Category Archives: Counties

Discover Whether You’ve Just Found the Highlands, NC Area Home of Your Dreams

Home buying in Western North Carolina can definitely be a stressful process for a lot of people.

After all, this is potentially one of the largest investments you’re ever going to make! You (understandably) want to make the right choice.

As your Highlands area real estate agent, I’m here to tell you that home buying doesn’t have to be as stressful as it seems.

So long as you’re working with an experienced Western NC REALTOR and you’re listening to your inner guidance, you can rest assured that you’ll be satisfied with any decision you make on the local housing market.

Continue reading to learn about some signs that you should keep out for as a Highlands area home buyer. These signs will let you know whether you have just found the home of your dreams or not!

Investing in Highlands, NC Real Estate

How will you know if the home you’re touring is the perfect fit for you and your family? Here are some indicators:

  • You see the home on the outside and immediately want to go inside. Don’t understand the power of curb appeal. If there’s something about this home’s exterior that draws you to want to go inside, that’s a good indication.
  • You’re amazed with the home as soon as you step through the door. It doesn’t take long for home buyers to get a positive or negative vibe from a home. If you’re pleased with the home’s interior as soon as you walk in, take note.
  • You’re already planning where your furniture could potentially go in the home. If you don’t just like the home but could actually see yourself living there, that’s a great sign. Take note if you’re already planning where your favorite piece of furniture will go in the home.
  • You have a feeling that the home would fit your family’s lifestyle well. Does the home have the appropriate number of bedrooms for you to live comfortably? Does it have the extra amenities that you were hoping for, such as an extra study or a bonus room? These logistics matter just as much as your initial impression of the home.
  • You don’t even feel like touring other homes anymore. If you’ve subconsciously already committed to the home you just looked at, you won’t likely be as excited as before about touring other homes in the area. That’s a strong indication you may have found the home for you.
  • You can’t wait to tell your friends and family about the home. As mentioned above, if you’ve subconsciously already decided on making an offer on the home, you likely won’t be shy about telling your loved ones about the new home that could be yours soon.

Homes for Sale in Western North Carolina

As I mentioned above, as long as you listen to your heart and work with a knowledgeable Highlands NC REALTOR, navigating the market as a home buyer won’t be nearly as stressful!

While I just helped you with the first part, I am here to tell you that I can also help you with the second part.

As an experienced REALTOR, I have worked for years on such local markets as:

To learn more about how my years of experience on the Western NC housing market can benefit you as a home buyer, contact me, Dorothy Swearingen, today!

Until next time,

Dorothy

Top Ways I Help Cashiers Area Home Sellers

For Western North Carolina home sellers, the first couple of weeks after you list your home on the market are critical when it comes to attracting Cashiers area home buyers.

That’s because home buyers in the Cashiers area love to hear about new listings on the local housing market.

Thus, it’s imperative for home sellers to seize on all the attention early on. Otherwise, home buyers’ attention will shift to the next new listing on the market in a couple of weeks.

As your Western North Carolina real estate expert, I understand just how important it is to attract home buyers immediately.

That’s why I launch an aggressive marketing campaign on your Cashiers area home for sale as soon as we start working together.

Continue reading to learn about my exclusive and comprehensive marketing plan for Western NC home sellers like you.

Homes for Sale in Cashiers, Highlands and Surround Area

Here are the top ways in which I get the word out about your new listing on the Cashiers area real estate market:

