A few days ago I met with a new Cowboy acquaintance, Gene Blankenship, PASTOR Gene Blankenship. It’s been ages since I’ve been able to have lunch with a Cowboy in a Cowboy hat! If you want to, you may read about Gene and his Land of the Sky Cowboy Church here. Should you have an interest in having a Cowboy Church to go to in Haywood County, please contact Gene (via Cowboy Ministry). You can also find him at the Canton Livestock Market every Wednesday. I love what Gene sent me home with (below): Original posted on Bucking the Real Estate Trend. 10/11/2009

Just 2 weekends away is The 21st Annual Apple Harvest Festival, sponsored by the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce. The date and times are: ***October 17, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.*** You won't want to miss the live entertainment, arts and crafts, and great food featured in this festive one-day celebration of the Fall harvest in historic Downtown Waynesville. 2008 Apple Harvest post. 2008 Apples and Leaves… 13 Things to Do In and Around Maggie Valley and Waynesville in October. NOTE: Coming up the very next week after the Apple Harvest Festival is the Parade of Homes: Haywood County Parade of Homes and Builders’ Showcase, October 23, 24, 25 Original posted on Bucking the Real Estate Trend. 10/03/2009

Early Friday evening the Grandview Lodge Bed & Breakfast, located in Waynesville in the Great Smoky Mountains, hosted a Crafts and Antique Fair and Oktoberfest Dinner. The Grandview Lodge Bed & Breakfast has been a tradition in the mountains for more than 75 years, and features 9 spacious, warm and inviting guestrooms, all including air conditioning, private bath, cable TV, and wireless internet. There is also a separate cottage available if you need more room while you visit. They are pet friendly at the Grandview Lodge! Professional Chef Nancy Ferguson creates a full breakfast for guests which is included with your room, and so is free parking. Sunday Brunch is included with Saturday lodging. Give the Ferguson’s a call to make reservations at 828-456-5212 or 800-730-7923. They would l... 10/03/2009

Waynesville has 603 active listings today (10/04), with an Average Listing Price of $367,474, and an average number of days on market of 231. Ouch. The inventory of homes selling at the current rate per month leaves Waynesville with approximately 30 months of inventory (Absorption Rate). (Please click on chart to see larger version.) More Market Reports: Maggie Valley NC – 2009 Residential Real Estate Sales by Month – As of 09/30. Haywood County NC – Residential Real Estate Sales 5-Yr Comparison – As of 09/30/09. Haywood County NC – 2009 Residential Real Estate Sales by Month – As of 09/30. Haywood County NC – Land and Farm Sales Comparison – 01/01-09/22 – 2004 thru 2009. Maggie Valley – 5-Year Residential Real Estate Sales Comparison Haywood County 5-Year Residential Real Estate Sales ... 10/03/2009

If numbers are your 'thing,' the chart below paints a pretty succint picture of our residential real estate market. If you are in a hurry and don't want to look at the numbers, we have too much inventory and too few sales. Here are how the 41 residential real estate sales in Haywood County for September are broken out by price range: $000,000 – $100,000 =  4 sales $100,000 – $200,000 = 12 sales $200,000 – $300,000 = 15 sales $300,000 – $400,000 =  5 sales $400,000 – $500,000 =  3 sales $500,000 – $600,000 =  2 sales Click to see a bigger chart. Source: MLS. Data deemed reliable but, not guaranteed. 1,304 active residential listings as of October 1 (Average listing price = $350,980) 41 closed transactions (Average selling price = $232,446) Absorption rate (based on 41 sales per month) = ... 10/02/2009

As of September 22, these were the residential real estate sales statistics for Haywood County: 1,310 active listings (Average listing price = $352,721) 20 pending sales (Average listing price = $196,215) 27 closed transactions (Average selling price = $206,382) Absorption rate (based on this month’s projected sales) = 40 months (Please click chart to see the numbers.) Source: MLS. Data deemed reliable but, not guaranteed. A few more recent Haywood County Market Reports: Haywood County NC – Land and Farm Sales Comparison – 01/01-09/22 – 2004 thru 2009. Haywood County Residential Real Estate Comparison – 2004-2009 – YTD Maggie Valley – 5-Year Residential Real Estate Sales Comparison Haywood County Residential Real Estate Sales by Month – 2009 Haywood County 5-Year Residential Real Estate... 09/27/2009

