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My wife and I are looking are looking at various western North Carolina locations with an eye toward eventually building a retirement home and would like some feedback on Waynesville. We have visited there and love the mountains, the climate, the downtown and the area's convenience to Asheville. However, we will be on a budget. We have heard that building costs in Waynesville are spiraling out of control and that the town is becoming something of a "playground for the rich" -- not to the same extent as Highlands/Cashiers, but moving in that direction. Any thoughts? And would Sylva, Dillsboro, Franklin or Murphy be possible alternatives?
Hi. We have been going up to the Waynesville area from Florida just about every autumn for the last 20 years. We kept saying that we really wanted to retire there and watched the price of real estate go up every year.
Finally about five years ago, we figured that if we were ever going to get some land, we needed to go ahead, bite the bullet and do it. So we went up determined to buy a lot. After seriously looking at Waynesville and Lake Junaluska, we wound up buying two acres in Cullowhee. Our land is about 10 minutes from Western Carolina University and 10 minutes from Sylva/Dillsboro (shopping and medical facilities). We just felt that we could get better value there than Waynesville (and also really liked being near the university).
We still love Waynesville as a place to visit, but it does seem that it is getting even more crowded with Floridians and prices keep accelerating. Of course, that is happening all over the NC mountains. Our lot is now worth about twice as much as we paid for it. So get ready for a bit of "sticker shock" when you start seriously looking.
We still have another few years until actual retirement, but are looking forward to that day when we can get our house built, step out on the deck and say "Whew! We made it"!
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