Wolf Laurel a Top Retirement Community, It's Best Homes are Mountainside Townhomes

In a word? Amazing. My heart is beating rapidly as I frenetically write this information. Run to a community that has changed and is one of the biggest secrets in the Asheville area-- Mountainside Townhomes. Run as fast as you can, pick out one of these luxury homes, earmark it for you and the Mrs. and plan to retire here. You will NOT find another place to live in the eastern United States as all out amazing as Wolf Laurel's Mountainside Townhomes.

Where is it? It is only located in the BEST place to live in the eastern US. Wolf Laurel is about a quick 30 minutes north of Asheville, every possibl amenity you would ever want is on the mountain (located a short 3 miles from the new I-26), but just a short jaunt away is a world of cultural splendor. You have nature and outdoor sports and social activities on site in a gated community, but a short drive away you are in Asheville, the San Francisco of the east coast the cultural mecca of the southern Appalachians.

A few hours from Charlotte, NC and Atlanta, GA-- this area is convenient to everything. Asheville/Hendersonville airport is a short drive away, but in case you have your own plane and are a pilot, there is an airpark right in Wolf Laurel. Can't beat that!

Recently I went to look at the Mountainside Townhomes. Some friends of mine have been working on this project for a few years. I have to admit that while I had heard good things about the construction and craftsmanship, I had no idea what I was about to get into when I saw the homes themselves. It is enough for many people to have a drafty cabin in Wolf Laurel, but to have a home as luxurious as any in the world is another thing. And maintenance free? Don't get me started! Trex decks overlooking hundreds of miles of mountain ranges, positioned beneath Big Bald and the Appalachian Trail. I can't begin to tell you how the attention to detail caught my breath. I will never look at bathrooms the same way again.

If you're a cook, you will love the granite countertops, real maple cabinetry, and appliances. You will love curling up in front of the giant stone fireplace with a good book, or leaving the sliding doors open on cool summer evenings and listening to the owls call each other. Magical is what it is.

But with all the magic of nature, you also have the conveniences of big city living in nearby Asheville. Mountainside Townhomes are a best kept secret and the people who are buying and moving in to the homes consider themselves some of the luckiest people on the planet.

Check out this bedroom! Visit their site for more information!

House At Whispering Water Makes You Shout!

I have to tell you that I just got back from a little known place called Spring Creek, NC. It is a hike out to it for those of you east of East Flat Rock can attest. But it is beautiful country, especially in the hot months because it gets downright chilly at night. I took a lady friend and we went up to this place I had heard about from one of my fishing buddies. The house is called House at Whispering Water and I don't know how they call it a whisper because you can hear the water moving down the mountain. I tell you what, it lulled me to sleep like a baby every night.

Now I have stayed in a lot of fancy places and I have stayed in some holes in the wall too. This place was nice, by anyone's standards. The linens were high quality, the house had a sense of style to it, the kitchen appliances and utensils were the best quality, the furniture wasn't something someone picked up at a yard sale-- it was nice.

So my lady friend liked it too. She is one of those gals who likes to have separate rooms and gets gussied up and stays in her room for hours and I'm wondering when is she going to get down here so we can go to Harrah's in Cherokee and finally she came down and she was gushing about the bathroom and how nice it was and how the water was amazing, so much cleaner than East Flat Rock (which I didn't believe, but maybe it is true).

Like I said, I've staying in a lot of vacation rentals, but this one took the cake. I brought my mountain bike and got out and about and saw a diamond back rattler, but it wasn't bothering me and I decided not to bother it and that is how that went, we lived together peacefully.

I love staying in town in Hot Springs and usually stay at my friend's place www.hotspringsnchouse.com, but this time I was glad that my lady friend and I stayed out in the woods. At night, it was quiet, save for the whispering water, and she got a little scared and after my tale of the rattler she figured I was strong enough to protect her and now maybe we won't stay in separate rooms any more.

