I live on the Left Coast, where most people want to live by the ocean. In Atlanta, where my cousin lives, people dream of a "cabin" in the mountains. Which sounds quaint and rustic, but when Southerners say "cabin," they’re speaking in code. Cabin refers to a two or three thousand square foot home, not a dinky little shack.
So what’s the big deal about the mountains in north Georgia? What’s the attraction? To find out, I talked to the experts on the subject of Blue Ridge Real Estate: CB High Country. According to them, for starters, there’s the Chattahoochee National Forest, which encompasses three quarters of a million acres. Along with breathtaking views, there are lots of other activities to entertain people: boating, rafting, and fishing. Located in Blue Ridge, designed specifically for hikers and bikers, there’s a 17-mile trail system called the Aska Adventure Trail Area. The Maine-to-Georgia Appalachian Trail also runs through, on nearby Springer Mountain.
The nice folks at CB High Country told me that the area’s allure keeps growing, so they don’t expect to see anything but escalating prices. Up until 2010, the market in the area was a little sluggish, but then began to improve. Since then, it has really begun to take off. A lot of new construction is underway.
Now that the housing market is improving on the Right Coast – and across most of the country – perspectives on home ownership have done an about-face. The magnetism of real estate is once again attracting people. They are willing to take money from other investments, such as 401ks that aren’t meeting their expectations, and putting those funds into real estate because they feel things are turning around in that market.
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