May is National Arthritis Month and a good time to start thinking about making your home easier to live in as time goes by. There are many simple ways to make a home more functional, livable and easier to use, even as one’s physical strength, mobility and eyesight decreases over time. Builders and remodelers are incorporating subtle designs and materials that can make homes usable for all people, regardless of age or ability. This building trend is known as universal design.

Ease of use remodeling must include the bathroom. For example, Diamond’s Vanity Linen Closet has earned the Ease-of-Use Commendation, and can provide easier access to towels and bath supplies. It has deep shelves and swing out door racks so you can see and grab anything from a big fluffy bath towel to a small bar of soap. It also has a fully extendable laundry basket that can ease the trip from the bathroom to laundry room.

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MLS Number: 50913

City: Valle Crucis, NC
Stories: 2
Bedrooms: 4 Baths: 4.5
Area: Boone-Blowing Rock, NC
Year Built: 1990
Plus Five fully furnished 1,400 sq. ft. Rental Cottages. Each built in 1996 on approx. 1/2 acre sites. Current cottage average annual rental income $150,000.

39.4 acres with 360 degree view of Blue Ridge Mountains.

5,200 sq. ft. main house built in 1990 on 1.24 acres.

No restrictions and no zoning offer many other options:

* Family compound
* Corporate retreat
* Religous retreat
* Horse farm / Dude ranch
* Recording studio
* Cottages can be sold separately
* Land can be further subdivided if desired

Contact Elizabeth Carter, 336.973.5594 or Greg Stikeleather, Broker, 704.880.5247 or email eacarter@charter.net

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search for : Valle Crucis, NC, Blowing Rock, NC, Blue Ridge Mountains

As first time home buyers, couples have a lot to learn. Working from a blank slate the both of you must build an understanding of the housing market, determine what you can afford, land a loan and hone in on a home that’s a good fit for your lifestyle.

Plus, there are a lot of people to deal with, from realtors to attorneys to bankers. There’s tons of paperwork with terms and vocabulary that read like a foreign language. One asset to help guide you through this new and foreign process is the book shown in the attached image. In this new book you will find vital information and great strategies that will allow you to find your dream home faster and feel confident about the purchase. You will learn to avoid some of the most prevalent and potentially dangerous and expensive mistakes made by first-time home buyers.

The transaction will likely become your largest asset ever so there’s little room for error.

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search for : first time home buyers

87.5 +/- Acres Available For Residential Subdivision Mountain Development, 7 miles from West Jefferson, NC

Paved Road and Bridge Built To State Specifications.

Average of $23,000 per acre.

This Property Should Retail For Approximately $50,000 to $60,000 per acre.

ALL PROPERTY HAS LONG RANGE MOUNTAIN VIEWS

Contact Greg Stikeleather, Broker, 704.880.5247

or

email Greg at grstike@charter.net

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Home sales are at a near a bottom. The economy is growing slightly, but just barely. Housing inventories are at a high, not yet equal to the level during the recession of 1991, but close. There’s a lot to fear with this economic situation.

The elimination of subprime loans is being exacerbated by a large point spread between conforming and jumbo loans of as much as two percent. The fact that sales are being restrained by the high cost of jumbo loans is obvious from the days most houses are on market. It now takes months to sell a home in most locales. Previously, it took only a few weeks to sell attractively prices homes.

Despite the attraction of much lower housing prices and a huge number of properties from which to chose, sales aren’t booming. The bottleneck has to be in loans. We need more availability of low-rate, low-down payment loans. It’s as simple as that.

search for : subprime loans

The beautiful water front home is located in a private community with spectacular views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It has a double deck boat dock, an enclosed boat garage and a private ramp to launch your own watercraft. The home was built originally in 1972 and totally renovated in 2002. A four car detached garage was built in 2002.

There is a total of 264 ft. of water front. Beautiful three tier sea walls accent this elegant home. Hard wood and tile floors, modern appliances and vaulted ceilings are only a few of the amenities that capture you with this home.

Private dock permit.

List Price: $1,800,000
Flexibility: Willing to finance
Acreage: .75 acres
Type: Waterfront

Floors: 2
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 4
Sq. Footage: 3700
Garage Size: 4.0
Year Built: 1972, totally renovated in 2002
School District: Nebo

Suitable Use: Residential

Topography: Rolling
Road Frontage: Private Road
Location: Lake James, Burke County, NC

Amenities: Waterfront, Fireplace, Central AC, Alarm, Wood Floors, Gas Range, Patio, Wheelchair Accessible, Nature/Bike Paths, Boating, Controlled Access, Spa/Jacuzzi

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search for : Lake James waterfront home, Blue Ridge Mountains, Lake James, Burke County, NC

With the extreme rise in gas prices and diesel fuel, one might think that consumers would curtail their new car buying. Not so.

