NC, here we come.

[Mitchell Andrus]

LOML and I are going to trip it next month from NJ to western NC to do a little recon for a week. Vacation R&R / shopping trip for a second home.... eventually to be a semi-retirement home - that isn't in NJ!!!!! About now in our lives (52) the race is getting to us and 20 or 30 acres with a loooooong driveway and a mountain view is sounding pretty good.

I don't need to go bottom fishing and so far foreclosures are not rampant, but there are some nice deals to be had out there in the 500K range. That buys twice the hoouse and a jillion times the property I've got in NJ for about the same money, at 1/4 the RE taxes.

We're looking in the area south of Asheville, perhaps within a 40 minute drive. Henderson, Rutherford, Forest City, Waynesville, etc.

Anyone in the area care to chime in?

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Well good for you. We may be looking in Georgia.
If I have my druthers we'll be looking in Peru south of Lima.
Maybe we'll just get a vacation home in Peru.
Buy a Cessna Skymaster and commute.

[Jim Tobias]

Mitchell,
I live in Lewisville, Nc (about 2 hours east of Asheville). I can only terll you that the entire area is nice. It all revolves around Asheville which has become a hot spot. I'm sure the closer you are to Asheville, the higher the prices will go. We have lifelong friends from Asheville that we visit occasionally and always enjoy all that Asheville has to offer (which is a lot for a city of its size. Due to the mountains and hills, it does not seem as large.
So, I have not answered your question at all, but I do know that the area you are looking into is very nice.

Jim

[Ed Sallee]

A visit to the Biltmore Estates is a must. The furniture and craftsmanship in that place is awesome!

[Mitchell Andrus]

A visit to the Biltmore Estates is a must. The furniture and craftsmanship in that place is awesome!

Yea, been there - it's HUGE. I showed at the Grove Park Inn Arts and Crafts show for many years and am pretty familiar with the area.

[Jim Myers]

I live in Hendersonville and there are plently of places around here. Nice area, good weather, close to Asheville and Greenville SC.

We have a bunch of people move from the north down here so you might even feel at home sometimes.

[Belinda Barfield]

I'll second on the Greenville, SC area. Pretty much anywhere in Tennessee (except Gatlinburg) is nice.

[Mitchell Andrus]

We have a bunch of people move from the north down here so you might even feel at home sometimes.


AAAAAARGGGGG! I'm looking to get AWAY from NJ people!!!! You just peed in the pool.


kidding..... I'll stop in on 7/6. Sweep up.
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[Jim Becker]

I had the pleasure of a few days in the Ashville area in early 2005 for a family weekend and really enjoyed it. Beautiful place. Had a nice visit with Perry Holbrooks, too...he'd be a good contact here at SMC for more information about the area. And you do need to visit him while on your recon...he's an incredible artist.

[Bob Childress]

Mitch,

I live in Greenville SC and grew up around here. Mountain views are no problem in Western NC :D Do you want to live on one as well?

The Hendersonville, Flat Rock area is quite nice. Going out to Waynesville it gets a bit more rugged (but also more secluded). North of Asheville, there are areas near Weaverville where 40 acres would be easy to find (Barnardsville area, for example--look at the map).

The whole area is more or less what you are looking for. Brevard is a lovely place and a bit artsy.

Just take your time and drive around. I recommend Poplar Lodge near Hendersonville for a nice dinner (assuming it's still there--on top of a mountain). Get off I-26 and I-40 and take the US highways instead (25, 276, etc.).

Enjoy! :)

[Scott T Smith]

Mitch, in addition to the places mentioned you can also consider looking in the Mt. Airy neighborhood. The difference between Mt. Airy and Asheville is that Mt. Airy is more rural, and the land prices are significantly lower than near Asheville.

My father in law was just looking at some 40 - 80 acre land tracts that were offered for less than 3K per acre. You probably won't find anything that low near Asheville.

On the other hand, Asheville is rapidly becoming a regional "retirement" destination, and as such has a lot of amenities such as activities, hospitals, etc.

[Perry Holbrook]

I had the pleasure of a few days in the Ashville area in early 2005 for a family weekend and really enjoyed it. Beautiful place. Had a nice visit with Perry Holbrooks, too...he'd be a good contact here at SMC for more information about the area. And you do need to visit him while on your recon...he's an incredible artist.

You are welcome to come by my place if you would like too. Just PM and I'll give you my phone number.

Perry

[Mitchell Andrus]

You are welcome to come by my place if you would like too. Just PM and I'll give you my phone number.

Perry

Thanks. ....may just do that.
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[Mitchell Andrus]

We're baaaack.

We had a great time. House hunting (saw 18 total) included spending 1 day each in the Asheville area, Hendersonville area and Waynesville area.

I had a notion that a house on the side of a mountain would be cool. Lemme tell ya..... there's a price to pay both in money and patience. There are some 600K to 700K homes with 20 to 40 mile views of the mountains that look good on paper but are best gotten to by mule train. 1 to 4+ miles of dirt road leading to a steep, switch-back gravel driveway is the norm out in the sticks. We're not talking rolling hills here. This is practically mountain climbing. Our realtor's car failed 3 times to climb out of one driveway - I finally suggested we back out to get a little more traction on the front tires. It just barely worked.

