The rustic aesthetic perfectly complements highland abodes, giving interiors a warm and cozy vibe as the cool, crisp temperature envelopes the surroundings. Once you’ve chosen from the list of homes for sale in Highlands, NC, take inspiration from these interior design ideas when you start decorating your home.

Wood Details

Real estate agents in North Carolina agree that wood details, such as in the ceilings, beams, panels, and flooring, are common in highland homes. You can go for dark hardwood flooring and light-colored wood walls for contrast. Furniture and accent pieces in wood also keep the rustic charm alive in your home.

Fresh and Dried Foliage

Nature plays a big part in the rustic aesthetic, which is why people think of reclaimed wood, earth colors, and rugged textures when the term “rustic” is brought up. Let nature into your home by placing plants and fresh flowers in the living area, kitchen, bedroom, or even in your bathroom. Apart from fresh foliage, dried flowers also add a unique touch to your space.

Vintage Furniture

Consider placing vintage furniture to complete the rustic look in your home. Old-world dining tables, chairs, and couches make a good focal point and conversation pieces. Vintage wooden cabinets, shelves, and entryway tables are also wonderful additions to maintain your home’s farmhouse appeal. Other details worth adding are lighting fixtures with a vintage style. Old, functional chandeliers and lamps are available in thrift shops but can also be found in some home improvement stores.

Modern or Industrial Touches

The rustic theme, when done right, will give your home character. However, sticking to mainly vintage pieces throughout your space can weigh it down and make it look old and rusty instead of pretty and rustic. Strike the perfect balance between old and new by slipping in some modern or industrial touches. Combine vintage dining tables with wire mesh chairs or a nordic-style couch with a vintage lampshade beside it.

Stone Furnishings

Stonework is fitting for a home perched on the mountainside, so go ahead and make use of stone furnishings for your interiors. Use stone on one area of your space, such as the kitchen’s walls, or the bathroom’s lavatory.

A Neutral Palette

Rustic style can look cluttered when the colors and texture of your furniture, decor, walls, and floors aren’t well coordinated. Stick to one color palette that looks good next to wood details. Experts suggest choosing a neutral palette consisting of white, grey, and different shades of brown and accentuating them with occasional bright reds, deep blues, and green tones.

Textured Pieces

Bring out your home’s personality by experimenting with different textures. Use wicker baskets for storage, a plaid runner for the dining table, modern minimalist paintings on the walls, and vintage rugs on your floors. When you make textures work together, they bring depth to your space and break the monotony.

Decorating your highland home is definitely exciting. Here at White Oak Realty Group, we help you find your dream mountain property you can spruce up according to your liking. Call us at 828.782.0472 to get started.

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After working hard for so many years, you deserve to spend your retirement in a location where you can live your life the best way possible. When it comes to finding a home for your twilight years, North Carolina doesn’t disappoint. Here are 8 locations suitable for retirees, according to real estate agents in North Carolina.

Highlands

Located around 4,000 feet above ground in the Appalachian mountains, Highlands offers a cool and crisp climate all year-round. It only has a population of approximately 1,000 residents and features breathtaking scenery expected of a mountainside retreat. Residents enjoy hiking, fishing, visiting waterfalls, and hopping from one antique shop and theater to another.

New Bern

If you love being near the sea, New Bern is the small town you’re looking for. The community is in touch with their history as well as cultivate a vibrant art and music scene. New Bern has four historic districts and holds regular art walks, street performances, and summer concerts.

Asheville

Asheville sits on the Blue Ridge Mountains where biking, hiking, and golf are popular. In its downtown, you’ll find a number of shops, restaurants, and cafes that suit your mood. Asheville also takes pride in having more breweries per capita than any other city in the US.

Davidson

Having a home by the lakeside is one of the most relaxing experiences you will ever encounter. At Davidson, residents enjoy boating and fishing at Lake Norman as well as hiking and biking around town. Modern conveniences are also within reach since it’s just a 30-minute drive to downtown Charlotte.

Brevard

In Brevard, you’ll spend a lot of time outdoors and relaxing indoors. Perched on the western North Carolina mountains, Brevard features a moderate climate that’s best for mountain biking, road biking, rock climbing, chasing waterfalls, and even just walking around town.

