Life's Better in the West: Best Places to Live in Western North CarolinaWestern North Carolina is a natural paradise for nature lovers. This region offers a remarkable blend of natural beauty and modern amenities with its majestic mountains, pristine valleys, untouched forests, crystal-clear lakes and streams, and vibrant cities and towns.Every year, millions of visitors flock to the mountains to enjoy outdoor activities. But for some lucky souls, the allure of this place becomes irresistible, prompting them to call it home. If you're one of those contemplating a move, read on to discover the best places to live in Western North Carolina and the incredible experiences that await you.A 10-Point Guide to the Best of Western North CarolinaOnce you've made the decision to relocate to Wester... 11/07/2023

Haywood County, NC Homes For SaleNeighborhood InformationIf you're looking for Homes For Sale, Haywood County, NC, has a whole stock of properties within its massive land area. The region is recognized as the third largest county in western North Carolina, falling just behind Buncombe and Henderson. The community totals to about a 546-square-mile radius. The Pisgah National Forest and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park cover approximately 40% of that and are essential to the local economy and culture. During the twentieth century, Haywood County experienced moderate and steady modernization, with the gradual population growth bolstered by a surge of tourists and the establishment of amenities to support them, such as North Carolina's premier ski resort at Cataloochee Ranch. The reg... 10/16/2023

One of the reasons my AR participation had slowed way down was the computer at home would sometimes work, sometimes not.  When I needed to work from home, I developed a work around the issues by using harsh language and just abruptly shutting the computer down.  Then, I'd give it time to consider the hardship it was causing me and would turn it on again.  Sometimes that would take care of the issue and if not, more of the same.  With AR while I was trying to write a post it was like the Executrix IBM typewriters from the 80s.  Don't lie to me, I know many of you understand what I'm talking about!  If you are a fast typist, it wasn't difficult to outrun the machine's capabilities.  You'd do the touch typing thing...yes, that is a thing to be able to type with all 10 fingers and never loo... 06/21/2019

Buying a house is the biggest investment you will make in your lifetime, and the complex process can be intimidating. Knowing the right questions to ask and receiving professional advice will help make a sound investment. Whether you are buying for the first time or moving across country, navigating everything from jargon to home buying basics can be scary and overwhelming. Before you begin the purchase process, make sure you have answers to these top homebuyer questions.  Each is a critical component to making an educated and informed decision. Where do we want to live? The first step is to help narrow down a location and define the home criteria that are most important to you.  Understand that you will never get 100% of what you want unless you have unlimited resources.  Define the cr... 12/23/2014

  Just when I think about what a goodly amount of time and money is spent taking care of multiple pets, I put it in perspective by thinking about people with multiple horses. Everything must be on a so much grander scale. You certainly can't just pop them into the car and drive to the vet's office when they don't feel well. I would guess that a 50 pound bag of food wouldn't last any time at all. I wouldn't want to be the one trying to give them any kind of pill...those are very big teeth and jaws. Then, I guess if you do it right there's the grooming, the shoeing and the mucking of stalls. Horses are definitely outdoor only animals and that means they need their care no matter what the weather is and I'm sure it isn't as easy as opening the door and telling them to go potty. We sometime... 12/03/2013

    This post was actually written a couple of weeks ago but the ActiveRain photo insertion rules changed while I was on hiatus!  Good reason to always continue to post to your blog consistently :-)   Here in Western NC it is very easy to get excited about the Halloween season. The weather and the leaves are cooperating, giving us cooler weather and brilliant color. Churches and schools are selling pumpkins for fundraising and photo ops are everywhere we turn.     Our very good friend in Sylva Vista scheduled her annual costume party for last night, we went and had a great time.     The Office Manager takes a little longer to warm up to the same level of enthusiasm that we have :-)           10/26/2013

