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Gatlinburg, TN Real Estate News

By Delores A. White
(Thompson Carr Real Estate)
Well, as we Tennesseans start every sentence. I just had the most trying experience with one of the banks we are "lending" money to and a bank that must just be plain dumb about business.I had not one, not two, but three contracts on one single vacation home in Gatlinburg with unbelievable views of the great Smoky Mountains and views of downtown Gatlinburg.This was a short sale and I wrote one of these in January and one in February and received one in February from another agent. The first two buyers backed out from the fact that these two banks could not give me an answer in two months. Then after they backed out I got another contract on this vacation cabin and still the banks can't give me an answer. Now I have this buyer backing out.What in the world is wrong with this picture. Thi...
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By Jane Terrell, Broker Gatlinburg Homes for Sale
(Century 21 Four Seasons)
Just a reminder that furnishings (even including appliances) are considered by lenders to be "personal property" and are therefore not an automatic part of a short sale negotiation.  Typically the owner of a property can remove personal property during the short sale process, unless it is part of the written contract.  An addendum to the contract specialfically addessing the personal property in the home is one way to deal with this. 
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By Jane Terrell, Broker Gatlinburg Homes for Sale
(Century 21 Four Seasons)
One of my favorite books, The Last Child in the Woods (Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder) makes the point that all the environmentalists have gray hair, and it's critical that we pass our love of the mountains on to the next generation.  This is a photo of my husband doing just that with nephew William---on a fall day in Metcalf Bottoms.  It's so easy with all of the distractions and anxieties of today to think about other things, and get lost in the challenges and negativities of the moment.  But then, a drive into the mountains and a few moments in the serenity of these hills puts it into perspective.  Help someone else love the mountains, too!
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By Richard Weisser, Richard Weisser Retired Real Estate Professional
(Richard Weisser Realty)
There is something extraordinary about an Eastern Mountain Stream. The swift waters tumble and careen over rounded boulders that have been smoothed after eons of erosion. The rivulets flow cold and clear, rife with fish and salamanders and other aquatic creatures that depend on the continuous flow of sustenance. Plants thrive in the luxuriant and moist environment of the stream bed and animal are attracted to both drinking water and plentiful fodder in stream locales. Although these photos capture some of the visual beauty of the mountain stream, they are a poor substitute for the actual sight of the splashing, dancing torrents sparkling in dappled sunlight. Nor can they convey the fresh organic perfume of the river valley, or the cacophony of sounds generated by the splashing and crash...
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By Jane Terrell, Broker Gatlinburg Homes for Sale
(Century 21 Four Seasons)
  Here is a current market report for 2-bedroom 2-bath homes sold in the Gatlinburg area (Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville) in the last 90 days.  Before you digest this information, there's a couple of things you should be aware of: 1.  "DOM" or Days on market is somewhat fluid, as it will revert back to zero if a listing changes Realtors, or if it is withdrawn from the market for a day.  So, a property could have actually been on the market much longer than it shows currently. 2.  "Bedrooms" is also a term somewhat open for interpretation in our market.  According to a recent ruling by the local MLS, no property can be listed as having more bedrooms than it has a septic permit from the health department for.  This is a new development, however.  So, there could be a home with 2...
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By Jane Terrell, Broker Gatlinburg Homes for Sale
(Century 21 Four Seasons)
A year ago, many even experienced real estate professionals had no idea what a short sale was, but times have changed for sure! As we navigate our way through the troubled waters of today’s economic challenges, we’re learning fast about all kinds of new things, including the ubiquitous “short sale” option. As you know, a short sale is a deal where the lender(s) holding the mortgage on a property agree to consider offers less than what is owed. Having worked with several of these situations in the last few months, here are some other things to consider about short sales: • Furnishings , appliances and fixtures are considered “personal property” and are not a part of the mortgage on the property. They remain the property of the owner, and can be removed from the home unless other arrangem...
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By Jane Terrell, Broker Gatlinburg Homes for Sale
(Century 21 Four Seasons)
I admit it--I am still excited by "snow days"....it brings me back to when I was a kid growing up here in the Gatlinburg, TN area--just the smallest amount of the white stuff would immediately result in school being called off.  That is, until our little town got a new superintendant one year, from Indiana.  He laughed when there was a half inch of snow and everyone told him to cancel classes---absolutely not!  he said--and so he did not, and within 1 hour there were 42 bus accidents! Just goes to show you need to know the territory! We're having some snow days here now--I just got a call from someone who was renting a cabin I have listed for sale.  They said they didn't know any numbers in the area, but mine was on the sign so they called me.  They said they were staying in this cabin ...
