Pristine Mountain Cottage

This special Black Mountain cottage is pristinely maintained and offers its new owners an enviable location, just a five minute walk from the town of Black Mountain and Lake Tomahawk.

The three bedroom, two bath home features gleaming hardwoods and an up-to-date kitchen with granite countertops.

While it would make a wonderful second home or retirement home, it also can be used as an in-town rental property.  For more information on this cottage or other Asheville real estate property, please contact Greybeard Realty.

With the rental restrictions, many Realtors reported that homebuyers looking for second homes were often deterred by the rental restrictions.  It is not unusual for people planning to retire in Buncombe County to buy a home prior to retirement and put it into the rental market until they are ready to relocate to the area permanently.  The restrictions meant that was no longer a legal option.

Rental Restrictions for Buncombe County revized.

With the commissioners’ action which allows rentals countywide, homeowners will now have that option restored.  In addition, visitors to the Asheville area will have more rental properties from which to choose.  Many tourists prefer to stay in a home and have a more authentic mountain cabin experience than a hotel room may provide.

For more information about Asheville area homes and rental properties, please contact Greybeard Realty.

Check out real time weather at Greybeard's webcam

With the arrival of the autumnal equinox comes varying weather in the Asheville area.  Greybeard’s webcam lets you see road conditions in real time.  As a property owner, do you need to know when the cold hits so you can winterize your home?  Are you worried about whether roads are passable? As a potential buyer are you eager to see what winter means in Black Mountain?  If so, tune in to our webcam and vicariously enjoy a beautiful mountain day.

For more information or to explore real estate offerings in the Asheville area, please contact Greybeard Realty.

Presently used as a five bedroom home, the home has a lower level that can be used as a self-contained apartment.  The first level features a master suite and an open floor plan with large gathering rooms and a deck. 

Pristine mountain home in Montreat on the market.

 With the intercom/alarm systems and top of the line appliances, this uniquely built, half-log-construction home offers mountain simplicity with modern amenities on a gently sloping site. 

In addition to the visible external eco-friendly elements, this home also has a geothermal heating/cooling system that utilizes the property’s well water. In addition, the log-structure-enclosed generator provides power to selected appliances including the gas fireplace heater, ensuring that residents remain safe and secure in the event of a power loss.

To experience the special tranquility of this superior home, please contact Greybeard to arrange a showing. 

The interest in smaller homes can be understood given the recent tightening of mortgage restrictions, making it even more difficult to finance these larger homes.  In addition, with the national decline of  home values in the current economy, those hoping to upgrade to a McMansion may find it harder to get their value out of their existing home.

McMansions may be on the way out.

This trend toward to smaller homes is even making its way into the second home market.  In major markets across the country, developers are moving away from large vacation homes and moving toward smaller, more compact homes. Again, financing a second home can be more challenging than in the past, and potential homeowners seem to be looking for value and convenience over opulence.

In addition to being more difficult to finance, these larger homes, both primary and second homes, are more expensive to furnish, heat and upkeep, all of which is making the move away from super-sized homes more appealing.

Locally, since 2005, the number of larger homes sold has decreased in Buncombe County.  In 2005, 140 homes of 4,000 sq. ft. and 57 homes of 5,000 sq. ft. sold.  In 2010, those numbers of units sold had decreased to 93 units and 30 units respectfully. For more information or help in choosing the right sized home in the Asheville area, please contact Greybeard Realty.

It’s interesting to note, however, that these numbers were influenced by a spike in home sales in the West which economists feel have skewed the numbers toward the positive.  Also, it’s important to note that while there was in increase, it was still down significantly from its peak of 1.283 million-units in 2005.

What do the numbers mean?

With the surge in the West leading the way, the supply of new homes declined to its lowest level since last April.  In addition, the median home price for the period of $241,500 showed an increased to the highest mark since April of 2008. 

Closer to home, Buncombe County Realtors sold $49 million worth of homes during December which was the highest sales volume for homes in the last five months. 

These numbers alone are not enough to indicate a increasing trend, but coupled with the recent stock market rise and the decision by the Federal Reserve to maintain the low interest rates available, it may be seen as a small sign of hope for the new home sales market. For assistance in the Asheville real estate market, please contact us.

