00 Snow Brook DriveMarion, NC 28752Price: $299,900

Opportunities like this rarely come up: an entire recorded subdivision, offered as one 39.23-acre tract, just a mile and a half from downtown Marion. Clear Mountain Estates was platted and recorded in 2000, and much of the groundwork a developer would normally have to pay for is already done. The lot layout is on record, a gravel road loop is in place, power is available on adjacent parcels, and the county planning department has confirmed the plat is grandfathered under the rules in effect before McDowell's 2007 subdivision ordinance. ONE PROPERTY, SEVERAL PATHS: Build out the recorded plan, which shows 35 lots of 0.50 to 1.57 acres and a 1.23-acre wooded commons along the north line. Re-lay the land around the existing road into fewer, larger homesites for buyers who want room near town. Create a private estate with your own road and no close neighbors. Or hold it as a long-term land investment. Because the county taxes it as a single parcel at acreage value, not as 35 separate lots, holding costs stay low while you plan. BUILT-IN QUALITY: Recorded covenants protect what gets built here: single-family homes of at least 1,600 sq ft, stick-built or off-frame modular, with no manufactured homes, livestock or commercial use. That's the kind of neighborhood standard that supports lot values and gives future buyers confidence. FLEXIBLE COVENANTS: The covenants can be amended at any time by owners of 75% of the lots. A buyer acquiring nearly all of the platted lots may be able to update or eliminate the covenants after closing to fit their plans. Buyer's attorney to review how the amendment provision applies, including the two parcels previously conveyed. LOCATION: Wooded and tucked back off the road, yet close to everything Marion offers: shopping, schools, dining and the hospital. US 221 and I-40 are minutes away, Lake James is a short drive, and Asheville is under an hour. Small-town convenience with mountain surroundings. THE DETAILS: Access is from SR 1170 (California St) via Snow Brooke Dr. Recorded at Plat Book 6, Pages 7-8. The property adjoins the US 221/NC 226 bypass, which is controlled-access with no driveway from the highway. Portions of the gravel road follow the platted Snowbrook and Grandfather Vista Drives; one portion follows an older drive across several platted lots. High Country Drive, Springs Creek Drive and the platted cul-de-sacs have not been built. Two parcels were conveyed out earlier (DB 1022/562, DB 1250/451); buyer to confirm which. No electric service on site; telephone line along part of the road. Wells and septic would be needed; no records of septic evaluations. Covenants (DB 695/714) currently also prohibit barns or outbuildings other than a garage, hunting, gun discharge and mining; require 10-ft setbacks; require declarant consent to create additional lots or to use the land as a road to other property; and share road upkeep among owners. Recorded easements: a 30-ft right-of-way for the adjoining Turner property along the older drive (DB 494/990), two Horton ingress/egress easements from SR 1170 without defined width or location (DB 335/641), Duke Energy easements, and a 20-ft easement across platted Lot 10. A branch is shown on the western portion of the 1997 survey; verify flood zone and buffers. PIN 1700-00-89-7653; deed DB 1474/679; 2027 tax value $160,060. County GIS shows 32.74 acres, but the deed, tax card and plats support 39.23; no new survey known. The 2024 deed omits an exception for a 0.626-acre tract (DB 582/264) carried in the prior deed; buyer's attorney to review.