Brevard North Carolina Real Estate Blog

Spring is just around the corner here in the mountains and in a month or so, we'll be seeing all the signs of new growth popping up. These days, the local Brevard NC real estate market is a little like spring and is showing its own modest signs of growth.

In January, our market had the most residential sales it's had since 2008. The majority of the homes were in the $100,000- $200,000. Land sales were up slightly over January of last year, but continue to lag far behind the hey day of 2007. The majority of this month's land sales were $25,000 and under. Either way, indications are that sellers have adjusted to the "new normal" and buyers are finding good opportunities to buy.

For a closer look see our complete January Market Report. 

If you would like more information about homes and land for sale in the Brevard, Asheville, Hendersonville, or surrounding areas, call us today or you can visit online at BrevardNCProperty.com

The buyers and sellers have come to an agreement on all the points of the offer to purchase. Escrow checks have been paid and all parties are moving forward toward a happy closing. Then comes the home inspection and suddenly the entire process comes to a grinding halt.  As a Realtor, if you've ever seen a deal go down the drain because of the results of a home inspection, you've also seen a lot of your time and hard work go down the drain with it. And whether you are a seller counting on a sale so you can get on with your life, or a buyer who has looked long and hard to find the home of your dreams, watching a deal unravel this way is incredibly frustrating for everyone involved.

It wasn't always this way, but today, a home inspection is an important step in the home buying process.  In North Carolina, there are some pretty stringent education and experience requirements needed to be a licensed home inspector and they can play a vital role in helping buyers avoid making a costly mistake. But at the end of the day, a home inspection is still just one person's opinion.  In most every case, a home inspector is a "generalist" - someone with a good working knowledge of home construction, areas like electrical and plumbing systems, and it is their job to identify potential problems in the home. They are not specialists in every trade, though.

By comparison, if you were sick and your general practitioner told you that you had a medical condition that required treatment, more than likely you're going to seek out someone who is a specialist in that field or at the very least, you might seek out another doctor for a second opinion before making any life altering decisions.

As a buyer or seller who is facing a less than favorable home inspection, you also have options. In a case where we were representing the buyer the inspection report pointed out that a flower bed by the door sloped towards the front wall of the home which "could", in the inspector's opinion,  lead to water intrusion. Naturally, this sent up all kinds of red flags for our buyer. After seeking out a licensed contractor in the area for a second opinion, it turns out the sloping flower bed was not actually sloping, and a thorough inspection of the inside showed absolutely no history of any water intrusion. Conversely, another home inspection on another property turned up structural issues and a high radon level. But both issues were fixed and the purchase went through.

We would never encourage a buyer to overlook fatal flaws in a home but we also would not encourage anyone to walk away from a home because of one inspection report, at least not until they've exhausted all their options.

What can buyers do?

1. The first thing to remember is that unless you are buying a brand new home, every "used" home is going to have issues of varying degrees. (Even brand new homes have issues). After looking over the report and discussing it with your Realtor, decide which flaws you can accept...and which ones you cannot. It is your prerogative to go back to the seller and ask that certain repairs be made, or perhaps a credit at closing.

2. Ask questions. More often than not, an inspection report will point out a "problem", but provide no further explanation about what it would take to fix the problem, or if the problem is something major or not. Remember, it is the home inspectors job to point out the problems based on their level of expertise. It's not their job to tell you how to fix the problems, but when asked, most inspectors we work with will provide additional information and opinions.

3. Seek out a second opinion. If the inspector has an issue with the wiring, hire a licensed electrician to give you a second opinion and an estimate if a repair is needed. The same holds true for plumbing, structural questions, and more. Or, hire another inspector. Like any industry, there are good inspectors...and "not so great" inspectors. Sure, it will cost you a little more for the additional inspections, but if you love the home enough to want to buy it, we believe it is worth the few extra dollars for a little peace of mind. You may find the "problem" is really not a big deal or you may find that the problem is bad enough that it warrants walking away from the deal and starting all over.  We've seen it go both ways.

What can sellers do?

1. Ask for a copy of the inspection report. The buyer isn't required to share it with you, but if both parties have been working together so far, it's a reasonable request.

2. Don't take this personally. A buyer's desire to have things made right is not a reflection on you.

3. You also have the right to a second opinion. Hire another inspector or hire specialists to take another look. We've seen buyers stay in a deal because the seller jumped in, got more opinions, and made the necessary repairs.

4. Remember, you aren't required to make any repairs. But if it means selling your home you probably want to do whatever is within bounds of reason to make that happen. If you cannot make the repairs (perhaps you live in another state, or you aren't physically able), you can offer a credit at closing or renegotiate the price based on an estimate of what is needed to make the repairs.

