Sometimes injecting new life into your home’s aesthetic requires a professional and a big budget, especially when it comes to kitchen overhauls. But there are many ways to give your kitchen a fresh makeover on a mini budget – all it takes is a little time and creativity. Following are a few relatively inexpensive ways to add some punch to this high-traffic space. 

Make a (back)splash with tile – Play with color and pattern to create a unique backsplash with tile. Consider taking the tile all the way up the walls to the cabinets, or extend even higher for added drama.

Switch out hardware – Often, dated drawer pulls, cabinet knobs and faucets can bring down your kitchen’s appeal. But it’s easy, and inexpensive, to change out such hardware; make sure to keep the style and finish consistent throughout the kitchen for a seamless, updated look.

Add paint or wallpaper – A change or pop of color can do wonders for your kitchen, whether you choose to upgrade all the walls or concentrate on accenting with a vibrant hue or unexpected wallpaper pattern.

Fresh flooring – Adding a durable rug or runner can be both practical and pleasing to the eye, especially when you choose a pattern or color that stands out. If you’ve got a little time and a slightly bigger budget, you can play with tile or other flooring to give your kitchen a fresh look.

Shelf this idea – Hanging open shelving not only expands your storage options, but offers plenty of opportunities to display decorative elements. Use open shelves to park prized plates, special stemware, and other kitchen items too pretty to put away.

See the light – One easy fix for a dated kitchen is to change lighting. Whether hanging new fixtures over a bar, installing a focal-point chandelier, or simply switching out old bulbs for a brighter set, upgraded lighting adds lift to both small and large kitchens. 

Small appliances, big panache – Small appliances have gone from simply utilitarian to conversation piece. Amp up your small-appliance stock by incorporating items like toasters, blenders and coffee makers that boast modern features, cutting-edge design and unexpected colors.

Open doors for your cabinets – If your wood cabinets have seen better days, there’s no need to spend hundreds to replace them. Consider lightly sanding and repainting them in a classic white or soft gray.

For information about real estate in the Asheville area, contact us at Info@MyMosaicRealty.com, or call anytime at 828-707-9556.

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Hendersonville, N.C., located 22 miles south of Asheville in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, boasts a gentle climate, breathtaking views, rich culture and history, and lots of outdoor recreational attractions. The Cheers! Trail showcases 16 craft beverage producers, including Sierra Nevada, plus wineries and cideries in the area.

Chartered in 1847 as the county seat of Henderson County, Hendersonville (pop. 14,150) is traditionally known as “The City of Four Seasons.” Filled with historic buildings and vibrant streetscapes, Hendersonville’s downtown – the largest in Western N.C. outside of Asheville’s – offers many outdoor dining options, as well as unique shops and galleries, along Main Street. Hendersonville’s downtown is part of the Main Street Program, aimed at revitalizing central business districts across the country through historic preservation, attention to design, and thoughtful recruitment of businesses. 

Hendersonville is optimally situated, with I-26 running through the east side of the city, and routes 25 and 74 running concurrently. The city is a 17-minute drive to the Asheville Regional Airport. High schools in the city and surrounding area include Hendersonville High School, West Henderson High School, North Henderson High School, and East Henderson High School.

Hendersonville Cultural and Outdoor Activities

The culturally rich area offers many options for an afternoon of entertainment. The Mineral and Lapidary Museum of Henderson County features giant geodes, minerals and dinosaur eggs; Hands On! Children’s museum boasts a fun, safe environment for learning; the Henderson County Heritage Museum, in the 1905 county courthouse downtown, features a gallery of regional Carolina history. North of Main Street is the Historic (1878) Johnson Farm, a summer retreat for tourists as early as the 1920s. The Western North Carolina Air Museum, featuring vintage airplanes, is near the small Hendersonville Airport.

Outdoor adventures abound as well: Five miles west of downtown Hendersonville in the town of Laurel Park is Jump Off Rock atop Jump Off Mountain. This overlook provides a panorama of the Pisgah and Blue Ridge Mountains. Pisgah National Forest and DuPont State Forest, replete with hiking and biking trails, waterfalls and stunning scenery, sit less than 30 minutes away from Hendersonville.

Festival Fun in Hendersonville

The heart of apple country, Hendersonville hosts the extremely popular annual North Carolina Apple Festival, a four-day Labor Day weekend celebration that culminates in the Apple Parade. Main Street is home to other annual festivals and special activities throughout the year, including the Garden Jubilee Festival (Memorial Day weekend), the July 4th parade with free live music and fireworks, Fiesta Hendersonville (September) featuring the best of 20 Latin American countries’ music, art, food and culture; and Home for the Holidays, with many events from Thanksgiving through New Year's including ice skating, lights and carriage rides.

