Gatlinburg Real Estate Blog

The good news is that my family enjoyed a much needed vacation and for the first time in my life we took a consecutive full two weeks off. The bad news is that I totally forgot about posting to this blog and didn't notice my error until now because we've been really busy since my return to work on Monday (also good news!!). June was indeed an excellent month: Four consecutive months of solid gains above pretty good numbers last year puts us 80 units ahead of 2014's strong results. July 2014 will be a very difficult month to surpass as it was the single best month in a good year but 2015 as a whole seems pretty solidly ahead of our pace last year which was the best since 2007. My hope is that we will surpass 2007 this year and that hasn't happened since the go-go market we had in 2005-2006. Gatlinburg area real estate is looking up indeed!!!

The good news is that my family enjoyed a much needed vacation and for the first time in my life we took a consecutive full two weeks off. The bad news is that I totally forgot about posting to this blog and didn't notice my error until now because we've been really busy since my return to work on Monday (also good news!!). June was indeed an excellent month: Four consecutive months of solid gains above pretty good numbers last year puts us 80 units ahead of 2014's strong results. July 2014 will be a very difficult month to surpass as it was the single best month in a good year but 2015 as a whole seems pretty solidly ahead of our pace last year which was the best since 2007. My hope is that we will surpass 2007 this year and that hasn't happened since the go-go market we had in 2005-2006. Gatlinburg area real estate is looking up indeed!!!

After being affiliated for nearly 17 years with the RE/MAX organization, it has become time to end that relationship and move forward. When I first moved to Sevier County in 1995, I had no experience in real estate marketing, no contacts, and very few resources. While I don't want to criticize the RE/MAX organization, it is no longer central in our efforts to assist our clients in effectively marketing or purchasing Sevier County real estate. Neither is it adding significantly to the success of our firm and we can make better use of our resources than the fees and restrictions that RE/MAX imposes. With 64 transactions already closed or pending this year, we are off to an even better start than we had in 2012 which was our best year ever . For this reason it is now time for a new chapter in the life of our company to begin. Effective today, our firm has become All Pro, Realtors, Inc. No longer associated with RE/MAX, but with my team and our support staff that is so VERY capable, ou...

After being affiliated for nearly 17 years with the RE/MAX organization, it has become time to end that relationship and move forward. When I first moved to Sevier County in 1995, I had no experience in real estate marketing, no contacts, and very few resources. While I don't want to criticize the RE/MAX organization, it is no longer central in our efforts to assist our clients in effectively marketing or purchasing Sevier County real estate. Neither is it adding significantly to the success of our firm and we can make better use of our resources than the fees and restrictions that RE/MAX imposes. With 64 transactions already closed or pending this year, we are off to an even better start than we had in 2012 which was our best year ever . For this reason it is now time for a new chapter in the life of our company to begin. Effective today, our firm has become All Pro, Realtors, Inc. No longer associated with RE/MAX, but with my team and our support staff that is so VERY capab...

We have recently been assigned three new foreclosure properties that are actually beautiful residences in the Douglas Lake and Wears Valley areas of Sevier County. These Sevierville homes are very large and attractive and will likely be priced very attractively by the good folks at Fannie Mae. Links to our very preliminary (and un-retouched) pictures (please ignore the uncut yards and the odd photo angles) are below and we hope to have the prices very soon. 1711 Gator Point - Douglas Lake View! 4029 Ridgeback Lane  - Great Mountain Views! 3522 Hiley Dr.  - Your own large pond AND National Park views! To  be added to our Foreclosure Alert Email List, just send us an email to Jeff@GatlinburgHomes.com .

We have recently been assigned three new foreclosure properties that are actually beautiful residences in the Douglas Lake and Wears Valley areas of Sevier County. These Sevierville homes are very large and attractive and will likely be priced very attractively by the good folks at Fannie Mae. Links to our very preliminary (and un-retouched) pictures (please ignore the uncut yards and the odd photo angles) are below and we hope to have the prices very soon. 1711 Gator Point - Douglas Lake View! 4029 Ridgeback Lane  - Great Mountain Views! 3522 Hiley Dr.  - Your own large pond AND National Park views! To  be added to our Foreclosure Alert Email List, just send us an email to Jeff@GatlinburgHomes.com .

I was enjoying an excellent meal out last weekend with my bride (of 15 years) which was made even better by the superb waiter who served us.  Chris was perfectly attentive without being intrusive, which is quite an art. The only oh so minor mistake was when we thanked him for doing such a great job he replied "No problem".  This is a pet peeve of mine but I just don't like that response.  It implies that on some occasions or under different circumstances it could be a problem.  For this reason, our staff is instructed to respond "My pleasure!" or "Your welcome!" when thanked for anything they do.  If Chick-fil-A restaurant employees can do it, we certainly can. It certainly IS our pleasure to asssist our clients with anything that involves Gatlinburg area real estate.  With several new foreclosure and non-foreclosure properties that are well priced coming to market very soon, we can help you find an excellent opportunity here in the Smokies.  As the nu...

