Trip to NC
 

We recently took a trip to Hendersonville and Asheville as well as Greenville SC and Clemson. We had a great time,Asheville looked a little older than we thought it would.
Any ideas in the Asheville area,within 45 minutes a good place for families for a vacation home with a great view,not too expensive.
Looking foward to feedback.

Not sure what you mean Asheville is older looking? Is it because the city doesn't tear down buildings once they reach 10years of age?

What is not too expensive?

I am partial to Black Mt. but if you're looking cheaper, try the area north of Asheville like Mitchell or Madison Co. (I think).

I would say where you can get a 1400-1600 sq. foot home for around $200,000 with a decent view. We liked Asheville,for the small amount of time we were there. First time we drove on the mountain tops was beautiful. Still expensive and we just thought it looked older than we expected.
We would also consider eastern Tennessee if anyone has suggestions. Problem is does not seem to be any direct flights between Tampa and Knoxville.

how about doing a real estate search and see what comes up. I'm thinking at $125-160 per sq foot you will have to be fairly far out and "great view" - well, you just doubled or tripled the cost. Think Madison, Yancey or Mitchell counties or going into TN - maybe. Perhaps you can find a fairly buildable lot and put something up a Deltec, A-frame etc that will be fairly close to your price range.

Oh, be still my heart. There is life in the boards again. Bigal is baaaack!! And I AM being serious!!!
Let's see, this time it is great view, within 45 minutes of one of the more expensive and growing communities in NC--and not too expensive. I think at least one of the parameters may need to be adjusted. I don't think the Biltmore House is on the block yet.
Hey--what happened to Huntersville and being near a professional team for the 2 week-ends a year you would use it!!!
AL, AL, AL, you are just not being straight with us--again. But, I cannot tell a lie, it IS entertaining.
I think Starrsville may be on to it with (outside--pretty far) Hendersonville. I think Black Mountain is already up there.

One more thought. Go ahead and get your financing lined up beforehand if possible so if you do find a house that size at that price point with a view you can grab it!

Not sure if this link will work, but MLS# 356881 @ $195K - 2br, 2ba - decent view - 1512 sq ft

Not much to look at, but meets your criteria at your price point

(The link didn't work)

Hey Austin, can you help BigAl with a place in the NC mountains? Please share. We were all doing just fine with Al. We've been here before. Starrsville and Go Travel and others have a whole LOT of experience in our part of the country--and actually might turn up with something real.
When we want to know about Austin, we will expect you to really chime in from knowledge, not bad advice not to post.

Quite seriously have you thought of a condo unit. OR a time share.

Condo unit yes,timeshare no!!

Time shares can be quite a good investment. I'm amazed that I am saying that, but my eyes have been opened by friends.

I never found a time share to be a good investment unless you buy re-sale. Re-sales you can get for 50% on the dollar or less sometimes. Too restrictive and maintenance and junk fees add up.

I think it definitely depends on the level of property you buy.

Consider Greene County, Unicoi County, Johnson County, or Carter County in Tennessee, in that order. Nearest airport is TRI with direct flights to nowhere, or AVL for Unicoi.

Try this NC county

http://www.mountainlovers.com/vg/index.html

BigAl. I had the same opinion you do of time shares. However, spent a couple of hours drive with the wife of a pathologist who has 5. They accrue points some way for different properties, many of them 5 star where they stay. Son and family will stay in one in Phoenix the end of the month and friends of theirs stayed in one in Paris. I was quite amazed. But I guess you wouldn't be interested in maximizing a comparatively small outlay of cash.

There are two nonstop flights a day from Greenville/Spartanburg to Tampa on Delta. Delta also flies nonstop from Asheville and Greenville to Orlando. There are plenty of places in the area between Greenville and Asheville that would probably qualify for you. Brevard, for instance, is a great little town. Rutherfordton, farther to the east, is relatively close to Lake Lure and not in the mountains, but also not yet as expensive as many places farther north and west. Landrum and Tryon are two growing little towns about equidistant from both Asheville and Greenville.

Almost anything with a "decent view," however, is going to be more expensive than $200K.

Thanks. I forgot that Delta flies into Greeneville. How far is Greenville from Brevard? We have a real expensive house now,as our main home. We did not want a vacation home to be nearly as much. If I sell one of our condos here in Sarasota,we would go higher. The other thing I could do is buy a lot now and build later. Can I get a decent view lot anywhere in the $100,000-to $150,000 range? Not including a house of course.

Be sure to check the deed restrictions for the amount of house you would have to build.