For more information about real estate in Hendersonville, or anywhere in Asheville or Western N.C., contact us at Info@MyMosaicRealty.com, or call us anytime at 828-707-9556.

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Nestled amid the Blue Ridge Mountains in the valley of Flat Creek sits the compact, secluded town of Montreat. The town (population 700), which is part of Buncombe County, is 18 miles east of downtown Asheville and features natural beauty untouched by commercial development.

Montreat was incorporated as a North Carolina township in 1967. Much of the property in the area is still owned by the Mountain Retreat Association, formed in 1897 by John Collins. Lake Susan, at the center of Montreat, is surrounded by historic stone buildings and offers paddle-boating, canoeing and fishing. Homes in the area allow for plenty of room to spread out: Everything from modern mountain retreats to quaint cabins dot the landscape.

Popular Montreat landmarks

Among the spots Montreat is famed for is Montreat College, a four-year liberal arts institution founded in 1916. The college brings many special events to Montreat, including symphonies, plays, community arts festivals, adult learning programs, community trips abroad and sports programs.Montreat Conference Center, one of three national conference centers affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, draws 35,000 visitors every year, and includes a hotel, guest lodges, and a stone auditorium. The Rev. Billy Graham and his wife called Montreat home, and lent significant support to the town and the college during their lifetime.

Montreat offers plenty of opportunities to enjoy the outdoor beauty for which Western N.C. is famed. In addition to a greenway, Montreat has five tennis courts, a playground, and plenty of hiking. The five-mile Greybeard Trail Hike leads to the top of Greybeard Mountain (elevation 5,480 feet). The trail starts on the edge of Montreat, following Flat Creek for a mile or two over rocky technical terrain before reaching a section of the trail called the Trestle switchbacks. 

From there, the trail climbs more steeply to the summit of Greybeard through many short, technical sections. The summit offers stunning views of Black and Craggy Mountains as well as the foothills below.

Montreat's nearby destinations

Montreat is a quick drive to the charming town of Black Mountain, an arts and crafts, furniture and music mecca. Formerly home to the renowned Black Mountain College, Black Mountain offers an array of restaurants, specialty shops and breweries, as well as enviable access to lakes, waterfalls and hiking trails.

For more information about real estate in Montreat, or anywhere in Asheville or Western N.C., contact us at Info@MyMosaicRealty.com, or call us anytime at 828-707-9556.

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Brevard, N.C., tucked in the heart of Transylvania County, boasts a unique mix of the eclectic and the enchanting: Unique boutiques dot its downtown, while mountain bike trails, waterfall hikes and epic views make it one of the most beautiful natural attractions in the [...]

North of Asheville sits the unique, scenic town of Weaverville, home to entrepreneurs and artisans alike. With a thriving downtown district offering an array of businesses and plenty of parking, Weaverville draws visitors from all around to its quaint, picturesque Main Street and lush public spaces. Living in Weaverville offers the best of all worlds: quiet country living just a stone’s throw from a thriving in-town commercial district, with a 15-minute drive to Downtown Asheville.

The Town of Weaverville, with its range of home styles – everything from stately colonials to rambling ranches – started as a community of farmers. John Weaver, the community’s namesake, was one of the first settlers in the region. Families steadily settled in the area over the next 70 years, leading to the construction of several churches and schools.

Outstanding outdoor activities near Weaverville

Residents and visitors to Weaverville can enjoy two public parks within its jurisdiction: Lake Louise Park and the Main Street Nature Park. Well-maintained areas prized for passive recreation, the parks offer walking paths lined with volunteer-maintained flower beds and educational information celebrating Weaverville’s rich heritage.

For those looking for nearby nature adventures, Weaverville boasts an entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway, miles of local hiking trails, cycling routes, scenic drives, wildlife, and native plants. In addition, the Town of Weaverville hosts several community events throughout the year celebrating its unique roots in Western North Carolina, including a Memorial Day Observance at Lake Louise, Fire on the Lake: July 4th Celebration at Lake Louise, a 9/11 Observance at Lake Louise, a Veterans’ Day Observance at Lake Louise, and a Town Christmas Parade downtown.

Eclectic, engaging downtown Weaverville

Residents and visitors can stroll the length of Main Street, enjoying the town’s unique shops, cafes and restaurants, as well as a range of art studios, where area artists welcome the public into their studios for events like the juried Art in Autumn and the Weaverville Art Safari. Some of the art galleries, shops, and restaurants that call downtown Weaverville home include: Miya Gallery, Mangum Pottery, Shop Around the Corner, Blue Mountain Pizza & Brew Pub, Well Bred Bakery, Aabani Salon & Spa, Glass Onion, Curtis Wright Outfitters, Allgood Coffee, Twisted Laurel Eatery & Lounge, Zebulon Artisan Ales and Maggie B’s Wine & Specialty Store.

