Outrageous Homes Built From Straw

from realestate.msn.com

Outrageous Homes Built From Straw...

In the classic story of the Three Little Pigs‚ a naive piglet decides to build his home out of straw, which soon gets the huff-and-puff treatment by a big bad wolf. But straw homes do exist, and are a lot safer and sturdier than their mythical counterparts — not to mention beautiful and stylish.

Many may wonder why a person would want to build a home of straw, but apart from providing a place to hide from the big bad wolf, they have some substantial benefits. They are undeniably green‚ as straw packed tightly in the walls helps to keep a home warm in the winter and cool in the summer, minimizing the home's carbon footprint. Straw is also a sustainable material; it is the leftover stalks from grain that would otherwise be burned. Straw homes can also be beautiful structures that are constructed to reflect the thick, curved walls of a primal era.

Read on to discover just how right that first little pig was to build his home out of straw.

Straw-bale home, Virginia

This grand straw home is the brainchild of Bob Hanson, who owns the company Green BEES, an acronym for Green Building for Economic and Environmental Sustainability. The home uses only an astonishing $20 of electricity per month. The basic structure is a timber frame filled with straw bales and covered with lime plaster. Like many straw homes, the structure also has solar-heated water, a roof with rainwater harvesting, composting toilets and a nutrient recycling system. Deciduous trees were planted in strategic locations to provide shade in the summer and shielding from cold in the winter. The owner says living in a straw home is very comfortable





Straw-bale home in Oakland, Calif.

This unique, beautiful straw-bale home in Oakland recently carried a $1.1 million price tag. According to the home's agent, Brett Weinstein, the home didn't sell, and the owners are renting it. "It wasn't due to any fault of the house," Weinstein said; the housing market has been brutal in the Golden State. The straw used in the home's walls insulates the property and gives it a thick, strong appearance reminiscent of homes of a bygone era. The straw bales inside the walls absorb the sun’s rays during the day and radiate heat at night, giving the home a steady temperature and resulting in low energy costs. The straw is sandwiched between layers of plaster, blocking out noise and providing the owner with a unique, tranquil haven in a big city.



Burtt/Sowle straw home, Santa Ynez Valley, Calif.

This 1,532-square-foot dwelling was designed by Roderick Taylor as an artist's studio and a sanctuary away from the sweltering heat of Santa Ynez Valley. The roof is made of structural insulated panels and is covered by a standing-seam metal roof. The supporting knee braces were made from a fallen black walnut tree. The contractor on the project, Allen Associates, said they had to use some traditional wood framing (they used certified sustainable timber), "since straw bales are not an approved structural building material in California." Despite this, straw-bale homes are growing in popularity in the Golden State. This example is flooded with light, which escapes from the high French doors. The home is completed with book and display cases made from the same fallen black walnut tree. The home also features low- and no-VOC paints, low-wattage lighting, a composting toilet, gray-water recycling for landscaping, water-saving fixtures and a tankless water heater.

