The Derosia Team

WOW, 2012 is in the books.  The question is: How did the Smoky Mountains Real Estate Market end the year?  The Derosia Team has put together some statistics and visual aids to share with our readers. The first category we compared was residential units sold with the residential units listed in the year of 2012. As you can see there were 117 more units sold in 2012 than in 2010.  There were 131 more units sold in 2012 than in 2011. The total units sold are up 10% from 2010 and 12% from 2011. Total volume sold in 2012 compared to the previous years is also showing some positive trends.  While 2012 is down .2% from 2010, it is up 4.91% from 2011. The last category we have compared average list price with average sale price. Average sale price is down, as well as average list price, from the previous years.  This often means it is a buyers market rather than a sellers market. In 2010 the residential units sold for 92.40% of their list price.  In ...

Tourist destinations are packed full of restaurants; most of them being the well known chain restaurants that can be dined in all over the country.  However, every city has the smaller restaurants that are usually out of the hustle and bustle of the city life.  These restaurants are  local favorites and mom and pop establishments that don't make it into the guidebooks and vacation brochures.  Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville, and the other surrounding areas of the Smoky Mountains have several well-kept secrets that the locals love.   These establishments in the Smoky Mountains are often a great place to go and learn about the local culture, as well as eat some of the best local food.  Most of the establishments have more reasonable prices than the chain restaurants in town.  The service is above and beyond in these family owned establishments and the food is worth coming back for over and over again. Because there are so m...

Tourist destinations are packed full of restaurants; most of them being the well known chain restaurants that can be dined in all over the country.  However, every city has the smaller restaurants that are usually out of the hustle and bustle of the city life.  These restaurants are  local favorites and mom and pop establishments that don't make it into the guidebooks and vacation brochures.  Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville, and the other surrounding areas of the Smoky Mountains have several well-kept secrets that the locals love.   These establishments in the Smoky Mountains are often a great place to go and learn about the local culture, as well as eat some of the best local food.  Most of the establishments have more reasonable prices than the chain restaurants in town.  The service is above and beyond in these family owned establishments and the food is worth coming back for over and over again. Because there are so...

The Derosia Team has come across a TOADALLY amazing frozen yogurt establishment.   sweet Frog  Premium Frozen Yogurt is one of the fastest growing brands of premium, all natural, self-service yogurt restaurants. S weet Frog  is a bright, positive, family-friendly environment where you can create your cup of yogurt exactly how you want it. You pick the combination of flavors, you pick the toppings, you make it your way! Sweet Frog  was founded on the principles of Christianity and the belief in bringing happiness and a positive attitude into the lives of their customers.  At  sweet Frog , F.R.O.G. stands for Fully Rely On God.  Accorrding to their website the following is why the founder Derek Cha opened up the first  sweet Frog . Our founder, Derek Cha, started sweet Frog in 2009 with his wife, Annah Kim. Derek’s goal was to create a business, in the midst of a unfriendly economy, that could thrive and bring hope and...

A half-million more visitors toured the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2012 than during the preceding year. Figures released by the National Park Service showed nearly 9,686,000 people entered the park during last year. That compares with just below 9,009,000 the year before. Park officials said a mild winter and spring during 2012 helped boost tourism in the nation's most-visited national park.  More people were able to travel into the park and be outdoors due to the lack of ice and snow on the roads and trails. The mild weather in the colder seasons and warm summer set the tone for visitation as every month of 2012 saw an increase of visitors over those recorded in 2011. December 2012 Park entries were 480,527 compared with 471,603 as seen in December 2011. This is a 1.9% increase over December 2011. Newfound Gap Road between Gatlinburg, TN and Cheorkee, NC was closed due to ice and snow on all or part of 6 days during December, but the holiday season brought a large nu...

