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That's exactly what I learned. Gorgeous area but it's not really a community and that's important to me, even if I have to struggle a bit, and have patience, to fit into it. The really great thing though is this: I still get to visit and enjoy EVERY ONE of these little towns once I move there!
Would rule Sapphire and Glenville out too. Both are relatively expensive areas with many second homes and part-year residents. Can’t imagine Glenville has a crime problem.
I remember seeing this one on Zillow. (Price reduction of $40K as of today!) The location is great and I like the house, even with only 810 sq ft. I could work with it, even though it's not a 1BR as advertised. It's a studio. But even that doesn't bother me. The downsides for me were that the house, despite all the great materials used, would need a lot of renovation (especially the kitchen and bathroom) to get it where it would suit me as a forever home in my retirement years. And there isn't any water on the property.
Also, being on the top of a mountain, in that location, I'd want to learn how safe the road conditions would be getting to and from the house in the winter.
This really was a great suggestion though! It's not a property that I'd 100% rule out at all.
Quote:
Originally Posted by goldenlove
Here is a house that just showed up in my Redfin feed:
I remember seeing this one on Zillow. (Price reduction of $40K as of today!) The location is great and I like the house, even with only 810 sq ft. I could work with it, even though it's not a 1BR as advertised. It's a studio. But even that doesn't bother me. The downsides for me were that the house, despite all the great materials used, would need a lot of renovation (especially the kitchen and bathroom) to get it where it would suit me as a forever home in my retirement years. And there isn't any water on the property.
Also, being on the top of a mountain, in that location, I'd want to learn how safe the road conditions would be getting to and from the house in the winter.
This really was a great suggestion though! It's not a property that I'd 100% rule out at all.
This is a scenic area, but I would also rule it out for you as this area has a fairly significant liberal population, as it is relatively close to WCU.
Would rule Sapphire and Glenville out too. Both are relatively expensive areas with many second homes and part-year residents. Can’t imagine Glenville has a crime problem.
That's probably why there were more houses that I liked in Glenville and Sapphire then... they were holiday homes. Those are fine, but I also want a community of residents, not Air B&Bs, tourists, and part-time holiday folks. This is one of the reasons, actually, why I like the areas around Murphy. It's not a vacation destination and the folks are all locals who live there.
This is the kind of information that REALLY helps me right now. I'm kind of bummed out about this one though because I really liked what I could see about this area and was favoring it because it looked like the areas outside of these town (proper) is wooded and private. Just one clarification: As nice as ANY town is, I don't plan to live right in the town proper. I'd be outside of it. But being near Glenville, Cashiers, Highlands and Sapphire looked appealing. It still does visually, but not if they're more seasonal than residential.
This is a scenic area, but I would also rule it out for you as this area has a fairly significant liberal population, as it is relatively close to WCU.
Thanks, I was wondering about that. Since Sparta is in northern WNC, even though it's relatively close to the TN border, I wasn't looking to be that far east in the northern section. And one of the things I definitely want to avoid is being near ANY college or college town culture.
I would really value your (and other) opinions on some houses that interest me. I think that's going to help me the most right now. I'll make a separate post with them shortly.
Don't completely rule out a 2nd or 3rd home area, there are benefits. We are exclusively in a 2nd or 3rd home area and love the peace and quiet, yet also have homes nearby..... just vacant much of the year. We also live in an area that has no short term rentals allowed, so that enhances the privacy.
You're right. I've done about as much online research as is possible to do. I found every reply here to be helpful, so I'm beyond grateful! It's helped narrow down locations. I still like Cherokee and Clay counties, too. What are your thoughts on Hayesville?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lizap
I suggest you come for a visit here. Posters here have given some excellent suggestions but ultimately you really need to make several trips here at different times of the year to see for yourself. You might focus on 2 areas: Burnsville/Banner Elk/Spruce Pine and Franklin.
That's probably why there were more houses that I liked in Glenville and Sapphire then... they were holiday homes. Those are fine, but I also want a community of residents, not Air B&Bs, tourists, and part-time holiday folks. This is one of the reasons, actually, why I like the areas around Murphy. It's not a vacation destination and the folks are all locals who live there.
This is the kind of information that REALLY helps me right now. I'm kind of bummed out about this one though because I really liked what I could see about this area and was favoring it because it looked like the areas outside of these town (proper) is wooded and private. Just one clarification: As nice as ANY town is, I don't plan to live right in the town proper. I'd be outside of it. But being near Glenville, Cashiers, Highlands and Sapphire looked appealing. It still does visually, but not if they're more seasonal than residential.
WNC, in general, is touristy. The areas near Asheville and west/south/southwest of Asheville are particularly touristy. There’s no way to sugarcoat it. Certain times of the year (e.g., leaf season) are moreso than others, but it’s pretty touristy year-round with many part-year, seasonal residents.
It's the short term rentals that concerned me the most, especially in the Little Switzerland and Spruce Pines area. In your area, how much farther do you have to travel for supplies during the off-season when businesses are closed?
Quote:
Originally Posted by getatag
Don't completely rule out a 2nd or 3rd home area, there are benefits. We are exclusively in a 2nd or 3rd home area and love the peace and quiet, yet also have homes nearby..... just vacant much of the year. We also live in an area that has no short term rentals allowed, so that enhances the privacy.
WNC, in general, is touristy. The areas near Asheville and west/south/southwest of Asheville are particularly touristy. There’s no way to sugarcoat it. Certain times of the year (e.g., leaf season) are moreso than others.
That bit of realism is starting to sink in. (I hate sugarcoating, so thanks.) That just means that I'm going to have to make "touristy" a less important. Again, this is helping more than you know and what I had hoped to gain from posting here.
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