The latest marketing research from Kelly Blue Book suggests that high fuel prices are affecting new-car shoppers only to the the extent they’re merely changing their spending habits. Nearly half responded that they would buy a new fuel efficient car if gas prices increase much further, rather than put off their purchase entirely.

To offset rising expenditures for fuel, consumers indicate that they are eating out less often (53 percent), joining more carpools (15 percent), shopping less for non-essentials (65 percent), and media entertainment (48 percent.) Only 10 percent say they are delaying the purchase of the biggest ticket item — a new home.

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search for : gas prices, diesel fuel, fuel efficient car

Faced with rising prices of water, fertilizer and lawn mowing implements, more and more homeowners are turning their acres of grass into cultivated garden land. Around the country, these “urban” farmers are growing tomatoes, bok choy, garlic and beets.

Between May and September, neighbors give weekly bagfuls of fresh-picked vegetables and herbs to people here who have bought “shares” of his farming operation. Neighbors who lend their yards to the effort are paid in free produce and yard work.

Farmers don’t necessarily live in the country anymore. They might just be your next-door neighbor, hoping to turn a dollar satisfying the blooming demand for organic, locally grown foods.

Unlike traditional home gardeners who devote a corner of the yard to a few rows of vegetables, a new crop of minifarmers is tearing up the whole yard and planting foods such as arugula and kohlrabi that restaurants might want to buy. The locally grown food movement has also created a new market for front-yard farmers.

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MLS Number: 51166, List Price: $898,500

2 Bedrooms, 2 Baths, 2 half baths, 2 car attached garage, full basement, and a barn on 5 acres of land.

These terms are used to describe thousands of homes and yet some things just can’t be described, they have to be experienced. This is one of those homes that really has to be seen to be appreciated.

This majestic Timber Frame home of the Bob Timberlake genre is not just another house, it provides a feeling of home that is not about walls and floors and windows and doors. It creates a feeling of the flow between your outdoor and your indoor environment that is seamless. Everywhere you look there is a view. Everything you touch feels natural and beautiful in a way that cannot be described, only owned.

Contact Elizabeth Carter, 336.973.5594 or Greg Stikeleather, Broker, 704.880.5247 or email eacarter@charter.net

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While most of America is struggling with four percent gains in inflation, the wealthy, with discretionary income of $100,000 or more, believe that today’s market is a good time to buy. According to The Annual Survey of Affluence and Wealth in America, from American Express and the Harrison Group, 40 percent of the nation’s wealthy plan to buy real estate in 2008.

The participants were divided into groups — the upper middle class ($100,000 to $149,000 annual income), the affluent ($150,000 to $249,000) and the super affluent ($250,000 to $499,000.) Of the wealthiest, 41 percent said that owning a second home was “almost a requirement,” with 33 percent in the market for such a home in 2008. One quarter are shopping for a third home.

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search for : discretionary income, owning a second home

Selling a house, condo or commercial property in today’s sluggish economy is tough. First and foremost, make sure the price is right. As a consumer nation, we are constantly buying stuff. As a result most of us don’t do a whole lot of selling, which means we don’t have much experience at setting prices.

Just as in retail storefront marketing, the asking price needs to “look slim”. $1.99 is insignificantly less than $2. Yet retailers continue to use this trick, because there’s ample evidence it works.

As “Anglos”, we read from left to right. The leftmost digit is the most significant since it’s the number we first see when comparing the asking price to our mental image of what we think the price ought to be. This brain game then proceeds to the next digit, then the next, until we truly comprehends the entire numerical figure.

Keep this in mind when pricing your next item for sale. For example, an asking price of $349,999 might just sell your home when $350,000 won’t.

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MLS Number: 50863, List Price: $359,900

Bedrooms: 3, Full Baths: 2, Half Baths: 0, Est Total SqFt: 2600, Type/Style: Log Home, Area: Area 6, Middle School: Cntrl Wlks, High School: Wlks Cntrl, Construction: Log

Foundation: Combination, Roof: Metal Roof, Floors: Carpet/Hardwood/Tile, Garage/Carport: None-Garage, None-Carport, Interior Features: Master Bedroom, Main Level, Large Master Bedroom, Walk-In Closet(s), Hardwood Floors, Fireplace(s), Great Room, Exterior Features: Double Pane Windows, Wooded Lot, 1-5 Acres, Hot Tub, Subdivision: N/A, Lot Size: 2.47, Apx SqFt: 2600 - 2800 SF, Basement: None

Contact Elizabeth Carter, 336.973.5594 or Greg Stikeleather, Broker, 704.880.5247 or email eacarter@charter.net

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