A home prepared for… anything
Maybe it’s a little early to live in a bunker, but if need be— this is a pretty incredible home
Green Park Inn to be renovated
Last Wednesday, March 31, the historic Green Park Inn, located at 9239 Valley Boulevard in Blowing Rock, sold for $935,000 cash at a live auction, and the deal will close shortly, said Bracky Rogers, sales manager, auctioneer and founder of Rogers Realty.
Watauga going Solar
Local Firm Selected To Pursue Large-Scale Solar Energy Plant on County’s Closed Landfill
Watauga Solar partners Ray Sinclair, left, and Ged Moody, right, are currently conducting a feasibility study to determine the practicality of constructing a 1- to 2-megawatt photovoltaic (PV) power plant at the county’s closed landfill site that will produce solar energy, create opportunities for local investment and ownership and serve as an educational tool for all ages of students and citizens. Photo by Sam Calhoun
Green Treehouse Provides an Incredible Learning Playground
Stunning design and green architecture shouldn’t be reserved just for adults, as showcased by this gorgeous green treehouse built by the architects at Lord, Aeck & Sargent. Constructed as an extension to Camp Twin Lakes, a camp dedicated to kids with special needs, this treehouse is not only beautiful, fun and kid friendly, but green as well!
Circular Hakka Houses Create Self-Sustaining Communities
War and conflict often bring about the destruction of architecture, however these forces can also result in new constructions that define a cultural identity and place. Stressed by China’s growing population, the Hakka people have been confronted with armed warfare for local resources since the 17th century. To remedy their situation the Hakka began building massive structures that could not only stave off intruders, but would also form amazing self-sustaining micro-communities complete with food storage, space for livestock, living quarters, temples, armories and more.
Real estate sales still sluggish
The High Country Association of REALTORS released statistics today for residential homes sold through the end of November. Sales are off from October’s numbers, approaching June’s total residential units sold.
Sales continue to fall below last year’s figures. When comparing year-to-date numbers with the same time period in 2008, the number of residential units sold is down 11.1 percent, and the median sold price for residential property is down 11.3 percent. The total number of new residential listings is down 6.2 percent from 2008.
Mortgage rates are also dropping, which is good news for homebuyers. According to Freddie Mac, the national average commitment rate for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgage fell to 4.88 in November, down from 5.06 percent in September. The rate was 6.09 percent in November 2008.
In addition to lower mortgage rates, buyers now have more time to secure big tax savings. On Nov. 6, President Obama signed The Worker, Homeownership and Business Assistance Act of 2009, which includes an $8,000 tax credit for qualified first-time buyers and a $6,500 tax credit for qualified existing homeowners. This gives prospective buyers an additional six months to take advantage of the popular tax credits, which have helped boost sagging homes sales.
A Beautiful Bend Oregon Green Prefab
All of you know Stillwater Dwellings. This new company is indeed very busy these days with an array of orders. They have recently completed their first prefab home in Bend, Oregon. This home was built using the sd231 floor plan and includes 2,950 square feet of space. This house contains three bedrooms, two and halfbathrooms, a laundry room, and 600 square feet of garage space. The cost of construct this house was $175 per square foot which includes the entire site work.
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ASU to cut ribbon on wind turbine
The Renewable Energy Initiative of Appalachian State University in Boone, NC is holding its official ribbon-cutting event on Nov. 12 at 3 p.m. for the 100KW wind turbine successfully installed at the university-owned Broyhill Inn & Conference Center. The project, installed by Alteris Renewables, was completed this past summer. The turbine is currently the largest wind development in the state of North Carolina.
