The great thing about a new house is that everything is, well, new. Nothing is scratched, stained, or worn out. It’s wonderful: Everything works! That’s one of the main attractions of buying a new home.

But, as any homeowner knows, the rigors of day-to-day living can cause that blissful new-home feeling to fade. It’s an inevitable process, but one that can be stemmed or slowed with proper maintenance of key systems and finishes.

Once an owner takes the keys to their new home, they become responsible for maintenance of the entire structure and all its systems. Typically, professional builders will ease that transition with a warranty, but ultimately the baton is passed to the homeowners to protect their investment, enjoy the comforts, and maintain (or increase) the value of their new home.

The thought of staying on top of everything in a home can seem daunting, but really, it comes down to common sense, some diligence, and a short list of critical products and systems, including:

Heating and cooling. It’s a simple thing everyone has heard before. Changing the furnace filter every three months goes a long way toward maintaining the proper operation of a home’s entire air distribution system. A clean filter keeps dust, moisture, and other allergens out of the ductwork to help ensure fresh and healthy indoor air. Clean filters and ducts also put an easier load on the furnace, prolonging its life, and allow it to use less energy. Beyond that, homeowners may choose to have the ducts professionally cleaned every few years.

The effort and consistency you put into maintaining your home will pay dividends for you and your family in the future. Following these basic maintenance tasks are key components in retaining your homes new look and feel, while protecting the value of your investment.

The Jackson-Macon Conservation Alliance (J-MCA) is a local, not for profit, group who works hard to ensure our mountains and the watersheds of our Southern Appalachian Mountains are protected for generations.  J-MCA, although a separate organization, works hand in hand with the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust and other local conservation groups.

Their mission statement: Jackson-Macon Conservation Alliance is a grassroots conservation organization whose mission is to address environmental issues affecting the Highlands-Cashiers area through education, advocacy, hands-on initiatives and collaboration with like-minded organizations.

One of the most expensive and extensive of their projects is protecting our native mountain hemlocks. Although devastation in our national forest is widespread and inevitable, it is possible for land owners on the Highlands-Cashiers NC Plateau to control the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid on their own property.

The HWA is an Asian pest introduced in the East in the 1950′s and have spread ever since. Go to their web site http://www.j-mca.org/ and download their pamphlet to learn more about the variety of ways you can protect your Hemlocks.

When looking for your home or land in Highlands or Cashiers NC, ask about any endangered hemlocks on the property and potential loss of the trees due to the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid.

Contributed by Carol Mathews.   Carol has experienced the damage caused by the Woolly Adelgid on her own property.   She can recommend a tree specialist who can treat and save the hemlocks on your property.  Give Carol a call at 866-526-3558 or drop her a line at carol@carolmathews.com.

Sylva North Carolina, located at the center of Jackson County and a scenic drive from Cashiers and Highlands, offers a unique festival experience next month. Be sure to mark your calendar for the “Greening Up the Mountains” event on Saturday April 25.  This annual event is on its 12th year running and provides an enjoyable day of events for all ages.  The festival is creatively named after the way that ‘spring creeps up the mountain sides,’ bringing with it hope of a new spring.  Sylva NC’s Main Street will be arrayed with booths that will showcase local artisans’ wares, environmental education groups with valuable knowledge to share, and delicious foods.  Children will also enjoy activities just for them and live music will fill the air.  For more about the festival or the annual Greening Up the Mountains 5k run/walk visit www.downtownsylva.org. Lodging information is also provided through this link.

For information on Jackson County NC real estate including Highlands, Cashiers, Glenville, and Sapphire North Carolina, contact your friendly realtors at Meadows Mountain Realty.

As life gets busier and stress levels increase, more and more people are turning to their homes as a place of refuge and escape.

There is an increasing interest in the transformation of the master bedroom into an “owners’ suite”; a true, in-home retreat area. This trend has evolved from a simple “bigger is better” approach to a more sophisticated variety of features that go far beyond square footage. Owners’ suite retreats have been redefined as spa-like experiences to create a relaxing and revitalizing environment.

