I'm sitting at the computer at 5:30 AM thinking about the 2010 season.   Not that there is not an "on-going" season for listing and selling properties - just that you feel a need to reassess and roll out a new strategy this time of year.    At Tennessee Recreational Properties LLC we're doing a new office website, revamped signs, new print ads and press releases.   What should they look like.  As I scour the competition, I am uninspired.  Same old, same old.  I get that feeling of ..." I need to come up with a 'zinger'approach".  Maybe that won't be the key to success - maybe the "same old" tortoise approach is the answer.  Oh, well....maybe more coffee is the answer...........     01/16/2010

Big South Fork Tennessee is horse country and most of the listings near the national park are horse properties. To do an effective job of showing and selling them, realtors need to be familiar with the proximity of trails and trailheads. It's hard to do that, if you're not a rider. Tennessee Recreational Properties is the premier source for equestrian properties on the Cumberland Plateau and, when buyers interested in this area contact us, they know they've got the real deal. We ride, and we know the trails. We never advertise a property as being "minutes" from trails when, in reality, you're looking at 45 minutes! We know where to buy hay, we know where to take a horse trailer for repair and we can knowledgeably answer any question that "horse people" throw at us. Customers who call lo... 01/13/2010

As real estate agents, we are one of two professions enabled to write binding contracts.  Attorney is the other.  This is a grave responsibility for the Broker who is ultimately responsible for any snafus that may occur.  It's up to us to check and re-check the documents we and our agents ask people to sign.  We must always be sure the party UNDERSTANDS what they are signing.  This business is NOT one of those for the fly-by-night, a wink-and-a-nod type of person. It's sad that we must go to these extreme lengths to do our job - but that's all part of it. I have been very attentive to getting ALL the forms in the file.  I don't want a heart attack when the TN Association of Realtor (TAR) calls and the fellow says he's dropping by in the next day or two for an audit.   Much of our busine... 01/13/2010

You know that old joke about how buyers always want a property with a waterfall? Well…the topography in the Big South Fork area is waterfall country. It's best described as "rolling" and, with the ups and downs, comes the potential for assorted water features. In actual fact, the Cumberland Plateau area of middle eastern Tennessee is noted for its numerous waterfalls. Many of the region's rivers and creeks have carved deep gorges into the Plateau, resulting in large number of waterfalls. Even though the Cumberland Plateau extends far to the north, only in Tennessee is it so heavily populated with waterfalls, with most of Tennessee's 500 waterfalls located in the eastern portion of the state, along the Cumberland Plateau. In walking land with people interested in horse property, we often... 01/12/2010

I wrote a post the other day about the advisability of wearing a protective equestrian helmet whenever you ride and I mentioned, among the hazards that you may encounter while trail riding in Big South Fork National Park, wild turkeys bursting out of the brush if they are startled. The climate here in Jamestown, Tennessee is temperate and food is plentiful so the wild turkey population has proliferated. It is more common to see them in the woods and in the fields now than not, but this was not always the case. The turkey is native to North America and was domesticated by Native Americans, mostly in Mexico, but by 1930 there were fewer than 30,000 left on the entire continent due to over hunting. The Pittman-Robertson Act of 1937 placed an excise tax on sporting arms and ammunition, gene... 01/12/2010

Actually, what's fishy is just up the road from Big South Fork National Park, in Pickett State Park. There is a lovely little lake in the picnic area, with hiking trails along the bluffs that form the lake's far side. This rock formation looks just like a fish, with eyes and a mouth. For information about Big South Fork real estate or horse properties in Jamestown, Tennessee, go to www.trailridersrealestate.com   01/10/2010

It takes some hiking on steep sideslopes to get there, but it's worth it.  This falls is locally referred to as the Devil's Bathtub.  The falls is in limestone and just below the drop is a huge sinkhole where most all of the water goes in the summer.  This a winter photo - obviously more water than the sink can swallow. 01/09/2010