  • I include both interior and exterior photos of your home on your listing page. Nowadays, the majority of NC home buyers search for homes on the Internet before ever contacting a REALTOR. I make sure these home buyers develop a good idea of what your home has to offer by including several interior and exterior photos of your home. These photos emphasize your homes uniqueness as well as its spaciousness.
  • I develop virtual tours of your home. To further help the home buyer envision living in your Cashiers area home for sale, I often include virtual tours of your home online. This help the home buyer feel like they’re right there, walking through your home one room at a time. Many REALTORS agree, the virtual tour is a viable way of attracting prospective buyers to your home.
  • I utilize a diverse range of print and online advertising to market your Cashiers area home. The best way of finding the home buyer who will ultimately purchase your home is to cast out a large marketing net. That’s why I advertise your home in a variety of publications – from real estate magazines to online newspapers to everything in between!
  • I provide plenty of attractive and effective outdoor signage. While many home buyers prefer to search for their next home online, there are some who will drive around area neighborhoods looking for homes for sale. To attract these types of buyers, I place effective outdoor “For Sale” signage in your yard, which provides all the pertinent information such as contact information.
  • I hold Open Houses whenever feasible. Depending on the location of your home, open houses can be an effective marketing strategy for your Cashiers area home. We’ll discuss together if a Open House is the best way to use time and energy resources. At the very least, it may serve as a vehicle to increase exposure of your Western North Carolina home for sale.

List Your Western North Carolina Home for Sale Today!

While I’ve just mentioned the top ways in which I help home owners sell their homes quickly, it’s really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to my home selling marketing plan.

Contact me, Dorothy Swearingen, to learn more about how I can help you sell you home for top dollar in a relatively short amount of time.

While you’re at it, please feel free to browse some of these helpful home selling resources that I offer:

Until next time,

Dorothy

Historic Trail in the Highlands, NC Area to Receive $500,000 Worth of Improvements


Western North Carolina
is well known for celebrating and preserving its natural beauty.

And that reputation was solidified recently when Dry Fall Trails in Macon County  received $446,000 to stabilize and reconstruct the entire walking path.

While $208,000 came from the Federal Highways fund, about $258,000 came from matching agency funds.

Continue reading to learn more about this new development in Western North Carolina, and how it will improve the quality of life in the area. Continue reading

Lake Glenville Real Estate Market Report for January

It was a fairly good month for home buyers in the Lake Glenville, NC area.  After all, the average listing price on homes in the area decreased and remained relatively low compared to neighboring communities.

If you’re an interested Lake Glenville home buyer, I recommend you continue reading in order to get a good idea of current market activity.

This knowledge will prove invaluable when it comes time for you to negotiate a buying price with a home seller in the area.

Lake Glenville Properties for Sale

Here’s an overview of the current state of the market in Lake Glenville, NC:

  • Currently there are 194 resale and new homes on the market.
  • During the week ending on December 28, the average listing price for Lake Glenville homes was $619,138, down 3.5 percent when compared to the week before.
  • During that previous week, the average listing price was $641,677.
  • Here’s how neighboring communities compared in terms of average listing price:

Highlands: $851,961

Scaly Mountain: $592,172

Franklin: $233,977

  • Back in Lake Glenville, the average listing price for a 2-bedroom home was $391,241 during the week ending on December 28.
  • The average listing price for a 3-bedroom home was $544,767.
  • And the average listing price for a 4-bedroom home was $844,056.
  • Here’s how neighboring communities compared in terms of median sales price:

Highlands: $250,000

Scaly Mountain: $172,500

Franklin: $120,000

Investing in a Home in the North Carolina Mountains

Unlike some of the larger mountain communities in the area – such as Cashiers and Highlands Lake Glenville has managed to keep  a relatively low profile.

If you want to live in a quiet community where neighbors know each other by name, you may consider investing in Lake Glenville real estate.

For more information on available listings in Lake Glenville, be sure to contact me, Dorothy Swearingen.

I also recommend you check out some of our pre-defined Lake Glenville search options, which will make navigating the market easier for you and your family.  Using this feature, you can:

Until next time,

Dorothy

5 Factors to Consider When Applying for a Highlands, NC Area Home Loan

So you’ve decided to invest in a home in the Highlands, NC area.  Now what?

While some interested Western NC home buyers like to start by browsing available homes on the market, I recommend that you first determine how much money you’re going to be able to borrow.

This early footwork will end up saving you both time and money because you’ll just be focusing on homes that fit your price range.

So what exactly do bankers consider when determining how much money they’re willing to loan you?

Continue reading to find out!