Wolf Creek Ranch.   An amazing horse property in the beautiful Western North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains.  Live here full time, or make it a paradise retreat.  And paradise it is!  The property adjoins Pisgah National Forest, with trails for hiking and riding. Trails also wind their way into Cherokee National forest and the Great Smoky Mountains.  You can even set off on the Appalachian Trail!   There are lots available - purchase direct from the developer.  www.wolfcreekranchnc.com                            Wolf Creek Ranch is a private paradise in the middle of a forest! A beautiful ranch with a great barn and pasture area.  Located just 25 minutes outside of Waynesville, and 45 minutes from Asheville, in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Beautiful views all year round and ... 08/31/2013

For anyone with pets, this is a familiar tail tale. The Office Manager of MoonDancer Realty has routine bloodwork done at her vet, The Animal Hospital of Waynesville. She doesn't love the experience. When the vet isn't actually examining her, this is The Office Manager's usual position.         One of the Office Manager's companions, Zoey, also needed to see the vet so we took them both. Somehow I don't think that the Office Manager had to teach Zoey this lookout position.       After the visit to the vet, we ate lunch in the car and then stopped off at a local furniture company. While Leslie went in for a few minutes, the girls and I waited. It was a beautiful and breezy day so I parked under a tree and opened the windows. So much stimulii and so little time! Sienna and Zoey had fun li... 06/29/2013

Dreaming of a home or cabin in the mountains?  Well, dream no more - your dream can become a reality!  Wolf Creek Ranch - in the mountains of Waynesville, North Carolina - a little bit of paradise, with Pisagh National Forest boardering the property on three sides makes this truly a unique place to live/visit.  (Pisagh National Forest is one of the oldest in the eastern United States!) So much to say about this beautiful , 300 acre private development!  Spectacular mountain views - riding/walking trails - you can even hike on a portion of the Appalachian Trail --- find a secret waterfall....and more! Here's a little peek at what awaits you on the mountain top!  view from the gazebo - beautiful view of the stables, pastures and mountains, The developer is releasing a few lots for sale - ... 06/01/2013

Some communities worry about packs of coyotes, feral cats or too many pigeons invading their area and upsetting the normal balance of nature.       Maggie Valley, NC has the challenge of dealing with giant chickens...and you don't want to mess with the giant chickens!         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 04/25/2013

  Ice cream isn't something I eat often, mainly because I love it too much. It's much better to deal with an ice cream craving by buying a small cone instead of a half gallon. I'd gone into Waynesville yesterday to greet the new season for the Waynesville Farmers Market but had been mistaken about the hours they're open this time of year. I got there at 1pm, but alas they are only open from 8am to noon. Bummer. So, I headed out to Maggie Valley because I'd heard there was a Farmers Market out there too but I couldn't find one. Another bummer. Heading back to Waynesville I spotted the "40 Flavors - Hand Dipped Ice Cream" sign at the Red Barn Greenhouse and Convenience Market. Nothing fixes a bummer situation like an ice cream cone.   The Red Barn is celebrating 40 years in Waynesville. I... 04/20/2013

  Maybe it's because the weather is a little warmer and the greenery is returning to the trees and bushes or maybe it's because the real estate business is picking up in a serious way but it sure feels like "things" are getting back to normal.     We have seen a serious uptick in the numbers of houses and vacant land properties going under contract and actually making it to the closing table.  Sellers are taking pricing and staging much more seriously and the buyers are coming in prepared to make a decision.  That may be the very best part, buyers no longer seem paralyzed by the amount of inventory on the market.   Thank  goodness, that was exhausting for them and for us ;-D 03/17/2013

  Condos for sale at Maggie Valley Club are in two different subdivisions. The first set of condos are in a subdivision called Mountain glen Condominiums. These condos were built in 2002. There are both two bedroom, two bath units and three bedroom, two bath units available. Some units have garages and others do not. There are not enough garages for all the units. The condos for sale at Maggie Valley Club in the Mountain Glen Subdivision have golf course and mountain views. These condo do not come with a membership in the Maggie Valley Club and Resort. however, a Sports Membership that includes use of all the amenities of the club except golf is only $55 per month. The other set of condos for sale at at Maggie Valley Club are in a subdivision called Persimmon Point. These condos were bu... 02/24/2013

