Chip Craig

Chip Craig, known as Ben (Chip) Craig, is the owner and founder of GreyBeard Realty, serving Black Mountain and Montreat in Western North Carolina. A Davidson College and Kellogg School of Business graduate, he founded GreyBeard Realty and has built it into one of the most recognized real estate firms in the WNC region.

Chip Craig has deeper institutional roots in the Black Mountain and Montreat market than virtually any other agent in the area — as GreyBeard Realty's founder, he has been at the center of the local real estate market through multiple cycles and has served the community in leadership roles ranging from Montreat town commissioner to Buncombe County Board of Education member. His specialization in Montreat and Black Mountain real estate is backed by decades of firsthand market knowledge.

Chip Craig holds a BA from Davidson College and an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Business. Before founding GreyBeard Realty, he served as marketing director at the North Carolina Outward Bound School and spent more than six years in commercial and consumer banking — a combination of marketing, finance, and leadership experience that directly shaped how he built and runs the firm.

Yes — Montreat real estate is one of Chip Craig's core specialties, and his background there goes well beyond professional expertise. He previously served as a town commissioner for the Town of Montreat, giving him an unusually thorough understanding of the community's governance, development landscape, and what makes properties in Montreat distinct from the broader Black Mountain market.

Chip Craig's community involvement in Western North Carolina is extensive. He currently serves with the Buncombe County United Way and has previously served on the boards of the Black Mountain Swannanoa Valley Endowment Fund, the Buncombe County Tourism and Development Authority, and the Buncombe County Board of Education, in addition to his time as a Montreat town commissioner.

Chip Craig is an ideal choice for buyers and sellers in Black Mountain and Montreat who want to work directly with the founder of GreyBeard Realty — someone with the broadest possible perspective on the local market, deep civic ties, and the business acumen of a Kellogg MBA. He's particularly well-suited for clients navigating complex transactions, investment decisions, or properties in the distinctive Montreat community where insider knowledge carries real weight.