Gatlinburg Real Estate Blog

When building a home in the Tennessee Smoky Mountains, one of the first considerations is also one of the very most important.  That question is: How "buildable" is this particular lot or property? My latest Gatlinburg foreclosure assignment is a large (4 bedroom, 2 bath) log-look chalet here in one of Gatlinburg's most popular locations, Chalet Village.  Although it is on a VERY steep lot, the home is quite attractive except that it has an extremely curious feature - Spray-On Concrete Landscaping .  Hopefully this idea won't catch on but it was probably an engineer who came up with this.   Somebody said "We've got to do something to retain this steep mountain-side bank.  Grass won't stay, even hydro-seed won't work here...  I know, let's spray concrete on the dirt to build a shell that will hold the bank in place." Like so many ideas that might sound good on paper (but I'm not sure that this one ever did!), this didn't work so w...

When building a home in the Tennessee Smoky Mountains, one of the first considerations is also one of the very most important.  That question is: How "buildable" is this particular lot or property? My latest Gatlinburg foreclosure assignment is a large (4 bedroom, 2 bath) log-look chalet here in one of Gatlinburg's most popular locations, Chalet Village.  Although it is on a VERY steep lot, the home is quite attractive except that it has an extremely curious feature - Spray-On Concrete Landscaping .  Hopefully this idea won't catch on but it was probably an engineer who came up with this.   Somebody said "We've got to do something to retain this steep mountain-side bank.  Grass won't stay, even hydro-seed won't work here...  I know, let's spray concrete on the dirt to build a shell that will hold the bank in place." Like so many ideas that might sound good on paper (but I'm not sure that this one ever did!), this didn't work so...

Because of Memorial Day falling on a Monday, the last business day of May, 2010 for our Gatlinburg area real estate market was today.  Although it is VERY early to look at total sales for the month I wanted to consider (at least on a preliminary basis) what local realtors reported as sold in our Smoky Mountain real estate market for this holiday shortened month. In a single word, the month-end snapshot as of today, can only be described as atrocious!  There will certainly be many more sales reported by other members of the Great Smoky Mountains Association of Realtors in the next couple of weeks.  I am however  very concerned that our ten consecutive month run of positive comparisons versus the same month a year ago will likely be broken.  With only 99 residential sales reported by our board's MLS , it appears in fact very unlikely that we can surpass last May's 134 residential units sold. A clearer version of the above table can be viewed here .  So...

Because of Memorial Day falling on a Monday, the last business day of May, 2010 for our Gatlinburg area real estate market was today.  Although it is VERY early to look at total sales for the month I wanted to consider (at least on a preliminary basis) what local realtors reported as sold in our Smoky Mountain real estate market for this holiday shortened month. In a single word, the month-end snapshot as of today, can only be described as atrocious!  There will certainly be many more sales reported by other members of the Great Smoky Mountains Association of Realtors in the next couple of weeks.  I am however  very concerned that our ten consecutive month run of positive comparisons versus the same month a year ago will likely be broken.  With only 99 residential sales reported by our board's MLS , it appears in fact very unlikely that we can surpass last May's 134 residential units sold. A clearer version of the above table can be viewed here . ...

RE/MAX Broker/Owners Gather in Gatlinburg This week over 100 RE/MAX franchise owners from Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennesse, and Georgia gathered to discuss the future of the real estate industry and how to best help our agents get through these challenging times. With some of the best visionaries in our industry making presentations the information presented was exceptional. As a member of the RE/MAX organization for over 10 years I can tell you that there is NO organization more committed to the professionalism of its service and people. There's a reason why no other company sells more real estate in North America than RE/MAX and it is simple - we have the best, most experienced agents. If you want the very best possible real estate service when buying or selling real estate in the Gatlinburg area, come to the pros - RE/MAX All Pro, Realtors!

