Ring in 2018 in the Smokies!

Gatlinburg Ball Drop and Fireworks Show

On the evening of December 31, vacationers and locals alike will gather in downtown Gatlinburg for a party unlike anywhere else in the nation. All of the restaurants and bars on The Strip will be open for business, and the downtown area will be aglow with beautiful Winter Magic lights.

The climax of the Gatlinburg New Year’s Eve celebration is, of course, the Ball Drop and Fireworks Show at the Gatlinburg Space Needle. Located at the intersection of the Parkway and Historic Nature Trail, the Space Needle will be outfitted with special LED lights and a collection of state-of-the-art fireworks manufactured by Pyro-Shows of LaFollette, TN.

When the clock strikes midnight, the ball will drop and fireworks will shoot off from the peak of the 407-foot tall Space Needle. Gatlinburg’s fireworks displays get bigger and better each year, and we can’t wait to see the spectacular show this New Year’s Eve!

We wish everyone a Happy New Year!

 

Featured Listings:

Stunners in Gatlinburg, Tremendous Rental Potential
Price Reductions

1011 Margit Worsham Way  Gatlinburg, TN 37738
$1,599,000   ID#: 211111
5BD/5BA, 2-half BA, 5,400+ sq ft.  Amazing views of Mt. LeConte.  Ideal as a permanent or 2nd home, or as an overnight rental.  Massive and luxurious.  More Info

 

 

Lots 13 &14 Riversong Way  Gatlinburg TN 37738
$299,900   ID# 189860

Rare riverfront on almost 4 acres.  Build 1 large or 2 smaller cabins for yourself or as a rental.  It feels as though you are inside the national park.   More info

 

Season’s Greetings from the Jason White Team

Wishing you a joyous holiday season with peace and cheer
in the New Year!

 

 

Featured Listings:

Ho! Ho! Ho!  Merry Cabins!  Santa’s workshop?

 

2159 E Parkway  Gatlinburg, TN 37738

$279,900    ID#: 213595

1 BR/ 2 BA 1.29 acres 1 BD/ 2 BA 1.29 acres. 321 E Parkway frontage!  Great for commercial and/or residential property.  Great visibility, level parking, minutes to downtown.  More info

 

 

4 BD/ 4BA  Luxury log cabin, 3500 sf, 2acres, Income potential or perm. res., mountain views, attached garage.   More info

 

 

 

Winter Fun in the Smokies

Lights, (bring your) Cameras, Action!

A seven-time award winner of America’s Best Christmas Event, Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Festival Nov. 4 -Jan. 3, 2018, features 4 million holiday lights and spectacular performances including It’s a Wonderful Life.   Dollywood brings a Christmas classic story of love and generosity to life.

 

The Slopes are open at Ober Gatlinburg

 For many people, winter in the Smokies means one thing: skiing and snowboarding at Ober Gatlinburg. There are 10 different ski trails at the park with varying levels of difficulty.  Everyone, from beginners to experts, can have a great time.

Not up for skiing, but still love the snow? Snow tubing is a great option for everyone.  The Ski Mountain Coaster is open in the winter when the tracks aren’t frozen. You can also head inside to check out the plethora of shops, the food court, or even go ice skating!

Ring in the new year in the Smokies!

Gatlinburg will welcome the arrival of 2018 in unique style with its Annual New Year’s Eve Ball Drop and Fireworks Show around the intersection of Parkway and Historic Nature Trail at the base of the Space Needle late Sunday night, December 31.

Nearly 50,000 people will gather around the intersection at the base of the Space Needle late Sunday night, December 31 to ring in the New Year.  At the stroke of midnight on January 1, 2018, fireworks will blast off the rooftop of the 400-foot tall Space Needle with special music choreographed for the show.  The Space Needle has added rhythmic LED lights to the tower, making for a spectacular display.

 

 

 

Featured Properties:
Amazing Views, Great Income

1437 Arbon Drive,  Gatlinburg, TN 37738
$329,900   ID#: 213518

5 BR/BA Chalet. 51K+ Income, Close to Ober, a walk to the pool.  Summer and winter fun.  More info

 

 

 

2215 Lone Eagle Drive,  Sevierville, TN 37876
$314,900   ID#213544                                                                                            
2 BR/2 BA Log cabin. 43K+ Income. Close to Dollywood, minutes to Gatlinburg.  More info

Local musician is rebuilding after the fires

Local musician is rebuilding,
creating new songs and a new home:

Last November, Kirk Fleta came back to the Smokies from a trip to Nashville to find that he lost everything: family heirlooms, guitars and dozens of journals and recordings of his songs, photos and recordings of his mother (famed Spanish singer Paloma Fleta) and his grandfather (world famous opera tenor Miguel Fleta), all of the songs he had down on paper, the audio and video recordings of his performances, and journals of his travels from all over the world.

Fleta is slowly rebuilding. He got money from FEMA, crowdfunding and other organizations.

“Everybody’s really wanting to chip in and help the recovery process,” Fleta said. “It’s kind of reinstated my faith in humanity because there’s so much kindness…We’re a strong, mountain tough community. It’s real.”
He says he wants to write songs that stand the test of time and wants to build a house that stands the test of time, too.

Fleta is writing songs for a new album, some of which are inspired by the fires. He is an optimistic guy and says he says he doesn’t like to dwell too much on the past.  Fleta says he is ‘leaning on a promise of a bright future’ with new songs and a new house.

Here is a link to his website, and here is a link to his fundraising fund:  https://www.crowdrise.com/kirk-fletas-wildfire-recovery-fund

Stephanie Haines interviewed Kirk Fleta for WBIR Ch 10 news.

