Kate Wheeler CCIM Murphy NC Real Estate for Sale

If you're tired of buying sweaters and ties at the mall, why not do your Christmas shopping this year at the Fireside Sale at John C. Cambell Folk School in the Brasstown community of Murphy, North Carolina? Over 50 artists will showcase the best of their handmade crafts this Sunday December 5th from 10 AM to 5 PM.

A wide variety of unique items will be available, including jewelry, pottery, quilting, weaving,woodworking and iron work. You'll be met with a crackling fire in the old stone fireplace of Keith House and hear live holiday music performed by David Brose and Friends.

Make sure to visit the Craft Shop too, where everything is 15% off from now till December 24th.

This year's Fireside Sale will take place in the Keith House and the Music Studio of Davidson Hall. It's only one of many holiday events planned at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Murphy North Carolina this month. Visit their website at www.folkschool.org for a complete calendar of December happenings.

When it opened in 2006, The Sanctuary at Vance Mountain in Murphy North Carolina was the most expensive new gated development in Cherokee County. With long range mountain views that rival those in Highlands and Cashiers, The Sanctuary has an added advantage of being less than 2 hours from metro Atlanta.

Initially, homes for sale in The Sanctuary at Vance Mountain ranged in price from around $500,000 to $1.7 million. Lot prices for a 30 mile long range view began at around $100,000.

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Today, you can buy the most expensive house for sale in The Sanctuary, a 13 room home with 5 baths and 3 finished levels built by the subdivision developer, for roughly half of the original asking price of $1,200,000.

This home features two levels of living areas, two kitchens and an outdoor living space that includes decks and covered porches with views to take your breath away.

It is one of only three homes for sale in The Sanctuary at Vance Mountain - and the only one on the market that is NOT in foreclosure.

Like so many other planned developments in the mountains of Western North Carolina, The Sanctuary at Vance Mountain was marketed to vacation home buyers and couples looking for the perfect retirement spot.

But when the market in their home areas went to a standstill, buyers who planned to move here and build on their lots were unable to proceed.

Homes and lots for sale at The Sanctuary at Vance Mountain are available at a huge reduction from their original list prices, offering great opportunities to those who can take advantage of today's low prices and historically low interest rates.

Here is a list of the homes for sale in The Sanctuary at Vance Mountain:

• 103 Yellow Maple - Foreclosure - 3 bedroom, 3 bath home 95% finished $318,250
• 119 Brook Green Court - Foreclosure - 4 bedroom, 3 bath home, construction began in 2006, completed in 2010 $400,000

• 168 Great Sky Trail (shown in MLS photo above) - 4 bedroom, 5 bath home with approx. 6,000 sq. ft. $649,000

There is one home foreclosure that is under contract:

• 230 Great Sky Trail - an unfinished 4 bedroom 3 bath home that was listed at $251,750
  

Tomorrow I'll finish my market report on The Sanctuary at Vance Mountain in Murphy NC with information on the lots for sale and a list of the lot foreclosures.

Although bad news about the housing market is getting all the attention nationally, here in Murphy North Carolina I've seen a big increase in the number of new businesses opening, especially up and down busy Highway 64 West in the last few months.

Dollar General has built TWO new stores in Cherokee County - one in Ranger just off Hwy 64 next to Decker's Flea Market and the other in Marble at the corner of Hwy 19/74 and Hwy 141.

Sunrise Plaza, adjoining the New Happy Garden Chinese restaurant, sat empty for nearly two years. But in the last few months, all the storefronts have been filled.

Murphy Mattress Company, US Cellular, and Pots o Gold are now leasing space in the plaza and T-Nails has relocated from a smaller strip mall just down the road.

Nothing But Beds has recently reopened in Murphy, leasing space on Hwy 64 West. After closing his retail outlet located above Holiday Inn Express a few years ago, Joe Afonso operated his business from the main store in Andrews.

"But now rent on retail space in Murphy has become more reasonable and it makes sense to have a location here in the high traffic area on Highway 64 West in Murphy," Afonso explained.

Customer interest seems to be picking up as well.

In fact, while I was taking this picture at Afonso's new location the other day, a car pulled up in the parking lot with Florida license plates and the driver asked me if the store was open yet.

Landlords are not the only ones seeing an upswing in activity. Commercial real estate sales in Murphy North Carolina and Cherokee County have increased in 2010 as well.

A few weeks ago, a man stopped into my office to let me know he had just purchased a commercial property on Hwy 64 West that has been for sale for several years. He plans to open a new business there in the spring.

I'll be doing a followup to this market report with statistics on commercial real estate sales in Murphy and Cherokee County in the next few weeks.

Times Square may have that famous ball and Key West has a conch shell, but Clay's Corners in Brasstown North Carolina will once again ring in the New Year with the one and only 16th Annual Possum Drop.

Home of the internationally acclaimed John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown is a picturesque community in the mountains of Western North Carolina.

Clays Corners is a local landmark that has gained national recognition in the last few years for hosting the midnight Possum Drop.

The family-friendly, no alcohol event takes place on December 31. Festivities begin at 10 PM with a blessing by a local minister, followed by live music and the ever-popular womanless beauty pageant dubbed the Miss Possum Contest.

Just before midnight, a live possum is put into a glass cage, then slowly lowered from the roof of Clay's Corners as the crowd counts down to the New Year.

After an article about the local festivities appeared in the New York Times in 2004, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals filed a last-minute lawsuit to stop the lowering of the possum. That year, according to host Clay Logan, he substituted a "nice roadkill" - washed him up, blow dried him, and sent him on the famous one-way trip.

The following year, Logan obtained 1 federal and 3 state permits, and the possum arrived in a limousine!

This year's Possum Drop celebration will begin at 8:45 with a preshow by the Barker Bros. There will be bluegrass music and a performance by the Little Brasstown Church Choir. At 10 PM, the possum will be presented to the crowd and the beauty pageant Possum Queens of the last 10 years will make a special appearance as part of this year's pageant.

For more information and directions to the Possum Drop, visit www.Clayscorner.com or call 828-837-3797. It's worth a visit to the website just to see the video highlighting past celebrations in a slide show with Dueling Banjos playing in the background!

Tired of malls and traffic jams during the holidays? Longing for an old-fashioned, small town Christmas? Come to Murphy North Carolina's historic downtown district and welcome the holidays with us at our Hometown Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 4th.

This year the festivities will include a craft show downtown with food booths and entertainment. The big parade begins at 2 PM, complete with floats, music and of course, a special appearance by Santa himself!

The local merchants will be open, displaying their holiday wares and Murphy's Christmas tree will be decked out in the pocket park in the center of town. By the way, you're all invited to the holiday kickoff on Friday, November 19th, when we gather downtown for the tree lighting celebration.

Last year on parade morning, we woke up to a real surprise from Santa - our first snowfall of the year!

I wonder what will be in store for us this year?

For more information about the Hometown Christmas Parade in Murphy North Carolina on December 4, call Barbara Hughes at 828-837-6821.