Date: 12/1/25

Duration: 22:21

Guest: Allie Rae Beck

Website: Ellaberry Llama Farm

Listen on Spotify:

Summary:

In this episode of Living Local with Frisbee Real Estate, Ed sits down with Allie Beck, co owner of Ellaberry Llama Farm, a first generation llama farm on a sixth generation apple farm in Edneyville near Hendersonville, North Carolina. Allie shares how a childhood love for one special llama turned into a full time agritourism business that now includes 36 llamas and 3 alpacas. She explains what an orchard hike looks like, why you walk llamas instead of ride them, how they are used as guard animals, the difference between llamas and alpacas, and how their herd once ran a black bear up a tree.

You will also hear how Ellaberry Llama Farm fits into the growth of agritourism in Hendersonville and Edneyville, why the area has become such a draw for visitors, and a few of Allie’s favorite local spots to eat and explore. Allie breaks down their by appointment only farm tours, llama led orchard hikes, birthday parties, and wedding appearances, plus two new holiday events: the Fa La La Llama Farm Tour and a Christmas Open Farm with photos, obstacle courses, llamas in costume, and tractor rides through a lighted apple orchard. If you are looking for a unique Western North Carolina experience for your family, guests, or next event, this episode is packed with ideas.

Learn more or book a visit at: ellaberryllamafarm.com

Watch on YouTube:

Transcript:

thanks again for joining us today. And today is our special guest is Allie Rae with Ellaberry Llama Farms here in Hendersonville-ish. I guess actually Edneyville, but super excited to have Allie join us. Thank you, Allie, for taking time. Thank you so much. your busy schedule. So give us a quick overview about yourself, what you do and about the llamas. And then I have some questions that will come to mind and we'll go from there.

Awesome. So yes, my name is Allie Beck. My husband and I, Isaac, we run the llama farm full time. So we are a first generation llama farm on a sixth generation apple farm in Edneyville. Like you said, pretty much our main goal is to offer the opportunity for people to come and see our llamas. We do all kinds of agritourism events like farm tours, orchard hikes, birthday parties, weddings, all kinds of stuff ⁓ amidst the beautiful outlay of the apple farm.

So what does an orchard hike look like? So an orchard hike is when you get to have your very own llama. And you get to, it's pretty much like walking a big dog. And you get to do a 1.4 mile hike through our apple orchard. So you get mountain views. It depends on the season you hit. You might get apples in bloom versus apples on the trees. And then lots of time with a llama. And so we teach you all about them during the hike. You said lots of time with a llama. When would you not have a llama? Never, pretty much the whole time. You get there, you pick your llama.

We halter them and get them ready for you and then we hike and you don't ride them, correct? You can't ride them. Okay wish you could you can't they're just backbone can't support weight like a horse can so just like a walking buddy and how many llamas do you have so we have it changes all the time, but right now we have 36 llamas and three alpacas Wow. Yep ⁓ Is that the most you've had it is actually yes, and it's going up from from there at the moment We have nine babies due in this in next year. Well, that's exciting. Yep

And that's intentional? It is. Is it to grow the farm or to do you sell them or? We do. We do both. So what we do is we'll breed our females. You know, we look at their genetics and their phenotype, genotype, everything to breed. And we sell them as show animals or, you know, guard animals, fiber producing animals. And then the ones that we want to keep, obviously we keep and train and we use on the farm for agritourism. And what got you into llamas? So growing up on a farm, I've always had animals. I've had, you know, cows and sheep and goats, even rabbits and things.

But when I was nine, our neighbors had a baby llama born. ⁓ And I had never paid attention to the llamas before until that baby was born. And I fell in love. I asked my grandma if I could visit them. And she was like, absolutely. I'll give him a call. So she called him. He said, absolutely sure, come on over. And that baby, I mean, I absolutely, I just fell in love. So every day I helped that couple. It was an older couple feed their llamas at three o'clock every day. And they ended up giving me or inherited on one. ⁓

Gentleman Hank Balch passed away. He left me that llama, that baby llama. And he was about eight months old at the time. So I told my parents, I was a llama farmer now and they have to have a buddy normally. So we got Jelly Bean to go with him. So I have JJ and Jelly Bean. And then now we have 40. And do you still have those llamas? do. I still have both of them. And the first one's name is? JJ. JJ. That was my buddy. So how old is he? So JJ will be 12.

Well, I hate to ask, what's the life expectancy of a llama? 20 years, typically. Oh, okay, good. Yeah, so I know, it's pretty good. 20 to 25, but. Nice, so you showed llamas or still show them? Yep, yep, I showed a lot during like middle school and high school for sure. And then now since I've graduated college and married, we only get to go to about, we went to two this year, which is great. But showing's really fun. And that's actually how we market our breeding herd, you know, is to other llama farmers, you know, your animals.

Once they have so many winnings under their belt, obviously that's good to produce. And you can sell their babies, part of it. And where are the shows? Are they local or further out? Unfortunately, they're all pretty far away. The Midwest has a lot of shows. We go to a few in Texas, ⁓ as well as there's a lot out west, like on the West Coast. But there's everywhere. So not many on the East Side. There's really not too many. The Southeast has a little bit of a, they have a show string, but typically they're in Georgia. So really not many here in North Carolina, for sure.

Are there any llama farms in the area? So I believe there are a few alpaca farms that I know of. Now I'm not exactly sure of their name. I don't want to say I'm wrong. But like some toward the Asheville area, you know, and farther out like Rutherford 10-2. But we're like the only pure llama farm that I know of in this area that lets you, you know, get up close with them. We actually, you you don't just come to view them and that's why we're by appointment only. We actually like let people.

walk them, pet them, love on them, take pictures. I mean, you get to hug them. Like you're up close, you know, rather than just on the other side of a fence. And that was my goal. You know, I wanted people to really get to handle them. That's really cool. Safely, of course. But yeah. Do they spit at you? So they do spit. That's the short answer is yes, they do spit at me. Not as much. We try to train them actually, believe it or not, when they're babies, you know, not to spit at us for no reason, right? They shouldn't just spit for fun because that's not.

But they spit at each other because that's their way of defense. So every day when we're feeding them in the morning, they're spitting. ⁓ So it's not just a sound. They're literally No, it's literally a spit. It's actually like llama throw up. Wow. It is. So they are ruminant animals, pseudo ruminants. So they pull ⁓ that food from their stomach in their C1 and they can spit it. How about that? Yeah, it's amazing. It's actually amazing. Do you wear a mask? No, I do not. But let me tell you something. It smells horrible. It does.

It does stink. So that's why we don't want them to on people and they hardly ever ever ever spit on people but they spit on each other. You know what I'm saying? They just do. That's funny. It is funny. So you mentioned by appointment only but go ahead and tell people how do they find you or where are you that kind of stuff. Absolutely. So we actually have online ticketing so what you can do is go to our website at ellaberryllamafarm.com and you can either stay on our homepage or look at our services page and click on a farm tour.

Orchard hike we also do birthday parties, which is you know a private event of course for your family or your party ⁓ But yeah, you can click on there and we have all of our times and dates listed on our website And you can buy your tickets right there on the website and are the times of date? Typical every week or changes or so it kind of changes typically almost every Saturday We will definitely have a few farm tours one or two then when it gets busy season like this week We're going to have almost one every day. So we have two tomorrow actually none on Thanksgiving

two Friday and one Saturday. So we have a lot of events when it gets around the holidays. ⁓ But we also, if you don't see an event on their website that works for you, we encourage you to give us a call or email and ask us, hey, could you make this day work? And typically we can. But we try to pick, you know, popular days like weekends and evenings. And you mentioned weddings. Have people actually had weddings? So not at the farm, but we have brought llamas to weddings before.

And what did the llama do in the So we dressed them up typically in like a bow tie and a veil or you know whatever they would like a flower ring ⁓ and they greet guests when they come in or during the reception they're there to greet them take pictures with them you can pet them and learn about them they make great photo. It's awesome yeah they'll give you a kiss you can feed them a treat we've trained a good few probably five or six to give you a kiss for a treat so that's fun too. And how many would you take to a wedding?

Typically two. Yep, typically two. We can do three. We have done three before for big weddings, but typically two. Are they strong enough to pull a carriage? So actually, yeah, they can cart. ⁓ I have not started that endeavor yet. I think I would love to train a llama to cart. It's a big deal to train them, obviously, but ⁓ we there's a lot of people that do it that that cart their llamas. Well, you mentioned weddings. That'd be cute to see them, you know, dressed up and they can also carry a pack.

So it's like they're a pack animal in South America where they're native is where they're used, you know, mainly for that. But even here when we go on hikes, normally one llama in our little group will carry a pack with like a medical kit, you know, extra water, snacks, stuff like that. Yeah, they're pack animals. So you could always put stuff in their pack at a wedding too. Yeah, like flowers or whatever. That's really cool. ⁓ have lots of ideas. A llama could deliver a house key to a new homeowner. They could. They could. That'd be a great. They're so personable. They really are.

How much does that cost? Fish, ballpark, Yeah, typically, I mean, for a wedding, so typically we charge about the hour, you know what I mean? So typically people will hire us for an hour to come and be there for an hour. But we also have to factor in traveling. We've traveled up to three hours for a wedding before. One way? Yeah, one way. because they really wanted us to come. And we were probably the only people they could probably find, maybe in the area that offer that too, I'm sure. ⁓ But anyway, typically it's about $2.50 for an hour. And then we work with...

pricing to travel. If you're in Hendersonville, you know there's no travel fee because we're here. But if we have to travel for- per animal? For an hour, for two. Okay. Yeah, yeah. That's a great deal. I mean, it's really fun. Travel is when it gets expensive, If you mentioned you heard it on the podcast, it's 250 an hour. That's a great special. for sure. Wedding special in the spring. Let us know. I know. That's really exciting. So what's the difference between a llama and an alpaca? So the main difference is size. Your alpacas are a whole lot smaller than your llamas.

Typically a llama can be about 400 to 500 pounds full grown. your alpacas can get up to about 250. So there's always a good 100 pound difference there, maybe more. But also their ears are different. So when they're babies, it might be hard to tell the difference. But if you'll look, llamas have banana ears. They're almost shaped like a, people say I'm like a devil horn, but I like a banana better. And the alpacas are short and pointy, almost like a cat, like a triangle. So look for those curved banana ears and it'll tell you it's a llama. So you intentionally have some alpacas also?

We do. Just to mix it up? Yes. And the main reason we got our first alpaca, probably, guess it's been five years now. I've had Max at least five years, ⁓ was because people were asking what is the difference, right? And they're like, you know, we want to, they want to see both at the same time, right? And so I was actually very blessed. I was gifted Max from a friend of ours that shows llamas and alpacas. And then I fell in love with Max and we got two more. Their names are Moony and Rosie. So we've got three you can meet when you come. Cute names. And they all get along?

They do. I typically keep our girls separate from our boys. Even though most of our boys are gilded, so they cannot, you know, have babies. typically the girls are kind of moody. So we keep our girls together and our boys together, but they do get along. I meant alpacas and llamas. Yes, they can. They get along. They live together. girl alpacas live with girl llamas. And you mentioned a llama as a guard animal. I you said that earlier. What do they guard?

So llamas can guard, I mean sheep or goats are probably the two most common animals that people put them with. But yeah, they're excellent guards because they're so attentive and they're naturally, like I said, looking out all the time. And they're better than a dog? So it just depends. Here's what's good about a llama versus a dog. So your llamas can eat the same food as your sheep and your goats where your dogs can't, right? They have to be fed separate. They're more like livestock where dogs are not livestock, right? So typically they're just a little bit easier.

I mean people have great success with them guarding their sheep or goats. So we do we have we have them with our alpacas to guard them as well And even when we had chickens, I mean they kept everything away as long as there were llamas nearby And what do they do? Do they go just walk towards an aggressive? So so typically they'll charge whatever it is. They have an alarm call So that either alarms the other llamas or even the other animals in the herd alarm call meaning they make a sound yeah, it's a super loud screeching like

Are you gonna demonstrate? wish I know I cannot I wish ⁓ if you want to you look it up on YouTube It's actually crazy. Google it. Yeah, totally Google it. ⁓ but they'll charge their predator might have killed a possum and a raccoon before ⁓ Stomping it, you know, they'll it to death, but they also spit I mean that's a unique defense for a mammal in the States, right? So I mean when they're spitting at their predator, it smells horrible. It's scary ⁓ And like I said, they charge them and they'll stomp them. So yeah, and ours have treated a bear before

I forget that story is really fun too. Well, tell us. Yeah. So this is a few years ago, but we had a pasture with trees in the middle. There's like a group of trees in middle. ⁓ And so one day we were kind of looking off our porch down and we saw the llamas were circling the tree. There was like six boys in there circling, circling. And I thought I didn't look right. Something's going on. So we went down there and looked and sure enough, there was a bear, a black bear up in the trees that they had, you know, run it up the tree and they would not let it down. They were alarm calling and just freaking out. So we had to lock the llamas up and let the bear run off.

Wow. Was the bear just He was just hanging out up there. I'm sure we live on the edge of the woods. I mean, I'm sure he came out and if he got in the pasture, they were not going to let him out. So, yeah, they're really protective. So people have to make an appointment to see y'all. location wise, you're in Edneyville. So you're out Highway 64. We're about 20 minutes from downtown Intersonville. OK. Of course, no traffic. But yeah, not far at all. You mentioned no traffic. That's good. Never happens. And you're open year round just by appointment only.

special events, you're open to other creative ideas. Definitely. You can reach out if you have any other questions though. Reach out by email or phone. If you want a special address is? ellaberryllamafarm.com Got it. And llamas, two L's. Yep. Two L's. That's right. That's right. Alright, so you grew up in the area? I did. So my dad and my mom are, well my dad is a sixth generation apple farmer. So my mom and dad both still farm. And then my husband and I mainly do the llamas. That's really On a farm everyone's involved in everything, you know?

We've had a few people who mentioned farms and it's a lifestyle and it's a grind. Sure is, you have to love it. It's 24-7, so least sounds like it. ⁓ Tell us what you've seen that change since you grew up in the area. gosh. you seen Hendersonville change? Asheville, the area, roads? Definitely Asheville has changed a lot. feel like Hendersonville just itself has become...

I feel like such a tourism spot. mean, there's so many more tourists here than there was, know, even 10 years ago or so. Which I think is why, like, we have flourished and your downtown Apple stands have, you know, seeming to be flourished just because of that. People come in here to hike, see the mountains, you know, ⁓ obviously visit Asheville too, but even come here and get the kind of country, mountain town feeling. So, I mean, we're not complaining because we're agritourism, but I know that it's, I mean, just we see.

In Edneville, there are lots of family plots of land that are being sold off to be housing developments. I mean, we've seen it right across our road. It breaks our heart because we used to see apple trees and now it's going to be built with houses, which I understand things change, but it's hard. It's sad. not everybody wants to farm and finds that a priority. You know, they have other goals in life. So, but yeah, it's ⁓ Agritourism, that's a big industry for our area. Not a lot of people understand that or understand what that could.

could do, but even you mentioned the past 10 years, it's interesting to see how, it may not be apple farmers per se, but like grandads or Jeter Mountain are doing stuff more, not necessarily year round, but into the Christmas season. And that's newer, I think, the past few years. And I think it's smart. I do too. If there's a demand, then take advantage And be open, absolutely. That is something, yeah. If you can handle it. For sure. The workload, but I just think things like that will continue to open up or expand.

I could see that too. Agritourism, like you said, is huge. It's the way farming is going. It's actually kind of how we are able to sustain our apple farm coming forward. it's a huge part of how we live, for sure. Interesting. ⁓ If you ever go out to eat, you have any some?

Hot spots places you recommend to people. Yeah, so I mean my husband and I were not super fancy We love like a cafe or just easy dining but costas fireside kitchen is like my favorite breakfast or brunch place ever the first person to say that really lecture right well or no I'm telling you anytime like his parents are in town because he's from Minnesota. That's where we go ⁓ Sunday morning Saturday mornings. We love it. I also love blue sky cafe over there on Hendersonville Road beside the old costas that place

The food's always really good and it's fresh and it's not you don't break the bank. So I like it a lot. Those are my two go-to's because I've never ever had a bad experience at either one. Nice. But yeah. And if you have friends coming to visit the area or family is there anything in there you say, hey, you got to go check this out other than the farm. Yeah, right. You got to come to Elevary Llama Farm. ⁓ I mean, the apple stands always have really good treats if they're open. That's always fun. We still stop by and get apple treats. Which apple stands? Well, I mean, we have there's a lot that we love. ⁓

But Justice Orchards has the best fried pies, I think. Granddad's has amazing cookies, holy cow. And then Slushy's from McConnell Farms, that's actually where we get most of our cider, believe it or not, is from McConnell. So ⁓ those are three good places. But also, like the hiking, if you're new to the area, obviously the hiking's amazing. Pretty Place Chapel, it's about an hour from where we live, so it's probably 45 minutes from downtown. But you go through DuPont State Forest, that's gorgeous, obviously. ⁓ We love that place too, to visit. See the mountains.

That was the first. Gorgeous. Let's see. What else am I forgetting? What are some of the top roundabouts? Always ask about roundabouts. You're a fan of roundabouts or no fan? Yeah, I like roundabouts. Good answer, because everyone else has said yes. Good. Good. I'm no problem. That's good. Even pull on a trailer? No, no problem. No, I'm ever good with that. Yeah. My dad's made me pull a trailer since I can walk. so your trailer carries llamas. Yep.

Is it a horse trailer? It's not. we actually like a stock trailer works better than a horse trailer. So slant load, you know, kind of limits your space with llamas. They're more like sheep or goats where you can really kind of pack them in in a sense. So we have a 16 foot like stock trailer that has two sections and we can fit like at least 12 llamas in there. 12 to 14 llamas. We've carried 14 in there before. Big llamas too. Yeah, they just, as soon as they get moving, they lay down. That's how they travel. You put them in and they lay right down. That's cool.

So we don't, we're not set up to be mobile, but it'd be really fun to bring in the cameras one day and Making a point with the llamas. That would be fun. So we do not want to have them come here. Does not know not llama friendly. Llama proof. What do you do for weddings and stuff? Do you, how do you, do you, they wear a little bag or something? So actually what's cool and this is a good question. Llamas and alpacas, they actually typically like they poop in one spot in the pasture. Like they pick a spot and go. ⁓ so typically like in the trailer.

If that's where they're going to go, they'll go. And they're good for, I can trust them about an hour or two. Of course, if something happens to an animal, we can't control it. But they're actually really good about that. They don't just stop and go whenever. We can kind of take them to a potty It's different than a horse. Yeah, definitely different. Totally different. They also don't, yeah, it's a little bit different. So it's easy to clean up too. It's like pellets, which is nice. It really is nice. Great for fertilizer too, by the way. do you sell that?

do in a sense, it's kind of like come and scoop it yourself and you can have it type of deal. ⁓ But one day we want to be able to market that, just haven't got there yet. But it is amazing fertilizer. It's actually not what people say hot, like chicken poop or cow poop is hot. You know there's fertilizer, you can't put it right on your plants, it'll burn it. Llamas alpacas, it's totally different. You can put it right on your plants. ⁓ And it doesn't really stink like others, so it's really nice too. You can have bring your own shovel days. your own. Help us out and help your plants. ⁓

That's awesome. For sure. Well, this is exciting, Allie. I have. Yeah, we could do a whole nother episode, maybe in the spring or maybe we could have people reach out to us, have suggestions and you could say that's stupid or that's a good idea. OK, we're up for it. Things you can do at the llamas. That's right. Well, good. So we look forward to hearing about the second and third generation. I probably wouldn't be around for the third generation, but of the the llama farm. I I hope my kids love llamas. That's really cool. Yes, sir.

great success for y'all and I think you'll do quite well. so we're around the holidays, anything people should check out, your website to see. Definitely. we, definitely, that's great. We have two main Christmas events coming up that we would love to have people come to. They're both new too, first year doing it. So we have a Fa La La Llama Farm Tour. So it's like our general farm tour, but it's like the whole barn is spruced out in Christmas attire. So is the obstacle course and the llamas as well.

