There’s no telling how long the current housing situation will drag on. Here’s what you need to know before you start shopping in a rocky market.
Click here for the article from CNN Money
and here are some rules for sellers
With the worst housing slump in a generation slashing home prices across the country, the dynamics of the market have shifted squarely in favor of buyers.
With the worst housing slump in a generation slashing home prices across the country, the dynamics of the market have shifted squarely in favor of buyers. And as the real estate industry grows increasingly Web-savvy, house hunters can now scour through neighborhoods, inspect front porches, and even peek inside bedrooms from the comfort of their desktops. But while this surge of new information can help you find that perfect home, it can also–at times–make the whole process overwhelming. Here are six ways to ensure that your online real estate search is as efficient and effective as possible.
Actress Andie MacDowell has bought land in an environmentally focused mountain community (Balsam Mountain) and plans to build an eco-friendly house there.
The outlook for owners of “prime property” – “the most desirable, and normally most expensive, property in a defined location” – notably for vacation homes, is much more optimistic, according to the 2008 Annual Wealth Report by property consultants, Knight Frank, and Citi Private Bank.
“The boom in second home ownership over the past decade will be nothing compared with the growth we will see over the next decade,” the report says.
Spring has always been busy for real estate. Even though buyers and sellers remain cautious, now could be a good time to make a move
The spring home-buying season is upon us. In small towns and big cities alike, “Open House” and “For Sale” signs are sprouting like crocuses. But it will take more than pleasant weather to thaw the ice-cold real estate market.
If many home buyers have never shopped for their own title insurance, will they use a Web site that not only helps them do that, but also select their own appraiser, home inspector, surveyor, or termite company?
Jeff Lazerson thinks they will, and armed with a $100,000 Ford Foundation grant, he’s building Fairclosingcosts.com, a Web site that he says will allow not only consumers but real estate and mortgage professionals to shop for settlement services.
Zillow.com has entered the mortgage arena with the launch of an online marketplace allowing consumers to request quotes on purchase, refinance and home-equity loans.
In the midst of all the gloom and doom on the housing front, one remarkably-bright statistic has just been announced: Last week the National Association of Realtors reported that 12 percent of all existing home sales last year were not primary residences, they were instead vacation homes.
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
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
A new study suggests that southwest North Carolina has lost more than 100 acres daily for the past 30 years to urban development.
Here is an interesting heat map of housing trends & activity in North Carolina.
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.
Home purchasers sometimes get into trouble because they are not clued into the sequence of steps involved in financing their purchase. These are qualification, pre-approval, approval, and lock.
For buyers with good credit and healthy bank accounts, a million dollars buys a lot more home than it did a few years ago.
Read the article from Yahoo Finance or look at homes priced 0ver $1 million in the High Country.
Check out these videos that highlight different parts of the High Country & Blowing Rock: Click to read more
Daniel Boone Days Celebrates Boone’s Heritage Sept. 4-6 in North ... TravelVideo.tv (press release) - 4-6, setting the foundation for an exciting annual event in this well-known High Country town. The festival has created a first-year buzz with its plan to ... |
Mountaineer Volleyball Notebook: ASU Picked Second In SoCon North ASU Appalachian Mountaineers, NC - BOONE, NC - Appalachian State Volleyball has been picked to finish second by the head coaches in the Southern Conference North division for 2008, ... |
 | Grandfather Mountain Getting “Greener” Hospitality 1st (press release), FL - Grandfather Mountain, NC – August 2008 – Hospitality 1ST – At 5946 feet above sea level, Grandfather Mountain towers above Northwestern North Carolina as a ... |
Autumn awaits Orlando Sentinel, FL - "One of the things that is really critical is cool nights," says Howard Neufeld, a professor of plant physiology at Appalachian State University in Boone, ... |
‘For Future Generations’ Boone Mountain Times, USA - Board member Michelle Leonard said the organization had preserved 2254 acres of land in Watauga, Ashe and Avery counties and said in crafting the mission ... |
 | Music on the Mountain Boone Mountain Times, USA - The Music on the Mountain Festival will be held in Boone this Saturday, August 23rd, from 11:30 am to 11:30 pm The event will feature performances from the ... |
Humane Society ‘Fur Ball’ Aug. 23 Boone Mountain Times, USA - Also slated to appear is Amanda Arrington, North Carolina director of the Humane Society of the United States. Judy Clarke, president of the Watauga Humane ... |
Bear Paw, Yellow Mountain state natural areas authorized Macon County News, NC - The authorization of the Yellow Mountain and Bear Paw state natural areas, both centered in Avery County, allows the state parks system to begin a land ... |
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH Winston-Salem Journal, NC - Noon to midnight Saturday, old High Country Fairgrounds, Boone. Proceeds will benefit NC Green Power, High Country Conservancy and Appalachian's Energy ... |
Yadkin Valley Financial Corporation Will Present at the 13th ... FOXBusiness - The High Country Bank region serves Avery and Watauga Counties. The Cardinal State Bank region serves Durham, Orange, and Granville Counties. ... |
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