Nearly 10,000 acres in North Carolina, including more than 6,500 acres in the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests, have been identified for possible sale. Those voicing opposition include hunters, environmentalists and politicians across the board, from Republican Rep. Charles Taylor of Brevard and North Carolina’s two GOP senators, Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr, to Democratic Gov. Mike Easley and local officials in Buncombe, Macon, Madison and Burke counties.

The proposed sale would generate nearly $1 billion and finance a program funding rural schools. However, that funding would be temporary and the land would be sold permanently. David Young, a Buncombe County commissioner, said, “The little money they are going to gain from it will not equal the long-term benefit of keeping that forest land.” Rep. Taylor has stated the sale “is not going to happen.’’ The public comment period on the proposed sales was scheduled to end today. A bad plan at first glance, this one looks worse and worse as you peel off the layers. Aside from the obvious — the country keeps getting more people but it isn’t getting any more public land for us to hunt, hike or just enjoy — the plan is a slap at the South and the Midwest. (more…)

search for : North Carolina, Pisgah, Nantahala national forest, environmentalist, politician, Rep. Charles Taylor, Brevard, Elizabeth Dole, Richard Bur, Mike Easley, David Young, Buncombe County

According to an annual survey done by research firm TNS, the number of households with more than one million dollars ($1m) in net worth (excluding primary residence) rose in 2005 for the third consecutive year. This increase is due to long-term wealth accumulation, not new wealth creation or real estate investments (while real estate continues to be an investment portfolio staple, it is not the sole cause of wealth).

With the increasing number of millionaire households, comes an increasing confidence as over three-quarters of high-net worth households feel they will be financially prepared for retirement,” said Jeanette Luhr, manager of the research study. “These millionaire households understand that calculated risks are still a necessity within their portfolio design, however, over 50 percent have become much more conservative in their investment approach over the past year.” (more…)

search for : one million dollars, primary residence, long-term wealth, wealth creation, real estate investment, retirement, portfolio

Buying a home is the smartest investment you can make during your lifetime. According to the National Association of Realtors, the median home price in America hit $220,000 in August 2005 — a more than 55% increase in less than five years. And while experts warn that the real estate market might be overheated, some think that it doesn’t matter if prices are up or down right now. Over time, they will likely go up steadily

To say that David Bach’s latest book, The Automatic Millionaire Homeowner, eighth in his FinishRich Series, is a quick read is an understatement. He means for it to be read in just an hour or two, so you can get cracking. The ubiquitous best-selling author is back with his cheery, can-do message. This time he is talking directly to home buyers. (Excerpt: Chapter One: Meeting the Automatic Millionaire Homeowner). (more…)

search for : Buying a home, National Association of Realtors, median home price, real estate market, David Bach, The Automatic Millionaire Homeowner, FinishRich Series, Meeting the Automatic Millionaire Homeowner

Trout, turkey seasons will begin next month in Northwest N.C. Hatchery workers will have stocked almost 43,000 fish in Northwest North Carolina during March, when the season on hatchery supported streams is closed.

Next month, you can literally have a decent chance to “blast” a turkey in the morning and “cast” bucktails or live bait to stripers in the afternoon, all within a very small area. Outfitters in the Halifax-Northampton County area have been trumpeting ‘cast and blast” trips in the classified sections of state outdoor magazines since around 2000, when the big spring striper runs returned and the turkey flock in the area grew sizeable enough to attract attention from hunters several hours away. (more…)

search for : Trout, turkey, Northwest N.C, North Carolina, Halifax, Northampto, outdoor magazine, hunter

For most of us buying a home is a major decision and is the largest financial transaction we have in our lifetime. Therefore, it is easy to see why some potential buyers have a hard time pulling the trigger. Some questions they may be asking themselves include; can I afford this, what if I lose my job and can’t make the payments, and do I want this responsibility?

Homeowners have some advantages when it comes to capacity to make payments. Landlords want to evict and get a new renter; lenders do not want to foreclose unless they have no other alternative. Lenders are more apt to work with a borrower who is having temporary financial problems because the foreclosure process is expensive and generally end up with some dollar amount being exposed to loss. Most lenders will not even start the foreclosure process until you are 60 to 90 days delinquent in your payments. (more…)

search for : buying a home, Homeowner, Landlord, lender, foreclose, borrower

An new generation of buyers are splitting off from the traditional snowbird flock and changing the definition of home away from home. With low-cost travel corridors with multiple daily flights, advances in technology, and virtual workspaces, these folks choose to split their time between a primary residence and a second home or even third home.

With 75 million baby boomers heading into their golden years, experts say the splitter factor could alter the way developers build and manage the communities of tomorrow. “The implications for future growth are considerable,” says Kenneth Johnson, a demographer and sociology professor at Loyola University in Chicago. “[Splitters] are one of the fastest-growing demographic markets.” Other than mortgage-interest deduction, there may not be any additional tax advantages to owning a second home. (more…)

search for : snowbird, virtual workspace, primary residence, second home, baby boomer, demographer, sociology, demographic, mortgage-interest deduction, tax