And at the end of that, we're gonna offer family photos with llamas dressed up as like Santa and an elf and a reindeer in a Christmas sleigh. So that's really fun. By tickets only? It is by tickets. And those have limited tickets because of the farm tour style. But then we have another event called, it's a Christmas open farm is what we're calling it. It's a four hour event, kind of drop in style. You purchase tickets, they're $10 a person and you can come the whole time or just an hour, whatever you'd like. We're gonna have llamas dressed up for pictures. You can take them through the obstacle course.

There's going to be llamas loose outside in the playground to just pet and love on. We're going to have a tractor ride going through the orchard lit up in lights. ⁓ And so there's, I believe, two days for the open farm and then there's four different days for the farm tour. So check our website. Really cool. How far so far so good as far as tickets? Yes, for sure. On our farm tour, they're for sure filling up the Christmas farm. We don't really have a limit, which is nice right now, since it's a four hour thing. So there should be plenty of spots, but definitely look. That's a really great idea.

We're excited about it. We're excited about this. Thank you for taking time, Allie. Absolutely. You're welcome. a super time. Thanks for having me. I hope you do great. I think you will. Again, check them out. Allie Beck with Ella Farm. Ella Berry. ⁓ boy. Berry Llama Farm. Yes, there you go. Dot com. Not dot net dot org or anything. Dot com. All right. Keep living local. Thanks again for watching. Until next time.

Need a steady hand as you think through a move in Hendersonville or anywhere in Western North Carolina? I’m always glad to help you sort it out. Let's talk

Thanksgiving Reflections and Local Insights from Frisbee Real Estate

Thanksgiving always has a way of slowing life down just enough for us to look around and remember what matters most. For many folks here in our community, that centers on home, family, and the people we gather with. As a real estate team, we get a front-row seat to that idea every day. A house is walls and a roof, but a home is the space where memories grow. This season is a good reminder of why we do what we do.

Why Thanksgiving and Real Estate Go Hand in Hand

This time of year brings a natural pause, and plenty of homeowners use it to think about the future. Some wonder if the coming year might be the right time to move closer to family. Others consider buying a first home instead of renewing a lease. Sellers often ask how the winter market works or whether early planning now sets them up for a stronger spring sale. These questions come up like clockwork around Thanksgiving, and they all matter.

As you think about what’s next for you and your family, it helps to have a clear picture of the local market. Inventory trends, interest rates, and neighborhood insights shift quickly. A quick conversation can save you time and set you up for a smooth move when you’re ready.

Home Tips for the Holiday Season

Along with the turkey and pie, the season brings a steady flow of guests. A few simple steps can make your home feel warm, safe, and ready for company:

• Clear walkways and add extra lighting at entry points

• Give your kitchen appliances a quick check to avoid surprises

• Add cozy touches like blankets, candles, or fresh greenery

• Test smoke detectors if you’re doing a lot of cooking

• Prep a small space for coats and shoes so guests can move easily

Small details go a long way toward making your home feel inviting, whether you’re hosting family or thinking about showing your property soon.

Thinking About Buying or Selling After the Holidays

The season following Thanksgiving often brings motivated buyers and sellers. Many people use December to plan, then act early in the new year. If you’re on the fence about your next move, here’s what can help:

• A quick market evaluation tailored to your neighborhood

• A strategy to boost your home’s value with simple improvements

• A timeline that fits around your work, family life, and future plans

• A buyer consultation that maps out your price range and options

Taking these steps now sets you up for a confident start to the year.

Gratitude from Our Team to You

We’re thankful for the families who trust us with one of the biggest decisions of their lives. Every home sold, every key handed over, and every story shared is a reminder of why we care so much about serving this community.

Whether you need market insight, help planning your next move, or simply want to ask a quick question, we’re always here and ready to help.

From our Frisbee Real Estate family to yours, we hope your Thanksgiving is full of good food, warm company, and moments that remind you how blessed you are to call this place home.

Date: 11/24/25

Duration: 26:57

Guest: Lynn Staggs

Website: The Storehouse

Listen on Spotify:

Summary:

Episode 12 with Lynn Staggs with The Storehouse

In this episode of Living Local, Ed Frisbee sits down with Lynn Staggs, founder and director of The Storehouse in Hendersonville, North Carolina. Lynn shares the story behind the ministry’s 25 years of serving Henderson County through year-round food support, coats and blankets, and the well known Blessings in Boxes Christmas program. She opens up about the growing need across the community, how rising housing costs are pushing workers out of the county, and why The Storehouse continues to see record numbers of families needing help.

Lynn explains how the food pantry operates, where their supplies come from, and how volunteers and donors keep the shelves stocked. She also highlights their senior delivery routes, their partnerships with local schools, churches, businesses, and the massive Christmas effort that serves thousands of children each year. The episode also gives a first look at their upcoming move to a new facility designed to better serve the community and act as a resource during future emergencies.

Listeners will learn how to support The Storehouse through donations, sponsoring a child for Christmas, volunteering, and spreading the word. The conversation wraps up with Lynn’s favorite Hendersonville spots, local eats, and hidden mountain gems.

This episode is a heartfelt look at community care in action and a reminder of how much impact a local nonprofit can have when people pitch in together.

Watch on YouTube:

Transcript:

Thanks for joining us again. I'm excited to have our special guest, Lynn Staggs. It's a perfect time of year to have her. She's with the storehouse here in Hendersonville or Henderson County. Lynn, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule right now to come in and talk with us. All right. Thank you for having me. Absolutely. Give us a quick overview about yourself and the ministry you have. And then I have several questions for you. Okay. I am a local, which there's not many of us left. so was born and raised here and

I love Hendersonville and the residents thereof. The storehouse is a ministry that was born out of the love for the people here. serve all of Henderson County. We do food. That's our main program that we do all year long. Then we do Christmas, which is absolutely insane, but we have the best time while we're doing it. And then we have coats and blankets.

And we're also moving into a new facility at the end of this year or the very beginning of next year. That's very exciting. Yes. So how long has the storehouse been around? This is our 25th year. Wow. We had our 25th anniversary in May. Congratulations. And you started it. Yes. And founded it. Yes. That's amazing. I didn't know what I was doing. ⁓ Jesus tricked me.

So give us a quick overview of that 25 years. I well, we had just bought our first house over off 191 and I put this ad in the paper said had too many flowers want to trade and I ran across this little old lady who her name was Miss Elizabeth and she was about 80. She was in her 80s then and I noticed that she had beautiful flowers.

but not a lot of food. And I didn't like that. I was aggravated by that. And I kept noticing that there were some elderly people in our neighborhood and they didn't always have enough, what I considered enough stock of food. So that started rolling the idea around in my head of we need to do a food pantry. And it was right before Y2K, of course.

And everybody lost their mind And and then the world didn't come to an end and so we needed we had work to do and we started a food pantry and we've been doing it ever since and I started with my five little old ladies and now we serve hundreds of families every It seems like every week now We're serving hundreds of people and how does that work? Do those people come by your

This place? Okay. They come by and we pack boxes based on how many people in the family. So a regular ticket may, we have a one person ticket, a two, three, four, and the amount of food in the box goes by the amount of people in the household. And is it certain times of the week or all the time? Right now we are Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, nine to two.

because we are in the front two units of this building. People drive by and they think that we have this giant building, but we just had the front two units and it's only like 4,200 square feet. And that is just enough to have some office space and a food pantry with all the refrigeration and everything in there. So we're constantly having to go out and get more food. I mean, to serve.

you know hundreds of families a week we're constantly going out and getting food every day and fresh produce and meats and different things so the turnover is really fast and where do or does the food come from is it donations from stores or from people or well we get a lot of donations from people churches food drives schools

⁓ Do food drops for us, but we actually go out and shop We have been partners with Aldi's and save more and Ingalls and ⁓ Sam's Club we go anywhere in town Whoever's got a sale. That's where we're shopping And those funds come from donations. Yes, we are completely Supported by the community

And we do get grants from local charities. Community foundation is a big supporter of ours as far as food goes. Western Carolina community foundation, Cummings foundation. We've had several good grants for food from the bigger foundations. That's great. Yes. Throughout the 25 years, throughout the 25 years, but especially in the last 10, 15 years. have you seen, uh,

more a bigger need the past few years or since Helene or is kind of stable as previous years? We were going along everything was pretty steady. Helene was an anomaly. ⁓ It did not just change the surface of Henderson County, the land, it also changed the population. So when people go out now and you may go up to a restaurant

and see that you can't go in because the dining area is not open because they can't afford to live here. The workers can't afford to live here. So a lot of people have moved away and it has changed the whole face of Henderson County. And I've seen that more and more in the numbers that there's no middle. It's either extremely poor.

or extremely wealthy and the middle gap is much wider than it was a year ago. That's very interesting. You're the first person to point that out, but I've wondered such. Well, it is going to affect people because when COVID happened, people moved here. They flocked here from everywhere and that was great for realtors. Yay. Y'all were doing good. It was great for homeowners because my property value went through the moon.

But for people who were trying to buy a house or wanted to stay in Henderson County, they got priced out. So your people who worked at restaurants and care facilities, which we are known for our wonderful care facilities, they can't afford to live here. So a lot of people live at the bottom of the mountain and drive up, or they live in the outskirts and drive 30, 40, 50 minutes. Even where my husband works.

people are driving from South Carolina to go to Meritor to work. Yep. I would say the past, you're correct, COVID for sure. So 2020, lots of people moved down the mountain as we like to say, but somebody's not familiar Landrum, South Carolina area, maybe TR, Travelers' Arrest. But typically Landrum is what I've experienced and have seen. Yeah. Tuxedo, I mean, Campobella, kind of, yep. Yeah.

They're driving an hour. Yep. So if you just put your finger in the middle of Hendersonville and drive that one hour circle around, although that one hour circle could be just in Fletcher at this point. So the circle is shorter on that side of the county. So somebody's hearing this just, I don't know how far in we are, but how can somebody help or reach out? What are some things we can do?

Well, one, we always need food and two, we can turn money into food. You can go to storehouseonline.org. We have a great website. You can see pictures of all the things we do. You can see the needs list are on there. There's videos on there. You can see our volunteers on there. You can come in and we'll give you a tour. If you stay long enough, I'll put you to work.

⁓ Or Linda will. Linda is a great office manager. She puts everybody to work. You need that. We all need more Lindas in our life. I have five at my office and it's because I didn't want to learn any new names. That was it. Literally five Lindas. I literally have five Lindas. I have Linda the bookkeeper, Linda the cleaner, Linda the office manager, Linda who helps me at Christmas, and then we have another Linda who works in the back packing boxes.

So yes, Linda's rule at my office. Are they all spelled the same way? Yes, they are. Yes, they are. All right. So people go online. Is that the best or is there a phone number also? We're 828-692-8300 or you can email me at linn at storehouseonline.org. And

I don't think you've mentioned about the new, well, you mentioned maybe end of the year or early next year, but can you give us a quick overview about that and its location? we are moving 1.7 miles up the road and I'm so excited. We were very blessed that we were able to buy a piece of property right next to East Flat Rock First Baptist Church. They are a very good partner with us and it is a great location.

There's a bus stop right there. We will still be able to serve people the same way we're serving them now. We'll just have a lot better space to do it in. And we also will be able to have a cooking class. We are trying to set up ⁓ with the county so that if we have another emergency, this building is outfitted with a giant kitchen and some showers.

and we should be able to accommodate if Duke Energy has need or if the county has need that they could use our building as a base to have an outpost that the workers could come in and out and you know set up their equipment do things of that nature. Well that sounds great. Well I want to get every penny's worth out of that building. I don't want it to sit idle and just work.

four or five days a week. If we can use it seven days a week, let's use it seven days a week. Cause it's costing me seven days a week. So tell us this time of year, do you have special needs around Thanksgiving and Christmas? I would love to think about Thanksgiving, but from December 25th till the next December 25th till the next December 25th, I always have a project.

relating to Christmas going on. So we partner with Henderson County Public Schools and in October, at the beginning of October, we go to four different locations for a 10 day time frame and we do intakes in each school district and we sit across the table from the families and do intakes to find out, you know, what size clothes their kids wear, what kind of...

toys they like, what kind of needs they may have. And we write it all down, we turn all of that information into tags, we pass them out in the community, and then we have been invited so many times over. We were at First Baptist Church for a long time, and then we outgrew that, and then Upward Christian Fellowship hosted us, and we outgrew that, and...

If we outgrow Living Water, I don't know what's going to happen to us. Living Water Church has hosted us for quite a few years now and they are so kind in saying, come on in and destroy our building. So we go sugarloaf. Right. Okay. 1284 Charlotte road and the pastor there, Tony Burkhead, he's so gracious with us.

He gives us the whole building for a week. We come in on a Sunday after they finish service and we take everything apart and put it together and we start the gifts come in and we start setting it up and it takes us Monday through Thursday to get it ready and Friday and Saturday we give it all away and it is a it is a circus

on a hurricane riding roller coaster drinking Red Bull. That's exactly what it is. And sorry, when is this again? Or it already happened? No, it is coming up. it is coming up. And I still have hundred and seventy kids who need to be sponsored. So what do people do? How can they help? You can call us at six nine two eighty three hundred. You can email me at Lynn at storehouse online dot org. You can go on our.

website and email at the website. It will come to me. Trust me, all forms of communication hit my phone. And a tag means? One child. Okay. Each tag is for one child. If you have a group, if your neighbors want to come together, if your family wants to sponsor another family, if you want to get with your friends and take one tag and everybody buy one gift on it.

I don't care how you break it up as long as it comes back together and gets back on time. Yay. So a tag would say ⁓ what that child would like and you go get those gifts or you give the money. You get the gifts and it has packaging instructions on the back. ⁓ We have the families all grouped together by family number. So you may get a

Sibling and I may get a sibling and we don't know each other right But when it comes back into the building It will have that family number and we can put them back together And if somebody's wondering a tag cost could be how much could somebody be I never put a price tag on a tag, okay? I Want people to give what they are comfortable give we have our own store in-house

The Apple country woodworkers make wooden toys for us. Some people can't sponsor a whole child, so they just bring us random toys. And we have a stock. ⁓ We just people donate random toys. We know what to buy in advance and we have a budget for that. So we bring it all together and it works out. We make very few trips.

to Walmart or other places, we usually shop everything in-house. I think that speaks a lot, for the storehouse, the organization, your leadership, but also to our community for stepping up from what it sounds like. Our community is amazing. You know, I go, we go on vacation, you visit other places and they're beautiful, but I can't see that they would do what we do here.

and people who move here from other places and come in and experience blessings and boxes, they're like, we've never seen anything like this. So I encourage you to come out. Even if you can't sponsor a kid, come out and experience the hurricane. ⁓ Somebody will take you on a tour if you come out. And it is something that needs to be seen.

The pictures are great, the videos are awesome, but there is nothing like being in that room. You cannot replicate that in a video or a photo. I'd probably cry, I think. I get teared up quickly. I and I'm there every year. It moves me to the point of tears every year. There's something about people helping people.

And just the sheer magnitude of the room. Last year after the hurricane, we had tractor trailer truckloads coming in from Minnesota, Michigan, New York, Florida, Mississippi of people who were taking 50, 75, 100 kids. Last year was an anomaly and we had more kids than we had ever.

had, we did over 2,700 kids last year. And they got more than they ever did, but they lost everything. So we're talking bedding and clothes, multiple outfits and bikes. I thought the walls of the church were gonna fall down. It was so full. But it worked. we had, I mean, Mr. Joel Benson runs,

wonderful Chick-fil-A drive-through, but I roasted him last year. We ran 1,000 families through our drive-through in a day and a half. Wow, that's impressive. We were loading eight cars at a time. Gosh. Yes, and it was exhausting, exhilarating.

the most gratifying thing I think I've ever done. And I went home and I think I went to sleep in my clothes two, three days in a row. So it's not, mean, December, the holidays are a big time, but it's year round. is year round. We feed people who are hungry year round. So the Christmas is wonderful. It's all the warm fuzzies you'll ever need, but people need to eat every day.

And as long as there's little old people here, I'm going to do everything I can to make sure they have what they need. And my favorite, it is my old people that are my favorite. I'm not going to lie. ⁓ we have a senior delivery route that we do every month. They get their food delivered to them. So we have seven different routes that cover all of Henderson County. There's currently 60. ⁓

seniors on our route and they get all their groceries delivered and then they get a little extra other than the people who walk in because they have to meet certain criteria. They have no family, no transportation, over 60, things of that nature. They have the worst of the worst circumstances, but they also

we're trying to make sure that they get things that food stamps don't cover. We make sure every month they're getting toilet paper, paper towels, ⁓ laundry detergent, trash bags, things like that that cost money. People just assume, well, they're okay, they get food stamps. Yeah, a lot of them get $14 a month or something crazy like that. ⁓

that does not cover any of those other things. So we do those things, we make sure they get a prize bag, I think, I call it a prize bag for lack of a better term, a necessity bag. So in December, they're all getting new pillows and pillowcases. And I know that that's not, you know, my goodness, they're gonna die without a new pillow or pillowcase, but what if they haven't had one in four or five years?

How often do you get new pillows and pillowcases? If they smell funny at my house, they're going in the trash. Well, you just brought up an odd subject. My personal pillow is probably 10 years old and I love it because it's flat. My wife can't stand it, but I like a flat pillow. So I do change the pillowcase often. Well, mean, but the point is, yes, if you wanted a new pillow.

you would go get a new pillow. They don't have that option. And that's the thing the prize bags give them are options they don't have. We make sure every year that everybody gets socks and a blanket. I try to do pillows, things that they, that are expensive. ⁓ You know.

You're lucky. I don't ask my husband. I just take the pill and throw it away. I think that happened once or twice. I had to ask them. Just go home and tell your wife, thank you. Lynn, thank you for your ministry. I want to switch gears real fast. If you grew up in the area and you have people coming to visit in town, what are some of the areas you say, hey, you got to go check out?

goodness. I always say if you can drive just a little bit go find go see pretty place. ⁓ you're the first to say that. my goodness yeah I remember that's lots of memories as kids. If you can withstand the cold you have to drive up to the top at Pisgat or just straight up when you go to Brevard and take that first lift and go to the first little outlook there.

and see cold mountain because it isn't just a book and it isn't just a movie it's a real place. There's just little tucked away gems. If the road is fixed you need to go to the top of Laurel Park and look off at Jump Off. It's beautiful out there. Little treasures like that I would think.

Little place. You're the first. That's a great reminder. yeah. How about food? Any restaurants or places you say, hey, you got to try this when you're in town. Well, as you can tell, I like it all. I'm partial to Mexican food. We love Mexican food. It's really funny. I like one thing at one Mexican restaurant and one thing at another. There's no better salsa in town than it.

⁓ Zapatas. ⁓ that's salsa. I've never tried their salsa. Their salsa is amazing. And they have a couple of things on their menu that just can't be matched. Fresh, hot off the grill every single time. But then papas and beer. Papas and beer. It's top. See that? That's a, that's a hard, that's a hard line between the two.

