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Entries from June 1, 2008 - July 1, 2008
Oakland Park now selling LEED certified condos in Atlanta
I had the pleasure of previewing Oakland Park with a group of my fellow EcoBrokers yesterday. OP is Atlanta's first LEED [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design] certified multi-family residential development to market so it's naturally on my radar. It's a little over 1/2 mile from the King Memorial MARTA Station but it's such an outstanding development I'm qualifying it for my Rail Estate Rebate when you choose to purchase one of the condominiums with me as your trusty Buyer's Agent. For my visit I opted to make the walk from MARTA which is on the north side of Oakland Cemetery. OP is appropriately named as it sits across the street from the southeast corner of the cemetery. Those who choose to make the connection between OP and MARTA on foot can do so through one of Atlanta's most historically significant green spaces.
After the short trek the other EcoBrokers and I were treated to refreshment and organic munchies at Stella Italian Trattoria located on the street level of the development. Alan Altman and Valencia Justice of the on-site sales team were our gracious host and hostess and made the tour very enjoyable.
The first thing I noticed when entering the residential area was the lack of the typical new construction smell due to the use of low volatile organic compound [VOC] paints, adhesives, sealants and carpeting throughout the building. Typically my eyes would have been burning within minutes of walking down the carpeted hallways. Improved indoor air quality is a primary benefit of LEED construction. Other eco-friendly features of the homes include:
- Operable, low-emittance, double-paned windows
- Bamboo flooring in kitchen and living areas
- Dual flush toilets and high performance plumbing fixtures
- Energy Star appliances
- High efficiency heating and cooling
- On-site recycling center
- Steel and concrete construction
- Drought-resistance landscaping
- Moped/bike racks
Premium amenities include:
- Dramatic community rooftop sun-deck with barbecue and stunning city skyline views that will never be blocked [because of the cemetery]
- Controlled access parking deck
- Free high-speed WiFi throughout the property
- Fitness center
- Deep private balconies and patios
- Grant Park location
Burke Sisco
Oakland Park has three condos available that qualify for the Eastside TAD Affordable Housing Purchase Program. This is an outstanding program that makes buying Intown a reality for working class individuals. Great for teachers, civic employees, and lots of other deserving individuals who don't currently own a home and make less than $57,000 per year. This program gives the Buyer the opportunity to purchase a home with a market value of $190,000 or above and they only have to qualify for a mortgage of $144,000 and make payments on the $144,000 mortgage. There are also several other down payment assistance programs that can be used in conjunction with the TAD program. OP recently had a Buyer close with a mortgage of $112,000 on a $200,000 condominium!
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PrintLive near MARTA: Save gas + make cash
Logical, Location-efficient Living
It's logical that people are moving inside the Perimeter, back into the city of Atlanta. People are seeking alternative transportation solutions as gas prices, commute times, carbon dioxide levels, and global temperatures continue to rise.
With gas over $4 per gallon and rising, location-efficient living near a MARTA station makes more sense than ever, especially if you work near one.
People are starting to realize that the old complaint that MARTA "doesn't go anywhere" isn't true anymore as places like Decatur, Arts Center, and Perimeter Center continue to evolve into thriving, vibrant transit villages with homes, businesses, shopping, and entertainment within easy walking distance of their respective MARTA stations.
The BeltLine, Atlanta Streetcar, the Atlanta-Griffin Commuter Rail and other planned rail initiatives promise to extend the reach of MARTA even more with Atlanta being transformed into a world-class transit metropolis.
We at Green Nest Realty are passionate about the lifestyle opportunities these transit trends represent and are eager to help those wishing to buy or sell near MARTA stations achieve their goals.
The New and Improved Rail Estate RebateTM
My goal is to live greener, cleaner, and leaner and I appreciate the opportunity to work with those kindred spirits out there whose aim is the same.
Homes within 1/2 mile of MARTA stations -- what I call "Rail Estate" -- give their residents an alternative transportation option that allows them the opportunity to reduce car emissions and congestion on our streets, reduce their car-dependency and fuel bills, and live healthier lifestyles.
And I dig that.
For those wanting to live near MARTA I offer a special incentive: Partner with me on your home search and I'll share my commission with you. I call it the Rail Estate Rebate™.
The Rail Estate Rebate™ means I share up to 1/2 of the real estate commission I earn when you buy your home. As an example, on the purchase of a $300,000 home, you could receive up to $4,500 in cash after closing. Some conditions apply. Email me or call me at 404.421.9968 for details.
1/2 of a sales commission is an economic stimulus I am willing to share in order to help juice greener, sustainable lifestyles. I just ask that you please refer me to your friends and family if I provide you with outstanding service!
Why gas prices are rising and housing prices are falling
As a freshman congressman in 1955, I regrettably voted with my unanimous colleagues for the Interstate Highway Program. All of us acted on the shortsighted assumption that cheap oil was superabundant and would always be available. This illusion began to unravel in the 1970s, and it haunts Americans today. Oil lies at the epicenter of a critical energy crisis. Petroleum is a finite resource and is the most precious, versatile resource on the planet. Cheap oil played a crucial role in the development of American power and prosperity, and sustains the military machine that dominates the world today. Oil is now nearing a historic transition that will alter the civilization Americans have come to take for granted."
Natural resources are finite, as the drought has taught us. We must wake up quickly to the reality that oil is also finite and that demand has begun to exceed supply. That's the simple answer for why oil prices are escalating and a clue to why housing prices are falling.
