Those of you who’ve read about me [ http://www.coerealty.com/about.html ] know I like a bit of adventure.  On my days off, daytrips to discover more about our local area are a favorite pastime .  I’d like to share two with you.  One is a bookstore [plus general store and restaurant] at Little Switzerland on the Blue Ridge Parkway at mp 334.  You’ll find the bookstore online at: http://www.lsbookexchange.com/index.htm ,  It offers tons of used and new books plus lots of comfortable chairs to sit and browse through your possible selections.  There’s even a cozy fireplace for settling in front of. 

The national media continues to portray that the real estate market isn’t doing well.  When reading/hearing/seeing that portrayed, please do keep in mind that real estate is very much a local phenomena.  Before I worked in the real estate market, I didn’t realize that and was swayed by what the media portrayed.  Now, I wonder how much of their portrayal is negative in order to gain public interest and how much is their lack of understanding of the local nature of real estate. 

Our local real estate market is both down and up.  What do I mean?  Look at this chart that compares sales for the last 6 months of 2006 to the last 6 months of 2007:

* Primarily Second Homes:  Blowing Rock, Valle Crucis, Seven Devils, Sugar Mountain, Banner Elk

** Primarily Local Homes:  Boone, Green Valley, Parkway, Mable, Cove Creek, Bethel

My summary:  the 2^nd home market continues very strong.  Number of homes sold is up, average and median sales prices are up, total volume of sales is up. 

The local market:  the number of homes sold is down.  Nevertheless, both the average and median sales prices are up and the total volume hasn’t decreased.

Can this continue, given the ‘down’ market elsewhere?  I wish I had a crystal ball.  Here are some things to think about:  the population continues to grow and most people want to purchase a home.  Mortgage rates are fantastic right now.

My advice to sellers, particularly of local homes, is to be very wise about pricing a home at this time.  Don’t expect the high rate of appreciation we saw from 1998 through 2006.  Adjust your expectations to the current market.  Homes that are priced right continue to sell in a reasonable number of days.

Let me know if you’d like me to prepare a comparative market analysis of your property.  Call me at 828.264.1434 or email me at Helen@CoeRealty.com

I’ve been meaning to write this one for a while.  I make the most delicious picnic breakfast imaginable.  Thanks in part to Stickboy Bread, our sumptuous local bakery.  http://www.stickboybread.com/  Here’s what I do:  Purchase their organic multigrain loaf bread and let them slice it.  In preparation, I turn on the griddle and turn on the toaster. I lay out several layers of newspaper with a sheet of tinfoil on top. I poach an egg; adding salt, freshly ground pepper, and thyme. [ My daughter Lily introduced me to the awareness that thyme is the perfect seasoning for eggs. ]   Fresh thyme, of course, is the best and, for me, lemon thyme is the best of the best.  I heat up the bread in the toaster, take it out and lay it on the tinfoil and spead a very, very thin layer of mayo on it.  At the last minute, I add cheese to the egg, flip it, and give the cheese just a couple seconds to melt.  Actually, just the amount of time it takes to move the frying pan to the bread.  Add the egg, close the sandwich, wrap it in the tinfoil, wrap the whole thing in the layers of newspaper which insulates and keeps it warm until I’ve reached the point in my hike where I can bare the THOUGHT of the sandwich no longer and must eat it.

Sometimes I add a tomato slice when they are in season and yummy.  I’ve added a Boca breakfast sausage but like the sandwich better without it.

I take along a thermos of coffee.  And I take along a folding chair, extremely lightweight and easy to carry, that I purchased at another of my favorite local stores, Blue Planet Map Company [doesn't seem to have a website], located at Shoppes at Shadowline. 

Makes for a very luxious, always extraodinarily delicious, breakfast feast at some point hiking where I can get off to myself…..Come along sometime and I’ll make one for you.

Early one morning I hiked from the Cone Manor parking area beyond the Cone grave site up toward the firetower.  Whenever I can squeeze in a long walk — and virtually always on Sunday mornings — I take along a picnic breakfast and sometimes a book.  This was one of those mornings.  On the walk back down, I found these cows by a gate, probably waiting for their farmer to come feed them.  I grabbed this photo of Mama and Baby Cow [ok, calf!] looking at me, with Grandfather Mountain in the background.