Walhalla, SC

I know we have all heard about Chrysler closing dealerships, and I was surprised to see an article in one of my favorite business sites for SC talk about how the Upstate was spared. Sorry but just because only one dealership, the one in Walhalla, is being closed is not exactly what I would call the Upstate being spared. Sure it could have been worse, but this means someone is worrying today about their job.

It has been several years since I owned a Chrysler but I want a new Jeep so bad it is about to kill me. One of the new 4 door Wranglers. I had a 84 CJ7 and it was a great vehicle. Not a luxury sport utility by any means but if I loved it anyways. Fun dependable,

I hate that Walhalla is losing a great local dealership. But I guess they can always drive to nearby Seneca.

Located at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Walhalla, South Carolina and Oconee County have many wonderful things to experience. Natural waterfalls, orchards, botanical gardens, forests, parks, and so much more. The four season climate is mild, and is suitable for taking part in most outdoor adventures throughout the year.

The Upstate region where Walhalla is located is an area that truly does have something for everyone. Popular outdoor activities include white water rafting, canoeing, boating, water skiing, tubing, fishing, lake swimming, cycling, hiking, golf, horseback riding, swimming at local shoals, and atv riding.

History reveals that Walhalla was started as a settlement of immigrants who came over from Germany, Hamburg, and Bavaria along with some Irish, English, and Scots. Walhalla is a small Southern town, with tons of charm and some great festivals and events such as Octoberfest.

Numerous large lakes and beautiful rivers are all nearby for your enjoyment. Lake Keowee is a centrally located lake that boasts 18,500 acres, and 300 miles of scenic shoreline, and is considered by many as one of the most beautiful and clearest lakes in South Carolina. The area is filled with scenic mountain trails, winding country roads, and breathtaking views that deserve to be captured in paintings and on film.

We live and work in Upstate South Carolina on a day-to-day basis helping people with their real estate needs. Meeting new friends each day is a wonderful part of our daily life. We find that people relocate to this area from Florida, the Midwest, California, New York, Atlanta, and many parts of the country after being here for only a short time on vacation. They simply fall in love with this place! Many retire here or own second homes in the foothills of the mountains or on the lakes. Allow us to meet with you, and give you a short tour of the area to show you some of it's wonderful attractions. We're sure that you will fall in love with this area as we and many others have.

Upstate South Carolina is still a relatively unknown jewel!

http://www.scmountainlakeliving.com

The area we are in here in Upstate South Carolina (Oconee County, Walhalla, Seneca, West Union, Anderson, Salem, Westminster) is doing alright as far as home market values go. Better than alright as compared to many places in the country and even in this state we guess. March prices here in 08 compared to March of 07 show that we are up a bit over 6% on the median price of homes, condos, and villas sold and also up over 1.3% from last year to this year currently.

The Upstate area here in SC is becoming more and more popular, and we are seeing quite a few travelers coming in this spring to check out what the county has to offer as far as retirement and second homes go.

The negative though, that is effecting so many Realtors in this area, is that the number of homes sold is down over 21% as compared to March last year, and over 19% YTD compared to last year. We will see what the April data shows, but I have a feeling the numbers will be a little better regarding number of homes sold as compared to last year, and hopefully the values will continue to rise or be at least stable.

I know many other Realtors are dealing with a much worse local market situation than we are and we feel your pain, as we recently returned from an area in the midwest in Illinois that seemed to have foreclosures in every neighborhood, and unfinished developments and spec houses just sitting. We have seen more foreclosures showing up lately around here, but nothing in comparison to what we saw in Illinois.

There's a light at the end of the tunnel though, and and we still have hope (and pray) for a much better national and local market this summer!

http://www.scmountainlakeliving.com/