Jodi Derosia, the youngest daughter of Phil and Darlene and younger sister of Phillip, is spearheading a senior project for DECA to raise money and awareness for SafeSpace . For those who are not familiar with SafeSpace , it is a non-profit organization that provides safety and support to survivors of domestic violence and their families.  The primary purpose of SafeSpace is to provide emergency shelter, crisis intervention, court advocacy, resource referrals, and counseling to victims of domestic violence.   SafeSpace believes in empowerment.  They are there to provide information share skills, and support victims of domestic violence who choose to be self-reliant and leave their abusive situation.  Domestic Violence Is More Common Than You May Think: An act of domestic violence occurs every 12 seconds in the US. Each year in the US, more than 4 million women are battered by their partners. 97-99% of victims are women; 1-3% are men. Battering is the sing...

The Smoky Mountain Real Estate Market is once again showing positive trends for the August 2012 in some key areas over the last year.  We have put together some statistics and visual aids for August 2012 compared to August 2009 - 2011. The first category we compared was residential units sold in the month of August. As you can see there were 45 more units sold in August 2012 than in August 2009.  There were 36 more units sold in August 2012 than in August 2010. Then August 2012 is up 43 units from August 2011. The total units sold are up 33% from 2009, 25% from 2010 and 31% from 2011. Total volume sold in August 2012 compared to the previous years is also showing a positive trend.  August 2012 is up 19.2% from August 2009, 6% from August 2010, and 13.1% from August last year. The last category differs from our comparisons the last 2 months.  This time we have not only compared August 2012 to the previous years in August, we have compa...

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is world renowned for its diversity of plant and animal life, its beautiful ancient mountains and the quality of its rem ants of Southern Appalachian mountain culture, it is no wonder this is America's most visited national park.  The national park offers a wide variety of activities for children and adults of all ages. The national park encompasses more than 800 miles of rustic mountain ranges.  An automobile tour of the park offers a variety of experiences from scenic views and flowing mountain streams to weathered historic buildings and hardwood forests stretching to the horizon.  There are 384 miles of road to choose from in the Smokies.  Cades Cove and Roaring Fork Motor Trail are two auto tours that offer both beauty and a tour of the history of the Great Smoky Mountains. If you are not looking for a relaxing day in the car and would rather work up a sweat, then the 11-mile Cades Cove Loop is a popular bicycling area....

Gatlinburg's summer events calendar is packed full of fun stuff to enjoy with the family.  The City of Gatlinburg will host Smoky Mountain Tunes and Tales and will also offer the Free Parkway Trolley all summer long. Both of these events start this weekend June 15 and will continue through the middle of August. Smoky Mountain Tunes and Tales will kick of its 7th season Friday, June 15 and will run through August 11.  This eight-week nightly event will highlight the past of the Appalachian history and culture.  Tunes and Tales is a summer-long street performance featuring musical performers, storytellers, and craftsmen portraying historical figures from as far back as the 1800s. The performers arrive nightly in the center of Gatlinburg at 6:00 pm.  These talented individuals turn the streets of Gatlinburg into a stage and provided performances until 11:00 pm.  There are at least 12 different performances each night.  This is sure to be a fantastic educat...

The Smoky Mountain Real Estate Market for 2012 is showing positive trends in some key areas over the last year.  We have put together some statistics and visual aids for January - May 2012 compared to January - May 2011. The first category we compare was residential units sold through May. As you can see there were 223 more units sold in 2012 than in 2011.  The total units sold are up 28% from 2011.  As we look at the average days on market we will see a positive trend as well.  In 2012 the average residence was on the market for 36 days less than 2011.   The year-to-date average sale price is also on the rise.  This is up by $56,908. The final category of total volume sold through May has once again shown a positive increase from a year ago.  2012 is up by 7% from this time in 2011. As we continue to plug along into June we look to have the same positive trends continue.  There continue to be some great deals o...

Gatlinburg, Tennessee is set to hold their 8th annual Mountain Hounds gathering on May 31- June 3.  Mountain Hounds is a gathering in the Smoky Mountains of rescued Greyhounds and their owners from all over the country.  Most of the weekends festivities will take place at Mynatt Park and the event is open to the public.  The owners of these Greyhounds love to talk about the joys of adopting their retired racing hounds with everyone they meet.  The weekend is packed full of events such as: a charity walk through Downtown Gatlinburg, Greyhound Games, Bingo, Pizza Party, and Seminars.  The event usually brings in about 250 Greyhounds form as many as 18 states.  If you enjoy the company of dogs and dog owners this event is sure to be fun.  For more about Mountain Hounds and the full weekend schedule click here .