Winston-Salem

A Winston-Salem, North Carolina property for sale only costs around $142,400, making it one of the cities with the lowest cost of living in the United States. This means you’ll have more in your pocket to spend on trying out new outdoor activities or exploring the Piedmont Triangle nightlife.

Chapel Hill

For those who want to have everything within easy reach, Chapel Hill is waiting for you. Originally a college town, this hip and vibrant destination is attracting retirees for a reason. Explore the endless number of coffee shops, restaurants, museums, bars, music stores, and bookshops around town that will make you feel young.

Carolina Beach

Carolina Beach, a riverside community along Cape Fear River, is a retiree’s paradise. You’ll never run out of activities to enjoy day after day, with a 6-mile hiking trail, fishing spots, a marina, a beach campsite, and picnic area sprawled in the area.

There are many North Carolina real estate for sale that are suitable for retirees. If you plan on staying in Highlands throughout your golden years, we at White Oak Realty Group can help you find your dream space. Get in touch with us at 828.782.0472 for more information.

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Real estate investment refers to generating profit out of a property you own. It’s a lucrative business that can give you a steady source of income if done right. If you want to earn in the real estate market but don’t know where to start, here’s how you can strategize your entry into real estate investment, according to real estate agents in North Carolina.

Flip Investment Properties

The premise of house flipping is simple; buy a North Carolina property for sale at a low price, renovate it, and sell it at a higher price. Properties that are in poor condition or need a little upkeep are often sold at very low market prices. If you know how to properly estimate renovation expenses, you can turn any dilapidated property into one that’s in pristine condition and ready for occupancy, without going over your intended budget for major and minor upkeeps. Just make sure you flip the home as soon as possible so you can generate income to pay off the mortgage.

Rent Out a Property as Landlord

Another way to enter the real estate investment market is to rent out your property. As the landlord, you’ll be handling mortgage payments, taxes, insurance, maintenance, and other concerns of your tenants hands-on. While this may be an unglamorous job, renting out your property long-term can rake in a reasonable amount of profit, especially if your property is located in a desirable area.

Rent Out a Property for Short-Term Stays

If flipping a property or renting it out long-term seem too intimidating for you, you can start by focusing on renting out short-term rentals. Rent out a room in your home or an entire vacation home while you’re not occupying it. You can set the minimum and maximum number of days guests can stay in your rental, and your main clientele are vacationers who might be out most of the day. This way, you’ll learn the basics of real estate investing without taking the plunge right away.

Invest in Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)

A Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) is a company that handles income-generating properties on behalf of a pool of investors, including you. Most REITs generate profit from non-residential rentals and interests, and distribute the income among shareholders as dividends. As an investor or shareholder, you don’t have to purchase, manage, or finance properties yourself. Rather, you buy shares through a brokerage firm.

Real Estate Investment Groups (REIGs)

Real Estate Investment Groups (REIGs) are similar to REITs, but they’re more focused on residential properties for rent. An entity purchases or develops a set of residential properties that investors can purchase as members of the group. As an investor, you’ll receive profit without directly dabbling in property management and administrative matters since the group will do these for you.

Ready to turn North Carolina real estate for sale into an investment? Consultwith us here at White Oak Realty Group. We have a list of properties that make profitable investments in the real estate world. Call us at 828.782.0472 for details

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There are many reasons why it may be time to sell your home. You may need more space to make room for a growing family or you need to downsize after your kids leave the nest. Whatever your motivations, you want to make sure that you’re timing it right.

If you sell when home prices are plummeting, you may end up losing on the deal. If you sell when home prices are highest, there may not be a lot of buyers looking to move. So how do you know when it’s a good time to sell?

A qualified agent can help you determine if the market puts you in a good place or not. But for your own personal situation, here are the signs telling you that now is the time to sell your home.

You’ve Outgrown Your Home

Whether you are expecting another child, caring for an aging parent, or have taken in your adult children, when you’ve outgrown your home, it may be time to sell your home. Consider the permanency of the change. Will the kids be there for a long time? How long will you be able to care for your aging parent? Buying a bigger home is one of the main reasons why homeowners choose to sell.

