Bear Paw Resort Effectively Issues a Moratorium of New Home Construction Due to Water Supply

Posted by John Poltrock on

When it comes to building a new construction home, the availability of water is crucial. Bear Paw Resort is a great community here in Murphy NC and the utility company just issued a notice that affects all lot owners and prospective buyers of lot owners.

On April 21, 2023, Utilities, Inc. (formerly Carolina Water) informed the Bear Paw Service District that they do not have enough water supply to accommodate new construction homes. They have already invested a significant amount of money in drilling two new wells within the Service District, but unfortunately, these wells do not provide enough continuous water flow to meet further increased demand for water.

As a result, the BPSD has received advice not to issue any additional new house-build permits. It is important to note that water is crucial for any house to be built and to obtain a Certificate of Occupancy from the Building Department in Cherokee County, North Carolina. Without an adequate water supply, new home construction simply cannot occur.

It is understandable to have questions about whether your proposed building plan will have access to water. In this case, it is recommended that you reach out to Utilities, Inc. directly to discuss your concerns and options. They can be reached at 1-800-525-7990 or their website is here at https://www.myutility.us/carolinawater

This news may be disappointing for those who were hoping to settle down and build their dream home in Bear Paw. However, it is imperative to prioritize the availability and sustainability of water resources for the entire community. The BPSD will continue to work with Utilities, Inc. to find a resolution and keep residents informed of any updates.

If you are considering purchasing a lot to build a house in Bear Paw, it is necessary to rethink your plans until this issue is resolved. Stay informed and updated on the situation, and we hope for a positive resolution in the near future.

Looking for real estate in the mountains of Western North Carolina and North Georgia? The Poltrock Team has you covered! Feel free to call us at 828-837-6400 or shop for real estate online at www.ThePoltrockTeam.com

Internet Services Providers Available In Murphy NC and Cherokee County NC

Posted by I Love Murphy on

Internet Services can be a huge consideration when buying a home no matter where you’re looking to purchase. When you’re shopping online for real estate, determining what internet speed is available is nearly impossible. When working from home is crucial, homeschooling is common, and simply wanting to watch a movie to relax is important, knowing what internet is available is vital.

Several companies have reached out to us wanting us to add their maps of internet coverage to our website. After we dug into them, we realized they had major flaws in being able to provide what properties have what type of internet. Because of that, we didn’t use them and decided to post this to give you insight as to what to expect.

Here are the types available here in Murphy NC:

  • Fiber Optic Internet – Provided by Blue Ridge Mountain Electric Membership Corp., this is the fastest option with no data caps. The base package is around $40 per month and download speeds tend to be 15-40 Mbps. Other packages are available. Finding homes with Fiber Optic is a gem – they are not common because our area is spread out and the cost of building the infrastructure is high. Thanks to a federal grant many years ago, the system was built out and is much larger than it once was. If you find a home with fiber optic, this is a huge plus.

 

  • SkyTek Internet (now River Street) – this is a local company that offers point-to-point internet and is largely found in homes that are higher up in elevation with views or unobstructed views to their repeaters. It works through Blue Ridge’s Fiber Internet Service and covers folks who don’t have fiber directly available at their home. It also has no data caps and plans start around $40 per month as well but are slower speeds than fiber. They do have higher-level packages that come close to the speeds of fiber and can be around $70 per month. This is what I personally have at my home and have been very satisfied with their service. The customer service is great, the owners are very good, hard-working folks, and I love that we support a local business in the process. They can do a site visit to any property and tell you whether service is available.

 

  • Cable Internet – Provided by Murphy Cable, they offer TV services and internet with no data caps. They have excellent speeds in our experience and do a good job. Their region is largely confined to being close to town so properties that are far out are unlikely to have this option available. They’re cost-effective and speeds are quite fast. Their speeds can vary widely based on distance from their stations so you are best to contact them IF cable TV is available at the property to see what you can expect from their services. 

