Fourth of July is the time for fireworks and parades, so in keeping with that tradition, Greybeard Realty has scheduled a Montreat Parade of Homes. This open house of homes for sale, on Sunday June 30^th from 2-4 pm, provides interested buyers with a chance to see 11 specially selected homes all on the same day.

Lake Susan is a Montreat Focal Point

To find out what makes Montreat so special, visit our recent blog on Montreat that captures the essence this small, historic community.  For people who've grown up visiting Montreat on a regular basis, there's no other place that offers the same sense of community and sense of belonging as Montreat. And the homes listed for the open house provide buyers with a wide selection to choose from. In fact, this open house tour will take you from Mississippi to Virginia to Texas, road and avenues, that is.

To begin the open house tour, you can stop by at any of the houses or come by the Greybeard Realty office located at 204 East State St. in Black Mountain to get a copy of our flier and head out to the tour. Each home will have someone available to answer questions and direct you to the next home that best suits what you're looking for. Greybeard Realty hopes you'll take advantage of this special parade and come see what homes for sale in Montreat we offer. Come join enjoy our Parade of Homes.

It may seem as if the biggest decision was whether to put your home on the market to sell it.  In fact some of your more difficult decisions may come as you prepare your home to sell.  What do you need to have on hand in your home and what can you put in storage until your present home sells? Realtors agree that overcoming clutter is one of the biggest obstacles to selling a home.

Reduce and remove before relocating.

Greybeard has a whole page on how to prepare to sell your home which you can check out the seller's tips page here. Perhaps the most challenging for many people is de-cluttering your home. Everyone seems to understand that a home should be clean and well kept. Successfully preparing your home goes beyond sweeping the floor, however. You really need to pare down and remove most personal items so that potential buyers can imagine themselves in the home.  That's really hard to do if the house if full of personal photos, including the ones in magnet frames on the refrigerator door.

And while you're in the kitchen, be sure to remove everything from the counter tops.  Put the small appliances out of sight and be sure to take any old, unusable food out of the cupboards.  Even if you've found the kitchen storage space to be limited, you need to create the appearance that there's more than enough room for the new owner's canned goods! And please don't just put the toaster into the coat closet.  Potential owners open closet doors.  Closets should be neat and organized, again giving the appearance that there is room for everything in the home. Are there clothes out of season or out of favor in the closets? Box them up, label them, and put them into storage. Just think, it's one less thing you'll have to do once the home sells and you're ready for moving day.

If it all seems overwhelming, choose one room at a time and really be thorough with that room.  Consider removing furniture and putting it into storage as well.  Do you need his and her recliners right now? Having less furniture in a room makes it look larger. While you're taking the other boxes to storage, take some of your furniture as well. Box up the knick-knacks that are meaningful to your family but clutter for new home buyers. And think about the fact that whatever you pack up, you will have to unpack at the new house.  Can you part with some of the items and perhaps donate them somewhere?

With the tracking we do, we know that the real estate numbers are improving in the Asheville market, you need an edge to sell your home more quickly. When preparing your home to sell, just remember that less is better, especially when it comes to furniture, personal items and photos, and items on the kitchen counter. And again, doesn't it make sense to downsize on some possessions now and reduce what you have to pay the movers to transport? All of your hard work prior to showing your home will make your own transition to a new place that much easier. So go out and get those boxes. And don't forget the sharpie markers to label the boxes.

Greybeard Realty often tells potential buyers in Black Mountain and other local communities to spend some time in the towns they're considering purchasing real estate in, perhaps attend an event. Tomorrow's Rockin' Around the Square Concert in Black Mountain, June 1, is one of those community gatherings that will capture the essence of this small mountain town.

Greybeard Realtor Rocks!

Playing at the free concert will be the local band, The Hackbirds. This free event, from 2-4 pm on the site of the future Black Mountain Town Square, will have food and drink; all you'll need to bring is a chair or blanket to sit back and enjoy the music. The planned Town Square will be a community gathering spot that will include public parking, a market area, and open space.

We at Greybeard are particularly excited about the concert as The Hackbirds include Adam Johnson, one of Greybeard Realty's Realtors. A resident of the Black Mountain area for more than 10 years, Adam epitomizes what makes Greybeard Realtors and Rentals agents so knowledgeable. Adam attended Montreat College and is passionate about fly fishing in the area. It's hard to find anyone in the area more familiar with the vast outdoor activities available in the NC mountains.

So if you are looking at the Black Mountain area as a possible new home location, or if you just enjoy some fantastic music on a beautiful afternoon, come on over to the future site of Black Mountain Town Square. And if you're too far away to join us to hear the Hackbirds, we are sorry to hear that.  Don't forget you can check out the Greybeard Black Mountain Webcam anytime to see what you're missing in town.

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Greybeard Realtors understand western NC real estate.

When Janet Randolph became a Realtor in the Asheville area nine years ago, she noticed that people wanted large homes perched on the North Carolina mountainside.  Nowadays, she's noticed a shift.  People still want homes in western North Carolina, but now they want smaller homes located right in smaller towns like Black Mountain.

Janet, who brought her NC real estate expertise to Greybeard Realty almost three years ago, epitomizes the type of Realtor Greybeard has.  She is focused, knowledgeable about real estate trends in western North Carolina, and very committed to the area.  Originally from Texas, Janet fell in love with the area.  "The friendly people and the beautiful mountains stole my heart," she notes.

At present, Janet has two particular listings of interest.  Swannanoa NC 80 Green Forest, with its southern exposure, has a nice flat driveway yet offers incredible valley views.  Located on more than 14 acres, this property was once part of the Davidson family post Revolutionary War land grant.

Black Mountain NC  1585 High Rock Acres is a cozy mountain home that provides views of Mount Mitchell and the NC Parkway.  With an artist studio located above its two-car garage, this ideally-located property has a recent home inspection available already.

To check out these properties or any of Greybeard's other Western North Carolina homes for sale, please contact Janet or any of Greybeard's Realtors.  Like Janet, our other real estate agents all have a commitment to western North Carolina and have a special place in their hearts for the area.  Come see what Greybeard can do to help you find the NC mountain home of your dreams.