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

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.

We were excited to learn last week that the Good project won the 2009 Smart Growth Award from Breathe California!  Breathe California is dedicated to cleaning the air in Sacramento and preventing air pollution related diseases, so each year they host the Clean Air Awards to recognize businesses, agencies, and citizens that are improving the air quality. Of course infill projects like Good are right in the middle of jobs and services, so they help minimize driving and the exhaust that goes along with it.  It is a great honor  and we will be looking forward to the May 7 Awards ceremony.

Steve

Another good thing that came out of the neighborhood meeting on Monday night was meeting Harry. He lives nearby on E Street and is starting up a community garden of sorts along the side of his apartment complex. He already has an area mulched and has space for several more gardeners to join in! If you live over at Harriet Lane, RiversSide, Metro Place or even Good and would be interested give Harry a call at 821-5748. It’s always fun meeting people who are jumping a little outside the norm and working to bring some changes (and good food) to the neighborhood around them!

Steve

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.

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.

We will be touring the Good project this Friday, between 4:30 and 6:30.

Our last completed home of the first stage is scheduled to be closing escrow within the next couple of weeks, so we thought that this might be a good opportunity for those of you who are interested in viewing one of our finished homes before the next phase is done. It will also be a chance to tour the community and get a sneak peak of the new Medium model that is still under construction.

If you are interested in finding out more about what goes into Good (whether you are looking to buy or are just curious), make sure to drop by any time between 4:30 and 6:30 on Friday.

If your Friday evenings are more exciting than ours (which is a pretty simple feat), we will be hosting another tour of the home and project again next week (we will keep you updated). As always, feel free to call us for a personal tour by appointment at 916-930-9400 x0.

Last month I got our electric bill and have to admit I was a bit ashamed. Well first let me tell you a little background on the story, we moved into the Good Project about 4 months ago now and were very excited that our utility bills were going to be super low compared to the standard efficiency home we were living in before. We now have solar panels and high efficiency appliances and all the other goodies crammed into the Good project. Anyway, month one came and went and we did not have an electricity bill so we called PG&E and they gave us their usual shpeal about new accounts and some paper mill that sent out bills being slow to respond. Month three rolls around and we finally got our first bill and I was ecstatic to see that we were only paying about a dollar a day in both gas and electricity. Yeah well apparently I am not that smart because what I forgot about the whole solar on the roof thing was the fact that our bill for electricity is set up on an annual billing cycle….Yeah so we were not actually being all that good with electricity after all, the real bill that I was finally able to get from PG&E was much higher. [Read more →]

One of the things that we really enjoy as a company is when we take this online community of people with a shared passion for all things “sustainable” and get them together for real. It’s what I believe the internet is really for after all. Connecting people.

Starting in mid March we are going to host a new series at the Good project called What Makes Good? At least 3 times a month we are going to have a different person give a presentation on topics that may vary from things like LEED certification and what it takes to be certified as a project to gardening in Sacramento (what to plant when) We may even pull in someone to teach a class on defensive bike riding in the urban core, or perhaps a movie now and again.

The events will be held at the Good project but occasionally when we think we are going to have a big crowd we will host at the Green Sacramento Shop.

When we say what makes good we don’t just mean the Good project that is just one example of how to live a good green lifestyle we will be all over the map with new ways to live out your passion.

Look for an announcement over the next few days in your email (if you are signed up on the top right of this page) We will be letting you know the what when and where for the first of What Makes Good?

And so we get the ball rolling right now in 100 words or less comment below your answer to What Makes Good?

Ready? Go.

Levi