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When I read the thread title I immediately thought of the neighborhood north of Haywood and just west of the river. There's lots of topography and woods.
I think it's a great idea to rent beforehand to get a feel for the area. I think your budget is acceptable as well. There are several areas in WNC that could work for you. Although Hendersonville is a nice area, I would think higher elevations like Waynesville, Black Mountain, north of Asheville, Weaverville or the vicinity of any of those may give you what you are looking for. Just some other options to add to your list.
There are other things to factor in as well. Do you need a lot of shopping options or just basically a good grocery store? Do you want a suburban feel? Or, do you want a mountain town with coffee shops, restaurants, boutiques, events etc? What about health care? Do you want to live in a subdivision with an HOA?
I know you mentioned Zirconia. That is very rural. Lake Lure is very nice but very small. It's more a place to vacation.
OP have you explored the Burnsville-Spruce Pine area at all? Both have active downtown areas and most everything you need in close proximity with average elevations just shy of 3000 feet and ranging a few hundred feet higher in areas.
When the OP mentioned having yard maintenance done, I thought of Carriage Park in Hendersonville. There is no streetview because it is gated. There are a few photo spots and the houses are densely surrounded by trees. I have not kept up with prices there, but the locals could comment on whether it is affordable to the OP. However, there is one on Bay Laurel for $670,000, at about 2200 SF. I think it is an agr-restricted community (55+), and the OP did not mention whether they qualify or are interested in that.
Last edited by goldenage1; 03-09-2023 at 06:29 AM..
... I think it is an age-restricted community (55+), and the OP did not mention whether they qualify or are interested in that.
Carriage Park is not age-restricted. It is 10 minutes from grocery shopping. Whe we were looking at retirement places, I was interested because it has an indoor swimming pool, one of the few communities that does.
The only WNC downtown areas we've spent time in are Brevard and Hendersonville. Let me ask - excluding Asheville, which downtown districts do you think are the most impressive and beautiful with nice looking architecture and good restaurants? If there are downtowns that fit that description better than Brevard and Hendersonville, we do need to check those out.
When I'm in the hot tub at home, or looking out the windows of the house, I'd love to see leaves, branches, rock, moss, and up-close mountainside. I like that even better than long range mountain views, and I like it better than looking out and seeing green lawns and neighbors houses. I'm not saying I want seclusion on acreage - I'd actually prefer a smaller lot and other homes in the neighborhood. I want the privacy to come from the trees and the way the homes are situated.
I want to be able to go from that setting ^ to a great downtown within a short drive. That's my dream combination, being able to quickly and easily go back and forth between those two different worlds. I think I can find that in WNC.
As far as shopping needs, the most important thing is to have good grocery store(s) as close as possible (not more than 10 min drive.) A drug store would be good too but I guess you can usually get drug store items at the grocery store. It's nice when you need a new pair of shoes to be able to go try on and buy in person rather than order online, but that would not be a frequent need, so fine if we have to drive more like a half hour for that kind of thing.
I know my husband would like to have a martial arts school and a makerspace within 20-30 mins. I'm sure Asheville would have both.
Regarding health care, I'd love to find a good doctor, but I've never had that before so if I couldn't have that in WNC it wouldn't be any different for me.
We're in our early 40s so not able to buy in a 55+ community.
In addition to the question about downtowns at the beginning of this post, here are a few more:
What should we look for in a property if we plan to be away for one month every winter and one month every summer?
If we find a house we like in a setting we like, is it generally safe to assume everything is as it seems? Or are there things you'd warn a newcomer to look out for? Like "that area tends to flood when rainwater comes down the mountain" or "radon levels tend to be off the charts in that area" or "there's a landfill / meth lab / cancer cluster / sketchy housing project right near that neighborhood." Those are just examples. Is there anything along those lines you'd caution about?
Have you ever encountered a venomous snake very close to your house or in your garage? Please don't get me wrong, I love snakes and I totally understand they mean no harm to humans and provide an incredibly valuable service to us and the ecosystem. They also have adorable faces in my opinion. All that said, some venomous snake species are bolder than others and I'm just wondering how common it is to have a copperhead visitor around the house for example. Does elevation play a part?
.....What should we look for in a property if we plan to be away for one month every winter and one month every summer? ....
In my opinion, it would be best to be in a gated community unless you plan to hire a security company to look after the property. However, with a gated community, there will be an HOA, and additional restrictions. Hopefully, an HOA would insist that everyone preserve the trees surrounding the house.
There could be rattlesnakes sunning themselves in open areas. Copperhead are common in North Carolina wooded areas, so it is best to be very careful walking in woods. A pair of snake-proof boots would help. Also look at natural snake repellents such as clove oil to spread around the yard.
Last edited by goldenage1; 03-09-2023 at 11:25 AM..
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