Slope Season in 2015

The height of the snow season is set to begin, providing perfect conditions to enjoy the slopes this winter. The High Country hosts several ski mountains which offer a variety of difficulty levels and styles. There is sure to be a hill for everyone to enjoy! Keep up to date with the latest conditions by tuning into the Mountain cams offered by Resortcams that show live, real-time footage of the slopes and other locations. 

In addition to skiing and snowboarding, these great facilities also offer snow tubing and iceskating! Get out and enjoy this beautiful winter on the slopes!

Happenings in the High Country

There are so many wonderful things to do in the High County during this beautiful time of the year!

 Stroll through the Chetola Festival of Lights or immerse yourself in culture and history while exploring the exhibit on Five Influential Women of the High Country at the Blowing Rock Art & History Museum. Get out there any enjoy all that our amazing region has to offer, you won't be disappointed!

For the full list of events in the High Country, go to http://www.exploreboone.com/things-to-do/events/

Live the Life you LOVE in the High Country

For so many American dreamers, the city life of lights and excitement can easily turn into burnout and one too many traffic jams.  Today, we are featuring the blogger who shared her story of how she quit her city job and moved her family to the country and they absolutely love it. Click the graphic below to read the full story and get tips on making the move!

Are you ready to live the life you love?

Check out some of these amazing properties that would fulfill your country living dreams right here in the High Country.

Go to my website to find your dream farm house and start living the life you LOVE!

Top 5 Reasons You Need a Real Estate Agent in Today's Market

This nifty info-graphic provides great information to consider when trying to decide if you should hire a Real Estate Agent when buying property.

Contact the Liz Riddick team today to hire a committed team of professionals to help you navigate the complex Real Estate market.

Holidays in the High Country

Blowing Rock and the surrounding areas are a Winter Wonderland during the Holiday Season.

The High Country Host says: "Like stepping into a Norman Rockwell painting, Blowing Rock is the destination if you want to experience a picturesque small town Christmas. Located in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Blowing Rock is a great place to make holiday memories while shopping, dining and taking in the lights and music of the season."

• Blowing Rock Christmas in the Park & Lighting of the Tree
  November 28: 2-8pm
  Held in Memorial Park in Blowing Rock, this event features Santa, games, carolers, hot chocolate and the lighting of the town tree!
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• Blowing Rock Christmas Parade
  November 29: 2pm
  Held on Main Street in Blowing Rock, the parade features community floats, music, antique cars and much more!
  
  
• Blowing Rock Art & History Museum Open House
  November 29: After Christmas Parade
  Fun for the whole family! Hot chocolate, cider, crafts for kids, wreath silent auction and caroling. Free.
  
  
• Chetola Resort Festival of Lights
  Nov 28-Jan 25: Dusk
  Chetola Resort becomes a Winter Wonderland with over 50,000 dazzling lights around Chetola lake and its surroundings.  The festival is free and open to the public, with more information available at the gatehouse. Carriage rides and visits with Santa are available the weekend after Thanksgiving.
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• Ensemble Stage: It's a Wonderful LifeNovember 30: 7pm
  The treasured holiday film comes to life before your eyes in the style of the classic 1940's radio drama. Complete with all the characters you love and love to hate, it's a story of redemption that resonates with all ages. A special treat for anyone kicking off their Christmas holiday season in our real-life Bedford Falls; Blowing Rock, NC. For tickets, click HERE
  
  
• Ensemble Stage: The Best of Christmas in Blowing Rock
  December 12-14
  Patterned after the Andy Williams and Bing Crosby TV specials of the 60's and 70's, complete with women in beautiful dresses, men in tuxedos, a kid's chorus, silly comedy skits and lots of singing and dancing, our Christmas in Blowing Rock shows have become one of the most popular traditions in our village. For tickets, click HERE

This information is courtesy of: http://highcountryhost.com/blowing-rock-nc-small-town-christmas/

Combatting Homelessness with Tiny Houses

Homelessness is a pervasive problem across the United States, and one that hits close to home with Realtors. Most recently in Madison, Wisconsin activists organized a non profit dedicated to solving this life threatening problem.

" In a city with a homeless population that has risen by 7 percent over the last four years to about 3,370, Occupy Madison organizers decided to tell their local leaders to “put up or shut up” and developed a non profit organization Occupy Madison Inc. In June 2013 OM Build was born and Tiny Homes was decided on as a solution.

To achieve their goals of a Tiny Village complete with 9 tiny homes, permanent comprehensive day resource center, safer places to sleep at night, as well as access to restrooms, showers, laundry, community gardening space, and other basic needs for people experiencing homelessness, OM Build realized that they would need to work from within the system. The hard and relentless work paid off. Scheduled for November 15th 2014 is a Ribbon Cutting Event for The first Tiny Village for the Homeless in Madison."

Read the full article here!

It's Christmas Tree Season in the High Country!

The High Country is renowned for our wide selection of beautiful Choose-and-cut Christmas Trees!
We attract patrons from all over the State and surrounding areas to experience the joy of choosing and cutting their very own Christmas tree.

