Hanging Dog Campground Entrance off of Joe Brown

Murphy, North Carolina is known for its natural beauty and resources, and the US Forest Service maintains an excellent facility in Hanging Dog. The Nantahala National Forest has camping sites set up and ready, bath facilities, two public boat ramps on Lake Hiwassee, group picnic shelter, bike riding, trail heads, and much more.

Because it is maintained by the US Forest Service, all of the resources available here are either free or quite inexpensive. The facilities are in excellent shape! You can find more information from the local Ranger District. You can find out more from them at:

Hanging Dog Picnic Area

Hanging Dog Campground Facilities

John Poltrock, Certified Residential Specialist – www.MyMurphy.com – JohnPoltrock@gmail.com – Call The POLTROCK TEAM at RE/MAX Mountain Properties today at 877-837-3002

This testimony is from a great elderly couple who we helped sell their home in Unaka and buy a new home in Marble. They were great folks to work with who needed a lot of extra help, and that’s exactly what they got from us.

“I would recommend this agent John for selling of homes to anyone that is looking for one. He has a great personality and is very good with selling. He is fun and easy to talk to and he sold our home for us in less than a month. He is excellent in every way and kept us involved with the information of buyers for our home and did a great job finding us a new one home. He really listened to what we wanted and what what we were looking for in another home.”

Many pessimistic critics are still saying the market has a long way to go before it gets better. On the other hand, you’ll read that now is best time to buy because there’s more choices, amazing prices, and low interest rates right now. Who’s right?

Nobody can answer that question for you. I will tell you this. There are some tremendously powerful buyers shopping for massive tracts and commercial investments right now in our market. Guys like this are experienced enough to know what time is the best, and now is when they’ve decided it is. The way you know markets get better is the wolves arrive before the flock of sheep, and the wolves are here.

There are some exciting things brewing in the air right now and I strongly encourage you that it’s an ideal time to capitalize on investments. This blog is intentionally vague because we’ve got to keep the genie in the bottle, but I will say that exciting things are happening in Murphy, North Carolina!

John Poltrock – The POLTROCK TEAM – REMAX Mountain Properties - www.MyMurphy.com – Call us Toll Free 1-866-687-7496 to enjoy the opportunities out there!

The US Forest Service accounts for a tremendous portion of Cherokee County’s landmass. According to the Cherokee County Mapping Department, the forest service operates a whoping 93,169.87 acres of public land in our county alone.

Having so much Forest Service, which is commonly known as the Nantahala Forest, is a huge asset to Murphy. Here are only a few resources available as a direct result of the Forest Service:

• Free boat launches for your use on Lake Hiwassee (which is almost entirely surrounded by Forest Service)
• Great picnic area at Cherokee Lake
• Tellico Plains off-road riding for Jeeps, ATVs, and more
• Camping areas all over – and a fully equipped Campground in Hanging Dog in Murphy NC
• Real Estate (both homes and land) with a USFS Boundary. Wouldn’t it be nice to have part of a 93,169.87 acre back yard?  Email me now to find out what real estate is available with a Forest Service Boundary.
• Hiking
• Geocaching 
• Horseback Riding

Another advantage is so much Forest Service will limit growth within Cherokee County. With roughly 1/3 of the county being public land, much of it cannot be built on. This will keep much of the natural beauty Murphy has very much alive and intact. It doesn’t take long to figure out why Murphy is still to this day referred to as “God’s Country.”

John Poltrock, Murphy NC Realtor – Certified Residential Specialist – www.MyMurphy.com – JohnPoltrock@gmail.com – Call Toll-Free 1-866-687-7496 Today and demand The POLTROCK TEAM!

Very seldom do you see a place in the United States have a unique name. In Murphy, we see many Indian and other names which you’re unlikely to see anywhere else. Today on our way back from visiting family in Pensacola, FL, I noticed a sign I never thought I’d see! I took this picture from my Blackberry driving 70 mph on a highway, and I’m surprised it even came out legible!

Owassa is a road on the Northwestern side of Cherokee County. Although it takes 20-30 minutes to get to from town, there’s some amazing sights there.

The largest attractions around Owassa Road is threefold: US Forest Service / Nantahala Forest land, Lake Appalachia, and privacy.

Owassa Road is in the Hiwassee Dam community of Murphy, North Carolina. It is accessible from the Northern part of Highway 294 and off of Camp Creek Road. It is also the road that leads into one of Lake Appalachia’s few communities with real estate for sale. It leads to Wilderness Lake Estates which offers lake views and lake front on of the most private communities.

John Poltrock – The POLTROCK TEAM at RE/MAX Mountain Properties – www.MyMurphy.com – JohnPoltrock@gmail.com – Call 1-866-687-7496 and demand The POLTROCK TEAM!

Appraisals can do you a lot of good when you get ready to sell your property here in Murphy, North Carolina. Real estate prices are constantly changing, so it’s good to have an accurate analysis of what your value is.

Realtors are able to perform a CMA, or Comparable Market Analysis. When you’re ready to sell your home, this will give you a good idea as to where you should price your property. There is a difference between an appraisal and a CMA. Appraisals are often more detailed in valuation, yet they frequently do not take into account current market trends.

With real estate values going down, many people interested in selling are using old appraisals to try to hold onto former higher prices. This strategy is a stage of denial that will hurt your home’s position to sell. If you list it too high to start off with, your home develops a “stigma” to it that will make it stagnant on the market and ultimately sell for less than what you could have achieved originally.