 

  • DSL – Provided by Frontier Communications and/or AT&T depending on where you are in Cherokee County, DSL generally offers 3 MBPS download and up to 512 KBPS upload speed with no data caps. It can stream YouTube and other services but does tend to buffer especially in times of high usage. It is important to note they are out of ports in many parts of the county so if you buy a property that has active DSL services you want to continue that same service, be sure to have the seller set up for a transfer of the port rather than canceling service. If you don’t, you may find there isn’t a port available.

 

  • Satellite Internet – this is usually available in areas where none of the above options are. The two main companies we see folks use are Hughesnet and Viasat. We’ve heard the best feedback on Viasat from our clients. Most of their packages have caps on data usage and different plans are available based on your needs. Check out their website by clicking the name for more details.

Have a specific property in mind and need to know what it has available? Do you require a certain type of internet? Give us a call at 1-866-687-7496 and we can help you find out what there is so you can find the perfect home! Search all available properties online here!

Please note all information provided herein is based on personal experience, speed tests, customer feedback, and more. All info is subject to change, package pricing changes, location differences, and more. If the Internet is very important to you, we highly recommend you independently verify it will suit your needs prior to purchasing a home.

What is a normal water well in Western North Carolina

Posted by I Love Murphy on

Over the past decade+, I’ve either personally had drilled, had clients that drilled, or been involved in transactions where a new well had to be drilled here in Murphy, NC. The one thing I’ve learned; there is no such thing as a normal well in Western North Carolina. Each one is different with several main components: depth, yield, and quality.

Fiberglass Well Cover
This fiberglass “fake rock” is a common well cover. It’s generally foam insulated to protect the well in Winter.

Depth: Perhaps it’ll help to understand where water comes from underground. There are aquifers, or creeks, and veins of water hundreds of feet underground that you want to collect and bring to your faucets. While many areas like Florida and Eastern North Carolina can hit water in 10-50 feet, the mountains of Western North Carolina is often 100-400 feet and can even be deeper. In rare instances, you can have a well drilled that never finds water or has a low yield; more on that in a moment. Some old-timers believe that “witching” a well will help you maximize your odds of finding the best spot to drill your well so you never have a dry hole. The deeper your well, the more “reserve” you have; meaning, your well acts as a storage tank and the deeper it is, the more storage space you have.

Yield: Depth is only part of the equation; how much water your well can produce is another major component. Yield is how many gallons per minute your underground aquifers and veins of water pour into your well. This one is easy – the more the merrier. I’ve seen yield of under 1/2 gallon per minute (GPM) to artesian wells that put out so much water the instruments to measure yield pegged out and we only knew that it was 100+ GPM. Those are rare and 1-10 GPM is far more common. If your well produces a lower yield than the well company recommends for household usage, there are some great options to maximize it like a buried storage tank or fracking, which expands the crevices to try to get more water flow.

This shows a common well arrangement under the cover.
This picture shows a lot under the cover! The well itself is to the right in the thicker pipe. The big blue tank is a pressure tank. This also has a rare feature – a hand pump on top of the well in the event of power or pump failure, you can still get water. Click to see a larger picture.

Quality: Western North Carolina is known for amazing water. In fact, many folks who live in Florida and other areas will tank water from here and bring it to their home because the water is so much better. pH is rarely a problem and any water quality issues we see usually are from rotten egg smell (sulfur) or red water (iron). The good thing about these water quality issues is they can almost always be resolved by a water filtration system. If it is needed, your well company can recommend the right system. They range from an inexpensive sediment filter (I think every home should have one. They protect your faucets and fixtures from sediment) to a tank-style system that costs around $1,650-3,200 depending on certain factors. Filtration technology has come a LONG way in the past decade and many of the systems require very little maintenance to produce the best water your taste buds have experienced.

