Does anyone know about NC mountain towns?

[IslandBillsFan]

All good comments thus far.  I went to Appstate from 2000-2004.  It is a nice college town but obviously when school is in session there are a lot of students around.  GA, NC, VA, TN, and WV all have good mountain homes.  

 

In general I think you can get about 10 or 15 mins from any mountain town and feel like you are in the absolute wilderness with only a short drive to get back to stores, restaurants, and businesses.  

 

Not sure exactly what you are looking for but if it was me, I would look to a place that is remote enough for privacy with still the convenience to be a short drive back to civilization.

 

I've been to Asheville several times in the last few years.  Just my opinion but the town has grown so much and is very touristy in recent years.  I would look towards other areas than Asheville.  

 

Feel free to reach out with any questions.  I still know Boone, Blowing Rock, Linville, and Banner Elk pretty well.

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

1 hour ago, IslandBillsFan said:

All good comments thus far.  I went to Appstate from 2000-2004.  It is a nice college town but obviously when school is in session there are a lot of students around.  GA, NC, VA, TN, and WV all have good mountain homes.  

 

In general I think you can get about 10 or 15 mins from any mountain town and feel like you are in the absolute wilderness with only a short drive to get back to stores, restaurants, and businesses.  

 

Not sure exactly what you are looking for but if it was me, I would look to a place that is remote enough for privacy with still the convenience to be a short drive back to civilization.

 

I've been to Asheville several times in the last few years.  Just my opinion but the town has grown so much and is very touristy in recent years.  I would look towards other areas than Asheville.  

 

Feel free to reach out with any questions.  I still know Boone, Blowing Rock, Linville, and Banner Elk pretty well.

 

 

Have you been to Mast General Store?    Cool little place.   We would shop here when we camped across the street

 

 

[IslandBillsFan]

4 hours ago, SlimShady'sSpaceForce said:

 

 

Have you been to Mast General Store?    Cool little place.   We would shop here when we camped across the street

 

 

 

Been many times.  Cool place.  Have a couple locations now.  

[RochesterRob]

17 hours ago, Augie said:

 

Good point. I saw a video once about walking thru fields in Florida and how many snakes you pass without knowing it. I realize MOST are harmless and more afraid of you than you are of them, but that video still sticks with me decades later. They are not ALL harmless.  I’ve had to worry about alligators and my dogs, but bears would be something new!

 

We stayed with friends in Blowing Rock c couple weeks ago and he took us to trails and lakes along the Blue Ridge Parkway and elsewhere that they bike, kayak and walk. He’s a “nature guy” who back packs and camps. I’m more of a paved path kinda guy, but you never know what you will run into. 

 

My sister travels all over and would camp in state and national parks, while we are more of a mind that a nice Hyatt or Marriott is a good way to go.  

 

 

 

.

  Although extremely rare bears can be found in WNY and typically in Southern Tier counties.  Rattlesnakes can be found along the Genesee River from its source in PA into Letchworth Park but sightings are rare.  I remember while at college down in Alfred, NY taking a hiking course to satisfy my gym requirement.  A high back shoe or boot was recommended as a degree of protection should you encounter a rattlesnake.  I never saw any snake but the weather turned cool early that fall.  

[sherpa]

With full understanding that it doesn't directly provide an answer, depending in how much time you plan to spend there, have you considered simply finding a rental you like?

We do a Thanksgiving thing every year in the Virginia mountains with kids, grand kid etc, and have a great time without the issue of non occupied ownership, transaction costs and real estate taxes.

If we were going up there every week it would be different, but if once a month or so, I would consider finding a place I really liked and working out a rental deal.

[Augie]

30 minutes ago, IslandBillsFan said:

 

Been many times.  Cool place.  Have a couple locations now.  

 

Our Blowing Rock friends took us by one (in Boone, I think?) and told us it was “a thing”. I wanted to stop in out of curiosity but we had dinner reservations and kept going. Next trip, probably in the fall to get some of that experience.  Tricky since we’d want to see our friends and benefit from their local knowledge, but we don’t want to feel like mooches and have it look like we are inviting ourselves to stay with them again. Probably get an AirBNB for the best of both worlds, tell them we’re coming after it’s booked.  

