Gerton, NC

Asheville Real Estate Journal
1031 Like Kind Exchange and LAND for Eco Development

Recently, a large acreage investor and I were talking about "green" investment strategies and concerns about the 1031 Like-Kind Exchange process. He had heard by the grapevine, and mistakenly believed, that he absolutely had to acquire property exactly like the property he was about to relinquish.

In searching for a 1031 Like- Kind Exchange he was puzzled when it came to how he would be able to locate an eco-friendly exact match for here the Asheville, NC area for his three-story brownstone back East.

Finding an exact match when you are looking for land for an eco-sensitive development is not required, I assured him. And so we went exploring...and found this!

Photo at Hickory Nut Forest Eco-Community Near Asheville

And while we may have a limited supply of three-story brownstones, he could select from is a wide variety of exchange properties. Eco-investors not only have latitude as far as choices go, but a "cascadding" menu of land for eco-sensitive development and/or conservation from which to choose under the 1031 Exchange Plan.

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(*)/'(*) ________The Asheville NC Real Estate Journal . Mountain Homes and Land Legacies- Asheville NC Real Estate © 2011. NAR GREEN®, EcoBroker®, Eco Certified ®Real Estate Consultant. INFORMED CHOICES. THOUGHTFUL ADVICE. Email me to request a copy of EPA's Sustainable Design and Green Building Toolkit- janeAnne@janeAnne.com 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 1031, The Eco-Steward Real Estate Firm, Inc. © 2011.
828-776-0773

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"This professional REALTOR® has an eye for extraordinary value
in Mountain Homes and Land Legacies, green-living communities,
and properties of enduring excellence."
~ MBS

Fourth stop on the Asheville area Second and Vacation Homes Tour-Hickory Nut Forest Eco-Community.

Hickory Nut Forest is so compelling that your second or vacationhome soon may become your year-round abode.

If you are seeking waterfalls, you have come to the right place. Last count, there were fifteen(15) on the forever wild land that adjoins Hickory Nut Forest-

Not to mention the vineyard, organic gardens, heirloom apple orchard. Oh My!

Points to keep in mind as we head out on this sunny day to look at this carefully developed community are: a) proximity to Asheville, ) the exterior and/or interior allure for a second or vacation home, and c) zoning/deed restrictions.

Asheville has what it takes in terms of investing in a Second and/or Vacation home: An alluring, eco-friendly, and welcoming setting, things to do and see, cultural amenities, and wonderful locally-grown and harvested organic food and some of the most interesting people you may ever meet.

Also... Hickory Nut Forest Eco-Community has what it takes as far as reasonable proximity to both Asheville and Hendersonville, NC.

Hickory Nut Forest Eco-Community is located within miles beyond Drovers Road Preserve , the subject of our third tour, and within about a 37-minute drive in to Asheville's entertainment offerings, medical facilities and the Biltmore Estate.

Even closer you will find lakes, waterfalls, hiking, fishing and an excellent CSA from which to gather organic produce.

As we traverse the community note that the philosophical foundation rests on maintaining a healthy, diverse ecosystem. Too, this is place where people can choose to live among caring neighbors, sharing their inspiration and enthusiasm.

Hickory Nut Forest is a sustainable community. The goal is to be more than simply "energy efficient"- the goal here is to be a "net zero energy" community that powers the homes by unleashing the renewable energy inherent in the land, the water, the wind and the sun. This is another benefit for those who live here-in both cost savings and independence.

More Features and Benefits: Outdoor Activities: Hiking trails wind up Little Bearwallow Mountain and down to beautiful waterfalls on Hickory Nut Creek. Another 5 miles of trails will connect to the Florence Preserve and eventually are planned to extend the length of the gorge to the new Hickory Nut Gorge State Park at Lake Lure. With over six miles of hiking trails, residents and visitors can enjoy the adjoining 800 acres in both Little Bearwallow Mountain and Florence Nature Preserves. Just down the gorge are another 3500 acres of waterfalls and cliffs at Chimney Rock State Park.

Being a part of a thoughtfully-planned neighborhood, where green-built homes are designed with natural, non-toxic materials to be safe, healthy, and energy efficient, built to the highest green building standards has enormous dividends.

Forever wild, protected land surrounds Hickory Nut Forest. Covenants on the lots ensure that homes will blend naturally into the forest and special wild places for all to enjoy: the cascading streams, tumbling waterfalls, sheer cliffs, and distant vistas.

Whether it is a WNC Healthy-Built ®Home or a LEED® Certified home. Second and Vacation home seekers can expect green excellence in this Asheville area community. In fact, only seventeen (17) homesites with more than half sold. Green-built homes are now under construction.

Seeking a natural lifestyle where mountain views, nature trails, and pristine streams invite you to relax and enjoy the quality of life? Ccome with me on my next tour of Hickory Nut Forest.

Want to build a Second or Vacation home and possibly place it on a vacation rental program? Please check out the covenants

We are in the business of finding incredible Land and Green-Built Homes for our clients, whether that be Homes and Land for Sale by Owner or listed on the MLS. So let me know what you think.

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(*)/'(*) .......... ............ " We are on the roll for sustainable innovation." © 2010. Asheville NC Real Estate Unauthorized reproduction of any information on this site is a violation of existing copyright laws. All rights reserved. Second and Vacation Homes Asheville Tour: Hickory Nut Forest Eco-Community

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I had the pleasure of sitting down with John Myers and Jane Lawson the developers of the Hickory Nut Forest GREEN/conservation community near Asheville, NC not long ago. We talked about what it takes to create such a community- their philosophy and how they designed and developed the land. Here is a segment of our conversation.

