First Day of Summer in Murphy, NC and how to enjoy it. Summer Solstice - longest day of the year starts today, June 21, 2011. Here in Murphy, NC its been feeling a little like summer had been hanging around for a couple weeks already, but today is the official start of Summer.So what are some of the great things to do in Murphy, NC this Summer, you ask?How about cooling off in the many lakes and rivers with these wet n’ wild water Outdoor Activities in the Mountains. We’ve got white water rafting, tubing, boating and all kinds of activities to keep you entertained and cool this summer.Now grab those hiking boots, walking stick and camping gear for some of the best trails and scenery that the whole family will enjoy for Hiking & Camping in the Mountains.And on those days that you want to... 06/21/2011

Fannie Mae Incentives - First Look Program   The Fannie Mae First Look program was designed to contribute to neighborhood stabilization.  During the “first look” period, only offers from owner occupants and some non-profit groups will be considered.  This gives homeowners an advantage in that they do not have to compete with investors who are typically coming to the table with cash offers.       Normally the Fannie Mae First Look period is 15 days.   However, there are some states that have different periods so it’s important to know what the period is within the area you are looking.         To find a property in the Fannie Mae First Look period, simply go to the HomePath website.  On the home page put in the State, County and Zip Code area that you want to search.  When the properties... 06/19/2011

Are you looking for a real estate team that can help you sell your home, or find the perfect place to live in Murphy, NC? As former Floridians that made the move to the mountains, we want to serve you in finding and making your dreams a reality, too. If you're searching for a get-away log cabin, land, lake, creek or river property, let us show you what the beautiful Western North Carolina, North Georgia and Eastern Tennessee mountains have to offer. Visit Lee & Carol Barbour ~ The Mountain Living Teamwww.MurphyMountainLiving.com 06/17/2011

Fannie Mae Incentives - Closing Cost Assistance         We are very excited to announce the latest Fannie Mae Incentive!  In an effort to help more buyers purchase a HomePath property, a new Fannie Mae incentive is being launched which offers closing cost assistance for buyers and even a bonus for selling agents!       This Fannie Mae Incentive will run from June 14 - October 31, 2011.   In other words, all contracts written on or after June 14th which close on or before October 31st, will qualify for the Fannie Me Incentive provided the terms and conditions are followed.       Owner-Occupants (investor purchases do not qualify) purchasing a HomePath property can receive up to 3.5% of the final sales price to be used toward closing cost assistance.         We specialize in foreclosures ... 06/16/2011

Sorry Mr. Seller, but we had to skip showing your home today in Murphy, NC. It's not our fault - we tried. We met with our clients today at our Coldwell Banker High Country office and went over some lovely and well priced homes to show them before they headed back to Florida in the morning. There were so many that they wanted to see before making their final decision, but they decided to skip yours since your listing needed a 24 hour notice to show. Many potential buyers are here in Murphy, NC from out of state and have limited time to preview homes. By the time they get ready to start looking for that future get-away cabin or retirement home in the mountains, they've got a long list of great homes in their price range - just not as much time as houses to see. What could we do but start... 06/16/2011

FREE CONCERT at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC Featured Concert: The Blessed BlendTime & Date: 7pm - June 17, 2011Admission: Free, donations welcomeLocation: Festival Barn - weather permitting. The barn has hay bale seating  so you might want to bring a blanket or lawn chair. The Blessed Blend composes and performs music, blending Native American and Celtic sounds creating a harmony of tribal music from these two ancient and still thriving indigenous cultures. Joseph and Laralyn RiverWind play a wide variety of instruments including drums, flutes, whistles, bagpipes and Celtic Harp. They perform both traditional and original music. You won’t want to miss this special performance and the opportunity to meet this talented couple keeping the traditions that have been han... 06/15/2011

Our favorite weekend dinner spot is the Italian Caffe in Murphy, North Carolina. You’ll find all the traditional dishes and of course the best pizza in town, but the Italian Caffe also has the best steak dinner in town too. Piero (Peter) Perna, Owner/Chef, and his lovely wife Pietra, serves up such a huge cut of steak that Lee even shares his cooked to perfection broccoli and baked potato with me - even though my fresh pasta Fettuccini Alfredo is more than I can finish anyway. After a dinner like this we don't have a bit of room for any of Pietra’s homemade delicious deserts, but you can bet we take a slice or two home for later to go along with our leftovers! They also have the best Lunch Buffet anywhere around too.Next time you’re in Murphy, NC and have a hunger for the best Italian f... 06/14/2011

