Lake Lure, NC

Baby Boomer and Nature Lover? Turn your sights toward Eco-Friendly Creative Retirement Living at Three Creeks in Lake Lure.

Looking for the essential Creative Retirement? Do you appreciate the active lifestyle? And, are you a Nature Lover? If so— the woods, the hills, the mountain vistas and the sounds of waterfalls (see photo of waterfall at Three Creeks)

—add up to Eco-Friendly living at one of my favorite developments near Asheville, NC. This is what engaged and engaging living is all about at Three Creeks in Lake Lure.

And Three Creeks is an easy drive of about 45 minutes to Asheville and the Center for Creative Retirement.

Boomer/Retirement -Creative Retirees Pick Asheville NC-
Retire South picks Asheville, NC in Top 5.

“If you’re thinking about retiring or relocating to a community with an arts focus, here’s [Asheville, NC] where there is a healthy arts climate…. ”

Active retirees who love the arts are seeking out large cities and towns with strong arts programs and more affordable communities that are close to cultural centers. “ reports Retire South.

And if it is Sense of Community you seek, the Center for Creative Retirement http://www2.unca.edu/ncccr/
on the campus of UNCA the opportunity to meet like-minded people, explore common interests, share experiences and learn in an atmosphere that is “stimulating, creative, friendly, fulfilling, and fun.”

There are various programs including leadership, research and service.

• Learning:
o College for Seniors (CFS)
o Community Education
o Creative Retirement Weekend (CREW)
o Paths to Creative Retirement (Paths)
o Workshops

• Leadership:
o Leadership Asheville Seniors (LAS)
o Leadership Training for Older Persons (LTOP)
o Center Governance
o Volunteering

• Service:
o Community Education
o Volunteering

• Research:
o Institute for the Future of Retirement
o Member Surveys
o Boomer Study

More Photos and Information About Three Creeks.

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Asheville NC Real Estate Journal for Mountain Homes and Land Legacies- Asheville 1031 Realty© 2011. My Designations: NAR GREEN®, EcoBroker®, Eco Certified ®Real Estate Consultant, ePRO®. Unauthorized reproduction of any information including photos and graphics on this site is a violation of existing copyright laws. All rights reserved.

* INFORMED CHOICES* THOUGHTFUL ADVICE* DATA INTERPRETATION*

Email me janeAnne@janeAnne.com or give a call at: 828-776-0773

-Timely Real Estate Talk- Asheville 1031 Realty, Inc © 2011.

________________________________________________________________________

"This professional REALTOR® has an eye for extraordinary value
in Mountain Homes and Land Legacies, green-living communities,
and properties of enduring excellence."
~ MKS

Loyalty to a petrified opinion never yet broke a chain or freed a human soul.
-Mark Twain, author and humorist (1835-1910)

Exciting news from the marketing department at Beverly-Hanks!

Beverly-Hanks & Associates, the oldest and largest real estate agency in western North Carolina, has just implemented new mobile phone technology designed to help WNC visitors interested in real estate get a really fast response to any question they have about any property of interest.

It is a simple as it gets. You are see a real estate sign and want to know more about the property. Simply remain on the site and text 59559 (59 with a 5 then 59 again). The system will contact you back immediately. If you have a phone with GPS technology, click the link at KWICKLY.COM to get your information. GPS will tell the system where you are and what property is listed for sale at your location. If you do not have the GPS technology, you will need to give the system the property address, and it will immediately reply with the information about the property.

Want to see the house? Simply reply YES, I need more help to the system inquiry and Beverly-Hanks agent will call you and arrange a showing.

The system works for all properties, whether a Beverly-Hanks listing or not.

Wow! That Was Easy!!

For more information about Lake Lure NC and the western North Carolina towns surrounding the Asheville Blue Ridge visit: http://www.DiscoverLakeLure.com

It's no secret that fewer people are playing golf. More golf courses are closing than opening. Opinions for the downturn vary from "it's the economy" to a simple change in demographics. But some are wondering if the rules of the game are part of the problem. Enter Flogton (not golf spelled backwards).

Flogtonites argue that the game needs an overhaul to increase its appeal to younger players used to fast-paced video games, those with less than stellar athletic abilities, and an aging population of golfers who can't quite hit the ball as hard as they used to. They argue that alternative golf formats will bring more players onto the courses.

You can hear the purists grinding their teeth. Have no fear. There would still be rules. Different rules. The goal is not to replace PGA golf but to expand the golf possibilities. Flogtonites point out that skiing traditionalist resisted the addition of snowboarding to their sport. They think most flogtonites would eventually become regular golf game players as their skills improved. Besides, everyone knows that out in the real world, golfers have been known to modify the game's rules just a little bit......

One proposed change would have players follow USGA rules of play but allow souped-up balls and clubs. More radical proposals would change the rules thoroughly, legalizing one mulligan per hole, allowing 6-foot bumps to evade trees and other obstacles, and requiring a second shot from a bunker to be thrown. Totally revamped golf would be aimed at beginners to make the game easier for those just learning to play. Social changes would include loosening up of dress codes and allowing trash-talking.