Just a few personal experiences I’ve had:

  • The well I use daily produces 8 GPM and feeds two homes, a barn, and waters our animals with no issues. Other than a $100 sediment filter, we have nothing on it and it produces the most amazing water ever.
  • At our old house, the well was low yield with 3/4 GPM… and supplied about 10 houses. Fortunately, about 1/2 or better were part time occupants so it rarely had all 10 homes trying to get water. We CONSTANTLY had problems with water… until we installed a 1,500 gallon reservoir tank. That solved every problem we had because the storage tank supplied all the water to the houses and the well replenished it. It made the perfect buffer and we never had a supply issue again.
  • Well Tag on a Drilled Well
    This is a typical well tag that is supposed to be on a well casing. It shows all kinds of useful information to include Yield (bottom left) and depth (center right).

    A developer drilled a well getting an astonishing 100+ GPM that had very high iron. The homeowners on the well had issues with laundry turning red due to the high iron content. They installed a $2,000 well filtration system that cleans itself so it requires extremely low maintenance. The system completely resolved the iron problems and the water is now extraordinary. 

If you’ve wondered the basics on how wells work in Western North Carolina, I hope this helps! Looking for real estate? We would be honored to help. Give us a call at 1-866-687-7496 or contact us from our website and we’ll be there to assist.

Need a good well driller? Check out our Gotta Guy list with reputable local well drillers, contractors, and more.

We have private, shared, and community wells here. Learn the difference here.

John Poltrock 

Sky Tek Communications is an Excellent Source for High Speed Internet Service in Murphy NC

Posted by I Love Murphy on

No matter where in the world you are, especially when you are in the mountains of Murphy, North Carolina, access to high-speed Internet can be a huge factor for the purchase of a new home. Here in Murphy, we have several Internet Service Providers (ISPs) available. One of the new kids on the block is a company called Sky Tek Communications.

Sky Tek BannerSky Tek Communications is based right here in Murphy, NC. They offer a direct line of sight, or point to point, form of high-speed Internet. It utilizes fiber-optic service from Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation (BREMC). The beauty of their service is you do not need to have access directly to their fiber-optic lines. If you have line of sight, or are close to the line of sight for their service, you can have fiber-optic Internet speeds.

Several of our clients and customers have chosen to use their service. They all have had excellent results if it is available to them! Not only that, their customer service is right here in Murphy, so you do not have to speak to a call center thousands of miles away. You’re speaking with local folks! 🙂

If you are in need of Internet, I highly encourage you to try their service prior to using a slower speed. They offer connection speeds of 6 MB per second download and 3 MB per second upload. They even offer higher speeds if you need them. For only $39.99 a month, this is a great package I wish I had available at my home! Their contact information is below and enjoy your high speed Internet 🙂

Sky Tek Communications
http://sky-tekcommunications.com/
info@sky-tekcommunications.com
828-835-2825

The Poltrock Team – REMAX of Murphy NC – www.iLoveMurphy.com– Call us Toll Free at 1-866-Murphy-NC or 1-866-687-7496 – Murphy’s #1 Real Estate Team

Propane Gas is the Fuel of Choice in Murphy NC

Posted by I Love Murphy on

Propane fuel is certainly the fuel of choice here in Murphy, NC. Since we don’t have natural gas here, there is little good alternative. However, it is a very good option. There is a wide variety of propane companies here locally, so that gives you the ability to shop and get the best service for the best value.

Propane TankWhen it comes to buying or selling real estate, handling the propane is something you need to know how it’s done. Here are some quick tips, and at the bottom, we give our recommended list of propane companies.

When You Are Buying, there are a couple factors that you should consider:

  • If the propane tank is owned by the seller – this is not very common as most people lease. If it is owned, typically the propane tank is included with the purchase of your home unless specifically excluded. The gas, however, the seller has the option to sell back to a gas company if he or she so chooses. If they leave it after the closing, then it is yours to keep.
  • If the propane tank is leased by the seller – typically the buyer assumes the lease from the seller (which is usually on an annual basis). If there is any time left on the lease, that is often given as a gift. However, the seller also reserves the right to cap the tank and receive a refund for the remaining gas from the gas company. Or, if any gas is left after closing, then it is the buyer’s to keep. When the lease renews, you have the option to keep the existing company or choose another. If you don’t cancel the service, the company will presume you are keeping their service and mail you an invoice for tank rent.

