The previous record was set in 2019 at $12,547,743.
Preliminary data for visits in 2021 sits at $14,141,272 visits! Data will be confirmed at the end of the 1st quarter.
This is an increase of 16%, up $2,045,552, compared to $12,095,720 in 2020!
Records show Gatlinburg/Sugarlands, Oconaluftee, Townsend, and Look Rock were the most visited areas!
If you dig numbers – check out this chart which shows monthly visits to the park dating back to 1979!
We were fortunate enough to have a chat with the City of Sevierville’s Senior Planner, Kristina Rodreick, below are the things we learned.
There have been updates to two zones, the Historic Residential Office and Medium Density Residential.
4 Streets in HRO zoning are now allowed to operate as short term rentals!
MDR – 1 now requires a short term rental permit.
Permits operate on a notification system.
This means all homes within 100ft of your proposed Short Term Rental will be sent a notification via mail. The residents of these homes have one week to respond. If there is no response, or a positive one, the proposed home will then be approved for Short Term Rentals.
If there are any negative responses, a hearing will be held and the potential buyer will be able to present their case.
You can check the zoning area for a specific address here.
Let us know if this brings us and questions and we’ll do our best to coordinate with Kristina to get them answered.
Gatlinburg landed at #4 on Vacasa’s Top 25 Places to Purchase a Rental Property List. You can see more here.
“Gatlinburg was our number one best place to buy a vacation home in 2019 (Sevierville is included in the Gatlinburg market). Tucked into a leafy mountain valley and bordered by Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg welcomes up to 12 million visitors annually, despite having only 4,000 full-time residents. What’s all the fuss? There’s more packed into this town than destinations twice its size—from day hikes, river rafting, guided outdoor tours, and panoramic lookouts to seasonal festivals, unique shops, and plenty of family-friendly amenities.”
Top take-aways from this article highlight a preference for drive-to markets over fly-to markets and a way to embrace the great outdoors! Did you know that the Smokies are just a day’s drive from roughly 2/3rds of the nation’s population?
When you begin your search for an investment property, one of the most important things you can do is determine what the local laws are regarding short term rentals.
Fortunately, according to Mashvisor, Gatlinburg lands at #2 on a list of the top 20 most AirBNB friendly cities in the United States!
One thing to be aware of when investing in Sevier County is the need for a Tourist Residency Permit. You obtain these by completing a short application and fee payment. Each city has a slightly different set of regulations. You can find the process for Gatlinburg here.
What questions do you have about Tourist Residency Permits?
*updated February 2022.
Restrictive covenants can also apply to real estate deals, where they include such reasonable provisions as not allowing pets or renovations without approval from the neighbors or community association. They can also place more-onerous restrictions on buyers, such as the number of tenants who can live in a property or even the timing of holiday decoration setup and removal.”
-Investopedia
We’ve covered the basics of Zoning, and a few specificities between Pigeon Forge zoning, Sevierville zoning, and Gatlinburg zoning.
This week we’ll cover the basics of restrictive covenants, sometimes called covenants conditions and restrictions, or cc&rs.
According to Cornell Law, Covenants, conditions, and restrictions, commonly called “CC&Rs” are a set of rules governing the use of a certain piece of real estate.
Absolutely! This is where you will find rules and regulations about what you can and cannot do on or with your property. Restrictive covenants along with the zoning map give you a clear understanding of use type for your property.
Covenants conditions and restrictions for your specific property are referenced on your warranty deed.
You can find Sevier County, TN warranty deeds and Sevier County, TN restrictive covenants on the Sevier County Register of Deeds website.
You can find more info about zoning in Sevier County, TN here.
Do you have any questions about restrictive covenants?
Email us at info@jasonwhiteteam.com, so we make sure to get them answered for you!
Investopedia defines zoning as “Zoning refers to municipal or local laws or regulations that dictate how real property can and cannot be used in certain geographic areas.”
Last week we covered the basics.This week we’ll talk about a few different zoning specificities Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg have.