Farm Life at Warren Wilson College

The magazine ranks the colleges based on each college’s responses to an 11 page questionnaire. Topics surveyed include energy supply, efficiency, food, and academics plus other categories.  Warren Wilson, which the article says gets one third of its food from farms within 500 miles of campus including from its own six-acre organic garden, scored 81.8 out of 100.  The number one school, Green Mountain College of Vermont, scored an 86.8.

Warren Wilson College boasts that “We are not for everyone…” and offers a unique triad approach to education: academics, work, and service.  The accredited, four-year, private liberal arts college was founded in 1894 with a philosophy of sustainability.  With this latest ranking, it seems that that philosophy has remained with the school for more than 100 years.

At Greybeard Realty, we pay attention to sustainability as well.  We offer a complete list of green homes available in the Asheville Real Estate market. Sharon McConnaughy, our sales agent specializing in environmentally conscious homes, can help steer you toward environmentally sound homes in the Asheville area.  For more information please contact her.

Andie MacDowell, Asheville Neighbor

The most recent top ten listing comes from Barron’s, the weekly business publication, and highlights the top ten places for second homes in the U.S. The article cites one real estate expert as noting that in addition to a good R&R site, investors are now on the prowl for solid investments as well.  The article points out that the decline in prices of luxury homes, in these second home markets, seems to have bottomed out.

Asheville came in at #9 on the list, trailing Maui, Kiawah Island, SC, and The Hamptons which finished 1,2,3 respectively.   Barron used as its criteria “gorgeous homes, spectacular views, world-class fishing and skiing, fine dining and great shopping.”  It also cautions that the rankings are somewhat subjective as are house styles, and that a return on investment in buying one of these homes may take a while. For Asheville, they list the median luxury home at $700,000, representing a 38% decline from peak pricing.   As a bonus, the article also notes the most famous movie star who could be your potential neighbor.  In the instance of Asheville, it is actress Andie MacDowell.  If you are a Barron’s subscriber, you can read the full article.  If you want to look for your own luxury home in a top ten setting, please contact Greybeard Realty.

Home sales volume declined 17% in Buncombe County in 2009.  In Black Mountain, home sales volume fell 8% for the same period.

Greybeard Realty, Black Mountain, NC

For Greybeard founder Chip Craig, his company’s increase in sales volume directly links with his company’s focus on advanced technology and expertise.  He notes that nationally 87% of home buyers use the internet while searching for new homes.  In the last year, he has noticed a strong increase in web visits to the Greybeard website with 65% of his company’s web traffic coming from outside of North Carolina.

“Our web traffic is up 85% for 2009,” he says.  “In terms of page views, we are up 137% which means visitors are exploring more of our site.  We have done quite a bit of search engine optimization to ensure that our site appears at the top of Google and Bing (two heavily used search sites).”

Greybeard utilizes the internet to market itself through paid website banners and has increased this exposure in the last year while other companies have had to reduce advertising expenditures.

Also adding to the upward trend is the company’s commitment to rental properties.  With more than 250 homes under the rental management division of Greybeard, the company also receives exposure to many potential buyers who have increased interest in home buying after a rental stay in the Asheville area.

While he can cite statistics that support the positive numbers during the difficult economy, perhaps the greatest company asset, Craig admits, is the intangible one offered by the company itself.

“Since the company started in 1999, we have focused on personal attention and trying to understand the needs of each buyer and seller,” Craig says.  “While we are competing with large, national companies with hundreds of sales agents, we have made a commitment to have a small group of qualified, dedicated brokers.  We have 10 sales agents, each of them with direct ties to the community.  Some of them grew up here, and all of them have a genuine interest in the community.”

With recent sales figures showing that the area real estate market may be trending toward more positive numbers, Greybeard remains dedicated to assisting interested buyers and sellers with individualized service.

A statewide voluntary certification program, HealthyBuilt Homes offers a recognized green certification, technical assistance, field consultation, and other services that enable small and medium sized home builders to increase their green building expertise. These builders become more efficient and build better green homes and eco-conscious Asheville home buyers win! Help the environment, help the local economy and live in a beautiful home in Asheville.

Here are some Healthy Built homes in Asheville and the area:

33 WORDSWORTH ROAD Black Mountain

37 Shady Park Lane Asheville

There are also many homes in Asheville with recent green technology updates. This one is particularly notable: 250 North Griffing Boulevard Asheville