Musings from the Mountains

Welcome to April!  I promise- no April Fools Jokes here.

The weather has been absolutely beautiful the past week.  Yesterday at the house the thermometer on my back porch read 78 degrees.  That is extremely warm here for the end of March.  The first week of April trends a bit cooler with the high only around 40 degrees by Thursday.  By Sunday the 7th, a warming trend returns with highs in the 60’s for several days.

Cataloochee Ski Area closed last week.  The days finally got too warm to maintain snow cover on the slopes.  I believe they had a very good season though.  The ski area draws skiers and boarders from Knoxville, Chatanooga, Atlanta, Greenville, Asheville, Charlotte, and many other smaller towns in 4 states, not to mention the skiers from sunny Florida.  These visitors rent hotel rooms, and short-term rental homes.  They buy gas for their vehicles and frequent our local restaurants.  Cataloochee Ski Area really adds to our local economy.

It’s no wonder that people want to move here.  We have the ski area, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Pisgah National Forest, the Shining Rock Wilderness Area, the Middle Prong Wilderness Area, and many other natural attractions.  Skiing, boarding, hiking, fishing, waterfalls or just watching the Elk.  This area has so much to offer.

All those people moving here need homes.  Currently our demand for homes exceeds the supply.  Unfortunately, this has driven up home prices in the area.  I read an article last week written by Barbara Corcoran the real estate guru you see weekly on Shark Tank (ABC network).  She wrote about high real estate prices.  Her advice was “buy now, not later”.  She explained prices were only going higher.  If you wait until interest rates come down, the increase in the purchase price will negate any savings from lower interest rates.   Also I would add, if interest rates come down after you buy, you can always refinance at the lower rate.

If you’ve been thinking of buying a home here, please call us.  We can help you negotiate the market.  If you’ve been thinking of selling a home here, now is the time.  We will come to your home and do a market analysis, letting you know what your home is worth.   You may be pleasantly surprised.