7 things home buyers love but sellers don't list

Tara-Nicholle Nelson , The Motley Fool If your home has commercial-grade European appliances, sits on acres of land, or is in the most prestigious neighborhood in town, it's pretty easy to know what to lead with in your marketing when selling your home. But if you have a normal house in a normal neighborhood, there could very well be things you take for granted which a first-time or relocating buyer might be magnetically drawn to if you mention it in the listing. Below are 7 things buyers love and seller's fail to mention. 1. Storage. When aiming to avoid undermarketing, keep this in mind: showcasing your home in its best light is not just about what you love about it. You might already have outgrown the place, and started to see its flaws more than its finer points: that's why you're moving. But the goal of good marketing is to highlight the things that will allow your home to shine in the eyes of your target buyers and against the competition. So, it's important to know what buyers care about and how your home offers a more comfortable lifestyle than the competition. First-time buyers, for example, are not simply comparing your home to other homes, they are also comparing it to the lifestyle of being a renter and to every bad rental property that inspired them to move forward with becoming a homeowner. One very common beef of renters is that rental homes lack storage, which leads to belonging overflow and a cluttered life. The vision of having a place for storing everything is a big motivator for many first-time home buyers. So, if your home has been tricked out with extra closets, pantries or other built-in storage amenities that you plan to leave, make sure your agent boasts about that in your home's marketing materials. 2. Organizing systems. In the same vein, if you have made the investment in upgrading your home with customized or built-in closet, kitchen or garage organizer systems, desks or bookshelves make sure buyers see and know this from your home's online listing. From the first-timer craving to have a clutter-free existence to buyers who are moving up into a family home and want each family member's space to have at least the possibility of order, built-in organizers can represent value and appeal to a wide range of prospective buyers. 3. Proximity. You might be thinking the right buyers for your home will be finding it online precisely because of where it's located, so it's silly to call out the property's proximity to amenities and attractions. Not so fast. First, some buyers simply might not know to search for your zip code, or might not be aware that your hidden gem of a neighborhood also happens to be tucked within a half mile of a subway station, entrances to 3 freeways and 2 regional parks. Second, buyers' proximity wishes might be different than the location requirements of their online search. They might be looking at all homes in town in their price range, but the fact that yours is walking distance to a major employer or university could push yours to the top of the list. Finally, relocating buyers might not have the core knowledge of the area that would allow them to connect the dots about the property based on location basics you are assuming everyone in the market for a home like yours will know. Don't assume: if your home is particularly well-located vis-a-vis major employers, universities, recreational amenities or walkable shopping and dining districts, talk with your agent about showcasing this in your home's marketing. 4. Senior-friendly features. Boomers are not necessarily looking for homes with built-in disability features, but they are often looking for homes they could live in for the rest of their lives, 'aging in-place,' without necessarily being located in senior-only communities. That means homes with level-in entrances (no stairs to the front door), single story layouts and low-maintenance landscaping have a massive new audience attracted to these features which would otherwise not warrant a mention in a home's marketing, especially if homes near yours tend to have loads of stairs or other features that are difficult for people to navigate as they age. Similarly, the movement toward aging-in-place has caused many more families to move aging relatives in with them, versus moving them out to retirement homes. These extended families often are looking for homes with a very well-appointed 'mother-in-law' or 'outlaw' units or a second master suite located on the home's ground floor. If your home has multiple bedrooms with bathrooms en suite or completely independent living quarters, marketing these features to extended families is a must. 5. Energy. If your home runs entirely off-the-grid or on graywater, chances are good you'll be mentioning that. But even buyers who don't identify as hunting for a 'green' home can be attracted to the budget-friendliness of energy-efficient features of the less extreme sort. So, if your home is a pretty no-frills property but has a tankless water heater, dual-paned windows and new insulation, mention it! If you've managed to get your energy bills down way below what's normal in your area, this could be a selling point you don't want to overlook; your agent can help you navigate how to broadcast this message to buyers. 6. 'Light' green lifestyle features. That said, if you have configured your home to allow inhabitants to live a greener life, beyond just the energy bills, these might warrant a mention in your marketing. You might think things like your little organic kitchen garden, backyard compost bin or that $50 recycling center you installed are so low in cash value they don't rate a line in your listing materials. But there are loads of buyers out there who are attracted to these sorts of features already being in place in a home, so calling them out (especially if you're in a market with tons of competition) can call your home to their attention. 7. Natural, chemical-free and hypoallergenic home maintenance. In a similar vein, if you have a hypoallergenic HVAC system or have only used non-chemical cleaning products for the last few years, you might want to call these sorts of things out, as well. Marketers say today's consumers are careful about not just what they put into their bodies, but also what they put on and around their bodies. Your home and the cleaning and maintenance products you've used may implicate both 'on' and 'around,' so if you've taken care to create a home that works well for people with physical or philosophical sensitivities to common household chemicals, make sure light-green buyers know it!

What are the financial benefits of having a home near a body of water?