I was enjoying an excellent meal out last weekend with my bride (of 15 years) which was made even better by the superb waiter who served us.  Chris was perfectly attentive without being intrusive, which is quite an art. The only oh so minor mistake was when we thanked him for doing such a great job he replied "No problem".  This is a pet peeve of mine but I just don't like that response.  It implies that on some occasions or under different circumstances it could be a problem.  For this reason, our staff is instructed to respond "My pleasure!" or "Your welcome!" when thanked for anything they do.  If Chick-fil-A restaurant employees can do it, we certainly can. It certainly IS our pleasure to asssist our clients with anything that involves Gatlinburg area real estate.  With several new foreclosure and non-foreclosure properties that are well priced coming to market very soon, we can help you find an excellent opportunity here in the Smokies.  As the nu...

I often tell people that due to the nature of our Gatlinburg real estate market, it isn't as much fun as it used to be.  In an up market, everyone is happier and the job is much more pleasant.  In our current market environment, people are often caught in a downward spiral where one bad event leads to another.  With many construction related industries shedding jobs there are a lot of skilled and unskilled laborers who are out of work.  If you can't work, you can't pay the mortgage and that of course leads to foreclosure.  When we see vacation homes in foreclosure, it is still saddening but not to the extent that it is when the home in question is a primary residence.  Nothing is sadder than when children are involved as was the case earlier this week. When we post a house with a foreclosure notice on behalf of the foreclosing entity, they often require photographic evidence of the fact that the former owner has been notified.  For this reason, I alway...

I often tell people that due to the nature of our Gatlinburg real estate market, it isn't as much fun as it used to be.  In an up market, everyone is happier and the job is much more pleasant.  In our current market environment, people are often caught in a downward spiral where one bad event leads to another.  With many construction related industries shedding jobs there are a lot of skilled and unskilled laborers who are out of work.  If you can't work, you can't pay the mortgage and that of course leads to foreclosure.  When we see vacation homes in foreclosure, it is still saddening but not to the extent that it is when the home in question is a primary residence.  Nothing is sadder than when children are involved as was the case earlier this week. When we post a house with a foreclosure notice on behalf of the foreclosing entity, they often require photographic evidence of the fact that the former owner has been notified.  For this reason, I alw...

This morning, Lord willing, I will be leaving for Scottsdale, Arizona for my annual CyberStars Summit meeting.  Each year, our group gathers to share the very best ideas we have regarding how to integrate the latest technology into our real estate marketing efforts.  Membership in this group is by invitation only and less than 200 real estate professionals worldwide are members of the organization.  Some of the absolutely sharpest people I know are from the CyberStars group and I always learn a lot of good information. For the next 4 days, my head will hurt with new ideas - Somewhat like trying to drink from a water fountain.  I will be back in Gatlinburg late Wednesday and my staff will be holding down the fort while I'm gone.  That's the advantage of having an entire team of professionals.  Clients are not neglected while I am learning how the latest technology can be used to improve our real estate practice.

This morning, Lord willing, I will be leaving for Scottsdale, Arizona for my annual CyberStars Summit meeting.  Each year, our group gathers to share the very best ideas we have regarding how to integrate the latest technology into our real estate marketing efforts.  Membership in this group is by invitation only and less than 200 real estate professionals worldwide are members of the organization.  Some of the absolutely sharpest people I know are from the CyberStars group and I always learn a lot of good information. For the next 4 days, my head will hurt with new ideas - Somewhat like trying to drink from a water fountain.  I will be back in Gatlinburg late Wednesday and my staff will be holding down the fort while I'm gone.  That's the advantage of having an entire team of professionals.  Clients are not neglected while I am learning how the latest technology can be used to improve our real estate practice.

There has always been a direct inverse connection between how busy our real estate office has been and the number of posts I am able to make to this blog. It's not that I don't enjoy writing articles here - I certainly do! It's just a matter of the number of hours available in the day when I am at least semi-conscious. There are most definitely topics available and there appear to be a good number of readers but the issue is plainly time. Tomorrow, we will have a preliminary look at April's Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge/Sevierville area residential real estate units sold but for the time being I have a simple request. Please briefly comment this blog post just to let me know who is reading my lately irregular rants. If you wish your comment to be kept private just let me know and I will not publish it.