There is a direct correlation between oil and housing and the way we live. Claude Lewenz has written a brilliant piece on this relationship entitled The End of Cheap Oil as an Opportunity. I highly recommend that you take some time to read it. By now we have learned that the oft-repeated trope that the two Chinese characters for "crisis" = "danger" + "opportunity" is incorrect. The second character is more accurately translated "critical point." We are certainly at a critical point in the energy crisis. The good news is we still have time to take the road of opportunity if we can snap out of a "business-as-usual" mindset. In the article Lewenz concludes:
It is important that we view this transition as an opportunity to create a far more engaging, wonderful, delightful place and way to live. Let us not respond in fear, but with enthusiasm.
Sometimes the humor and child-like spirit of a cartoon can help us to embrace difficult political and social problems. That's what I appreciate about the environmental comic Rustle the Leaf and why I shared the video above.
I'd also like to share another comic with you. My brother Anthony woke up one day a couple of months ago and decided he wanted to start a comic strip.
I've been working on a blog to feature his work. I figure everybody can use a laugh or two in these times, so check out Hickory Flats at www.hickoryflats.net.
Greening real estate sales: "texters" instead of flyers
Real estate transactions consume a horrendous amount of paper nationwide. Consider the following factoid, courtesy of Stewart Morris, Jr of Stewart Title Co.:
In a typical real estate transaction, the amount of paper and other resources used is staggering. Across the industry, depending upon the type of transaction, approximately 460 pieces of paper are generated in a single closing. Multiply that by all the industry's closings each year and the implications are clear. With an estimated 5 million residential sales forecast in 2008, combined with 2.8 million refinance transactions, a total of 7.2 million reams of paper will be used. The industry-standard calculation of 16 reams of paper being produced by one tree translates to more than 450,000 trees consumed.
Real estate contracts get longer every year, a consequence of our litigious society. It's difficult to see where one brokerage could hope to reduce the mountains of paper since a good majority of it is produced by the lenders, closing attorneys, title companies, insurance companies, etc.
But everybody can do something, right?
Consider the listing flyer box. Using Stewart's calculation of 16 reams = one tree, means 35 full flyer boxes = one tree consumed. And how many times are the owners calling the agent to come fill up an empty box? How much gasoline is burned each day just driving around stuffing flyer boxes with expensive four-color paper? I can't tell you how many times I've had a whole flyer box full of paper destroyed by a hard rain or flyers removed and scattered around the neighborhood by someone with a vandalic bent and too much time on their hands. Not to mention the times the house is sold quickly leaving 50+ flyers that are no longer needed. Each month, hundreds of thousands of sheets of paper are wasted, just in the Atlanta market.
How can we use technology to deliver the same information the Buyer wants without using all the paper? Through text messaging, of course! Everybody, it seems, carries a cell phone these days, and texting has become common place. Fortunately some enterprising ecopreneurs have automated the process for Buyers to get "texters" on the property for sale with photos and within seconds.
So no more flyer boxes at my listings. Just a sign rider with texting instructions.
Our goal at Green Nest Realty Services is to be authentic and solution-oriented in our business practices as we pursue and calculate our triple bottom line. Sustainability will continue to be our priority as we constantly strive to seek new ways to reduce, re-use, and recycle.
The greening of FMLS
Earlier this year I was inputting a home in FMLS [First Multiple Listing Service] which is a fairly routine real estate agent thing to do, but the problem was that I was listing a property that is anything but routine. This home is on track to be one of Atlanta's first LEED for Homes Platinum certified properties. Trouble was, I was unable to select searchable criteria for this premium green building standard. This isn't unusual. Many multiple listing services across the country don't currently have any way to list green features such as a HERS rating [a measurement of the home's energy-efficiency].Bike-friendly communities
I read with relish the summer issue of On Common Ground, a National Association of Realtors publication with an emphasis on smart growth. There were three articles on the bicycle as it relates to neighborhoods and communities. One article, Two Wheeled Sustainability, featured Pedal to Properties, a brokerage in Boulder, Colorado where the agents and their Buyers pedal from house to house on classic cruisers in bike-friendly communities. The concept has really struck a chord with the brokerage experiencing a 40% increase in sales this year, despite the down market. The idea seems to be viral as they have been contacted by other brokerages across the country seeking to license their identity. There's also an article by Craig Della Penna, a Massachusetts Realtor who specializes in homes adjacent to rail trails.
This is a topic near-and-dear to my heart. I've been promoting trail- and transit-oriented living since 2003 at my blog ATL Trail + Rail. [That's me with my cruiser in the picture]. I used to get some funny looks when I told folks that I specialized in properties in close proximity to MARTA, bike trails and walkable neighborhoods, but I guess things are coming around with gas prices over $4 a gallon now. The author says in Walk this Way, "the simple act of leaving the car in the garage and taking mass transit, riding a bicycle or walking to your destination could help save the planet." Let me add that it could certainly save you money and maybe even your health when you consider the perfect storm of rising gas prices/obesity rates/global temperatures.
Actually buying a location-efficient home with me as your Buyer's Agent will save you money. I've frequently promoted "Rail Estate" and walkable neighborhoods here at EcoHomeGuy.com, offering incentives in the form of rebates for Buyers of homes close to transit and in walkable neighborhoods. Now I want to extend the same offer to homes within a half mile of trails and bike paths. With Atlanta's growing trail network, this would apply to homes in diverse locations such as Intown, on the Silver Comet [West] or Peachtree City [South].
