[Strawbale] Straw Bale Resale?

[Erica Konrad]

we sold a strawbale home in fernie, british columbia (a little ski town in 
the Rockies) last April. we did list on the greenbuilder site which i think 
is great but it came down to going with a real estate agent. she approached 
it like any other home, and most that came through loved the uniqueness 
(post and beam with straw infill) and the fact it was different from any 
other house they were looking at. it took 9 months to sell but we were in no 
rush. the buyers were certainly not strawbale enthusiasts as far as we know 
but they loved the home and the feel  of it and bought because it was like 
no other home they had looked at.

my advice would be to find a real estate agent (if you have no luck 
yourself - we tried on our own but we couldn't get the volume in needed) who 
is enthusiastic about your house and who will sell the benefits of straw but 
also treat it like any other home on the market.
erica
New Denver, B.C.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Neeley" <dbneeley at gmail.com>
To: "billc" <billc_lists at greenbuilder.com>
Cc: <SB-r-us at yahoogroups.com>; <STRAWBALE at listserv.repp.org>
Sent: Friday, February 23, 2007 7:29 AM
Subject: Re: [Strawbale] Straw Bale Resale?


> The greenbuilder list is certaily worthwhile.
>
> However, I would also seek to get an article in the local papers,
> since strawbale houses are still very much a rarity. If you can get
> someone from the local "homes" section--or a freelance--interested in
> doing a story, you will find people "coming out of the woodwork" to
> see it that would otherwise perhaps not consider purchasing such a
> house. There is probably also a local magazine devoted to homes and
> such that might also be a good target (it appears that "San Diego At
> Home" is published bimonthly within "San Diego Magazine", for
> example).
>
> There are, perhaps, only about ten percent of the potential buyers
> that will seriously entertain purchasing such a house. On the other
> hand, there are far less than ten percent of the available houses that
> are similar!
>
> I think you'll find that building such a house is the province of a
> very small number of folks, even among those who would consider buying
> it. Therefore, you may find it an advantage offering one that is
> prebuilt.
>
> This all comes as a part of taking advantage of the differences rather
> than trying to hide them. The key, though, is getting exposure to the
> market at large.
>
> There are a number of approaches that could make such an article of
> interest to editors. Focus on the beauty and rarity of this house in
> its lovely setting, and you may find it of more interest than you
> might imagine.
>
> David
>
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