RE/MAX Broker/Owners Gather in Gatlinburg This week over 100 RE/MAX franchise owners from Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennesse, and Georgia gathered to discuss the future of the real estate industry and how to best help our agents get through these challenging times. With some of the best visionaries in our industry making presentations the information presented was exceptional. As a member of the RE/MAX organization for over 10 years I can tell you that there is NO organization more committed to the professionalism of its service and people. There's a reason why no other company sells more real estate in North America than RE/MAX and it is simple - we have the best, most experienced agents. If you want the very best possible real estate service when buying or selling real estate in the Gatlinburg area, come to the pros - RE/MAX All Pro, Realtors!

The Latest Addition to Our Team It is our great pleasure to welcome back Cindy Hopson to the Schoenfield Team. Some of you may remember that Cindy has worked with us in the past serving as a receptionist and listing coordinator as well as her most recent post as a Buyer Specialist. Cindy is returning to Sevier County after being away a couple of years and we are thrilled to have her back here in the Gatlinburg area. Cindy takes great pride in her ability to work as an advocate for buyers and to put their interests first. Cindy has another claim to fame and that is that she is my wife Karen's daughter. We are indeed blessed to have a super real estate team and to have Cindy working with us again. I can assure you that if you happen to end up working with Cindy or our Senior Buyer Specialist Suzy Compton-Hays you will receive excellent service. If you would like to contact Cindy about any Smoky Mountain real estate need you may have please email her at CHopson4@comcast.net .

The Latest Addition to Our Team It is our great pleasure to welcome back Cindy Hopson to the Schoenfield Team. Some of you may remember that Cindy has worked with us in the past serving as a receptionist and listing coordinator as well as her most recent post as a Buyer Specialist. Cindy is returning to Sevier County after being away a couple of years and we are thrilled to have her back here in the Gatlinburg area. Cindy takes great pride in her ability to work as an advocate for buyers and to put their interests first. Cindy has another claim to fame and that is that she is my wife Karen's daughter. We are indeed blessed to have a super real estate team and to have Cindy working with us again. I can assure you that if you happen to end up working with Cindy or our Senior Buyer Specialist Suzy Compton-Hays you will receive excellent service. If you would like to contact Cindy about any Smoky Mountain real estate need you may have please email her at CHopson4@comcast.net .

Anyone Looking to Buy a Condo? What a difference a year makes! In the period 1/01/2007 through 2/28/2007 there were ten condominium units sold in Pigeon Forge by members of our local board , The Great Smoky Mountain Association of Realtors. During the same period this year the number of condos sold by the local Realtors is exactly ONE . Because the pace is so dramatically different there are some real bargains to be found, including a remarkable condo foreclosure property we currently have listed . The dramatic decline in the pace of sales isn't limited to condos however or to Pigeon Forge for that matter. Here is the latest update to my summary of area residential sales by month. From the table you can clearly see that the recent increase in activity we've noted hasn't yet found its way to more closed residential property sales: If we may assist you in finding a terrific opportunity on any real estate property in the Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, or Gatlinburg areas please ...

Anyone Looking to Buy a Condo? What a difference a year makes! In the period 1/01/2007 through 2/28/2007 there were ten condominium units sold in Pigeon Forge by members of our local board , The Great Smoky Mountain Association of Realtors. During the same period this year the number of condos sold by the local Realtors is exactly ONE . Because the pace is so dramatically different there are some real bargains to be found, including a remarkable condo foreclosure property we currently have listed . The dramatic decline in the pace of sales isn't limited to condos however or to Pigeon Forge for that matter. Here is the latest update to my summary of area residential sales by month. From the table you can clearly see that the recent increase in activity we've noted hasn't yet found its way to more closed residential property sales: If we may assist you in finding a terrific opportunity on any real estate property in the Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, or Gatlinburg areas please ...

The Snow Dance Didn't Work! All of the relevant (and not so relevant) signs were there: A host of television meteorologists began forecasting snow several days ago. A frenzy of shoppers at local grocery stores was present on Wednesday. Event cancellations in anticipation of bad weather began last night. A steady mix of snow and rain started to fall around 10PM. With the cold ground of the last several days, plenty of moisture headed our way, and cold air temperatures it seemed like a lock that we would get snow here in East Tennessee. Just to add a little to the chance of snow (and to make my daughter Alexa (Lexxi to her friends) Schoenfield happy), I did a snow dance last night long after she had gone to bed. It simply didn't work. While areas to the north of us got snow and the mountains of the National Park got a lot of snow, we didn't get any. Even the small amount of snow that had fallen by midnight had been melted away by the rain that started later in the evening. Wh...