Then you had the barbecue place out in Flat Rock, the Wood Room. That's pretty good. The Wood Room's delicious. Have you ever had their burger pachans? The Wagyu. Yeah, it's amazing. But then in town, if you are a French fry nut, Baker's Box is the only place to go for You're right. They have delicious fries. Because they're real potatoes. Yeah. But Baker's Box, they put love in their sandwiches and stuff.

It's delicious. They've got good food. think you're the you might be the second to say baker's box, but it's delicious. I always forget about it. no, I never. ⁓ it's all about French fries. And then if you need ice cream, Celtic Creamery. I've never been there. I go to Kilwin's. Yeah. You've never been to Celtic Creamery. Isn't that a sin somewhere? Probably. I'm telling Kim on you. I need to go. My kids have been, but I never been. You definitely need to go. OK.

Yes. Awesome. Yep. Well, it's approaching lunch, so that's good. So, Lynn, there anything I've missed? Tell people one more time. storehouseonline.org. Where the phone number is? 828-692-8300. And for the next month, we're at 1049 Spartanburg Highway. And then we're going to be at 2313 Spartanburg Highway. That's very exciting.

And you have a strong need. This will actually go out in a few days, right before Thanksgiving and we'll push it several times, but you have a 180 ish, 170 left. We're not, we're not going to fib. have 170 tags left of children who need to be sponsored for Christmas. And you, you'll take an overage and use them for next year. No, I'm going to give it all away this year. We'll stuff those bags back. Awesome. That's even better. Yeah. Not greedy, very generous.

That's even better. That's a good thank you. Sounds like a great ministry obviously 25 plus years. So thank you. Love my volunteers. Thank you for your service, your commitment, your heart, ⁓ sensing the Lord's leading and to the volunteers as well. So thanks for taking time to talk with us. Thank you for having us. Absolutely and to our listeners and watchers keep living local.

Need a steady hand as you think through a move in Hendersonville or anywhere in Western North Carolina? I’m always glad to help you sort it out. Let's talk

Date: 11/20/25

Duration: 21:18

Guest: Jared Ownbey

Website: Ownbey Land Surveying

Listen on Spotify:

Summary:

In this episode, Ed sits down with Jared Ownbey of Ownbey Land Surveying for a deep dive into a field most folks only think about when they have to: surveying. Jared breaks down what his team does every day, from traditional boundary and topographic surveys to the high-tech world of bathymetric mapping using a remote-controlled survey boat. Yes, they literally map lake bottoms.

Jared shares stories from the field, including everything from handling massive 500-acre tracts to piecing together tiny parcels washed out by flooding. He explains why gaps and overlaps happen on paper, how surveyors track down missing corners, and why neighbors can be scarier than wildlife. You’ll hear about deer discoveries, copperheads, adventurous jobs in Chimney Rock, and the occasional misunderstanding when a survey crew shows up in someone’s backyard.

The conversation shifts to local life as Jared talks about his go-to food spots like Postero, Shine, and Hot Dog World. He also shares favorite activities around the area, including mountain biking at Kanuga, grabbing apples from Mountain Fresh Orchards, and riding the Ecusta Trail on his lunch breaks.

Jared wraps up with how folks can reach him if they need expert surveying help — and Ed hints that a part two might be in the future.

A fun, informative episode that shines a light on a trade most people don’t understand but every property owner depends on. Tune in and keep living local.

Watch on YouTube:

Transcript:

Ed Frisbee (00:22)

Thanks for joining us today. And my special guest with this is Mr. Jared Ownbey withOwnbey Land and Surveying. I always say land and surveying, but it's Ownbey Land Surveying, right? That's great. Jared, thanks for joining us. Tell us a little bit about your company, what you do, and then I have lots of questions for you. All right. Thanks for having me. So my company is Ownbey Land Surveying. We're located at 522 Fleming Street. ⁓ In Hendersonville. In Hendersonville, yes. And we've been in business there.

since 2020. ⁓ surveying really since I got out of high school. ⁓ But we do all sorts of ⁓ survey related tasks. do boundary surveys, topographic surveys, flood elevation certificates, ⁓ construction staking, pretty much just about ⁓ anything that you can think of that, you if you think of a survey or what they would do. One unique thing that we offer is bathymetric surveying. We purchased a drone.

It's been a couple years ago. It's a boat and basically what we've been doing with it is we can survey a lake bottom or a body of water and generate a topographic map of that and then produce the volume amount. We do a lot of work for a company in Charlotte that specializes in dam restoration and so they sub us out for surveying ⁓ related tasks with the dam and the lake volumes.

That's interesting. Yeah, it's really fun. You set the boat out there, you can give it a mission plan, let it do its thing and fish if you want to while it's surveying. a lot of times, I do most of that work and it's remote controlled. So we do it manually because of obstructions and stuff that you may have in the water. But it's pretty cool. Do all that from...

land or you have to go out on the water also? No, do it from land. It has a camera on it. If you get to a point where you can't really see it, you can switch that and see what the boat's seeing. But for the most part, we haven't done anything larger than seven or eight acres. I see. And I can usually see it. And so it hasn't been an issue yet. That's really interesting. So surveying, what's one of the... What is the largest parcel you've surveyed as far as acreage or size?

To date, the largest parcel that we've done is about 500 acres. And how long would something like that take? Well, ⁓ prior to GPS becoming the primary tool that we use, which is wonderful, we would have to physically, what we call traverse that boundary. So we would come out with a transit or a total station is what we used.

and turn angles and traverse that boundary line and do what we call a true line. that could take, know, on average, depending on the terrain, we would figure, you know, a good crew, 1,500 to 2,000 feet of perimeter a day. So, you know, some of these boundary surveys could be miles long, so it could take weeks to just do the fieldwork portion. And then there's the research. You know, I think a lot of folks don't use

Surveyor often they only call a surveyor when they have to so I feel like that we have to you know And we're happy to do so but inform our clients. Here's the process This is how this works before we ever set foot on the property. There's a lot of research that goes into it We check, know deeds and plats of record ⁓ of the subject property and then any properties that touch it really we have to check those as well and Then we come out and do the field work bring all that data back to the office

⁓ process it, you know, if sometimes corners are missing, sometimes there's gaps, overlaps, we got to take those into account and then, you know, and finally eventually we have a map that we produce for our client. ⁓ So, but with the GPS coming so far, ⁓ GPS is expensive, it's very precise now, I mean we can get sub-centimeter accuracies with ⁓ our equipment and that allows us

a little more speed in the field because prior to that with a traditional traverse you need a lot of sight and that's not necessarily required when you have a GPS and we use what we call RTK which is short for real time kinematic. ⁓ Basically where we use a base unit set up at a point and then we'll carry with us what we call a rover and then we do all our surveying like that. But not to get too technical we could probably talk about that for...

hour and how that works and make your eyes glaze over. I am curious, you mentioned ⁓ gaps and I think you said overlays, but what happens in those situations? Like what you find becomes true? No, it doesn't. So one thing that we have to keep separate is that as a land surveyor we do not practice law. So we can't

We can't fix everything. So really what we're doing when we produce a survey plat, and let's say there is an overlap. What that means is there's an overlap on paper. There's an overlap in the chain of title. Error probably has occurred at some point, right? Land physically just, it can't overlap itself, or can it gap? You you've heard the term no man's land, which, you know, in the case of a gap that would be a strip of land, perhaps that there's no claim on it. This person's...

Deed says they own this and this one says they own that and there's a little strip in the middle that there's no you know paperwork saying who was it but we report all those facts on our Survey plat so we will show when we're required to show any gaps or lapages so we'll say you know possible overlap and then we have to give all the deed references as such and then Our clients ask us the same thing now what well find an attorney because that's what they're gonna need to do from that point is seek legal

counsel about how to go about it, you know, with that neighboring property owner, what can they do at this point ⁓ to, you know, resolve it? Well, in real estate, I've run into, I think we've talked about this once before, where there's unclaimed or, what's the correct terminology, where nobody knows who owns the land. We just call it no man's land. And if a neighboring owner wants to try to claim it, that can be a costly, because then you're

paying for title search and probably a survey. Yeah. Then there's several steps involved. You can't just claim it, I don't think. You think you have to contact the adjacent owners? Well, I've heard stories of folks and even surveyors in the past that you find a section of land that has no title to it. You could file a quit claim deed on it, which may convey title if there's any title to be conveyed. ⁓ Sometimes that would, you know,

ripen into them owning it, but ⁓ that's one way to go about claiming it. And there's a whole lot of other, ⁓ I guess, conditions that would have to be met for that to actually occur. But ⁓ a lot of times that's usually past where we are involved. The first step would be for us to survey that property, get some

measurements so that you know the parties know exactly what what are the dimensions in the area of what is you know either in that gap or in that overlap and then take that to the attorneys to figure out what to do with it. Right and then it becomes maybe so expensive you just leave it. That happens a lot yeah. It's very costly and a lot of times I've had folks you know something

situation like this and then they just drop it because the legal fees become so expensive and you know and I've I've had a client once time we found a You know a fence over the line in an area. They'd been obviously occupying. It didn't belong to them And they're like what should I do? I was like are you and your neighbor friendly? They're like, yeah Does he honor your fence? He says yeah, he said well, what should I do? I was like, well, you could tell him if you want or it could just you know Not say anything if you two are fine with it

That's between you and your neighbor. And I always try to tell my clients, you know, be a good neighbor. If you want to get along with your neighbor, you know, talk to them and be in front of them. But, you a lot of times that doesn't happen. So we've lost that in our society, I think. Talking to people. And agreeing to disagree at times. awesome. What's the smallest piece you've ever surveyed? If 500 acres ish is the largest.

That's a good question. We've got one coming up actually that we're going to do. It's 25 foot by I think a hundred feet maybe. Wow. And it's a little parcel in downtown Chimney Rock. you know Chimney Rock was from the very very much affected by Hulling. And this client that I have he's a friend of mine and I've done a lot of work for him in the past approached me about surveying it. He sent me a

a photo he'd taken with a drone of the area and there's nothing there. So I was like, look, I don't even know how to bid this for you. Obviously the corners are gone. It was flooded. ⁓ So it's going to be a challenge to put that back in. So we've done one other job in Chimney Rock since Helene and we had to, I guess you could say extrapolate, basically get out there and from the subject parcel, we survey out as far as we need to to find some corners.

know, property corners in the ground that we can, you know, verify, check and see, okay, is that a correct corner and then build off of that. So any surveyor that's been in Chimney Rock, I would say is having the same challenge for that. But yeah, I mean, that's probably the smallest that we've done. That's interesting. Like something after Helene, you can't just go off of GPS, I guess. You have to go back and do the true survey. have to go back and find a corner to work off of. Is that what you're saying?

That would be preferred. mean, the only way you could use GPS for a survey like that, let's say all the corners are obliterated, right? If there was a survey that had been done prior to that flood event and coordinates were listed, you know, and we were, you know, in our case NAD 83, ⁓ something that we could reference the same survey plane, we could use those coordinates to ⁓ put back those property corners.

We've also got a hierarchy of evidence that we use to replace missing corners. And coordinates is further down on that list, but sometimes if that's the best evidence, that's the best evidence. So it's kind of a case by case thing. That's very interesting. I don't think I'd ever enjoy surveying, but it's very interesting to listen to. If somebody's listening to this and says, dang, we need to call Jared, how do they call you or find you?

Well, I appreciate you asking We're not done talking. just... Yeah, yeah. So, ⁓ we have a website. ⁓ It's mountainlandsurveyor.com. That's easier than Oenby. That's why it's not Oenby. ⁓ Ownbey is spelled uniquely. A lot of folks want to put that E in there because phonetically that's what it sounds like it should be spelled like. But it's O-W-N-B-E-Y. So we have mountainlandsurveyor.com. ⁓ You can email us or email me at jared at mountainlandsurveyor.com.

⁓ Also, I have another ⁓ licensed surveyor in our office. His name is Dakota Waddell. Dakota at MountainLandSurveyor.com. And then our phone number for our office is 828-595-9668. Awesome. I'll ask you again at the end, so don't forget. ⁓ So what's the weirdest thing you've ever seen when you're out surveying? Or scariest? We'll kind of combine that. Okay. ⁓

We'll start with the weirdest, I guess. ⁓ I found an entire deer carcass one time on a 300 acre boundary survey and it was a really nice buck. And we were surveying, was in Cooper's Gap down in Rutherford County, I believe. And ⁓ we come across it and it was down kind of in a waterhole area. There was a little spring and ⁓ couldn't believe it. So we kept the head because it was really nice. It had already been

bleached out and just the skeleton. And then it took us about another month to finish that job. And so I went to see the client, was telling them, you know, we were giving them their plat and getting paid and that sort of thing. And I told him about this deer we had found. And he goes, I shot that deer. I was hunting and I couldn't find it. Do you still have the head? I says, yeah. He says, can I have it? And I was like, no, I've done put it on my wall. I put it on her, put it on, actually I gave it to my father-in-law and he put it on his shed.

But ⁓ he was fine with that, but that was a really, ⁓ that was kind of wild to find that. Let's see, scariest thing? I don't know. I haven't found anything scary. I guess neighbors would be the scariest thing. Sometimes, you know, people say, are you worried about bears or snakes or ⁓ bees? I guess bees would are my least favorite because you're in a bee's nest before you know it. And then they're going to light you up. Snakes.

We make enough noise in the woods, I really don't see snakes that often. The worst place I've ever been around to see snakes is ⁓ down off Potshulls Road near the power plant. ⁓ Down there off of 176, we did a five acre piece and we killed five copperheads because we crossed their paths and you know, they're aggressive and they'll hurt you. So I guess bees would be the scariest thing and then disgruntled neighbors. ⁓

The assumption, you know, they see us show up and the surveyors out here, there must be a problem. Right. And that's not, not the case. It's usually not the case, but we get misunderstood. And so there's a problem. Get off my land. Do y'all wear orange vests and stuff? Yeah, we do. I wear an orange vest, one for the convenience. I mean, we've got all these nice pockets and keep all our toys and stuff. I call it my costume. And, ⁓ my field guys, they also wear a vest or at least enough orange to

look like they're official. I don't want my guys to just show up somewhere and look like some person just climbing out of the woods. So we try to keep a professional look about us. then if we're doing a survey of someone's property, typically we knock on that person's door, let them know we're there or any neighbors. If we have to go across their property or onto their property to tie in an adjoining corner or anything like that, we always try to let people know what we're doing.

You mentioned bears. You got a survey to property that I had for sale in Asheville one time. And I think it was soon after your crew was out there and I was walking the property with the clients. I think we saw two or three bears within about hundred feet of us. And that's the first time I've ever seen a bear when I'm with clients from out of town. And that was pretty startling for them. And just the idea of me and some of them were older. The idea of trying to help them get away from a bear if he decided to walk towards us. Oh, was a little...

frightening I guess but normally bears don't bother you. No I've seen a bear one time it was on a job in Jackson County and it's kind of a funny story we were surveying kind of down in an area it's off of highway 107 and there wasn't very good cell phone signal and I needed to call the office I worked for a larger company at the time it's probably been 17 years ago so I jumped in a truck to drive up to the top of the mountain

this subdivision we were working on to call out and I kept hearing dogs and it was about this time of year and I was headed up the road and before I knew it this the biggest blackberry ever seen jumped out and ran across the road right in front of my truck and I just stopped I was like I can't believe I just saw that you know and then a few seconds later there come the dogs so they were they were running them but that's the only time I've seen a bear out surveying that's wild now my guys they they've telling me told me stories

They've seen a bear several times. ⁓ I've seen one in Mills River. ⁓ I've seen bears in downtown Asheville. I think I've seen more just driving. ⁓ I used to work at AB Tech. We see them up there on the campus all the time. ⁓ That's wild. I think they're attracted to the trash of people's trash cans and such. All right. So we're going to wind it down, but tell us before we get off.

Which some of your favorite places to eat or that you recommend to visitors that are coming to the area sure so I would have to say my favorite place to eat right now mine and my wife's would be Postero. Oh, everything at Postero is great The staff there We know some of them. They're very nice Excellent service excellent food. My second favorite for I guess a sit-down setting would be shine It's it's a toss-up. I would

Half the time I would rather go to Shine and my wife would rather go to Postero. So we were actually Shine last week. So it's a very good food. And those would probably be my two favorite. And of course, I mean, you can't go wrong with hot dog world. Hot dog world is still so different. just... So I mean, that's a quick, quick dinner there. My kids love hot dog world. Just a hot dog, some tater tots. Yep. We love their tater tots. That's right over here. Yep. right over here. I have walked there often.

⁓ so tell what about people coming to town or favorite things to activities like, you got to go see this if you're in town. well, this is probably don't hike a lot due to your work. So, well here lately I'm in the office a lot. So I try to get out. don't hike, but I do enjoy mountain biking. ⁓ if you're a mountain biker, Canuga bike park is my favorite place to go. I love it. ⁓ there's a lot of trails up there. ⁓ I got myself a new e-bike this year.

Full suspension and then that's I would ride it every day if I could it's it's a blast out there So if it's that if if you're a mountain biker, that's I would recommend that place ⁓ Hiking I mean, I can't tell you the last time I went on a dedicated hike, but it's probably Carl Sandberg up to glassy. Yeah You know this time of year you've got the Apple ⁓ Fruit stands and such I enjoy my favorite ones Mountain Fresh Orchards out there in any Ville

I always have a good selection of apples. So that's where I like to go get my apples. And your office is near or downtown ish. Do you ever take advantage of Acoustic Trail? Yes, I do. A lot of times I'll load my bike up, bring it with me to work, stop at lunch, ride down there, ride, you know, what's open of the trail, which I think it's about six miles from the market to the horseshoe and back and then back to the office. It's a great little break to the day.

I've been shocked the amount of people taking advantage of Acoustic Trail already. Yeah, it's pretty great. We enjoy it. We've enjoyed it too. ⁓ Anything else you think of I should have asked you related to surveying? I have other questions, but we're running out of time and maybe we'll have to have a part two sometime. two, I'd be glad to do it. So, can't think of anything right off. Okay. ⁓ well, I do have part two. We'll just have to stop. ⁓ Okay.

Jared, thanks very much for taking time. Tell everybody again how to contact you. You can reach us. Our number is 828-595-9668. That's our office number. Our website is mountainlandsurveyor.com and my email address is Jared at mountainlandsurveyor.com. Thanks for the plug in. Thanks for taking the time. Yes, sir. And thank you for watching and or listening and keep living local.

Need a steady hand as you think through a move in Hendersonville or anywhere in Western North Carolina? I’m always glad to help you sort it out. Let's talk

Living in Fletcher, NC: Your Comprehensive Real Estate Guide

Fletcher, North Carolina, is this little pocket of small-town charm tucked just 20 minutes south of Asheville. It's close enough for city perks, but far enough to keep things affordable, especially when it comes to real estate.

Lots of folks—families, professionals, retirees—seem to crave the peaceful vibe here. Fletcher gives you mountain views, trails, and a sense of community that's honestly tough to find in bigger places.

If you're thinking about moving or investing around here, it helps to get a real feel for Fletcher’s real estate market dynamics and what daily life looks like. It’s one of those places you want to know inside and out before making it home.

Benefits of Living in Fletcher, NC

Fletcher is wedged nicely between Asheville and Hendersonville, so you get the best of both worlds. The town’s got solid public schools, reasonable living costs, and plenty of ways to get outdoors.