Some log cabins (think 2900sf to 3400sf mountain retreat) were really charming, rustic and masculine. Not for the Mrs. though. Some were REALLY rough, too far away from shopping (25+ minutes to a serious food store was a bit too far).

A few very pricey mountain contemporaries were nice, but very dated in style once you get inside. Many homes at the top of the hills are nearing 30-40 years old and look it needing a lot of work. For 700K or so, it shouldn't need anything. The typical 10 to 20 acres that a mountain-side home includes is mostly too steep to enjoy, sometimes too steep to even walk on. No kidding... 25 to 35 degree slopes here, just at the angle of critical repose.

In short, we aren't ready for mountain life just yet.

So, we're figuring on staying in the valley with the farmers, maybe on a rolling hill with a good, but not million dollar view. Easier on the car, me and the wallet - by 150K or more - that buys a lot of wood.

We saw a few places that will do nicely and one that is really nice. I'd like more land but at 4 acres it'll keep the neighbors at bay. For those who know the area, it's in Hendersonville area. We both fell in love with Hendersonville. You'd know if you spent a day there. Lunch at Mike's is a must.

Asheville is very nice and is the 'anchor' for the area. Waynesville as said in another post is 'out there' and too far away for us... almost in TN.

Anyway, there may be an offer to be made, I just need to do a bit of research on the few things, like how does the internet get delivered, who owns the farm behind us and a shared driveway issue.

[Perry Holbrook]

Your experience sounds like something a realtor said to me years ago when we first started looking at property in Asheville. He said most people come to the area looking for a mountain top, with long range views, flat with plenty of lawn and garden space, possibly pasture, within a couple of miles of good shopping, easy in and out, especially when it snows, and a pond and/or stream. It's a nice dream, and a few do exist.

Glad you found Hendersonville, it has been at the top of places to live/retire on all the list for years.

Perry

[John Lohmann]

Find a old miil town, Shelby, Rutherford etc. no jobs, but cheap houses. If I ever retire that's where I would go.

[Tom Godley]

Do you have a second home currently??

I only ask because they sound grand but can be a pain in the you know what.
.....can not tell you how many friends have bought them over the years and have now regretted it. Even with appreciation they end up being expensive - and often should be viewed as a straight real-estate investment


If the house is more than just a couple hours drive -- you end using it less ands less as time goes by. Obviously an airplane extends this range.

[Mitchell Andrus]

Crossed my mind, but I really dislike the idea of:

shoving my fat wallet around where a lot of people are just holding on (wife drives a Lexus),
taking advantage,
living where the economy is depressed/teetering on or past the point of food stores closing.

We had lunch in Forest City last Friday. Compared to healthy and vibrant Hendersonville, Forest City's economy is more like Detroit's on a bad day.

No, not for me for the sake of a few bucks. If my neighbors can't afford to fix their homes.... well, makes all of them look bad.
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[Mitchell Andrus]

It'll be a second home for about 2 years, maybe 3. Good time to buy, bad time to sell if you don't have to. I don't, so I may be able to wait out the valley we're in.
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[Robert Payne]

Mitchell,

I'm getting into this thread somewhat late, but I'm from Hendersonville and can vouch for all you've said so far -- it is our retirement choice and we have loved it every day we've been here (over 5 years now). We chose a home in a small heavily wooded and quiet neighborhood on the north side of town where I could have a decent shop and our main living space is on one level -- I had 800 SF of unfinished basement to build my shop and have an adjacent 500 SF Family Room/office/full bath (aka my Man Cave) that is all mine. I've even been able to do some profitable commission work in the area.

Lots of woodworkers in the area -- with several others, we started the Western NC Woodworkers Association in May 2006 (www.wncwa.org (http://www.wncwa.org)) and have about 50 members that meet monthly to share ideas, techniques, projects, etc -- Last month Greg Paolini (see June 09 FWW) was our speaker and this month we are visiting Andy Rae's shop in Asheville.

Not trying to advertise, but this is a part of Heaven!

[Mike Wilkins]

Since I grew up in Forest City, I can say that it is a great area to settle into and you are only a reasonable drive from some great attractions. This is about halfway between Charlotte and Asheville, close to Chimney Rock, some moderate weather year-round. Western NC is becoming a favorable attraction for folks moving from other parts of the US, and the mountain views are some of the best in the country.
Asheville and the surrounding areas is fast becoming one of the favorite places in the country for custom furniture makers to settle into. And Asheville Hardware offers classes and supplies; Woodcraft is in Charlotte; the Woodworking Shop Store is in Hickory.
Good luck in your search and enjoy your vacation.

[Mitchell Andrus]

Sweet. Haven't moved yet and already feel welcomed. Mike's Luncheonette in the historic area is a real trip back in time, huh?

Nice site. Looks like an active group.
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[Mitchell Andrus]

Update - Closed on a house last week.

More:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=121152
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