The mere presence of water within 300 feet increases a home's value by 22 percent.

The Best Season to Sell Your Home—and Why

a great article on timing the home selling market....from realtor.com Timing really is everything when it comes to home sales. Getting your asking price, and even attracting multiple buyers, can simply be a factor of the time of year when the home is sold. Spring and Summer Spring brings rain and flowers—and possibly extra green in the final sales price of your home. Families like to move during the summer when there’s a break in the school calendar so they don’t have to pull their children from class, and so they are well-settled before the new school year. Plus, it’s often easier to move in the warm spring and summer months than during winter snows. REALTORS® say 50% of homes are sold during the summer. Fall and Winter Maybe your employer notified you of a job relocation in the fall and you missed the peak selling season for your home. Don’t despair. If you are selling your home in the fall, you can stage your open house with the warmth of the turning season to add to the appeal. Accentuating your landscaping with seasonal decorations, such as pumpkins and gourds, will appeal to the potential homebuyers. The winter season isn’t a favorite for homebuyers to view homes, but holiday ornaments add charm and help homes sell during the winter season. Owners who put their home on the market during the winter may be more eager to move, and so might close faster. Prices may also dip compared to the busy summer market, since there’s less demand. And you might find it easier to schedule time with experts, such as home inspectors; or have a faster turnaround on services, such as lawyer reviews, during the slower time of year. Geography, Geography, Geography Selling a home quickly may not only be contingent on a season. The geography of your home may be a contributing factor to when the home should be sold. Florida’s large snowbird population makes winter months attractive due to the warm weather. The heat and humidity of Florida summers can make that season less than ideal for selling. For all of those reasons, evaluate your location and weather before planning to present a new home to the real estate market. Have a Plan Sometimes personal situations prevent selling a home during the prime season. A REALTOR® can help you sell a home in any season.

Bring on the Home Bidding War! You Can Win!

helpful article in today's market from realtor.com... If you are buying a home at the height of a citywide seller’s market or simply want a sought-after house in a neighborhood with limited turnover, you may find yourself in the midst of a real estate bidding war. Competing against faceless prospective buyers may bring out the warrior in you but, before you decide to go all out in your battle, you need to step back and decide how much you really want that particular home. Should You Compete in a Bidding War? In the thick of competition you may forget your end goal is a home that you love and can afford to own. If your offers have been turned down by several sellers because of competing buyers, then you may feel pushed to make an aggressive offer for the next home you like. You should stop yourself from competing just because you think the time is right to become a homeowner or to move up into a new place. Instead, think about whether you really want that particular house enough to fight for it. To guard against making an emotion-fueled offer for a house, take a hard look at your finances. While it may feel good at first to beat out other buyers and to purchase a property, it won’t feel so great in a year or two when you’re struggling to make the payments on a house that’s beyond your means. Know your limits before you begin to bid. Prep for Battle Your first step before entering a bidding war should be to consult with a lender to understand the maximum amount you can borrow, and to evaluate how much cash you have to spend while keeping enough money in a reserve fund. Next, make sure you hire an experienced REALTOR® who can share information about local market conditions and communicate with the seller’s agent. You should rely on your REALTOR® for advice about how to handle a bidding war, but be sure to do your own research: Visit a lot of homes in the area where you want to buy so that you understand the value of various properties before you make an offer. Bidding War Strategies Your REALTOR® should work with you to craft an attractive offer based on the list price for the home, a comparative market analysis of similar homes, and knowledge gained from the sellers’ agent about the sellers’ motivations and preferences. In a bidding war it’s important to work with a REALTOR® who will move quickly to present your offer and any counteroffer, and who is easy to communicate with during the transaction. While you may assume that money is the motivator that steers sellers to one buyer over another, there are other ways to make your offer attractive, such as: ◾Solid financing: You may be competing against cash buyers, so make sure that your loan preapproval is in place and that you have completed all required documentation other than identifying a specific property. ◾Eliminate contingencies—carefully: If you own a home now, you may want to offer to buy another home without making your contract contingent on the sale of your current home. You take the risk of carrying two mortgages for awhile, so make sure you can safely handle the payments. You can also decide to have an “information only” home inspection rather than making your offer contingent on the outcome of the inspection. ◾Make the settlement date convenient for the sellers: Rather than negotiating on a closing date that’s convenient to all sides, you can tell the sellers you’ll work with their schedule or rent back the property to them after the closing. ◾Offer to pay all closing costs: You can reduce the sellers’ out-of-pocket expenses by offering to pay their share of the settlement fees, but before you do this get an accurate estimate of what those costs will be and make sure you have the funds available to pay them. ◾Personalize the transaction: Sometimes the tipping point for sellers who receive multiple offers is something emotional rather than financial. A personal letter describing your love of their home may tilt the scale in your favor. ◾Try an escalation clause: Money talks, too, so you can add an escalation clause to your offer that increases your bid by a certain amount above other offers. Just make sure you sent a limit on how high your offer will go. ◾Control yourself: Remember that any offer is subject to an appraisal (unless you waive that contingency, but that’s not recommended unless you have plenty of cash), so be careful not to bid above the market value of any property.

