Robin and Sue REALTORs® Hendersonville & Western NC Real Estate

What a pleasant surprise when we received our March PSNC home natural gas bill -- it was half of what it had been the previous month!

I'd forgotten about the announcement in the paper that PSNC Energy had announced at the end of February that the North Carolina utilities Commission had approved a decrease in rates that would be effective March 1, 2009. The decrease lowered the residential rate by 6% from $1.18 to $1.10 per therm.

We not only heat with natural gas but use it for hot water and cooking. We do try to conserve where we can to try and keep costs down. The thermastat is set at 69 degrees and it has to be that damp, ugly chilly before moving it up to 70 to get the clammy chill out. I wash clothes in cold water and the newer energy efficient water heater is maintained at normal. In todays economic "mess" it's quite a surprise to see energy costs go DOWN! Yippee. Hopefully folks across the country are benefitting from a decrease in natural gas prices.

Sue

If you live in Hendersonville, Henderson County or the Western NC region, or visiting the area, the 63rd Block House Steeplechase takes place tomorrow, Saturday April 18 from 10AM to 5PM. It should be a beautiful day with temps forecast in the mid-60's and no rain! This yearly event is held rain or shine but it sure could get messy with rain except for the really serious Steeplechase fans!

The Tryon Riding and Hunt Club (TRHC) sponsor this event and it is held at the Foothills Equestrian Nature Center (FENCE).

It's a day of not only horse races but a hat contest, tailgating parties, parade of hounds. You will also find commercial vendors, designated parking and handicapped access.

For all the planned ins and outs of the day (such as entrances, parking, maps, etc) visit these websites:

http://www.fence.org and http://www.trhcevents.org

If you are able to make it tomorrow have a wonderful time in Tryon which is a special, older, small town and fun to visit and explore.

Today's another dreary, overcast, damp and chilly day here in Hendersonville, NC, BUT, we know Spring is coming for real very soon! Yesterday was a great sign with sunshine, warmth and gorgeous Carolina blue skies. The colors above were "snapped" last year from our yard. The older we get the longer the winters seem.

I can always tell when the true Spring is approaching as my husband starts yearning to plant something, lots of somethings! He gets the bug. He was raised on a farm in WI and there the planting and growing times were much different than here -- a much shorter season. No matter how often he's told and knows that despite some days in the 70's in March -- wait until mid to late April to plant. This year he's already on his second batch of tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers! Yesterday the second batch went in and I think they might make it this time. His cabbages are coming along fine and look great and we should be picking spring onions this week -- we love those things.

He's only got a small area for planting but it keeps him busy all summer and there's such pride and joy in harvesting these delectables. I think most folks really enjoy a home grown tomato loaded with the aroma, taste and juiciness it would be rare to find in a store bought one. We can feast and gorge on these things all season and never get tired of them. Kinda like great sweet corn on the cob -- just isn't the same frozen. Part of the enjoyment of a small garden is sharing with friends and neighbors who can't manage to do a garden due to their health or whatever.

Due to the economy and cutting back on things we keep hearing that many more people are planning on trying their hand at planting a few things rather than purchasing store bought. If that's so and they stick with the tending and caring through to harvesting the fruits of their labor they'll get to savor one of lifes little great pleasures.

Ahhh -- I can taste the tomato sandwiches already! And it won't be too long before the fresh peaches, out of this world strawberries and other veggies will be arriving at Connely's nearby farm.

Sue of Robin and Sue

For the Hendersonville, NC area folks who may not have heard -- historic downtown Hendersonville may be getting closer to having a trolley.

I love trolley's and am old enough (67) to remember them very well. In the small town of PA that I grew up in that was our mode of transportation to downtown Reading. At that time trolley's ran on tracks similar to trains.

Even at the age of 8 I was a frequent rider on the trolley to visit downtown Reading and stop in at McCrory's Five and Dime store to visit the fountain for a hot fudge sundae or buy a soft pretzel from the vendor on the street with his hot cart. I don't remember any ominous folks on any of these excursions on the trolley or while walking in downtown Reading. Would I feel the same way today -- I guess not.

Those were the days when you weren't concerned about being harmed, abducted and whatever else kids these days need to be protected from. I feel for today's parents and kids -- I think they miss out on so much that as kids we found enjoyable and entertaining along with the freedom to explore and spend our summer days outside until time for supper.

These days there are many places bringing the trolley back (on wheels, not tracks) and I'm excited to think owr beautiful downtown Hendersonville may be getting one!

Here's a link to the Times-News article for the full story in case you missed it and are interested.

http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20090412/NEWS/904119922/1151?Title=Downtown-trolley-line-one-stop-closer

Happy Easter,

Sue of Robin and Sue

These numbers are provided by the 4 County WNC Regional MLS system and represent
home sales in Buncombe (Asheville Area), Haywood, Henderson (Hendersonville Area) and Transylvania (Brevard Area) counties

The Above Statistics Are For Residential Properties Only Including
Town Homes, Condo's, Manufactured, Preconstruction for Four Counties in the Western Area I Service -- Henderson, Buncombe, Transylvania and Haywood Counties

Land/Lots Are Not Included In These Figures. If you would find other stats helpful such as by county, I'll be glad to provide you with that information.

As the above statistics indicate our current strong "Buyers Market" continues with a lot of inventory for buyers to choose from as even more sellers have added their properties to the market in anticipation of a Spring pickup. Many sellers are more realistically pricing their properties for the current market but some sellers, depending on their circumstances, are willing to accept even a lesser sales price to close a deal. In any event, all prices are negotiable.

Finally the news/media is beginning to report some positive signs that things may be beginning to improve! It's about time!! The longer the media pushes the doom and gloom reports the longer it will take for things to start to improve. Who feels like going out and purchasing real estate (or anything) when you are bombarded by news/TV reports that "The Sky Is Falling!"

A good thing to remember and relate the housing market to is the weather. It's local and while it is raining somewhere, somewhere else it is sunny. Hopefully the entire country will soon experience some sunshine!

We were hoping for a much stronger deal for the housing market from the Stimulus Package. That evidently is not how it ended up and is much smaller and isn't for ALL buyers but limited to first time home buyers, etc, etc. But, the $8,000 tax credit for first time home buyers could be beneficial for many. In this market there are great deals to be made and it could be very worthwhile for the consumer to check with the financial folks to see how the tax breaks could benefit them now.

Hendersonville and Western NC is a beautiful area that has a lot to offer and if you are considering a real estate purchase it could be worth your while to come take a look while inventory is so plentiful and interest rates for qualified buyers remain at all time lows. Our local community banks are very viable and have money to loan for qualified buyers -- if you would like information on these Banks let me know.

With current property prices, high inventory levels and low interest rates this is a great time to purchase property! we're looking forward to an upturn in the local market in the near future.

Please email if I can be of real estate service to you for info on our local market.

Regards,
Robin