The chart below compares land and farm sales in Haywood County, NC during the time periods of 01/01 through 09/22, 2004 through 2009. There has been a drastic drop in land and farm sales in 2009, not unlike many areas of the country. This morning (09/27) there are 1,894 active land listings in Haywood County. (Please click chart to see the numbers.) Source: MLS. Data deemed reliable but, not guaranteed. More Market Reports: Haywood County Residential Real Estate Comparison – 2004-2009 – YTD Maggie Valley – 5-Year Residential Real Estate Sales Comparison Haywood County Residential Real Estate Sales by Month – 2009 Haywood County 5-Year Residential Real Estate Sales Comparison by Price Range Haywood County Market Reports Maggie Valley Market Reports Waynesville Market Reports Original pos... 09/27/2009

These days there are 'interesting' subjects on the forefront (in the world of real estate) ... such as renting a home instead of buying and knowing if your landlord is in foreclosure, the home buyer tax credit, short sales, and what in the world can you do to sell your home. Here is some reading material I hope you find interesting, and ...  Keep an eye on the numbers! LemonLandlord. Clearing Up Home Buyer Tax Credit Confusion. Real Estate Short Sale Process, Step-by-Step. 10 Steps to Take Before You Sell. Why Homebuilders need their own blogs. 09/22/2009

Yesterday afternoon I stopped at Lake Junaluska after a big rain storm as I love taking pictures of beautiful flowers that are wet. They made for a nice slideshow. It's Sunday morning and STILL raining! If you like picture collages, I ran across a site that provides a very easy way to create a collage. Here's the information if you are so inclined:  Flickaroid.   09/20/2009

The other day I spent the day with George Mills, my Broker in Charge, and his clients. He needed me to help him with directions. [Joke.] Traveling out to Fines Creek, Clyde, and then to Cold Mountain and a few places in between allowed me the pleasure of taking pictures of pets, flowers, grape orchards, great views, a man with no cowboy boots on, etc. “Showing Homes … Photo Opps!“ Sensual Riverfront Cold Mountain Living … My Flickr Photos – See How Beautiful It Is In WNC Haywood County 2009 Residential Real Estate Sales Statistics Susie Blackmon’s Posterous 09/17/2009

In part two of this series The Newfound Gap Overlook! we explored one of the high overlooks in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In this chapter, we will visit the beautiful Cataloochee Valley in the Southeast quadrant of the park. And although it takes a little effort to get there, the rewards more than justify the nerve-testing drive along the narrow and windy roads that lead there. Cataloochee is one of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park's hidden treasures. But once you cross the divide and begin to descend into the valley, you leave the modern world behind and go back in time to the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. You will encounter open fields, historic structures and graveyards, and extraordinary wildlife viewing! You first stop should be at the Catalooche... 09/13/2009

First, if you haven't seen Pat Kitano's World Trade Centers video (didn't know he was working in NYC when I went back there to visit my old business school which was in what used to be the Pan Am Building), here is a link for you.   Tribute to the World Trade Centers when they were normal. ********** Next, suffice it to say Maggie’s Galley Oyster Bar in Waynesville, NC, at 49 Howell Mill Rd (Phone: (828) 456-8945‎) lured me in again last week. Actually it was my friend, Margie Casey's, fault. Hey, they close after leaf-looker season, so I need to get my fill. ;-)  Directions to Maggie’s Galley. More foodie porn: Get Your Fresh Seafood … Panacea Coffeehouse in Frog Level …. Maggie Valley Restaurant Sagebrush Steakhouse Pasquale’s in Waynesville Here are recent Haywood County Market Repor... 09/12/2009

You may recall I rave about Boyd Mountain Log Cabins and Christmas Tree Farm, a great place I recommend for friends and visitors who want to stay in beautifully furnished, conveniently located, authentic log cabins when they are in Maggie Valley or Waynesville. “The cabins are nestled in a 130 acre cove overlooking the Smoky Mountains, stocked fishing ponds and our Fraser Fir Christmas tree farm. Cows in the meadow, horses in the pasture, ducks and geese on the ponds, and 3 friendly Jack Russell terriers to entertain you.” When I rode to Boyd’s Sunday afternoon to see the last of our beautiful, colorful flowers, I happened to see more butterflies than I've seen all summer! The first 9 or so photos of my Butterflies and Flowers slideshow feature butterfiles on the flowers. Soon the Farm ... 09/07/2009