Investing in Highlands, NC Area Real Estate

Here are some of the main factors that bankers consider when offering you a loan:

  • Monthly Income. One of the first things that a bank will ask about is your monthly income.  They’ll likely request to see paycheck stubs from the last couple of months to verify your average wages.  They’ll also want to know about any additional sources of income you may have.  Recently change jobs? The banks may weigh your last income tax return more heavily than your recent wages.

Bottom line is, the higher your income, the more likely you’ll be qualified for the loan you need to purchase a Highlands area home.

  • Monthly housing expenses. Next, the banker will likely ask about all of your regular housing expenses, which will then be subtracted from your monthly income. Bankers know that there are more expenses to home ownership than just the initial purchase of the property.  These may include home insurance, real estate taxes, and even home owner association fees.

There’s also specialized housing costs, such as mortgage insurance.  Banks may require that home buyers purchase this if they’re borrowing more than 80 percent of the value of the home. This protects banks from the possibility of you defaulting on your home.

  • Additional monthly expenses.  Usually, a banker will also ask you about your other financial obligations, such as credit card debt, charge accounts, car loans, student loans, etc.

The bank will likely ask you about the total balance due and the minimum monthly payment for each of these items.

By subtracting these expenses from your income (as well as your estimated housing expenses), the bank will know your disposable income.

This figure is important because that’s the money you’ll have available for your house payment and everyday living expenses (such as food and fuel).

  • Ratio of debt to income. Next, the bank will calculate the ratio between  your total monthly payments on debt to your monthly income. Ideally, no more than 36 percent of your gross income  is going toward your total debt.  Although some lenders are more flexible, 36 percent is generally the industry standard.

Thus, if your total gross income is $8,000 a month, the bank would like your total monthly debt to be no more than $2,880.

  • Calculating your loan payment. Learn more about how to calculate your potential mortgage payment by checking out my comprehensive Mortgage Information page.  By doing some homework before meeting with a banker, you’ll be able to get a pretty good idea of the kind of mortgage for which you’ll qualify.

Highlands, NC Area Properties for Sale

I hope you found the above information helpful as a potential Highlands area home buyer.

Trust me, entering the Highlands area real estate market as an educated buyer is critical to how much success you’ll enjoy on the local housing market.

For more invaluable tips about how to navigate the market as a home buyer, contact me, Dorothy Swearingen.

I also recommend you check out some of my helpful home buying tools, such as:

Until next time,

Dorothy

Tips for Selling your Cashiers, NC Area Home

You’ve been hearing it for months: Recent economic conditions have created a buyer’s market in cities across the country.

Although it’s true that sales prices and the total number of home sales are down in many U.S. cities, it doesn’t mean that home sellers can’t still get a great price on their home.

The key to selling your home for the best price possible in as little time as possible is a strategic marketing plan.

Continue reading to learn more about what you as a home seller can do to maximize your success on the Cashiers area real estate market.

Selling Homes in the Cashiers, NC Area

Here are some suggestions that I often give to interested home sellers:

  • Emotionally Detach from your Home: Making the decision to sell your home can be a stressful process for a lot of home owners.  After all, you and your family have likely made plenty of memories in your home and it may be hard to say goodbye to them. But as a home seller, it’s best to view your house as a product you’re trying to sell rather than your home. After all, the goal is to help buyers visualize themselves living in your home. Thus, the sooner you can detach from your home emotionally, the smoother your experience on the Western NC real estate market will be.
  • Be Flexible With Buyer Schedules:  The current economic climate has meant that there are fewer buyers navigating local real estate markets.  Thus, it’s critical that you as a home seller are as accommodating as possible when it comes to showings.
  •  Be Honest About Problems Issues.  Be as forthcoming with your Cashiers real estate agent as possible about such things as restrictions, structural issues, boundary disputes and covenants.  Your agent should know about these issues upfront.  You don’t want to wait until closing time to reveal these things to your agent and the home buyer because it may be a deal that kills the deal in the eleventh hour.  And that can end up being costly in terms of legal expenses.
  • Don’t Forget Curb Appeal.  When buyers come to check out your home, the exterior will surely be their first impression.  So make sure it’s in top condition by trimming hedges, cleaning out gutters and maybe even applying a fresh coat of paint.
  • Use Plenty of Light to Showcase Your Home’s Features.  This includes natural and artificial light.  Open windows and turn on lights (even in closets) throughout the home.  You may also consider recommending day-time showings to buyers.
  • De-Clutterize Your Home.  Remember: You’re trying to sell your home, not the items in your home.  And the more things you have piled in each room, the more it distracts buyers from appreciating the structure of your home.  Plus, too much junk in a room can make it appear smaller than it actually is.

