Beverly-Hanks & Associates REALTORS®

ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA (August 26, 2009) — GPI Ventures LLC—the wholly owned development entity of The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa—recently selected Asheville-based real estate firm Beverly-Hanks & Associates, Inc. as the listing agent to drive sales at The Fitzgerald Condominiums, located on the historic grounds of The Grove Park Inn. “We’re very excited to be selected to represent The Fitzgerald,” said Neal Hanks, President of Beverly-Hanks. “The Fitzgerald is a premier offering in Asheville. It has a coveted location at the historic Grove Park Inn, just minutes from downtown. And it offers a finished product with finished amenities.”

The Fitzgerald is a picture of strength in today’s market, offering itself as a limited collection of 24 elegant residences. Each unit overlooks the celebrated Donald Ross Golf Course and provides breathtaking views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and downtown Asheville. Units range in size from 1,969 to 2,843 square feet, with prices beginning at $1 million. A host of privileges and amenities are available to owners through an exclusive Grove Park Inn Community Membership, including complimentary, unlimited access to the nationally acclaimed, award-winning Spa, golf privileges at the Inn’s Donald Ross Golf Course and access to a 50,000 square-foot Sports Complex.

Already, The Fitzgerald has generated a lot of interest and momentum—25% of the units have closed and the first residents have moved in. To help Beverly-Hanks drive sales at The Fitzgerald, GPI Ventures has also enlisted the help of a local sales and marketing firm, The Carolina Agency, a small group of Senior-Level only marketing specialists who have a great deal of experience in high-end real estate and master-planned communities. Additionally, The Fitzgerald is listed as a featured community at downtown Asheville’s Private Mountain Communities (PMC), the recognized authority on Western North Carolina real estate and mountain living.

According to Craig Madison—a former marketing agency owner and current President and CEO of The Grove Park Inn—the combination of Beverly-Hanks, The Carolina Agency and PMC offers exactly the right mix of experience and talent to take The Fitzgerald to the next level. “We’ve enjoyed a good deal of early success in the local market,” he says, “but it’s now time to take a more targeted and integrated message to the regional and national markets. The team of players we’ve assembled—with their industry experience in upscale lifestyle-based communities and extensive knowledge of our market—enables us to do that.”

For anyone desiring to learn more about The Fitzgerald or to take an up-close tour of the property, a model residence is now open daily—Monday-Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; and Sunday from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

To learn more about the ownership opportunities at The Fitzgerald, please call 828.251.1140 or visit www.thefitzgerald.info.

About The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa

The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa is a four-diamond resort overlooking Asheville’s skyline and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Built in 1913, the Inn is on the National Register of Historic Places and a member of Historic Hotels of America and among Travel + Leisure’s Top five Spa Resorts in the United States. Amenities include a world-class spa, Club Floor, award winning fine dining, Donald Ross golf course, tennis, swimming, sports complex, retail shops, nightly entertainment and children’s programs.

For information on The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa go to: http://www.groveparkinn.com

CNN Money has reported that the sales of newly constructed homes hit their highest point since last Septempber. During July new homes sold at an annualized rate of 433,000. This far exceeds the forecasted amounts and was up 9.6% from the 395,000 rate from June. July was expected to only reach 390,000.

This news follows positive housing market reports from earlier in the month. This also includes a spike in existing home sales due to increased affordability and decreased prices overall. Peter Morici says the “psychology of the market is changing, the notion that prices will drift down forever is gone.” The market is indeed attractive to new home buyers no with the median price of a new home declining to $210,100.

Now is a great time to buy a new house, with prices down across the board and affordability up. There are also many other incentives to do this such as the $8,000 tax credit for first time home buyers and with some houses offering buyer protection plans.

Read the Full Article Here

Washington Post reporter Christina Talcott has just posted an article about her trip to Asheville and the things that loved the most about being here. It is clear that she enjoyed the music and the overall friendly and involved community that all together makes Asheville what it is.

The first part of her post draws attention to our weekly drum circles in downtown Asheville’s Pritchard Park and the way that everyone enjoys playing together. Walking around Pritchard Park she also ran into some other street musicians that frequent Asheville’s downtown streets. Her article shows the truly wide range of talent by citing that she saw one man playing an accordion and then another playing a saxophone, all within blocks of a giant 50-100 person drum circle.

You can guarantee that on any night of the year in Asheville you can find a street performer, maybe even more than one, but Christina Talcott also took time to visit North Carolina’s most visited tourist attraction, The Biltmore House and Winery. Almost everyone has heard of the Biltmore House but Christina Talcott was surprised to find that even the Biltmore House was filled with music and also it led her on a trail of local art. As she learned more about the Biltmore House and it’s original owner she learned of the local River Arts District and the abundance of local art.

In the River Arts District Christina Talcott met with a few local artists including Jonas Gerard and Heather Tinnaro. Speaking with Jonas Gerard he spoke of his public paintings. “Every Saturday this summer, Gerard has been hosting free afternoon painting performances, playing music and painting quickly and spontaneously while a crowd looks on.” She had missed his show but her article closes with the description of a painting by Jonas Gerard’s.

You can read the article for yourself here

Thinking of selling? Now is a great time to list your home with a Beverly-Hanks agent. Interest rates remain low and there is an influx of buyers in the market, especially first-time buyers looking to take advantage of the tax credit.

 So, what are the “secrets” to selling your home fast? Present a clean, spacious, clutter-free home that potential Buyers can see themselves living in. Buyers gravitate to homes that feel well maintained. A little touch up paint and some minor repairs make a big difference when you’re preparing to list your home. Removing the clutter from your closets and rooms will enhancing your showings and help you prepare for the big move. During the summer months, keep your lawn mowed, shrubs trimmed and gardens weeded. Creating exterior curb appeal is critical to getting the buyers to come inside.

Price your property right! Our agents receive ongoing education about market conditions and can help you properly price your house. And remember, the more accessible your home is for showings, the more successful you are likely to be. It’s important to be flexible and allow buyers to come view the property even on short notice.

Getting your home exposed to the greatest number of potential buyers it critical to getting your home sold quickly. A Beverly-Hanks agent can give you the exposure you need with our comprehensive marketing plan.

Call a Beverly-Hanks agent directly or 800-858-2257 to get started today!

Good news for buyers or sellers of Asheville Homes.

“Pending home sales rose for the fifth consecutive month in June, easily topping expectations, according to the National Association of Realtors.

“The Pending Home Sales Index rose 3.6 percent to 94.6 from an upwardly revised reading of 91.3 in May, and is 6.7 percent higher than in June 2008. Reuters had expected an 0.6 percent increase.

“The last time there were five consecutive monthly gains was July 2003.”

The article continues:

“Pending home sales were higher in all four regions than last month, and only the west experienced a decrease from a year ago. The index in the Northeast rose 0.4 percent to 81.2 in June and was 5.8 percent above the same period last year. In the Midwest, the index climbed 0.8 percent to 89.9. It was 11.6 percent higher than June 2008.

“The index in the South jumped 7.1 percent to 100.7 in June and was 8.9 percent higher versus a year ago. In the West, the index rose 2.9 percent to 100.4, but was 0.2 percent below June 2008.”

Full article at CNBC.com