For more information about real estate in Weaverville, or anywhere in the Asheville area, contact us at Info@MyMosaicRealty.com, or call us anytime at 828-707-9556.

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Mosaic Community Lifestyle Realty has always been a proud sponsor of local nonprofit organizations in and around Asheville. In these unprecedented times, such support has taken on even greater importance; it has also inspired some creative thinking. 

Because the coronavirus pandemic has curtailed live events, performing arts organizations have taken a particular hit. Thanks to Mosaic’s sponsorship of the [...]

Nestled at the base of the Hickory Nut Gorge amid breathtaking shoreline, mountain peaks, and rare plant and animal species, the town of Lake Lure in Western North Carolina is a nature lover’s dream. The town, which encompasses the famed lake of the same name, sits at an elevation of 1,000 feet and is surrounded by peaks topping out over [...]

If you’re gearing up for a move, keeping the environment in mind is easier than you might think. The Asheville area offers plenty of resources for a green move, making the impactful life change less impactful on the environment.

Moving containers

Little things like opting for eco-friendly moving containers and supplies can cut back on [...]

Mosaic Community Lifestyle Realty’s new responsive website was just ranked among the top 10 best mobile realty sites in the nation, according to REAL Trends’ annual review. With catered landing pages, one-click quick searches, and simple account creation to make the search process easy, especially on a mobile device, www.mymosaicrealty.com is the one-stop destination for clients looking to buy or sell property in Asheville and surrounding Western N.C.

REAL Trends – a trusted source of news, analysis and information on the residential brokerage industry since 1987 – examined sites from across the country to determine its annual rankings. The idea of responsive Web design is to make websites that easily adjust to fit multiple screen sizes, from desktop computers to mobile devices. Fluid layouts, flexible images and individually catered landing pages are the three technical factors for responsive Web design.

Seeking to streamline the real estate experience, Mosaic created its new responsive website using the same strategies it implements to help its clients: listening to customer needs and taking action on their feedback. People most often start their home searches online. As a shift to mobile phone use grows, the importance of responsive Web design is greater than ever. 

Accessing www.mymosaicrealty.com on a mobile device reveals a user-friendly experience, with large tabs, streamlined menus, and simple forms for creating personalized searches. Mosaic’s mobile site also offers homebuyers easy-to-use quick searches by listings, neighborhoods, lifestyles and price. Users can dig deeper, with quick links to advanced search options like green builds, newly listed or featured properties, and affordable homes. And with a click of a button, potential clients can go beyond real estate listings to learn all about life in Asheville and the surrounding areas.

For more information about real estate in the Asheville area and Western N.C., contact us at Info@MyMosaicRealty.com, or call us anytime at 828-707-9556.

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As more of the U.S. population settles into working remotely, real estate migration patterns are shifting. So-called “Zoom Towns” – places that boast urban amenities, access to nature, and a lower cost of living than larger cities – are experiencing an influx of interest. Asheville is one such town, as many people from major metropolitan areas who can now work remotely consider the popular Western N.C. mountain destination as a place to call home.

A pandemic-prompted work shift

After the coronavirus pandemic sent many American workers into remote-only mode, one survey by MIT researchers estimated the share of virtual workers in the U.S. quadrupled to nearly 50% of the workforce. An Upwork Future Workforce Report, which polled 1,500 hiring managers, found that 56% of hiring managers felt the shift had “gone better than expected,” with more than 60% noting their employees will be working remotely moving forward. 

Remote employment is also spurring homeowners to take a closer look at workspace possibilities in their potential home. Factors that best support remote working situations, such as Internet connectivity, home size and affordability, and urban amenities, place many Southern cities, including Asheville, in a desirable position.

Low interest rates

At the same time that migration patterns are accelerating interest in Asheville, low interest rates are driving buyers who have been waiting for just the right moment to make a move. 

According to Freddie Mac, September logged the lowest rates ever, with an average 30-year fixed rate of 2.86%. Rates aren’t expected to rise much anytime soon either: A survey by the Mortgage Reports of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Mortgage Bankers Association found the 30-year fixed rate mortgage is likely to average 3.18% through 2020. 

Asheville home sales

Recent home sales in Asheville lend validity to the “Zoom Town” migratory trend. During the third quarter, home sales in Asheville showed a strong uptick, with 457 home sales in the city and 952 home sales in Buncombe County.  The county had the highest number of home sales per quarter by 16%, and the city had its second-highest quarterly home sales.  This was a sharp departure from the second quarter, where there were fewer sales happening because of the initial COVID-related slowdown in both demand and supply.

If you’re interested in relocating to the Asheville area or Western N.C., or listing your Asheville-area property, contact us at Info@MyMosaicRealty.com, or call us anytime at 828-707-9556.

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