About Cherokee County, NC

Okay, you've decided that you'd like to sit in your rocker on the porch and hear a noisy creek. Or you discovered that long-range mountain views like the ones at Paradise Mountain speak to your soul. Now it's time for the big decision - Do you look for an existing home or find a piece of land and build?

Over the years, I've found that there are a number of key factors that determine how satisfied a person will be with the experience of purchasing a home. But most of them aren't about this house vs. that house - they're about YOU. With that in mind, here are 5 questions to ask yourself before you decide whether to buy or build.

1. What style of house do I want? If you're moving to Murphy or anywhere in Cherokee County, you'll find that most of the homes fall into 2 basic categories. We have chalets, which are 11/2 story homes with an open floor plan featuring a Great Room with soaring ceiling and a wall of windows, 1 or 2 bedrooms on the main floor and an open staircase to the upstairs loft and master bedroom. The other typical plan is a ranch style cabin with 2 bedrooms and 2 baths. Both usually have covered porches and open decks to take advantage of the mild 4 season climate here. If those styles appeal to you, we have a large inventory.

If you have your heart set on a 2 story Colonial or a split level home, there are very few to choose from. And if you want it overlooking a particular view, you'll almost certainly have to have it built to your specifications.

2. What is my budget? When I first moved to Murphy 7 years ago, it was much cheaper to buy a lot and build from scratch than it was to purchase an existing home. But with foreclosures and unsold spec homes driving down the prices over the last year or two, my buyers have found that they can purchase an existing home or a builder's spec house for much less than what it would cost to build something similar. Most people underestimate the cost of landscaping, fixtures, appliances and the inevitable upgrades and changes to the original plan. Ask yourself - if I add 10-20% to that bare bones bid I got from the builder, can I still afford this house?

3. What is my time frame for moving to the mountains? If you're starting a new job in 2 months and you want the kids to be here in time for school, you'd better be looking for a vacant home to buy...or rent. If you have another place to live and you're in no particular hurry, then you can wait for the perfect home to come on the market or take your time planning and building your dream. New construction of a standard home typically takes 6-9 months in our area from the time you break ground. If you're building a custom home with lots of special features, it may take closer to a year from start to finish.

4. How well do I/we handle stress? Honestly, this may be the number one question in importance. Moving to a new location can be one of the most stressful experiences in life, right up there with death of a loved one and divorce. If you find it easy and even exciting to make decisions about wall color, new carpeting, etc. you're a good candidate for new construction, with all the major and minor choices you have to make along the way. If you and your significant other aren't speaking by the time you put together the new computer desk from Ikea, better find a house you can move into.

5. What are my goals, my dreams? When I first came to Murphy, I didn't know a single person here. But something about these mountains spoke to my soul. I feel a sense of peace here that I've never experienced anywhere else. My husband and I bought a house to live in and land on the mountain to build a new home on our very first visit. We lived here full time and spent months dashing up to our lot just before sunset at different times of the year so we could decide just where to put the house for the best view. Together, we redesigned the floor plan. It's been four years since we moved into our first new house in 25 years of marriage and we love it now more than ever. For us, it was all about creating something that is ours and ours alone. For you, it may be all about having time to finally write or paint or hike in the woods.

Here in the mountains, I don't sell houses. I help people to attain their dreams or create a new lifestyle. We only get one lifetime each. How do you want to spend the rest of yours?

Don't miss any tips on making the move . Read Moving to the Mountains in Murphy, NC - Part 1 of 5: Are You Read for a Small Town Life?

Also, if you missed part 2, Moving to the Mountains in Murphy, NC - Part 2 of 5: Choose Your Location - Mountain View, Waterfront or a Log Cabin in the Woods

Moving to the Mountains in Murphy, North Carolina - Part 3 of 5: Buying vs. Building - 5 Key Questions to Ask

This adorable 2BR/2BA LOG CABIN built in 2006 has a metal roof so you can sit out on
the covered porch in the rockin' chairs and listen to the rain fall. Located in Hidden Creek,
a quiet and wooded small subdivision of log cabins. Close to the Ocoee White Water Center, home
of the 1996 Olympics. Paved roads and easy access. This cabin also has a great rental history.
VIEW THE VIRTUAL TOUR

Most people coming to the mountains of Murphy, North Carolina are looking for the perfect view.  But I've learned over the last 7 years that I've been selling real estate here that what makes it a perfect view is different for every buyer.  So before we ever go out and look at property I ask a lot of questions.  

