West Jefferson, NC

In our search for some mountain land, we parked our RV in a campground just outside of Boone and in Asheville, we parked our RV in Black Mountain. In neither office did I find any real estate business cards, flyers, or brochures and yet, when we walked our dogs in the evening, we visited with several campers who were looking for property just like we were. I thought...what an opportunity agents are missing.

It's true you have to be knowledgeable about zoning and other issues but most of these rvers will pay cash. Our requirements were simple (but not easy). The road could not be dirt, the incline could not be more than 8 degrees, the road had to be wide (no one with a $100,000+ RV wants scratches down the sides from trees & shrubs, bridges have to support thousands of pounds, and property should be zoned properly (ususally unrestricted land). We wanted access to a stream, creek, or river and was unpolluted. My spouse would have been happy in the middle of the forest but I wanted to be close to a town and I wanted neighbors. If I chose to leave the motorhome for a period of time, I didn't want anyone breaking into it.

We are in the process of putting in infrastructure and it hasn't been easy. At the beach, we are used to dealing with CAMA and the local inspector but because we own property that adjoins the river...we have had to deal with five different agencies/departments. That's for the next blog.

PART I

Last summer, my spouse was fed up with all the tourists and the heat at the beach. We did experience some very hot, dry days and the beaches were packed . On our escape to the mountains in September, he wanted to explore the possibility of purchasing a property in the mountains. We spent three weeks in Boone and two weeks in Asheville exploring various communities only to realize what we thought we wanted wasn't as easy to find as we thought it would be.

What did we want? We wanted unrestricted land because we wanted to put in an RV pad with utilities which meant we had to have easy access to the property and my husband wanted a high elevation so it would be cool in the summer...turned out to be contradictory. We didn't want another house to maintain. I spoke to several agents a few weeks in advance but we found they really didn't understand that a 22,000 pound motorhome cannot handle more than an 8 degree incline and many mountain roads with twists and turns were too narrow.

I had picked an agent in each area and I explained to them what we wanted to do and what our needs would be. I'm sorry to say...they never got it. What an opportunity they missed? We did find the right property...stay tuned for Part II.

REDUCED to $135,000 (was $149,000).

Mountain cottage in wooded setting - 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, 2 fireplaces, detached 1 car garage. An affordable getaway!

Visit Ashe County real estate for more photos and info.

It was only 2.7 and centered at Mountain City, about 25 minutes away, but we felt it in downtown West Jefferson at our office. A strange rumbling and over in seconds. First for me in Ashe (though I was in CA for the Northridge one and felt that) though it has happened here before. For more, go to the Jefferson Post story.

The Crooked Road Ramblers of Crumpler, NC, were the featured players at this week's free outdoor concert (every Friday night at 5:30) at te BackStreet Park in West Jefferson, NC.

Here are a few photos from last night's concert.

Bill & Suzanne Montgomery, owners of the The Barn Landscape & Garden Center (plus antiques) in West Jefferson, took a much needed break to enjoy this event after a busy Friday.

The park is just one block off of West Jefferson's downtown.

The audience particpated, learning the Virginia Reel.