[Lurker]

6 hours ago, IslandBillsFan said:

I've been to Asheville several times in the last few years.  Just my opinion but the town has grown so much and is very touristy in recent years. 

 

+1

 

Ashville used to be my favorite place in NC, but it's outgrown its charm as all the "best places rated" stories drew more people there...

 

 

Edited September 2, 2020 by Lurker

[Augie]

3 minutes ago, sherpa said:

With full understanding that it doesn't directly provide an answer, depending in how much time you plan to spend there, have you considered simply finding a rental you like?

We do a Thanksgiving thing every year in the Virginia mountains with kids, grand kid etc, and have a great time without the issue of non occupied ownership, transaction costs and real estate taxes.

If we were going up there every week it would be different, but if once a month or so, I would consider finding a place I really liked and working out a rental deal.

 

It would be her goal to spend entire summers up there. It would be my goal to spend the rest of the year in Sarasota, FL  unless our son remains in Atlanta. In that case I might rent in Sarasota in the winters. She hates the heat, and I hate the cold. Our kids say growing up in Buffalo scarred me. There may be something to that.....  ?‍♂️

 

Good thought, and we’ll be renting until we figure things out. 

3 minutes ago, Lurker said:

 

+1

 

Ashville used to be my favorite place in NC, but it's outgrown its charm as all the "best places rated" stories drew more people there...

 

 

 

Our son will be having his “public wedding” at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville next year. They go up there quite a bit. Even on furlough from Omni in Atlanta she got a dirt cheap employee rate and her family has been going up there forever.  I still like Asheville a lot, but I’ve seen towns that are so nice they get ruined because of it. Nashville also worries me in this respect. 

[Augie]

On 9/1/2020 at 12:00 PM, ICanSleepWhenI'mDead said:

There are a few ski resorts in the NC mountains.  I haven't visited them, but if you're looking for towns at elevation for cooler summer weather you might want to check out the areas close to the ski resorts to see if any of them are big enough to satisfy you.

 

Proximity to a ski resort might offer winter rental opportunities when you don't plan to be there anyway if that matters to you (sounds like it probably doesn't).

 

Good luck with the search.

 

 

 

Thanks!

 

Some of the most interesting lots I’ve found sell a ski view and a couple are even on Ski Acres Dr in Blowing Rock. Direct view of the slopes and yes, it might be a good selling point if we ever decide to rent in the winter (or summer for that matter). Good point! 

 

The weird part is I find what looks like good lots with good views, all 1/2 to 3 acres, but the prices don’t seem to match the lot size or view and location. There are either misleading view photos, infrastructure issues, questions about will the site perk (qualify for septic system) for the number of bedrooms we want, is the road too difficult to get access, too remote, etc. Some of these sites have been on the market for several years. It’s a mess of a market!  More questions than answers. 

 

Working as a review appraiser years ago I saw lots across the country that actually had NEGATIVE value. Say a typical neighborhood lot had a $10,000 value. If the terrain is so difficult the foundation it will cost $12k to make it buildable, you have property that costs more to use than replace with another property, but you still need to pay the taxes and have some level of insurance. Negative value. Ouch! 

 

I am aware that there is a ton that I don’t know going into a totally foreign market. It’s kind of exciting, and we are in no hurry. I love this stuff! 

 

 

[Lurker]

12 hours ago, Augie said:

I am aware that there is a ton that I don’t know going into a totally foreign market. It’s kind of exciting, and we are in no hurry. I love this stuff! 

 

I'm in the same boat.   We're looking for a nice, quite retirement landing spot but worry about 'buyers remorse' without having enough local knowledge to differentiate quaint from tourist trap.

 

One place I want to put on my explore list is Highlands, NC.     I love mountains and temperate climate.     I worry that, like Ashville, it gets over-run by tourists in the summertime (the population supposedly goes from 1,200 to 18,000+).    

