Gatlinburg Real Estate Blog

Our spectacular new listing at 3545 Carsons Ridge Way (appropriately nicknamed "Déjà View") features 30-foot cathedral ceilings with three sides of floor-to-ceiling glass to admire the unbelievable view of the Smoky Mountains and the Brothers Cove valleys. Want to get an even closer look? Step outside on the 50-foot-long wrap-around deck and soak in the panoramic vista! This area really is pristine as there are hardly any other homes in sight. Here is the actual view from the deck: The open floor plan with soaring ceilings make this large log cabin home feel even larger. Here is just a part of one of those walls of glass I was describing: There are also an abundance of fireplaces (inside and out) that this custom fully furnished home features. That's not all, "Déjà View" has 3 bedrooms and 3.5 baths (all full baths are ensuite type) and naturally, the bedrooms are also really special: Located in picturesque and gated Brothers Cove in the Waldens Creek area, you ...

Our spectacular new listing at 3545 Carsons Ridge Way (appropriately nicknamed "Déjà View") features 30-foot cathedral ceilings with three sides of floor-to-ceiling glass to admire the unbelievable view of the Smoky Mountains and the Brothers Cove valleys. Want to get an even closer look? Step outside on the 50-foot-long wrap-around deck and soak in the panoramic vista! This area really is pristine as there are hardly any other homes in sight. Here is the actual view from the deck: The open floor plan with soaring ceilings make this large log cabin home feel even larger. Here is just a part of one of those walls of glass I was describing: There are also an abundance of fireplaces (inside and out) that this custom fully furnished home features. That's not all, "Déjà View" has 3 bedrooms and 3.5 baths (all full baths are ensuite type) and naturally, the bedrooms are also really special: Located in picturesque and gated Brothers Cove in the Waldens Cr...

The answer is PLENTY! Our family's recent vacation to Folly Beach, near Charleston, was very instructive with regard to what is most important to our guests visiting the Smoky Mountains. We waited a little too late to make the final decision that we were in fact going to Charleston and this meant that there weren't a lot of choices that remained available... Our original plan was to rent a single large beach front home that would accommodate our good sized extended family. Because we also wanted an on property pool our choices were pretty well eliminated. The next best option was a pair of condominium units but again our delay in booking didn't serve us well. Wading through dozens of websites, we finally found two 3 bedroom 3 bath condo units that were available for the week that we wanted to travel. The website that we ended up booking our trip on led us to properties managed by Fred Holland Real Estate of Folly Beach, a name that will live (for me at least) in infamy. Wh...

The answer is PLENTY! Our family's recent vacation to Folly Beach, near Charleston, was very instructive with regard to what is most important to our guests visiting the Smoky Mountains. We waited a little too late to make the final decision that we were in fact going to Charleston and this meant that there weren't a lot of choices that remained available... Our original plan was to rent a single large beach front home that would accommodate our good sized extended family. Because we also wanted an on property pool our choices were pretty well eliminated. The next best option was a pair of condominium units but again our delay in booking didn't serve us well. Wading through dozens of websites, we finally found two 3 bedroom 3 bath condo units that were available for the week that we wanted to travel. The website that we ended up booking our trip on led us to properties managed by Fred Holland Real Estate of Folly Beach, a name that will live (for me at least) in infamy...

I recently purchased a truck to replace my trusty vehicle that I have enjoyed since buying it new 10 years ago. With VERY few problems and a lot of miles racked up, I decided it was time to trade. In sizing up my options, I ended up with a replacement that I am quite happy with. Funny thing is that I have become quite spoiled. I considered another version of the same vehicle but because that particular truck didn't have a leather interior or heated seats, I decided it just wouldn't work. The fact is that once you have an option, it is very hard to purchase your next vehicle without the same option or accessory. My reason for writing this here is that the same thing is true for homes. Once you are used to certain features, it is VERY unusual to settle for a home without the same options/amenities. People who vacation here expect their getaway home to be at LEAST as nice as the home they live in when they aren't on vacation. For this reason, people considering the purchase of...

I recently purchased a truck to replace my trusty vehicle that I have enjoyed since buying it new 10 years ago. With VERY few problems and a lot of miles racked up, I decided it was time to trade. In sizing up my options, I ended up with a replacement that I am quite happy with. Funny thing is that I have become quite spoiled. I considered another version of the same vehicle but because that particular truck didn't have a leather interior or heated seats, I decided it just wouldn't work. The fact is that once you have an option, it is very hard to purchase your next vehicle without the same option or accessory. My reason for writing this here is that the same thing is true for homes. Once you are used to certain features, it is VERY unusual to settle for a home without the same options/amenities. People who vacation here expect their getaway home to be at LEAST as nice as the home they live in when they aren't on vacation. For this reason, people considering the purchase ...

