A recent article in Smart Money ( http://money.aol.com/top5/realestate/bargain-places-summer-home) ranked the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee as one of the Top Five Places to own a Summer Home.  We couldn’t agree more!  However, here is our perspective on why our area is “hands down” above the rest.

Two choices (Panama City Beach, FL and the Crystal Coast, NC) are ocean front locations.  Getting to these places could be challenging if oil prices continue to rise and airlines suffer like they did last year.  The ocean locations also lack the 4 season appeal for vacationers and renters.  With hurricanes, tsunamis, and rising ocean levels due to melting polar ice caps how safe is your investment with many coastal areas becoming non-insurable?

The remaining 3 locations including our Smokies are beautiful mountain areas.  All three are certainly safer as an investment due to factors; like being inland and at higher elevation, which mitigates possible adverse climate changes.  The mountain locations also offer a broader 4 season appeal to renters and vacationers with activities ranging from skiing, to boating and hiking.  The downside to Lake Tahoe, CA is its’ accessibility if oil prices continue to climb and its’ ritzy price tag for homes.  The Pocono Mountains, PA location is certainly more economical but it is closer only to the North East/Mid Atlantic cities with traffic and overcrowding becoming a possibility.

That brings us to the Great Smoky Mountains, TN location. It is centrally located within a 10 hour car drive to over ½ the U.S. population, it is accessibly convenient, but not close to massive urban areas and is the most reasonably priced of the top five. 

The Smoky Mountains of Tennessee offer the best  value for your money in a fun exciting place of natural beauty that is convenient to more people, but far enough away to feel like a vacation every day. Jason White, a local Smoky Mountain real estate agent, can provide more information on the area. Please contact him today.