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Buyer Traffic Increasing
We had nice weather this weekend for the Blue Ridge Wine and Food Festival. This week is going to be cold—possibly even some snow flurries. We hope spring will be here for good soon! We are getting a lot more traffic from buyers lately, so we are looking forward to a healthy selling season.
Skiing is still alive and well here
All of the ski mountains are open here and people are swishing down the slopes and having fun. This time of year most ski areas are offering discounts. Here is a video of my son doing some tricks at the App Terrain Park (please mute the volume for this video due to language of the music).
http://vimeo.com/3289397 At App Ski Mtn the Terrain Park is rated number one..if not the best... on the east coast.
Link to App Terrain Park: www.appterrainpark.com Take a peek and check out the High Country kids on the snow.
Check out the homes we have for sale on the Ski Mountain so you can be close enough to join the fun!!
http://www.mariaowens.com/2020applications/propertylistings.asp?categoryID_list=1_28
Market Update for the High Country
Things are looking up here in the Boone, Blowing Rock area. Yes, we have more listings than ever and there is plenty to choose from but the buyers are starting to arrive. The showings have increased at least 3 fold!!! We have clients looking at all price ranges.
Now is the time to buy...credit is finally loosening up and some banks are offering incredible deals.
Ben Bernake anticipates the recession will taper down by the end of the year. Read more on this link http://rismedia.com/2009-03-16/fed-chairman-believes-recession-will-end-by-year-end/
Winterfest in Blowing Rock
Start planning for the Blowing Rock Winterfest January 22-25. Cabins fill up quickly! There are many events including ice sculptures, polar plunge, and hot chocolate everywhere! Every year when I attend the event it seems like there are more and more activities. The committee that hosts this event is very creative and always provides fun for every family member no matter what the age.
It's Time to Winterize
Lowe's "15 Tips for Closing Your Vacation Home"
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=howTo&p=Improve/15_tips_close_home.html
Lowe's Plumbing "Winterizing Checklist"
http://www.lowesforpros.com/winterizing-checklist
I've had personal experience with frozen pipes! About five years ago, a pipe froze in an upstairs bedroom in my Ski Mountain home. We were only gone for the day, but by the time we came home the entire basement was flooded and the upstairs had water all over it. We had to totally re-do the basement, the upstairs floors, the kitchen, and many other parts of the house. The total cost came to about $100,000. Yes, the insurance did pay, but it was not fun living at the Holiday Inn for eight weeks and losing a lot of personal items! Don't let this happen to you. Give us a call if you would like further information on winterizing.
Holiday Greetings!
Holiday Greetings! We already have had snow a few times here in the High Country and very cold weather. The cold weather enabled the ski mountains to make enough snow to open early. They usually open after Thanksgiving. My fifteen-year-old son Charlie, who is an avid trick skier, says that the terrain park at Appalachian Ski Mountain is amazing this year. The App terrain park gets national recognition because of all the rails, jumps, and stair-step combinations that they have. He says that it’s getting as good as the terrain parks out west, if not better.
Everyone is up visiting the choose-and-cut lots picking the best Christmas trees and wreaths. Western North Carolina is one of the top evergreen tree producing areas in the country. It’s so fun for the whole family to pick your tree and strap it to the top of the car. When you choose-and-cut, you know you’re getting a fresh tree, not one that’s been shipped cross-country and out of the ground for weeks. The minute you put the tree in your home, the fragrance wafts through the entire house to start the Christmas spirit. Call us if you need a Christmas tree farm map or to find out our favorite spots!