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My husband I moved to south Florida a couple of years ago. We are both originally from New England and recently sold a vacation home we had up there. We are accustomed to cold and snowy winters, so south Florida is quite the change for us.
We are thinking the Highlands area might be good for us to escape the hot Florida summers, and also enjoy the change of seasons. We are visiting that area for the first time over the holidays. I have been told Highlands is a great little mountain town with nice restaurants, shops, etc. If all goes well, we are thinking of buying land and building a mountain house there as vacation home. I would like information and suggestions on the best communities (gated country clubs or not) in that area. Also, any tips on realtors, architects, and builders with a great reputation would be helpful and appreciated.
We would like a modern and open concept mountain home (2,000 sq feet or less). Nothing too big, but rather a cozy and beautifully finished getaway!
After your visit, you may well decide Highlands isn’t right for you. We seriously considered Highlands for retirement, but quickly realized it was too remote and isolated for us. As a vacation home, it might work though. We first visited Highlands/Cashiers over 30 years ago. IMO, it has changed and not for the better, becoming even more pretentious. There are better options in WNC, such as Brevard, Flat Rock, Hendersonville, Black Mountain, Waynesville, and Blowing Rock (as well as others). As far as mountain modern, outside of Asheville, it’s going to be hard to find an architect/builder that really understands this type of design. We struggled with this, eventually ended up with a California designer and builder who we thought understood, only to find out later neither really did. We ended up selling our lot in Flat Rock and buying. Building costs here are high, relatively speaking. Likely, to build what you want with above average finishes, is going to run at least $450 per SF, minimum on a lot that has a good view. If you can find an existing house you like, it will be a much better value. There are some very nice club developments in WNC (we live in one). In the Hendersonville/Flat Rock area, there’s Kenmure, Cummings Cove, and Champion Hills. In the Brevard area, there’s Connestee Falls. Near Waynesville , there’s Balsam Mountain Preserve. There’s one in Waynesville, but I don’t recall the name. In the Highlands/Cashiers area, there are many. I’m sure there are some in Blowing Rock as well; just not familiar with them. There are many seasonal residents, particularly from FL in WNC. After you’ve visited, I’m sure you’ll have more questions. Please feel free to visit us again and we”ll do our best to answer any additional questions. Best of luck!
After your visit, you may well decide Highlands isn’t right for you. We seriously considered Highlands for retirement, but quickly realized it was too remote and isolated for us. As a vacation home, it might work though. We first visited Highlands/Cashiers over 30 years ago. IMO, it has changed and not for the better, becoming even more pretentious. There are better options in WNC, such as Brevard, Flat Rock, Hendersonville, Black Mountain, Waynesville, and Blowing Rock (as well as others). As far as mountain modern, outside of Asheville, it’s going to be hard to find an architect/builder that really understands this type of design. We struggled with this, eventually ended up with a California designer and builder who we thought understood, only to find out later neither really did. We ended up selling our lot in Flat Rock and buying. Building costs here are high, relatively speaking. Likely, to build what you want with above average finishes, is going to run at least $450 per SF, minimum on a lot that has a good view. If you can find an existing house you like, it will be a much better value. There are some very nice club developments in WNC (we live in one). In the Hendersonville/Flat Rock area, there’s Kenmure, Cummings Cove, and Champion Hills. In the Brevard area, there’s Connestee Falls. Near Waynesville , there’s Balsam Mountain Preserve. There’s one in Waynesville, but I don’t recall the name. In the Highlands/Cashiers area, there are many. I’m sure there are some in Blowing Rock as well; just not familiar with them. There are many seasonal residents, particularly from FL in WNC. After you’ve visited, I’m sure you’ll have more questions. Please feel free to visit us again and we”ll do our best to answer any additional questions. Best of luck!
Thank you for your response. We are staying at Half Mile Farm in December for five nights for our first visit. We are planning to rent for a month there next summer, so we have more time to look around the area. I will also look into those other areas you mentioned. Thanks again for your time.