As the Realtors in the deal, we also have a role in all of this and that is to keep the lines of communication open and educate our clients about their options.

To wrap this up, I have great respect for the home inspectors we work with but I believe much of what they do is subjective and that the system of reporting is flawed. For instance, I believe it would be helpful to everyone if the reporting system required inspectors to rank or somehow categorize the issues that they perceive as a problem. The words an inspector uses when describing a "problem" can also create unneccessary alarm and perhaps a more objective ranking system would prevent that. As a buyer or seller, if you see adjectives like "massive" or "extensive", press the inspector to justify the use of those terms. Unless they are a licensed specialist in a particular trade, asking for suggested repair options may go beyond what we should expect of them, but their reporting should put potential problems into some kind of context so that all parties can move forward towards a successful closing knowing that they have made a sound decision.

 Just as there are no perfect people, there is no perfect dog but author Gary Shiebler tells the funny and sometimes heartbreaking stories of all the "less than perfect dogs" that he has shared his life with since he was a child. 

As someone who volunteers with our animal rescue groups here in Brevard, NC, and mom to two rescue dogs, Ace and Sunny, I related to so many of the stories Shiebler tells, especially the ones about the dogs he met while working at an animal center.  I found myself laughing out loud at some of the stories...and crying through others. Shielbler does a wonderful job of showing readers how these "less than perfect" dogs can be perfect in their own way...and how much we can all learn from them.

I give it 4 paws!

Temperatures around most of the country are soaring! If all this heat and humidity has you thinking about little get away place in the cool mountains of western North Carolina, I'd like to tell you about this home at 3530 Frozen Creek Road just outside of Brevard, NC.

This is a two bedroom, one bath home that sits on nearly 4 acres of flat, easily accessible land with a bold, rushing creek that seems custom made for kids and dogs. Two outbuildings, a pond, and horse corral give the property loads of charm and added possibilities. Best of all, Gorges State Park is practically in your back yard and you're still only 15 minutes to heart of downtown Brevard with shopping, medical care, schools, and everything you'd want in a small mountain community.

Offered for sale at below tax value at only $199,750!!

If you'd like additional information about this home for sale in Brevard, NC visit us online at BrevardNCProperty.com, or just give us a call at 828-551-6291.

I don't know anyone who really enjoys going to the grocery store, especially these days when the price of a loaf of bread is approaching the price of a gallon of gas. But yesterday's trip to my local store presented more than the usual challenges of finding creative, affordable ways to keep my family healthy and fed well without breaking the bank. What I uncovered were some intentional, and some unintentional attempts to alter the amount of money I spend without me really noticing.

There is a science to product placement and layout in any retail store, but it's especially so in grocery stores. It's why the things we buy the most are at the back of the store. It's their not-so-subtle way of forcing us to wander down multiple aisles (and make additional purchases) just to get to the eggs and milk we came in for. It's why manufactures pay top dollar for shelf space that is at eye level for most adults.  Except of course, the chocolate cookies and sugar bomb snacks that are placed at a child's eye level. And, we all know that with certain brands, a half a gallon of ice cream really isn't a half a gallon anymore. In recent years the selection of breakfast cereals has exploded over the years, but the boxes have gotten smaller and smaller. Some clever manufacturers though still use the same size packaging they always have, they just put less in it. The opposite is true of certain paper goods though. I don't want to buy 24 giant rolls of paper towel. Three would be just fine and I suspect that if you break it down by the price of each roll, you aren't saving anything (and you may be paying more) for these gigundo economy sizes.

So what was it that got my attention yesterday and why am I convinced there are other undiscovered conspiracies waiting to snare our time and our wallets?

Evidence #1

When were grocery carts super sized?  For as long as I can remember, there was one size grocery cart plus the little hand basket when all you're picking up are few small items. In recent months, I've begun seeing some carts that are somewhere in between..bigger than a basket, smaller than the usual grocery cart. But yesterday as I was heading to my car with my groceries, I noticed that the cart I was pushing was the size of a Volkswagon. It was huge!  OK, I guess someone with a big family who buys everything in multiples of 5 would appreciate having more cargo room. But I'm convinced that it's a conspiracy by the grocery stores to get us to keep buying until the cart is really full....and our wallets are really empty.

