The epitome of luxury mtn living, this gorgeous home boasts more than just elegant cabin living. With its year round views and rippling creeks, the added bonus of having gorgeous privacy makes this a dream come true! Watch a family of deer wander by your door as you cozy up to the wood stove in winter or enjoy the vast summer nighttime sky and gaze at stars from one of your many outdoor decks or patios! All this within 30 minutes of DT A-Ville Full Details http://www.mattandmollysellasheville.com/listing/mlsid/553/propertyid/533549/syndicated/1/cgltguid/6A3BCB11-5DB7-415D-8EBE-8C97A73B9A04/?ts=crg Listing Courtesy of The Matt & Molly Team, Keller Williams Professionals 03/15/2013

  Mars Hill, NC (23  minutes from Asheville) is a place to celebrate-both LAND for sale –Mars Hill hosts Holiday Market-Starting November 17  10am until 3 pm  Marshall’s  Holiday Market opens at  Fiddlestix (lower level- Here’s what you can find: cool weather vegetables, meat, eggs, goat milk and cheese, local honey and molasses, fresh baked goods and homemade candies, jams, salsa, herb blends and vinegars. Oh yes- don’t forget fresh roasted coffee. MEET a few of the vendors~ Angel Ridge Farm - produce is grown without use of petrochemical-derived fertilizers or pesticides. Angel Ridge raises pygmy and pygora goats, and offers handspun yarns and other fiber products throughout the year.  www.angelridgefarm.com Bee Tree Farm and Vineyard -  pestos and Italian tomato sauces, preserves, co... 11/10/2012

Asheville Real Estate Journal  An eco-minded client once asked me, "Why would I choose to buy acreage?" Good question! "Land  has intrinsic value," I answered. A lengthy discussion of the financial benefits of the environmentally-sensitive land purchase, and the delights of eco-friendly land planning and use followed. Even though I love the land, my response was not biased.  Land is synonymous with natural, social, and economic capital. In terms of the law of supply and demand, think of it, there is only so muchland. Land in our bioregion is appreciating rapidly. And whether it is a large rural tract, or a single acre or two in town you fancy,prime acreages in the Asheville  area, more and more are becoming difficult to locate, especially when land use is a primary consideration.  Let's... 06/21/2011

Heading north from Asheville, NC today, we look forward to stepping, even if only briefly, on the Appalachian Trail  when we visit Second and Vacation Homes  at The Preserve at Wolf Laurel .   Here golfing, skiing, hiking and equestrian pursuits are on the agenda for second and vacation home owners. Keeping these points in mind,a) proximity to Asheville,  b) the exterior and/or interior allure for a second or vacation home,  and c) zoning/deed restrictions, we travel about 25 minutes on I-26 to Exit 3. Another 20 minutes takes us to the gates of this eco-friendly development touted as a "a private, gated mountain top community that adjoins Wolf Laurel Resort in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina."  "With an elevation of approximately 4,800 feet, this 1,300 acre master pl... 04/01/2010

Madison County is north of Asheville and Buncombe County. It is very rural with lots of mountains, streams and valleys.  The French Broad River flows through it along with many tributaries. There are only 3 towns with just 3 zip codes in Madison County Marshall is the county seat.  In town there is the courthouse, a few shops and restaurants and the river.  The French Broad River runs through the middle of town and occasionally floods. On the other side of Main Street it goes straight up a mountain.  Beyond the river are mountains and coves with small farms. It is about a 20 minute drive to Asheville from Main St.                Downtown Marshall Mars Hill is a college town. The college was established in 1856 and it is the focal point of the town. There is at least one big, nice Bed an... 01/26/2009

The Amazing (though small) MARS HILL Tailgate Market.   It's a mild August Saturday morning, and I'm  on my way to the Madison County Tailgate and Artisans Market in Mars Hill, NC .  You may not be able to tell from this photo, but it is right on the campus of Mars Hill College! This college is a bit of history in and of itself! . It is a liberal arts college founded WAY back in 1856.(For more on the college and Mars Hill,  see my college and small towns around Asheville series.) Summer's here, the mountainsides are blooming and the dear old trees are deepening to even deeper shades of green. Coming into Mars Hill, I spot the tailgate market  just over the hill. Now it occurs to me. . .I love the idea of sustainable agriculture and sustainable practices that bring organic fruits and veg... 08/16/2008

This is the time of year when folks head for the mountains and the cool breezes to be found there. For those of you who are yet to discover the splendor of Asheville's hills that quickly expand into peaks, come on over and visit...and you may just choose to stay. There's some local exploring to be done. So grab your picnic basket, fill it with locally-grown and baked goodies (more on our fabulous eateries later)  and discover the art of relaxation all over again.  THIS IS A SERIES ON PICNICS and the sustainable culture that's on the rise in the Greater Asheville area. Check back for a number of day trips you can enjoy in the mountains just to the north of Asheville in and around neighboring towns and villages of Mars Hill, Marshall, and Hot Springs, all located in Madison County, North ... 07/10/2008

 update: if you like this post, please subscribe to my blog! Thankyou!Green-o-Lina's  Picks & Picnic Trips. Whether you are visiting Asheville-possibly   hunting for land on which to build or a "high-performance" new home-or if you are new to the area, or already are fortunate enough to live here, local real estate professional, Green-o-Lina  has a Picnic Trip  for you. It is sure to make you smile and offer you a sense of place in the mountains. Just fix a picnic  full of  locally-grown goodies, or drop in to one of Green-o-Lina's favorite places, Picnics where you can collect  the incredible results of  "four generations of baking from scratch" and you're off on a mini-adventure.  The Mars Hill Loop #1 The Mars Hill Loop #1 takes you about 20 minutes to the northof downtown Asheville ... 07/03/2007

Quality of Life. Sustainable Communities. "High-Performance" Homes and ECO-Friendly Living. For those of us who have come home to North Carolina, exhaling the "fumes" from zooming, full-tilt, down life’s highway while forfeiting a more natural, “earthly” pace, this Appalachian wonder, where you can just hang outand “set a spell, " is a miracle. A slower pace, homemade peach cobbler, and just "BE-ING" here in Western North Carolina, where the French Broad River runs boldly and small towns nestle comfortably beneath the sheltering wealth of the oldest mountains on Earth, is home to a particular breed of REALTOR .You may find such a person standing on the corner chatting about the benefits for horse lovers,organic farmers, and life in a small town. Take the small college town of Mars Hill,... 09/12/2006