Cashiers, NC Real Estate

I hope you found the above tips helpful as a Cashiers area home seller.

For more tips on how to sell your home for more money in less time, contact me, Dorothy Swearingen.

I’ll be happy to offer you my expert advice as well as my many home selling resources, including:

Until next time,

Dorothy

Highlands NC Real Estate Market Update for October

Happy Halloween everyone from your friend on the Highlands NC real estate market!

Whether you’re helping the kids carve the pumpkins or simply enjoying a quiet night in while you hand out candy to trick-or-treaters, I hope you find yourself surrounded by family and friends tonight!

Today I’d like to continue my watchdog series on the various Western North Carolina real estate markets by telling you about the latest status of the Highlands real estate market.

This information – which includes average list prices, sold prices, and more – will prove invaluable as you navigate the Highlands NC real estate market.

Continue reading to learn more!

Highlands NC Properties for Sale

Here’s an overview of the Highlands NC real estate market, based on the most recent data from the real estate website Trulia.

  • There are currently 840 resale and new homes on the Highlands NC real estate market, including 2 homes in the pre-foreclosure, auction or bank-owned stages.
  • Between July and September, the median sales price for a Highlands NC home for sale was $425,000.
  • Compared with the same period last year, the median sales price for a Highaldns, NC home for sale has increased by 9 percent, or about $35,000.
  • During the week ending on Sept. 28, the average listing price for a Highlands NC home for sale was $812,360.
  • When compared to the prior week, the average listing price for a Highlands NC home for sale has increased by 1.3 percent, or about $10,500.

Highlands NC Real Estate Experts

I hope you find the above Highlands NC real estate market information helpful as you navigate the Highlands, NC real estate market.

If you’d like to talk with an expert Highlands NC REALTOR about what the recent data means and how it affects you as a Highlands home buyer, then contact me, Dorothy Swearingen, today.

As your Highlands real estate expert, I’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have as well as provide you with such helpful Highlands home buying tools as:

Until next time,

Dorothy

 

Cashiers NC Real Estate Market Update for October

I can’t believe it’s already the end of October! It seems like just yesterday that I was seeing people set out Fourth of July decorations in the stores and now it seems like all the stores are focusing on Christmas before Halloween has even arrived!

If you’re an interested Cashiers home buyer navigating the Cashiers area real estate market, I’m sure that your year has flown by faster than most.  After all, it can be a rather time-consuming feat searching for your dream Cashiers NC home for sale in the price range you want.

Before you continue your search on the market, I recommend you take just a few minutes to check out the recent statistics on the Cashiers NC real estate market.  This information will prove invaluable to you as it will give you a realistic overview of market conditions.

Continue reading to learn more!

Cashiers, NC Homes for Sale

Here’s an overview of the current state of the Cashiers NC real estate market, based on data from the real estate website Trulia:

  • There are currently 598 resale and new homes on the Highlands, NC real estate market.
  • During the week ending on Sept. 28, the average listing price for Cashiers NC homes for sale was  $1,023,702
  • When compared to the previous week, the average listing price for a Cashiers NC home for sale increased by 0.3 percent, or $3,128.
  • For the week ending on Sept. 28, the average list price for a 2-bedroom Cashiers home for sale was $344,000.
  • The average list price for a 3-bedroom Cashiers home for sale was $764,000.
  • During that same week, the average list price for a 4-bedroom Cashiers home for sale was $1.35 million.

Cashiers, NC Real Estate

If you’d like help navigating the Cashiers NC real estate market, I’ll be happy to assist you with your Cashiers home buying needs.