I spoke recently with a friend who owns several Gatlinburg cabins (of all sizes from 1 bedroom to 8 bedrooms) and he were talking about the performance of one of his vacation rental properties in particular. When he told me that it would rent for 270+ nights this year I was floored. To be sure, years ago, I was able to easily find homes that generated unbelievable numbers but we've built a LOT of cabins since then. Can cabins still generate those gaudy numbers even in a recession economy - see Gatlinburg Real Estate Blog: Gatlinburg and the Great Recession ? The answer is an unqualified "Yes!". This one bedroom luxury cabin in Chalet Village is rented like I wouldn't have believed and will in fact produce an overall occupancy rate of 75% or even a little more for the fully year of 2009. The real question is what is it that allows this particular property to do so well? Here are the reasons as well as I can determine them: The cabin is a "state of the art" p...

I spoke recently with a friend who owns several Gatlinburg cabins (of all sizes from 1 bedroom to 8 bedrooms) and he were talking about the performance of one of his vacation rental properties in particular. When he told me that it would rent for 270+ nights this year I was floored. To be sure, years ago, I was able to easily find homes that generated unbelievable numbers but we've built a LOT of cabins since then. Can cabins still generate those gaudy numbers even in a recession economy - see Gatlinburg Real Estate Blog: Gatlinburg and the Great Recession ? The answer is an unqualified "Yes!". This one bedroom luxury cabin in Chalet Village is rented like I wouldn't have believed and will in fact produce an overall occupancy rate of 75% or even a little more for the fully year of 2009. The real question is what is it that allows this particular property to do so well? Here are the reasons as well as I can determine them: The cabin is a "state of the art" p...

Gatlinburg area real estate has always been considered to be somewhat recession resistant. The thinking (which generally has proven to be correct) is that a long weekend in the Smoky Mountains is a cheaper option than a week at the beach so when times get tough, the more affordable option is attractive to potential vacationers. That has rung true again, even in the Great Recession as some commentators are now referring to our current economic climate. With many other vacation areas off dramatically from previous years our area's summer season hasn't been that bad. In fact, many areas are reporting modest gains from previous year's numbers. The only negative is that rates have been somewhat discounted as competition heats up among property owners here in the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge/Sevierville area. Marginal properties that don't have a view or some other notable quality are suffering which confirms one of my core beliefs when it comes to Smoky Mountain vacation rental r...

Gatlinburg area real estate has always been considered to be somewhat recession resistant. The thinking (which generally has proven to be correct) is that a long weekend in the Smoky Mountains is a cheaper option than a week at the beach so when times get tough, the more affordable option is attractive to potential vacationers. That has rung true again, even in the Great Recession as some commentators are now referring to our current economic climate. With many other vacation areas off dramatically from previous years our area's summer season hasn't been that bad. In fact, many areas are reporting modest gains from previous year's numbers. The only negative is that rates have been somewhat discounted as competition heats up among property owners here in the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge/Sevierville area. Marginal properties that don't have a view or some other notable quality are suffering which confirms one of my core beliefs when it comes to Smoky Mountain vacation rental r...

Some people doubt whether Gatlinburg area log cabins still really rent given the current state of our national economy. While tourism in many areas of the country is definitely down our local visitor count seems to be pretty robust. In fact, some Gatlinburg real estate is doing remarkably well. An excellent example of a superbly performing vacation rental property would be the "Cloud Dancer" log cabin in Cobbly Nob just outside of Gatlinburg. Cloud Dancer is an extremely attractive Gatlinburg log cabin that was rented by vacationing guests no less than TWENTY NINE DAYS in JUNE ! While this is kind of performance cannot be expected every month this spectacular cabin IS on track to rent VERY well this year. If you would like to view this great property online via the rental company's site please click this link . If you like, you can even view the property as it was showcased a couple of years ago on cable TV by clicking here . To see it in person and fully apprec...

Some people doubt whether Gatlinburg area log cabins still really rent given the current state of our national economy. While tourism in many areas of the country is definitely down our local visitor count seems to be pretty robust. In fact, some Gatlinburg real estate is doing remarkably well. An excellent example of a superbly performing vacation rental property would be the "Cloud Dancer" log cabin in Cobbly Nob just outside of Gatlinburg. Cloud Dancer is an extremely attractive Gatlinburg log cabin that was rented by vacationing guests no less than TWENTY NINE DAYS in JUNE ! While this is kind of performance cannot be expected every month this spectacular cabin IS on track to rent VERY well this year. If you would like to view this great property online via the rental company's site please click this link . If you like, you can even view the property as it was showcased a couple of years ago on cable TV by clicking here . To see it in person and fully apprec...