"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself." -Joseph Campbell The Derosia Team would like to take the time to remember the men and women of the United States Armed Forces who died while serving our country.  We also remember and pray for the families of these men and women who lost loved ones while serving in the military. We would also like to thank ALL (past and present) members of United States Armed Forces who have and are currently serving in the military. The Derosia Team hopes that everyone has a blessed and safe Memorial Day! "And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free. And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me." -Lee Greenwood

The Derosia Team has taking one of the suggestions of our readers and reformatted one of our previous blogs.  Previously we posted a couple of visual aids of the residential volume sold for each individual city/town.  One of our readers suggested that we split the graphs into one graph for Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville; then the other of the surrounding areas.  The data is all the same but now it is split into two different visual aids. The Derosia Team appreciates all suggestions and works hard make these suggestions into different blogs. The first two graphs cover total volume sold for Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville. The final two graphs are for the surrounding areas of Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville.

When setting the listing price for your property you should be aware of buyers' ways of thinking.  If you set your price to high your property may not have very many showings, even if it is one of the nicer properties in the neighborhood.  Buyers are looking for the "best bang for their buck" and if other houses are listed at or around fair market value they will most like be more attractive than your property.  On the other hand you also don't want to list your house too low either.  Listing your home too low will allow it to sell faster but you will make less than if you would have listed it at market value and waited for someone willing to pay that much.  There are several things to consider when listing your house including but not limited to getting a comparative market analysis to see what previous houses have sold for and what is currently on the market in your area. We have put together some graphs for the Smoky Mountain area comparing the average l...

As a buyer, you are entitled to know exactly what you are getting. Don’t take anything for granted, not even what you see or what the seller or listing agent tell you. A professional home inspection is something you MUST do, whether you are buying an existing home or a new one. An inspection is an opportunity to have an expert look closely at the property you are considering purchasing and getting both an oral and written opinion as to its condition. A home inspection usually includes an examination of the heating and central air conditioning, interior plumbing, electric systems, roof, attic, walls, ceilings, floors, windows, foundations, and basements. A home inspection report will reveal any problems and possible symptoms that need attention or further inspection in a house for sale.  Once the inspection is complete, review the inspection report carefully. You have to demand an inspection when you present your offer. It must be written in as a contingency. If you do not approve...

The Derosia Team highly recommends taking a trip into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on your visit to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.  The Smoky Mountains is the most visited national park in the United States attracting more than 9 million visitors each year.  The park emcompasses 522,419 acres which is home to more than 4,000 species of plants, 1,600 kinds of flowering plants, over 130 species of trees, dozens of native fish, more than 230 species of birds, and 65 varying species of mammals.  The Smoky Mountains also have about 150 hiking trails covering over 900 miles of beautiful nature. Here is a list of some of the most popular short trails, along with the distance (round trip), difficulty, and a brief description.   Abrams Falls Distance: 5 Miles Difficulty: Moderate Abrams Falls trail is located inside Cades Cove and begins at the covered bridge over Abrams Creek.  The trail takes hikers on a fairly level course with only a couple ste...

As you can probably tell by our lack of posts that we aren't the best at blogging. However, we would like to wish all of our clients a very happy new year (although we are a little late) and hope everyone had a great holiday season. 2010 turned out to be another excellent year for us. Thank you to everyone that purchased from us! We moved offices in August. It was a scary move at first, but we quickly adjusted and LOVE our new location at Realty Executives Smoky Mountains in Pigeon Forge. Earlier in 2010, Darlene and I (Kim) reached a personal goal for each of us and got our brokers licence. It was a very hard test to pass, but we both did! We have many goals for a successful 2011. One of our goals is to provide our clients with a good website that is very user friendly. I think we have come a long way on this, and we hope you enjoy the new look of our website. Searching for property is easier than ever. You can search right from the home page now! If you want to see a list of fore...