Asheville Realtors oppose steep slopes legislation

Bankers and Stock Brokers oppose rules and regulations. GREEED KILLS! Shame on this person, they are not thinking about home owners, they are only worried about money.Shame on you and your group.

Since when did making a buck become more important than human life!

Forgive me if I fail to be moved to sympathy for the plight of Realtors in Asheville.

As I see it, one of our biggest problems in this society, as evidenced by the ill-advised public declaration of the letter writer, is that we have a wannabe pseudo-elitist segment of the workforce who depend wholly on the labor of others for their sustenance, and therefore have been blinded by a kind of nihilistic self-interest that has rendered them functionaly incapable of distinguishing right from wrong, and they then act out their unfortunate dysfunction in ways that are harmful to their fellow citizens.

The real estate and development industry is a prime example of just such a group of people.

The purpose of "regulation" is to protect the general populace from these narcissistic exploiters by forcing them to do that which they are seemingly incapable of doing voluntarily, which is to apply a minimum standard of morality, ethics, and common sense to their business affairs.

Remember, it was the LACK of regulation and oversight that led to the financial fiasco we find ourselves in today, courtesy of those who sought to enrich themselves at the expense of the common good.

Don't be fooled into doing their bidding once again. It is THEIR (rather grandiose) quality of life that they are concerned about ... not yours.

Realtors oppose steep slope legislation. What a surprise. Notice there are two letters in a row from real estate apologists in two counties. We need state government to talk to them just as President Obama spoke to the kings of banking when they came to the White House last week. I'm sure those guys are still reeling in shock because no one ever talked to them like that before.

Realtors, like those in the financial industry, care about one thing and one thing only: making as much money as they can, regardless of environmental destruction, unsafe slope development, community asthetics or anything else. Just pure, unadulterated greed and self-centeredness.

As others point out, these people, like bankers, don't produce anything. They're like parasites draining the blood of their host.

We need much stronger steep-slope controls.

Be A Hero wrote:

Forgive me if I fail to be moved to sympathy for the plight of Realtors in Asheville.
As I see it, one of our biggest problems in this society, as evidenced by the ill-advised public declaration of the letter writer, is that we have a wannabe pseudo-elitist segment of the workforce who depend wholly on the labor of others for their sustenance, and therefore have been blinded by a kind of nihilistic self-interest that has rendered them functionaly incapable of distinguishing right from wrong, and they then act out their unfortunate dysfunction in ways that are harmful to their fellow citizens.
The real estate and development industry is a prime example of just such a group of people.
The purpose of "regulation" is to protect the general populace from these narcissistic exploiters by forcing them to do that which they are seemingly incapable of doing voluntarily, which is to apply a minimum standard of morality, ethics, and common sense to their business affairs.
Remember, it was the LACK of regulation and oversight that led to the financial fiasco we find ourselves in today, courtesy of those who sought to enrich themselves at the expense of the common good.
Don't be fooled into doing their bidding once again. It is THEIR (rather grandiose) quality of life that they are concerned about ... not yours.

I never heard of any realtor putting a gun to anyones head and forcing them to buy and sign a mortgage. Get real.
Realtors ae excelellent at looking out for folks. One of the only industrys I know that actually have a code of ethics, something most of the letter writers here could use.

SouthernDrawl wrote:

Waynesville, NC and Hiawassee, GA are two of the most unattractive towns in this area because of slope development. Vistas that once greeted us as we rounded curves now sport a pox of residences on the mountainsides. It takes a saint not to wish every one of these places would slide down the hillsides and allow, once again, a poem of trees to replace them. Once developers and realtors have destroyed the mountains, we will have a different sort of economic decline. Why not control it now, while we can preserve the beauty of these hills?

As we look up and regard the now populated ridges and hills as "ugly" with the mega-homes, let us not forget to also look down and see the mess we've below. While I certainly do not support the silly "summer homes" being built in irresponsible areas like the ridge-lines, I find it tough to believe that anyone who has spent their outrageous sums of money on those homes is the kind that would then follow-up their investments by launching their Bud Light cans (or pick your favorite beer flavor) out the car window and onto the road.

Side note to this story, and moral of my rant is: the finger points both ways! We can't accuse others of "uglifying" our area while we ourselves do the same... just in a different spot.

Ronald Frobnitz wrote:

Realtors oppose steep slope legislation. What a surprise. Notice there are two letters in a row from real estate apologists in two counties. We need state government to talk to them just as President Obama spoke to the kings of banking when they came to the White House last week. I'm sure those guys are still reeling in shock because no one ever talked to them like that before.

What loopy spin. Obama is in bed with the bankers.

Nacherly. After all those properties can be churned for tidy profits by the realtors because anybody who lives in one won't stay there for long. Too much risk of tumbling down the hill.

Hello all, I gotta chime in here to say this Realtor is all for steep slope regulation! The board does not speak for all of us and I feel that it is very irresponsible to build in a manner that damages the local slopes and contributes to poor water quality due to runoff issues etc. To use the argument of poor economic times to justify looser regulation is a sad one. There is never a right time to do the wrong thing and never a wrong time to do the right thing! My motivation is not greed but to help people. I sold a home to a single mom recently and the absolute joy she expressed when we got her the home was just amazing. Here was a person that thought she'd never be able to own a home and I was able to help her find a great (responsible) lender and help her find the right property. Alternately, I have helped families that needed to move due to a job transfer and was able to sell their home quickly and with no hassle - My work greatly increased the quality of these individuals lives and relieved them of a burden (the actual act of handling the transaction) they were not trained to accomplish. I am doing this to earn an honest living and is is a disservice and very simple minded to lump all Realtors into a category of being greedy. The training we must continuously undergo to be able to navigate the very confusing and often changing laws and regulations to protect our clients is quite demanding yet we must do it to keep our licenses intact. Keep in mind this is a 100% commission job and for me it is a labor of love. Who knows, one day you might need to buy or sell a home and I'm sure you will want the services of a true professional. Believe me there are more professionals than there are greedy people out there. Again, the board does not speak for all Realtors.

its some greed & some trying to keep the job. The Realtors are like the UAW, they were necessary at some point but have out lived their usefulness. Now their lobbying does nothing to help out average Americans, its all about driving sales.

