Construction Labor Costs Should Go Down

Posted by I Love Murphy on

Murphy, North Carolina has experienced quite a bit of new construction to come on the market in the past 4 years. Everything from chalets, log cabins, cabins, ranches – you name it. We should even have condos coming soon if the project takes off. We’ve been blessed with a great new inventory giving real estate buyers more choices on new homes.

Many builders have become a bit nervous and have drastically cut their inventories. This has left buyers with fewer choices on new construction homes. Even so, many of the reputable builders still have quite a few they are building as I write this. Those are the best to buy.

As I read the Wall Street Journal (August 1, 2007), it references that inflation rose just 0.1% in June from May. It also mentioned labor costs increased 0.9% last quarter. That number is a national number that even affects the local real estate market. However, I believe home builders will find that labor will drop as many sub contractors find less jobs are available. We may find general contractors will do more of the building process and sub out less.

I personally feel that would be a great change because the whole affect dominoes the cost of building a new home. A cost plus contractor (costs 100k to build a new home so the contractor would make, say, 15% of that) can do more and will not be paying a profit to a company that installs the hardwood floor for example. If you’re not paying profit on profit, then your total building cost will go down.

All in all, it should be a good thing for labor costs in local construction to go down. It will weed out shady or fly-by-night sub contractors that should be there in the first place. If you are looking to build in our market, let us know! We would be more than happy to point you to a reputable builder who you can trust will be here for years to come. You can even find a Recommended Contractor or Builder in Murphy NC Online at our Gotta Guy List!

John and Jessica Poltrock – RE/MAX Mountain Properties – Murphy, NC – (828) 837-3002 – (866) Murphy-NC – www.MyMurphy.com

Information on Drilling A Well in Murphy and Cherokee County, NC

Posted by I Love Murphy on

How much does a well cost? Who can I use to drill my well? Should I buy land without a well? How deep will I have to go to get water? What’s the chance I won’t get water? What happens if it goes dry? What kind of minerals are there going to be in my water? Will my water be good?

These are all questions I hear regularly when my clients and customers are looking buy real estate in Murphy, North Carolina. The truth is, these are all very pertinent questions that every buyer and investor should ask. The mountains make “hitting” water much different than flat land. The real advantage here in Cherokee County is that we have some of the purest, best tasting water come straight from a well and to your tap.

When it comes to wells, here’s a good summation – there are no guarantees. There’s good news though – experienced well drilling companies are a tremendous, and quite reliable, resource that can give you answers to your questions depending on the area you find your property. We frequently use and recommend Cherokee Well Drilling due to their extensive knowledge and many, many, many wells they have drilled.

Certain areas are prone to mineral deposits that can show up in your water supply. On the same note, certain areas are notorious for having deep and/or low yield wells. For example, parts of Hanging Dog, Wolf Mountain, Indian Rock Springs, and a few others are notorious for having deep and low yield wells. These really aren’t the norm but illustrate how you can ask to make sure the piece of real estate you choose is in a “safe” location.

Here’s the answers to many of those common questions. Yes – you can buy land without a well. People do it every day and end up just fine. Many swear they have the best water in the country. The answer to the rest of the questions? Ask your local well source, look at the neighbor’s well, and find out the history. The beauty of well water is that it is clean, pure, and reliable source of water. I, too, have a well I use every day and love it! You can also send your water to the state for a nominal $25 fee and find out the mineral content and whether there is any contamination from bacteria for only $10 more.

To sum it up, wells are a great source of water. Just ask a professional when you find the land you love and you won’t have to worry about sleepless, or thirsty, nights.

John Poltrock – The POLTROCK TEAM at REMAX Mountain Properties – Murphy’s #1 Real Estate Team – www.MyMurphy.com – JohnPoltrock@gmail.com – Call Today Toll Free at 1-866-Murphy-NC or 1-866-687-7496

Satellite Internet Brings High Speed Internet to ANYWHERE in Murphy NC!

Posted by I Love Murphy on

Satellite Internet is nothing new – but it is certainly new to me. Many of you probably have heard of, or perhaps even use, this great service. It will work in any part of rural America where dial-up has long been our only option.

Here in Murphy, North Carolina, I live just a couple miles from where the DSL line stops. I’ve used dial up, but it is painfully slow. Using it for anything, especially the MLS, is a lesson in perseverance and probably results in a dependency on Zoloft. Even desolate regions no longer need to worry! Forget your antidepressant and keep reading.

I signed up to use to WildBlue, which seems to be the best bang for the buck. Go to www.WildBlue.com for more info. Their equipment and monthly subscription was cheaper (yes, you have to pay for your equipment up front) than HughesNet, which is the only other real competitor.

The largest problems with it? 1)It can be cost prohibitive. 2) Web pages load a little slow. 3) They limit the amount of bandwidth you can use each month.

It is fairly expensive to sign up, but that is only determined by what the value of high speed internet is to you. The second problem is one of my main issues. It can download files amazingly fast to not be hard wired to anything, but yet the average web page seems to take quite a while to be up and running when compared with the speed of say, DSL. The third issue is the other thing you have to be aware of – both companies actually cap the amount of bandwidth you can use in 30 day period. For most people, we will come no where near the amount they allow. For those who download a lot (more than 5 gigs a month), this could be a barrier. If that’s you, make sure you ask what your limits are with each monthly package.

What does this have to do with real estate? A lot! With much of the population being more and more internet savvy, they want the ability to not be tied to dial up. No matter who you are, where you live, or where you work, you now have the option to have high speed. It’s a great thing to know when looking for real estate in other outer regions where it has never been available before.