The 2009 Average Selling Price in Haywood County NC for residential real estate is inching closer to the Average Selling Price in 2004. The time it takes to sell a home (days on market) is higher than the previous 5 years due to (among other things) (1) overpriced homes/sellers in denial; (2) financing issues; (3) economy in general – JOBS. If you want to sell your house (and you have the option to sell as opposed to being forced to sell), price it right. Testing the waters only wastes time and money, and your home is not immune to the obvious drop in values. Keep your eye on the numbers…. things will change and eventually improve. But it is going to take a while longer to have an improvement in the housing market/home sales based on something legitimate – like more jobs – rather than M... 01/01/2010

The weather in Maggie Valley yesterday was a whirlwind of snow.. snow.. & more snow.. Power was knocked out in several counties including us.. Yesterday was a day of cold & white wintry weather, however it was mixed with many kind gestures where this weather has united many.. Whether it be by helping a stranger get their car out of the ditch, or giving someone a ride home because their car couldn't make it up a hill, all in all the main goal was to HELP. Here are a few pictures to give you an idea of what happened yesterday.. by the way, we would've posted these pictures & video sooner, however we were victims of the power outage too.... so here it is.. Click on the picture to view the video     12/31/2009

The forecast for Maggie Valley and Waynesville on Friday morning (12/18) said Winter Storm Warning with a wintry mix of ice and snow. Ha ha! Joke was on us. We had TONS OF BEAUTIFUL SNOW! Many people lost all power, including me (I have all electric heat and no fireplace). My power came back after 27 hours (late Saturday afternoon), and the television and internet came back late Sunday evening. Being from Hawaii my 'snow survival skills' leave much to be desired. Duh! Even though I wasn’t alarmed about not having power, it soon became apparent that a little camper stove is a necessity in 'these thar hills.' No hot coffee (perish that thought) sucked, to put it mildly. However, thanks to 2 full days with no internet, I have a few 2010 files all ready to go and I ate everything in the alm... 12/27/2009

ALERT! Shameless self-promotion; however, I am most GRATEFUL for being one of the ‘Top 12″ ~ and very proud ~ especially considering the source of the list and the other 11 women named. Blogging for me is a passion ~ on my real estate website, my horse website, and others ~ it is a way for my readers to get to know me, quirks and all; and most importantly, in the world of real estate, a vehicle for sharing local, ‘no fluff’ real estate data/statistics, neighborhood and visitor ‘of interest’ articles, promoting local businesses, and providing a photographic journal of my life and surroundings in Western North Carolina. Top 12 Women Real Estate Bloggers 2009 Published by Joseph Ferrara (2) December 22nd, 2009  Click here to see The Top 12 Women Real Estate Bloggers for 2009. Original pos... 12/25/2009

Just past Ghost Town in the Sky and the Cataloochee Ski Area turnoff on Soco Road on the right is the Hunter’s Paradise Army & Navy Store in Maggie Valley. You will know you have arrived at the Army & Navy Store when you see the old Jeep that is parked in front of the store. Click here for the contact and ordering information page from their website. Their physical address for Mapquest is 4920 Soco Road, Maggie Valley, NC, 28751, and their phone number is 828-926-0861. Hunter’s Paradise Army & Navy Store is open at 10:00 a.m. 5 days per week (including weekends) and closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. © Susie Blackmon Related articles by Zemanta Legends Sports Bar and Grill in Maggie Valley Hits a Home Run Every Time! (buckingtherealestatetrend.com) Cabbage Rose in Maggie Valley is Full of... 12/13/2009

Yesterday was the first day in 2009 when snow fell and stuck in Maggie Valley. Didn't deter this squirrel! I see there’s something growing inside the now-empty feeder… © Susie Blackmon The photo below was taken earlier this morning (Sunday) in Maggie Valley, looking out over what is left of yesterday's snow. Temperature was 22 degrees on my deck earlier this morning. © Susie Blackmon   12/06/2009

The photo below was contributed by the owners of the cabin in this photo ~ Sheepback Cabin ~ (Click link to the left to see more photos of the cabin, furnishings and surroundings). Sheepback Cabin is located in Maggie Valley on Sheepback Mountain (Go figure!). If you feel like ‘coming up’ and spending some time in the Western North Carolina mountains, this cabin is close to everything, but also isolated and private: Sheepback Cabin’s Website If you have ‘local’ photos to share – please add them to your choice of these new Flickr Photo Groups: Maggie Valley Group, the Waynesville NC Group, or the Western North Carolina Group, and I will pick a photo each week from each group to post on my blog, with photo credit and links. (If you are a horse person, I have a new Horse Group for my Horse... 12/06/2009

