Western North Carolina Homes and Land Blog

Well the snow is still stacking up. Boone North Carolina is happy with all the skiing going on up there but they are not the only ones with snow. From Asheville to Bryson City and even down south in Franklin North Carolina it has been one snow fall after another. It all started on December 18th with our first cold front and here comes another one. As promised, our buyers are still getting in and out of their lots and houses with no problem. Word is that their dogs are loving all the white stuff too. Of coarse there is not alot wrong with waking up to a fire and a snow fall in the mountains especially with the views at their best. Bryson City and Cherokee are getting their fair share of snow also.Take a look at a couple photos sent to me from one of our happy buyers. Happy because they are not snowed in or out that is. attachments_2010_03_01

We at Western North Carolina Homes and Land continually look for unique properties to save and sell. We scour the areas of Sylva, Dillsboro, Bryson City, Cherokee, and Franklin looking for unique houses to rebuild and resell. Many people who regularly follow this blog have expressed an interest in old farm houses. Since the sale of the Hornet house we have been looking for exactly that. What we have found out is the existence of these old farm houses in savable condition that were constructed in such a way to be marketable today are very rare indeed. For instance, most farm houses that are of any age at all and in a restorable condition have ceilings heights of 7′-4″. Not marketable in this day and time. All older farm houses in these mountains have had the plumbing, electrical and all other major systems installed subsequent to their construction and this reality, in many cases, make them a series of dangerous retrofits. This is just a small part of what we were aware of  and what our criteria was.

And the good news is we found what we were looking for. We spent 7 months scouring Sylva, Dillsboro, Bryson City, Cherokee, and Franklin and found what I believe you have in mind when you think “Farm House”. She must have been a glorious castle when she was built in 1920. She lies on a rare 2 flat, once again, flat acres within walking distance to downtown Sylva. She is two minutes to Dillsboro by back road or main street. She is 20 minutes to Franklin, Bryson City and Cherokee. That leaves Atlanta in two hours up 441 and Asheville in 45 minutes down 74. This beauty is almost 2600 sq. ft. with four bedroom and three full baths in a two story configuration. She has a hand dug basement with brick retaining walls and a concrete floor. The floors are of red oak and the kitchen cabinets and walls have a good amount of  wormy chestnut paneling. This house was expanded in the early eighties to add about 800 sq. ft. with several structural changes and modifications over the years to the original house. Behind the large entry porch there is a living room to the left and a parlor to the right. Behind the living room is a formal dining room and behind the parlor is a long bedroom. Behind the dining room is the kitchen and behind the kitchen is the laundry room. The addition was added off the dining room to left. This addition has a large family room, large master bedroom, and large master bath. Between the dining room and long bedroom is the staircases both up and down and the second full bath on the main living level. Upstairs is two bedrooms and a bath. The second floor also has a huge amount of stand  up and unconditioned storage area accessed through a door at the top of the stairs. An amazing house for its age and rare for this area for sure.

This gem has some problems. Nothing scary but things that must be addressed. Please follow us as we save and renovate this old farm house over the next few months. We will add pictures so you can see our progress. Please feel free to make constructive suggestions or ask questions as we go. Keep in mind this farm house is for sale and you will be able to see the price increase as the renovation goes forward. I believe those of you that follow will enjoy this process.

Bear in mind that the local updates and happenings will also continue to be followed here. Stay tuned.

Winter has hit fast and furious. All was calm, cool and beautiful until Dec. 18th. Then the blizzard hit the Western North Carolina mountains. Sylva and Dillsboro got 6 inches of snow in 48 hours. Bryson City and Cherokee got a little more because they are a little higher in elevation. Franklin got a little less snow. Asheville got hammered. I drove through Asheville from the west down US 74 to I 40 to I 26 to Columbia SC and counted a thousand or more cars and stranded big trucks along the way. These routes were narrowed to 8 to 10 foot wide ice and snow pathways through the car and truck debris. If  my truck was not four wheel drive I would have been part of the debris or worse. Having said that, you should know that the roads from the Hernderson County NC line West were clear and very passable. Sylva, Dillsboro, Bryson City, Cherokee, and Franklin all were clear and traffic was moving. Our subdivisions were accessable after one of the worst blizzards in recent history. The area West of Balsam Mountain and East of the Nantahalla Gorge is uniquely protected by the surrounding mountains. This is another little known aspect of this area. We get snow but we don’t get the blizzards that the Asheville area gets. The road crews in this area showed their mettle this time around too. They got out ahead of this storm and made sure the roads stayed passable. Sylva, Dillsboro, Bryson City, Cherokee, and Franklin are smaller and tighter communities than Asheville and in times like these it shows. Look West of Ashevillefor better buys in smaller towns with no less to offer. I was having a great five star dinner at Restaurant 553 Main in downtown Sylva when many in Asheville were trying to find their car. I know where I would prefer to be.