One characteristic of the new owners’ suite is a built-in separation between the increasing number of functional spaces. The sleeping area, for example, is just that. It may even be tucked away from direct daylight to maintain a serene environment. Television, reading, and conversation areas, adjacent but separate from the sleeping quarters, might also feature a mini-kitchen for early-morning coffee, light snacks, or after-hours refreshments. Some owners’ suites may include a separate exercise/massage area, small-scaled but exclusive laundry equipment, and perhaps a private balcony or deck to enjoy a peaceful view.

Similarly, the new master bathroom is segmented by both function and, in some cases, gender. A closet space, changing area or vestibule often provides a buffer between bedroom and the actual bathroom functions. An early-rising spouse can use the shower, bathtub, sink, and toilet without disturbing the other person’s sleep.

Where space permits, owners may even be interested in separate, his-and-her master bathroom spaces. Though usually sharing one tub or shower setup, each may prefer his and her private toilet, sink and vanity, and perhaps closet space to eliminate any “competition” for those functions.

In addition to the separation of spaces and functions within these owners’ suites, we’ve also observed a significant increase in products that serve those areas.

Closet organizing systems, for instance, are in great demand. A variety of components allow homeowners to create custom closet spaces for their particular needs. Shoe racks, drawers, cabinets, and closet rods combine to make much more efficient use of the space with the ability to change configuration as needs change.

To complete a luxury “spa” suite, homeowners may choose from products that create steam showers, gently warm the floor tile on chilly mornings, provide massage-like shower experiences, and deliver soothing effervescent bubbles within an overflow soaking bathtub.

As life’s pressures mount, owners’ suites have become an attractive alternative to the infrequent resort vacation. Owners’ suites create a refuge that can be enjoyed every day.

This article on building the perfect Master Retreat has been contributed to the Meadows Mountain Realty blog by Zac Koenig of Koenig Homebuilders in Highlands North Carolina.    Give Zac a call at 828-526-4953 or visit their website at www.koenighomebuilders.com.   Zac can help you build your perfect home in the mountains of western North Carolina.    Koenig Homebuilders has been building in Highlands NC and Cashiers NC for over twenty years.

If you have ever dreamed of living near the front of a beautiful, pristine lake with breathtaking mountain views to look forward to each morning, then Greycliff at Lake Glenville may be your dream realized.  At Greycliff you can choose to build a home that will take advantage of both the best mountain views and enjoy access to Lake Glenville.  Some of Lake Glenville’s most attractive features include the natural waterfalls that cascade out of the mountains.  Greycliff’s private docks on Lake Glenville are on the north end and were built to accommodate more than ten boats, with the opportunity to reserve a slip at the docks for a special outing or vacation.  Also up and coming is a Boat Concierge, featuring a full-service, covered storage facility for housing your boat and as a member of Greycliff you can phone ahead to have your boat launched and waiting for you at the private docks.

To contact Greycliff at Lake Glenville for more information on pricing and availability visit www.greycliffatlakeglenville.com.

For more information on real estate in Greycliff or Highlands and Cashiers North Carolina real estate contact The Meadows Team at Meadows Mountain Realty.

Many people think of “Green” as “earth friendly” but in simple terms, “Green” refers to lessening the environmental impact from society. Today in the United States we need to be conscience regarding our Ecological Footprint. You are probably thinking, what is our Ecological Footprint?  It is “How much land and water area a human population requires to produce the resources it consumes and to absorb its wastes under prevailing technology.

The two primary Principles of Green are:

1) practicing resource efficiency and conservation and

2) practicing social responsibility.

The Green Concept for all of us on the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau is to be more conservative with our natural resources  and to focus on recycling of our waste materials. Some examples of this are 1) consumers to recycle products such as newspapers, metal cans, plastics, etc., 2) new construction building and remodeling to use every piece of lumber on the job and only discard scraps of lumber instead of four to six feet lengths of lumber, and 3) conserve our electric power, natural gases, and water to ensure that the needs of future generations are met.

Bill Bowen, one of the professional brokers at Meadows Mountain Realty is in the process of obtaining the National Association of Realtors “Green Designation”.     Bill can answer your questions on ways to assist in the conservation of our resources and ways you can help to protect our environment.   You can reach Bill by toll free at 866-526-3558 or by email at billbowen1@verizon.net.

