Back in February, we discussed the increased activity of Europeans interested in purchasing Boston real estate (see Europeans Buy Boston Real Estate), and recently, the National Association of Realtors released a survey discussing investment and vacation home purchases across the entire US, much of which chronicles the influx in foreign investment trends.

In spite of a decline in the total vacation and investment home sales, second-home sales accounted for 33% of transactions in 2007. Sales of vacation properties fell 30.6% to 740,000 in 2007 compared to the prior year which boasted a record 1.07 million, while investment-home sales fell 18.1% to 1.35 million (down from 1.65 million in 2006), according to NAR’s new Investment and Vacation Home Buyers Survey report. During this same time, primary residence sales declined 10% to 4.34 million in 2007 from 4.82 million in 2006. NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun cited the disappearance of speculators from the market as the reason for the decline, leaving the market to serious buyers. The disruption in the mortgage market and tightening of credit during the second half of 2007 also impacted this market sector, but lifestyle factors and strong demographics (including a peak of population in their prime years for buying recreational property), point to a positive outlook for the vacation home market. While U.S. buyers may be taking a wait and see attitude, foreign buyers are taking advantage of the weak U.S. dollar and are propping up second-home sales. Conversely, Inman News reports that U.S. buyers are looking abroad for their second home investment in such markets as Costa Rica, Belize or Mexico, taking advantage of newer resort markets where prices are still relatively low and the U.S. dollar can buy more than at home.

Given that the report chronicles a summer 2007 time period, the data is relatively old, however, the report provides insight into some high level buying trends that are interesting in and of itself.

Download (297 KB) the 2007 report on international homebuying activity in the United States.

Salt Lake City Utah is jumping on board with the current trend in the U.S. towards green / environmentally friendly products and services. Green consumers are everywhere and products that cater to them cover everything from cars to food. The green consumer is now a major demographic within most market segments, including the real estate market.

So what exactly are U.S. home builders doing to meet the demand of this new kind of consumer? It varies. Some builders are providing solutions that conserve energy and save water, while others are offering more extensive solutions that include the generation of energy from reusable resources and building materials from reclaimed materials. To illustrate this, lets take a look at the Salt Lake Real Estate market and a couple of their green housing developments.

Daybreak Utah, will be Utah’s largest ever new home development. When complete the development will incorporate 14,000 housing units, 1,000+ acres of open space, and a 85 acre lake. Even a development of this magnitude can be environmentally friendly. Green features include:

• All homes are fully energy star compliant, with high efficiency appliances, furnaces and windows.
• Storm water is captured before entering the drains and is used to charge the local aquifer.
• Secondary water is used for the lake and to irrigate the green spaces.
• In order to conserve water, green spaces are made up of local plants and grass is kept to a minimum.
• Homes with lots greater than 5,000 square feet are to have their irrigation systems connected to a local weather station.
• Strict guidelines for what type of plants and trees you can plant in your garden and limiting grass to no more than 60% of the total area.
• More than 50% of all building waste is recycled.

Radi8 Condos. Located just to the south of downtown Salt Lake City this new condo complex features many environmentally friendly features including:

• Solar panels providing the energy for heating and lighting in common spaces.
• High efficiency heating and cooling system utilizing a buried ground loop heat pump.
• Tankless hot water heaters.
• Building materials and paints made from low or no volatile organic compounds.
• 75% of construction waste to be recycled.
• Planted green rooftop to reduce urban heat island effect.
• Smart glass with heat mirror technology.

Green consumers are here to stay and if builders want their business, they will need to listen to requirements and build more environmentally friendly homes.

If you’ve been searching for a spacious and custom-built New England luxury estate, with all the perks and amenities, and want to enjoy a tax free (both income and sales) lifestyle, look no further than this 5,500+ square foot estate in Rye, New Hampshire (located just outside Portsmouth along the water).

This estate offers multiple exposure views of both the water and the Wentworth By The Sea Country Club. It boasts 4 bedrooms and 5.5 bathrooms, and exquisite craftsmanship throughout the 1999 custom design and build. The grand Colonial-style home sits on over an acre of lush green land that can be appreciated from multiple patios.

Membership is available at the Country Club, and the home boasts all of the toys and amenities that one could want (billiards room, hot tub, huge custom closets, gas fireplace in the master suite, chef’s kitchen, open floor plan for entertaining, etc.), and is located just over an hour’s drive outside downtown Boston along the Atlantic coast.

For more information, please visit the official listing page for this luxury New Hampshire estate.