  If you love watching and feeding birds in your yard, and birdhouses, The Bird Place, located in Downtown Waynesville, sells bird food and feeders and birdhouses, among other items specific to birders and bird lovers. We have many interesting birdhouses in and around Haywood County. Some are ‘production’ birdhouses, but many are handmade and unique to Western North Carolina. Driving through Brannon Forest Subdivision in Waynesville yesterday, I noticed this great birdhouse so I lurked in front of the ‘people house’ in my vehicle and snapped a few photos. ***Please click to SEE the UNIQUE BIRDHOUSE*** Get your Hi, I'm page. Taken yesterday in Maggie Valley. Original posted on Bucking the Real Estate Trend. 09/04/2009

Bob Grytten, Photographer, held a photography workshop last Saturday at the Waynesville Armory featuring photographers Dennis Oakley and Jerry Stone. Bob, a very talented and experienced photographer (and artist), teaches numerous great photography classes every year, several of which I have been fortunate to attend. Dennis discussed ‘post production’ issues and software (i.e., Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Elements, Adobe Lightroom, Apple Aperture, and Nikon NX2), raw vs. jpeg, workflow, etc. We all walked away with a great information packet from Dennis full of big gold nuggets of information! Jerry reviewed HDR photography methods and software by way of an instructional CD and his own extensive experience, and he too provided us with many gold nuggets to help us through our first stabs at H... 08/28/2009

Are you contemplating your Fall trip to the mountains of Western North Carolina to see the changing of the leaves? Lake Junaluska in Haywood County has a great package during the month of October: Leaf Lookers Railroad Excursion Special. Lake Junaluska is also a prime residential area if you are looking for your mountain home in a beautiful 'neighborhood' centered around the Lake. If you would like to go for a ride along Lake Junaluska, here’s a video I filmed August 24th when I drove to the Lake to see the beautiful roses [again]. More Lake Junaluska pictures and videos: Heavenly Flowers at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina. What’s Happening at Lake Junaluska this July 4th? No Moonshine for Your Stroll Around Lake Junaluska at Dusk. Shut the Duck Up! Horsealicious. Bucking the Real Estate... 08/27/2009

Panacea Coffeehouse, Cafe & Roastery is a great, convenient, not to mention aromatic, place in the Frog Level part of Waynesville to meet up with friends, family or new ‘peeps’ from  Twitter. The address is 66 Commerce Street, Waynesville. Wayne Porter, who I met on Twitter, invited me to a networking get-together at Panacea last week, so I met new people from here in Haywood County, and also new friends from the Asheville area – - in real life. Looking forward to the next meeting. 08/23/2009

Sagebrush Steakhouse in Waynesville, North Carolina … “bottomless peanuts and complimentary coffee” all day - - Just what the government  ordered (just kidding) after looking for real estate in Waynesville and Maggie Valley. If you love BACON, Sagebrush is your place. Your green beans and collard greens will remind you that you are in the South! Here’s their menu: Sagebrush Steakhouse Menu   08/18/2009

Lest you get bored, here are some ‘diverse’ links and a couple of videos for you. Ten Things Your Real Estate Broker Won’t Say. The Top 9 Top Ten Lists. Hyperlocal News. How to Do Almost Anything With Posterous. Taste Test Tomatoes in Waynesville NC. Funny video.   Breaking Asheville News. Horsealicious. Susie Blackmon – Profile Original post on Bucking the Real Estate Trend. 08/18/2009

A few days ago I was in Ingles (the Waynesville store off of Russ Avenue on Barber) to buy my peanut butter and coffee beans for the week, and was pleasantly surprised to see a display of local vegetables displayed prominently in the fruits and vegetables department. Very nice to see the produce grown by our local farmers promoted and featured where so many of us buy our groceries, and I hope it is not just a fad. Maggie Valley only has convenience stores, but the Ingles Markets are very close to Maggie Valley... not to mention, the Ingles off of Russ Avenue houses our only Starbucks. Breaking Asheville News Horsealicious Susie Blackmon – Profile 08/14/2009