Have you ever thought about owning a retail business and also having the living space above it to enjoy your evenings when you close down the shop for the night?    If so, then you can do it right here in Highlands, NC.   The Deluca Building, with its stately and unobstructed presence on the road from Highlands to Cashiers is just minutes from Main Street Highlands and next door to Highlands Falls Country Club.

Highlands North Carolina is the ideal location for you to fulfill your dream. As you enter the building on the main level, you are greeted with approx. 960 +/- sq. feet of inventory and showroom space to display fabulous merchandise and create an inviting shopping environment.

The building’s versatility is a plus and has been demonstrated in the past, as the building has been used for office spaces, a gift shop and antique store. So now it is up to you to use your imagination and creativity and bring your new business to the town of Highlands.

During our extended season, which runs from May until Thanksgiving, the small quaint town of Highlands, with a year round population of approx. 3,500 people, transforms itself into a busy, bustling town of approximately 20,000 second home owners, shoppers and tourists. Everybody wants to bring something home from Highlands North Carolina…let it be something nice from your store.

Now, for the best part….when your business day is done, the store is closed and the people have finished shopping for the day, you can just walk upstairs to your two bedroom/ two bathroom luxury apartment and be right at home. Now you have the option of relaxing or making the short trip into the town of Highlands for a nice dinner at one of many fine restaurants, a coffee at Bucks, seeing a show at the Instant Theater or Performing Arts Center or attending the live auction at Scudder’s.  Whatever you choose, you will surely enjoy your evening in Highlands.

For more information on this commercial opportunity in Highlands, please contact Tom Goldacker, part of the Meadows Mountain Realty Team at 866-526-3558 or by email at tomgoldacker@nctv.com.    Tom would be happy to help you with your real estate needs in Highlands, Cashiers or Lake Glenville North Carolina.  Let Tom find the perfect mountain opportunity for you and your future.

Should We Wait or Buy Now?

A buyer’s market should be just that – a buyer’s market.  It’s not a fence sitting, procrastination, vacillating, wavering, hesitating, pausing market.  It’s a buyer’s market.  By the very name it means buyers should be doing one thing and one thing only – Buying.  So why aren’t we buying?

The incredible irony of this buyer’s market in Highlands and Cashiers is that even though the opportunity to buy is high, buyer urgency is low.  The media becomes the excited messenger of negative news and uninformed advice and buyers buy it all.  Actually, it feels like it’s the one thing they are buying.  Their hesitance to buy is so ironic since just a short time ago in Highlands and Cashiers buyers were incredibly excited about buying- and it was one of the biggest seller’s markets.  Prices were rising and it was one of the most difficult times to buy value and yet people were buying like there was no tomorrow.  Buyers were afraid of losing out by not buying, even though the advantage was all to the seller.

Now a shift has occurred.  Fear is still in the driver’s seat but the tables have turned – the fear of paying too much seems to stop most buyers dead in their tracks and paralyzes them.  When they should have been afraid of paying too much they weren’t and now that they shouldn’t be afraid of paying too much they are.  It’s one of the great illogical moments of any market. 

People who buy in buyer’s markets are the smart ones. They aren’t looking for a killing because they know that’s a matter of luck, not planning.  They ask themselves the same question time and time again-”Has the market dropped enough now to make the right purchase?” More often then not, if you are asking this question, then you’re already in the safe zone and the answer is yes.

Three Buying Strategies to Think About in Highlands and Cashiers, NC

Why Wait?  The Risks of Timing the Market.

Buyers who choose to wait until prices come down more are also gambling that interest rates will hold steady or drop.  What is not always understood is the impact interest rates can have on the real monthly costs of homeownership.  Even a 10% drop in home prices is immediately nullified by a mere 1% point increase rate on a 30-year mortgage loan.

Trade Up- The Opportunity of a Down Market.