Featured Properties:

Remarkable Houses, Remarkable Land

1215 Wiley Oakley Dr.
Gatlinburg, TN 37738
$799,900   ID# 205840

4 BD/3.5 BA, 2,800+ sq ft mountain chalet, sitting on 14+ acres, complete with amazing mountain views. More info

 


2924 Nuns Cove Rd.
Sevierville, TN 37876
$495,000   ID#  211855

3 BD/3 BA, 2,200+ sq ft, contemporary-style mountain chalet on 76 acres.  More info

Happy Thanksgiving from the Jason White Team

We wish you a Happy Thanksgiving day full of joy and happiness with your families and friends.  Today we just want to say thank you in appreciation of your business, trust, and loyalty with us.

Sincerely,

The Jason White Team

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Featured Listings:
40K+ Income Cabins

$279,900   ID#: 213277

Private and spacious 3 BD/3 BA Private cabin in scenic Sky Harbor.  3 levels with covered decks.
More info
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$299,900   ID# 208150
4BD/4BA Mountain chalet with incredible views.  Large open rooms, great for large family gatherings.

 More info

Is history repeating itself?

Rapid price increases will not last forever.

The current growth in home prices is echoing the lead-up to the recession.  Is history repeating itself?

 

The answer is likely not, according to a recently released realtor.com® report.  Building is lacking in many markets—one hallmark 10 years ago was over-construction—and credit standards are more stringent, says Danielle Hale, chief economist of realtor.com.

“As we compare today’s market dynamics to those of a decade ago, it’s important to remember rising prices didn’t cause the housing crash,” Hale says.  It was rising prices stoked by subprime and low documentation mortgages, as well as people looking for short-term gains—versus today’s truer market vitality—that created the environment for the crash.”

In 2016, home prices (the national median home sales price) were 2 percent higher than they were in 2006, the report reveals. Pre-recession prices have returned in 31 of the 50 largest metropolitan areas.

In contrast with 2006, however, are today’s credit conditions. Currently, the median FICO score for a mortgage is 734; the median in 2006 was 700.

Builds and flips are also different from 2006—starkly.  The credit environment, among other factors, is keeping a lid on unfettered flipping and over-construction.  In 2006, one household formation generally equaled 1.4 single-family housing starts; in 2016, that number shrank to 0.7 single-family starts.  Flips accounted for 5 percent of sales in 2016; in 2006, they comprised 8.6 percent.

“Lending standards are critical to the health of the market,” says Hale.  “Unlike today, the boom’s under-regulated lending environment allowed borrowing beyond repayable amounts and atypical mortgage products, which pushed up home prices without the backing of income and equity.”

Additionally, economic indicators point elsewhere.  Employment was healthy then and is now, but inventory is limited more today—at a 20-year low.  Presently, the average months supply is 4.2; in 2007, the average months supply was 6.4.

 

Featured Listings:   Price Reductions

Beautiful one level brick 3 BD/2 BA complete w/incredible views of the Smokies & of a beautiful pond adj. to this property.  More info
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$458,800   ID#: 212271
Resting atop 1.49 beautiful acres you’ll discover an architectural gem of 5000+ sq ft, 4 BD / 3 BA.   Views of Mt. LeConte & Clingman’s dome.  More info

National Real Estate Market

Prices are up, homes selling faster, new listings slightly up

Autumn began in September, but activity in the housing market remained at summer-like levels through October, according to realtor.com’s latest data preview. Prices in October were 10 percent higher than those one year ago, with the national median at $275,000 and the national median age of inventory at 73 days.

“This month we aren’t just experiencing still-summery weather—we’re also seeing a sizzlingly competitive housing market at a time when things are usually cooling off for the fall,” says Danielle Hale, chief economist at realtor.com. “With not enough homes on the market to meet the high demand, homes are selling 8 percent more quickly than a year ago even though prices are as high as they’ve ever been.

“For potential buyers who waited until fall hoping to score a bargain, the pickings are disappointingly slim,” Hale says, “but one potential bright spot for market-fatigued buyers is that new listings are up slightly from one year ago. While new listings declined in the first four months of the year, they have increased on a year-over-year basis in five of the last six months.”

Would you ever buy a haunted home?

A new survey from Realtor.com shows most folks won’t shy away from a spooky space–so long as the price is right.

In September, Realtor.com surveyed more than 1,000 online respondents. The verdict? Thirty-three percent were open to living in a haunted house, 25 percent might be, and 42 percent are not open to the idea.

What factors impacted these results? Let’s explore:

  • 40 percent of respondents indicated that they need a price reduction in order to choose a haunted home over a non-haunted home;
  • 35 percent require a better neighborhood;
  • 32 percent need larger square footage;
  • and 29 percent would do so if more bedrooms are involved.

Who minds a few spooky spirits if there’s a third bedroom?   From the survey, 47 percent of participants indicate they would live in a home where someone died, 27 percent said they might, and 26 percent said they would not.

The survey also showed certain paranormal activities are preferred over others. Forty-eight percent of those surveyed didn’t mind a few cold or hot spots in their home, whereas 45 percent could get down with unexplained noises, and 39 percent are willing to tolerate strange, freaky feelings in certain rooms. Thirty-five percent of folks could deal with shifting shadows, but only twenty percent were alright with levitating objects or the sensation of being touched.

Of those surveyed, 28 percent believed they already have lived in a haunted house, with 14 percent unsure and 58 percent quite sure they’ve never been haunted.

 

Featured Listing:

This lot was issued a 5 bedroom septic permit, which is increasingly rare. Great opportunity to build a 5 bedroom vacation rental cabin.   Located in very desirable Pinnacle Vista subdivision in Pittman Center.