High atop some of the tallest mountains in Maine, a wind farm proposal has set the stage for a clash of environmental values that could define the future of wind power in Maine. The Redington Wind Farm’s 30 turbines would generate electricity without greenhouse gases and offer Maine people a stable source of affordable energy for decades while lessening dependence on polluting fossil fuels. But environmental groups worry it would also push development into pristine subalpine habitat that is home to several rare or threatened species and erect a chain of lighted windmills 41 stories high within about a mile of the Appalachian Trail.

Behind the controversy created by this project — the plan will be debated at a Land Use Regulation Commission public hearing in August — however, is the much larger story of wind power in Maine. In terms of generating capacity, the Redington project would produce roughly 90 megawatts of power — enough to power about 40,000 Maine homes. (more…)

search for : wind farm, affordable energy, Appalachian Trail

The man behind “We Buy Ugly Houses” is worried about one word. “The F word.” Not that one. Instead, the president of HomeVestors of America Inc. means flipping. In fact, John Hayes is trying to eradicate the term flipping, shorthand for buying a house and quickly reselling it for a higher price — even though his business does just that.

Not that there’s anything wrong with flipping, Hayes told me in a phone interview from his Dallas office. But it gets a bad rap when associated with the crooks who commit mortgage fraud and its close cousin, appraisal fraud. While he wholeheartedly supports bills recently introduced to crack down on those frauds, Hayes wants state lawmakers to understand “flipping” a house is neither nefarious nor should it be made illegal. The problem is those lawmakers have incorrectly lumped the “F word” with mortgage and appraisal frauds when they announced their bills. (more…)

search for : We Buy Ugly Houses, flipping, mortgage and appraisal frauds

There’s nothing like the freedom of becoming an adult. You may be saddled with great responsibility, but college is a distant memory and the only person you really have to watch out for is yourself. But what many young adults don’t realize is that this responsibility means your actions now matter. And with a few wise moves, especially on the financial and real estate fronts, you can make your life much easier in the future.

Work at paying off old debt, which can not only follow you but eat away at savings through high interest rates, instead of taking on more if you want to buy a house in the near future. Get educated. Go to every open house you see and read the real estate section in the paper. Treat it like a game. Walk in and start asking yourself questions, like “How much down would I need to buy this property?” You can learn just by walking around and talking to people in the real estate business, including the different costs involved. These costs can include attorney fees, costs to record the mortgage, transfer taxes and brokerage fees. (more…)

search for : financial and real estate, mortgage, transfer taxes and brokerage fees

A “For Sale” sign with a big price hangs on one of North Carolina’s most storied landmarks, and it has a Wilmington real estate company’s name on it. The family that has owned Chimney Rock Park for more than a century announced this week that it was selling the 1,000-acre tourist attraction near Asheville, complete with miles of hiking trails, a 400-foot waterfall and the ancient namesake rock that looks out on Lake Lure and swaths of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

“This is the hardest decision I ever had to make,” said Todd Morse, great-great nephew of the man who bought the first parcels that became the park. He said the family reluctantly decided to sell because of a number of factors, including slack business, rapidly rising property values and plans for a nearby state park. If you have to ask, you definitely can’t afford it. At $55 million, Chimney Rock has one of the highest asking prices for a private piece of property in the history of the state. (more…)

search for : North Carolina, Chimney Rock Park, Lake Lure, Blue Ridge Mountains

The fight over who competes in real estate sales went to a new battlefield this week as representatives of consumer groups, brokers and government agencies clashed before a House subcommittee. Few participants pulled any punches. Speaking on behalf of NAR was president-elect, Pat Vredevoogd-Combs. She argued that National Association of Realtors (NAR) membership is open to all, including discounters. NAR does not encourage price-setting; it has a compliance policy in effect saying that pricing decisions are to be made independently by each firm. As for the discount brokers contention that full service brokers often won’t show their listings to the discounters’ buyers,

The full-service brokerage industry, as represented by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), has fought to maintain the status quo. In nine states, for example, there are minimum-service laws that effectively force all agents to provide full service - real estate agency discounters would otherwise be willing to offer limited services and charge home sellers much less than the traditional 6-percent commission. (more…)

search for : price-setting, National Association of Realtors, real estate agency discounters

For anyone who wants to go all medieval but finds castles too drafty or dear, the next best thing may be a Tudor-style home. Tudor homes are based on the architecture of England at the end of medieval times. The style evolved during the late 15th century and lasted until shortly after the turn of the 17th century.

The Tudors were the ruling dynasty at the time and members of the family included some of the most famous monarchs in English history. Henry the Eighth and Elizabeth the First were both Tudors, as was Mary the First - also known as Bloody Mary. Half-timbered, stucco walls, turrets and steeply pitched roofs with cross gables are characteristics of the style. Windows tend to be very tall and panes very small; they’re often leaded in a diamond pattern. Arched entryways and substantial chimneys topped by terra cotta pots are also common Tudor themes. (more…)

search for : Tudor-style home, England, medieval times, Henry the Eighth, Elizabeth the First, stucco walls

Called shaconage, or “blue” by the Cherokee Indians, the fog-tinted Great Smoky Mountains are home to America’s most-visited national park, which bears the same name. Straddling North Carolina and Tennessee, the park covers more than half a million acres (211,000 hectares) in the southern Appalachians and is comprised of some of the oldest mountains on Earth.

Only about 12 to 14 percent of the estimated 100,000 species in the park have been identified—among them more than 600 organisms completely new to science. The natural richness of the Smokies combines with a deep human history that includes the Cherokees—whose ancestors originated there—and Scotch-Irish pioneers, who began settling there in the late 1700s. (more…)

search for : Great Smoky Mountains, North Carolina, Tennessee, Appalachians, Cherokees