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By Richard Weisser, Richard Weisser Retired Real Estate Professional
(Richard Weisser Realty)
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park features some of the highest peaks in the Appalachians, as well as a tremendous diversity of flora and fauna. The Park also offers some of the largest stands of virgin forests in the Eastern United States. And because the park is within a day's drive of 50% of the country's population, it is the most visited national park in the system. Now is the time to plan your Spring Wildflower pilgrimage to the park, with late March and early April being the peak time for seeing the most blooms! All Photos courtesy of Richard Weisser and Smokyphotos.com All content, including text, original art, photographs and images, is the exclusive property of Coweta Fayette Real Estate, Inc., and may not be used without the expressed written permission of ERA United Rea...
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By Jane Terrell, Broker Gatlinburg Homes for Sale
(Century 21 Four Seasons)
If you are  considering a purchase (or even a sale) of investment or vacation  property in the Gatlinburg, TN area (including Sevierville, TN and Pigeon Forge, TN)  keep in mind that some of the traditional methods of determining a fair market value for a property aren't as useful in our market.  Take, for example, the "price per square foot" method.  While this can be a gross indication of a property category (and you should be aware of it)  it doesn't really take into account the special needs of our market here in Gatlinburg.  The fact of the matter is, hardly anyone purchases a vacation or investment home based primarily on square footage.  Much more common are concerns about: •·         View •·         Parking •·         Rental History and Income •·         Privacy •·         How M...
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By Jane Terrell, Broker Gatlinburg Homes for Sale
(Century 21 Four Seasons)
As the months have passed and economic conditions have changes, anyone interested in real estate activities around the country has become educated in some aspects of short sales and foreclosures. In fact, many of the buyers coming into town looking for the best deals tell us "we only want to see foreclosures ".  While our market here in Sevier County TN (Gatlinburg, Sevierville and Pigeon Forge) has its share of those to be sure, there is another group of properties that shouldn't be overlooked: those that are fully owned or have a great deal of owner equity. Properties that were purchased for cash, have been owned by the same individual for a long time or new construction properties owned by the builder would fall into this category.  Some of these are now on the market for greatly red...
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By Jane Terrell, Broker Gatlinburg Homes for Sale
(Century 21 Four Seasons)
As the months have passed and economic conditions have changes, anyone interested in real estate activities around the country has become educated in some aspects of short sales and foreclosures. In fact, many of the buyers coming into town looking for the best deals tell us "we only want to see foreclosures ".  While our market here in Sevier County TN (Gatlinburg, Sevierville and Pigeon Forge) has its share of those to be sure, there is another group of properties that shouldn't be overlooked: those that are fully owned or have a great deal of owner equity. Properties that were purchased for cash, have been owned by the same individual for a long time or new construction properties owned by the builder would fall into this category.  Some of these are now on the market for greatly red...
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By Jane Terrell, Broker Gatlinburg Homes for Sale
(Century 21 Four Seasons)
Of course our real estate market here in the Gatlinburg area (including Sevierville, TN and Pigeon Forge, TN) has experienced a downturn, but I've had the experience of some surprised buyers in the last few weeks.  Having listened to the news reports and using the information from their home real estate markets (such as Michigan or Florida) some  have arrived in town looking for looking for fantastic unbeleiveable bargains.  Yes, those properties are out there, and Yes , we can find them...but what is surprising to some is that when we DO find those properties, buyers  are many times no longer in the "buyer's market" they are expecting. In the current climate it is a little hard to convince them they'd better move fast to take advantage of the best deals.  (OK they actually roll their e...
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By Lizette Fitzpatrick, Lizette Realty, Lexington KY MLS - Kentucky Homes
(Lizette Realty - Richmond KY)
            Eye Candy in Gatlinburg Tennessee          Nothing like some nice yummy eye candy. Actually, I couldn't think of a thing to photograph, until I headed south of the border only a few days ago on New Year's Eve. I crossed the Kentucky border into the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. I needed a break from blogging and real estate. I thought I might...what is the word? RELAX As I was driving in through the winding roads along the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, I saw plenty of eye candy that I just couldn't resist. I'm sure motorists thought I was holding up traffic as I jumped out to take random shots that I liked. Hey, that's what tourists do! I call this "Beehive Hill" Old Mill on a creek. The "Pirate" that got left behind after the putt-putt golf course went bust.    Old L...
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By Lizette Fitzpatrick, Lizette Realty, Lexington KY MLS - Kentucky Homes
(Lizette Realty - Richmond KY)
I Experienced A Gatlinburg TN Dream Vacation At White Oak Lodge & Resort It's not often that I get a chance to make a getaway out of Central Kentucky...but last week I headed south of the border into the mountains of Tennessee. My destination was White Oak Lodge & Resort. I had seen their gorgeous pictures on their website. A few months ago, I decided to give my readers a chance for a free trip to this resort after contact from Activerain member Donnie Hatfield. He and his wife Lisa manage the complex. Once a month, a drawing is made from entries emailed through my weekly newsletter, "I Love Kentucky News!" The lucky winner gets two nights in a chalet at White Oak Lodge & Resort. Since I haven't been there to see it myself... I decided to visit. I took the back way to get into Gatlinbur...
