For any of you who are new to my site, welcome.  And welcome to Highlands, one of the great spots not only in the Southeast, but in the entire country.  Some of you may be finding me because of my ad in the current issue of Garden and Gun.  What a fabulous magazine!  I’m proud to have such a great property (“Highlands History” on my featured listings page) represented there.  I hope your appetite has been properly whetted.

The oldtimers up here say “Don’t plant ’til Mother’s Day.”  This year, that was almost too soon.  A couple of cool mornings last week threatened to nip the herbs and tomatos I’ve planted in my backyard, but they’ve survived pretty well. 

This morning, I received an e-mail from Charleston, complaining that on May 23 at 10 in the morning, it was already 90 degrees down there. 

We’re supposed to hit low 80s….and usually the generic forecasts for Highlands get it wrong.  We’ll probably be in the upper 70s.  As those who’ve read my previous blogs know, I don’t have AC in my house.  Thus far, I’ve just cracked a couple of windows.

But spring seems to be kicking in with real estate activity as well.  Winter has always been slow up here–and always will be. With the across-the-board down real estate market we’ve seen for a long time, it’s nice to see some possibility of a real spring.  No doubt, it’s still a buyer’s market:  no one will deny that.  But unlike many places, Highlands has held up pretty well.  A few people have found the half-off deals, but quite frankly, I fear that some of them will regret their purchases down the road.  What’s the old phrase? Everything that glitters is not gold. 

There’s another old phrase worth recalling:  you get what you pay for. 

And some buyers now are getting great properties for really good prices–just not at the drastic reductions they would expect in other markets.

For instance, I know of one situation where a buyer came up last year, found what he wanted, and put in an offer far below any possibility of getting it.  A week later, it went under contract for about 30% more than he had offered.  This year, he came back, found something else he really liked, adjusted his offer, and now has a great chance of getting what he wants. 

It’s fun to see people in town, looking around, finding what they want.  I hope this season works out well for everyone, and I hope you get a chance to come visit–whether you’re a frequet visitor to the area or discovering us for the first time.  I’d love to meet you.