by Marla Hardee Milling
photos by Steven McBride

Reprinted from Mountain Homes Southern Style

Cathy and Allyn Stanton had every intention of turning their condo at The Headwaters at Banner Elk into a second home. That is until they moved into the luxury unit in October 2008 and found themselves resisting return trips to their Chicago home.

“It has my heart,” says Allyn of The Headwaters. “That’s why it’s hard to leave.”

The Stantons originally discovered Western North Carolina after reading an article about Asheville. But their first visit didn’t convince them; they had Colorado on their minds. After much searching, they decided to return to Asheville in March 2008 for another look. “It knocked our socks off,” says Allyn. “We thought, ‘This is it. Now we just have to find a place.’” They put a contract on property north of Asheville, but one day, they took a drive to Banner Elk and discovered The Headwaters. They fell in love and never looked back, smitten by three critical components: property, place and people.

“That combo,” Allyn says, “won on its own.”

Along with Tash, their beloved English Springer Spaniel, the Stantons spend an average seven of every eight weeks in Banner Elk. Owners of a successful Chicago medical-device marketing company with a staff of 10, they’ve found it efficient to work from their condo, where they have flat-screen computers situated back-to-back in the living room.

This luxury is possible because The Headwaters is the only certified fiber-optic community in Avery County. Residents receive up to 250 channels of digital cable, unlimited long distance, high-speed Internet faster than DSL or cable, and remote home monitoring services via a state-of-the-art fiber-optic system. Having this access has been pivotal to granting the Stantons the option of using their condo as a primary residence while telecommuting to their Illinois offices.

“Without fiber optics, we couldn’t have done it,” says Allyn. “We run our company from here and only go back for staff meetings.”

When the lure of the mountains draws their attention away from work, the Stantons explore the development and the neighboring Pisgah and the Cherokee National forests. A favorite area is beside one of the property’s lakes, where they enjoy grilling dinner and letting Tash swim.

“We feel like we’re the pioneers here,” says Allyn. “Every day is a new day – finding a new section of trail or seeing new landscaping.”

For more about The Headwaters at Banner Elk, visit www.headwatersnc.com or or call us today at 866.200.3290 to schedule a private tour!

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Tags: Avery County, Banner Elk, NC, nc mountain properties, nc mountain real estate, private mountain communities

Source: SoutheastDiscovery.com

Despite a challenging real estate market in 2009, Headwaters of Banner Elk had 17 closed sales for 2009 compared to 23 closed sales in 2008.  Not surprising to us here at Southern Way Of Life, as this is one development that is doing things right in the current marketplace.

Located in the High Country of Western North Carolina where elevations reach above 5,000 feet, the High Country has a lot to offer. With three distinct towns comprising the area – Boone, Blowing Rock and Banner Elk, each feature one of a kind shops and restaurants to enjoy with small town charm, year round.

Headwaters at Banner Elk is 12 miles outside of town and is located overlooking both the Cherokee and Pisgah National Forests, offering some outstanding views that will never be built upon. It’s like having the national forests right in your own back yard. Literally. Adding to its location, this gated community has been well designed, offering several lakes within the community, numerous natural waterfalls, parks and boulders that are all part of its attractive landscaping.

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For more about The Headwaters at Banner Elk, visit www.headwatersnc.com or or call us today at 866.200.3290 to schedule a private tour!

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Tags: Banner Elk, high country real estate, nc mountain real estate, private mountain communities, sugar mountain

By: John Haynes - Developer

I recently found a 2007 issue of a very popular western North Carolina lifestyle magazine that hadn’t been taken out of its wrapper.  In this magazine were numerous advertisements for real estate developments throughout the Appalachian Mountains of Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, South Carolina and North Carolina.  Many of them featured big name golf course designers and touted all manner of amenities and plans for the future.  What I found most striking was the fact that now in 2010 many of these highly publicized developments are either in bankruptcy today or never built a fraction of the planned amenities or infrastructure and so today are floundering.  If you purchased in one of these communities, you know what I’m talking about. 

I never intended The Headwaters to become a big golf resort community with celebrity endorsements.  In fact, we don’t have a golf course and never will.  There are plenty of good semi-private courses around us to enjoy already.  I quietly came onto the scene amidst the hoopla of dozens of new community openings that featured flashy grand openings with big name entertainers and so forth.  I never held one of these “launch” events.  The reason was that those types of events tended to attract a large number of speculators who had no intention of making that particular development their own.  They were looking for a quick buck.  Unfortunately, many of those buyers who genuinely bought into the lifestyle hype of the developers, who planned on making that real estate purchase the cornerstone of a lifetime of family memories have now been disheartened.  Another reason I never held one of these events is that they cost so much to put together! 

On several occasions, I’ve had visitors tour The Headwaters, only to disclose that they’d purchased elsewhere and regretted it because the developer failed to deliver even a portion of that which was promised.  They look around all that The Headwaters offers and all of our new homes going up, and they let out a sigh of disappointment.  I truly feel for these folks.  They weren’t the greedy speculators.  They were the individuals who truly wanted to make the dream a reality.  If only they’d visited The Headwaters first.  That’s not to say that The Headwaters is the perfect match for everyone out there.  But it certainly has a very broad appeal and that’s one reason we’ve been so successful. 