Community Atmosphere

It’s got that suburban-rural mix that appeals to families and young professionals who want a little more connection than you get in a city. With about 8,000 people, you’re not lost in the crowd—neighbors actually know each other.

Most people here own their homes, which helps keep neighborhoods steady and encourages folks to get involved. There’s a sense of investment in the place, and you’ll see it in local events and how people show up for each other.

The town government is pretty accessible, too. If you’ve got an idea or a gripe, you can actually get someone’s ear without jumping through hoops.

Fletcher attracts a bunch of young professionals, but it’s still family-focused. It leans conservative, but you’ll find people are generally welcoming to newcomers and different backgrounds.

Quality of Life

Median household income here hits $76,684, which is a notch above a lot of other spots in North Carolina. That kind of stability keeps local businesses humming and property values pretty solid.

The median home value is $318,096, so you’re not priced out like you might be in Asheville. Property taxes are also pretty reasonable at $0.325 per $100 of assessed value for folks inside the town limits.

Housing Market Characteristics:

• Homes usually sell within 30 days
• Real estate here is competitive and demand stays high
• Median monthly rent is $1,041 for those not ready to buy

Families love the high-rated public schools. The schools do well academically and there’s a good mix of extracurriculars for kids to try out.

Proximity to Asheville

One of Fletcher’s best perks? You’re right between Asheville and Hendersonville. The commute is about 20 minutes, so working in the city but living in a quieter spot is totally doable.

All of Asheville’s culture—food, music, festivals, you name it—is within easy reach. You don’t have to move downtown to enjoy a night out or catch a show.

Shopping and dining options open up when you’re this close to Asheville. And if you need specialized healthcare, college classes, or a new job, it’s all right there.

Honestly, if you want to grow your career but don’t want city prices or noise, Fletcher hits a sweet spot. You get options without giving up comfort.

Outdoor Recreation

The Blue Ridge Mountains are basically your backyard here. Hiking, overlooks, and all sorts of outdoor fun are just a short drive away.

Weather-wise, Fletcher’s pretty mild. Average highs are 66°F, lows hit around 44°F, and there’s about 48 inches of rain and 14 inches of snow each year. You get all four seasons, but nothing too extreme.

Popular Outdoor Activities:

• Hiking and trail running in the mountains
• Fishing in local rivers and streams
• Camping in state and national forests
• Winter sports when the snow comes

You’ve got access to the Appalachian Trail and Blue Ridge Parkway for longer hikes or scenic drives. Outdoor lovers from all over the region end up passing through Fletcher.

Local parks are a hub for sports, family fun, and community events. There’s always something going on if you want to get outside or meet people.

Fletcher, NC Real Estate Market Overview

Fletcher’s real estate market is a mix—new builds, older neighborhoods, and prices that swing depending on where you look. Some sources say prices are up, others say they’re slipping a bit lately. It’s a bit of a moving target.

Types of Homes Available

You’ll see a lot of newer construction in Fletcher. Over half the homes here were built since 2000, so the place has a fresh look and modern amenities.

Primary Housing Types:

• Single-family detached houses
• Townhouses and condos
• New subdivisions
• Mountain-view homes

With all the new builds, expect open floor plans, updated kitchens, and energy-saving features. Many homes have mountain views, thanks to Fletcher’s spot in the Asheville area.

Most neighborhoods are subdivisions with shared amenities like walking trails and playgrounds. It’s all pretty well maintained and community-focused.

Current Home Prices

Prices here can be all over the map, depending on which site you check. Zillow says the average home value is $457,299, up 2.3% over the past year.

But then Redfin puts the average at $380,000 last month, down 20.3% since last year. It’s hard to pin down a single number because the market’s shifting.

Bankrate lists the median sale price at $460,890, which is about 18% higher than the state average. So Fletcher’s not cheap, but you’re paying for location and newer homes.

Expect to pay a premium compared to other North Carolina towns, especially for those mountain views or newer builds.

Market Trends

Fletcher scores 38 out of 100 for market competitiveness, so it’s not a frenzy, but you can’t sleep on a good listing either. Buyers have a bit of wiggle room to negotiate.

Recent data is kind of a jumble, with some sources showing prices up and others down. Seasonal changes and different ways of calculating values probably explain the mixed signals.

People are still drawn here for the mountain lifestyle but want Asheville’s amenities nearby. That steady interest keeps the market active, even if prices bounce around.

Neighborhoods in Fletcher

There’s a handful of neighborhoods and subdivisions, each with its own flavor. Since most were built in the last couple decades, you’ll see similar styles and ages.

Communities with mountain views fetch higher prices. Bigger lots, custom homes, and fancy finishes are common up there.

Closer to the town center, you’ll find established subdivisions with easy access to shops and restaurants. These spots usually have shared amenities and tidy landscaping.

Home Buying in Fletcher, NC

If you want to buy in Fletcher, you’ll want a game plan. Local know-how goes a long way, especially in a market that’s this competitive and quirky. Discover homes for sale in Fletcher NC

Working With Local Real Estate Agents

Local agents are worth their weight in gold here. They know the nuances—like which neighborhoods move fastest or which homes might have hidden issues.

Frisbee Real Estate  and other established firms have connections that sometimes get you in the door before a home goes public. That’s a big leg up in a tight market.

Good agents help you navigate stuff like:

• Mountain property quirks—think septic systems, wells, and how elevation affects things
• Seasonal ups and downs in pricing and inventory
• How close you are to Asheville jobs and attractions

The market’s competitiveness score is 38 out of 100, so having someone in your corner for offers and negotiations is a smart move.

Financing and Mortgage Options

Most buyers go for standard loans, but there are some local twists. Lenders familiar with Western North Carolina know the ins and outs of appraising mountain properties.

Conventional loans are the norm, and with the average price at $380,000, most homes fit within normal loan limits.

VA and USDA loans work well for eligible buyers, especially since Fletcher’s semi-rural status means many homes qualify for USDA financing.

Buying a mountain property? Be ready for extra inspections—well and septic checks can tack on another week or so to your timeline.

What to Expect in the Buying Process

The process here is pretty standard for North Carolina, but with a few local wrinkles. From contract to closing, expect 30-45 days, give or take.

Searching for homes is easier if you know Fletcher’s development patterns. Most houses are post-2000 builds, though you’ll find some well-kept older places too.

Inspections should cover mountain-specific stuff—think well water, septic, and heating systems. Don’t skip these, trust me.

Closings are handled by attorneys here, not title companies. Most deals wrap up at a local law office, which is pretty typical for the state.

Even with a moderate competitiveness score, you’ll see multiple offers on homes that are priced right and close to Asheville. It’s not cutthroat, but you do need to move quickly.

Selling Your Home in Fletcher

Selling in Fletcher isn’t just about sticking a sign in the yard. You’ll want to prep the home, price it smartly, and market it to the right crowd—buyers here know what they want, and there’s competition.

Preparing Your Home for Sale

Getting your home ready for sale can make a real difference in Fletcher's market. First impressions are huge—so curb appeal counts. Fresh landscaping, a clean exterior, and a few minor repairs go a long way.

Inside, staging helps buyers picture themselves living there. Take out personal stuff and any extra furniture to make rooms feel open. Professional staging services can really boost a home's appeal if you're up for it.

Don't skip the repairs. Leaky faucets, squeaky doors, and anything obviously broken should be fixed before you list. A new coat of neutral paint can brighten up rooms and make spaces seem bigger.

Deep cleaning matters more than most people think. Pay extra attention to the kitchen and bathrooms—they're deal-breakers for a lot of buyers. If your carpets or floors are looking rough, maybe spring for a pro cleaning or refinishing.

Key preparation checklist:

• Declutter and depersonalize all rooms
• Complete necessary repairs
• Deep clean entire property
• Enhance curb appeal
• Stage rooms for maximum impact

Understanding Pricing Strategies

Getting the price right is tricky but crucial. In Fletcher, you need to look at recent sales in your neighborhood and nearby areas to nail it.

Local trends really matter, too. Licensed real estate professionals can break down what's happening in Fletcher's specific neighborhoods, which is helpful if you're not sure where to start.

If you price too high, your home might sit on the market longer than you'd like. Buyers tend to skip over overpriced listings, even when you eventually drop the price.

Sometimes, pricing competitively sparks multiple offers and can even push the sale price above your ask. This seems especially true in Fletcher's popular school districts and established neighborhoods.

Don't forget about timing—spring and summer usually bring more buyers, while winter might mean you need to price more aggressively.

Marketing Your Property

Marketing isn't just about a sign in the yard anymore. Professional real estate platforms get your listing in front of more eyes, both locally and on big national sites.

Good photography is non-negotiable. Professional photos should show off Fletcher's mountain views, outdoor spaces, and anything that makes your place stand out.

Most buyers start online, so your listing needs to shine there. Include lots of photos, a detailed description, and maybe even a virtual tour if you can swing it.

Local marketing matters, too. Fletcher draws families for the schools, retirees for the mountain lifestyle, and professionals commuting to Asheville—so tailor your pitch.

Marketing channels include:

• MLS listing distribution
• Major real estate websites
• Social media promotion
• Local advertising
• Open houses and private showings

Avoiding traditional commission fees is tempting for some, but honestly, a good agent brings negotiation skills and market know-how that can pay off.

Living Essentials in Fletcher

Fletcher's got the basics covered. There are decent schools through Henderson County Public Schools, accessible healthcare, and shopping and dining at spots like Broadmore Plaza. The median household income of approximately $67,000 means most folks can enjoy a pretty comfortable lifestyle with those essentials in reach.

Schools and Education

Fletcher is served by the Henderson County Public Schools system, which maintains a graduation rate of 90%. The district runs several schools that Fletcher families rely on.

Elementary Schools:

• Fletcher Elementary School
• Upward Elementary School
• Mountain View Elementary School

Secondary Education:

• West Henderson High School serves most Fletcher students
• Apple Valley Middle School provides intermediate education

Class sizes are reasonable, so kids usually get some personal attention. The schools benefit from Henderson County's focus on educational quality.

Public schools in Fletcher receive high ratings from outside organizations. The district seems to care about both academics and extracurriculars, which is reassuring.

Private school options are available in Hendersonville and Asheville if that's more your family's speed. Homeschooling networks and support groups are also around for those interested.

Healthcare Facilities

Pardee UNC Health Care serves as a major healthcare provider for Fletcher. They've got facilities all over Henderson County.

Primary Healthcare Options:

• Pardee Family Medicine practices
• Urgent care centers in Fletcher and Hendersonville
• Specialty clinics for cardiology, orthopedics, and more

Pardee Hospital in Hendersonville is about 10 minutes away and offers inpatient care, emergency services, and surgery. For anything more complex, Mission Hospital in Asheville is the go-to, though traffic can make the 20-30 minute drive feel longer.

You'll also find independent doctors for family medicine, pediatrics, and dental care right in Fletcher. CVS and Walgreens cover pharmacy needs.

Mental health care is available through Pardee and private providers in the area, which is good to know.

Shopping and Dining

Broadmore Plaza serves as Fletcher's primary shopping and dining destination. It's got the basics and a few restaurant choices for locals.

Major Retailers:

• Harris Teeter grocery store
• CVS Pharmacy
• Various specialty shops and services

Dining Options:

• Local restaurants with a mix of American and international food
• Fast-casual chains
• Coffee shops and cafes

If you want more options, Hendersonville and Asheville are close by. Hendersonville is about 15 minutes away and has extra grocery stores, retail, and local businesses.

Asheville offers bigger shopping centers like Asheville Mall, plus tons of boutiques. Fletcher's spot between Asheville and Hendersonville makes it easy to get to a wide range of shops and restaurants.

During the warmer months, local farmers markets pop up with fresh produce and handmade goods. Farm-to-table restaurants in the area highlight local ingredients and regional flavors, which is honestly pretty great if you care about what you eat.

Lifestyle and Community Activities

Living in Fletcher means lots of chances to get outside in the Blue Ridge Mountains, plus you're not far from Asheville's culture and nightlife. The community vibe is friendly and there are activities for all ages, all year round. Family-friendly atmosphere? Definitely.

Parks and Green Spaces

Fletcher sits right between Asheville and Hendersonville, so mountain recreation is practically on your doorstep. The Blue Ridge Parkway is nearby, with hiking, scenic overlooks, and plenty of spots for wildlife watching.

Local parks have walking trails, playgrounds, and sports fields. Soccer and baseball are big for both kids and adults here.

Popular Outdoor Activities:

• Hiking and nature walks
• Mountain biking trails
• Fishing in local streams
• Rock climbing areas
• Golf courses

Recreational opportunities in the Blue Ridge Mountains are super close—many trails are within a 15-minute drive from most Fletcher neighborhoods. It's hard not to take advantage of that.

Annual Events and Festivals

Fletcher puts on a bunch of community events throughout the year. Summer concerts in the parks bring out local bands and food trucks.

There are also holiday celebrations like the Fourth of July and winter markets, with live music, crafts, and family-friendly stuff to do.

Community Events Include:

• Farmers markets with local produce
• Outdoor movie nights
• Holiday parades
• Art and craft fairs
• Charity runs and walks

And let's be real—being so close to Asheville means you can tap into even more festivals and cultural happenings whenever you want. It's a solid perk of living in Fletcher.

Family-Friendly Activities

Fletcher's got a ton of options for families, no matter how old your kids are. Youth sports leagues? They've got soccer, baseball, basketball, and even tennis programs running year-round.

Local libraries keep things interesting with reading programs, craft workshops, and all sorts of educational events. If that's not enough, community centers offer after-school programs and summer camps that fill up fast.

Family Activity Options:

• Youth sports leagues
• Swimming facilities
• Playground areas
• Library programs
• Community center activities

The town's suburban and rural feel helps create a safe vibe for kids who want to play outside. A lot of neighborhoods have sidewalks and bike paths, making it easy to get from home to parks or schools without much hassle.

Date: 11/17/25

Duration: 22:25

Guest: Tommy Blackwell

Website: AmeriLife

Listen on Spotify:

Summary:

Episode 10 with Tommy Blackwell of AmeriLife

In this episode, Ed sits down with longtime Hendersonville local Tommy Blackwell from AmeriLife of Asheville. Tommy breaks down what retirees and pre-retirees need to know about Social Security planning, Medicare coverage, and the annual enrollment periods that confuse just about everyone. He explains how AmeriLife works with dozens of insurance carriers to match people with the plans that fit their doctors, prescriptions, and budget.

Tommy shares why fall is their busiest season, what’s changing for Henderson County residents this year, and why reviewing your plan annually can save you from big surprises at the pharmacy counter. He also gives out his direct contact info for anyone who needs guidance with Medicare, prescription drug plans, Medicare Advantage, supplements, or Social Security timing.

The conversation drifts into Hendersonville history, local growth, favorite restaurants, apple-country traditions, and Tommy’s travel highlights from his years of award-winning work in the insurance world. If you’re curious about Medicare or you just enjoy hearing stories from a true Hendersonville native, this episode hits both.

Watch on YouTube:

Transcript:

Hey, thanks for joining us today. My special guest is Mr. Tommy Blackwell. Tommy Blackwell is with AmeriLife here in the Hendersonville, Asheville area. Tommy, thanks so much for taking time to come out and visit and talk and share with us. And I look forward to ask you some exciting questions, but give everybody a quick overview about what you do with AmeriLife. I appreciate you inviting me, Ed. Like I said, my name is Tommy Blackwell. I work for AmeriLife of Asheville. It's actually in Arden, North Carolina.

We help people in mostly in retirement, planning for Social Security, helping them get set up with their Medicare. We pretty much are a brokerage. work with hundred different insurance companies. So we help people find what plan fits their certain situation, whether they're looking for life insurance, health insurance, Medicare insurance. This time of the year is our busiest time of the year.

with the annual enrollment period going on for people that's on Medicare. ⁓ When they have an opportunity to either change the plan their own, ⁓ whether it be a prescription drug plan or if it's a Medicare advantage plan or if they have Medicare supplements, we can help them navigate through all the different changes that Medicare's making.

So when you say this time of year, depending on when somebody's listening or watching the podcast, it's the fall, right? What or what date? So that the annual enrollment period runs from October 15th through December 7th. Gotcha. That's when everybody can make their change. There's also the open enrollment period, which runs from January the 1st to March 31st. And that's when people have the opportunity if they

maybe got put on the wrong plan during the annual enrollment period, they can make that change, which is a one-time opportunity during the first three months of the year. That's so confusing. I don't look forward to getting older. It's clear as mud. ⁓ So do people change every year? Well, yeah, they do. ⁓ Right here in Henderson County this year, there's been a lot of disruptions with ⁓ three different

insurance carriers where Party Hospital is not in the network with them going into next year. And so we're getting a lot of telephone calls, people that are on certain ⁓ plans that's available here, ⁓ you know, wanting to know what they're going to do. So we sat down with them and go over their medications, their doctors, ⁓ things that are important to them and help them find the plan that will be good for next year.

Gotcha. So I'm not even, I didn't even realize that's where this podcast may go, but I'm thinking of my mom. So she probably should talk to you, I guess, if she's been doing party, right? Is what you're okay? Yeah. Uh, I tell most of my clients that every year you need to look at your plan. Right. A lot of times you don't have to switch or change anything. You just stay on it. uh, your, your medications and that changes a lot with people. So if they.

take a new medicine, might not be covered under their formulary on their plan they have now. And they don't want to get sticker shocked and come January when they go to the drug store or wherever they get their medicines and find out that instead of paying $5, it's $100 or more. It could be more in some cases. That would be a shock. And so that's it's important to review them plans every year. ⁓

We do that for our clients and then like I said this year with the plans that are not gonna be available at Pardee Hospital. everybody that is on that, there's three different companies, but the ones that are not, they should have got a letter from Pardee or from their physician telling them that their plan their own will not be in network next year. So they need to get in touch with either their agent that they have, they can call.

us at AmeriLife, we would be more than happy to come out and sit down with them. They can come to the office or we'll go sit down with them at their home either way. Well, if people are getting anxious listening or watching this, who do they, what number do they call? They could call me. I'll give you my cell number. It's 828-606-8697. Our office number is 828-684-1477. And we're actually located in Arden on

Highway 25 at 2367 Hendersonville Highway. Usually someone's there every morning, eight o'clock till five o'clock. Some days where they might not be someone there, because we do go out and see people a lot, but people do come and stop in. And you probably go out to eat too. A couple times. So you're saying that address and I'm thinking, where in Arden? So help me.

What's another if you got on 25, you're out of Hendersonville. You stay on 25 go through Fletcher. Yep. You will pass where Sweden Creek turns to the right airport road turns to the left. Yep. Go straight across there. about a quarter to a half a mile pass there. Right beside Wells Fargo Bank and the post offices right in there too. Right. The post office is actually a couple of buildings. ⁓

Above us and the building we are in is actually the old post office. Okay. we we've been in that building since 1988. So and 12 bones is near there. 12 bones is right down there on the right. ⁓ if you want to come to the office, I'll let you go down there and buy my lunch. Wow. That's awesome. That's for you. Okay. 12 bones is delicious and I've not been there in a while. It's good. Yeah. Well, since we're talking about food, Tommy, I always like to ask people what are their top,

three to five suggestions of places to eat in the area, either for yourself or that when you have guests in town, you're like, hey, you gotta try this place. So ⁓ from growing up here in Hendersonville, I've been here my whole life. ⁓ My favorite, I guess me and my wife's favorite places are either Shine on Main Street. We like Brandy's, it's a good place. You're the first person to say Brandy's, I think. We've had a few people say Shine, but that's good.

