Blue Ridge beats Vegas for second home

The couple started looking in Vegas before the housing slump and searched other areas after seeing its high property prices, turning their attention to beach properties in Hilton Head, S.C., and mountain communities in the Carolinas. After all their looking, they decided on a cabin in Blue Ridge. Jim, 45, a geotechnical engineer, and Brenda, an emergency physician, chatted about their decision.

Why Blue Ridge: After visiting so many vacation areas and finding prices more affordable in Blue Ridge, they decided north Georgia offered the mountain setting in which they wanted to invest. “With our stock prices going down – this was right at the start of the big drop – it was hard to justify putting savings into the stock market or conventional savings accounts that were starting to diminish in value,” Jim said. “We thought, property always wins in the end, why don’t we buy another house? Our intention was to buy it and rent it out ourselves. It was a long-term investment.” Their builder had several cabins for sale in the area, and his need to sell allowed them to negotiate 15 percent off the asking price, Jim said. “We weren’t desperate to buy, but we recognized that there were a lot of people just desperate to sell at that time,” he said.

Their home: It's a three-bedroom, three-bath cabin built in 2006 on 1.5 acres. The home’s tongue-and-groove walls and ceilings created a rustic look inside, compared to other cabins they saw that looked like more conventional homes, with drywall, Jim said. Other features included a stacked stone gas fireplace in the great room. Outside, they wanted a deck big enough for a hot tub, and a view. The home also fit their desire to buy a furnished home. “We didn’t want to be up and down every weekend buying furniture and waiting for it to be delivered. That was definitely a factor,” Jim said.

How far from home: About an hour and a half from Alpharetta.

What they do when they’re there: “We just like chilling out. We just like to hang around the cabin,” he said. The cabin came with a pool table in the basement. When they get out, they enjoy going tubing or visiting the shops in Blue Ridge, less than five minutes away.

How often they’re there: Once every other month, for now, due in part to having a young child, 2-year-old Eliana. The couple has been able to rent the cabin, named Mountain Escape, during some of the available weeks, using Cabin Rentals of Blue Ridge.

What they love about it: Sharing it with others, including a nephew who honeymooned at the cabin. “It’s nice, particularly when people come from out of town,” he said. “Sometimes we go up with people. More often than not, we let them use the place themselves. For people coming out of town, it has a real wow factor for them because they’re not used to it.”

At a glance

Jim Penman and Brenda Friedman’s cabin, built in 2006, has three bedrooms, three baths and about 2,240 square feet of livable space, according to tax records. They purchased it in 2009.

Community overview

The Blackgum Ridge community is about five minutes from downtown Blue Ridge. The homes are just a few years old. The community is gated with paved roads and has access to the Toccoa River, said Sidra McCain, an agent with Harry Norman, Realtors. Recent sales and listings have been in the $200,000s, and some lots are available, priced in the $60,000s.

Info

Cabin Rentals of Blue Ridge

Sidra McCain

Harry Norman, Realtors

Fannin County Chamber of Commerce

www.blueridgemountains.com

Getting there

Take I-75 north to I-575, which turns into Ga. 515. In Blue Ridge, continue straight through the traffic light at McDonald’s. From McDonald's, take West First Street (across from McDonald's). Turn left on Ada Street. Travel about 2.2 miles and Blackgum Ridge will be on the right.

For sale

$249,500: 314 Blackgum Lane, Blue Ridge 30513. A three-bedroom, three-bath home built in 2006 on 1.16 acres with a rock fireplace, cathedral ceilings and a full finished basement.

Recent sales

$200,000: 320 Blackgum Lane, Blue Ridge 30513. A three-bedroom, three-bath cabin built in 2008 on 1.22 acres with a stone fireplace and wraparound deck.

$238,000: 364 Blackgum Lane, Blue Ridge 30513. A three-bedroom, three-bath cabin built in 2006 on 1.34 acres with an outdoor fireplace and wraparound deck.