About Waynesville's Downtown Waynesville

What a day! I showed 11 houses near downtown Waynesville today. They were all within a 4 mile radius and it went very smoothly thanks to the cooperation of the neighboring Haywood County MLS agents.

Living in Balsam, I am right on the Jackson/Haywood County Line. We've owned a business in Waynesville and therefore are very familiar and comfortable with showing property in Waynesville. Because we aren't members of the Haywood County MLS, we wouldn't dream of listing properties there but have had success with our buyers there. Other agents in our own Northern Jackson MLS have complained that the Waynesville agents made it very difficult to show those Haywood County listings but I find that really hard to believe.

The Waynesville agents were all very gracious and accomodating making sure I had access to the houses , I've given them my thanks when I called with feedback. I just wanted to put it in writing that the sellers of the Waynesville listings should all be very happy with the efforts their listing agents made to help a neighboring agent try to sell their house.

I would extend the same courtesy to any agent from other MLS who was making the effort to show and sell our listings.

To say I was scared is an exaggeration.

To all sellers of tenant occupied properties, you should know I tried to show your house but your tenants made it impossible. The showing instructions were 24 hour advance notice, knock and show.

I’d shown seven houses near downtown Waynesville. One property had tenants who would be notified and leave the house unlocked. I called the agency to verify and was told there hadn't been a return call from the tenants but not to worry. Just knock first.

We pulled up at the appointed time, my clients waited in the car until I could speak with any tenants who might be there.

There was a car in the driveway so I knocked loudly several times. Finally, I opened the door and called inside. The young man standing right inside the door startled the daylights out of me. I explained who I was and why I was there. He claimed he was visiting his brother and would call him to make sure it was okay to let me in. I offered the Real Estate office number, he declined. He had his cell phone in his hand but couldn't find his brother's number!?!?. He just stood there.

Minutes later, a woman pulled up in her SUV blocking my car in. Feigning no knowledge of the appointment, she said she was calling the landlord to find out what was going on.

This environment was hostile, so we decided to forego seeing this house. I couldn't easily pull my car out because of the SUV. The tenants sat on the front porch staring. My client tried guiding me out of the carport so we wouldn't scrape the SUV. Finally, the woman moved her car. As I pulled out another young man was pulling up to the house. I proceeded to the next showing a few streets away. As we pulled into the next house I noticed the young man from the previous house had followed us! He got out of his car and demanded to know who I was. I offered the real estate company‘s number and told him they’d been leaving messages for the past 24 hours.

Who knows how this showing might have turned out, but the thrill was gone. It doesn't matter if these tenants had been getting the calls or not. They were sullen, uncooperative and unfriendly.

Western North Carolina is safe for real estate agents. I've never felt insecure while doing my job and it takes a lot to unnerve me. This young man tailing us to another showing felt uncomfortable. I've told the listing agency so they could inform their seller of the events.

If my clients would like to see the house on Monday, this will be the first time I’ll have ever asked a listing agent to meet me for a showing. I’ll also insist the tenants not be present.

I wasn't scared, but I’ll never approach another house comfortably with showing instructions of "Knock and Show".

Waynesville, North Carolina (located in Haywood County) is a perfect location for festivals of all kinds. I think of Waynesville as a town of whimsy. Not only is there a vibrant community of artisans, but due to an admirable cooperative effort between merchants and landlords, Main Street is an interesting and captivating walking district.

Last week, Waynesville played host to the Folkmoot USA festival which they've done for 28 years. Dancers and musicians travel to this mountain town and perform in venues all over Western North Carolina. We visited Waynesville on the last day of the week-long event. Even though the temperature was in the 90s, the dancers were decked out in colorful long dresses and still managed to look cool and comfortable, far more so than the spectators!

The arts community is well respected in Waynesville and all along Main Street are examples of fantastic metal sculptures. This little fox is one of my favorites because of the great detail...down to his whiskers.

These musician sculptures dominate a corner in Main Street and its hard to imagine anyone could pass these two strummers without grinning.

To put some perspective on their sizes, Leslie danced the Hokey Pokey with one...

...and taught the other some new chords!

The Downtown Waynesville Association keeps Main Street and the side streets very colorful with a variety of plantings.

By the end of the day we wandered back to Church Street and into a nearby neighborhood where I'd been fortunate to find a parking place shaded by this marvelous and ancient oak tree. There was also a sense of security knowing someone was keeping a good watch on my vehicle!

Waynesville, North Carolina is a perfect spot for enjoying a bit of whimsy while wandering a downtown area. You'll find the town works out well for destination vacations or even better as a full time home!

Give our Office Manager a call the next time you are considering a full or part time home in the mountains near Waynesville, North Carolina.