Odd Sometimes the Things That Transport You to Childhood - 02/29/12 07:28 PM

A sad announcement transported me immediately back to my pre-teen years. Every young girl with a pulse at Gregg Rogers Elementary School in Chula Vista, California had an incredible crush on Davy Jones of the Monkees. It is so hard to believe that the Monkees television show was only on for two seasons. What an impression they made and we still remember their songs, their names and their faces. Their show was on Saturdays and I never missed an episode. It was the very best make believe…a chance for kids to feel like they had their very own grown up … (17 comments)

House on the Hill - Wordless Wednesday - 02/29/12 05:22 AM

There is challenge enough keeping up with the house you live in, but what about the house you or your family might have grown up in? Sometimes when I travel the roads of Western North Carolina and I see something like this “House on the Hill” on US 209 on the way to Hot Springs, I have to wonder about the story behind it. Don’t you wonder if maybe someone inherited the property and didn’t have the funds to either fix it up or tear it down? Or maybe it wasn't in their heart to tear it down.  From a distance, it … (17 comments)

Bad Mapping and Lousy Directions Equals a Lazy Listing Agent - 02/28/12 04:38 AM

Maria Morton from Kansas City turned on the light bulb over my head this morning reminding me of a pet peeve…mapping listings and lousy directions. So, thank you Maria for your inspiration. She wrote a very cool post with a graphic of a map of Outer Mongolia and some poor seller’s house getting mapped in the center.
Sellers pay our commission and should feel confident that when their listing was entered into MLS, their agent actually checked to be sure the house was depicted in the true location and submitted clear directions. Most sellers never even look at their listings … (11 comments)

Boz Scaggs - We're All Alone ~ Music on Mondays - 02/27/12 04:15 AM

The orchestra and other musicians behind Boz Scaggs is just as intriguing as the soloist himself. The music wraps around him without engulfing or drowning him out. The song is sweet and what made me think of "We're All Alone" today? Hard to tell…I started out looking for something by Rita Coolidge who also did a cover of this but when I read the credits on her video I realized Boz is actually the songwriter and I thought…why not? Then, of course as soon as I heard the song I remembered playing it often ahem cough cough cough years ago.
 
 
… (11 comments)

Tunnel Mountain Angel Soaks Up the Sun - Speechless Sunday - 02/26/12 04:53 AM
We’ve all been celebrating the milder winter this year this year in the mountains of Western North Carolina and soaking in the sunshine whenever we can. This little cousin to the Pouty Angel of yesterday’s post loves the attention the sun is paying to him.

This sun and angel scene was photographed at the farmhouse listing on Tunnel Mountain Road just outside of Dillsboro. Simply one more example of all the surprises and treasures waiting there for the next happy owners.
… (10 comments)

Pouty Little Angel - Silent Saturday - 02/25/12 05:10 AM
What on earth could this pouty little angel have done that he chose to sit in a corner on a cold concrete bench on a rainy day in Waynesville, NC?  Whatever he did, he looks like he regrets his actions and could use a little forgiveness...and maybe some hot chocolate!  That always makes me feel better.

… (21 comments)

We Are A Generous Community~Revisiting Grove Park Inn for William Johnson - 02/25/12 04:21 AM

Do you have a mentor on ActiveRain? This is indeed a generous community and I have several mentors, but for photography…whether he knows it or not…my mentor is William Johnson from San Diego, California. When I was really new to AR…holy cow…I missed my one year anniversary! February 22nd, 2011. Anyway, as usual I’ve digressed. When I was brand new, William visited one of my posts and took a shine to my photos. He took half an hour out of his schedule and spent it with me on the phone giving me invaluable advice about how to edit better and … (8 comments)

Going, Going Gone...Vanishing Inventory - 02/24/12 07:37 PM

Yeah…going, going, gone. Okay, vanishing inventory might be stretching it yet but here’s what’s happening. I’ve been showing houses this week. Lots of houses with several buyers. Let’s all pause for a moment and send a mental Hallelujah Shout Out to the whichever powers are controlling this…oh wait, what am I saying? We’re in control and the consumer is in the driver’s seat.
Back to showing houses. A year ago, as I would prepare the list of houses to show and would call to set the appointments…every single house would be available and the listing agent would be begging for … (13 comments)

Asheville, NC...Just Down the Road from Sylva ~ Wordless Wednesday - 02/22/12 07:35 PM

It only takes about 40 minutes from Sylva, NC to drive to the city of Asheville…our largest city in Western North Carolina. Here’s just a couple of examples of the beauty of Asheville, the fabulous Grove Park Inn with it’s commanding view of downtown Asheville and the mountain vista overlooking the golf course plus a bronze statue of a young girl drinking from a fountain on the busy streets of the downtown area.
 