Brandies, I do like brandies. They got really good steaks. You've only said two so far. me a discount next time I come here. Also, ⁓ there's a new ⁓ little place, Budas, up on the corner. used to be the old One-Eyre Martin Eisen. They got really great food in there. That's by SunTrust, right across the street from SunTrust? correct. That's right. Anything else?

⁓ We like Umi's if you like Chinese food, that's a good place when we want sushi we go to Umi's. There's a couple new restaurants that we hadn't got to try yet that we like to go out On 7th Avenue? I have been to. Claywood and right next to it. Yeah, we've been to Claywood before. It's good and the other place. It's kind of French cuisine, right? Correct, yeah. I can't remember the name of it, but I've heard good things about it. It's in the old chicken shack. Yes. Hendersonville. Yeah. That's what was a chicken shack and we've been there. That's really good too. Yeah.

I would suggest if you go there and make a reservation because it's been packed every time. it's small too, right? The space? It is small, yeah. Well, Tom, you already told people, but you are from Hendersonville. You're a native. Yeah. In case somebody can't tell, you do have a native accent. Yeah. It's not New York, but so tell us, you don't have to tell us your age, but have you seen some changes through the years in Hendersonville? Well, actually, yes. ⁓

Remember before Four Seasons Boulevard was built so that ages me pretty well. Wow What was it nothing? It was just a swamp. Oh, I mean if you go down Four Seasons, you see all that wetland It was kind of that all the way through there used to we you had to come up Seventh Avenue And that was the way Interesting come up Seventh Avenue never knew that I think they built that probably Four Seasons I might be wrong on this but it was probably

about the late 60s to early 70s. As a four lane at that time or was just a? It was a two lane. Okay. That was Seventh Avenue. Got it. And then they put Four Seasons Boulevard in. Huh. Probably the late 60s, early 70s, sometime around there. Interesting. When was the interstate built? That was built... Before you remember or? It was, well it wasn't completed. Right.

I remember when they were doing from ⁓ out past Upward Road going down across Peter Geist Bridge and then down from Saluda down to the mountain. I remember them building on the mountain below past Saluda. I'm not sure when they finished the part from say Upward Road to Saluda but that's, you used to have to get off at Saluda and go down and go down the old road.

get back down there at Trion or Spartanburg or Edmonds somewhere down in that remind area. Wow. So we had Carolyn Swanner on a few recently. I don't know if you know her, but she talked about how I think she's third generation banking and obviously grew up in the area in Hendersonville High School and all that stuff. What high school did you go to? I went to East Henderson High School. ⁓ I graduated in 1980, Flat Rock Junior High before they turned it to a middle school.

And then I attended Dana Elementary School. When I was in the fourth grade, there were

some schools being burnt in the county. People was going around burning down the elementary schools. And Dana Elementary got burned down when I was in the fourth grade. And so then we went ⁓ in the fifth and sixth grade, they put us in the old Rose Edwards building, which is now the ⁓ administration building for the school board, right behind the church over there on Fourth Avenue.

That's very interesting. Never knew that either. You're quite the historian. Someone might correct me on some of this. So I always heard like back in the day, it still happens some I guess, but people would drive down Main Street in Hendersonville. it was more straight then. A few years ago it went through like a little renovation. The curves. Yeah. So back in the late the 70s, early 80s, the

Main Street was four lanes. ⁓ I never, wow, Tommy. And ⁓ Friday night, Saturday night, everybody's got to go drag main. So we'd go up, ride one end. We'd turn around down where the Bank of America is. Come back down and go come back down to Spartanburg Highway, go to McDonald's, turn around, go right back up.

That's back and forth. So the McDonald's has been there a long time. The McDonald's been there a long time. ⁓ I believe there was a Hardee's down where TD Bank is at one time. ⁓ then I think the first place that we actually had in here, I might be wrong on this too, but the Pizza Hut is no longer there, but it's right where the Ingalls is on Spartanburg Highway, but it's set up on the road.

Kind of in front of where the old Planet Fitness is. Okay, except right there's a pizza hut that was big back in the day Yeah, we got a pizza hut in Hendersonville. That's funny. What about where the Wendy's was anything was there Yeah, there used to be a building right in there Where the where the Walgreens is there was a store there was called Dorns men shop It was a gentleman that owned a men's clothing store. Yeah, there was store there was that

There was a few other stores up through there. I remember back when I was a little kid in the 60s, there was an old general store right in there too somewhere. That was cool old building, you know. And then Spartanburg Highway was a two-lane road then also. Wow. That's always fun to hear about how things have progressed or changed. It depends how you view it. So when you have friends come to visit or ⁓ family from out of town, any places you suggest, hey, you got to go see this or go hike here or go...

What are your suggestions? Well, with all the vineyards and everything that's popped up around Hennesseyville, a of the apple orchards of old have turned into vineyards. So some people come up and ask different places that they might like to go. tell them maybe go check out some of the vineyards. Burnt Sherd out on Sugarloaf Road, Point Lookout up on the Sugarloaf Mountain. That's a nice area. And there's a lot of places around that.

I always tell people go check out DuPont State Park if they like to hike. That's a great place to go. It's not far, you can go get out there. then the Holmes Educational Forest is a good little place, easy to kind of get around there. Carl Sandberg's place is always, you there's a lot to do in Hendersonville. I agree. Do you like to have apple donuts when it's in season? I actually like the fried pies.

the apple, the fried pies that they sell on Main Street during the Apple Festival. Yeah, the fried pies is one of my favorites. I do like the doughnuts too. The fried pies are delicious and I'm trying to think as you're saying that, I can't think of an apple orchard that sells fried, I'm sure there are though, right? Sure, you can go out, if you out 64 toward Agnewville, a lot of the little apple places will now, that's on the side of the road, they, lot of them places do it. Granddads have it.

The fried pies? Sky Top, I think, might have. They might have done it at Sky Top. ⁓ There's a place right before Grandad's on the left. I believe they make the fried pies. Okay. The names, I know the people that run them places, but they're kind of leaving me right now. Well, gosh, if you didn't tune in for anything else, it's to remember to get a fried apple pie. Fried apple pie. ⁓

It's not a true, I mean, if somebody has no clue what it means, it's not a real like apple pie fried. It's more of a like croissant is kind of thing. Yeah. I've flipped over got the apple in the middle. They sell them a lot during the apple festival on Main Street. Yes. Little fried pies. Yes. And they're delicious. Yeah, they are. Especially with icing, right? Am I thinking of the same thing? You can put ice cream on them. Icing. Yeah, they put, can drizzle, they drizzle icing on I'm thinking of the same thing. If you're lucky, you might get a scoop of ice cream.

Well, that's even better. I hadn't thought of that. Well, Tommy, ⁓ let's see. I've asked you about food, which is good. I've asked you about places to visit. I've asked you about what you do. What can you think of? need you should tell us that I haven't asked so far. Anything exciting? Anything on the horizon for the area that people need to know about? Maybe you're privy to. Well, I mean, we're growing a lot and it's good for the business, but it's also bad for the traffic.

I will agree because the past year for some reason there definitely seems to be more traffic than normal. Yes, and it's not just seasonal right now It's just here it used to be just certain times of the year where they get real bad, but now it's it's Hennessyville is a You know great place to live to raise your family and kids I raised my two daughters that grew up here in Hennessyville. They don't live here no more. They moved out but It was back in the day

couldn't beat it. I'd say you probably still can't beat it today, but it is getting a lot of people. And people will hear us say that and they're coming from Miami or Atlanta or New York and they'll be like, you have no clue. And they're correct, we have no clue. It's not that kind of traffic, but it's adding an extra five or 10 minutes to your drive at times. to us that's from here, getting stuck on Four Seasons Boulevard, we think like, what the hell is going on?

I think you'd increase it to six lanes. Yeah, then that's going to make it even worse for it they get it done. It's kind of like the interstate. I'm glad that we needed the interstate to be bigger and it's from Henderson Mill to Longsholz is great. Yes, it's been a nice... from Longsholz till they get that part done. Yeah, I've been to Atlanta and through Miami.

Orlando. So I know what it is to be stuck in traffic, but. Well, earlier off camera you shared with us about different trips you've won through the years with AmeriLife, because you do well. ⁓ Is there a favorite place that you've been to? ⁓ I think my favorite place, me and my wife, we went to Italy in 2024. We got to spend a week in Rome. Wow. ⁓ See a lot of the all the sights. ⁓

I a lot of food. Did you talk to anybody there? Pretty much, yeah. Could they tell you were from the South? They didn't know where I was from. They knew I was American. The food was phenomenal over there. Really, it's the best in your mind? Yeah. And you've been a lot of places, so that says a lot. Yeah, I really enjoyed it. I think I ate lasagna every day. Oh. And every place was a little bit different, but it was all great.

I thought I gotta eat lasagna. I tried a few other things, but that was my favorite. I love lasagna. I do too. And I suspect it's homemade there too, the pastas. ⁓ yeah. Yeah. My wife took a cooking class and she fixed it once, but that's it. So maybe you can tell her you want to try her lasagna. Maybe we'll try to have a cooking show and she could be the guest. Yeah. She cooked lasagna. Yeah, she did a class with some of the other...

ladies that was friends of hers that was over there with us and ⁓ come home and she did it once. She's gonna watch this and slap me upside the head. So a few weeks ago we interviewed Tristan over at Allora. It's a bed and breakfast in downtown that's new and he shared that he was, I think it was Italy or Spain and he learned to make homemade pasta and now cooks it for his guests at times. Yeah. So that's pretty cool.

Maybe that'll encourage your wife to try it again. Get back to doing that. Problem with doing it all the time here is you don't walk as much as you do over there. Because you're walking everywhere in Rome. It's easier to eat all you want and not gain no weight. Because we come back and I got on the sky and I gain no weight. I said, wow, I can't believe that. But you walk five, 10 miles every day.

Awesome. So your favorite restaurants? Shine, Buddha's, Brandy's.

I've gone blank. Umis. Umis. Yeah, on Main Street. I like ⁓ Pop's Diner down there. It's been around a long time. One time it was called Five Points. That's a great little place. We love eating there ⁓ Sundays after church sometimes. It's one of little favorite places to go. I also like Mike's on Main. They're starting to come to me now. Yes. That's a good little spot. I agree. I like McFarland's donuts. Uh-uh, yeah.

You really can't have a meal there, but it could be a meal, but it could be a bad meal. Yeah. And they've been around forever. They've always had the best donuts. They're delicious. All right, Tommy, tell people again, how they get in touch with you if they need to talk to you about some insurance changes, policies, adjustments, questions. They don't have to be older either. We have both young and old. Our main focus of the company was originally started in 1972 in Holiday, Florida.

actually been in the Asheville area since 1988. I was one of the first agents in that office when they moved up here. ⁓ But ⁓ we do help both young and old. ⁓ Social Security has really changed a lot in the last few years. So if you are getting ready to retire, thinking about retiring, we have some registered social security analyzers in the office that we can help. We got tools to show you when's the right time to start drawing.

If you plan on taking early social security, people get set up with Medicare, that's huge. That's changed a lot in the last year. Most people used to be automatic and now you have to tell them. So you can reach out to us and we can give you any kind of information to help you with that. All our services are free, we don't charge for none of that. ⁓ We do get paid by the insurance companies if we sign you up for something. ⁓

but it's it's a Maryland of Asheville. Our office number is 828-684-1477 and my ⁓ cell number I usually don't give it out but I've been giving it out lately. So it's 828-606-8697. Awesome. And when you call Tommy ask him to sing for you. Thanks Tommy for joining us. I had to throw that in for you. Thanks for watching and keep living local.

Need a steady hand as you think through a move in Hendersonville or anywhere in Western North Carolina? I’m always glad to help you sort it out. Let's talk

What’s the Current Home Value and Market Trend in Laurel Park NC?

Laurel Park, North Carolina has a housing market story that’s honestly a bit tangled. Depending on who you ask, current home values in Laurel Park swing pretty wildly—Zillow claims an average value of $490,575 (up 2.1% year-over-year), while Redfin puts the median at $375,000 (down 16.9% from last year).

Market dynamics here aren’t just about price tags. Home sales ticked up from 2 to 5 properties sold in February 2025, yet days on market nudged up from 97 to 101 days.

Rental properties in the area command a median gross rent of $1,699, which suggests there’s no shortage of folks looking to live here—whether they’re buying or renting.

Current Home Values in Laurel Park NC

Home values in Laurel Park are a mixed bag. Recent data shows prices can swing drastically depending on the source and the property type.

The market’s got everything from starter homes around $300,000 to luxury spots north of $700,000.

Recent Sale Prices and Market Examples

The Laurel Park housing market is all over the place. February 2025 saw median sale prices at $375,000, which is 16.9% lower than the previous year.

But then Zillow reports average values at $490,575, up 2.1% year-over-year. It’s a reminder: don’t trust just one source if you’re trying to get the full picture.

In February 2025, 5 homes sold—up from just 2 the year before. Properties are hanging around for about 101 days, a bit longer than the 97-day average from last year.

The 28739 zip code saw 551 total property sales in the past twelve months, and the median sales price hit $514,900.

Price Range Overview by Property Type

Current listings show 103 homes for sale with a median listing price of $390,000. There’s something for just about every budget, honestly.

Entry-level homes start at roughly $300,000, so first-time buyers aren’t totally out of luck. Most of the action happens in the $400,000-$650,000 range, though.

Luxury properties? They’re $700,000 and up—sometimes way up, like $1,895,000. These are the homes with big lots, fancy finishes, and prime locations.

Median gross rent sits at $1,699, which keeps the rental market pretty lively too.

Assessment vs. Market Value

Property assessments and market values often don’t match. Assessments usually trail behind whatever’s happening in the market, and they’re calculated differently than appraisals.

If you’re after a real number, get a professional appraisal or a comparative market analysis from a local agent. Figuring out what your home’s worth isn’t as simple as plugging numbers into a calculator—it’s about recent sales, current trends, and the quirks of your own property.

Market values can swing with supply and demand, seasonality, or the broader economy. Assessment values, meanwhile, are more stable but can be wildly off if the market’s moving fast.

Market Trends in Laurel Park NC

Depending on where you look, Laurel Park’s median home prices bounce between $375,000 and $483,000. Properties usually spend somewhere between 75 and 101 days on the market, so it’s not exactly a mad dash but it’s not a snooze, either.

Quarterly and Annual Price Changes

The market data for 2025 is kind of a rollercoaster. In October, the median price hit $483,000, up 6.9% from the year before.

But by February 2025, prices had dropped to a median of $375,000—down 16.9% year-over-year. It’s hard to say if that’s just seasonality or something else going on with the data.

Price per square foot also dipped 13.4% to $220, so buyers are getting more space for their money. Most homes are still below the $650,000–$700,000 luxury mark, though.

Sales volume? That’s up. October 2025 saw 10 homes sold versus just 6 the previous October—a 67% bump in activity, even with prices moving all over the place.

Inventory and Days on Market

Homes in Laurel Park are now averaging 93 days on the market, which is a lot longer than last year’s 54 days. That’s a 72% jump—definitely a sign that things are cooling off.

Redfin calls the market “somewhat competitive.” Most homes sell for about 4% below list, with a sale-to-list ratio of 97.4%.

Market Characteristics:

• Multiple offers happen, but it’s not the norm
• Hot homes might go for 1% below list
• Premium properties can go pending in about 51 days
• Average homes? More like 76 days to pending

Inventory’s still tight—some sources show just 1 or 2 active listings at a time. That’s probably propping up prices, even if it takes longer to sell.

Market Trends Compared to Nearby Areas

Laurel Park sits somewhere in the middle compared to its neighbors. It's not super hot, but it’s not dragging either.

Nearby cities are even slower, with homes selling 3–4% below list and sitting for 84 to 111 days. So, if you’re selling in Laurel Park, you might actually have a slight edge.

Regional Comparison:

• Laurel Park: 76 days average, 4% below list
• Nearby City A: 84 days average, 3% below list
• Nearby City B: 111 days average, 4% below list

Migration data’s kind of fascinating. There’s net inbound interest from Atlanta (419), Miami (355), and DC (241). The main place folks are moving to from here? Greenville, SC, with a net outflow of 343.

If you’re curious about your own home’s value, a professional home valuation can actually give you a straight answer based on what’s really happening in your neighborhood.

Factors Impacting Home Values

Lots of things drive prices in Laurel Park. Local demand, the quirks of your house, and even the season can all make a difference. These factors can be the difference between a $650,000 home and a $700,000 one.

Local Housing Demand

Demand in Laurel Park ebbs and flows with how many homes are for sale. Fewer listings usually means more competition and higher prices.

Interest rates matter a ton. When rates are low, buyers can stretch further and scoop up pricier homes. When they jump, homes above $650,000 get a lot harder to move.

Being close to Hendersonville and Asheville is a big draw. People love the mountain vibe but want to keep city amenities within reach, so retirees and remote workers keep things lively.

The economy in Western North Carolina also plays a part. Good job markets nearby mean more folks can afford to buy here.

Oh, and don’t forget the seasons. Spring and summer are always busier. Price your place right, and it’ll move faster—overpriced homes just linger.

Property Features and Upgrades

Home size and layout are a big deal. Open floor plans and main-level master suites bring in higher offers, especially with buyers thinking about aging in place.

Kitchen and bathroom updates are king. Granite counters and stainless appliances can tack on $15,000 to $30,000 in value, easy.

Outdoor living spaces are huge here. Decks, screened porches, patios—buyers want to soak up those mountain views.

Energy efficiency is catching on. New HVAC, insulation, and windows save money and make your place more appealing.

Mountain homes with unique features like stone fireplaces, vaulted ceilings, and big windows really stand out. These property features can push your home’s value up in a hurry.

If you’re thinking of selling, you’ll want to get a sense of what your place is worth—especially if you’ve made improvements.

How to Determine Your Home's Value

Getting an accurate number isn’t just about plugging your address into a website. You need a mix of professional know-how and digital tools to land on a real value.

Professional Valuations and Comparable Sales

Licensed appraisers do the deep dive—these are the numbers banks and courts actually trust. They’ll look at your home’s condition, improvements, lot size, and the overall neighborhood vibe.

A top local agent can run a comparative market analysis for you. They’ll pull up recent sales of similar homes nearby—same size, same features, sold in the last six months.

Actual sale prices tell you way more than listing prices. If a place down the street sold for $650,000 or $700,000, that’s a solid benchmark for your own home.

Key things the pros look at:

• Recent renovations and upgrades
• Overall condition and upkeep
• Local market trends and how many homes are for sale
• Neighborhood perks and school quality

Professional valuations usually run $300 to $700, but if you’re refinancing, selling, or dealing with legal stuff, it’s money well spent.

Online Estimation Tools

Plenty of websites out there will give you a quick home value estimate, using automated valuation models and whatever public records they can find. Free home value estimators pull in recent sales, tax records, and property details to spit out a ballpark number.

Home value can fluctuate for all sorts of reasons—property age, condition, and whatever the local market's doing right now. These online tools are handy for a starting point, but let's be honest, they're not a substitute for a real human assessment.

Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com—those are the big names. Each uses its own secret sauce, and sometimes you’ll see estimates for the same house differ by $10,000, $30,000, even $50,000.

Limitations of online tools:

• No way to judge your kitchen remodel or if you finally fixed that leaky roof
• Sometimes they’re working off old sales data
• Unique features? They’re probably missing those
• Accuracy really depends on your zip code

They're best for early research, before you get a real estate pro involved for a more detailed look.