How to Profit with Gatlinburg Real Estate Regardless of the Economic Environment There has been a remarkable amount of press over the past couple of years about the generally weak condition of real estate markets around the country. I've even contributed to that by regularly posting about the lackluster status of our own Smoky Mountain real estate market here in the Gatlinburg area. There is however a way that investors can make money on real estate investments here in Sevier County. One of the frustrations in being involved in the foreclosure industry is that we can't purchase our own listings. This is because the listing banks consider that to be a conflict of interest and I do understand their concern. A real estate broker with a lack of morals could talk down a property discouraging potential buyers from making an offer over time forcing the price down until it was attractive to the broker to buy for him or herself. There is however for anyone (other than myself) an excel...

How to Profit with Gatlinburg Real Estate Regardless of the Economic Environment There has been a remarkable amount of press over the past couple of years about the generally weak condition of real estate markets around the country. I've even contributed to that by regularly posting about the lackluster status of our own Smoky Mountain real estate market here in the Gatlinburg area. There is however a way that investors can make money on real estate investments here in Sevier County. One of the frustrations in being involved in the foreclosure industry is that we can't purchase our own listings. This is because the listing banks consider that to be a conflict of interest and I do understand their concern. A real estate broker with a lack of morals could talk down a property discouraging potential buyers from making an offer over time forcing the price down until it was attractive to the broker to buy for him or herself. There is however for anyone (other than myself) an excel...

A Cabin that Truly Pays for Itself! 13 years ago when my wife Karen and I first moved to Sevier County it was pretty easy to make a vacation rental property pay for itself. In fact, the vacation rental industry has been in the Gatlinburg area since the early 1960's and has thrived during the many years since. With hundreds of rental management agencies and many thousands of overnight rental cabins and chalets this very success has become our area's biggest challenge. Due to the recent building boom of the past 5 years our Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge/Cobbly Nob/Wears Valley area has an oversupply of properties available for vacationers to rent and not many of these homes are still able to clearly cover their entire expenses. There are however exceptions and the three bedroom, three bath log look cabin that we just listed is one of those happy situations where the owners ARE producing rentals that exceed the total cost of ownership. What is unique about this cabin? Several important...

A Cabin that Truly Pays for Itself! 13 years ago when my wife Karen and I first moved to Sevier County it was pretty easy to make a vacation rental property pay for itself. In fact, the vacation rental industry has been in the Gatlinburg area since the early 1960's and has thrived during the many years since. With hundreds of rental management agencies and many thousands of overnight rental cabins and chalets this very success has become our area's biggest challenge. Due to the recent building boom of the past 5 years our Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge/Cobbly Nob/Wears Valley area has an oversupply of properties available for vacationers to rent and not many of these homes are still able to clearly cover their entire expenses. There are however exceptions and the three bedroom, three bath log look cabin that we just listed is one of those happy situations where the owners ARE producing rentals that exceed the total cost of ownership. What is unique about this cabin? Several important...

Just How Many Overnight Rentals Are There? Quick Quiz for you. No prizes for the correct answer, just bragging rights. In the Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville areas how many rental cabins, chalets, & condos are there? A: 4,000 - 6,000 B: 6,000 - 8,000 C: 8,000 - 10,000 D: 10,000+ E: Nobody really knows how many The overnight rental industry in Sevier County began in the early 1960's when the first chalets and log cabins were built for visitors to the relatively newly created Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Chalets and cabins made a lot of sense and any property that had a decent view would rent well at that time. Even some that looked remarkably like army barracks were quite successful. As years went by many more cabins, chalets, and condos were built here in the Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and surrounding communties and the demand for this sort of real estate was always sufficient to absorb the increased supply. Nearly 50 years later we are still building, selling, ...

Just How Many Overnight Rentals Are There? Quick Quiz for you. No prizes for the correct answer, just bragging rights. In the Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville areas how many rental cabins, chalets, & condos are there? A: 4,000 - 6,000 B: 6,000 - 8,000 C: 8,000 - 10,000 D: 10,000+ E: Nobody really knows how many The overnight rental industry in Sevier County began in the early 1960's when the first chalets and log cabins were built for visitors to the relatively newly created Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Chalets and cabins made a lot of sense and any property that had a decent view would rent well at that time. Even some that looked remarkably like army barracks were quite successful. As years went by many more cabins, chalets, and condos were built here in the Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and surrounding communties and the demand for this sort of real estate was always sufficient to absorb the increased supply. Nearly 50 years later we are still building, selling, ...