Shipping Container Houses

Some amazing homes that people build with shipping containers...

Zoning change would facilitate caretaker dwellings

interesting Canyon Courier article about zoning affecting construction options.... Aging adults who would like to stay in their homes rather than move to retirement communities may need assistance from a caretaker who lives on the premises. To make it easier to build an accessory dwelling unit for a care provider, a revision to current regulations is being proposed by the Jeffco Planning and Zoning Division. Instead of requiring a Board of Adjustment hearing for an accessory dwelling unit, a decision would be made by planning staff. The zoning change also would remove the requirement that a family member live in the unit, allowing a caretaker, nanny or renter. However, the property owner would need to live on site in either the primary residence or the accessory unit. The intention of the zoning change is to make accessory dwelling units more flexible for seniors, while also creating affordable housing, said Heather Gutherless, a Jeffco planner. As long as the property owner lives in one of the units on the property, the other can be rented to anyone, she said. “It isn’t something we’re restricting to seniors.” The draft of the zoning change also limits the size of a dwelling unit. For a unit attached to the primary residence, the maximum unit size is 40 percent of the main home, or 1,200 square feet. Detached units, and those built above a garage, can be built on a maximum of 1 acre and have a maximum size of 1,200 square feet — or 40 percent of the main residence. Maximum height restrictions are already in the zoning code, Gutherless said. A building permit for the accessory unit must be obtained from the county, along with additional ones for water and sewer taps, if necessary. In general, if someone builds an accessory unit that is attached to the primary house, existing water and sewer taps could be used, Gutherless said. However, a detached unit may require separate taps, she said. Before building, residents need to check with the water district in which they live, Gutherless advised. “That’s probably going to be a big hurdle,” she said. Residents who have private wells and septic systems also need to determine if they have adequate capacity for an additional unit, Gutherless added. The state Division of Water Resources oversees well permits and usage. Another possible issue to consider before building an accessory unit is restrictions by homeowner associations, said Gutherless. County zoning regulations do not supersede homeowner association covenants, she said. During recent community meetings on accessory dwelling units, Gutherless said, some residents expressed concerns about ensuring that a property owner is living on site. “I’ve also heard concerns about parking,” she said. The zoning regulations require that one parking space be provided for the accessory dwelling, Gutherless noted. Gutherless said she also has explained to residents at recent meetings that new regulations would not affect the senior homestead exemption for property taxes. The county intern who studied proposed zoning changes found that property values were not adversely impacted by accessory dwelling units, she added. The idea for the zoning changes for accessory dwelling units originated from the Aging Well work group of Jefferson County, which is managed by Susan Franklin. “The whole concept is very cool,” Franklin said. “For so many years, we have put our seniors in facilities.” The proposal for zoning changes will be considered by the Jeffco Planning Commission and then sent to the county commissioners for a final vote.