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By Richard Weisser, Richard Weisser Retired Real Estate Professional
(Richard Weisser Realty)
A few years ago, a teacher named Ken Smith was spending his summer working in the gift shop at Yellowstone National Park. One of the items they sold there were the circus animal cookies that are so popular with children. Ken thought that it was silly to sell cookies depicting giraffes, lions and tigers at Yellowstone. He thought that the cookies should depict bears, elk, bison and other Yellowstone creatures instead, and have an Yellowstone theme instead of a circus carton. When he discovered that there were no such products on the market, he started the Wildlife Cookie Company to fill the niche. The first product he released was indeed based on animals in Yellowstone, and the cookies were a success. The company then made the decision to branch out into other National Parks, with a uniq...
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By Richard Weisser, Richard Weisser Retired Real Estate Professional
(Richard Weisser Realty)
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is within a day's drive of half of the population of the United States, making it one of the mist visited national parks in the system. Typically, the park attracts between eleven and thirteen million annual visitors. They come to hike, fish, view wildlife, investigate pioneer history and enjoy the spectacular vistas from the many overlooks. The park encompasses over 800 square miles so there is always a new experience to be discovered! There are more species of trees in the park than on the entire continent of Europe. This floral diversity has contributed to the park being designated as an International Biosphere preserve! To get more information, please visit the park's website. Photos courtesy of SmokyPhotos.com   All content, including text, o...
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By Justin Broadway
(Century 21 Four Seasons Realty)
Here in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee the rental properties and the income they generate are a crucial part of our economy. Particularly, the real estate industry in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. So far this year the bad economic news hasn't affected our rentals much. The looming crisis for our best rental season, the Fall leaves changing color, is a shortage of gas in several major southern cities. We have plenty of gas to go around here but it seems that many of our visitors from such gas starved areas as Atlanta, Nashville, and MIami are having a tough time making the choice to place their families in the car or mini-van for a vacation. I fully expect the fear of travel to quickly subside once the gas stations in those cities have full tanks again. Hopefully, in the mean...
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By Richard Weisser, Richard Weisser Retired Real Estate Professional
(Richard Weisser Realty)
Every October I take several trips to The Great Smoky Mountains National Park to photograph the change of the seasons. In the Southeast, the mountains and autumn are intrinsically intertwined. The brilliant leaf color, the cooler temperatures, and the abundance of visible wildlife all contribute to a rejuvenating experience. And it's not just the sights that draw me either. It's the smell of the new fallen leaves, the autumn blooming flowers and the fragrance of the cascading brooks and rivers. Every breath recharges and renews, and goes deep within the spirit. And there are fall tastes as well. Anything apple: apple cider, apple fritters and fried apple pies! In the south, we also enjoy a big sack of boiled peanuts while we are on the road. The best are made in a big black kettle over ...
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By Richard Weisser, Richard Weisser Retired Real Estate Professional
(Richard Weisser Realty)
Welcome to Gatlinburg Tennessee, the gateway to The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Gatlinburg is just over a mile from the Sugarlands Visitors Center and offers all of the creature comforts sought after by area travelers. Gatlinburg offers accommodations of every kind from simple motel rooms, suites, condos and cabins to deluxe upscale mountainside homes with spectacular views and every conceivable amenity. Gatlinburg also offers a smorgasbord of food options, from fine dining on locally raised trout to fast food. There is truly something for every taste and preference, and choosing can be one of you toughest decisions of the day! Gatlinburg offers shops and boutiques galore, and you can spend days here without visiting the same store twice. No trip to the Smoky Mountains is compl...
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By Justin Broadway
(Century 21 Four Seasons Realty)
The Gatlinburg real estate market has seen many styles over the past 5 decades. None of which was more pronounced than the a-frames of the 1960's and '70's that dot the mountainsides. Today, a new grand style of luxury has made its way into the mountain scenery. The Big Log Lodges have arrived in Gatlinburg. This style has been around for many years in the $10 to $30 million dollar estate homes out west in Colorado and Utah. The appearance of these super luxury cabins in the Gatlinburg mountains is still relatively unknown except to the savvy overnight renter. In fact, these homes are bringing in such incredible rental numbers (some over $200,000 per year in gross income) that many of the purchasers have been neighbors and friends passing the word to one another about the investment op...
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