Highlands (Charlotte, Asheville, Clayton: for sale, to rent, vacation home)

[stevej64]

Looking at the Highlands area to retire. Is there much to do? Any good or bad things I should know before heading down there?

What about housing, taxes--expensive??

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[hapaleeretired]

I rode through Highlands a couple of times last year. Nice town but VERY upscale. I guess a lot of well heeled Atlanta types have summer cabins there. I looked at some cabins listed in the window of a realtor's office.......Whoa! It is a beautiful area but a little rural. US 64 can get slow and crowded. It is a beautiful motorcycle ride when you can move on it but I wouldn't want to use it as my sole in/out highway.

[Prichard]

Highlands is where people from Central Florida retire to. More people up there from Central Florida than from Georgia. It's always been a getaway and vacation place for Floridians. Highlands has become fairly exclusive, with a more up-scale downtown and expensive properties around the town. Nice place, though.

[stevej64]

Sounds like a nice town.I hope housing prices and taxes are not as high as they are on Long Island.Traffic cannot be as bad as the L.I.Expressway AKA the worlds longest parking lot.

[Prichard]

Traffic in Highlands? During the summer there might be some traffic up there when all of the vacationers blow into town. Then you have some people blow in when the leaves are turning and for Christmas. From January 1 through March, the place is pretty desolate.

People start trickling in during April. I have yet to see a traffic jam in Highlands, although the parking lots in the center of town can get filled up during peak season. You won't find any rush-hour traffic anywhere near Highlands. Nearest towns would be Franklin, to the northwest and maybe Clayton Ga to the southwest. Cashiers is mainly just a tourist based town.

Did I mention that property is quite expensive in Highlands? Outside of Ashville, I'd say that you will be pretty hard pressed to find any town in Western North Carolina more expensive to buy property in. Living expenses are also higher because it doesn't have any Walmarts, Home Depots, etc.

Living in Highlands won't be anything like living in New York, even on Long Island. There is pleanty to do if you are into fishing, hunting, hiking, playing in the rivers during the summertime, and golfing. Summers are beautiful, but winters in Highlands can be quite cold and icy since it's elevation is over 4,000 feet (as I recall). You might want to rent there for a year before you make any major life-change.

[tkhk3746]

Hi Steve.

Just a thought. We live in Western North Carolina. A nice town that's really coming alive. Easy access to all the major areas...BUT homes and property taxes here are sooooooooooooo much cheaper.

A very wealthy gentleman from Texas, who was raised here, just built a beautiful baseball field w/ a semi-pro team. It is a wonderful addition to this quaint little town. There is also boating and fishing close by. We are near Lake Lure.


My husband and I have a wonderful vacation home for sale that's just been totally renovated. It would make a great retirement OR vacation home!

IF you'd like more information, please feel free to email me at:

tkhk3746@msn.com

[Hattie]

Highlands? Think 'Aspen East.' Beautiful town and surroundings, two 'major' roads in/out - don't have motion sickness. Few stores open after 'leaf season'. Tends to be, as someone said, 'a bit exclusive.' Worked there for 'leaf season' and loved the area, but it IS costly - in every way you can think of.

[lovesroses]

When we visited Highland/Cashiers in early October '06 we saw plenty of retirees golfing. Is that something you like to do? Just talking to some natives and shopowners, we found out that the place pretty much shuts down for the winter. Due to the altitude it rarely gets above 80 in the summer. The downtown is cute and homey-looking.

[ffnole]

We have a new vacation home in the Cullasaja Club which is four miles east of downtown on HWY 64. As others have said, it is expensive but the housing downturn has created a buyer's market. I expect you can find something in your price range in a very nice community so don't be scared away by the exclusivity discussion. I would suggest you contact www.buyersre.com to learn more about the area. They are a buyer's agency firm (only represents you) with offices in both Cashiers and Highlands. We used the agency manager Colleen several years ago and she was excellent. Highlands has outstanding restaurants such as Wolfgangs, The Log Cabin, Paoletti's, Oak Street Cafe, Nick's Fine Foods, On the Verandah just to name a few. I would say it is a strong Atlanta and Florida crowd but people are moving their from all over the country. Most stores are open April through Thanksgiving. The Old Edwards Inn downtown is an outstanding resort which recently underwent a 40 million dollar expansion. Lots of outstanding private country clubs between Highlands and Cashiers and several down the road in Sapphire 14 miles that are public. Hihglands is also one of only two natural rainforests in the US with over 70 inches of rainfall per year (except the past two years) . I hope that helps. You will love the area when you see it. About 75-90 minutes from the Asheville airport or 3-3.5 three hours from Atlanta or Charlotte. Happy hunting.

[redfisher]

We have property north of Highlands and that IS a more expensive town.
Great little town, tho... lots of little upscale shops in downtown. Good places to eat, too.
During the summer months and through fall, it's a zoo, tho... can't find a place to park down town. During the winter months, tho, it's deserted.

You could buy property between there and Franklin and prices would be less expensive. Franklin has Lowes, Walmart and is a blue collar town, so costs in that area are obviously less.

Are you looking at vacant land to build, or planning to buy something already built?