The Foreclosure Process - CASH FOR KEYS     We were assigned two new listings today by one of our Asset Managers.  Off I went to handle the occupancy checks, post the Know Your Options flyers and install lockboxes & signs.  The first property is in a nice neighborhood. It’s a nice 3 BR/2 BA, sits on a couple of acres and, although they removed all the appliances and left us with a bunch of garbage to trash out, they didn’t do any damage. Believe it or not, for our area this is normal.  Keep an eye out for this one to come on the market - it will probably be a great value for someone.         Then comes the hard part of our job as foreclosure specialists:  I found the second home to be occupied. The husband and wife, in their mid-40’s just hit on some hard times. Their loan was with one ... 06/10/2011

Here in the small towns of the North Carolina and Georgia Mountains you might be wondering what those weird square boxes are popping up all over our signs, flyers, banners and billboards just to name a few. These QR Codes are a great way to almost instantly get you more photos and information than you could ever put on a sign or postcard of some of the gorgeous properties we have listed at Coldwell Banker High Country. Here is one of the latest ways we utilized the custom QR Codes… This postcard can be emailed, turned into a yard sign or printed. Either way, you get the idea. Scan that QR Code for more information and photos on making this great Hiwassee River Chalet home yours.       Lee & Carol Barbour ~ The Mountain Living Team www.MurphyMountainLiving.com   06/09/2011

  Over Memorial Day Weekend our oldest daughter, Moriah and her fiance, Aric came for a visit. If you remember, last week I wrote about our visit to Bald River Falls.   As you’ve heard me say several times I’m sure, Moriah and Aric are both in the US Navy.  She is a Hospital Corpsman stationed at Dahlgren, Virginia and Aric, also a Hospital Corpsman is stationed at Portsmouth, Virginia.  Needless to say it’s always a treat when they get to sneak away for a weekend visit.   Sunday evening they decided it was absolutely necessary to make a trip to the local WalMart - affectionately known as “the Mall of Murphy”.  Hey, don’t laugh it’s a small town and it’s pretty much where the younger crowd hangs out.     When they returned they had about a dozen cans of various colors of spray paint and... 06/09/2011

Here are the latest Northeast Georgia Board of REALTORS MLS stats. The NEGA Board of Realtors is comprised of 704 members with 667 Realtors and 37 Affiliates serving the Towns, Union, Fannin and Gilmer counties on the Georgia side and Clay and Cherokee counties on the North Carolina side. Current Active Board Listings: 9,596 Contingent/Pending: 559 = 379 Residential, 14 Commercial and 166 Lots/Acreage Closed Sales 1/1/11-5/30/11- 983 / 443 Foreclosures Take a look at the last 3 Years of Sales/Foreclosures ... ·        1/1/10-5/30/2010- 867 / 280 Foreclosures ·        1/1/09-5/30/2009- 717 / 159 Foreclosures ·        1/1/08-5/30/2008- 995 / 10 Foreclosures 2011 Year to Date List Price Average was $151,867 Sold Price Average was $134,188 Price Differential - Sold to List = 88.36% Price D... 06/08/2011

  Don't just blend in - Stand Out! Okay, so that might be good advice if you're in Real Estate, but not so much if you're a Salamander in the Appalachian Mountains. Lee's past Clients, Roland & Donna, that bought a home here in Murphy, NC just love going hiking and have captured many of the sights along the way of their journeys in the Smoky Mountains. This little guy is just one of them. If you'd like to not blend in with the regular city crowds and find your "peace of the mountains" here in Murphy, NC or the north GA and east TN mountains, just visit Lee & Carol Barbour ~ The Mountain Living Team at www.MurphyMountainLiving.com   06/05/2011

Being a Realtor in Murphy, NC is the profession we’ve chosen and we love working together as The Mountain Living Team. While we love listing and marketing properties for our Sellers, our true passion is working with Buyers, especially those from out of state or not familiar with our area, lifestyle and all these beautiful mountains have to offer.  We truly understand all the differences, details and questions you’ll have in finding and living in a smaller mountain community. Many have never experienced living in an area with four seasons, but we assure you you’ll love getting used to it. So back to our surprise…We worked with Don and Bonnie, a great couple from Florida to help them find a home here in Cherokee County, NC and the surrounding north GA areas. They will retire in a few year... 06/03/2011

