Many people have asked about the Good project and what is going to happen to it with all the changes going on around here so I thought I would do a post on the topic and see if we can’t spell it all out.

Basically we have hit a wall with pricing where the current market has gone below what it costs us to build the product we believe so strongly in. So what we are going to do is finish and sell a few more houses that we already started and put the project on hold for a bit while we wait out the storm. It’s no secret that the market has taken a huge hit in the past year and our project although still faring better than others has been hit and is now in a spot.

There is one good thing about all this….If you want a good home, we are going to be selling the few that are under construction at below the cost to build them! So you could come in and get a killer deal on what I still believe to be the best example of Eco-Urban housing anywhere in the world.

We hope to be able to resume construction soon on the remaining lots and are already seeing signs that the market has bottomed out and is leveling off. Inventory has been in steady decline for the past 5 months which is typically the precursor to a recovery. At least that is what has always happened in the past.

So that is the story of Good.

to be continued…

Levi

I get several emails a month from people who are interested in what we do and are considering starting a development company… It’s a tough question to answer because I would not wish on anyone the battles we have had to fight in the past 2 years, dropping values has brought frustrated investors and changed plans at every turn. Projects that we were nearly ready to start building on have been put on hold and we have had to retrain ourselves to think in a whole different mindset. But on the same token there are more opportunities out in the market today than ever perhaps in our lifetime and I think a whole new breed of community developer will be born from this market and hopefully the byproduct is a better urban landscape.

Today I got one of those emails and thought I would share it (and my answers) with you.

1) Did you go to seminars or trainings to get your knowledge in RE Development?

I did not but am sure there are some good things out there. I liked everything written by Seth Godin, his blog is inspiring and his books are good especially Purple Cow. Also Jim Collins wrote some good books that are worth reading.

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Sometimes you just need to move around a bit, you know that itchy ‘I have to move’ feeling you get but ignore because your stuff and life is so organized. I think I may have found the solution to your problems while searching internet today. It’s the modern train car house!

Now moving is easy, simply get the kids and dog into the house and hitch up to the nearest engine and head on out. Does the train car house have you interested? Well it could be yours for a mere $225,000. Finished by a group of designers in Portland the house is now on the market. What other home boasts no property taxes or lawn maintenance?

Levi Benkert

Interesting project brewing over in Florida. Sounds a little like the developer has been reading our blog here but taking things to a massive extreme. Do you think he can pull it off?

Check it out and come back with your thoughts.

Levi

We need your help getting the word out! We have two completed homes that have been tied up in escrow since the end of last year, but are falling out due to difficulties with the lenders. Because they have been tied up for so long, we need to move these homes ridiculously fast (which means having them in escrow within the next week or so), and the banks are willing to let us deal (and when I say deal, I mean really deal!) to make this happen.  One of the homes is our XS model with solar and the other is our S model with solar and cork floors. 

Have we piqued your curiosity? If so, contact Brandon Weber at 916-930-9400 ext.0, or email him at Brandon[at]ljurban[dot]com for the details. Remember, we have to sell these and sell them fast. Seriously, somebody is going to get a crazy deal. So, please, help us spread the word.

We hate to cancel, but…

We just learned that B Street will be closed for road work Sunday, between the levee and 5th, making access and parking for the Good project less than optimal, to say the least. So, needless to say, we are canceling Sunday’s open house and tour. We hope this hasn’t been too much of an inconvenience for anybody. If you would like to make an appointment for a personal tour, please call Brandon at 916-524-9047 or email: Brandon [at] LJUrban.com.

The Good news? We are planning another event in the next week or so during which Micah will be giving a hard hat tour of the new Medium unit, which we are all very excited about. Of course, we will also be viewing our S and XS units, thanks to some very generous neighbors. Stay posted here for updates.

Just a quick note to let you know that our Good project will be open to tour again this week. There is still an opportunity to see a Good home up close and personal before our last model of the first phase closes escrow next week. Please stop by this Thursday (3/12) or Friday (3/13), between 4:30 and 6:30, or Sunday (3/15), between 10:30 and 2:30, to tour the Good community.

We are currently selling the second phase (which will be completed this summer), so if you know anybody looking for something Good, please help us spread the word.

As always, if you can’t make it to the times above, we show Good by appointment. So please give Brandon a call at (916) 930-9400 x0 or email: brandon[at]ljurban.com.

UPDATE: We just learned that B Street will be closed for road work Sunday, between the levee and 5th, making access and parking for the GOOD project less than optimal, to say the least. So, needless to say, we are canceling Sunday’s open house and tour. We hope this hasn’t been too much of an inconvenience for anybody.

We had a community meeting Monday night to review our design guidelines we have prepared for the Habitat and Simple projects in the Washington Neighborhood. It went pretty well I think. We got some questions about parking which I hope we answered. We got some questions about why the City couldn’t provide streetlights for the neighborhood surrounding our proposed projects. We told them the lights would come with the development but that we would like to decrease their frequency from those in other developments due to the light pollution.

People asked about the historic character of the neighborhood and how we would rate our projects “integrity” to that character. Kind of a nebulous question, but one every architect and developer is faced with. We described how our guidelines would help ensure that historical themes would be carried through our projects but not necessarily replication of exact Victorian architecture.

But the question of the night had to be about OSB. What is OSB you ask,well I am sure you can Google it just like I did and find out the good and the bad about it. I wanted to throw it up here to show that it has advantages and disadvantages but I was just as interested in proving that we are building quality housing while using it. Below is a list of its advantages in comparison to conventional plywood. [Read more →]

I get these every once in a while from my Grandma-in-law (is that a proper term?) in the mail. Usually they are about some random person who also likes old houses and fixed one up once, or who is a teacher (my wife was one pre-kids),  or who knew a person who knew a person who did something interesting to someone.  Anyway I think you get the point I am usually less than enthralled by the content of the clippings.  This one is interesting though, small house movement in Texas???  They don’t do anything small in Texas, or do they . . .

Micah Baginski

People have been asking about the new incentives for home purchases in the state of California, so we wanted to explain them here. I promise to be brief…

As of Sunday, the State of California will give a $10,000 tax credit to purchasers of new homes in California. The requirements are that you live in the home for three years, that it is your principal residence, and that you purchase the home before March of 2010. This is a credit (far better than a deduction!). You can spread the credit out over three years. This credit is in addition to the $8,000 federal tax credit that Congress passed last month, for a total of $18,000 in tax credits that you can receive when you make a Good home yours.

We are currently selling the second phase of Good and will be touring the project this Friday evening between 4:30 and 6:30, if you would like to stop by. We are in West Sacramento at the corner of 4th and B streets (just come over the I Street bridge from downtown and follow the signs). If you have any more questions or would like to arrange a private tour, please call us at 916-930-9400 x0.