Most interesting is the possibility of allowing Super Golf balls capable of correcting player shortcomings. Polora Golf is about to introduce a non-conforming ball later in 2011 that it claims will self-correct up to 90% of a slice or hook. The AGA thinks technology could add a 25% increase to the average golfer's drive and double the amount of backspin on wedge shots hit into greens. Of course, if everyone has access to the same new technology, the playing field will level off again....

For more about Project Flogton see http://www.flogton.com/

Learn more about Western NC and the Lake Lure area at http://www.DiscoverLakeLure.com

The Dodd-Frank law has legally mandated a makeover for mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Fannie and Freddie, along the FHA (another government- backed agency), are behind nearly 90% of US mortgages. The goal of reform is to make sure we do not ever see another financial meltdown requiring a $150 billion dollars taxpayer bailout.

The question: how much should the U.S. government be involved in mortgage availability?

The challenge: making sure home buyers can get affordable mortgages.

Will Fannie and Freddie disappear completely? No one knows yet but what is become clear is that the government's role in mortgage markets is likely to become a lot smaller. At stake is a 10.6 trillion dollar mortgage market.

There is no consensus on how to best meet the challenge and no single proposal has been made to overhaul the system. With last week's issuance of a long-awaited Obama Administration report, three plans representing three possible futures are now on the table. With real estate described as "fragile", change will be implemented slowly and carefully and is likely to take at least five to seven years. But the first changes are coming and are meant to attract private capital into the mortgage market and to lessen the influence of Fannie and Freddie. As of October 1, 2011, both mortgage giants' ability to make mortgages is going to be decreased by lowering their maximum loan limits to $625,500 and by requiring higher down payments of at least 10%. Insurance payments on loans backed by FHA could also go up.

The Three Proposals:

Option #1 would almost totally privatize housing finance. That proposal is similar to the one offered last year by Texas Representative Jeb Hensarling. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would disappear; lenders would originate their mortgages and then securitize them (sell mortgages to private investment) without any government backing. Only the FHA, currently backing about 20% of mortgages, would remain in place, financing low and middle income borrowers, theoretically higher-risk and less appealing to investors.

Option #2 is a modification of option #1 leaving the mortgage markets in the hands of private investors but adding a government backstop mechanism which would either buy or guarantee loans, an option to be activated only if private lenders decided to withdraw from mortgage markets during periods of financial crisis.

Option #3 would create new privately owned companies whose role would be to buy mortgages from banks and sell them as securities. Those financial instruments would be explicitly guaranteed by the U.S. government but would have to meet certain minimum criteria. The government would collect fees for that guarantee much as the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corp) now guarantees bank deposits.

While there is much support for a decrease in government intervention in mortgage markets, levels of trust in the Wall Street banks and investors who helped create the recent meltdown is not high. Their mortgage portfolios have performed much worse than Fannie and Freddie's. There is also fear that rising costs will threaten access to mortgages. Debate is certain to be fierce.

What is all this likely do to consumers? What should you do now? If you are interested in buying a new house, relocating, or want a second vacation home, housing prices are now as low as they have been in several years and inventory is high. It's a buyers' market. Interest rates have already jumped up - signals that the time to put off buying is over. Even if prices fall a bit more, any gain is likely to be offset by higher interest rates and more fees.

Learn more about Lake Lure and the Western North Carolina Blue Ridge mountain lake region at http://www.DiscoverLakeLure.com

More good news for boomers! It seems we may be smarter than we were in our 20s.

You already suspected that, didn't you?

For years, we have been told that our brains peak in early adulthood and then slowly go downhill from there. Now, science has discovered that our brains continue to produce neurons for brainpower and that some brain processes actually improve into mid-life.

It's not all good news. Aging brains do slow down and process information more slowly in middle age (40-69 these days). Retrieving information - especially names - can become a challenge. And middle aged brains tend to lose focus sometimes. Ever stepped into another room and then could'nt remember why you went in there?

In exchange for a few inconveniences, middle aged brains are generally happier, more creative, and generally wiser. Barbara Staunch in her book The Secret Life of the Grown-up Brain found that as we get older, real life problem-solving skills improve and we are better able to evaluate complex problems, manage emotions, and process information. We may get slower but we get wiser, more cheerful, and we become more nimble problem solvers. All very useful skills even if we can't remember high school algebra lessons.

Best yet, the brain benefits from exercise, at any age. Learning something new stimulates neuron growth just like exercise grows muscle. As a matter of fact, physical exercise itself is a great brain neuron booster as is good nutrition. Foods high in antioxidants (dark and colorful fruits and vegetables) and fish rich in Omega-3 help keep the brain functioning well. Lastly, once again, there is evidence that stress is damaging and relaxing a necessity to staying healthy.

Now to remember all that...

Learn more about Lake Lure North Carolina and the Blue Ridge athttp://www.DiscoverLakeLure.com