Laurel Park NC Price Brackets and Buyer Activity

Laurel Park’s housing market has its quirks, with most buyers flocking to homes priced between $300,000 and $650,000. In those lower brackets, you’ll mostly find first-timers and retirees, while folks eyeing anything over $700,000 are usually after something a bit more luxe.

Popular Price Points

The median home price in Laurel Park floats somewhere between $371K and $490K, depending who you ask. Not surprisingly, homes around $300,000 are entry-level magnets and get a lot of attention.

Most deals actually close in the $400,000 to $650,000 range. Here, buyers are looking for more space, maybe a few upgrades, and a place that feels like a step up.

Luxury homes over $700,000? That’s a smaller slice of the market. The median listing price per square foot is $281, so the fancy places definitely go for more per foot.

Curious where your place lands? You can always check with What's My Home Worth? for a more tailored number.

Types of Buyers in Each Range

$300,000-$450,000: Here you’ve got first-timers and young professionals. They’re usually after a starter home, something affordable with a chance to build equity.

$450,000-$650,000: This range is for folks moving up—maybe families relocating or just needing more space. Updated kitchens, extra bedrooms, and good schools tend to matter most.

$650,000-$700,000+: The upper end attracts buyers who want something special. Cash deals aren’t unusual, and there’s a real focus on views, custom touches, and privacy.

Understanding Your Selling Options

If you’re thinking of selling in Laurel Park, you’ve got a couple main options. Professional advice and a solid idea of your home’s value are key to a smooth sale.

Working with a Local Realtor

A local realtor really knows the ins and outs of Laurel Park—seasonal shifts, what buyers want, and how to price things just right. That kind of market-specific knowledge is tough to beat.

Key advantages include:

• Access to the MLS, so your listing gets seen
• Good photos and marketing that actually catch eyes
• Negotiation skills—because offers aren’t always straightforward
• Connections with inspectors, attorneys, and lenders who know the area

They can spot the comps that matter, even within the same neighborhood or price band. Some know exactly which homes moved fast at $700,000+ and why.

Realtors handle the showings, the paperwork, and all the back-and-forth with buyers. They’ll also tell you if your place needs a spruce-up or a few repairs before listing.

Getting a Personalized Home Value Estimate

Before you list, you want a number that actually reflects your home. A personalized home value estimate looks at your upgrades, quirks, and what’s happening in the market right now.

Appraisers look at a few main things:

• How much space you have, inside and out
• Age and shape of your roof, HVAC, and other big-ticket items
• Any renovations or cool features
• Where you are in the neighborhood

They’ll compare your place to recent sales within about a mile. That helps set a price that’s competitive but realistic.

Online tools are fine for rough numbers, but an in-person look is the only way to catch things like killer views or custom finishes. In Laurel Park, those unique touches can really shift the value.

Frequently Asked Questions

People in Laurel Park, NC—whether they’re buying or selling—usually have a lot of questions about the market and how homes are valued. Things here follow some of the broader regional trends, but there’s definitely a local flavor too.

How has the Laurel Park, NC housing market changed recently?

Laurel Park currently has 74 homes on the market, so there’s a decent amount of inventory. Like most mountain towns, you’ll see some ups and downs depending on the season.

Agents say buyer interest has stayed pretty steady. Days on market? It depends—price it right and it’ll move faster.

Brokerages like Carolina Luxury Brokers LLC and Premier Sotheby's International Realty are active here, along with Century 21 Mountain Lifestyles and a few others.

What factors are influencing current property values in Laurel Park, NC?

Location inside Laurel Park is a big deal—closer to amenities or with mountain views, and you’re looking at higher prices.

Condition matters too. Updated, well-kept homes always get more attention.

And if there’s not much for sale, prices tend to hold up or even climb.

Can you provide insights on the home sale trends in Laurel Park, NC for this quarter?

Sales are all over the map depending on price range. The luxury segment still sees steady interest.

Spring and summer tend to be busier, which is pretty typical for mountain areas.

Cash buyers are pretty common. The rest depends on what kind of financing people can get.

What are the predictions for the real estate market in Laurel Park, NC going forward?

Market forecasting tools crunch the numbers and look at trends, but there’s always some guesswork. Economic shifts and interest rates will play a big part.

Local jobs and whether people keep moving to the area matter too.

Mountain towns like Laurel Park usually weather market ups and downs better than some places. The scenery and location keep people interested.

How do Laurel Park, NC home prices compare to the overall state averages?

Mountain towns in North Carolina are their own thing—prices don’t always match up with what you’ll see in the cities. Rural and vacation spots have their own trends.

Being close to amenities helps Laurel Park stand out compared to other Western NC spots.

National housing stats can help put things in perspective, but regional numbers are probably more useful for comparisons.

What resources are available for estimating the worth of a home in Laurel Park, NC?

Professional appraisals are still the gold standard for nailing down a home's value. Licensed appraisers take into account local market quirks and recent comparable sales, so their numbers tend to be spot on.

Real estate agents can pull together a comparative market analysis if you're curious about your property's value. They'll dig into recent sales of homes like yours in the area—it's not a crystal ball, but it gives you a decent ballpark.

If you want something quick, homeowners can try out professional home worth assessments on specialized websites. These tools crunch market data along with info about your specific property.

There are also those online valuation tools floating around, which can spit out a rough estimate in seconds. Just keep in mind, nothing really beats having some local know-how when it comes to pricing your place right.

Date: 11/13/25

Duration: 30:39

Guest: Carolyn Swanner

Website: United Community Bank

Listen on Spotify:

Episode 9 Summary:

In this episode, Ed sits down with longtime Hendersonville mortgage pro Carolyn Swanner from United Community Bank. Carolyn shares her story of growing up local, building a 55 year career in banking, and why working with someone who knows the community inside and out makes all the difference for homebuyers.

She breaks down how lending has changed, why online rates can be misleading, and what makes a true local lender valuable from start to finish. Carolyn talks about her hands on approach, the importance of solid pre qualification, how she creates income solutions for retirees, and the unique loan options her team can offer that many buyers never hear about.

Ed and Carolyn also chat about life in Hendersonville, favorite local food spots, the impact of the Ecusta Trail, and why the area attracts so many new residents each year.

Whether you’re buying, selling, or just love learning about the community, this episode is full of practical insight and fun local flavor.

Watch on YouTube:

Transcript:

Thanks for joining us. I'm excited to have our special guest today is Carolyn Swanner. She's with United Community Bank. And Carolyn, thanks so much for taking time. Fun. Love it. You are. Well, you're a staple in the mortgage industry and you've been around and you help quite a few people through the years. So tell us a little bit about yourself and where you're up to lately and then I have lots of questions. Well, as you'll be able to tell quickly, I'm a native and I get so tickled because I have so many new homeowners call and they're from New York or New Jersey or Chicago and the first thing they'll go is, are you a native? What gives it away? What do you think? Yeah. So luckily, I was lucky enough to be born here and smart enough to have never moved. Because a lot of the people I went to high school with, they've spent their whole life trying to make enough money to retire and move back. things have changed a little bit. Local, parents local, born and raised. My parents went to Hendersville High School. I went to Hendersville High School. My husband did, my kids did. So yeah, homecoming there is fun. So. It's changed. lot has changed. I started actually in banking at a little local bank on Main Street called Home Bank. Wasn't what I planned to do. I was going to teach high school English and my father-in-law was in a group that started this little bank and they said, well, just come and help us get it off the ground. 55 years later, I'm still helping get it off the ground. So that was a fun start and that was back in the old days where as we were joking, ⁓ pretty much we had a half a piece of paper and we'd hug and close the loan and we really didn't have to do a whole lot. We'd just go to loan committee and just stand up and talk about them. So you know these people, their parents are so-and-so, they're great and we'd close. Even back then is so funny because... Even the loan officers did the appraisals. And I was about as qualified to appraise a home as somebody off the street. we'd take two of us, we'd go in and go, isn't this cute? I love this wallpaper. Let's say 80,000. And you know, ironically, and let me, never lost a nickel. I've had one in 55 years go to foreclosure. And we knew it upfront. We knew it would. It went from closing to foreclosure. Luckily, there's still a lot of judgment and intuition and helping good people. And yes, the paperwork now is horrendous. I tell nobody hates paperwork any more than I do. But I promise I don't make it up. I strip it to whatever can I get away with that I've got to have. So that works out well, especially people that have never been through the process or haven't been through it since all these regulations have changed and they're going. I mean, they're just like deer in headlights. You mean what? Yeah. So we should get it all up front, get it ready, and then everybody can relax and place furniture in their head and pack and get ready to go to closing. And Carolyn and I were talking before we started recording, but she's exactly right. ⁓ Too many times I've regretted not strongly encouraging people to use Carolyn because she really does get it all done up front and versus the next. Three to four weeks of yeah, it's just daily torment. Why do that? They've got more fun things to do then then then be worried about a current bank statement or a pay stub and Everybody's gonna need the same thing. They're just not telling you that up front It's just because none of us get to make the rules up or this this world would be a lot simpler So that opens up a big question for me. So if somebody's out shopping raids or what's really different than other? banks or credit unions or national mortgage people. You know, back in the old days, we had a rate. We had a mortgage rate. It only changed on Thursdays. So if you didn't like this week's rate, wait until next week and that was it. There was no options. was nothing. That was to take it or leave it. That's your rate. And as you know now, there is no such thing as a rate. Everything now is based on a lot of criteria. Credit scores, down payment, what kind of program, what kind of property. So that's where I think we go way above everybody else in that, unfortunately, we have especially online people, and I am a big believer in local. If you can stay local, your appraisers local, your people are local, your clothes in local. What happens is if they go with online people, and I don't want to use the word bait and switch, but ⁓ many, many, many times, what you're told upfront is not what actually ends up on those closing papers. And they bank on that because at that point, everybody's so frustrated, they just sign it regardless. And they know the percentage is like 90 something percent. We'll go ahead and sign the paperwork anyway. We don't play those games and we're going to sit and listen to you. We're going to figure out what's the best program and what can we do and offer because as you know, ⁓ my gosh, we can custom design a program now. We got first time home buyers. We got special things. We got FHA, USDA. We've got doctor's programs. There is no such thing as a rate. What do you need and what will work the best for you? And I think that's where we spend so much longer with people upfront, comfort level. We want to know Those kind of things. And we're not just going to cookie cutter and stick them in a program when we know in our heart there's something better or an easier solution or maybe lesser down payment and they can use that other money to update the kitchen or something more fun. So if you have somebody call me, they're not going to get, okay, fill this out and we'll get back to you. Not going to happen. So I think... where we stand out is one, we're local, two, we know this market. You could probably tell me the street address and I'm probably tell you what color the house is. And I'm on what third generation of families making, know, grandparents, home loans, kids home loans, grandkids home loans. So I think that local touch, knowing the market and when somebody tells me they want to look at a condo, I know which complex it's in. I know if it's going to be an approved project. And you're not going to get this when you're handed off nationwide. And your processing goes to Dallas and your closing package comes out of California and your check's going to come out of New Jersey. ⁓ Now, love me or hate me, I'm it. We're a one-stop shop. We process them locally, we do them locally, we close them locally, we keep our loans, we don't sell you off all over the world. And so I think that's huge. And if it's not huge upfront, it will be later on. Because if anything goes in the ditch, guess who they can call? Me. I think not just rate. If it was just rate, what difference would it make? But it's not just rate anymore. It's caring, it's long-term relationships, it's being able to offer other products because nine times out of 10, I'm going to give them an equity line and I'm going to give them a free checking account, hook to the mortgage, an automatic draft. It's a lot more now than just a have a nice life after closing. We look to build a long-term family relationship. And that, I think, pays off a lot in the long run. I wouldn't have doing this 55 years if that didn't work pretty well. I think any successful business has to do that. It's beyond one transaction. Especially in Hendersonville. And it's changed so much. So if people already are listening or watching and they're like, gosh, I should have called her. I need to call her. How do people reach out to you? How do they find you? Very Very easy. They can call my office. They can call my cell phone. They can email me. They can text me. Which one of those do you want to give out? All of them. Any of them. I don't care how you call me. Just call me. What's a phone number? Probably, I prefer my cell number, my personal cell phone number. And I know other bankers think I'm nuts that I will give my personal cell. Here's the deal in our world, your world, my world. This is not a nine to five job if I mean, know, when can most people go look at houses? At night after work or on the weekends? Duh, the rest of time, they gotta make that paycheck so we can make that loan and you can close that house. So probably I would prefer my personal cell phone and that is 828-606-3578. because that way I'm more accessible. If I'm not sitting in the office or ⁓ that way they can leave it or they got a contact or they can text me and I promise I may be with somebody and in all fairness, I don't take calls if I've got somebody in my office because that's not fair to them but I will call back. I have a sundown rule. mean, we're calling you back. Well, I'm sorry. Okay, time changed. The sundown rule isn't working because it's dark at 530 now. So forget the sundown rule. I'll just call you back. And I can personally testify 2016 we bought our house and Carolyn helped make that mortgage happen and she's spot on. So she does what she says. She gets it done. So, and can I talk a little bit about prequel letters? Sure. Okay. I'm a big, big, big advocate of doing prequel letters. And most people think it's just because I want to stick something in Ed's hand so he can go show property. But it amazes me that most people are concerned about being able to qualify. When it normally will turn out, they can qualify for more than they thought they could. So I don't want people out shopping and not looking at a home they love for a few thousand dollars because they don't quite understand how that works. And on the other hand, there are people that can qualify for a lot more loan, but their comfort level isn't there. So, so in this pre-qualification phase where they're getting ready to go out shopping, that's when we want to fine tune all that and say, well, you could probably buy another $25,000 house. And if we do it this way, you're not gonna have as much payment shock. And I just don't want them to walk away because you know, in In real estate, they're looking in price categories. And they're shutting off at that price point when maybe that might not be the best solution. And the trick is we do not want anybody to not get a home they love over just a little bit if we can help them up front and get that comfort level and get a price range so that they can give you a realistic price range and not be out showing them the Biltmore house. if they can't have it or if they don't want that kind of payment. So I know that it aggravates people now when they need to get a pre-qualification letter, but there's more to it than just saying, okay, go look at that house. That might not be the house they love, but the next one you show might. So we just want them to have accurate information and a better understanding of payments and... what they could have and what they couldn't have and what they would need way before you put them in the car and and and go start shopping around because that's the fun part is the shop it would may maybe ⁓ maybe not if it depends on on timing and work schedules and all that but on my end that's the fun part i like the the shopping part yep absolutely yeah so tell me is do people ever get qualified for a different amount if they go to a different loan officer or they could. Yes. Okay. And why would that happen? Because of the programs that are offered? Okay. Well, and so it depends on who you're calling, and it depends on experience level of the loan officer, and it doesn't depend on what the prospective homebuyer ask, you know, because a lot of them aren't just going go into a whole lot of detail. I'll tell you why we will see that is because over the years, I've learned a few tricks of the trade. And I know how to create income and I know what will count and won't. especially around here, we're in a retiree market. I mean, we're so fortunate because, and we have been lucky to have a lot of retirees move here. And no, they don't have much income stream. But they have 401ks or IRAs. And I can create a temporary income stream using that. If you aren't experienced in how to establish that, They may call and say, well, we only got Social Security. And they go, well, that won't work. Well, that's not true. That's not true. There are other means of creating income. And I think that's sad that people are shut down just because they're asked for a current pay stub or a current Social Security benefits statement and don't look at potential other income. So that happens a lot. You remember in old days, we used to have this thing called a bridge line. And basically, they weren't a good program to start with, so I didn't like them. if you were going to sell a current home and you had a contract, we could basically loan you money for a new house based on the contract of the old house. Sounds wonderful, unless something happens and the old house doesn't close. You've basically put these people into a situation of a 90-day balloon note. And if you didn't close, everybody's up the proverbial creek. So those are done away with, obviously, because this was putting a homebuyer in a tough situation, you know, a gambling situation. So I use that one as an example because we do that a lot, is that we have a way to loan the maximum on a new house, even when you haven't sold the old house. But we're going to go ahead and make a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage or 15-year whatever they want. And then when that old house sells, all we have to do is make a payment down on the new house loan and drop that payment. So they're not now having to wait till they have the proceeds. And we do what's called a recast. It's not a refinance, so they'll have all this closing cost. We're just going to make a principal reduction and do a modification and change the payment. And what this does is it allows them to go ahead and secure a new house because not many people won't give up their old one until they have found a new one. And it also eliminates the horrible stress of same-day possession at closing. I don't know if anybody's ever been through that where you have a domino and everybody's trying to move in and move out, move in and move out and go do final inspections and walk-throughs and it looks like that extreme makeover program, you know, wherever. That is really tough. If you've ever been through it and you've moved and you've agreed to same-day possession, this, they don't care. Now, you just move in the new one, you get the old one ready, they stage it and then market it later. So it takes a tremendous amount of pressure off That's a great program. It really is. And there is risk as to carrying in two mortgages for a little while. Rarely does that, especially we're lucky in Henderson County. Usually by the time because when you close and you skip a month and you don't even have a payment that one closes and we're already modifying it down. you know, maybe the first payment it depends on timing and what they're selling but other lenders don't offer this. Right. And the people are like, you're kidding I can do that? We do it all day every day. So, and again that comes from experience and you know, you learn from mistakes. ⁓ I try not to do the same one twice. Now with all these different programs, you know, that's what I get tickled. They'll call and just leave message, what's the rate today? ⁓ Or do we want? Do we want to purchase? We want to refinance? Do we want a construction loan? Do we want you to, how much do we have down? What's your credit score? And I know that's a lot of questions, but every bit of that criteria tells you what program or what rate will be. Credit scores are important. I like to to people about those. We like to help people improve are ways. to do that that people don't even realize. Charge cards are the biggest enemy I have in credit scores. We have so many good people that do not realize that it doesn't matter if you owe 500 or 5,000. If you're over half the limit of a charge card, they consider you maxed out and it'll tank your scores. So there's ways to avoid that. You pay your payment two days before the statement cuts. We'd love to help people do that. especially new people that get started because you got to have credit to get credit. Well, you can't get credit if you don't have credit. So helping these young people try to figure out how to get started and get some credit initiated and get some credit history and payment history in there, that's kind of a fun side job I like to do because it's hard. mean, it's hard. Credit scores are important. know, down payment in the old days, you know, had to have 20 % down. Then we created private mortgage insurance and that covered that. Now there's all kinds of programs, 100%, 97.5%. So I don't want people to be scared about that. In fact, sometimes I'd rather keep some of that money. You know, they might want a new fridge or they might want to close in a sundeck or, know, and that way they can improve that property. If they improve the value of that property. they're far more better off with self-worth than paying a little bit more down on the mortgage. there's no cookie cutter. I think that's what drives me crazy is people think they have to fit in this little box. Well, there's a lot of boxes now, and there's sometimes we have to go outside that box. So you just got to deal with somebody that kind of knows the boxes. Well, you're the one. You said cookie cutter. I've done a couple. You said cookie cutter made me think about food. So I love food. What do you know about food? Top three favorite places in the area. You recommend people to go check out. OK, so you've put me in a tough situation. It could be five. No. OK, so here's here's being in small town. My husband owns Swannard restaurant equipment company. We love all the restaurants. And we love all of our good customers through the equipment company. So I hesitate to pick any one as my favorite. I'm a junk food person. So I might not be your finest connoisseur of fine dining. But if I had to pick, gosh, I don't know whether I ought to do that or not. We're local. We love them all. We're so lucky here. ⁓ You know, to be such a small town. Where do you end up eating out the most when you go out to eat? Okay, here. I used to see you a lot at one particular place, but I don't know if I can you. so here you almost need to know what you want to eat before you know where to go. Do you want barbecue? you want Mexican? you want Japanese? What do you want? So I am sure that every couple in the world does the same thing we do every night. Where do you want to go? I don't care. You pick. I don't care. Where do you want? I mean this goes on every night. 30 minutes. So if I'm in the mood for Mexico, I'm going to probably pick Papas and beer. That's what I thought. El Paso, depending on which mood I'm in. Barbecue, love barbecue. I'm either going to to Mo's or even Hug Wild or there's some food trucks that are pretty good. Main Street. Okay. You got to love Shine. You got to love Bustero. ⁓ Cafe Rail. ⁓ The new one on 7th Avenue is delicious. Claywood? The new one. Yeah, I forget its name. ⁓ people are raving how wonderful that is. I mean, my gosh, you just pick any place. ⁓ Your steak, probably Binyons. Love-o-Bob. Rolls. Yes, lots of these rolls. Bloomin' Onion. Yes, it's delicious. ⁓ So yeah, we're eaters. Yeah, we eat out a lot. So and my gosh hot dog world. Yes, no one said that but it's right here. has to be everybody's staple go-to The killer is tamasi's closing at four o'clock on saturday I can never remember that so Yeah, but food look look at the look at this that just just walk down main street. Yep. You made lots of good suggestions. So how about if you somebody wants to an activity or somebody visits the area, hey, you need to go check out. Okay, so I'm going to tell you right now, the hot thing in Hendersonville is the Acoustic Trail. Well, you're sitting on it. You've got it. love it. It is amazing to me, the businesses that have sprung up, because I didn't get it. just, when they first, and it's been years that we've worked on getting the Acoustic Trail, I thought, yeah. You know, I've never really wanted to walk to Brevard, you know, but maybe some people do. I had no idea the economic impact and I had no idea how many people love the hiking, the bikes. It's just amazing. I'm shocked too. And you look at the businesses that sprung up, look at over at Trailside Brewing. Yep. That's a huge complex. You can't even get in the parking lot. I went with family to have coffee at a coffee shop there in Horseshoe. I've never seen that many people in a place in my life and they were bikes and they were on bikes and riding and all that. So we've always had the Pisco forest. We've had the trails. We've had the thing. This has been a huge impact, I think on Hendersonville. I agree. And fast too. It opens a few months. It opens and it's just like everything's exploding. I'm probably not as athletic as I should be because I sit in a chair for about 15 hours a day. But as we talked to customers, that was huge. And a lot of the reasons, and I'm always going to say, how did you find Andersonville? I mean, you're from Texas, you're from New York, you're from... And a lot of that will be our outdoor beauty, the hiking trails, the walking trails, that kind of thing. So that's huge. And I think another thing here that is so wonderful in activities, did you know that Henderson County has more summer camps than any other county east of the Mississippi? Wow. It's huge. Our camp industry is... Huge and we have so many people that come back here and they will tell me upfront I came to summer camp here every year growing up and it was my fondest childhood memories and I ever said if I could Retire that's where I'd come back to so I don't think people understand that these camps are not only a wonderful activity They're huge on on bringing people into Henderson County because they're just kind of a little silent Business going on and everybody enjoys it but the parents come they drop them off to pick them back up and then the kids grow up and it's big Yeah, will tell you the Acoustic Trail. I love walking I try to walk it every day. Yeah, just to get out you jump on it right here in your office. Yeah, you're right there easy. My kids laugh at me. I'd go a half mile and I'm back I need to go further, but that's all I got in me. That's okay have our other things. A biggie here is the Four Seasons. Distinct Four Seasons. ⁓ I tease them, I only like two of them. I'm a spring and summer person. I'm not good on being cold. But that is, that's amazing to people. I had one lady sit in my office and she had brought me a picture. She lived in Hawaii. And on the calendar, What's the palm tree in the, you know? And I said, my gosh, that's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. She takes Time's News out from under her arm, opens it up, and it's a picture of our fall colors. She said, no, that's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. And when you live here and you don't realize we have people coming from all over the country, all over the world to see these colors that we're just used to. But she said when you live where she lived in Hawaii, She said the sameness would drive her crazy. The temperature never varied more than a couple degrees. She said it got to the point you'd get up and go, God, another pretty day. And she'd watch Christmas Hallmark specials and be so jealous because people are snowing and they're out sledding and they've got their cute little Christmas sweaters on. She said, you don't do that. So that's huge. That is huge here is the city of four distinct seasons. Another thing is our diverse economy. I mean look at me different, I mean we've got the apple industry, we've got all kinds of textiles, we've got tourism. There is such a diversified that we're not dependent on any one business. We're not like the old mill towns that if the mill closed you shut down. is the economy is booming here. And then our low crime rate. while we might fuss about speeding down or being stuck on Four Seasons Boulevard in the Kamikaze turn lane, we don't appreciate the safety of living here. ⁓ People from Charlotte and all that, they come up here and they're just amazed that we don't lock our doors or have our tires stolen off our cars while we're parked. And they said... We walk down Main Street at night and I'm going, uh-huh. We won't even drive downtown. And they get out and it's this freedom to just walk up and Main Street and nobody's gonna muck in there. You're sitting happy and the bursar's open and you eat out on the sidewalk. So I think that's a huge plus here. The Four Seasons, the low crime rate, the diverse economy, cost of living. While we fuss, ⁓ check some of these tax bills from... where these other people are coming from or just utilities and stuff. I'm going, gosh, or insurance premiums. Yeah. It's much better on a, from a national scale. Absolutely. Yeah. If you look at it, you, if you've ever been experienced in what it's like everywhere else, then you begin to appreciate, you know, fuss is loud, you know, when, the tax bill went up, it's really cause look what I paid for a half of the house. So, you know, it's just, it's just one of those areas. We are in like one of the top in the country of the most desirable small towns to come to. So some of us that are born and raised here, we forget how lucky we are that we're already here and we're not trying to buy into Well Carolyn, we're winding out of time, so thank you very much. loved it. Yes, we need to have you again. We'll talk about I would love for people to by and stop by the bank on food. My office is located, we're right there on Four Seasons, but we're at the red light where you would turn left to go into Walmart and Sam's and Staples. Next to the car wash. I'm on the right and I'm smack between the big car wash and the Golden Corral restaurant. You can just pull in there and we always have coffee. We'd love people to stop by. It's a cross chick-fil-a. In that just a unique situation. to remember and Dunkin' Donuts. And Cookout. can fit Jack in a box. mean, eating is ⁓ easy out there. We can just shoot out and shoot back in. So yeah, that's a good location for us. And it seems that people go to Walmart every day. So you're going there anyway, you can just whip in and come in office and speak to us while you're out there. Popcorn Fridays, we have popcorn every Friday. That's awesome. Yeah. Tell everybody your number one more time. Cell number, 828-606-3578. Awesome. Office number, if you want to be real professional, and this does not go through switchboard, you're not going to get hung up, this will go right into my office as a private line in my office, 828... 697-3469. Awesome. Thank you Carolyn very much for taking time. I appreciate it was fun. Thank y'all for watching and or listening and keep living local. Local. Yes. Number one local.