  Real estate is mostly what we do, it's not always who we are and sometimes it isn't what we write about.  This morning it's about a Big Mouth Boy named Rambler.   Rambler loves, loves, loves to bark and he's great at it.  I'll bet he can bark 360 barks per minute...makes us crazy, we don't usually let him get to 20 seconds let alone a full minute.  Barking must make him feel good or he might just have a lot to say.  He always looks joyful during bark time, tail wagging while he holds court and how often have we felt like banging our heads against the wall until the ringing of our ears would drown out the bark?  Then, we look at the face...malice free and completely perplexed at why we crave silence sometimes.  I know he pities us for not being able to notice the squirrel climbing a t... 09/27/2012

  When life keeps tossing challenges at you from left to right, from behind and in front threatening to make you stumble - do you have images you keep in your mind to help you navigate these obstacles? Where do you go? Some people visualize themselves at the shore smelling salt air, listening to the surf and watching the waves come in and go out.  Others imagine themselves to be rock climbing, boating, dancing, stargazing...we all have something that can bring us comfort and help sort out our thoughts so we can move on through the day and reconcile whatever issues that have materialized in our daily dealings.       My comforting images deal with either water or the woods, the very best though is water and woods.  This photo is of a trail leading to the Woody House in the Cataloochee sec... 09/25/2012

      Headed off to get a bit smarter...Mandatory Continuing Education...at the Waynesville Country Club Inn with our favorite real estate instructor Bill Trull.  It is so helpful to agents in these farthest most western counties when Cumbie and Trull will bring those CE classes to us instead of us trying to schedule in trips to Asheville. Thanks Bill.   Last night I was goofing off with YouTube.  This is funny...I started out with the Raisin Bran Dancing Raisins, as you know Ray Charles performed with them.  Over in the side bar was one of my favorite songs, "You Don't Know Me".  This is the way YouTube works, usually one thing leads to another.  The song reminded me of a favorite movie, "Postcards From the Edge" and the first time I heard the multi-talented Meryl Streep sing.  Here ar... 09/16/2012

      They love their Franklin house!  Bob and Kathy Schneider met us for breakfast this morning at Joey's Pancake House in Maggie Valley before they headed back to Charlotte.  They are so happy whenever they are in this area and can't wait to get back.  We loved working with them and are so glad to be able to consider them friends.                       Joey's Pancake House is our favorite place in the world for breakfast. That's all they serve is breakfast and they've been doing it for 46 years.  Not only is the food and service always perfect but Leslie and I are great fans of awesome business models.  Brenda O'Keefe and her staff operate this business like clockwork yet still manage to make every guest feel like they are special.  They open at 7am and close the doors at noon.  Don't... 09/16/2012

It was a fairly silent Saturday, got some work done, took a short ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway and then went to a couple of grocery stores in Waynesville.  While on the Parkway, I stayed in touch with Roger Mucci in Ohio texted a couple of mountain view photos to him.        What an age we live in, right?  Sort of like having a friend along for the ride!     09/15/2012

Yesterday on the way home from another visit with the Geek Squad, we stopped off at the Antiques Mall in Waynesville to just walk around and browse a bit.  Something bright red caught my eye and I found this to be far creepier than the spider photo from this morning.         Dolls aren't my favorite thing anyway, but little dolls with bizarre expressions in demon suits really are disturbing. 08/19/2012

  Over the last few days, my email has presented me with what feels like a daily morning newspaper. It’s great and it’s from an MLS provider. MoonDancer Realty recently joined a second MLS, the Western NC Regional MLS. We already belong to Northern Jackson MLS and some might wonder why we would intentionally take on a second set of quarterly MLS fees and an additional workload. Simple…the Regional MLS made us an offer we couldn’t refuse…a good offer. Joining the second MLS will bring better exposure for our sellers’ listings to other agents and by extension to other potential buyers. The new membership also allows us to have all the tools and information we need to effectively work in neighboring Haywood County. With my new “morning paper“, one simple click and I can quickly review new ... 07/30/2012