Hendersonville, NC

On Wednesday, February 8, 2012, the City of Hendersonville NC officially unveiled two new electric vehicle charging stations at a ribbon-cutting ceremony. In an effort to reduce America's reliance on foreign oil as well as maintaining the natural beauty that Western North Carolina offers, the City of Hendersonville has partnered with the Land of Sky Clean Vehicles Coalition's Electric Vehicles Committee to make using alternative fuels a viable option for Hendersonville citizens. These two charging stations are only the beginning.

Typically, owners of completely electrical vehicles (such as the Nissan Leaf and Smart ED) or hybrids (such as the Chevy Volt, Ford Escape Hybrid or Toyta Prius Hybrid) charge their vehicles at home because charging stations are hard to come by. The installation of the two new electric vehicle charging stations at the Dogwood Parking lot in downtown Hendersonville extends the areas these electric vehicles can travel by eliminating the worry of not having enough of a charge to get back home. It is the City of Hendersonville's goal to bring clean fuel alternatives to areas where its citizens work, dine, shop, learn and play.

These electric vehicle charging stations in downtown Hendersonville are only one step in a larger plan to create an entire public charging station network in the Asheville area. The LSCVC's Electric Vehicle Committee is working with other communities in the area to determine which locations would benefit the most from charging station installation. In addition to downtown Hendersonville, there are currently electric vehicle charging stations available in downtown Asheville, Black Mountain, Haywood Community College (in Clyde) and Montreat as well as the office of the Land of Sky Regional Council in Asheville. Plug-in electrical vehicle (PEV) owners can benefit from Duke Energy's incentive program for installing a charging station in their homes.

Bringing electric vehicle charging stations to Hendersonville NC is yet another step in bringing the city into the modern era while maintaining the natural beauty of the Western North Carolina lifestyle. If you're interested in buying a Hendersonville home, please contact me now. I can help you find the Western North Carolina home of your dreams today.

Rich Cooke, your Western North Carolina real estate specialist

Originally posted on my Western North Carolina real estate blog here: http://rich-cooke.com/2012/02/09/electric-vehicle-charging-stations-come-to-hendersonville-nc/.

The City of Hendersonville NC released a fantastic video recently highlighting what makes Hendersonville so great. I wanted to share it with you so that you can get a glimpse of our beautiful community as well as the wonderful people who inhabit it.

City of Hendersonville, NC from City of Hendersonville on Vimeo.

Just let me know when you are interested in becoming a part of our Hendersonville family and I'll be happy to help you put down roots here.

Rich Cooke, your Western North Carolina real estate specialist

Originally posted on my Western North Carolina real estate blog here: http://rich-cooke.com/2012/02/02/what-makes-hendersonville-nc-great/.

Now that the holidays are over, what do you do with your tree? This kind of wood burns too hot for an indoor fireplace or wood burning stove and can create a dangerous buildup of creosote (black soot), increasing the chances of a house fire. Therefore, chopping it up and using it for firewood is not a good idea. Don't worry, though. The City of Hendersonville has the solution!

You can recycle your Christmas tree in Hendersonville this Saturday, January 7th at Jackson Park's Field #6 parking lot (801 Glover St) from 9am to 2pm. If you can't make it to the event this Saturday, however, you can drop your tree off earlier in the day at Field #6. All trees that are dropped off will be ground up into mulch which will then be given back to the public for free to use for your household landscaping needs. Mulch helps aid in water retension and reduction of soil erosion.

Please dispose of your Christmas tree in a safe and eco-friendly way by attending the Henderson County Christmas tree recycling event this Saturday, January 7, 2012 at the Field #6 parking lot of Jackson Park from 9am to 2pm. When it's turned into mulch, you will be able to continue enjoying the benefits of your Christmas tree beyond the holiday season as part of your Hendersonville lawn or garden.

Rich Cooke, your Western North Carolina real estate specialist

Benjamin Franklin’s quote: “Lost time is never found again” is a powerful reminder to sellers that time is critical.

· The best opportunity to reach a buyers attention is within the first 30 days a home is on the market.

· The number of showings is greatest during this time if it is priced at a realistic market value.

· Starting too high and dropping the price later misses the excitement and fails to generate strong activity.

· Many homes that start too high end up selling below market value.

Sellers need to price correctly in order to be competitive before the market moves on to newer listings.

There’s a myth that buyers only purchase in the spring - and some sellers are missing ready, willing and able buyers. Statistics show home inquiries skyrocket in January. Serious buyers are shopping and buying now.

On the morning of January 1^st, 1,172 WNC homes expired on the Multiple Listing Service. For various reasons, these sellers will miss an opportunity to sell their home. They’ll ‘wait till spring’ to sell when inventory skyrockets, and it becomes more difficult to grab buyers’ attention.

If you want to sell your WNC home, don’t wait to put it on the market. Now is the perfect time to sell!