Mountain views are at the top of the list for most folks.  However, you can have a view from the valley looking up at the mountains or you can be at the top of a ridge, with a breathtaking panorama spread out before your eyes.  We have property here in Cherokee County where you can see 3 states and mountain peaks 30 to 40 miles away.  So my first questions are:  What is your tolerance for heights?  How do you like driving on steep roads?  Will you be living here year-round or is this only a summer home?  Based on your answers, we'll rule out some areas and focus on others. Cabins with mountain views start at around $150,000 and a one acre lot with long range views begins at about $35,000.

Next is waterfront.  You can have a cabin on the shores of a true wilderness mountain lake, in a gated lakefront resort with marina and tennis courts or on a mountain stream where you can fly fish for native trout.  Lake Appalachia's shoreline is controlled by the TVA. No docks are allowed and trees cannot be clear-cut.  When you're out on that lake in the morning mist, you'd swear you were somewhere in the Canadian wilderness.

 Lake Hiwassee is surrounded by US Forest Service, except for one unique area - Bear Paw Resort.  Created for the workers who built the Hiwassee Dam back in the 1930's, Bear Paw is the only place in Murphy where you can walk out your door and onto your boat.  You can read all about the resort and amenities in my post Bear Paw Lakefront Mountain Resort in Murphy, NC.

There are several fly fishing rivers in Cherokee County and beautiful streams with waterfalls.  You can have a building site on one of the noisy creeks or trout streams starting at about $50,000.

Maybe you long for the seclusion of a little log cabin in the woods.  Do you want it on a lot in a gated community?  I often hear "I don't want to be in a subdivision with all those restrictions."  But our subdivision developments aren't crowded onto the flatlands like those in Florida.  You can live in a platted development and never see another house while you're sitting on your deck.  You also won't see any mobile homes or junk cars on the way to your front door.  No subdivision means no restrictions - or as we like to refer to them here, no protective covenants. 

There are lots of other things to consider, like how far from the grocery store do you want to be?  This is a large county and going up and down the mountains adds even more travel time.  I often tell my customers who have fallen in love with a property they saw on the Internet that if they want to go out to breakfast from that house, they'd better pack a lunch!

Whether you want the mountains, waterfront, a mini-farm in the country or a cozy house in town where you can walk to the movie theatre and the coffee shop, Murphy has what you're looking for.  I look forward to helping you find your dream getaway here in the mountains of North Carolina. 

Do you all remember those summer vacation memories
and the excitement of getting new school clothes and supplies?

Can you believe Back to School is just around the corner?
Cherokee County Schools will start back on Tuesday, August 25th. Seems like they start back earlier and earlier each year. Used to be that school didn't start until after Labor Day and we thought summer vacation would never end.

Please drive with caution as we get back to school and back to driving in
school zones and cross walks. Let's keep all our young people safe.

Seven years ago, I sold my concession at the Miami Arena, packed up my husband and two youngest children and moved to a cabin on 20 acres of land here in the mountains of Murphy, North Carolina.

And I'm not alone. Every day, people walk into the cozy log cabin that is my real estate office, eager to leave the hot, crowded cities in Florida for the simpler pace of life in a picturesque small town. The locals have a pet name for people like me - they call us Half-Backs, since so many of us moved from the frigid North to Florida, then came halfway back to settle here in the Southern mountains. As you can see from the historical marker downtown, Floridians have been finding their way here for a long time.

Growing up in Chicago and then working in Miami never prepared me for life in this mountain town. There's no Starbucks, no Barnes and Noble, no mall. When people wave at you on the highway, they use ALL their fingers. I rarely lock my car - or my house. There are no traffic jams, except on Friday night down by the high school if the football team is playing at home.

We often refer to Murphy as being two hours from everywhere, since it's about a two hour drive to Atlanta, Chattanooga and Asheville, North Carolina. But it's also two hours to whitewater rafting and hiking in the last old-growth forest east of the Mississippi. You can read more about why I love this area in my post Welcome to Murphy.

Although people come here for the peace and serenity of the mountains, it may take time to adjust to our more gentle pace of life. The shops downtown are mostly closed by mid-afternoon on Saturdays and there's still not much open on Sunday. It may be tough to hire a handyman when hunting season opens. We don't have a one-hour drycleaning place. And when you first move here, those damn birds will wake you up at 5 AM if you sleep with the windows open.

But give yourself time. When the birds wake you, pour a cup of coffee, take it out on the porch and watch as dawn breaks over the mountains. Welcome home.