Like many areas of the country, the real estate market is up for property in the western North Carolina mountains. This has been true for a few years now in regard to single family homes. However, in recent months I’ve seen a big uptick in demand for mid-size to large-size land tracts. In the past sixty days, I’ve shown numerous properties to prospective buyers and in the past two weeks, five of those properties have gone to contract. That does not include a 131 acre parcel I listed on February 13th which had multiple offers within a week and closed on March 10th. A friend just listed a 150 acre parcel for nearly $1 million and within days, he’d put it under contract.
Calls for showings on my other listings continue coming in and prospective buyers from all parts of the country are calling and emailing asking for assistance in finding them an appropriate property. Another interesting trend has been that not only preppers have been calling, but more and more folks simply wanting to be off the grid or homesteading are calling. While there are many land parcels on the market, good quality ones are still hard to find, thus making the market that much more challenging. The key things clients are seeking are:
- Privacy (5 acres and up)
- Live water (creek, stream, spring)
- Some flat pasture or field
- Not too far (15 minutes) to a grocery store or small town
- South facing
- Not too steep
- Not in a “mountain hovel” as one client put it recently, where “old cars go to die”.
I’m particularly fond of the last one. While some areas described as such can be intimidating for the person coming from the manicured lawns of suburbia, I tend to find folks residing in such areas to be friendly and very helpful to neighbors. The appearance can also be a deterrent to curiosity seekers and thus provide a level of security other properties that are more pleasant to the eye don’t offer.
The point being, market demand for good quality land parcels is up, so if you should find that property that fits your lifestyle, think seriously about making an offer. I say that not out of a self-serving motive (although yes, I make my living by brokering real estate transactions), but rather to help you not miss out on what could be the best deal for a while. So call today to set up a time when we can meet and walk property and find that ideal homestead or off the grid property here in the mountains of western North Carolina.
