:

 

insulation

wiring

foundation work

moisture control

holes in basement

dirt floor

musty smell and odor of oil permeating the house

an ancient oil tank

drainage issues

a new roof

hazardous materials abatement

new windows

insulated exterior walls

a new HVAC system

 

(in the cooler months the heating bills at this Asheville bungalow were almost $400/ MO!)

big updates on the plumbing, and electrical systems …for example.

 

 

 

 

 

The sellers would leave dealing with the “Big Ticket Items” found in  many older buildings to future owners. The new owners could worry about materials and contaminants such as lead paint, asbestos, mold, pesticides, and coal dust.  After all, the house was a rental property. (we could see that it had not been properly maintained over the years.)  The college kids who had lived there  had complained of air leaks, but fixing this was not on their agenda. Surely, future owners would want to do something about this. (In this bungalow, for example a more efficient building envelope could provide way more comfortable living.)

 

Cosmetic Update: But the sellers were on a budget. They chose to invest less than $3,000 in a cosmetic update. They had been told that buyers, seeing granite countertops, and stainless steel appliances, and a new coat of paint might “fall in love” and be swayed to move right in.

 

Real Costs: Would such buyers realize the serious expenses, time, and energy involved in bringing this older bungalow up to today’s standards?  Would they figure into their spending plan another  $ 50,000. to 100,000. in addition to that “very reasonable” listing price?

 

NOTE: Asheville bungalows in walkable neighborhoods with cosmetic updates do sell for “reasonable prices”… however, buyers may choose to consider  “real cost” caveats…

Real Estate STATS:

Asheville Bungalows (NOT  Energy Efficient- add rehab costs  )
In “Reasonable “ Price Range of $150,000 to $250,000   On Market: 50

 

Healthy Built Homes on the Market: 16

Price Range: $150,000 to $380,000 (subtract rehab costs)

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 (c) Bungalows -Spruce Up? Rehab? or Green-Up? Ashevile Style-A1031 Realty, Inc. Asheville, NC  

 

Asheville Real Estate Journal

Quality, Longevity & Healthy Living Spaces - No wonder today's home buyers seek the value of green-built homes.

 

To achieve this objective, one Asheville eco-friendly builder selects  onlynon-toxic paints on the interior of the house, uses only rainforest sealer for all interior wood trim, and windows,  and insists on Bona-Traffic water-based low- VOC finish for all hardwood floors.

This selectivity does not stop on the outside.

Interior floors must be finished using a new dustless sanding systemthat filters the dust through HEPA filters leaving the air and the interior virtually dust-free. All registers for the HVAC system must be covered during construction to keep dust out of the ductwork.

 (If you have allergies or if you value the quality of air (IAQ)   that you /your clients/your family breathes, this is amazing. I'm impressed. How about you?

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(*)/'(*)   ________Asheville NC Real Estate Journal. Mountain Homes and Land Legacies-  - GREEN-FRIENDLY :81% of homebuyers would prefer to buy an eco-friendly home rather than a standard home.  NAR GREEN®, EcoBroker®, Eco Certified ®Real Estate Consultant. INFORMED CHOICES. THOUGHTFUL ADVICE. Unauthorized reproduction of any information including photos  on this site is a violation of existing copyright laws. All rights reserved.

Eco-Friendly Mountain Homes and Land Legacies-  
- Asheville NC Real Estate  © 2011. 828-776-0773

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As you review the  numerous Asheville area eco-friendly possibilities, you may discover that some are urban and some are rural.  Green-friendly features and benefits are not limited to location.Perhaps you will find that this is more about a choice of lifestyle. Here is a photo I took of an Asheville urban neighborhood.Can you Name 3 Green-Friendly Choices in this Photo?

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