September 25, 2008 Issue
Business Spotlight
Blowing Rock Properties—A Team Of Top Producers Ready To Help
Story by Sam Calhoun
One of the most important decisions a person makes in his/her life is buying their first, or even second home, and that decision is made easier when people can partner with brokers that understand the inner workings of an area. The staff of Blowing Rock Properties, located at 1059 Main Street in Blowing Rock, knows Blowing Rock and the High Country from the inside out and are a cohesive team of real estate professionals that combine old-fashioned service and dedication to excellence with the latest in real estate technology and service.
“Blowing Rock Properties is a general real estate company serving the entire High Country that handles residential and commercial real estate sales, as well as land sales,” said Gail Smart, broker and owner of Blowing Rock Properties. “The strength of this company is the core group of agents that have been with me for more than 10 years. It’s a cohesive team that works together to help everybody be successful.”
Blowing Rock Properties is comprised of Smart, office manager Lisa Lambert and four brokers—Robert Novacek, Carol Knapp, Don Blair and Jan Blair. The team handles the sale and purchase of hundreds of High Country properties, and the business turns 17 years old this year.
“As owner, I would say that [Blowing Rock Properties’] success is due in no small part to the people who work here—this core group of brokers who have worked together amicably for many years and genuinely cheer each other’s successes and work as a team to achieve results for our buyers and sellers. And our office manager, Lisa Lambert, is an integral part of the team who makes sure the office functions smoothly even on the most hectic of days,” added Smart.
Smart has worked in real estate in the High Country since 1987. A native of Rutherfordton, Smart moved to Boone in 1971 to attend ASU where she graduated with a degree in psychology. After graduation, Smart worked as a rehabilitation counselor in Boone for several years, traveling to surrounding counties to work with a variety of patients. In the early 1980s, Smart left the High Country to live on a sailboat in the Caribbean for six years, but she returned, hoping to make a life for herself in the mountains. She took real estate classes and immediately started working in the field in 1987.
By 1991, Smart had acquired enough contacts and properties to open her own business and Blowing Rock Properties was born.
Much has changed since 1991 in the real estate market. Smart has seen top tier home prices in Blowing Rock jump from $300,000 to $400,000 in 1991 to well over $1 million currently. She has seen developments created, and Boone grow by leaps and bounds in all directions.
To handle this growth and constantly changing real estate environment, Smart gives all the credit to the “wealth of expertise” her brokers bring to the team at Blowing Rock Properties.
More than a decade ago, Jan Blair joined Blowing Rock Properties as a vacation rental manager, but soon moved up to the sales team. Her husband Don Blair joined the team 1.5 years ago, but already boasts several large sales. Carol Knapp has worked as a full-time realtor for almost as long as Smart, lives in Blowing Rock and has amassed a wealth of satisfied buyers and sellers. Robert Novacek brings to the table 10 years of real estate experience, including a majority of multimillion-dollar years and top producer honors within the office.
Together, the team is one of the top producing per agent real estate offices in the High Country.
“We go the extra mile as far as customer satisfaction and advertising—we advertise in several local newspapers and magazines,” said Smart.
Blowing Rock Properties is located in the building that housed Blowing Rock’s first bank, directly in the middle of the town and across from Memorial Park. The location is central and features a new 48-inch LCD flat-screen television in the front window that displays a 24-hour slideshow of all of the properties featured by the business.
“[The television] runs a continuous PowerPoint slide show of all of our listings and it’s become very popular. It’s great exposure for all of our sellers,” said Smart. “Our website drives a lot of business as well.”
Blowing Rock Properties’ website features hundreds of property listings that include photographs and in-depth descriptions of the properties’ amenities. Online browsers can even register for e-brochures of the more expensive properties that are sent to their email.
Smart said that the clientele of Blowing Rock Properties is “all across the board,” although a lot of customers hail from North and South Carolina, especially Charlotte, Raleigh and Winston-Salem. Many of those customers are repeat or referral customers, an achievement and sign of success, according to Smart.
“We’re very fortunate to be in an area that remains desirable to many people—whether it is for a second home or to relocate and live here year round,” said Smart.
In today’s market, it is very important for both buyers and sellers to base pricing on current market data, and all of Smart’s brokers are skilled in conducting CMAs—or Comparative Market Analysis—to assist sellers in correctly pricing properties, as well as give buyers valuable knowledge about comparable sales in the area.
“We are in a people oriented business. Your reputation is what keeps you going. There are many real estate offices now in the High Country and you have to offer exceptional customer service and care, as well as cutting edge technology, to remain competitive,” added Smart. “Blowing Rock Properties has always looked to the future while retaining our emphasis on core values of professionalism and dedication to excellence.”
Blowing Rock Properties is located at 1059 Main Street in Blowing Rock. The office is open seven days a week, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, click to www.blowingrockproperties.com or call 828-295-9200 or 1-800-849-0147.
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