The Snow Dance Didn't Work! All of the relevant (and not so relevant) signs were there: A host of television meteorologists began forecasting snow several days ago. A frenzy of shoppers at local grocery stores was present on Wednesday. Event cancellations in anticipation of bad weather began last night. A steady mix of snow and rain started to fall around 10PM. With the cold ground of the last several days, plenty of moisture headed our way, and cold air temperatures it seemed like a lock that we would get snow here in East Tennessee. Just to add a little to the chance of snow (and to make my daughter Alexa (Lexxi to her friends) Schoenfield happy), I did a snow dance last night long after she had gone to bed. It simply didn't work. While areas to the north of us got snow and the mountains of the National Park got a lot of snow, we didn't get any. Even the small amount of snow that had fallen by midnight had been melted away by the rain that started later in the evening. Wh...

What Makes the Smoky Mountains Area So Popular? Last year I wrote a couple of posts about what attracts people (over 12 million annually) vacation and often decide to live in our part of the country. Several items quickly came to mind such as the spectacular scenery, the low crime rate, the exceptionally low taxes, the four mild but distinct seasons but I may have missed one of the most important reasons of all - our people! A few days ago I was forced due to a separation and upcoming divorce of one of my daughters to make a quick trip from our home near Gatlinburg to the great state of New York. Upon my arrival with a friend's help we packed my daughter's belongings and drove a UHaul truck back to Tennessee. This trip confirmed several of my previous beliefs about why the Smokies have such an enduring draw for our visitors. First and foremost, weather! We travelled through a late March ice storm which paralyzed much of the east coast. The wintry mix followed by ice and then...

What Makes the Smoky Mountains Area So Popular? Last year I wrote a couple of posts about what attracts people (over 12 million annually) vacation and often decide to live in our part of the country. Several items quickly came to mind such as the spectacular scenery, the low crime rate, the exceptionally low taxes, the four mild but distinct seasons but I may have missed one of the most important reasons of all - our people! A few days ago I was forced due to a separation and upcoming divorce of one of my daughters to make a quick trip from our home near Gatlinburg to the great state of New York. Upon my arrival with a friend's help we packed my daughter's belongings and drove a UHaul truck back to Tennessee. This trip confirmed several of my previous beliefs about why the Smokies have such an enduring draw for our visitors. First and foremost, weather! We travelled through a late March ice storm which paralyzed much of the east coast. The wintry mix followed by ice and then...

Wow, What a Start to the New Year! In my best start to a new year ever, I have failed to post regularly to this blog. That has always been my challenge. As a producing agent and our company's Broker/Owner there never is enough time to do everything that I want. Throw in our church and the work that I do with young people and there is no time left. For confirmation, just ask my wife Karen. She occasionally comments that she is a computer widow and there is a little more truth to that than I care to admit. I'm not complaining mind you, as this IS the success that we have prayed and worked for. With 13 transactions closed personally since January 1st and 4 more pending sales I have never had a better start but it's not because our market has gotten hotter. We have priced our listings well for the most part which is crucial as the market continues to be buyer driven. With a huge inventory of properties available there is no shortage of options and buyers can afford to be very s...

Wow, What a Start to the New Year! In my best start to a new year ever, I have failed to post regularly to this blog. That has always been my challenge. As a producing agent and our company's Broker/Owner there never is enough time to do everything that I want. Throw in our church and the work that I do with young people and there is no time left. For confirmation, just ask my wife Karen. She occasionally comments that she is a computer widow and there is a little more truth to that than I care to admit. I'm not complaining mind you, as this IS the success that we have prayed and worked for. With 13 transactions closed personally since January 1st and 4 more pending sales I have never had a better start but it's not because our market has gotten hotter. We have priced our listings well for the most part which is crucial as the market continues to be buyer driven. With a huge inventory of properties available there is no shortage of options and buyers can afford to be very s...