In the trees, close to a downtown (Boone, Blowing Rock: house, crawl space)
Western North CarolinaThe Mountain Region including Asheville
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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. Many of the towns/areas mentioned have OK to good to v good downtowns, and most will 'prefer' where they live, lol!
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. Your 'short drive' to town/grocery is quite 'suburb like' and not our style, but most towns and areas mentioned in this thread will have some close in SFHs vis a vis 'downtown', imo.
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.
What should we look for in a property if we plan to be away for one month every winter and one month every summer? As I mentioned, we have no prob being away for months, at either of our NC or FL houses. We have neighbors at both, (though much less close for NC house, and house watchers at both. Decent alarm system and a house watcher + neighbors = we don't worry when gone, and all of our really good stuff is either with us or locked up somewhere. I don't feel that concern should be high on your list, imo.
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? If septic, get last 'service info' and check septic for #s of bedrooms, et al. Have radon test done by seller. When you narrow down house I suspect you will do umptyseven drive bys and will have checked out surroundings and neighborhood closely. Goog Maps is also your friend...
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? In 22 years at our Mtn house I have seen a Copperhead once or twice on our 3+ acres, (woodpile), and a small Timber rattler once. They are around, but I think C Heads prefer less elevation than our almost 5,000 ft. We do have occasional Black snakes, and similar milk/corn/rat snakes, all of which are v good yard snakes.
No idea of where you would be moving from or your temp comfort range, but your orig comment on being less than 3,000 ft elevation will provide for v warm to hot Summer, even with a very shaded 'yard', imo. We prefer cooler, and higher elevation, but everyone has their own zone. Our higher elevation does not preclude our being in downtown Waynesville in 15 mins, as we are secluded and high, but not 'remote'.
I think you are on the right track to focus your search on Hendersonville and Brevard, and more specifically the south, southwest, and west sides of Hendersonville. You will be close to Hendersonville and a short drive from Brevard. Both of these have very nice downtowns. Hendersonville has more retail, restaurants, and medical because it is larger, and is more conveniently located. When I read what you want, it describes what we have. Our development is heavily wooded as is our lot. We have a beautiful Mountain View from our back windows and are only 10 minutes from downtown Hendersonville. We’re at 2650 feet, and have only a handful of days in the summer where it reaches the 90s here. The weather here is just delightful. Our HOA, while relatively high, includes yard maintenance. Price-wise, it’s going to be very challenging to buy here for less than $700k. We have many part-year residents, so not an issue at all. Two other developments in the area, Kenmure and Cummings Cove are likely to have prices closer to your price range. Someone else mentioned Carriage Park. I really like the location of Cummings Cove; located between Hendersonville and Brevard, closer to Hendersonville. Don’t know about Carriage Park, but the other developments, including ours is not technically 55+, but most of the people who live here are over 55. I will warn you the real estate market is still very hot here. I was talking to an appraiser today, and he told me some houses are going for $90-100k above asking. As far as snakes, we’ve been here almost 2 years and have only seen one snake. Drainage can be an issue here if the yard slopes down toward the house; if this is the case, make sure to ascertain that this issue has been taken care of. Also, you will likely need the services of a crawl space professional since many crawl spaces here can be damp, especially if the land is not graded away from the house/foundation. Radon testing can be done at the time of your inspection.
Thank you so much for all of the input, it's very helpful.
I'm not sure if I'm clearly conveying how I want the property around my house to be, so I found some examples to show. Don't pay too much attention to the houses, I'm using these sold listings to give an idea of how I'd like the setting immediately around the house and the views out the windows:
The weather I like best is misty rain. I like clouds / shade. I like fog. I like humidity. I'm not wimpy about heat or cold. Only issues with ice / snow would be with respect to driving.
If you don't mind sharing, please tell me what is your energy source for heating. And what seems to be the most common? (propane, oil, gas, electric) Are certain sources more common close to town and others more common far out / way up the mountains?
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.
Highlands-Cashiers is definitely worth a look! They sit at slightly above 4100 feet and have some good restaurant options. Highlands has more the downtown with an active centralized business district whereas Cashiers is lower density minus the town center. The High Country around Boone-Blowing Rock-Banner Elk is another option. While Boone is a college town (Appalachian State University) with some good dining options, Blowing Rock is more scenic and gentile while Banner Elk (the smallest of the three) is a somewhat charming small college town (Lees McRae College) that acts as the commercial center for the massive vacation home community in the area. The latter two in my opinion pale in comparison to Hendersonville-Brevard. Depending upon your own tastes you could very well find Highlands-Cashier preferable if the proximity to Asheville isn't a preference or need. https://www.southernliving.com/trave...o-highlands-nc
There are many towns in North Carolina mountains that have lots of trees.
West Jefferson in Ashe County near the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Blowing Rock would be my choice if I were looking for what you mentioned.. (Where arthor wrote the "At Home in Mitford" books.)
Mt. Airy in Surry County. The town that inspired Mayberry.
If you travel west on Highway 64 you will run into a beautiful place called Highlands. Couldn't remember Cashiers but post before mine was being posted while I was typing.
Be careful getting too close to rivers and streams. In th mountains these small streams can turn into much bigger waterways.
I have one more for you to check out in Ashe County. May not have everything you are looking for but I am going to post the link. It is called Jefferson Landing.
Oh my gosh Highlands does look nice! Blowing Rock too. Years ago I read all those Jan Karon Mitford books!! Both of those towns (Highlands and Blowing Rock) have very small populations, but maybe because they attract lots of tourists there are more grocery and restaurant options than a typical small-population town?
Oh my gosh Highlands does look nice! Blowing Rock too. Years ago I read all those Jan Karon Mitford books!! Both of those towns (Highlands and Blowing Rock) have very small populations, but maybe because they attract lots of tourists there are more grocery and restaurant options than a typical small-population town?
Really, you can find lots with trees like the ones in the photos you posted just about anywhere in WNC. I would focus in on a particular area and go from there. The southwest/west side of Hendersonville would be my top choice, followed by Brevard. Laurel Park looks very similar to the photos you’ve posted. Black Mountain might also be a possibility. I would rule Highlands/Cashiers out for its size and remoteness. Highlands only has about 700 year round residents. Blowing Rock is a possibility if you don’t mind more colder/snowier winter weather.
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