Monday, August 23, 2010

Green living thrives in communes, eco-villages

I've been promoting this piece of property for sale known as Woods Creek Preserve as a great location for a housing cooperative (co-op), or cohousing, location in Snohomish County. Since there is a spring and creek frontage on the property it provides its own water for any community that decides to locate here. Rather than parceling up this property into individual 5 acre lots the current owners have proceeded with their green community ideas and preliminary plat, and now have building plans in hand for what would be a green community of 8 homes with lots of preserved green space (while providing enough private space at the same time).

I am passing along a blog post from the Green House blog by Wendy Koch on USA Today.com.


Photo: Alex Gibbs, 9, left, and his brother Austin Gibbs, 8, ride a pony cart on the grounds of Lake Village Homestead in Kalamazoo, Mich., in July 2007. By Eileen Blass, USAT


Shared eco-friendly living is becoming increasingly popular in places that range from communes to co-housing, eco-villages or intentional communities.

These are not the hippy, free-love communes of the 1960s, but living arrangements that focus on organic farming, green building, communal spaces and other aspects of sustainability.

"The future of housing, in general, is sustainable communities,"

Read the Full Story

Please contact me at 206.686.HOME or wendyhj@greenspacesrealestate.com for more information or to arrange a property tour while the weather is still nice!

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Building Permits Approved

During a recent phone call with the property owner he informed me that the county has approved the building plans! Yay!

Monday, May 17, 2010

It's spring in the country and everything smells so fine.

We hope to be doing a property tour soon, so stay tuned and/or let me know if you are interested in going.

We also intend to do a video tour of the property for those further away.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

It's World Water Week

Remember the "Story of Stuff"? It opened a lot of people's eyes. Now Annie Leanord has produced the "Story of Bottled Water".

If you agree that all of those plastic bottles are wasteful, my personal recommendation is Klean Kanteens. We own several and take water with us from home. You will too after you watch this video.



If you'd like to know more about the video's creator, check out this blog post at Green House on USA Today.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

A quick visit to Woods Creek Preserve (Monroe, WA)

Wendy takes a drive out to one of her listings, a 37.8 acre preliminary plat in unincorporated Snohomish county, 8 miles outside of Monroe, Wendy's hometown. Wendy gives an update on Woods Creek after a few days of rain in the Pacific Northwest.





These parcels are adjacent to public land owned by the Department of Natural Resources. There is a lot of wildlife here, open field, and woods. The seller will consider selling individual parcels, and also will consider financing on approval of credit with a certain amount down. Be sure to check out this property's blog at woodscreekpreserve.blogspot.com

Price: $1,095,000
NWMLS listing #29098469

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Video Tour of Woods Creek Preserve - a proposed sustainable community outside of Monroe, Washington

Wendy and her husband Stephen (with Italian greyhound Sophia in tow) visit one of Wendy's listings, a 37.8 acre preliminary plat in unincorporated Snohomish county, 8 miles outside of Monroe, Wendy's homrtown. They try hiking in to give a really good visual of the field and woods as Wendy was able to see it last May with the property owner, but they are stopped by a bog and lack of knowledge of where to really walk to avoid the wet area near the creek. (Keep in mind current water flow would be managed during the low-impact development of this property.)

There are several video segments and Wendy tries to give you an idea of this large piece of property for sale adjacent to land owned by the Department of Natural Resources. There is a lot of wildlife here, open field, and woods. The plat map shows the 8 parcels radiating out from a cul-de-sac and the open land surrounding the homes would be owned in some form of common ownership.

The owner really would like to find a co-housing community looking for a site, or individuals to purchase the 8 parcels in what is intended as a green community. 7 of the parcels are currently listed for sale for a combined $1,095,000. The 8th parcel has a spring with water rights and has not been properly valued yet. The seller will consider selling individual parcels, and also will consider financing on approval of credit with a certain amount down.

Watch the video below or in a larger format on YouTube

Thursday, September 17, 2009

This property qualifies! USDA Loosens Income Limits on No-PMI Loans

I've been referring and working with Steve since 2006. He has many very happy clients, including myself!


Guest Blogger, Stephen Hochhalter, of Sound Mortgage

USDA Loosens Income Limits on No-PMI Loans

Zero-down programs are few and far between these days, but one stalwart just got an upgrade!

USDA Guaranteed Rural Development loans offer 100% financing with no monthly Private Mortgage Insurance. Seriously, did you hear me? I said NO monthly PMI. While there are some geographic limitations on this program, if you have your eye on a piece of property that would qualify, you need to take notice.

Although income restrictions for this program are determined based on the number of people living in a household, these limits were loosened beginning April 20. As a result, more buyers may now qualify and be able to afford higher value homes under this program.

Previously, the income limitations were based on the exact number of people living in the home. For example, the limit for two people was different from the limit for one person; the limit for three people was different from the limit for two people, etc.

As of April 20, however, the household income limitations are grouped into two categories: 1-4 Person Households and 5-8 Person Households. This is great news!

It means that higher income earners with fewer people in the household may be more likely to qualify.

In non high-cost counties, where 1-4 people reside in a home, the income limit will now be $70,750. In homes where 5-8 people reside, the limit is $93,400. While these figures serve as a guide, there are certain formulas to arrive at these numbers where people can earn more and still qualify.

Now just because you see the word "rural" in the program name, it doesn't mean we're talking farmland here. No, you don't have to raise cattle or chickens to qualify. Rural generally is defined as areas that are not densely populated and have fewer neighborhoods – but you might be surprised at how many neighborhoods qualify. To check if a property qualifies, email me or click the link below.

Is my property eligible for USDA Guaranteed Rural Housing financing?

I'm very excited about what this can represent to your business. More buyers will have the ability to buy a home without a down payment. Also, when it comes to USDA Rural Housing loans, the seller can pay closing costs up to 6%. When you combine these benefits with the available tax credit of up to $8,000 for first time home buyers, helping more people get into the home of their dreams is suddenly a lot easier.

If you have questions about this update, give Wendy or myself a call. We can show you how waiting for the lowest price could really cost you more in the long run.

Sincerely,
Stephen Hochhalter
425.228.5300
Sound Mortgage