In this issue... Susan Miller of Ruidoso, New Mexico... Close-Up on Boone/Blowing Rock, NC... Getting Ready for Your Open House... Visit Sun City Festival...News You Can Use...Montana Del Mar's Getaway Special ...Trends ...and more
MAKING THE MOVE
Susan Miller of Ruidoso, New Mexico
Susan Miller found out that the grass…or, actually, the cactus ... is not always greener elsewhere. Before retiring recently, the former teacher and real estate professional spent years wondering if Ruidoso, New Mexico (in the southeastern corner of the state) – where she has lived for 46 years – was the right place for her to spend her post-retirement years. She checked out towns and developments across Arizona and southern Colorado, as well as in other parts of the state of New Mexico. But, when all was said and done, she ended up staying put and buying property in the Rainmakers development just across town from her current home.
She cites the fabulous weather, crisp, clean air, and panoramic mountain views as the primary reasons she stayed. She also cites local attractions such as Ruidoso Downs (a renowned quarterhorse racetrack), the Spencer Theatre (a $23 million performing arts center) and the Ski Apache ski resort as other reasons. Finally, she loves the fact that the community is what she calls “Texas friendly”, the kind of place where someone honking their car horn is frowned upon and where the trash man phones to tell you that you’ve left the garage door up. Asked who should check out Ruidoso, Susan answers, “Anyone looking for beauty and peace…if they want Las Vegas, they should go to Las Vegas.”
New Communities
GETAWAY SPECIAL – Sun City Festival, Phoenix, AZ
Come experience Sun City Festival with a Vacation Get-Away for $33 a night, a special rate for Ideal Destination subscribers. With 3 and 4 night packages available, normally $99 per night.
Del Webb is proud to introduce our newest active adult community for 50+ located in the beautiful Phoenix Arizona. Play golf at Copper Canyon Golf Club a pristinely manicured course in the heart of the community, participate in clubs & classes, join in on a variety of sports activities in the village center or just lounge by the resort-style pool, take a day trip to Sedona, and meet friends of a lifetime. Live like a resident in a fully furnished home complete with your own personal golf cart to tour the community.
Arizona’s warm comfortable weather, low taxes and low cost of living make Sun City Festival an Ideal Destination. Take advantage of our new lot releases along the 5th Fairway with beautiful fairway and water views. Homes starting from the low $200s.
For more information log onto delwebb.com/festival or call 877-278-6248 to make a reservation. Del Webb brings you here; the setting will keep you here, Sun City Festival.
CLOSE UP ON BOONE/BLOWING ROCK, NC
USA Today, National Geographic, U.S. News & World Report and even the New York Times have “discovered” the area around Boone and Blowing Rock, in western North Carolina. Boone made National Geographic’s 2007 list of the “50 Best Adventure Towns” in the U.S.; USA Today’s list of “10 great small towns with huge back yards”; and USN&WR’s 2007 list of “10 Best Retirement Bargains”. The area is known for delightfully cool summer temperatures (averaging around 75 degrees), gorgeous mountains (including Grandfather Mountain, the tallest peak in the Blue Ridge Mountains), polite residents, abundant outdoor activities and surprisingly good restaurants – and, last but not least, as the home of the two-time defending NCAA Division I-AA champion Appalachian State University football team. The Boone/Blowing Rock/Banner Elk area is located 100 miles northeast of Asheville, two hours from the Charlotte airport and three hours or so west of Raleigh.
Will Sears, of the Echota and Elk Creek Mountain developments, has this advice for prospective buyers: “First, make sure the development you are considering is being built by a company with mountain development experience. You’d better have gotten an ‘A’ in geometry if you are going to build in the mountains.” Sears also says buyers should make sure the amenities they are being promised are really going to happen and they should make certain to ask how the amenities are going to be paid for. Additionally, Sears says to be careful not to buy a piece of property where the view is fantastic but the building costs will be prohibitive. For example, if you’re not careful, it’s easy for the foundation of a mountain home to cost six or seven times what a comparable foundation would cost at the beach or inland. Finally, elevation matters. Says Sears: “My home is only 700 feet [above sea level] higher than my office, but I didn’t turn my A/C on in my house until August 5. The elevation of the property makes a big difference. One thousand feet or less can easily make an average temperature difference of five or more degrees.”
Check out the following properties/communities in the Boone, Todd, Banner Elk and Blowing Rock areas:
Echota
Elk Creek Mountain
Cielo Falls
Laurelmor
CHECK IT OUT
Getting Ready for Your Open House in a Challenging Market
A feature article in the upcoming Fall 2007 issue of Living Southern Style/Ideal Destinations magazine gives hints and tips from seasoned real estate professionals on how to get the maximum possible benefit from your Open House. Most of the things they tell you to do are just good old fashioned common sense – but these experts say they are often surprised by how many important steps get missed.
We’re not going to give away the whole article – you’ll have to get your own copy for that – but here are a few things to consider…
- Don’t overdo the “staging”.
- Keep family memorabilia to a minimum.
- Remove all pets – and their smells.
- If there’s anything (chandeliers, window treatments, etc.) that won’t convey with the sale of the house, remove it BEFORE the Open House.
- Repaint rooms that are currently painted with unusual colors.
- Beware of temperature differentials between rooms or floors of the house.
- Repair and repaint any old leaks and stains.
- Do NOT attend your own Open House – get lost!
Not a subscriber to Living Southern Style? Want to be? Sign up for your FREE issue of Living Southern Style magazine right now so you won’t miss this article. SUBSCRIBE TODAY – IT’S FREE!
GETAWAY SPECIAL – Montana Del Mar, Costa Rica
Looking for a great investment? Craving a little adventure? The International Property Specialists of World Star are heading to Costa Rica for some informative fun in the sun!
Call today for our upcoming schedule of “all inclusive” mini getaways at unbelievably low costs. Learn how to live your passion with nature in elegance. Pamper yourself, you deserve it! Call 888-884-STAR
TRENDS
Withers Preserve in Myrtle Beach (SC) To Be One of First “Eco-Friendly” Communities in the U.S.
RWO Acquisitions and General Electric are teaming up to build one of the first totally “energy-smart” communities in the U.S. Withers Preserve in Myrtle Beach is incorporating GE’s Ecomagination products into its overall planning and design. Each home in Withers Preserve will utilize state-of-the-art building techniques and energy-smart appliances, lighting products, solar panels, and the GE SmartCommand Dashboard, which provides current and historical feedback on electricity and water consumption.
The homes in Withers Preserve are designed to achieve a minimum overall 20% household energy savings, a 20% reduction in water consumption, and 20% lower household emissions of greenhouse gases (versus comparable conventionally-designed homes).
For more information, go to www.witherspreserve.com.