When shopping for a short term rental in Pigeon Forge you’ll need to be on the look for properties located in the R1 zone, there are some restrictions on properties located in this zone related to short term rentals.
“Short-term rental of residences located in the R-1 District shall be permitted only if the residence was being utilized as a short-term rental (as that term is defined in T.C.A. § 13-7-602(3)(B)) on or before August 13, 2018, the date on which Section 511 was added to Article V of the Zoning Ordinance; however, the owner of the property must apply for a permit, in the manner set forth in Article V, Section 511, within sixty days of the passage of this Ordinance, and take the required steps to timely obtain a valid permit within a reasonable time thereafter. (Ord. 1065, 8/13/2018)”
Click here to view Pigeon Forge Zoning Ordinances.
When shopping for a short term rental in Gatlinburg you’ll need to be on the look for properties located in the R1A and R2A zones, properties located in these zones cannot be used as short term rentals.
“702. R-1A Low-Density Residential. 702.1 Any use permitted in the R-1 residential district, except tourist residences and Planned Unit Developments.
704. R-2A Medium Density Residential. It is the intent of this district to provide areas for single and multi-family dwellings; to encourage the development and continued use of the land for residential purposes, and prohibit business oriented uses which would in any way interfere with the continued residential character of the district. In order to achieve the intent of the R-2A (Medium Density) Residential District, as shown on the Zoning Map of the City of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, the following uses are permitted:
704.1 Any use permitted in the R-2 Residential District, except tourist residences. “
Click here to view the city of Gatlinburg Zoning Ordinances.
Next week we’ll answer some questions about covenants and restrictions and homeowners associations.
If you have any questions hit reply and send them to us, so we make sure to get them answered for you!
Do you ever wonder how the Sevier County zoning might effect your short term property investment? Is it something you should be aware of before you purchase an investment property? Of course! We’ll tell you a bit more about zoning in general and link to more specifics related to Sevier County zoning.
There are multiple different types of zoning; residential, commercial, and industrial, among others.
Residential zoning covers single-family residences, multi-family structures, and planned unit developments.
Commercial zoning covers things like office buildings, shopping centers, and restaurants.
Industrial zoning covers warehouses and manufacturing facilities.
Agricultural zoning is sometimes used to protect farmland and for subsidy programs.
Next week we’ll dive into specifics concerning our area: Pigeon Forge zoning, Gatlinburg zoning , and Sevierville zoning.
The following week we’ll answer some questions about covenants and restrictions and homeowners associations.
If you have any questions hit reply and send them to us, so we make sure to get them answered for you!
Guess where the Great Smoky Mountains ended up on CBS’s list of most popular National Parks?
#1
The Smokies continue to be the most visited National Park.
“America’s most visited national park, Great Smoky Mountains straddles Tennessee and North Carolina, and features everything from mountains and waterfalls to hiking trails and historical attractions. Most visitors enter the park through Sevier County, Tennessee, and while there, many make a stop at Dollywood. Dolly Parton’s theme park draws 3 million people every year, and its success goes hand in hand with the success of the park.”
This comes with other perks too, not only did Sevierville land on FortuneBuilders Best Places to Buy Vacation Rental Property in 2020 so did Gatlinburg!
We think its nice to see the data that supports the growth we see in our community. We’ll share information from the state below. We are working diligently with local government entities to provide more granular information specific to each city.
The Tennessee Vacation Industry produces an annual report detailing the Department of Tourism Developments initiatives. This report runs from July to June, the most up to date report is from July 2018 to June 2019. Fiscal 2020 will be release sometime in September, per the previous years release.
“As Tennessee’s No. 2 industry, tourism has had another exceptional year, continuing to break visitation records and exceed economic impact numbers year over year. Tennessee’s skyrocketing growth is due in great part to key tourism partners throughout the state who invest in new attractions, groundbreaking expansions and important improvements.”
Tourism: Tennessee’s Economic Growth Engine , states “The results are undeniable:tourism is working in Tennessee. As the state’s leading service industry, tourism generated a record $1.81B in state and local tax revenues in 2018.”
We look forward to providing local data as it becomes available to us!