    The Mark of A True Professional       About a month ago we received an email from June Tassillo.  June was working with a buyer in Franklin, North Carolina who also wanted to look at homes in our area.  Although Murphy is only about 60 miles from Franklin, the properties were not in June’s MLS and she wasn’t familiar with the area.   She referred the buyer to us to show him the Murphy properties. The Mark of A True Professional.   She wasn’t going to sacrifice the best interests of the client just to keep the full commission.  The Mark of A True Professional.   Bill worked with him and showed him both the homes he had identified as well as some others that we knew fit the description of what he wanted.  The next day he went back to June in Franklin.  We received an email from her th... 06/01/2011

One thing we love and a lot of people are looking for is unrestricted land where you can have a nice garden and maybe even a few chickens to keep you busy. Hey, after you leave the "big cities" and move to the country of Murphy, NC and the surrounding north GA and east TN mountains you won't be spending so much time in traffic or fighting off the crowds at the mall! But don't worry, if you're just looking for something in a subdivision or overlooking the lake or mountains we can still find you the perfect piece of property in the mountains. Lee & Carol Barbour ~ The Mountain Living Team www.MountainLivingTeam.com   05/31/2011

What A Difference A Day Makes!What a difference a day makes. Twenty-four little hours.Brought the sun and the flowers,Where there used to be rain.     We have some great rose bushes in our yard and they continue to reward us season after season with an abundance of flowers.  On Sunday, I snapped a couple of pictures to share.  The first of a single bud and the second of a trio of blooms.             Keep in mind the trio is on the SAME plant. Two are a beautiful “tequila sunrise” color while the one in the center is much “pinker”.  Now I know Cathy Rayburn-Trobaugh will come along and tell  me that pinker is NOT a word but I’m going out on a limb here - literally.             Today I went to check on these little beauties and they had changed tremendously.  What a difference a day makes... 05/30/2011

Murphy, NC Celebrated Memorial Day at Memorial Park in the heart of downtown Murphy. The traditional service actually started at sunrise this morning with the raising of the Flag and then to half staff.    As the sun was shining and we had a slight breeze around 10:30 everyone started to gather for the Memorial Day Celebration at the Memorial Park. It was a very moving ceremony with the History of the Wars and Uniformed Soldiers marched into formation.  The Murphy Choir did a fabulous job with the song service and then there was the Placing of the Wreaths. Chills as the Honor Guard saluted and Taps was played. After a moment of silence everyone picked up a carnation for the Pass in Review and laid their flower at the memorial. Finally at 12:00 noon the Flag was raised to full staff by t... 05/30/2011

Things To Do In the Mountains:  Ball River Falls       When you’re visiting the mountains of Western North Carolina Bald River Falls should be on your To-Do List.  It’s a great day-trip destination and one that both kids and “kids at heart” will enjoy.         You can take an absolutely gorgeous scenic drive through miles and miles of US Forestry Service property (call us and we’ll give you the directions) or you can take Highway 68 to Tellico Plains, Tennessee.  Once in Tellico take Hwy 165 - also known as the Cherohala Skyway, for about 6 miles.  Turn onto Tellico River Road and go about 5.9 miles and  you’ll see Ball River Falls. Cross the bridge overlooking the falls to the parking area and you’ve arrived.                   You can admire Bald River Falls from the bridge or, the mor... 05/29/2011

Allow Me To Introduce - CRT Commercial Media   I am very excited to introduce you to one of the newest members at ActiveRain - Catherine Rayburn-Trobaugh of CRT Commercial Media.       I met Cathy (as she’s affectionately known to her friends) and her husband, Bill, when I worked with them to purchase a home here in Murphy, North Carolina.  They were relocating from Van Wert, Ohio and looking for something different.  Rather than spoil it for her, I will let Cathy tell you all about it.  While waiting for Bill and Cathy to come to Murphy and begin their home search adventure, another friend called and wanted to list her home with us.  The moment she called I knew that this was the perfect home for Bill and Cathy.  The rest of the story is history and, again, I’ll let Cathy share it with... 05/27/2011

Murphy North Carolina Real Estate:  Another Happy Beginning       We can’t call it “Another Happy Ending” because nothing is “ending”.  It’s just the beginning.  The beginning of another family excited about their purchase of a Murphy North Carolina home and the beginning of a relationship with new friends.   We met Kent and Marilyn after selling their son, Frank, and his family a lovely second home in Murphy North Carolina.  When we closed on that home in December Frank told me his mom would be in touch soon.  You see we always work hard to make sure every client is so happy with our service that they refer us to their friends and family.     Marilyn and I worked together over the internet for a couple of months before they were ready to come to town.  She searched different websites a... 05/26/2011