College Towns: Still a Smart Investment
Property values in college towns are holding strong and can make a good investment whether you’re a parent, an investor, or just looking to relocate
Mortgage rates drop
Rates on 30-year mortgages dropped below 6 percent two weeks ago for the first time in more than a month, reflecting aggressive efforts by the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates to protect the economy from a serious recession.
Click here to read the article from Business Week
Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust plans for banner year
“Coman and other land conservationists believe the housing slump is creating a window of opportunity for land trusts as development slows down and people either desire tax breaks from donation easements or are willing to sell their land at a reduced rate in order to conserve it.”
Welcome to High Country Dirt!
For those of you visiting for the first time, here is a brief overview of dirt.
Click to read more
Land Use Committee plans public forums
Ashe County Board of Commissioners Chairman Richard Blackburn pitched the Land Transfer Tax referendum at the monthly meeting of the Comprehensive Land Use Committee last week, but a statement from the committee stressed that the group’s work would focus on strategies for future land use planning in the county. What do you think? Leave a comment.
6 Home Renovations With Major Payoffs
Yahoo has an interesting article about ways to improve your homes value, here’s the list of the top 6
1. Replace Your Siding
2. Build a Deck
3. Spice Up the Kitchen
4. Install Energy-Efficient Windows
5. Give the Bathroom a Facelift
6. Crown Your Walls
New Blowing Rock Fire Department Nears Completion
The new Blowing Rock Emergency Management facility is on track to open in early May, said Kent Graham, Blowing Rock Emergency Management Services director.
Currently, Amber Contracting of Mount Airy is completing the final 10 percent of the $4.2 million job, including final interior and landscaping work and corrections to the roof, Graham said.
Get yours—before it’s gone!
A new study suggests that southwest North Carolina has lost more than 100 acres daily for the past 30 years to urban development.
North Carolina Heat Map from Trulia
Here is an interesting heat map of housing trends & activity in North Carolina.
What to Look for When Buying Vacant Land
Acquiring a parcel on which to build is as American as it gets, a birthright dating back to the days of land rushes and “Go west, young man!” The practice has clear advantages: Custom building means having total control over every aspect of a house, from the foundation to the flooring to the views.
Interested in Living Off the Grid?
Alternative energy is the big buzz term these days, but how practical is it to create energy from the sun, wind and water? If you want to get up to speed on the current practices, products, prices and feasibility of creating your own energy, the Western North Carolina Renewable Energy Initiative at Appalachian has a course—or two or three or four—just for you coming up this spring and summer.
Parkway Center opens April 14
Visitor facilities along the Blue Ridge Parkway will open for the season beginning in April. A grand opening for the new Blue Ridge Parkway Destination Center will be April 14.
The concession at Mount Pisgah will open on Thursday, weather permitting. The Parkway Craft Center at the Moses Cone Memorial Park near Blowing Rock began operations on March 15.
Highway 321, postponed until 2009
Completion of the widening of U.S. 321 from Lenoir to Blowing Rock likely won’t come until spring 2009, more than six months behind schedule, transportation officials said Monday.
Officials want to extend Boone Greenway to Todd
The Watauga County Tourism Development Authority is exploring a regional trail-mapping project that’s designed to capitalize on the tourism value of scenery and outdoor recreation.
Wilson Creek property sold to conservancy
A large swath of property along Wilson Creek that had been considered for development last year has been sold to a non-profit, regional land trust with the purpose of turning it over for state management.
Land Fraud Scheme linked to Avery
A proposed gravel mine in Avery county has caught the attention of state regulators because of its ties to a multimillion-dollar real estate collapse in nearby Mitchell County.
The collapse of the Penland project, in Mitchell county, left dozens of investors owing banks more than $100 million on mountain property worth a fraction of that amount.
$1.5 Million for Water Projects
More than $1.5 million could be on the way to help North Carolina communities upgrade their water systems.Gov. Mike Easley has signed off on federal-state grants for projects in Marshall, Mars Hill, Tryon, Valdese, Lenoir and Blowing Rock, his office announced today.
Fire destroys gift shop, museum at Tweetsie Railroad
Investigators spent today shoveling through ashes to determine what caused an early morning fire that destroyed the Tweetsie Railroad Museum and gift shop at Tweetsie Railroad
How to finance your remodel
Until recently, borrowing money for a new kitchen, second-story addition, or other home improvement meant going to the bank, seeing a loan officer, and hoping for the best. Today, however, you have many more options.
Build your dream house now
Money Magazine—With home values tumbling and the mortgage market still in crisis, you’d think that Billie and Rodney Wylde would shelve their plans to build their North Carolina dream home - at least until the market stabilizes.
Not a chance. The thirtysomethings are set to pour the foundation on a 2,100-square-foot farmhouse with a wraparound porch in East Bend, a few miles from where they currently live. Estimated construction cost: $140,000.
