Linda Hinson

As I have mentioned before, my sons own a tea shop located in Cameron Village, Raleigh, NC. Even is such a bad economy, their growth has been outstanding for a small business. Dr. Oz has contributed to that growth. He is a big advocate of herbal teas and he mentions a new one several times per week on his daily shows. My sons say that they and their employees chuckle when the doors open and customers are calling or asking if they carry such and such tea..they know that Dr. Oz has probably mentioned it in his program. Many of these teas come from a wide variety of sources so a shop keeper has to be very careful that the teas are from a reputable source. Most of the teas they stock in pure form or they may be blended with another tea for additional support. In addition to stocking over 250 loose leaf teas from pure tea leaves to blended products, Tin Roof Teas added an herbal section which seems to appeal to a variety of customers from many nationalities. They have seen an increased demand for specific herbs.

To learn more about teas and their benefit, "Like" them on Facebook or sign up for their monthly newsletter www.TinRoofTeas.com. Of course, if you live in the Raleigh area, you can register for classes the 2nd and 3rd Saturday of the month. They will also do sessions for clubs, businesses, and other social events (minimum 25).

I had mentioned in a previous blog my purchase of some property on the New River in West Jefferson, NC. It has provided me many topics to blog about in the coming weeks. It has been a long journey (saved for later topics) to get the infrastructure in and approved. When politicos talk about reducing the size of government and all the regulations, I would certainly vote for that change. I am all for protecting the environment but sometimes the rules get a little silly...but that's another topic, also.

My family owns several rentals so we didn't want to build a home on this property; we just wanted an escape so we decided to put a couple of Tiny Houses...small, quick set-up, cute, and economical. We knew we would have to buy unrestricted land in order to do this so we decided to go with park models. We bought one because I liked the decor on the inside and my husband picked out one that had a loft so all the little family members would have a place to play rainy days and sleep.

Recently, I read that several communities have changed their zoning laws to allow these homes in the back yard due to current economic times. These tiny homes can be used for vacation homes, mother-in-law domicile, or adult children who need privacy as well as a place to live other than returning to their parents as a full time lodger. Less than 400 sq.ft. It's still sitting on the lot waiting and waiting and waiting!

...just a note...

Thanks to all of you who "Liked" my sons' shop Tin Roof Teas on Facebook

A few weeks ago, my son was invited to do a presentation at a Fortune 500 corporation in Raleigh, NC. What was supposed to be a small intimate tea tasting turned out to be a large group presentation and a tea tasting. Of course this company is famous for their wellness programs so he should not have been quite so surprised. The group had many questions about green teas, organic teas, and herbal teas. He was telling me that he was so surprised that attendees asked such simple questions when so much information appears on these topics daily. He thought they would be bored if he presented the same information that he covers in his tea tasting classes at the shop so he started with research only to change his style and go back to basics.

Later, I was thinking about what he said. In real estate, we assume that buyers and sellers always understand the process and the terms that we throw out on a regular basis and I wondered how many times have I heard someone ask...What exactly is a short sale? Option? Personal Property? Terms that we think are common. How many clients nod their heads and smile but don't have a clue? Every time one turns on the television there is some mention of short sales, and yet, the average person on the street may not be able to explain what it is. Next time you are meeting a new client, be a little more aware of their body language and responses to be sure they truly understand what you are saying.

...and by the way. If you are in the Raleigh area and you are interested in learning about teas and their benefits, contact the shop. You may register for a class; invite them to do a presentation for your business/club; like them on their Facebook page. www.TinRoofTeas.com.

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.