When You Are Selling:

  • If you own the propane tank – the tank itself stays with the house. Any gas left in the tank becomes property of the buyer. You have the option to have a propane company remove the gas and pay you for it. That’s not very common as many sellers leave the fuel for the purchaser.
  • If you lease the tank – The buyer typically becomes responsible for tank rent after the new lease renews. You can have the gas company come prorate the propane by capping the tank and refunding you for any amount left in the tank. Many sellers choose to leave it since it is less hassle as many propane companies do not like to do this.

What is propane used for in Murphy NC? You commonly see it used for only a few things such as:

  • Gas log fireplaces
  • Heat pumps with propane secondary heat (not as common here as straight electric heat pumps)
  • Gas kitchen ranges / cook tops
  • Wall heaters
  • Water heaters (significantly less common here than electric water heaters)
  • Grills

Check out our Gotta Guy List for recommended propane companies! Scroll down to Gas Companies.

The Poltrock Team – REMAX of Murphy NC – www.MyMurphy.com – JohnPoltrock@gmail.com – Call us Toll Free at 1-866-Murphy-NC or 1-866-687-7496 – Murphy’s #1 Real Estate Team

Land Line Telephone Service in Murphy NC

Posted by I Love Murphy on

frontierTelephone service in the mountains of Murphy, North Carolina can be incredibly important, especially if you own real estate in an area that doesn’t have cell phone coverage. When it comes to arranging your land line home phone service, the primary provider here in our area is Frontier Communications. CLICK HERE to visit Frontier’s website to see available packages/services. They are the same company that provides the large majority of DSL Internet Service here, too. Since their phone numbers change periodically, please visit their website for the current best phone number.

In some cases, if you have fiber-optic Internet available through Blue Ridge EMC, you may have the option to get telephone service through them.

Need cellular phone service? Visit our post on the best cell phone provider in Murphy NC.

Now, that you’ve got phone service covered, contact us today to let us know we can help! Or, search Homes and Land for Sale in Murphy NC.

The Poltrock Team – REMAX of Murphy NC – www.MyMurphy.com–JohnPoltrock@gmail.com – Call us Toll Free at 1-866-Murphy-NC or 1-866-687-7496 – Murphy’s #1 Real Estate Team

Trash Pickup Services in Murphy NC and Cherokee County NC

Posted by I Love Murphy on

Trash BagTrash service is a must in life. It’s often not viewed as a utility, but the fact is it is just as imperative as your phone. You have several options to get rid of the trash from your home here in Murphy NC.

  1. Take the trash off on your own. Want to do this? Learn more and gets post of trash drop off locations in Cherokee County by clicking this link.
  2. If you own in the Murphy City Limits, trash service is included in your town taxes. Call Murphy City Hall to line up service at 828-837-2510.
  3. Hire a trash company to pick your trash up for your house.

This post is geared toward the last option. I find this option the best choice and pay for a local company to pick up my trash each week so I don’t have to. As of this writing, it only costs me $18 per month! That’s truly a no brainer for us when we factor in gas and time to haul it off on our own.

Trash service is available in most every area of the county. There are several vendors who provide this service. If you want to find some good companies, visit our Gotta Guy List of Recommended Contractors. Scroll down to Trash Service. That’ll get you squared away! 🙂

The Poltrock Team – REMAX of Murphy NC – www.MyMurphy.com–JohnPoltrock@gmail.com – Call us Toll Free at 1-866-Murphy-NC or 1-866-687-7496 – Murphy’s #1 Real Estate Team

Blue Ridge Mountain EMC may be your Power Company, Internet, and even TV

Posted by I Love Murphy on

When it comes to utilities in Murphy, NC, or any other place for that matter, hardly anything is more important than having power to your home. Blue Ridge Mountain Electric Membership Corporation, or as most people call it, Blue Ridge EMC, is likely one of the largest power companies in our area. They serve not only Cherokee County, but also a large area in Northeast Georgia.