It's looking more like Christmas in Maggie Valley ~ but the night time is the right time to see the lights! These photos were taken last weekend (11/30/09). The Festival Grounds, local businesses, Carolina Nights and Market Square are looking very festive for the Holidays, and just in time for the Maggie Valley Christmas Parade early Saturday evening (12/05). Call 828-926-0866 for more information about the Parade. © Susie Blackmon Related articles: Cabbage Rose in Maggie Valley is Full of Christmas Ornaments and Decorations. (buckingtherealestatetrend.com) I Saw Santa, Reindeer, Christmas Trees Last Night at Boyd Mountain Christmas Tree Farm in Waynesville. (buckingtherealestatetrend.com) Maggie Valley’s Market Square Shopping Mall ~ Right Across from the Festival Grounds. (buckingther... 12/03/2009

Last Sunday I visited the Cabbage Rose in Maggie Valley and took a few photos to post as there is no way to describe in words the magical Christmas shop inside. There are some great Cowgirl ornaments I want to photograph next time for my horse website. Cabbage Rose is located at 3388 Soco Road in Maggie Valley (28751), right next door to the Festival Grounds. Their phone numer is 828-926-3079. Cabbage Rose website. © Susie Blackmon Recent articles: Cabbage Rose in Maggie Valley is Full of Christmas Ornaments and Decorations. (buckingtherealestatetrend.com) Mrs. Miller’s Apple Cake ~ The Original Apple Cake Baked and Sold in Maggie Valley for Over 16 Years. (buckingtherealestatetrend.com) Legends Sports Bar and Grill in Maggie Valley Hits a Home Run Every Time! (buckingtherealestatetren... 12/03/2009

Santa was out helping the local economy and selling some Christmas trees in Maggie Valley over the weekend. Coming up this next weekend is the Maggie Valley Christmas Parade Saturday evening (12/05). Call 828-926-0866 for more information about the Parade. Maggie Valley realtor David Wynn and his wife lost their mountain-top home to a fire last weekend. The Maggie Valley Inn is is accepting donations of clothing, shoes or other items for the Wynns. © Susie Blackmon Related articles: I Saw Santa, Reindeer, Christmas Trees Last Night at Boyd Mountain Christmas Tree Farm in Waynesville. (buckingtherealestatetrend.com) Maggie Valley’s Market Square Shopping Mall ~ Right Across from the Festival Grounds. (buckingtherealestatetrend.com) Cabbage Rose in Maggie Valley is Full of Christmas Ornam... 12/01/2009

Just a little bit up the road from Ghost Town in the Sky and the Fie Top Road turnoff to Cataloochee Ski Area in Maggie Valley is a ‘vintage’ strip mall smack dab on the creek, and below are photos of some of the signs that remain on site. The location of the 'vintage' strip mall is one that I really like (right on the way over the mountain to Cherokee), especially considering the buildings in the little mall are directly on the creek. If you like creek photos, there are more here. © Susie Blackmon Related articles: Maggie Valley’s Market Square Shopping Mall ~ Right Across from the Festival Grounds. (buckingtherealestatetrend.com) Cabbage Rose in Maggie Valley is Full of Christmas Ornaments and Decorations. (buckingtherealestatetrend.com) The LlamaCaddy Llamas Made a Grand Appearance a... 11/27/2009

Maggie Valley has a great gift store and Christmas shop located conveniently on Soco Road next to the Festival Grounds, and right across from Market Square ~ The Cabbage Rose. Cabbage Rose has a ‘mountain-sized’ Christmas section with ornaments and decorations galore, and they even have their own original line of Christmas ornaments (available year round). They are all dressed up now for your Holiday visit! Related articles: Cabbage Rose in Maggie Valley is Full of Christmas Ornaments and Decorations. (buckingtherealestatetrend.com) I Saw Santa, Reindeer, Christmas Trees Last Night at Boyd Mountain Christmas Tree Farm in Waynesville. (buckingtherealestatetrend.com) Original posted on Bucking the Real Estate Trend.   11/24/2009

This beautiful black horse with a blaze is always alone in his Maggie Valley pasture within view of Soco Road and Market Square, fenced in with barbed wire which scares me to death since horses can get hurt in a padded stall filled with feet of soft, fresh shavings. He's none the worse for the wear, however, and obviously loves people and visitors. © Susie Blackmon Have you read the recent (as of 11/20) news about Google's National Real Estate Search Engine? You should! Very interesting. Click.... Do you want your own customized Posterous site? Here's some information for you. Do you Poken? What is a Poken, by Martin Brossman. Want to see my Poken? 11/21/2009