 

https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/highlands-macon-nc/

 

https://www.highlandschamber.org/

[Wnybricky]

On 9/1/2020 at 11:49 AM, Augie said:

 

Was it hot in Raleigh, or around Blowing Rock/GFM? Raleigh is a much lower elevation and I can imagine that being sticky in the summer. We had fabulous weather in Blowing Rock/Boone, especially after having spent the previous week in Florida. 

 

I’m guessing we will buy a lot somewhere in the mountains and wait to build something modest down the road. I have a good idea of what we’d want, and I doubt we find that already built. 

Raleigh is hell

[Fires]

On 9/1/2020 at 11:39 AM, Augie said:

 

It looks like Franklin is about the same elevation as Asheville at around 2,000 feet. I’m told you need to get to 3,500-4,000+ elevation to get to the cool summers. I don’t know this to be true, but it makes sense. We have a neighbor who has a place in Cashiers and they love it. The “town” itself looks tiny, but it’s only about 10 miles (20 minutes?) from the very nice (but wet) town of Highlands. We have spent 8 summer days in Highlands on various trips. It rained on 7 of those days, and threatened on the 8th. 

 

We will be all about the cool air and the view. I’ll need to restrain myself in terms of holding back on how much house. Just enough for us and a few guests with an open floor plan and outdoor living space. 

 

I’ll need to look into Glenville. So many quaint little town we have some homework to do! Blowing Rock is quaint at a good elevation and only about 15 minutes to the larger Boone with App State. That would be the leader in the clubhouse at this point, but I don’t want to leap without knowing all the possibilities. 

   My house is at 3500 feet, its a 20 minute drive to Franklin. It's 10 degrees cooler than town too. We looked at Asheville, Blowing Rock and Boone. My son lives near there in Lenoir. Sylva and Waynesville are nice areas too. Franklin is less expensive, lots of activities, and only a couple hours drive from Atlanta, and 1 hour to Asheville. Check out Bald head Realty. He's a good realtor if your interested.

[Augie]

58 minutes ago, Lurker said:

 

I'm in the same boat.   We're looking for a nice, quite retirement landing spot but worry about 'buyers remorse' without having enough local knowledge to differentiate quaint from tourist trap.

 

One place I want to put on my explore list is Highlands, NC.     I love mountains and temperate climate.     I worry that, like Ashville, it gets over-run by tourists in the summertime (the population supposedly goes from 1,200 to 18,000+).    

 

https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/highlands-macon-nc/

 

https://www.highlandschamber.org/

 

Highlands is very nice and worth checking out. It’s very convenient to us coming from Atlanta. My wife worked with some people who had houses there and go almost every weekend. One of these people warned us that it is actually a rainforest. I learned he was not kidding. (Look it up.) They get about 81” of rain annually vs a more normal 55” in Blowing Rock. On various summer trips to/thru Highlands we’ve spent I think 8 total days there. It rained most of 7 days, and threatened on the 8th to the point we wore raincoats all day in anticipation. 

 

Cool is great, but not if it’s always raining. Nice little town, though. 

[Lurker]

20 minutes ago, Augie said:

 

Highlands is very nice and worth checking out. It’s very convenient to us coming from Atlanta. My wife worked with some people who had houses there and go almost every weekend. One of these people warned us that it is actually a rainforest. I learned he was not kidding. (Look it up.) They get about 81” of rain annually vs a more normal 55” in Blowing Rock. On various summer trips to/thru Highlands we’ve spent I think 8 total days there. It rained most of 7 days, and threatened on the 8th to the point we wore raincoats all day in anticipation. 

 

Cool is great, but not if it’s always raining. Nice little town, though. 

 

Thanks.   That's the kind of local knowledge that's so hard to come by.