There has always been a direct inverse connection between how busy our real estate office has been and the number of posts I am able to make to this blog. It's not that I don't enjoy writing articles here - I certainly do! It's just a matter of the number of hours available in the day when I am at least semi-conscious. There are most definitely topics available and there appear to be a good number of readers but the issue is plainly time. Tomorrow, we will have a preliminary look at April's Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge/Sevierville area residential real estate units sold but for the time being I have a simple request. Please briefly comment this blog post just to let me know who is reading my lately irregular rants. If you wish your comment to be kept private just let me know and I will not publish it.

Darn this Technology! I just returned from a wonderful hi-tech conference in Phoenix, Arizona where we shared ideas on how to provide better service to our clients by using the technology tools that are available today. For most of us, at the top of our list of most valuable technology tools is our websites which provide potential customers with information about our markets, the available inventory of properties, and about ourselves. Unfortunately, right now, my website is down. Although this happens VERY rarely, for reasons unknown to me, our www.gatlinburg-homes.com site is currently not working. This is a huge inconvenience for me and for our clients and I have already been contacted by a couple of people asking what is going on and when will the site be back up and running. The answer is - I don't know but it probably won't be long. Our webmaster, Doug Walker, owner of Prism Designworks, is amazing in his ability to correct the very rare issues that can come up. ...

Darn this Technology! I just returned from a wonderful hi-tech conference in Phoenix, Arizona where we shared ideas on how to provide better service to our clients by using the technology tools that are available today. For most of us, at the top of our list of most valuable technology tools is our websites which provide potential customers with information about our markets, the available inventory of properties, and about ourselves. Unfortunately, right now, my website is down. Although this happens VERY rarely, for reasons unknown to me, our www.gatlinburg-homes.com site is currently not working. This is a huge inconvenience for me and for our clients and I have already been contacted by a couple of people asking what is going on and when will the site be back up and running. The answer is - I don't know but it probably won't be long. Our webmaster, Doug Walker, owner of Prism Designworks, is amazing in his ability to correct the very rare issues that can come up. ...

National New Home Sales Rate Plunges Sales of new homes plunged by 8.5% to a 17-year low in March, the United States Commerce Department estimated today. The decline in new-home sales to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 526,000 was much weaker than the 577,000 pace expected by economists surveyed by the MarketWatch organization. In Sevier County, March sales of residential properties fell to the lowest level in many years with only 66 units being reported by the Great Smoky Mountain Association of Realtors (GSMAR). An additional 40 units in neighboring counties were sold by member Realtors during the month but the total of 106 units was sharply lower than March a year ago when a total of 244 residential units were sold by the members of GSMAR. Of additional concern, the month of April has been very slow so far as reported by members of our MLS. I'm estimating that total sales of residential units by GSMAR members will fall well below 100 units setting a new recent year low fo...

National New Home Sales Rate Plunges Sales of new homes plunged by 8.5% to a 17-year low in March, the United States Commerce Department estimated today. The decline in new-home sales to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 526,000 was much weaker than the 577,000 pace expected by economists surveyed by the MarketWatch organization. In Sevier County, March sales of residential properties fell to the lowest level in many years with only 66 units being reported by the Great Smoky Mountain Association of Realtors (GSMAR). An additional 40 units in neighboring counties were sold by member Realtors during the month but the total of 106 units was sharply lower than March a year ago when a total of 244 residential units were sold by the members of GSMAR. Of additional concern, the month of April has been very slow so far as reported by members of our MLS. I'm estimating that total sales of residential units by GSMAR members will fall well below 100 units setting a new recent year low fo...

It's Not THAT Bad! With the real estate market locally and in many places around the country sharply off the highs reached a couple of years ago there is a lot of pessimism out there. Daily reports from the media talk about the crisis in the housing market or the mortgage meltdown that we are supposedly going through. Ignored is the fact that over 94% of all mortgages are being paid on a timely basis and although the higher than average number of foreclosures is impacting the market it isn't a meltdown at all. Bad news however sells and this is why we constantly hear the negative reports while better news is often ignored because it doesn't fit the template. In fact, a local newspaper reported called me recently and wanted to do a story about the state of our local Sevier County real estate market. When I informed him of the state of the overall market but that we were actually having a good year he lost interest and actually found another agency with a much sadder story t...

It's Not THAT Bad! With the real estate market locally and in many places around the country sharply off the highs reached a couple of years ago there is a lot of pessimism out there. Daily reports from the media talk about the crisis in the housing market or the mortgage meltdown that we are supposedly going through. Ignored is the fact that over 94% of all mortgages are being paid on a timely basis and although the higher than average number of foreclosures is impacting the market it isn't a meltdown at all. Bad news however sells and this is why we constantly hear the negative reports while better news is often ignored because it doesn't fit the template. In fact, a local newspaper reported called me recently and wanted to do a story about the state of our local Sevier County real estate market. When I informed him of the state of the overall market but that we were actually having a good year he lost interest and actually found another agency with a much sadder story t...