HOW ONE COUPLE ENVISIONED AND REALIZED THEIR DREAM OF AN ECO-FRIENDLY MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY

Q. How long has it taken to create the Hickory Nut Forest eco-community?

A. We have been involved in the process of creating community for nearly five years. It has been an amazing journey that has taken on a life of its own. We started out with a vision to conserve some beautiful land in the mountains of North Carolina.

We wanted to be stewards of this sacred place with its amazing forests, waterfalls, living plants and animals. As we have come to know the land intimately, we feel guided to keep expanding our vision.

Q How have you expanded on your vision to conserve this gorgeous land in the mountains of North Carolina?

We created homesites for up to 34 green-built homes, added an organic apple orchard and heirloom vineyard, placed a conservation easement on the mountain and built miles of hiking trails.

(photo shows John and Jane at one of the many waterfalls on the property the are developing near Chimney Rock just outside of Asheville, NC. )

Q How do you see the growth of Hickory Nut Forest into the mature "Green Community" you envision, and will it be a "Private Mountain Community"?

A. As new people have arrived, they have brought their enthusiasm and dreams to the community. [One of the first to arrive] Ryan was inspired to develop a community garden and with student interns created a veggie patch, an herb circle, mushroom logs, and added beehives and free-range chickens.

Folks wanted to have a gathering place, so we started building a community center at the ruins of an old gristmill. This vision has grown into creating Laughing Waters, a retreat site for year-round classes, workshops and student internships that we hope to have open by spring.

We are allowing the community to grow slowly and naturally through sharing this magical place with all who come to visit. Our free monthly events have included a bluegrass concert, apple fests, hikes, herb walks, bonfire/potlucks and kids' educational programs. People have initially come for a visit and then decided to live here.

Q. What is your guiding principle or intention?

From the beginning our guiding intention has been simply to approach everything and everyone with love and respect: our neighbors, all the people working on various projects, our visitors, the land and the water, the plants and animals, and each other. We feel such a powerful healing energy from this land. Our role is simply to make it possible for people to come here and experience it for themselves.

FURTHER READING on how to recognize an eco-friendly development

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(*)/'(*) .......... ............to keep on rolling into the sustainable world you can create today and tomorrow!. ......................... .............with OBJECTIVE FIDUCIARY COUNSEL &. ECO STEWARDS' LEARNING TOURS.Serving Asheville's Eco-Friendly-Home, Relocation LAND Clients..

On the GO 4 Sustainability: "GREEN" Real Estate and Relocation: The Eco-Steward Firm, ALL Eco-Certified® Real Estate Consultants! Copyright © 2009 All Rights Reserved
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Autumn is on the way with gifts of Carolina Blue skies, and all the colors that border it.
(see photo taken at Hickory Nut Forest eco community)This is an excellent time of year to tour the Asheville area and to familiarize yourself with what we have to offer in terms of sustainable innovation.

WHEN you visit the numerous Asheville area eco-friendly developments,do consider hiking the trails, and taking a peek at community amenities. Remember too, that an eco-friendly development and/or an ecovillage may be in an urban or rural area. It is not defined by its location.

Eco-villages are defined by concept. For me, this is about sustainable innovation--

a "green plan" that encourages both social contact and individual space coupled with the understanding that, as a member of the community, you are entrusted with a shared sense of caring for all who live here.

Take for example the video of Hickory Nut Forest Eco Community.

Here you see one of the most noteworthy of the defining characteristics of such enterprises-- participation. You get the idea that Hickory Nut Forest aims to meet the needs of residents. The inviting central lodge with areas set aside for the kitchen and dining areas as well as teaching and/or retreat facilities, possibly a guest room(s), workshop and laundry room, will offer the opportunity for neighbors and visitors to get together.

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__~o
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(*)/'(*) .......... ............to keep on rolling into the sustainable world you can create today and tomorrow!. ......................... .............with OBJECTIVE FIDUCIARY COUNSEL &. ECO STEWARDS' LEARNING TOURS. Serving Asheville's Eco-Friendly-Home, Relocation LAND Clients..

On the GO 4 Sustainability: "GREEN" Real Estate and Relocation: The Eco-Steward Firm, ALL Eco-Certified® Real Estate Consultants! Copyright © 2009 All Rights Reserved
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Dateline Asheville, North Carolina, October, 2009
News and Views from "GREEN-O-Lina"   

The Eco-Community & Conservation Land

THIS WEEK I had the good fortune to hike the sunny trails leading from an amazing eco-friendly community just minutes from downtown Asheville. This model for sustainable innovation, Hickory Nut Forest is one of the first ECO developments in the USA to combine wide-ranging land conservation with an eco-friendly community of green-built  homes, to be powered by renewable energy -(wind power, hydropower , geothermal) - to create  a  "net-zero-energy community". Living in this conservation neighborhood means enjoying the forever-wild mountain forests, soaring cliffs and pristine, cascading streams, out your back door. You can walk for miles in the serenity of nature.  
 
Hiking trails lead conveniently from the building sites into 800+ acres of nature preserve lands  with waterfalls, streams, cliffs and mountaintop vistas. And, here a learning/teaching and community center is taking shape. Based on the model of the grist mill that once stood here, the building is being "built green" and features wood harvested with TLC from the site. (see video)

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(*)/'(*)    ..........      ............to keep on rolling into the sustainable  world you can create today and tomorrow!. .........................    .............with OBJECTIVE FIDUCIARY COUNSEL and ECO STEWARDS' LEARNING TOURS. Serving Asheville's Relocationand  LAND Clients..

On the GO 4 Sustainability:  "GREEN" Real Estate and Relocation: The Eco-Steward Firm, ALL Eco-Certified® Real Estate Consultants!  Copyright © 2009 All Rights Reserved