And not all Realtors are the same, did you know that if a Company is a member of any Board of Realtors then all their agents have to be Realtor? Thats sad but true, so anyone that goes to work for that company is essentially forced to join the Board of Realtors. Great way to increase the numbers i guess but just a typical tactic.

These ranges of mountains are the oldest in the world and have survived. Now with greed, they are being destroyed.
"I think that I shall see nothing as lovely as a tree"

Erosion, water supply, slides, insurance----chit rolls downhill in more way than one. No, they should not develop in the manner of which they are doing now with no thought to the long term damage.

Sell This wrote:

<quoted text>
I never heard of any realtor putting a gun to anyones head and forcing them to buy and sign a mortgage. Get real.
Realtors ae excelellent at looking out for folks. One of the only industrys I know that actually have a code of ethics, something most of the letter writers here could use.

LOL. I've had my laugh for the day.

Keep in mind that most of the robberies perpetrated in this country are not committed behind the barrel of a gun. Or maybe you haven't read the news lately.

But don't despair. You are actually right about two things: First, Realtors do, in fact, have a code of ethics, it's just that they work so diligently at not letting it get in their way; and secondly, they are indeed excellent at "looking out for folks" ... themselves.

What all the anti-slope people need to do is insist that the Buncombe County Bd of Commissars condemn all the houses in Sondley, Sunset Mountain, Reynolds Mt., etc., and bulldoze them.(I wouldn't wait for that to happen though).
In case you haven't noticed.....the valleys are full. We live in a slope area so....high rises? moratorium on all construction? We've got the government that wants money lent to anybody that wants an abode on the one hand, while treehuggers don't want another structure put up anywhere. Which way to go?

The Right Thing wrote:

<quoted text>
What loopy spin. Obama is in bed with the bankers.

I have pretty much learned to ignore Ronald. He is just another partisan party hack. And know I'm not just pointing fingers at the Dem's, you have them on both sides of the aisle. Whatever his party dos is 100 percent right and the other guy is 100 percent wrong. Nothing new here.

squidlyman wrote:

<quoted text>
As we look up and regard the now populated ridges and hills as "ugly" with the mega-homes, let us not forget to also look down and see the mess we've below. While I certainly do not support the silly "summer homes" being built in irresponsible areas like the ridge-lines, I find it tough to believe that anyone who has spent their outrageous sums of money on those homes is the kind that would then follow-up their investments by launching their Bud Light cans (or pick your favorite beer flavor) out the car window and onto the road.
Side note to this story, and moral of my rant is: the finger points both ways! We can't accuse others of "uglifying" our area while we ourselves do the same... just in a different spot.

You're dead right on this one. Lots of blight and squallor "down below".

Mtnbred wrote:

These ranges of mountains are the oldest in the world and have survived. Now with greed, they are being destroyed.
"I think that I shall see nothing as lovely as a tree"
Erosion, water supply, slides, insurance----chit rolls downhill in more way than one. No, they should not develop in the manner of which they are doing now with no thought to the long term damage.

They were destroyed once by the loggers, and rebounded with resiliency.

Should things not go "well" up on the ridge line for the priveledged few, the mountains are resilient enough to rebound again. That doesn't justify the building ...I would just caution against "hysteria".

However ....any of you that might have been to Hawaii, and had opportunity to go all along the coastline on the eastern side of Oahu - you will easily testify to the blight and horror that monied mankind can wreak upon Natural Beauty. Oahu was raped by the monied few ... it can happen here, too.

There will always be stupid people doing stupid things, like putting a house where one shouldn't be. But how often do houses actually go tumbling down hillsides in wnc? Only one here recently that I can think of. That's why every county has building codes and a crew of people to enforce by doing inspections when the house is built.

For most of the commenters here today, I think it has less to do with concern for the safety of the poor, defenseless, vulnerable home buyer than it has to do with other people's freedom to do what they desire with their own property. If you want pristine, unsullied mountainsides, then buy the land and don't build. Or go to the Park.

One who knows wrote:

Bankers and Stock Brokers oppose rules and regulations. GREEED KILLS! Shame on this person, they are not thinking about home owners, they are only worried about money.Shame on you and your group.

Um NO,'they' are worried about substantial increased COSTS of building in order to comply with unnecessary regulation, but since you have so much money to buy with, it wont matter...

joe schmo wrote:

its some greed & some trying to keep the job. The Realtors are like the UAW, they were necessary at some point but have out lived their usefulness. Now their lobbying does nothing to help out average Americans, its all about driving sales.
And not all Realtors are the same, did you know that if a Company is a member of any Board of Realtors then all their agents have to be Realtor? Thats sad but true, so anyone that goes to work for that company is essentially forced to join the Board of Realtors. Great way to increase the numbers i guess but just a typical tactic.

The NAR, like the NAE is very controlling, and it costs a lot per year to satisfy the real estate mafia, just for the privilege of participating. Several hundred dollars per month, typically.