 

Edited September 3, 2020 by Lurker

[Fires]

Several things I went through when buying my house. Views, activities nearby, peace and quiet, good neighbors, escape the summer heat but still have 4 seasons, no or low homeowners association fee, good water, decent taxes., close to town, within an hour of Interstate  highway, and commercial airport. Franklin/Highlands/Cashiers/Glenville  fit those criteria. Ok. May get afternoon thunderstorms in summer, but make plans around it and you're good. There's a ski area in Sapphire, and you're not far from Maggie Valley to enjoy snow sports. If from Atlanta area its convenient. Plus can still drive a few hours to watch the Bills play in Charlotte or Nashville, or 6 hours to Jacksonville. Clemson, Western Carolina, Georgia, Tenn, Mars Hill, and App State within a couple hours too. 

[Augie]

3 minutes ago, Fires said:

Several things I went through when buying my house. Views, activities nearby, peace and quiet, good neighbors, escape the summer heat but still have 4 seasons, no or low homeowners association fee, good water, decent taxes., close to town, within an hour of Interstate  highway, and commercial airport. Franklin/Highlands/Cashiers/Glenville  fit those criteria. Ok. May get afternoon thunderstorms in summer, but make plans around it and you're good. There's a ski area in Sapphire, and you're not far from Maggie Valley to enjoy snow sports. If from Atlanta area its convenient. Plus can still drive a few hours to watch the Bills play in Charlotte or Nashville, or 6 hours to Jacksonville. Clemson, Western Carolina, Georgia, Tenn, Mars Hill, and App State within a couple hours too. 

 

We’ve done Highlands/Cashiers (among other areas) and still need to check out Franklin and Glenville. You have a good criteria list, and you started with the most important thing to me: a great view! The rest is very important too. I don’t want to be too remote. Some places have great views but long winding access roads (MUST be paved) that takes you too far from town/restaurants/shopping, etc. 

 

The leader in the clubhouse would be Blowing Rock (small and quaint) and Boone (much bigger college town with real shopping only about 15 minutes away), hopefully somewhere in between. Plus, we have some very good friends who spend most of their time there, so that’s nice.

 

We still have a lot of investigating to do, so we are taking our time. I lean towards finding the right land and building exactly what we want. It would not be a full time place for us, so nothing too elaborate but enough room for guests and my son and DIL when they start a family (married last month). During lockdown they mostly lived at her parents vacation place on Lake Oconee which is fabulous, but all about the golf without cool summer weather. 

 

One concern is the cost of building mountain places. I need to get educated there, too. I have reviewed appraisals of lots that actually have NEGATIVE value. Say lots in a neighborhood sell for $10k, but this lot is so steep the foundation alone will cost $12k and other lots don’t have that expense....but you still have to pay taxes, fees, possibly HOA, etc. No thank you. 

[Lurker]

3 hours ago, Augie said:

Say lots in a neighborhood sell for $10k, but this lot is so steep the foundation alone will cost $12k and other lots don’t have that expense....but you still have to pay taxes, fees, possibly HOA, etc. No thank you. 

 

IDK.   Capitalize the view or other locational advantage vs. the other lots and maybe its a wash.   Higher resale value might recapture those upfront costs...

[Augie]

1 minute ago, Lurker said:

 

IDK.   Capitalize the view or other locational advantage vs. the other lots and maybe its a wash.   Higher resale value might recapture those upfront costs...

 

That could be a possibility, but I have reviewed appraisals from most states in the country. (I had to get a license in multiple states in a money grab - to “review” in our state is “appraisal work”, so you need to pay $500 for a license in our state.) I have found many legitimate cases where this was a fact. In certain areas it’s not even uncommon. I did this for a living for quite a while. It happens, I promise.  

[Steve O]

On 9/2/2020 at 12:17 PM, Lurker said:

 

+1

 

Ashville used to be my favorite place in NC, but it's outgrown its charm as all the "best places rated" stories drew more people there...

 

 

Several years ago...probably 15-20, I heard that the happiest women in the country were from Asheville. Plus two other cities that I've forgotten. My brother has lived there the past 35 years. Probably 10 degrees cooler in the summer than the middle of the state. Lots of microbreweries. Sorry to hear it has lost its charm.

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]