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Ginn offloads 6,000 acre development to Reynolds

One of Watauga County’s largest real-estate developments in recent years has been sold after the developer’s affiliates filed for bankruptcy last week. The 6,000-acre Laurelmor golf resort has been sold to new owners after Florida-based Ginn Company filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy to liquidate two Florida projects, as well as agreeing ...

Empire State Building Stolen!

BY WILLIAM SHERMAN DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Daily News reporter William Sherman in front of the Empire State Building. In one of the biggest heists in American history, the Daily News "stole" the $2 billion Empire State Building. And it wasn't that hard. The News swiped the 102-story Art Deco skyscraper by drawing up ...

The Small House Movement

by Tara Darby Is the "bigger is better" mentality fading in terms of real estate? Are the days of McMansions coming to an end? Well, it seems for some homeowners it is. There's a new movement out there that's creating quite a buzz among environmentalist and folks seeking a simpler life. ...

Boone’s Proposed Water Intake Environmental Assessment Finds Special Concern Mussels

Story by Kathleen McFadden Earlier this month, Boone voters overwhelmingly approved a $25 million bond referendum for a new water intake facility on the South Fork of the New River in the Brownwood area near Todd. Town staff has now turned the focus to an environmental assessment currently underway. According to ...

The Road to Four

Say goodbye to the folks, pack as many Thanksgiving leftovers as possible into your car and get back to Boone this Saturday—you’ve got a football game to watch. No. 2-seeded ASU will host the South Carolina State Bulldogs at 12:00 p.m. Saturday in a first-round playoff game at Kidd Brewer ...

Come Ski and get a tree!

Tree Story by Anna Oakes With literally thousands to choose from, you and your family can find the perfect Christmas tree this year. Families from across the state and Southeast travel hundreds of miles to our mountains for their tannenbaums, but High Country residents enjoy the privilege of living right in ...

Boone Council Deliberates Zoning Requests Thursday

Story by Kathleen McFadden Two rezoning cases were on the agenda for Boone’s Quarterly Public Hearing on November 13. ASU requested a change in the zoning of the rock building on the corner of Rivers and Depot streets from B-1, Central Business District, to U-1, University District. Boone Five, LLC requested ...

The Star of a Real Estate Reality Show Takes a Housing Hit

By Ronald Grover Ronald Grover To the 1 million viewers of Bravo's reality show Flipping Out, Jeff Lewis is the acerbic, demanding, and sometimes petulant face of real estate speculation. In the program's first two seasons (already in reruns), Lewis turned a hefty ...

ASU seeks Boone’s OK for journalism complex

By Frank Ruggiero Appalachian State University is hoping to hit the airwaves with a new broadcasting center, though it will need a green light from the Boone Town Council. University officials appeared before the council and Boone Area Planning Commission Thursday, Nov. 13, at the town’s quarterly public hearing, requesting a zoning ...

Local home construction down 25%

By Scott Nicholson George Gilleland is president of the High Country Home Builders Association and owner of The Hardwood Company in Boone, selling wood products and other building materials. He said while the construction market has cooled a little, it’s still far from doom and gloom. “I think we’re doing better than ...

Tough times for farmers in the high country

Written by John Boyle The lingering drought in much of North Carolina has resulted in the U.S. Department of Agriculture declaring 59 counties, including nearly all of Western North Carolina, disaster areas. Advertisement That means local farmers who can prove significant crop losses may be eligible for low-interest loans or other payments. This ...

Proposed Globe Scenic Area

Story by Kathleen McFadden Researchers at Colorado State University released an economic study this week stating that the creation of the proposed Grandfather National Scenic Area (GNSA) would attract an estimated 1.5 million visitors a year, result in the creation of 724 new jobs and generate an additional $38.4 million in ...

Oops, not quite grandpa

Grandfather Mountain President Crae Morton announced this week that based on a recent survey by Doug Suttles of Suttles Surveying in Marion, N.C., Grandfather Mountain will list the elevation of its summit as 5,946 feet. This number is 18 feet lower than the elevation of 5,964 feet that Grandfather Mountain has ...

A Bold Vision for Boone

Story by Kathleen McFadden “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” So cautioned Craig Lewis of the Lawrence Group at the closing presentation of the Boone 2030 planning charrette last week. What Lewis meant is that the collective vision of what Boone can become won’t be accomplished in one fell ...

Great new venue

Story by David Brewer Sheri Baker, owner of Dragonfly Theater & Pub, quit her job 2.5 years ago to focus her work and attention on Boone’s new movie theater and pub. The Dragonfly Theater and Pub is absolutely the only venue in the High Country that has, in four months, hosted ...

the dirt.

We feel a great deal of gratitude for the way our site has been embraced. Please forgive the recent lapse in coverage. We look forward to making good on our promise to be your best source for real estate news in the North Carolina mountains. Stay tuned for much more ...

Weekly Deeds transfers

Click here to see all deed transfers filed this week

$25 Million for water upgrades

The Boone Town Council will meet at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 24, to vote on a resolution authorizing the town’s finance director to apply to the Local Government Commission for approval of a $25 million issue of general obligation bonds. Click here to read the article from the High Country ...

Town to appeal Templeton case

The town of Boone will begin an appeal process this week on the Superior Court’s decision in favor of local developer ...

Boone OKs $20 million budget

In a summarized breakdown, the budget sees $12,326,994 devoted to the general fund, $163,500 to the emergency telephone system, $18,000 to narcotics enforcement, $623,210 to water and sewer, $1,068,500 to health insurance, $112,234 to the municipal service district, and $544,064 to the rural fire district. Here's the article from Frank Ruggiero

Extra fees for well permits

The new-well permit fee will increase from $225 to $300 on Tuesday, July 1. The fee includes the cost of inspections, fieldwork and a water sample. Here's the article from the High Country Press

Fish for free, July 4th

Along with watching fireworks and grilling out, everyone in North Carolina can celebrate Independence Day by casting a line in their favorite fishing hole - no license needed! Here's more from GoBlueRidge

New name for Realtors Association

The new proposed name for AWAR is the High Country Association of Realtors or “HI-CAR”. The Board of Directors also proposed a new tagline for the association that says, “All Real Estate is Local and So Are We”.

Help for Tweetsie

The Watauga County Board of Commissioners unanimously passed the movement to help buy the land on which Tweetsie operates during a public hearing held on Monday evening. Here's the article from Go Blue Ridge UPDATE: Opinions divided

County passes $60M budget

Watauga County’s property tax rate will remain the same in the next fiscal year, though the overall county budget will increase 4.6 percent. The Watauga County Board of Commissioners adopted a balanced $60.1 million budget Monday morning, with a $44.6 million General Fund budget for county operations. Click here for the article ...

New rules of home buying

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

Regulators approve rules on disclosing home-sale bonuses

N.C. regulators voted today to approve a new rule that will require real estate agents to provide a written disclosure of bonuses they might receive from sellers before a buyer makes an offer to purchase a home. The rule, which will help homebuyers know if their agent has an extra financial ...

Boone council accessorizes housing policy

The Boone Town Council was essentially forced to change its policy on accessory housing, which was originally adopted in hope of providing more affordable housing options for the community. Here's the article from the Watauga Democrat

Six Secrets of Internet Home Buying

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. Click here for more