New listings in North Carolina luxury real estate

Tips From The ABC’s of Investing in Rental Property

by Lynn Huffman on November 22, 2011

Last Monday’s seminar was jam-packed with great information from local professionals. All of the attendees were impressed with the depth of information and the ability to have their specific questions answered by experts. A big thank you to Ron Carland – Certified Public Accountant, Sherri Brewer – Attorney, Lee Linhart – Property Manager, Judy Stroud – State Farm Insurance Agent and Karen Woodard – Mortgage Broker!

Highlights from the seminar included:

Tax-free wealth building
How to protect yourself as a landlord
How to select a highly rentable home in Hendersonville and South Asheville
How to own rental property without the hassle of dealing with renter issues
The importance of rental dwelling insurance and personal liability insurance
The availability and qualifications for low interest mortgages on residential rental property
Why now is the best time to invest in residential real estate

Be on the lookout for upcoming articles on how-to’s for investing in rental property!

Being a Landlord, Not as Hard as You Think…

by Lynn Huffman on November 4, 2011

You’ve probably heard or read that now is a great time to invest in real estate. Prices are down (!), interest rates are low (!), but you hesitate. It sounds too good to be true and you’ve been burned before. Remember the dot-com bubble? Yet, your interest is piqued because your savings and investments are basically flat-lining, if you’re lucky. Is there really a way to leverage your long-term savings dollars into a steady cash flow that will pay for your child or grandchild’s college? Or, provide enough retirement income to travel and live the way you want to?

Purchasing and owning residential rental property can be an excellent investment right now, but it’s very important that you understand many factors before jumping in and buying what you think is a “deal.”

How will owning rental property affect your taxes?
Is the rental property in a desirable location and is it in good condition?
Is it a good value?
How much rent can you expect for a particular property?
How much will it cost to let a property manager take care of finding stable renters, collecting rent and taking repair calls?
Do you need special insurance on rental property?
What are the legal issues for landlords?
How hard is it to get a mortgage for rental property?

These questions need to be answered before purchasing real estate investment property. Making the Most of Your Money: The ABC’s of Investing in Rental Property will be presented Monday, November 14 from 5:30 – 7:00 pm at the Beverly-Hanks Hendersonville office. A local CPA, attorney, property manager, insurance agent, mortgage broker and real estate agent will provide timely information and answers to your questions. There is no charge and registration is required, so register soon! Space is limited to 30 participants. You may register online here or by calling (828) 243-2010.

{ 0 comments }

Highlights from the Lakes to the Dales

by Lynn Huffman on October 25, 2011

To paraphrase an old poem: “The best laid plans of mice and men go oft awry…”
How silly of me to think I would have the time and energy at the end of each sightseeing day to blog about the places I’d visited. Much better to recap the highlights now that I’m back in the states.For me, one word describes the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District of Northern England: charming, absolutely charming! From the rolling sheep-covered hills and stone walls to cobbled streets and ancient castles, I was completely enchanted. Each day was a wonderful immersion into history and pastoral beauty, made possible by our gracious hosts and friends Carrol and Joe Stephenson.

Some favorite experiences:

Having lunch at the rustic Tan Hill Inn at the top of a moor in the middle-of-nowhere.

A thirty minute solo tour Castle Bolton which has been owned by the same family since it was completed in 1399. Part of it is in ruins and the rest is quite intact. I absolutely love how visitors are basically given free rein in these places, with precarious steps and minimal handrails. I was able to climb to the top of the roof for a fabulous view of Wensleydale – something that would never be allowed in the litigious USA! Mary Queen of Scots was held prisoner in some of the rooms I viewed and I later visited other castles claiming to have held her captive. She must have made her rounds in the Dales.

Riding the train from Settle to Carlisle, through tunnels and across the dales and stone viaducts.

Hiking up Helms Knott (a pretty steep hill) behind our bed and breakfast through the sheep pasture to the top for a 360 degree view of Dentdale. The sheep ran from me, but I really liked walking near them.

Lunch at elegant Netherwood Hotel & Spa, a former grand estate with room after room of exquisite wood paneling, overlooking the Morecambe Bay.

Touring Blackwell, England’s finest surviving Arts and Crafts house by M.H.Baillie Scott. It is a wonderful combination of steep-pitched slate roofs, pebble and dash stucco, lead glass windows and sandstone mullions overlooking Lake Windermere. The interior, with its beautiful workwork, interesting and varying ceiling heights, window seats and hearth benches reminded me of Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs.

Visiting the still-lived-in Dalemain with so much original paneling, furniture and wall paper. The home has been in the same family for over 300 years and some of the rooms date back to the 14th centuary.

Walking through rooms in Castle Skipton, a well-preserved medieval castle over 900 years old. The Tudor courtyard with its old yew tree was so picturesque.

Finding and visiting the workroom of Sophie’s Wild Woolens, meeting Sophie and selecting one of her beautiful creations to bring home.

{ 0 comments }

Getting Settled and Exploring Sedbergh

by Lynn Huffman on October 16, 2011

Our English friends, Carrol and Joe Stephenson, picked us up from the Manchester airport and drove us 1 1/2 hours northwest to their lovely bed and breakfast in the Yorkshire Dales. The Old Craft Barn and Buzzard’s Cottage was built in 1780, and I’m sure has been renovated many times through the years, but never as nicely as Carrol and Joe have done it.

Slower | Start | Faster 1 2 3 4

After we chose our lovely rooms and enjoyed lunch, Carrol drove us into Sedbergh for a little sightseeing. The Sedbergh School, founded in 1525, is a popular and famous boarding school that is really spread throughout the little town. Just as you would imagine, stately stone edifices are interspersed among village shops, homes and rugby playing fields. Students walk through the village in their more formal classroom attire or athletic uniforms headed for field practice.

The parish church, St. Andrews, dates from the 12th century, but only the side door pictured here is from that era. The rest of the current church is still quite old. Probably older than any structure in the US!

We ended our tour of Sedbergh with a visit to the oldest Quaker meeting house in England, built in sixteen-something. It has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years and currently has about ninety friends on the rolls.

{ 0 comments }

Jet Lag Free (Almost)

by Lynn Huffman on October 14, 2011

I love to travel overseas, but I usually struggle with jet lag the first day. Not this time. Woohoo!

Here’s what I did. I packed my earplugs, dark blue satin eye mask and a homeopathic product I found called NoJetLag. (You can order it online or find it at Vitamin Shoppe stores.)

I followed the directions for NoJetLag, chewing my first tablet (it tastes like sugar) at takeoff on my overseas flight. I had a little wine, ate my dinner and chewed my second tablet around two hours after takeoff. Then I settled in for “bed.” Popped in my earplugs, donned my lovely eye mask, covered myself with a blanket and went to sleep. I woke up after about two hours, chewed another tablet and went back to sleep for two more hours.

I was awakened two hours later for a delicious and nutritious (yea, right) breakfast. I would have preferred sleeping until landing! Upon arrival, I chewed my final tablet, just like the directions said I should.

The results? I felt better my first day in England than I’ve ever felt before. Maybe NoJetLag is just a placebo. Who cares?!

{ 0 comments }