Evidence #2

When I got home I started looking over my receipt. Scanners long ago replaced having to punch in the amount of an item manually. But if you haven't already noticed, scanners are often wrong.  Because I have a "frequent shopper" card at this particular store, I get "advantage" pricing and according to my receipt, I just saved $31. Not bad! But then I noticed the line that says I paid $12.20 for cherries. I love cherries but I didn't buy cherries....I bought grapes which are substantially less money. Then I spotted the pasta sauce that I bought only because it was "advantage priced" but the price rang up higher than it was tagged on the shelf. I don't generally go over every single receipt, and every single item, but I know I should and after this experience, I am raising my right hand and vowing to look it over every single time.

If you'd like to test your "grocery store knowledge", try this little quiz and see how much really know.

More importantly, the next time you go to the grocery store, don't let that catchy Beatle's tune playing on the store's "musax" system lull you away from the business at hand.  Stay alert for these and other conspiracies!

The 8th annual Songcatcher Festival, a celebration of traditional mountain music continues this weekend in Brevard, NC at the Cradle of Forestry's outdoor ampitheater with music by Sparky and Rhonda Rucker.

Sparky Rucker has performed for more than 40 years and is internationally recognized as a leading folklorist, musician, historian, storyteller and author. He accompanies himself with finger-style picking and bottleneck blues guitar, banjo and spoons.

Rhonda Rucker is an accomplished harmonica, piano, banjo, and bones player and also adds vocal harmonies to their songs. Their music includes a variety of old-time blues, slave songs, Appalachian music, spirituals, work songs, railroad songs and a few of their own original compositions.

For more information about this duo, visit www.sparkyandrhonda.com.

The ampitheather has seating but you can also bring your picnics, as well as chairs and blankets for use on the nearby grass. In the event of inclement weather, the concert will move indoors.

Admission for all shows is $6 for ages 16 and older; $3 for youth 15 and under and America the Beautiful and Golden Age pass holders. The Cradle of Forestry is located on U.S. 276 in the Pisgah National Forest, six miles north of Looking Glass Falls and four miles south of the Blue Ridge Parkway. For more information call (828) 877-3130 or go to www.cradleofforestry.org.

The Songcatcher Festival Series continues with Josh Goforth on July 24, and Don Pedi and Bruce Greene on July 31.

Once in awhile life gives us a little gift, like being in the right place at the right time. It happened to Robert the other day when he was out at Connestee Falls Country Club, just south of Brevard, NC. He had just left an an appointment where he listed three lots for sale in Connestee and was driving along one of the main roads inside the development when he saw a deer out of the corner of his eye. It's not at all unusual to see deer when you're in Connestee. They're like squirrels...they're every where! But what came next can only be called incredible. Luckily he had his video camera and his still camera and was able to capture the moment. I have watched this little clip over and over and it makes me smile every single time. Enjoy!

The list of reasons why the Brevard, NC is such a wonderful place to live is long, but at the top of the list is the healthy life style. There are hundreds of miles of hiking trails, rivers to navigate, and of course clean mountain air. One of our local businesses, Gaia Herbs, is part of that healthy life style and now you can get a first hand look at the farm and how the herbs we consume are grown.

" See where more than 5 million herbs are planted each year. Learn about how Gaia Herbs got started and what led us to Transylvania County. Walk through our unique Ginkgo and Hawthorn tree groves."

If you're in the area June 25, this is a great event for the whole family.  Learn more by visiting Gaia Herbs online at www.gaiaherbs.com, and learn more about this 3rd annual event.

When you've been in the real estate business for more than a day, you've probably accumulated various lists with the names and addresses of people you know, people you've done business with, people you'd like to do business with, vendors.....and on and on and on. Then there are all the places that you market yourself and your properties like your website, various posting sites, email signatures, magazine websites, and all the way back to the basic things like business cards and yard signs.

If you really want to get an idea of how many places your name and "branding" shows up, change real estate firms.  On June 1 we left a national firm in favor of a small, local independent firm and boy did we underestimate the amount of time it would take to make the transition. Of course, there are the terminations...then new listing paperwork. That alone was a major undertaking. But another big undertaking has been to change our firm name and logo on all our blogs, websites, and the gazillion things we do to market our seller's properties. We created a great system over the last six years and this move has reminded us that we really do a lot for our clients!

We're coming up on 2 weeks from the big moving day and we're finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Our new business cards finally got here today.  New signs got delayed, but they're back on track. All our sellers are on board and in the last 9 days or so, we've picked up a number of other new listings to add to the mix.

I know that somewhere in the days ahead we can find our way back to a more normal routine. But in the meantime, if you're looking for us, you'll find us at Looking Glass Realty, centrally located to serve buyers and sellers in Cashiers, Brevard, Etowah, Hendersonville, Asheville, and other surrounding communities in the mountains of western North Carolina.