As your Cashiers NC real estate expert, I’ll interpret the recent Cashiers NC real estate market data and tell you how it affects you as a Cashiers area home buyer.

Contact me, Dorothy Swearingen, today and I’ll also  be happy to tell you about the current state of other area real estate markets, including:

Until next time,

Dorothy

Now is a Great Time to Invest in Cashiers, NC Area Real Estate

This month is simply THE most amazing time to be living in the Cashiers, NC area.  That’s because fall foliage is at its peak – with splashes of crimson red, vibrant orange and radiant yellow everywhere you drive in the area.

It truly is remarkable!  Tourists from all over the state and region seem to agree, as evidenced by all the cars I’ve seen lately winding on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Autumn may be what makes people fall in love with the Cashiers, NC area but it is the community-centeredness in this area that make people want to stay.

If you’re an interested Cashiers area home buyer, then continue reading to learn about some fantastic Cashiers area log cabins and homes available on the Cashiers area real estate market.

Investing in a Cashiers, NC Area Log Cabin

Whether you’re looking for a cozy log cabin for you and your spouse or a large one in which you can raise a family, you’ll find plenty of options on the Cashiers NC real estate market.

Here are some helpful pre-defined searches that I’ve created for those Cashiers area home buyers who know what they’re looking for in their dream Cashiers NC home:

Cashiers NC Real Estate

I hope you were able to find my Cashiers NC pre-defined home searches helpful as you navigate the Cashiers NC area real estate market.

If you saw a home you liked and would like more information on it, please don’t hesitate to contact me, Dorothy Swearingen, today!

As your Cashiers NC area REALTOR, I’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have, set up a showing appointment for you or just talk with you about what it’s like to live in the Cashiers NC area.

Until next time,

Dorothy

Property Values Addressed on HIghlands, NC Area Real Estate Market

I recently read an interesting article in the Smoky Mountain News about property valuations in Western North Carolina.

Evidently, Macon County officials may decide to postpone their property valuations from 2013 to 2015.

Macon County  includes the communities of Flats, Franklin, Highlands, Smithbridge, and Sugarfork.

Continue reading to learn more about why officials are considering delaying the revaluation – and how it may affect Highlands area home sellers.

Highlands, NC Homes for Sale

According to the recent article, the proposed delay in revaluations is in response to the sluggish housing economy.

According to Macon County’s tax assessor, not enough properties have been sold to new owners to create meaningful property value levels.

What’s more, inaccurate property revaluations may result in a lot of property value appeals from residents, which could be costly to the county.

It’s the county’s hope that if they wait to complete the county-wide revaluation, more Macon County properties will change hands between buyers and sellers, creating for a more accurate reading property values county-wide.

Macon County’s proposed response to the sluggish economy is a stark contrast to Jackson County’s.

Jackson County includes the communities of Cashiers, Scotts Creek and Webster.

Jackson County is still planning to move forward with its property revaluations in 2013, even though the county has a similar housing market as Macon County.

The last time Jackson County and Macon County did their property revaluations was in 2008 and 2007 respectively.

According to state law, every county must complete a property revaluation at least every 8 years.

Your Highlands, NC Area Real Estate Experts

In Macon County, commissioners are expecting that property values on more expensive homes and undeveloped land will decrease while property values on the homes in the $150,000 range will increase.

The proposed delay on property revaluations may actually be good news for those Highlands area home sellers who own high-end homes.

After all, property valuations is a good point of reference for many Highlands area home buyers trying to decide how much they’re willing to pay for a home.

Thus, if property values on higher-end homes are expected to decrease after the next property valuation, it behooves Highlands area home sellers to sell their home before that revaluation happens.

Thus, if you’re a Highlands area home seller, contact me, Dorothy Swearingen, today.

As your Highlands area real estate expert, I’ll work hard to sell your home in as little time as possible for the best price possible.

I’ll also provide you with a number of helpful Highlands area home selling tools to help you navigate the market.  These include:

Until next time,

Dorothy