In my book, “slow and steady wins the race”.  Where others poured countless dollars into slick marketing pieces and promises of high returns, I simply followed my business plan of building high quality amenities that everyone could enjoy in a setting that features incredible scenery, all at a very value oriented price structure.  I didn’t hire a Madison Avenue marketing firm.  We basically developed everything in house.  Most of the photography on our web site and in our literature was taken by myself or my staff right here on the property.  In fact, every photo in our photo gallery page on the web site was taken within The Headwaters.  It bugs me to see the same stock photo in ad campaigns for multiple unrelated developments or photos that have no relationship to the property being offered.  Right here in Banner Elk, there’s a competitor that uses photos of what appears to be Yellowstone National Park and somewhere else in Montana.  Why?  Perhaps they don’t have beautiful scenery to photograph themselves. 

I never loaded up a large office of high paid professionals resulting in outrageous overhead expenses.  Instead, I poured my heart and soul into the property and kept the staff to a bare minimum, but of extremely loyal and skilled individuals.  Since our first closings in April, 2006, we’ve closed 99 transactions which includes several profitable resales.  Given the real estate meltdown of 08-09, The Headwaters has done remarkably well.  Without exception, today our property owners sing our praises. 

If you purchased property in one of these failed, or failing communities, I wish I could do something to help you out.  But one piece of advice: don’t throw good money after bad.  Sometimes you reach a point where its time to cut your losses.  Pick up the pieces and if you’re still in the market and have the ability, call us at The Headwaters and allow my staff to show you how wonderful a place we have here in Banner Elk.  I assure you that you’ll be glad you did.” 

For more about The Headwaters at Banner Elk, visit www.headwatersnc.com or or call us today at 866.200.3290 to schedule a private tour!

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Tags: available mountain properties, Banner Elk, Headwaters at Banner Elk, nc mountain real estate, nc mountains, sugar mountain

These are just a few of the amazing amenities offered at Headwaters at Banner Elk!

- Professionally Staffed Gate House for controlled access and peace of mind
- The Point Clubhouse with views of NC, TN, and VA mountains featuring a fully equipped fitness room, game room, gourmet kitchen, 14 seat state-of-the-art theater and 2,000 s.f. of outdoor decks
- Two spring-fed lakes with picnic areas and fishing piers
- Tennis court with 20 mile view
- The Sunset Amphitheater for concerts, lectures, weddings and other special events
- The Lakeside Park with covered picnic pavilion with mountain stone fireplace
- Miles of maintained walking & hiking trails, including a 1.5 mile trail around two lakes
- Deer Creek Park featuring a three acre wonderland of trails, bridges, two 2-story tree houses, campsites, picnic areas and a swinging bridge of a trout pond
- Stoney Creek Park on the lower lake with footbridges, outdoor grill, fishing pier and stone picnic table
- Fall Creek Falls Park featuring a 30′ natural waterfall with 60′ cascade and trail
- Sunset Park with a sweeping view of the Pisgah National Forest, perfect for watching brilliant sunsets

For more about The Headwaters at Banner Elk, visit www.headwatersnc.com or call us today at 866.200.3290 to schedule a private tour!

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Tags: amenities, Headwaters at Banner Elk, high country homes, Mountain Properties, nc mountain real estate, private mountain communities

By: John Haynes
Developer - Headwaters at Banner Elk

The Year 2009 witnessed a sea change in the real estate business including that of second home communities.  The list of floundering and bankrupt communities grew steadily through the year and included many high profile communities.  However, it appears that things have begun to stabilize.  At least that’s what we’re seeing at The Headwaters.
 
Our tour traffic and scheduled appointments for January and February are up over the same time last year.  We ended 2009 with 12 closed arms length transactions and went into 2010 with five pending transactions that will close before the end of the month.  It is important to point out that these transactions are “arms length” when comparing the sales claims of other communities.  There are those in this business that advertise sales figures that include inter-company sales or transactions with closely held parties in an effort to boost their sales figures.  (Remember Enron?)  Our advice is to do your homework and ask area Realtors, folks at the local Chamber of Commerce, the county inspections department, local builders and others in the business as to the most stable and successful communities.  If you do so with The Headwaters, you’ll hear that we are leading the way in regard to sales and new home construction activity in the Banner Elk area.
 
In 2009 alone, we saw construction start on six new homes, five of which are custom homes for existing property owners.  Plans for two others have been submitted for approval and we will soon break ground on the first of our Lakeside Villas town homes.  These will feature two and three bedroom floor plans overlooking our two lakes.
 
In your search for a mountain home, now is a great time to invest.  There are still concessions to be had and building costs are down.  However, it is important that you look for a community that is built on stability and a proven track record.  The Headwaters is just that.  We’ve been here for four full years now, closed 99 transactions and completed 31 residences (custom homes, cottages and condominium villas).  We encourage you to plan a visit to see why so many others have chosen to call The Headwaters home.  Now is the perfect time.”

For more about The Headwaters at Banner Elk, visit www.headwatersnc.com or call us today at 866.200.3290 to schedule a private tour!

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Tags: Banner Elk, high country properties, lakeside villas, nc high country, nc mountain real estate, sugar mountain