The Malone Bay community features 18 lots at W. Kerr Scott Dam & Reservoir. Fourteen (14) are Lakefront and meet private dock requirements. All lots have access to public water, saving owners from $5,000 to $10,000 on drilling a well. These lots have public water and will save you the cost of drilling a well. The entire development also features underground utilities.

This is a gated community with lots ranging from 2.3+- acres to 6.8+- acres on the Hwy 421 side of the lake just off South Minton Road, Wilkesboro, NC 28697

W. Kerr Scott Lake is 1500 acres with 50 miles of shoreline and is controlled by the US Army Corps of Engineers. It is clean water with good fishing and is excellent for boating, kayaking, skiing, and swimming. The property is surrounded by National Parks. Wilkesboro is a beautiful community and town with friendly people. It is located just 40 miles east of Boone and Blowing Rock, NC and one and a half hours northwest of Charlotte.

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Walking away from a mortgage you can still afford to pay has consequences; everyone knows that. Your credit score is shot and it can be impossible to get credit.

Some homeowners, no doubt, believe that the credit score hit is worth getting out from a deeply underwater mortgage. They may owe, say, $500,000 when their house value is only valued at $350,000. And, they figure, there’s no way it will ever be worth what they owe so it’s better to get out from underneath the burden.

While homeowners who default due to economic hardship, such as a job loss or divorce, normally must wait two to five years before buying a home again, walkaways may face double that time.

“It could be well over seven or eight years before [walkaways] are able to obtain a mortgage to buy a home again,” said Jay Brinkmann, chief economist for the Mortgage Bankers Association. (more…)

The “new” economy may actually have a few benefits to go along with the tough times we have been experiencing. This could be the best time to remodel in decades. Ideally, you want to remodel when interest rates and construction costs are low. Right now, interest rates are hovering around 5 percent. But what is happening to construction costs?

From 2003-2007, the economy saw the cost of construction for a home remodel rise by about 10 percent per year. By the end of 2008, the cost of construction had taken a reversal. The slowdown in the local and global economy had lowered the cost of remodeling by 10 percent to 15 percent.

We are still feeling the benefit of the slowdown. A remodel that would have cost $230,000 in 2010 if the recession hadn’t occurred will actually cost $30,000 less because of reduced construction costs. In 2007, a remodel that would have cost $150 per square foot today would cost only about $120 per square foot. (more…)

Upside-down gardening, primarily of leggy crops like tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, is more common partly because of the ubiquity of Topsy Turvy planters, which are breathlessly advertised on television and have prominent placement at retailers like Wal-Mart, Walgreens and Bed Bath & Beyond. According to the company that licenses the product, Allstar Products Group in Hawthorne, N.Y., sales this year are twice last year’s, with 20 million sold since the planter’s invention in 2005. Not to be outdone, Gardener’s Supply and Plow & Hearth recently began selling rival upside-down planters. “Upside-down gardening is definitely a phenomenon,” said Steve Wagner, senior product manager for Plow & Hearth.

The advantages of upside-down gardening are many: it saves space; there is no need for stakes or cages; it foils pests and fungus; there are fewer, if any, weeds; there is efficient delivery of water and nutrients thanks to gravity; and it allows for greater air circulation and sunlight exposure.

While there are skeptics, proponents say the proof is in the produce. (more…)

Waterfront on New River

Heritage Estates Lot 46. 1.3 acres. 100 feet on the river. Anchored gazebo stays. Septic permit. Shared well. Graded and ready to build on. Paved road.

MLS Number: 54345
List Price: $110,000

Very nice lot on New River. Good neighborhood, paved road to lot. Over 100′ on river, has a new gazebo anchored on lot that stays. Septic permit has been pulled as per seller. Grading has been done and shared well on lot. Ready to build on.

Ashe County
Lot Size, Apx Acreage: 1.37
Type: Waterfront
Suitable Use: Residential
Topography: Level, Stream/Creek
Utilities: Total Electric
Water/Sewer: Community Water, Septic Tank
Road Frontage: Private Road, Paved Road
Miscellaneous: 1-5 Acres

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Remodeling a bathroom is something that many people need to think long and hard about. Apart from the expense, which can preclude many, there is the inconvenience involved, with some people needing to move out of their home or use a neighbour’s bathroom while the remodeling is being done. However, there are a lot of benefits to remodeling your bathroom to consider.

Many bathrooms are badly designed, with the fixtures put into the most obvious place that, in the long-term, may not be the most beneficial. For example, the toilet should be as far away from the sink as possible; otherwise, every time you flush it, it ejects germs into the air that then land on your toothbrush and other cleaning items. Even better, the toilet could be in a separate room. (more…)