Is the smoking just a problem in Hendersonville?

Why don't Asheville and surrounding towns have the same problem?

I don't think it is much different than anywhere else. I hate cigarette smoke but find it less and less where we go. I do get mildly irritated at some of the places at the beach that have smoking in the bar area. But it isn't against the law--yet.

Can anyone give us some streets/neighborhoods to drive in Asheville?

We were like cats chasing our tail in Chapel Hill - didn't know which streets to drive to see potential neighborhoods.

We like older homes in established neighborhoods. Closer to town better. Price range @375K. We dislike tract housing and such developments.

However, with that being said, would consider a planned community (mixed ages)if done and integrated well like Fearrington.

I think the reason we like Fearrington so much was the "village" - Duke Fitness center on-site, outdoor pool, shops, restaurants, bookstore, tennis courts, all right there, plus being really close to a hardware store, CVS, supermarket, and only 8 miles from Chapel Hill for other stores and the college, plus really close to a major hospital.

We do not want a golf/gated community.

Since we only have 2 days, thinking we will see Asheville/Hendersonville, then if time Weaverville, Flat Rock, Brevard, and Waynesville. Or should be put Waynesville ahead of seeing Hendersonville?

How can you get any sense of a place in two days? Before buying in an area, I would go stay there for at least a month. Another thing is your saying your current home is worth 375K. The real estate market is going down, down now in the northeast, and you cannot count on getting that in the future to cover your new home. If you think the overall cost of living will be a lot cheaper in the areas of North Carolina you're looking at, maybe not. Some of my family moved from New Jersey to the Durham area, and some expenses were more. I believe you want your current life (your active downtown) with warmer weather and a bigger house. You can't duplicate your life somewhere else. You have to be open to the lifestyle where you move.

We certainly aren't deciding on a place with a 2-day visit, but I think we can get a sense if this is a place we want to consider and come back to to explore more. It helps to drive some of the neighborhoods, I think. Of course we would visit and revisit, and rent before buying, etc., etc. I know all that.

I am also well aware of the real estate market and how things change. We just want a sense, based on today's prices, where some neighborhoods might be good to look. I know that places as big as Asheville must have good and not so good neighborhoods, or some safer than others, and we wouldn't know where they were without asking. I was only giving the price point to let people know we are not looking for a mansion or a really big place. Are housing needs are very modest.

We are not, either, trying to replicate our life here. There is nothing, I think, in wanting to be part of an active, vibrant, community, wiht a nice downtown.

Do we want less snow, ice and cold? Absolutely! Do we want lower housing costs? Absolutely!

I don't see anything wrong with setting some parameters for where we move, and I don't think those are excessive demands.

Montford area - Montford Ave - though it might be difficult to find a house in that price range. North Asheville - Beaver Lake area to the right or left off Merrimon - though again you might have some problems in that price range. Kenilworth neighborhood (www.kenilworthcommunity.org) though this community is difficult to access without having to go on highly trafficked roads. Bilmore Park off Hendersonville Road - you might have Andie McDowell as a neighbor - but again, your price range is too low.

You sound to me as though you're looking for your ideal place instead of looking for what a place has to offer. I do not think you'll find what you want in North Carolina for the money you want to spend. Life 45 minutes from Asheville or Charlotte is nothing like life 45 minutes from Boston. That is my only point.

I strongly suggest - a real estate agent.

The more you add, it appears your two days would be best spent riding with someone who knows the area.

I agree, and made a similar suggestion on one of the other forays. Even a couple of hours would be beneficial and much more informative than hit and miss advice, good as it might be. You still have to actually "find:" those streets--and make sure you are looking at the things you think you are.

good advice from Gretchen and Starrsville. If you do want a real estate agent for even a couple of hrs while in Asheville let me know, I have a couple of friends who work the Asheville area as agents. You can also do a search using zip codes to find houses in your range: Downtown Asheville is 28801, North Asheville is 28804 and Kenilworth is 28803. I've found coldwellbankerkasey.com to be a user friendly site and you are able to put in a lot of different parameters such as sq foot, acreage, # of BR/Bath...

Thanks. Really helpful advice.

I guess we didn't want to take a realtors time until we knew whether or not the towns we looked at were possibilites.

Maybe what we'll do this trip is just go and enjoy the towns, wander around a little, and see if we like the area. Then on our next trip, we can talk to a realtor to get a better sense of the housing market.

At this point, I just want to go and enjoy the area - eat at some great spots, enjoy the scenery, shop, see Biltmore (how much time should we allow for this?), etc.

Also, how much time should we allow to get to/from the airport? We are staying at Hill House.

how much time you spend at Biltmore is your call...are you going to do a behind the scenes tour, walk around the grounds, tour the winery...I'm sure people spend the better part of the day there. On the other hand, in a previous life I went w/ someone who was unimpressed with the whole Biltmore thing and practically ran through the house in about an hour.
It takes 15 minutes to get from the airport to downtown.

Since admission to Biltmore is around $40, I would go when you can take your time and get your money's worth. If you rent the headphones for the audio tour (which I highly recommend) it will take at least 1.5 hours to go through the house...more, if you like to stop and admire a room once the narration for that room ends, or if the house is crowded on the day you visit. If you plan to look at the grounds at all and/or go by the winery or the farm area, I would allow a minimum of 4 hours for Biltmore.