BREMC LogoSince we have a total of four power companies that serve our area, The location of your home dictates which company you choose. There’s a very good likelihood that BREMC may be your power company since they serve the largest geographic area. However, you will want to verify that.

When you call to set up service, you will need both the address of the property and the meter number on the home. They will not set up your service without the meter number, so ensure you do have it.

Since they distribute power courtesy of the TVA that is generated via hydroelectric dam, their rates are typically very affordable.

If you are fortunate enough to live in an area where they provide Internet, you will love their service! They offer fiber-optic Internet and also some direct point-to-point Internet. They can easily accommodate speeds of 20+ megabytes per second. You do have to check availability for this because it is only available in select locations.

Also if you have fiber optic service available at your home, they can provide TV service AND home telephone in addition to your internet! With packages varying, they start around $99 per month for all 3 services. If fiber optic is not available at your house, than you’ll want to go with our traditional land line phone company.

In the event of a power outage, they are very responsive! They have a wonderful crew that gets out and gets power operating as quickly as possible. They really are good folks.

Need to contact Blue Ridge EMC? Here is their contact information:

Power Billing and Sales: 706-379-3121 or 828-837-1017 (a local Murphy number)

Technical Support for Internet, TV, and Phone: 706-379-4832 or 828-837-1017 (a local Murphy number)

Click Here to Visit BRMEMC Website or Copy and Paste this link into your web browser: http://www.brmemc.net/

The Poltrock Team – REMAX of Murphy NC – www.MyMurphy.com–JohnPoltrock@gmail.com – Call us Toll Free at 1-866-Murphy-NC or 1-866-687-7496 – Murphy’s #1 Real Estate Team

High Speed Internet via DSL in Murphy NC

Posted by I Love Murphy on

In today’s society, internet accessibility is incredibly important. When you are in the mountains if Murphy NC searching for a home for sale, high speed Internet is something you must research prior to your purchase. Internet availability and type varies from location to location, so be sure to ask.

frontierLikely the most common type of high speed internet is DSL through Frontier, which is the same company that provides the large majority of our land line phone service. Speeds typically begin at 1+ MBPS download and go up from there.

DSL is provided through your phone line. Despite what you may hear or what the phone company may tell you, you can have a “dry loop” that provides Internet only or through your existing phone land line. Since here in Murphy the availability of speeds and type of Internet can vary by location, it is important to ask your Realtor when you’re buying a home here in Murphy to ensure the availability of high speed internet.

Visit www.frontier.com for more details and information

That said, call us today and let us help you buy your home here in Murphy NC. We can guide you on internet availability no problem. Contact us or start your search for homes for sale in the Murphy NC area now!

The Poltrock Team – REMAX of Murphy NC – www.MyMurphy.com–JohnPoltrock@gmail.com – Call us Toll Free at 1-866-Murphy-NC or 1-866-687-7496 – Murphy’s #1 Real Estate Team

What Cell Phone Provider has the Best Mobile Phone Coverage in Murphy NC?

Posted by I Love Murphy on

VerizonThis is a great question that I had in my email from someone this morning! When you come to the Murphy, NC area, it may be important for you to have wonderful cellular coverage for your device. I’m attached at the hip to my iPhone, so I know just how critical this can be! Without a doubt, the best carrier is Verizon Wireless. They even have 4G LTE coverage in the core areas of Cherokee County. AT&T and US Cellular are far behind the curve but do work in the main areas of town. If you have T-Mobile, Sprint, or Nextel, forgetta-bout-it!  😆

Visit www.VerizonWireless.com for more information and details. You can also visit one of our many local Verizon Wireless retail stores around the Murphy area. Verizon has a great coverage map on their website so you can visually see what coverage is available and where.

The Poltrock Team – REMAX of Murphy NC – www.MyMurphy.com–JohnPoltrock@gmail.com – Call us Toll Free at 1-866-Murphy-NC or 1-866-687-7496 – Murphy’s #1 Real Estate Team