You Need to Make a Change

Change is inevitable. Maybe you’re tired of shoveling snow and you want to live in a warmer climate. Maybe you have to move so you can go after your dream job or you want to be closer to your family. When change entails moving, then a home sale becomes necessary.

Home Prices are on the Rise

This is one of the riskiest reasons to sell your home. Sure you may get more than you ever dreamed for your home when prices are on the rise, but that also means that you will pay more for another home. Perhaps your agent can help you find a steal in a new location where prices are more level. Then you will have made a huge profit and a smart move.

You Need to Downsize

Many homeowners are selling in order to downsize. The baby boomer generation is moving into their golden years. The kids are all out of the house and you just don’t need all that space anymore. Selling now could add a nice healthy sum to your nest egg as well. As long as you are smart about how much of that profit to spend on a new place, downsizing could be just the right move for you financially.

You Can No Longer Afford Your Home

Sadly, there are homeowners who just can no longer afford their home. Whether it is due to divorce, illness, a death, a skyrocketing mortgage payment, or the loss of a job, change in your financial circumstances is a big red flashing sign that now is the time to sell your home. Waiting any longer could have catastrophic financial consequences.

In any situation you find yourself in, an experienced agent is the key to helping you achieve your goals. Learn more about how to determine if now is the time to sell your home by contacting us today.

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There are two ways to think about remodeling projects that will boost your home’s value; you can get one or two major remodels done or opt for a bunch of small fixes. Depending on your budget and your timetable, one approach may be better for you than the other.

For instance, if you have an unfinished basement, maybe your dream when you first moved into your home was to refinish it. It never happened. But now that you are thinking about selling your home, you feel that a prospective buyer would really appreciate a full finished basement. Is that the remodeling project that you should do before selling?

On the other hand, you want to spend as little as possible to squeeze as much value out of your home. Maybe you would prefer to just spruce up the kitchen cabinets or repaint the house. Whichever camp you fall into here are some remodeling project ideas that usually add at least a few thousand dollars to the value of your home.

Interior Improvements

Depending on where you live, some remodeling projects bring in more dollars on resale than others. Here are some of the interior remodeling projects that can help boost your home’s value:

Kitchen Upgrades: Potential buyers these days want spacious, modern kitchens. Simple upgrades like adding new appliances, granite countertops, or new cabinets can pull in the big bucks. Some big-ticket improvements that usually add value include:

• Adding an island
• Adding a breakfast nook
• Adding new ceramic flooring
• Adding accent lighting

Removing Walls: The style right now is open concept kitchens and living rooms. If you have an older home, you could knock down a wall or two to really open up more interior space. If they’re load-bearing walls, removing them will usually push the price tag up. But non-load-bearing walls are easy to take out to add a pass-through window or a bigger entryway. Use a professional contractor to make sure the job is done right.

Room Additions: Believe it or not, adding a new room to your home is not as expensive as you might think and can greatly increase your home’s value. Think about converting your attic into a spare room or building a new room addition onto your house. The added space increases the overall square footage of your property and will push your asking price up.

Exterior Improvements

They are often overlooked when making improvements to your home, but there are a number of exterior projects that can boost your home’s value. Here are just a few ideas for exterior improvements:

Outdoor Living Space: Especially in warm weather climates, buyers want a home with comfortable outdoor living spaces. That could mean adding in a slate patio or a wooden deck. Make your outdoor living space an oasis by adding in path lights, pathways, plants, shrubs, and trees.

Siding Upgrades: If you are making simple upgrades on the cheap just to spiff up your home exterior, a good paint job will do. To really boost your home’s value try adding new siding. If you replace portions of your siding with stone veneers, it will greatly improve curb appeal and your home’s value.

Driveways/Garages: If you haven’t paved your driveway in a while, new paving is an excellent exterior improvement that makes a good impression as soon as buyers pull up to your home. Your garage doors and exterior also make a good or bad impression. Even if you do not make any changes to your garage, you should clean it out and organize its contents for resale. Replace broken windows and locks and give it a good paint job.

A qualified agent with years of experience in the real estate market can help you determine the best improvements to make based on your particular market. When you’re ready to learn more, connect with us today. We’re happy to help!

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