Need a steady hand as you think through a move in Hendersonville or anywhere in Western North Carolina? I’m always glad to help you sort it out. Let's talk

What Is the Real Estate Market Like in Hendersonville NC for Buyers and Sellers? 2025 Update

The Hendersonville NC real estate market has shifted quite a bit in 2025, and it's definitely a different landscape for both buyers and sellers. Home prices were down 6.5% compared to last year, selling for a median price of $375K in September 2025. Inventory has shot up by 67%, so buyers are finding a bit more negotiating power than before.

Properties are lingering on the market longer, averaging 103 days to sell versus 91 days last year. The Henderson County housing market moved towards a balanced market in the first quarter of 2025, with new listings finally outpacing buyer demand.

Market dynamics are creating distinct advantages depending on your goals and timing. It's not a one-size-fits-all situation—buyers and sellers need to stay sharp.

Current State of the Hendersonville NC Real Estate Market

The Hendersonville market in 2025 is a bit of a mixed bag. Home prices are down 6.5% year-over-year, but inventory is way up, so things are tilting toward buyers.

Properties are sitting longer, and there are a lot more listings floating around. It's a noticeable shift from the pace of previous years.

Housing Market Trends in 2025

Home prices in Hendersonville decreased 6.5% compared to last year, with the median price hitting $375,000 in September 2025. That's a pretty big change from the steady appreciation we saw for a while.

Depending on where you look, the numbers can be all over the place. Zillow reports an average home value of $408,152, down 2.3% over the past year. Meanwhile, Movoto shows homes sold for a median price of $500,000 in April 2025.

That spread in reported prices just comes down to different data collection methods and timing. One thing's for sure: homes are taking longer to sell, now averaging 103 days on the market versus 91 last year.

Inventory Levels and Market Activity

Inventory levels shot up 67% in July 2025, which is a big deal for buyers. Current listings vary by platform, but Movoto reports 852 active listings and 57 new ones recently.

Market activity is holding steady. There were 1,441 transactions in the past year. That jump in inventory really marks a change from the seller's market vibe we saw not long ago.

Days on market have gone up in most neighborhoods. Movoto says homes are now selling after 70 days, compared to just 50 last year. Buyers have more time and options to weigh.

Price Per Square Foot Analysis

Price per square foot is all over the map, depending on the neighborhood and property type. The median transaction value of $448,335 for residential properties is a decent starting point for those calculations.

Homes near mountains or lakes almost always fetch higher prices per square foot. Downtown and newer builds have their own price dynamics compared to older neighborhoods.

It's smart for buyers to dig into price per square foot when comparing options. With more inventory, there's time to really weigh the value in different parts of Hendersonville.

Home Prices and Values in Hendersonville NC

Home prices in Hendersonville are sending mixed signals, with median values running anywhere from $375,000 to $500,000 depending on the source. Prices have been trending down, and homes are sitting on the market longer than before.

Median Listing and Sold Prices

Median home prices are all over depending on where you look. Redfin says $375,000 in September 2025, while Movoto reports $500,000 in April 2025.

Zillow puts the average home value at $408,152, which is right in the middle of those other numbers. Every platform seems to have its own take, honestly.

So if you're buying, expect to pay somewhere in that $375,000 to $500,000 range for a typical place. Sellers should use that as a ballpark but adjust for their home's quirks and features.

Year-Over-Year Price Changes

It's been a year of price drops. Redfin shows a 6.5% dip year-over-year, and Zillow clocks it at 2.3% down.

Homes are taking longer to sell now. Average days on market is 103, up from 91 last year.

But here's a twist—sales volume actually jumped. September 2025 had 52 homes sold, a big leap from just 24 last September. Go figure.

Comparison to Nearby Markets

Hendersonville's market has its own rhythm compared to the rest of Western North Carolina. Some of the price drops might be local, some might be part of a wider regional trend.

There are 852 active listings and 57 new ones. That's a lot more choice for buyers than you'd get in a tighter market.

Homes are sitting longer than in some nearby towns. Places that used to move in 50 days are now waiting 70, which is definitely a sign of buyers being a little pickier and the market balancing out.

Single Family Homes Market Insights

Single family homes are seeing prices slip, with median values down 6.5% year-over-year. At the same time, homes are spending over 100 days on the market as inventory piles up.

Current Price Ranges and Trends

Median price sits at $375,000 in September 2025, but some sources show $436,225 in July 2025. The numbers really depend on where you look.

The average home value, according to Zillow, is $408,152, which is a 2.3% drop from last year. It's clear things are shifting toward buyers.

Key Price Indicators:

• Median sale price: $375,000 - $436,225
• Year-over-year change: -6.5% to -2.3%
• Seller acceptance rate: 93% of asking price

Sellers are now accepting 93% of list price, down from 97% last year. That's giving buyers some real leverage.

Average Days on Market for Single Family Homes

On average, single family homes are sitting for 103 days, up from 91 last year. That's a 13% jump in time on the market.

In July, the average was 60 days, but that might just be a seasonal blip. Either way, longer marketing times mean buyers can take a breath, look around, and negotiate.

Market Timing Factors:

• Current average: 103 days
• Previous year: 91 days
• Seasonal variation: 60-103 days

Inventory jumped 67% with 482 homes available, so buyers have choices and sellers need to be patient.

Key Considerations for Buyers in 2025

Buyers are facing a weird mix of opportunity and challenge in Hendersonville right now. There's still some competition in the best neighborhoods, but more inventory is opening up options if you're willing to look around.

Opportunities in Today's Market

If you're prepared, there are some real advantages out there—even with the hurdles. Limited inventory is still a thing in the hottest areas, so strategy matters.

Market Timing Benefits:

• Sellers are more likely to accept reasonable offers after a longer wait
• Price per square foot varies, so there's value to be found
• Winter and early spring buyers might get the best deals

Established neighborhoods seem to hold their value better than new builds right now. If you know the comps, you might find homes priced under market.

Economic shifts and steadier mortgage rates are making it a good time for some buyers to jump in. Homes that need a little TLC often offer the best bang for your buck.

And if you look just outside the city center, some up-and-coming neighborhoods are offering better price per square foot. First-timers and folks looking to move up might want to start there.

Negotiation Strategies and Buyer Behavior

Effective negotiation starts with a real understanding of what motivates sellers and how the market's moving right now. Millennials and Gen Z are driving demand, especially for starter homes and family-friendly spots, so competition gets fierce in certain price brackets.

Key Negotiation Elements:

• Inspection contingencies: Keep timelines reasonable—nobody likes endless waiting.
• Closing flexibility: Try to meet sellers halfway if you can.
• Escalation clauses: Cap your max based on actual comps, not wishful thinking.

Buyers really ought to prep a few offer scenarios before even touring homes. It’s wild how often quick replies end up making or breaking a deal in hot markets.

Getting pre-approved isn’t just a box to check—it gives you real leverage. Sellers usually lean toward buyers who already have their financing lined up, even over higher but shakier offers.

Knowing your price per square foot is key for making a solid offer. Local market smarts help you avoid overbidding and still keep your offer in the running.

Financing and Mortgage Landscape

Mortgages in Hendersonville are a mixed bag right now—some hurdles, some decent openings. Interest rates might stabilize or drop a bit by mid-2025, which could make things less painful for buyers.

Financing Options:

Local lenders are often more responsive and just get the area better. They know the quirks of regional appraisals and can usually move things along faster.

There are down payment assistance programs floating around for qualified buyers in Henderson County. If you’re aiming for a single family home, these can really take the sting out of upfront costs.

Rate locks are a must when rates are bouncing around. Lock in early if you can while you’re still house hunting and within your approval range.

Seller Strategies for Success in Hendersonville NC

Getting a home sold in Hendersonville takes more than luck—it’s about timing, knowing the market, and pricing smart. Keeping an eye on current trends and inventory helps sellers stand out as things shift.

Timing Your Home Sale

When you list can really make or break your outcome in Hendersonville’s market. Homes are sitting 103 days on the market now, up from 91 days last year, so patience is more important than ever.

Seasonal timing still matters. Spring and early summer tend to bring more buyers and, honestly, better prices for single family homes.

Optimal timing factors include:

• What’s on the market locally
• Where interest rates are headed
• Seasonal buyer habits
• Your own moving plans

The 67% jump in inventory means sellers are up against more competition. If you can wait things out, you might catch a better wave.

It’s smart to watch monthly sales numbers and tweak your timing. The market’s moving fast, so you’ve got to stay on your toes about when to jump in.

Preparing for Market Shifts

These days, buyers have a bit more power at the table. Sellers are getting 93% of asking price instead of the 97% they used to, so expectations need a reset.

It’s better to be realistic going in. With more listings, buyers have choices, so sellers can’t expect bidding wars every time.

Key preparation strategies:

• Get a pre-listing inspection
• Invest in professional staging
• Run a solid market analysis
• Stay flexible at the negotiation table

The seller’s market isn’t what it was, so you’ve got to step up your game with better presentation and sharper pricing.

Being proactive is the name of the game. Sellers who prep early usually end up ahead of those who scramble later.

Setting Competitive Listing Prices

Price right or risk sitting on the market—simple as that. Prices are down 6.5% from last year, with the median at $375,000 lately.

Look at price per square foot and compare to similar sales in the last 90 days. That’s how you find your sweet spot.

Pricing considerations:

• Recent comps
• How much competition is out there
• Condition of your place
• Absorption rates

Overpricing just means more days on the market and, eventually, dropping your price anyway. The average is 60 days—so price realistically from the start.

It’s often smarter to price just under the peak and draw in early interest. Sometimes that’s how you get multiple offers, even in a cooler market.

Keep tabs on how your listing is doing and adjust if buyers aren’t biting. Feedback matters more than ever right now.

Market Outlook for Hendersonville NC Real Estate

The Hendersonville market looks steadier after some recent price dips, with inventory climbing and things starting to balance out. Economic shifts and who’s moving here will keep shaping demand through 2025 and probably beyond.

Short- and Long-Term Projections

Right now, prices are down 6.5% compared to last September. The median’s at $375,000, at least by the latest numbers.

First quarter 2025 saw the market balancing out as inventory grew faster than buyer demand. Homes are sitting for 103 days, up from 91 last year.

Long-term forecasts are calling for more price moderation into 2026. Most analysts are betting on slow, steady stabilization, not wild swings.

Factors Shaping Future Demand

Several things are steering Hendersonville’s real estate future. The area still draws retirees and remote workers—mountains and mild weather don’t hurt.

Inventory shot up 67% to 482 homes in July 2025, giving buyers way more to choose from. That’s a big shift from the seller’s market we saw just a couple years ago.

Demographics are working in the region’s favor. People are still moving here from big cities, especially older professionals and folks looking to slow down a bit.

Risks and Opportunities Ahead

Buyers are in a stronger spot now, with sellers accepting about 93% of asking price instead of 97%. More listings mean less competition for each property.

Interest rate swings are the big wild card. If rates jump or drop, that’s going to shift things fast—depends on what the Fed does next.

Sellers might wait longer for offers, but homes priced right are still moving. The key is being realistic about the new market climate and staying flexible.

Frequently Asked Questions

Buyers and sellers in Hendersonville are navigating a market with more listings and longer waits to close. Prices are a mixed bag, and some property types are getting more attention than others.

What factors are currently influencing the Hendersonville, NC real estate market for buyers?

Inventory’s up, so buyers have more choices in Hendersonville. It jumped 67% to 482 homes in July 2025.

Homes are staying on the market longer now. The average is 60 days compared to much less just a year or two ago.

Negotiating is easier for buyers—sellers are more willing to deal. Sellers now take 93% of asking price versus 97% last year, so there’s more room to work with.

With new listings outpacing buyers, the market’s finally getting some balance. For buyers who were shut out before, this is a welcome shift.

How has the average home price in Hendersonville, NC changed over the past year?

Prices are down lately. A 6.5% drop from last year puts the median at $375,000 as of September 2025.

Different sources throw out different numbers, depending on how they crunch the data. Zillow says the average is $408,152, down 2.3% for the year.

Back in July 2025, median prices hit $436,225, so you’ll see some seasonal swings and data lags.

The overall price dip tracks with more inventory and buyers taking their time. It’s a chance for buyers, but sellers need to price sharper than before.

What are the emerging trends in the Hendersonville, NC real estate market for sellers?

Homes are taking longer to sell. Average days on market is 103, up from 91 last year, so sellers need to be patient.

Volume’s up, oddly enough. 52 homes sold in September, compared to 24 last year, so the market’s still active.

Sellers don’t have as much leverage as before. With more inventory, they have to price right and be open to negotiation.