Other times, sellers are using an appraisal from a refinance. More often than not, that appraisal is not necessarily useful in marketing your home. Sometimes the appraisal is biased toward a certain value, whether it is conservative or high. You can read more about inflated real estate appraisals here.

Old appraisals mean nothing. Think of it this way: it would be the same as printing off a stock quote from when Enron shares were worth $50 per share. Consider taking it to your stock broker now and expecting the same price. It won’t happen. Real estate operates the exact same way, just the numbers are larger and more difficult to determine. Unfortunately, your real estate does not have a “ticker” streaming across the front of it telling us the current market value of your home.

An accurate appraisal will help you sell your home. Leaving a current appraisal on your counter while trying to sell will help prospective buyers determine how you priced and the value of your home. When and if you get a new appraisal before selling, ask around to find a good appraiser. Get a good recommendation and call them in.  Be certain not to influence their pricing. You want an unbiased evaluation of market value to sell your home. Make sure they know that’s what the appraisal is for.

All that being said, it’s not necessary, but having an appraisal done can give you a great marketing edge. It can give you the competitive edge over the competition. An average appraisal costs about $400 and can be an excellent investment when you’re selling your largest investment.

John Poltrock, CRS – www.MyMurphy.com – JohnPoltrock@gmail.com – For Real Estate in the Mountains of Murphy, NC, Call The POLTROCK TEAM at (866) 687-7496

Geocaching is essentially a high-tech game of hide and seek. All you need is a GPS, access to a computer, hiking boots, and, well, you! Murphy, North Carolina presents a perfect place for geocaching with all of Cherokee County being approximately a third US Forest Service.

As of today, there are 1,087 active caches in the Murphy area. Search and view today’s current Geocaches. These caches represent a huge opportunity to get out in the woods, explore new places you never new existed, and find crazy places like an old mining cart Katie and I found one day! 

Geocaching is litterally fun for anyone old enough to walk and the entire family can participate. Want to learn more? You can visit their main website at www.geocaching.com and check out a guide of how geocaching works.

So get out there and enjoy "God’s Country" like he intended!

John Poltrock, Certified Residential Specialist – RE/MAX Mountain Properties – www.MyMurphy.com – JohnPoltrock@gmail.com – Call Toll Free (866) 687-7496 and demand The POLTROCK TEAM!

The town of Murphy, NC continues to grow as it annexed five new properties into the city limits. They total about 12 additional acres now inside the limits. The properties that were annexed are:

• The property where Zaxby’s Chicken joint will soon be opening (on 64 West)
• The Big D on 64 West
• an undeveloped parcel beside where the Sonic Drive-In is located
• a property behind Circuit World on Andrews Road
• The shopping center property where Monte Alban’s Mexican Restaurant is (also located there is Cherokee Well Drilling). I would expect for them to apply for a license to serve beer at their restaurant soon.

Many property owners are requesting to be annexed, as expected, as a result of the recent passing of the liquor law in the city limits of Murphy. The law allows beer sales by the glass and in retail establishments, as well as allowing restaurants to serve liquor by the drink.

John Poltrock, Certified Residential Specialist for Murphy, NC and Jessica Poltrock, Accredited Buyer Representative – RE/MAX Mountain Properties – Real Estate in the Mountains of Murphy, NC – www.MyMurphy.com – JohnPoltrock@gmail.com – Call Toll-Free (877) 837-3002 and demand The POLTROCK TEAM!

This property is now SOLD! Be sure to view more lots for sale on the Nottley with many choices in Turkey Creek Acres with lots available for sale on the Nottley River in Murphy NC.

I have a new Nottley River Lot coming up for sale for $59,850! Not only does it have frontage on Nottley River, it also has a pond on the back! With more than an acre and only a few minutes from town, it’s a rare find! In fact, you’ll find that river lots are one of your best investments in the mountains of Murphy, NC.

Although unintentionally, I’m beginning to specialize in Nottley River frontage with the total of a dozen river front properties. Unheard of!

Learn more about the Nottley River in Murphy NC

Since this property is not officially on the market yet, watch out for our video tour to be released and more information! Email me now if you want more information before its released!

John Poltrock, CRS and Jessica Poltrock, ABR – Homes, Cabins, and Land for sale in the mountains of Murphy, North Carolina – www.MyMurphy.com – JohnPoltrock@gmail.com – Call Toll Free (877) 837-3002 and demand The POLTROCK TEAM!

John Poltrock is now a Certified Residential Specialist by the Council of Residential Specialists. This designation and certification places him in the top 3% of all the Realtors in Cherokee County and in the top 4% of Realtors nationwide by both experience and education.

Does it cost more to buy or sell a home with Certified Residential Specialist? They may have more real estate experience and more training than the average real estate agent, but Certified Residential Specialist don’t cost any more. In fact, their expertise may actually save you time and money when your buying a home or increase your profit when you’re selling one. So when you’re looking for a real estate agent, look for a Certified Residential Specialist.

John Poltrock is your Murphy, NC Certified Residential Specialist

Call Toll-Free (877) 837-3002 and demand The POLTROCK TEAM! – www.MyMurphy.com – JohnPoltrock@gmail.com – Homes and Land in the Mountains of Murphy, North Carolina