Susan Miller gave me a wonderful gift early this week.... an Apple Cake ~ but not just any Apple Cake…. it was a ‘Mrs. Miller’s Apple Cake‘ ~ “The ORIGINAL Apple Cake baked and sold in Maggie Valley, NC for over 16 years.” Susan Miller is one of Mrs. Miller’s daughters and is a certified chef and American Culinary Federation Member (since 2000), complete with a ServSafe Certification. Mrs. Miller’s Apple Cake should be in the Harry & David catalog, not to mention Neiman-Marcus. It is THAT GOOD. Really. Moist, full of apples, topped with whole fresh pecans, and embellished with the perfect combination of natural spices. The cakes would make spectacular gifts. Call 772-529-5925 to talk to Susan, or email her at MrsMillersAppleCake@yahoo.com ~ she would love to take your orders. © Susie Bl... 11/19/2009

© Susie Blackmon The sunrise this morning in Maggie Valley was amazing (again). Temperature was a brisk 40 degrees. Just an hour or so later I was standing on my deck and noticed smoke that wasn't from a fireplace. It came from across the creek from me (not close), so I hopped in my SUV, wrapped in my leopard Snuggie, to see where the sirens were leading. There are more fire photos here. Hopefully no one was injured.   11/17/2009

There are beautiful creeks, streams and rivers winding through Maggie Valley, and you will find creekside RV parks, homes and lots. Each and every creek and river in Haywood County originates right here in Haywood County? No water flows into Haywood County. Here's a creek video from my recent outings. © Susie Blackmon If you are following NAR's new RPR, here's a great post from @robhahn (and the comments are very interesting as well): In Which I Announce the Death of RPR Click here to see my Creek Photos on Flickr. Related articles: Want to Hear the Sounds of a Beautiful Maggie Valley Creek? (buckingtherealestatetrend.com) Magical Monday | Maggie Valley Creek Doggie. | Bucking The Real Estate Trend-Waynesville and Maggie Valley Real Estate (susieblackmon.com) The Foreclosure Crisis Has ... 11/15/2009

Rain, rain, go away. Maggie Valley is overcast again this morning but it's not raining .. yet. As you can see from the photos, our creeks have plenty of water in them right now. Here are some 'of interest' links: HouseLogic website, brought to you by NAR. Great VBook excerpt of the Swanepoel Social Media Report 2010. Realtors, are you too busy for Social Media Marketing? Maggie May Mandate Mountain Motif.   11/12/2009

Beautiful early morning sunlight was crawling across the pretty Maggie Valley farm early Sunday morning. It's easy to see that our leaves have fallen. This farm can be seen off of Soco Road as you head over the mountain to get to Cherokee, which is a beautiful and winding drive. © Susie Blackmon Ran across this list of the Top 20 Real Estate Websites (as of 10/31/09) several days ago. Here 'tis in case you missed it.   Related articles: Legends Sports Bar and Grill in Maggie Valley Hits a Home Run Every Time! (buckingtherealestatetrend.com) Cabbage Rose in Maggie Valley is Full of Christmas Ornaments and Decorations. (buckingtherealestatetrend.com) Maggie Valley’s Market Square Shopping Mall ~ Right Across from the Festival Grounds. (buckingtherealestatetrend.com) Original posted on Buc... 11/11/2009

Early Sunday morning as I went to do an errand, I took a quick detour in Maggie Valley to see how the some of creeks looked. They sure looked cold and rapid. Soon I will be able to capture snow on the banks of the creeks. (I noticed quite a few perfect spots along the creek for an Airstream.) If you like creek photos, click here to see more. Fall photos taken in and around Maggie Valley are here. © Susie Blackmon Recent articles: Maggie Valley Creek Decorated for Fall Leaf Lookers. | Bucking The Real Estate Trend-Waynesville and Maggie Valley Real Estate (susieblackmon.com) Want to Hear the Sounds of a Beautiful Maggie Valley Creek? (buckingtherealestatetrend.com) Magical Monday | Maggie Valley Creek Doggie. | Bucking The Real Estate Trend-Waynesville and Maggie Valley Real Estate (susi... 11/09/2009

Late Wednesday afternoon in Maggie Valley (11/4/09) I spotted another great photo opportunity on a spectacular Maggie Valley creek. The trees are somewhat bare and brown, but the creek is so beautiful that I don't think that matters. Speaking of photography, @BradCoy introduced me to Blurb the other day, and I cannot wait to give it a try with some of my photographs. Could be just what I need to make some very special gifts. Top Ten DIY Photography Tips. The Amazing Zenyatta Wins the 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic. © Susie Blackmon 11/08/2009