Pricing strategy is everything now. The homes that move are the ones that reflect today’s market—not last year’s highs.

What type of properties are in highest demand in Hendersonville, NC?

The search results don’t nail down exactly which property types are hottest in Hendersonville. Most of the available data just looks at the overall market, skipping the details about specific categories.

Inventory’s up, so buyers have more homes to pick from across the board. That extra selection lets folks be a bit picky about what features or quirks they want.

Homes priced right for the current market get the most attention. Well-kept places in popular neighborhoods? Those are still moving faster than the rest.

How do property taxes in Hendersonville, NC compare to nearby areas for homeowners?

There’s not much out there comparing property taxes in Hendersonville to other towns nearby. You’d need local tax assessment details, and those just aren’t in the market reports I found.

Property taxes do chip away at overall affordability, so it’s something buyers should keep in mind. If you’re curious, it’s worth digging into current rates and how assessments work before making a move.

Taxes are just one part of the whole cost puzzle, along with your mortgage and keeping up with repairs. A local real estate agent can usually fill in the blanks if you want specifics for different neighborhoods.

What is the forecast for the Hendersonville, NC real estate market in the coming months?

Market forecasting suggests a bit of caution for short-term investment prospects. Buying a house in Hendersonville rates as a "not so good short-term (1-year) investment" according to current projections.

The market's been shifting away from those wild, seller-favorable days. The first quarter of 2025 showed movement toward a balanced market as new listings started to outpace buyer demand.

Even with this shift, sellers still have the upper hand for now. Inventory levels are still sitting below that six-month mark economists like to call "balanced."

Where things go from here? That depends on how inventory and buyer demand play out. Economic trends and even the season could tip the balance faster—or maybe not.

Episode 8 - Living Local with Jennifer Balkcom with Alcova Mortgage

Date: 11/10/25

Duration: 21:31

Guest: Jennifer Balkcom

Website: Alcova Mortgage

Listen on Spotify:

Episode 8 Summary:

Host Ed Frisbee sits down with Jennifer Balkcom, a Hendersonville native and mortgage expert with Alcova Mortgage. Jennifer shares her journey from banking and finance—starting as a teller in 1997—to finding her true calling in the mortgage industry. She talks about the value of community, her deep family roots in Henderson County, and the inspiration behind her work both in business and public service.

Listeners will learn about Jennifer’s path to becoming a North Carolina State Representative, how she balances her time between Raleigh and her hometown, and her efforts to secure funding for flood mitigation, schools, and local farmers. The conversation also highlights Hendersonville favorites like Pop’s Diner, Binion’s, and Mike’s on Main, plus must-visit local attractions including Point Lookout Vineyard and the region’s family-owned apple orchards.

Jennifer also discusses her family’s newest venture—The Best Dumpster Company—and how she and her husband continue to serve their community through entrepreneurship. This heartfelt episode blends local history, small-town pride, and practical advice on home financing, making it a must-listen for anyone who loves Western North Carolina.

Keywords: Hendersonville NC podcast, Living Local with Frisbee Real Estate, Alcova Mortgage, Jennifer Balkcom, Ed Frisbee, North Carolina State Representative, mortgage lending, Hendersonville businesses, Western North Carolina lifestyle, local community, real estate podcast, Henderson County.

Watch on YouTube:

Transcript:

Hey, it's Ed. Thanks for joining us today. My special guest is Jennifer Balkcom. Jennifer Balkcom. know her with Alcova mortgage in the area and she does some other things, but Jennifer will touch on that in a few moments, but tell us a little bit about yourself. there's a lot you could tell us, but, maybe talk on the mortgage first and then we'll dive in from there.

So banking and finance has always been a part of my life. I started in 1997 as a little teller for Bank of America and worked my way up Mountain Bank that used to be here. I started working at Mountain Bank and then Mountain First was created and I worked for Mountain First and then I went to a credit union that was different into United Federal Credit Union. helped build that locally. That was a...

That was fun. was one of my favorites besides mountain first. never knew that. I'll try to you. you know, Lee Beeson, Lee Beeson is one of my very close friends. I the world of him. man. Great man. And, he, he, he helped push me into the mortgage. Uh, I, worked for him for many years and I decided through building United and all of its whether I was doing commercial, I did.

residential, was doing bank deposits. We were building what we call boots before bricks. So when Asheville was built, that we worked out of a car. And out of all of that, I enjoyed doing the mortgage side. That was my favorite part of building Asheville and then we built Hendersonville. So when I decided, was like, really think I want to lean towards the mortgage. And he encouraged me to go to a mortgage company.

And so I'd worked for movement for a little bit, but I didn't feel like that was a good fit. worked there for, I always believed that you should at least give it two years. That kind of how a business works. I've owned businesses. So feel like after two years, you either make it or break it. And so I gave them the two years and I went to Alcova, which you know, and they were family. They come to me and asked me and I looked over everything and it just, you know how you go and your stomach and your heart, you know, it's the right place.

So I've been with Alcova since 2019. Okay. ⁓ And is the office here or in Asheville? I actually have an office in Asheville. We did have an office in Hendersonville, but with traveling and everything, I didn't want to waste the money. So they have an office in Asheville and I usually work out of it. I'm a little flexible. You can work anywhere really and take a laptop, but I do have an office in Asheville. Internet and technology is amazing. What you can do from your phone. Yes.

Yes. So you grew up in the area? Borned and raised in Hendersonville. Hendersonville. was born in a little Dana, Edneville area. My family goes back many generations. My grandfather was county commissioner for many years here. My great grandfather served on Hendersonville police force for 38 years. My grandmother and grandfather were a firm family of the year for many years. We actually donated the Dana community building to the county.

which is just amazing now. I was able to help them re-renovate the building. the park there and everything, right? All that land was donated by my family. And then my grandfather, before his time as County Commissioner, founded the Dana Fire Department. So he was one of the original three that started the Dana Fire Department. I guess it runs in the blood. But I've lived here my entire life, never lived anywhere else. So have you seen many changes since you've grown up in the area?

Absolutely. It has changed a lot. But it's still home. know, it is still home. I always come back here. I love it here. Traveling, you know, it's always time to go home. You know, my vacation, I'm ready to come home. I wouldn't live. very blessed. God put me here and I'm glad I'm here. We love it here. And, you know, we moved here in 2008 and thought, gosh, we used to live in Nashville, Tennessee and love Nashville and thought we'd always like to go back there.

But the longer we're here, we're like, no, this really is just the place to be. It's beautiful. The four seasons, the people, ⁓ the topography. Yep. It's got it all. So my husband, that was the reason. So he's from Ocala, Florida. But the reason he moved here was he wanted all the seasons. He said, I want to see snow. I want to see, I want to see it all. I'm thinking we haven't had a snow in a while, that is the reason why he moved here. He moved in 2004 is.

when he moved to here and he hasn't, he stayed. So tell us if you've been here that long, I don't like to put people on the spot, but so I'll say a top three ⁓ restaurant choices or food choices for yourself or the you recommend visitors. Hey, you got to try out X, Y, oldest restaurant we have here that's still, I think I looked at a couple of months ago is Pop Steiner. yeah. Kim is amazing. They're good people.

Pop Steiner is a must just because it's been around for so long and you can have breakfast or lunch. It's amazing. We love the environment there. So Pop Steiner is one I would definitely recommend. Who would be the other one? Now my family loves Binions. Old Quaddabong, you can't miss Binions. You got to love Binions. And the rolls. Yes. Everybody loves their rolls. And the peanuts. And the tombstone playing on the TV. You can't miss Binions. That's just an all time given.

And then what is another one that's really good that's been around for a while that's locally? That's interesting. You're picking like ones that have been here a long time. I like my like, I believe in giving back to the people. I eat everywhere, but I just, those are your people who, know, you just kind of know and love. would say, ⁓ what's another one that's really good down to, I was trying to think of one downtown that's been around for a while. Mike's on Maine.

Patty. I remember when Mike was alive and then Patty had bought it and took it over and she was so happy that she was doing that and she's done such a great job continuing. know how long it's been, Mike's on Maine? I don't remember the history of it because originally it was a pharmacy, right? So it would have been during Mountain First times. So probably in the two, four, five, you would have to ask Patty, but it was it was during my Mountain First times that that happened. Early 2000s? Yes. Okay. Probably early 2000s. Nice.

And it was a pharmacy prior? Way back. Okay. Way back. But Mike had it as a restaurant and she just bought it from Mike. I see. And so Patty took it over. it, I'm not sure how long Mike had it prior to that. Okay. Yeah. Well, we'll dive in now. So if people might recognize you, they see you or recognize your name or your voice, whatever, but you also do something else for our community. And that would be a state legislature. yeah. Is that correct? Yes, that is Am I saying that correctly? That is correct. And you've been doing that?

A few years, I think. Yes, this is my second term. Okay. It's my second term. Thank you for your service. Thank you. I think it's hard on the family. It can be. think a lot of people... a real job. I hate to say it that way. Yeah, because... A full-time job plus another. Yes. Yeah. So I do a lot of things. I was telling them I wear different hats. So, yes. I think a lot of people don't realize how much time you're away. And for them, it's $13,951 a year.

My apartment costs more than that a year. That'll pay your gas. Right. Yeah. So I think it's seven months a year. Well, this year, this year was, um, we are usually in session from January to June this year. It kind of went to July, but you gotta think I live four hours away. So I don't get to go home to my family. I usually leave on Mondays because sometimes we had rules committee and on Monday afternoons and you have committees. just cause you're not.

voting, you still have committees. And then sometimes I could leave Thursdays and sometimes I would leave Fridays if we have votes on Thursday. So roughly I was coming home either Thursday night or Friday from January 11th to the end of July. Wow. There might have been like we were off for Easter. ⁓ We were off for the 4th of July. So there was some time off, but you got to think we I'm down there. So my family, my husband's running our household.

with our son, getting him to school, doing our businesses while I'm in Raleigh that long. So that's long session. Now we do go back, like we've been back a couple of times a month. August we went back twice, September we went back twice, and ⁓ October we've been back and we'll be going back the week of the 17th. So we still go back, but it's not as every single week being gone away from your family.

We still travel, like I went to Washington this week. We just got, I just got back Wednesday from that. So you still have other things, you know, policy events that you go to, to help with your community or your state. There's a lot of info. It's a lot of information overload. I think the one thing usually people ask is like, what did you not know that you know? I think a lot of people don't realize you have so much that you're touching, whether it be medical industry, law enforcement, you have to know a little bit of everything. And it's just.

My banking, finance, agriculture, I sit on the Ag Committee. on a family farm, growing up on a family farm, I do feel like I can contribute. ⁓ I sat on finance my last term this year. I did not decided to go to appropriations that hands out the money versus trying to figure out how we're going to get the money. But my finance background, I went to it and I loved it. ⁓ So I've served in different realms trying to give back, but I also felt like you need to serve on a committee.

to learn too. So I've tried to do both of those just so I have an aspect of everything going on. But yeah, it's been good. And this past year was a little different because of the hurricane. It was. never a lot of people going through a disaster for your community and working to get funds. Like that was all new to me. Again, I've never.

⁓ I was never a politician. I never served. I was never elected official. I truly was a hometown girl that decided to protect her community. And so I believe that you should give back and God looks at that in different ways. And I prayed about it and God said, I want you to do this. And I was kind of telling you a little earlier, God used Paul to do a lot of things. And so he picks the people he wants to put there. And I just felt like God led me to do it. And I, you got to do what he says.

And so with that, feel like we, we worked and I worked with our Senator Tim Moffitt very hard to get as much money as we could for our community here back in Western North Carolina, just with all different aspects, whether it was farmers, $400 million we brought back to our farmers to help them and keep them running. We do not want to lose our farmers. And, we also had schools.

So we worked with our superintendent to help get those schools like Atkinson and things like that that may have had damage to bring that back. Some of our parks had been destroyed, some ⁓ debris removal, that's been a big topic, but just trying to get all those things. ⁓ A lot of flood mitigation, I worked with them to help get back so we can prevent things like that from happening in the future, like protecting certain areas that needed this long time ago to help.

protect in the future. Because now you're like, okay, this has happened. How can we prevent it in the future? So we've looked at those aspects too. So it's been a learning curve, but it's truly trying to do the amount you possibly can with limited amount of money. Because you got to think you have to work with the feds because the federal side of it with FEMA.

get your portion and if you give too much then you miss out on that federal portion and trying to get as much money as we can for our community. It's a tightrope, I guess, if you're walking and ⁓ I feel like we've did a good job of trying to get to walk that tightrope and still get what the community needs. Well, thank you. I don't read enough news to speak intelligently about it, but I read headlines. That's a good thing, Ed. ⁓

I've read enough headlines to know how hard you worked for that. thank you. you. But you mentioned the creeks and the flooding. There's a project that started a month or two ago near downtown. Is that part of those funds? Yes, Yes, they it's like behind the Harris Teter that area, whatever part of that was part of the mitigation funds that we were able to get. That's well needed. Yeah. Yes. So that is part of that. That was part of the helping protect.

our community, we learned we don't want that if there's a way to help prevent and mitigate that, then let's do it. So yes, sir, it is. Do you know anything about it? Like what the point of it is to help? I've just driven by notice. So water flow and moving that and making sure. So you think about a project, you put the dirt, it's going to flow further and it's got to raise higher. And when you raise it higher and it keeps it. So I think a lot of I don't know all the information on the project, but I do know that they are working to help mitigate those.

flood waters away from that area. That's good. That seems to be a spot that it is. Yeah. Catches a lot when it sky city many, many years ago and the wind Dixie it, it's always flooded there. never knew that was there. Yeah. Where was that? Where Harris Teeter instead of it being horizontal, it was vertical all the way out. And there used to be sky city. There was a wind Dixie there. ⁓

And then at the end there was a pizza joint when I was very little. I had a pizza party there with all my friends. And so there used to be a pizza joint and then it became a Mexican restaurant. it called pizza joint? I don't remember the name of it. I was trying to think, but I couldn't remember the name of it. But I do never knew there was a Winn-Dixie here. That's wild. And then they had, Hanitzios I believe was in there at the end after, and then they moved to the Western Sizzling now.

Cause that used to be a Western Sizzlin when I was a little girl. That looks like a Western Sizzlin. Yep, it used to be there. So that's where they moved into, but they were originally right there on the end of the building. So did you ever, I'm sure, well, yeah, of course you're a native. So across from there, they've torn it down now, but that was a popular restaurant for a long time on Spartberg highway, uh, across from Western Sizzlin almost across from Dunkin Donuts. They just tore it down next to the car wash place. it Brady's Oh Brady's or?

Where are you at on Spartanburg Highway? Where's it at? Across from Western Sizzlin'? Almost. It's a little closer to us. Across from Dunkin' Donuts, El Paso... Oh, Kelsey's! Kelsey's, thank So sorry. Which was Quattobalm on the street for a long time. I always heard how good that was. love their honey mustard. It was so good. I always have... Their salads. I would order those all the time and go get them when I worked down at the bank. But it closed like early 2000s, right? It did. Yeah, so I never experienced it. food.

It was great. But now it's completely gone. It is. Now it's an empty lot currently. I've heard there's some new businesses coming in. I hope so. Drive-thrus. We'll see. Awesome. That'll be good. It'll be good for us. How about we touched on food? How about you have people visiting and you say, hey, you got to go check out this spot. Jump off Rock is a popular area. You're hiking. Do you have anything ⁓ else you may tell a visitor you got to check out when you're in the area? So I'm.

I'm a little favoritism towards my farmers out in Dennyville. You have to go check our farms out. Like if you're October through our season, you got to go check out granddad's and then the next pumpkin patch. That's always fun. Costans is down through there. All those, I enjoy going to those farms. I guess because I grew up and I just had such fond memories. mean, some of them were tough, but they gave me all my life's lessons. so.

Those are some great places. need to go visit our farms and know what makes this community what it is. So I would say definitely want to visit that area. Also point lookout. So point lookouts up there where we call world's edge and it has a beautiful view. I mean, it's out that way and you're missing the mountains. If you haven't seen that view off, there's great views up there. Yep. So I would say, ⁓ that's where I would, I would head in that direction. And point lookout is also a vineyard.

It is. It is. That's what it's known as. Yes, it is. We used to grow enough the kids would hang out. So it was it was it was forest. And as kids, we would go out. That's where we hung out and and bonfires. Look out. called World's Edge. OK, got you. We called it so. But point lookout, it's it's just beautiful. If you want to see the true mountains and it's a great view and enjoy their vineyard, it's great.

We had an article written recently. We put on our blog about like the top orchards. It's hard to pick the top. gosh. Yeah. I think it listed like 14, but we have more than 14. Oh yeah. We have more than 14. Yeah. Maybe that are open to the public I to anybody, but yes, there's a lot out there. But they're not all open to the public. Maybe that's how the articles written. So yeah. No, we have great orchards.

And the steps, oh my gosh, there's my favorite apple donuts. There's the steps and the justice. I forgot about them too. Like you can't name them all. There's just so many, but my one year, my whole, like a whole group of us took and went to all the apple orchards and bought the apple donuts. Cause we all were like, who has the best? And so everybody had somebody different and they didn't, they took the labels off. Like we took the labels off so you couldn't just say, well, we, I like this farm. So we all just kind of set them out and um,

Mine in particular, because there was a group of us, everybody was different. Of course, no one was the same really was steps or to double up their Apple. They're a great family too. They are. They're good people. so we tried to do something similar a few years ago with the Apple donut tasting. ⁓ that was hard to accomplish, but sky top was probably towards the top and Jeter mountain and they're new. They are newer. I haven't had theirs. I'm gonna have to try theirs. It's really good. And they've done quite a.

It's beautiful up there. I've been to several events up there, but it is just beautiful up there. They've taken it to another level. Yes, they have. It is beautiful up there. When I go to their event, I've been to several events up there and it's great. So Jennifer, how would people reach out to you if they want to talk to you about mortgages? So you can reach out through Alcova's website. So it's alcova.com backslash jennifer balkom.

And Alcova is A-L-C-O-V-A.com. Yes. Good job. Thank you. I have to spell it out for the transcription. Yeah, that's good. And Jennifer Balkam, J-E-N-N-I-F-E-R-B-A-L-K-C-O-M. Yes. That is correct. And if people wanted to talk to you about political stuff, do they have a way to reach out to you? You can go to the General Assembly, the North Carolina General Assembly and...

You can find my name. There's contact. There's contact and information that you can contact me there. Oh, tell us, you told me off camera earlier, but tell us about your husband and a new venture. Yes. we've, my husband's always been a contractor in grading in concrete. And if you know anything about construction, it can take a hit to your, to your body. So.

We decided we wanted to do a little extra and we started a new dumpster company. Oh, the best dumpster company. That's what it's called. That's what it's called. That's perfect. It's easy. The best dumpster company. best And so how do people find that? You can look it up. We actually have a Facebook page now. We're still working on our website, but we had got our Google page. So you should be able to put best dumpster company in and it brings it up. Awesome.

So yeah, and they deliver and all that, I guess deliver roll offs. We have different sizes. So yeah, give us a call. need to have him come in and talk. Yeah, absolutely. He would probably enjoy. would probably have different answers. He will. He will. He will. All right. Thank you, Jennifer, for taking time to talk to us. Thank you for your work at the state level and thank you for helping people find money for mortgages when they need to. well, thank you for inviting me and having me on the show. Absolutely.

Thank you all for watching and or listening and keep living local.

Need a steady hand as you think through a move in Hendersonville or anywhere in Western North Carolina? I’m always glad to help you sort it out. Let's talk