Below you will find great resources for planning your journey to the High Country to choose and cut your own tree this season!

http://highcountryhost.com/shopping/choose-cut-christmas-trees/

http://www.exploreboone.com/includes/calendar-of-events/Choose-and-Cut-Christmas-Tree-Season/18170/

What You Need to Know Before Buying Rental Property

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RENTAL PROPERTY: THE BIG PICTURE

When owning real estate, it’s important to focus on the big picture. I personally don’t buy property to rent out immediately. Instead, I buy property to enjoy for at least a couple years and then rent out after I’ve accumulated enough funds or want to live somewhere new. The idea is that if I’m willing to live in the future rental property I’m buying, so will others.

* It’s all about income. As a real estate investor you must ascertain what is the realistic income the target property can generate on a sustainable basis every year. Once you have an income range then you can calculate a property’s gross rental yield and price to earnings to compare it with other properties on your acquisitions list.

* Price appreciation is secondary. One of the big reasons why there was a housing collapse was because investors moved away from the income component of property and just focused on potential appreciation. Investors didn’t care they were hugely cashflow negative if they could ride the wave and flip within a year or two. Once the party stopped, speculators got crushed, which caused a domino affect that hurt neighbors who planned to buy and hold. If you are primarily focused on property appreciation and not income, you are a speculator.

* Property prices historically rise closely with inflation. Property price appreciation generally tracks inflation by +/- 2%. In other words, if the latest inflation figure is 3%, you can expect a 1-5% increase in national property prices. Over the years property price changes can fluctuate wildly. But if you look at property prices over a 10 year period you’ll see a relatively smooth correlation. 10%+ annual increases are unsustainable because eventually property prices will become unaffordable as wage growth fails to keep up.

* Property is always local. Be careful not to extrapolate property statistics. Just because one report says national prices are up 10% doesn’t mean you can sell your San Francisco home for 10% higher than a year ago. Property price statistics tell you the general direction of prices and the relative areas of strength. The most realistic value for your property is if your neighbor sells and has a very similar layout."

Read the full article here: https://blog.personalcapital.com/investing/what-you-need-to-know-before-buying-rental-property/

Virtual Tours are Here!

Enjoy our Virtual Tour 275 Parker Road in Creston, NC. 

Completely remodeled vintage farmhouse on over 9 acres with fenced pastures, barn and flowing stream. Tons of charm! House has new siding, roof, windows, decks, refinished floors, timber-framed details, new tiled baths, expansive laundry, all new kitchen with Corian countertops and nice cabinets. Perfect opportunity to own your own farm. Owners had dairy goats and barn is set up for milking. Chicken coop built in and a nice hay loft. A beautiful crystal clear stream runs the length of property. Great southern exposure makes gardening a a dream. Nestled in a private cove with great mountain views.

Contact Liz Riddick today to learn more about this great property!
828-719-0120
Call or Text

lizriddick@gmail.com

See more virtual tours of our listings at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL6x6MprvTPITCAPzQSSRdA

Local Realtors Home Sells are Up from Last Year

Mortgage rates are at lows for the year

BOONE – The strong summer of real estate sales continued in September, and slightly outpaced last year’s rate.

Since May, local Realtors® have sold an average of 125 listings a month, according to the High Country Multiple Listing Service, which tracks activity in Ashe, Avery and Watauga counties. That’s just ahead of the same span from last year, when an average of 123 were sold.

Year to date, Realtors® have sold 973 homes in the region. That’s a 2.5 percent increase compared to last year through September, when 949 were sold.

Sales are likely being driven by long standing buyer’s market conditions. The median sale price this year – the point at which half of all homes sold above or below – is $184,000. That’s well below last year’s median sale price through nine months, $195,000.

The competitive prices are attracting buyers. Last month there were 139 Realtor®-assisted sales worth $33.33 million, and a median sale price of $195,000. It was the best September for sales since 2007, before the national housing collapse, when 161 homes worth $54.2 sold for a media price of $255,000.

There were also 310 new listings last month, the fewest since March. As of October 19 there were 3,167 listings within the MLS, a near high for the year.

“We are thankful for the slight increase in our market, which is directly related to a vast inventory and decrease in the median sales price,” said Laurie Phillips, executive officer of High Country Association of Realtors®. “The national home sales report reflects a decrease in sales, however, our area is unique and we are cautiously optimistic that the market will continue to stabilize.”

With regard to all property sold in the three-county area, including commercial lots and land, total sales are up 1 percent compared to this time last year. There have been 2,182 properties sold worth $389.36 in 2014, according to the monthly READReport. It also found inventory levels remain at a near all-time high.

Meanwhile, mortgage rates are at lows for the year. According to Freddie Mac, the average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 3.97 percent as of October 19, well below the average 4.53 percent back in January. The average rate for a 15-year mortgage, which is one of the most opted methods for people who are looking for refinancing, dipped to 3.18 percent from 3.30 percent.

Read the Full article at http://www.highcountryrealtors.org/2014/10/real-estate-report-sale-pace-slightly-ahead-of-last-year/