The Big South Fork is serious horse country, with several equestrian communities abutting or near the national park, and riders trailering from all over the east coast to vacation here. Most ride gaited horses and many ride Quarter Horses. There is a 100-mile endurance ride held annually on Big South Fork trails so the park also attracts a contingent who ride Arabs. Most of the gaited horse people and most of the Quarter Horse people wear Western-style "cowboy" hats or baseball caps while all of the endurance riders seem to wear protective helmets, designed specifically for riding. My own two trail horses are calm and dependable but I, personally, NEVER get on a horse without a helmet. Horses are, after all, "flight" animals and there are too many factors beyond my control, such as a wi... 01/06/2010

These cold days are filled with anticipation about what the 2010 real estate market will be like.  There is time to consider advertising, organization, and new approaches to draw in the viable prospects out there.  As I drove to town to get more horse feed, the neighbor's farm pond struck my eye.  There they were - symbols of my 2010 customers.  Wandering around, all looking for the "best" spot, some slipping and nearly falling, and all seemingly not having the direction of a leader. Again I thought of my reading in SHIFT.  Our job is to lead these wandering souls and narrow their choices to a very few good ones and a really great one so they can make that commitment to their future.   I understand all this and the challenge for this year is to effectively and efficiently put this think... 01/05/2010

People who want to escape winter move to the south but those who want four seasons live where winters are short and mild. Right now, the upper half of the country is gripped by bone-chilling cold and, while the coldest air of the season is pouring into middle Tennessee, it's not that bad and it won't last that long. It's 11 degrees in Buffalo, New York and minus one in Bismarck, North Dakota. No, thanks! Tennessee has a generally mild climate year round, with an average high temperature in winter of 49°F and an average low of 30°F. In January, morning lows average around 28°F and afternoon highs average 46°F. By March, the daily average is up to 50°F. The largest snowfall since 2000 occurred on January 16, 2003, when Nashville received seven inches of snow in a single storm. During the ... 01/04/2010

When it comes to leaving town for a week, a long weekend or even overnight in very cold weather it's difficult when you own horses, dogs and cats.  There's the routine they are used to - there's the order of feeding - there's the special feed for this one and that one doesn't get this.  The complexity for those who are not used to this individual attention for each animal can be mind boggling.   Recently a couple moved to retire here from California with their three horses.  They bought in the Hitchin' Post at Hunter's Ridge, a very new equestrian community two miles from East Fork Stables just south of Jamestown,TN.  The Mrs. still has one year of work to finish up in California, but the hubby is here with the horses.  The hubby's sister passed away and with little notice he had to mak... 01/03/2010

IT'S the coldest weather we've had this winter. It was13 degrees over night and the temperature was no more than 15 degrees at 10 am. My customers had driven at about 2 hours to get here and with the snow flurries, I expected them to be a little late. But sure enough, 10 minutes after 10 they came through the door excited to see THE HIGHLANDS AT BIG SOUTH FORK, a beautiful equestrian community within 15 minutes of the BIG SOUTH FORK NATIONAL RIVER AND RECREATION AREA. She is an endurance rider - has won the Annual Fall Endurance Ride at BIG SOUTH FORK and rides with gals in their 60s who she calls the "Wolf Pack" because they are so tough they would "eat their young".  Suffice it to say our day was all about looking for that "right" piece of property. OR a home already built and ready t... 01/02/2010

Some months ago, I wrote a feature on a little restaurant here in Jamestown, Tennessee. The owner's life has since changed; she is looking forward to moving back to Florida and The Rumor Mill is for sale. It's as cute as can be and would make a great post-retirement business for someone re-locating to Big South Fork. Centrally located in Jamestown, Tennessee, between Food Lion and Tractor Supply on the "main drag," it caters to the local populace as much as to the riders who throng to Big South Fork national park for the best trail riding east of the Mississippi. Bright and cheery with its lively blue-and-white color scheme, this 76-seat restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch at present but has great possibility for expansion with a large, fully-operational pizza oven that is not be... 01/02/2010