I’m sure you’ll enjoy your stay at Half Mile Farm; it is very nice. A month next summer will give you plenty of time to discover WNC. A problem I see is renting in Highlands. I can’t imagine you’ve already decided to buy/build there since you’ve never visited. Highlands is isolated and not centrally located to any of the other places I mentioned. Your trip in December should help you decide, although you’re not going to get a true picture then as the leaves will have fallen and many stores are likely to be closed. Highlands is very touristy and things really quiet down there during the off season from November thru April.
Hi and thanks so much for this post. It seems like you get more for your money over in that area?? Ideally we would like a beautifully finished 2 bedroom, 2-2.5 bath with an office/den, and an attached garage (1500 to 2000 sq ft of living space). We would like to buy land and build, and would be comfortable spending up to $1m.
We have friends who love Blowing Rock. Do you know much about that town? We are food and wine lovers and are looking for an upscale mountain town with some great restaurants.
Highlands is in closer proximity to Atlanta and as such a popular escape (especially at that altitude in the summer) keeping prices higher. Blowing Rock compares very favorably and in my opinion exceeds Highlands with it's amenities. It's also further from the major metros of the Southeast and often considered too far of a drive for a weekend escape for instance. Blowing Rock's relative inaccessibility (by driving distance) has kept prices tempered as a result.
I’m sure you’ll enjoy your stay at Half Mile Farm; it is very nice. A month next summer will give you plenty of time to discover WNC. A problem I see is renting in Highlands. I can’t imagine you’ve already decided to buy/build there since you’ve never visited. Highlands is isolated and not centrally located to any of the other places I mentioned. Your trip in December should help you decide, although you’re not going to get a true picture then as the leaves will have fallen and many stores are likely to be closed. Highlands is very touristy and things really quiet down there during the off season from November thru April.
You’re correct, we have not decided on anything yet. We are just starting the process of exploring and visiting. I appreciate your comments!
We vacationed at Blackberry Mountain in August and got a taste of the Smoky Mountains which we enjoyed. My husband and I are in our 40s and are looking for an upscale mountain town. We spent summers and the holiday season at our vacation home we just sold in NH. We plan to do the same with our next place. Also wanted to note, from our NH house, we are accustomed to driving 25 minutes to a grocery store and an hour to a Target or Home Depot.
Last edited by TeamLovingLife; 09-27-2023 at 07:58 AM..
Hi and thanks so much for this post. It seems like you get more for your money over in that area?? Ideally we would like a beautifully finished 2 bedroom, 2-2.5 bath with an office/den, and an attached garage (1500 to 2000 sq ft of living space). We would like to buy land and build, and would be comfortable spending up to $1m.
We have friends who love Blowing Rock. Do you know much about that town? We are food and wine lovers and are looking for an upscale mountain town with some great restaurants.
Thanks again!
I'm not sure if this area is more dollar friendly than the Asheville area, but it is less accessible to the Atlanta area and Florida. Although there isn't much more than a 30 minutes difference in drive time from Florida at best.
Our summer home is near those houses I posted in Eagle's Nest. Blowing Rock is 30 or 40 minutes drive to the East from here. There are at least a couple of Winery's in the area, several good restaurants that cater to a wide variety of food, from exotic game animals to chicken/beef and vegan items. Health care issues are probably better in the metro area of Asheville, but unless you build within minutes of a large hospital, emergency transportation will be an issue. Nothing in the Mts is on a straight line.
The county club set has golf courses, tennis courts, pickleball courts, book clubs, bridge clubs, etc all around this area as well as the metro Asheville area.
If I were purchasing in WNC and was unfamiliar with the area, I'd take a couple of summers to rent somewhere in the Asheville area, then the following year somewhere in the Blowing Rock/Boone area and see what's available. Not so much from a housing perspective, but from an amenities viewpoint. You can find a house or land in either location, but the surroundings are what will make it "home" for you.
Maybe even get in touch with a realtor for a more in-depth look at each locale.
We took two or three years finding our location. We began by looking at land, but quickly found that building costs would most likely end up between 450-650 dollars per square foot. We ended up with an existing home and have slowly paid for up-dating each year. We came out saving money and are completely satisfied with our choices.
It's positively amazing how the location, scenery and amenities cause you to overlook some of the minor flaws in purchasing an existing property.
Coming from FL we found Blowing Rock a good 90 minutes further than Asheville, which is substantial at the end of an 8+ hour drive.
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