If you are a buyer planning on trading up, saving on the larger home purchase will more than offset any loss on the sale of your current home.  If home prices dropped by 10%, here’s what it could look like if you decide to trade up -

OLD HOME PRICE= $400,000

Sell at $360,000 =  $ 40,000 less money for your home

NEW HOME PRICE=$800,000

Buy at $720,000 =  $ 80,000 in savings when you buy

Less Is More- Narrowing the Playing Field

In Highlands and Cashiers, one of the greatest challenges as a buyer is simply there are too many choices.  Use an agent that knows the market.  He/she should know where the values are in the market.  Educate your agent as much as possible with your wants in a home. Perhaps ask them to narrow by area in Highlands and Cashiers, final price point, bed / bath size and age of home.  Then let your agent do their job.  If you look at more than 15 houses, you are likely to become confused and overwhelmed.  

Bottom line – As a buyer in Highlands and Cashiers once the market settles or shows any sign of improvement, opportunities start slipping away.  The very moment sellers no longer have to make concessions, they won’t. 

You need to ask yourself two very important questions to help you decide if the time is right for you to be a buyer. 

Question #1- Have prices dropped?

Question #2- Do you think prices will ever go back up?

If you answered “Yes” to both of those questions, then why aren’t you out there buying?   

If you have any questions or want real advice on buying in our Highlands and Cashiers mountains, call me at 866-526-3558, I’m here to help. 

Contributed by Michelle Muraco, Broker Associate

MEADOWS MOUNTAIN REALTY, a prominent real estate company serving the Highlands, Cashiers and Glenville area, has joined Chicago-based Leading Real Estate Companies of the World^TM, Judy Michaud announced recently.

Meadows Mountain Realty joins over 700 real estate companies from across the United States and internationally in Leading Real Estate Companies of the World^TM, the largest network of leading residential firms, with 170,000 associates and over $380 billion in collective sales volume, which is more than that of any national brand or franchise.

The network affiliates are widely recognized as the premier providers of quality residential real estate and relocation services. Leading Real Estate Companies of the World^TM also excels in the upper-end market, with $70 Billion in sales of homes valued over $1 million.

As an affiliate of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World^TM, Meadows Mountain Realty can assist individuals purchasing or selling property in virtually any community in the U. S. or abroad with services including real estate assistance, comprehensive destination orientation programs, household goods move management and more. The membership also enables Meadows Mountain Realty to assist with corporate relocation accounts through RELO Direct^TM Leading RE’s third party relocation company.

Judy Michaud notes that selection as an affiliate of the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World^TM network represents another step in the development of the firm and its ability to meet the real estate needs of the Highlands-Cashiers-Glenville area.

Meadows Mountain Realty, with its eleven sales associates, was selected for Leading Real Estate Companies of the World^TM membership only after meeting the network’s exacting standards.

“We are delighted that Meadows Mountain Realty has joined Leading Real Estate Companies of the World^TM,” commented President and CEO of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World Network^TM Services Ruth Ann Pepple.  “Their selection was based on the company’s outstanding reputation, as well as its demonstrated ability to deliver the same high quality service and reliability as our other affiliates. This level of services is the foundation of our network and is the basis for our longevity and success as one of the industry’s leading providers of real estate and relocation services”.

Meadows Mountain Realty is located at 450 North 5^th Street, Highlands and at 130 Highway 64 East in Laurel Terrace in Cashiers.    The company has been serving Highlands-Cashiers-Glenville communities since 2003.    Judy Michaud has been assisting buyers and sellers in the area for more than 22 years. 

Among the breath-taking sites of the Cashiers-Glenville Area is Lake Glenville, North Carolina.  Lake Glenville’s pristine beauty shines with sandy banks for swimming, lake activities, and a place to relax.  Whether you are looking for a seasonal haven or a year round paradise, Cashiers North Carolina offers a ‘special’ place for your needs.  With more than 20,000 acres of national forest and scenic wildlife surrounding you, you will find that there are not enough hours in the day to enjoy all the activities that await, such as hiking and biking, fishing, water skiing, and golfing, just to name a few.  And for those with artistic tastes there is something for everyone with professional theatre, music concerts, art shows, as well as educational seminars.

Look into becoming a homeowner in North Carolina’s Cashiers and Highlands communities by visiting Meadows Mountain Realty.