Big South Fork, Tennessee is horse country and horse owners here plan for ease of maintenance during winter months. Horses prefer to go in and out at will so most barns are simple shelters, providing a place to get out of inclement weather and a quiet place to eat. Some horses are blanketed but it's not necessary, and most aren't. I, personally, use waterproof/breathable "Weatherbeeta" rain sheets for turnout on really raw, wet days and, the few times each year that it is in the low 20's, waterproof/breathable insulated rugs that have a long drop, down to their knees. A tail flap keeps the wind from whistling up their backsides. Water in the trough is kept from freezing with a simple "immersion" heating element that I bought at the local Fentress County Farmers Co-op, so that simplifies... 01/02/2010

These are just a few more of the neat natural features around our neighborhood.  None of these pictures have been "photoshopped".  The color in the bluff shot was a result of a late afternoon sun in late March.  These colors are always there, they just have to be "lit up" by a fortunate clear spring sky. 12/27/2009

The best times I can remember are when we go exploring.  And there is so much in Fentress County and JAMESTOWN, TN area to explore. Water Falls, rock shelters, deep coves hiding amazing caves, river runs, towering bluffs, panoramic views, pinnacles to climb.     It always amazes me to discover that some long-time residents have barely left the more developed roads, residential areas and fields, yet others can tell you about every crevice and crook of the hundreds of miles of decorated rock bluffs. Knowing what lies out there below that bluff, down that stream or over that hill is what's so much fun. The Big South Fork of the Cumberland River and the East Fork of the Obey River are in two completely different physiographic regions with different geology and topography yet these drainages... 12/25/2009

This is horse country and this sign hanging in a neighbor's barn says it all! Here, too, is a poem I included in the December issue of the Spruce Creek Trail Association newsletter which also...says it all. I am grateful to live in such a close, supportive equestrian community, looking forward to Christmas dinner with good friends. I am grateful to have two calm, dependable trail horses to ride in the company of such diverse, interesting people...horses bring us together here. Why do I like horses? I reckon I must be mad. My mother wasn’t horsey, and neither was my dad. But the madness got me early, and it hit me like a curse. I’ve never gotten better; in fact, I’ve gotten worse. My stables are immaculate; my house is like a hovel. Last year for my birthday, I got a brand new shovel! On... 12/23/2009

I went into the courthouse yesterday to research a deed and to ask the Tax Assessor a question. On a raw December day when the light changes at 1pm and it feels dark and dreary, the courthouse corridors are ablaze with Christmas lights and decorated doorways. Each office is filled with baked goods and Christmas candy. This is what life in a small town with a close-knit community is like. It makes me glad to live here, and proud of Jamestown, Tennessee. There's alot more here than the trail riding in Big South Park National Park which, admittedly, is pretty fabulous. Small towns in Tennessee offer low cost of living, low property taxes and a low crime rate. Add breathtaking scenery and mild winters and you'll wish you lived here, too. Don't wait! There's no state income tax on earned inc... 12/22/2009

It's a little-known fact that the Department of the Interior conducts a competition each year to determine which state has the best system of state parks. The Big South Fork National Park or, more accurately, The Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, is well known among outdoorsmen and visitors to The Cumberland Plateau but there's a lot more here than meets the eye! With four exceptional state parks with a 30-minute drive of the Big South Fork itself, it's no surprise that Tennessee was awarded the honors in 2007. The Alvin C. York Historic Park in Pall Mall includes the York family farm and the grist mill that Alvin York operated for many years on the banks of the Wolf River. Sargeant York, a backwoods marksman from the hills of Tennessee, became one of the most decorated... 12/12/2009

When was the last time the agency you work for offered to pay for shoeing your horse?! When, in fact, was that ever a WORK-RELATED expense?! Here at Big South Fork in Jamestown, Tennessee, horse properties are a way of life for realtors and alot of would-be buyers want to ride the trails here to get a feel for the area. I bought a second horse last year to be my "real estate" horse," a Tennessee Walker that I could count on to provide a safe and smooth ride. But, it's been a less-than-stellar year in terms of closings and commissions so, as a cost-saving measure during iff-y winter weather and the upcoming holiday period, I decided to shoe only one horse and trim the other. The farrier came last Thursday and did just that. On Friday…don'tcha' know…a single woman from upstate New York ma... 12/10/2009