It's never too early to start planning some fun in Asheville. We've got just the ticket:

Let's start your Asheville vacation at the North Carolina Apple Festival, in historic downtown Hendersonville. The festival includes the famous Apple Festival Street Fair that brings 150 vendors to 9 blocks of Main Street. The King Apple Parade starts at 2:30 and features floats bands, youth groups, and fire trucks. There is something about the combination of kids, apples and fire trucks that just makes you smile.

Then come to downtown Asheville for Shindig on the Green at MLK Jr. Park. A proper shindig, this event features banjoes, bluegrass, and uncontrollable dancing.

All that dancing will warm you up for a mountain bike ride in the Pisgah Ranger District. The Pisgah Ranger District is south of Asheville on either side of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Rent a bike or bring your own and explore the greatest mountain bike trails in Western North Carolina. Some of these great Blue Ridge trails can be tricky, so don't be shy to take some good local advice. First time Pisgah mountain bikers should consult a guide.

Recover from biking with a walking tour of the beautiful Biltmore Estate Gardens. The historic Biltmore House is the largest private residence in America. Built for the Vanderbilt family and completed in 1895, the Biltmore Gardens were design by the revered landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted.

Wrap up your weekend at the Biltmore winery. Tasting and tours here rival anything you'll experience in Napa Valley.

And now we come to the crux of the vacation - which Asheville cabin suits you best?  Begin your search for available Asheville cabins here, and have a great vacation!

The Fourth of July celebration in Montreat has become a traditional day of homecoming. Extended families come home to Montreat to enjoy time-honored festivities and fun with family and friends. (If you are bringing your best friend along, you might consider one of our [...]

Montreat Real Estate Sales While the national economy has impacted Montreat real estate sales, our mountain cove has been protected from most of the economic storm. Montreat Property continues to sell.

Click here for a complete list of closed home and lot sales.

For currently listed properties in Montreat, click for Montreat homes for sale and Montreat [...]

Sanctuary, an Asheville vacation rental condo located in the Biltmore Village Villas, lives up to its name, providing Asheville renters with a beautiful getaway within close proximity to Asheville.  This professionally decorated condo features two bedrooms, each with a private bath and ample closet [...]

The Blue Ridge Dream is a one of our new Asheville vacation rentals. Just thinking about this place makes me dreamy. It is a beautifully renovated authentic log cabin and it's nearly 4000 feet of heaven near the Blue Ridge Parkway. The floor-to-ceiling windows and outdoor decks make for panoramic views of the Mountains.

This rental has all the amenities such as Satellite TV, wireless internet & a Wii, but once you're on the porch, you'll forget what those things are. The views from the deck are the best I've seen in this part of North Carolina: Blue Ridge Mountain panorama!

Renting this cabin makes you feel good about yourself in other ways, too: A portion of the rental proceeds are donated to Blue Ridge Forever, a land conservancy dedicated to preserving land in the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains.

Greybeard Realty, Black Mountain's largest real estate office, announces the opening of their new auxiliary office at 706 NC Highway 9 South in Black Mountain. In conjunction with Creston Community, this additional office location will be open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. A Greybeard sales agent will have information [...]

"Trouble is only opportunity in work clothes." Henry J. Kaiser (1882 - 1967)

At first sight it is hard to see the opportunity in a difficult time, but more often than not we may find that it is the very time to reevaluate and make plans for the future. From the outset of the economic downturn, Greybeard Realty has intentionally used our [...]

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Whether it's a choice to bring sustainability and healthy living indoors or the desire for energy efficiency, there are countless reasons to buy "Green." For a home to be certified requires third party verification. ENERGY STAR homes have met the requirements set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. These homes have energy-saving features that typically make them 20-30% more efficient than standard homes. Benefits for homebuyers and New Home Features can be found at www.energystar.gov. By clicking on the "Take the Tour" icon at the bottom of the page you can actually look behind the walls of an Energy Star home.

An Energy Star townhome in Black Mountain, NC

NC HealthyBuilt Homes have met criteria established by ENERGY STAR plus additional requirements which can be seen at https://wncgbc.org/healthybuilt/checklist.php. Points are awarded for builders completing the various items on the checklist. There are four levels of certification depending on how many features the home has. For a list of homeowner benefits go to https://wncgbc.org/healthybuilt/benefits.php.

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Asheville, NC was recently ranked #14 on Forbes.com's list of the Best Places for Business and Careers.  The list studies cities throughout the U.S., and ranks areas based on such factors as Cost of Doing Business, Net Migration, and Income Growth.  Asheville ranked #2 nationally on the Cost of Doing Business list, costing businesses 20% less than the national average.  As a state, North Carolina dominated this category, taking the top 4 spots and 6 of the top 7.

Overall, North Carolina had 6 cities in the top 20 of the Forbes list, including 3 in the top 6.  Kurt Badenhausen, former Associated Editor at Forbes, explains North Carolina's business-friendly environment by detailing all of the ways our state leads the way in business.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed into law on Feb. 17, 2009, provides many buyers with a tax credit of up to $8,000 if they purchase a home between January 1 and November 31, 2009.  Most news outlets have referred to this credit as available only to [...]