I booked this place straight from the owners by emailing them directly. They were nice folks and have a two night minimum which is better than some of the other places that require 3 nights. It is reasonably price to be so nice. It is one of the best vacation rentals in the Blue Ridge Mountains or rental cabins in the Pisgah National Forest in Western North Carolina I have seen in a long time. I'm putting some pictures up of the house that I took from their site. It's hot and trust me, I know hot.

Peace,
Big Al

Cutting the Cost of Property Management

by Beth Mattson-Teig

Property managers are under increasing pressure to generate value for clients as some sectors of commercial real estate show signs of softening. “The typical institutional investor out there is pointing resources — attention, dollars, labor — at the part of the value chain that we provide,” says Tony Long, president of asset services at CB Richard Ellis. CBRE ranks No. 1 in NREI's Top Property Manager survey with 1.9 billion sq. ft. under management as of Dec. 31, 2007.

For managers, that renewed focus on value means paying close attention to tenant services and operating efficiencies. Those companies that can deliver value in this choppy economic climate will continue to garner new business.

Colliers Arnold Real Estate Services in Clearwater, Fla., has grown its property management business over the past five years with a portfolio that has increased from 2.5 million to 14.5 million sq. ft. That explosive growth is due to the firm's geographic expansion from central and west Florida to a statewide presence. And the firm expects to expand further amid a challenging economy.

“In down markets, property management grows because clients that would have managed properties themselves tend to look to outside sources that have all the capabilities to handle properties,” says Howard Rosenthal, executive vice president and principal at Colliers Arnold Real Estate Services.

Colliers Arnold recently landed a 500,000 sq. ft. property management assignment for The Proscenium, a 500,000 sq. ft. mixed-use development in downtown Sarasota, Fla. Colliers International ranks No. 3 in this year's survey with 868 million sq. ft. under management.

Cost-cutting measures

Generating operating efficiencies has always been at the forefront of management duties. Yet producing cost savings is even more of a priority today in an inflationary environment. Managers are focusing on each property and asking where they can find those extra dollars that can save owners some money, says Dan Pufunt, COO of markets at Jones Lang LaSalle in Chicago. The giant real estate services provider ranks No. 2 on NREI's survey with 1.2 billion sq. ft. under management at the end of 2007.

Jones Lang LaSalle provides its engineers with intensive training to deliver cost savings for clients and tenants. The firm holds a weeklong conference each year for senior engineers who attend classes and share best practices. Jones Lang LaSalle also wants to have 500 professionals earn accreditation through the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program by the end of 2009, including 150 engineers.

Across the board, property management firms are implementing a variety of cost- and time-saving innovations, ranging from electronic rent payment to Web-based systems that enable tenants to submit maintenance requests online.

Green initiatives

Efficiency is in line with the growing emphasis on creating greener buildings. Certainly part of the focus is driven by soaring fuel costs. Natural gas prices rose 10.7% in 2007, while the cost of heating oil rose 35%, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Those higher prices are a big concern for property owners and tenants since commercial buildings are huge energy users. Buildings are responsible for 39% of energy consumption in the U.S., according to the U.S. Green Building Council.

“If the landlord and the tenant can save energy dollars by putting in place sustainability efforts, we're doing it,” Long says. CB Richard Ellis has numerous sustainability initiatives underway. For example, 150 million sq. ft. of its 750 million sq. ft. portfolio in the Americas is registered with Energy Star, while 120 buildings are either registered or in the process of being registered for LEED accreditation.

In addition, more than 1,000 of the company's employees have participated in an energy efficiency program offered by the Building Owners and Managers Association, adds Long. “Those are very real examples of a confluence of both the greening of our industry and the focus on operations coming together all at one time.”

Mountainside Townhomes is a Great Investment

Buy! Buy! Buy! A Mountainside Townhome. Visit their website at www.mountainsidetownhomes.com. These are truly the best made townhomes in western NC. Right now they have amazing deals. The prices will not last long as they are. Want to live in an exclusive community? These homes are exquisite, impeccably designed, artisan built.

Call Randy Blankenship at Beverly-Hanks in Weaverville to tell you all about them.