There is challenge enough keeping up with the house you live in, but what about the house you or your family might have grown up in? Sometimes when I travel the roads of Western North Carolina and I see something like this “House on the Hill” on US 209 on the way to Hot Springs, I have to wonder about the story behind it. Don’t you wonder if maybe someone inherited the property and didn’t have the funds to either fix it up or tear it down? Or maybe it wasn't in their heart to tear it down.  From a distance, it doesn't appear dangerous and maybe they've at least stabilized it from further decay. This beautiful homestead was someone’s pride and joy. I can just imagine the sense of accomplishment the owners felt whenever they approached the house or entertained visitors. It seems to be a ... 02/28/2012

Here’s the kind of neighborhood we CAN talk about! This was taken on the shores of the Spring Creek in Hot Springs, NC. These little neighborhoods exist as part of our eco-system and when you take the time to really look at them are quite beautiful. There were several clusters adhered to the fallen timber all along the creek. The environment there must be just perfect.     01/28/2012

  Well, like a lot of ActiveRainers I was up too late last night searching for a replacement to Picnik. So far, none compare to the ease of use nor features. It wouldn’t surprise me though if an enterprising group of techies decide to fill the void that will be left when the ants finish demolishing the Picnik site.  In the meantime, I'll make good use of the site while I still can. The major things that are missing from the other sites (if any of the masters of the sites are reading this) are the photo license stickers and the incredible array of frames. Lots of the other sites also seem to need to be downloaded to the computer. If I’m going to download to the computer, I’d just as soon purchase software from a known and reputable company. On a happier note…the very cool Victorian hous... 01/22/2012

We may not like it but we always need to be prepared to expect the unexpected. In real estate we should know that the unexpected can crop up at any point in a relationship or transaction and the only thing that makes sense is to dust off quickly, glean whatever lessons can be learned, improve your performance and move on to take care of the other folks you've been juggling at the same time.  A bad investment for your client is also bad for you. If you're lucky that the endeavor was sincere but unexpected components cropped up, all you and your client can do is put a higher value on those components and avoid them the next time. Oh yeah, and...Realtor, tighten your belt. Ian Anderson, leader of Jethro Tull was always an “expect the unexpected” performer. Peel back the layers of many of ... 01/08/2012

Not So Speechless Sundae - Some More Thoughts from Hot Springs, NC   It’s a very small world sometimes. I had dinner with a friend who bought her house through us last year. One of her guests lives in Charlotte but travels frequently in Western North Carolina. The topic of Hot Springs, NC came up and turns out he was very familiar with the Victorian house we recently put under contract. - friends of his had tried to purchase the house at one time!  This body of water that I've been so fascinated with the last week, Spring Creek, seems to be a real connection point with so many people. 　 I have never seen a river that I could not love. Moving water…has a fascinating vitality. It has power and grace and associations. It has a thousand colors and a thousand shapes, yet it follows laws so ... 01/08/2012

If you are a Realtor, your whole day is often spent in review. When I was out on the banks of Spring Creek in Hot Springs, NC the other day it was a great opportunity to review a lot of things in my head. There are so many things to put in perspective and look at both close up and from a distance. We are involved in the buyers’ side of a transaction right now and that’s where my head was.   With buyers we start out looking close up during the first substantive dialog with the people we will be working so closely with. Not only do we need to make sure the chemistry is there to sustain what might be a long term relationship, we need to be sure the buyers are as sincere as we are. The first real clue to their level of commitment happens during the Agency Disclosure review, in our case “Wo... 01/07/2012

What do Realtors do during home inspections? It varies. We’re lucky that our Preferred Service Referral list contains only the best providers and yesterday (shhhh don’t tell anyone), the buyers had selected one of my very favorite home inspectors. We had a houseful at the Hot Springs, NC property yesterday… two buyers, pest inspector, two chimney sweeps, me and the home inspector. The house is way cool, turn of last century Victorian on 4.6 acres right smack dab on Spring Creek. It’s a big house so the inspections took longer than usual but everything was going along very smoothly - until… Mrs. Buyer and I were upstairs near the attic stairs talking about the incredible vintage fireplaces in each room. The inspector in an alarmingly hushed voice called down from the attic and said, “Mo... 01/06/2012

One thing really positive about working in Real Estate is the traveling in local areas that you might never have had the opportunity to explore before. The people we’re working with now have set their sights and hearts on a very cool property in Hot Springs, NC. I’ve lived here for more than 25 years and pass the exit sign on Hwy 74 all the time. “Hot Springs”. Doesn’t the name make you want to explore it? Good thing these folks came into our lives, otherwise I might still have thought of Hot Springs as a name on a green and white sign. The terrain that accompanies 209 from Waynesville to Hot Springs varies every few miles from countryside urban to farmland and pastures to rugged and wild untamed mountainous beauty. There are a couple of “towns” along the way with intriguing names like... 01/04/2012

Interestingly enough, one former client shared a video with us today that had an uncanny resemblance to our activities today for another set of clients. Here's my tale of two clients. We are frenetically working on behalf of our clients to get all I’s dotted and T’s crossed during an all too swiftly fleeting 10 day Due Diligence period for a Fannie Mae purchase. Keeping in touch with the clients who are in two different parts of the world, lining up home inspectors, pest inspectors, chimney inspectors, closing attorneys AND trying to extract the information we need from the listing agent has been like juggling cats. Thank goodness for the magic of the internet to keep us connected. In the middle of the day, we heard the ding from the computer that signaled a new email had just arrived.... 01/03/2012

It takes some practice to not watch where you are walking, but if you get the hang of it you’ll probably see things you might have otherwise missed! Hot Springs, NC is a place I’ve wanted to check out ever since I moved here but have never made the time. Today, I drove out there to meet a client who has made an offer on a property there. While wandering the grounds I looked up to see the coolest weather vane on the top of the barn. If you’ve been following my blog over the last couple of weeks, you’ll understand why I was so taken with the whimsy of this particular weather vane. There’s just something about a black cat and if I’d been watching where I was walking, I’d have missed this one.   Happy New Year everyone! 01/01/2012