 
 
 
Asheville is a well-known haven of artists and musicians and touches similar to those in these photos are found everywhere in the city. … (10 comments)

Another Agent Used Me...What Do You Think About That? - 02/21/12 05:03 AM

Funny how this business works sometimes. Another agent used me and sent me a thank you text! What do you think about that?
The other day I was researching some properties to show a couple from Chicago on Thursday. One of the houses had an intriguing exterior and was in the right area but had no interior photos. This particular listing agent is usually pretty good about providing lots of photos so I emailed him for more information. I told him I was interested in showing the house but without having a clue about the interior I wanted him to … (66 comments)

Do Buyers Get The Blues? ~ Music on Mondays - 02/20/12 04:40 AM
Do buyers get the blues? Sometimes...how could they not? Especially when there’s a little of them here…a little of them there…one person is on this front…the other is on the other home front. There might be a new job involved or a new town. New jobs mean meeting new people and learning new skill sets…sometimes it means no one’s familiar face is at the dinner table when you finally collapse in exhaustion at your "not really yours" home. Change usually can be a very good thing and it's all necessary to keep our brains and bodies involved and intact.  However...it’s all … (15 comments)

An Otherworldly Sky at the Grove Park Inn ~ Speechless Sunday - 02/19/12 03:15 PM

A month ago, Karen Hawkins posted beautiful photographs of the sun in a winter sky that looked surprisingly like a moonrise. As I walked on the terrace at the incredible Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC yesterday afternoon I noticed that Karen’s Canada sky was here in the mountains of Western North Carolina! Or maybe our sky was in Canada? It is a small world indeed.

The plants I shot through looked like some kind of oleander type plant but I don’t know what they are. The plants are huge, probably 8 feet high and this time of year are yellowish … (13 comments)

Reblogging! - Do you ever get tired of Mimi Foster? I'm having a hard time deciding................ - 02/19/12 07:03 AM
Roger Mucci had a brilliant and provocative title about getting tired of Mimi Foster...like who could?  Probably it is a miracle that more glitches are busting out of the seams with the recent server move thingie that ActiveRain just did.
I though this post was so clever and the comments to it so witty that I wanted Roger's post to be shared with other groups...since we can only post to 5.  Since he's stuck on Mimi, he'll probably never noticed that I re-blogged him!
Have a great day.
 
Via Roger Mucci (Shaken...with a Twist):
For the past few days I've been … (9 comments)

How Do You Market Your Listings? ~ The Public IS Reading ActiveRain! - 02/18/12 06:28 AM
 
A former client, now friend surprised me at the grocery store when she said “I just love reading your blog!”. She likes the mix…the personal, photos, localism, music and the “conversational” real estate posts. She reads it most days but rarely comments. I invited her to comment because I think the whole AR community gets jazzed to know that the general (and specific) public is reading.
 
Of course, that got me to thinking. Do most of us RAINMAKERS design our posts to be an end product for the public? In particular, what about our listings? Both Leslie and I … (16 comments)

It's About the Office Manager and the Quality of a Good Working Atmosphere - 02/18/12 04:56 AM

Again…it’s about the Office Manager of MoonDancer Realty and the quality of a good atmosphere in the workplace.
The Office Manager has a little friend named “Squirrel”. It is an intensely serious relationship and the Office Manager takes very good care of Squirrel. Sometimes when the Office Manager isn’t looking or has gone for her daily constitutional, Squirrel gets out of the bed and into some very unlikely places…like the deck of Cannon’s Corner, the brick sidewalks of Dillsboro, the bridge crossing Scotts Creek or in the neighboring shop, Monkey’s Toes. To say that the look on the Office Manager’s … (6 comments)

What Buyers Should Know About Buying Vacant Land in the Mountains - 02/17/12 08:24 PM
There are several things buyers need to know about buying vacant land in the mountains. So many details ought to be considered that no one would give a second thought to when buying flat land. The only thing a lot of people are thinking about is getting a great mountain view. It's hard for consumers to reconcile the photos of mountain property and awesome mountain views with the reality that often the piece of land is holding up the end of the earth and that someone will spend more on clearing the property and the foundation system than they will on … (5 comments)

Reblogging! - Watch for AR Downtime Tonight 8PM-1AM Pacific Std Time - 02/16/12 12:53 PM
Thank Goodness for reblogging.  If it hadn't been for Mimi Foster I would have missed this.  I kinda sorta wondered anyway...I dutifully did not sign on on Valentine's Day evening.  The next morning I was so excited to see how much quicker AR would be for loading.  The optimist in me struggled with the realist.  I wanted to believe it was faster, but wanting didn't make it so.
The optimist in me congratulated AR in being able to get back online.  I just figured they wanted the guts of AR back in their control so that they would have time to … (10 comments)

Yosemite HD Video - Prepare to Have Your Jaw Drop - 02/15/12 10:42 PM

Our friend in Sylva Vista emailed the video of Yosemite below to us a couple of weeks ago. It is a glorious testament to what can happen when two creative people reach out to combine their talents with the shared purpose of introducing something beautiful in our country to the rest of the world.  Believe it or not, this collaboration reminds me of a lot of the posts on ActiveRain.
This video of time lapse photography is the product of Colin Delehanty and Sheldon Neill. I wrote to Colin to ask permission to embed the video and he kindly wrote … (7 comments)

Green Man in Sylva Vista - Wordless Wednesday - 02/15/12 07:58 AM

Another photo from one of my many visits to Sylva Vista. I am intrigued by the legend and artwork of the Green Man and like to capture the images whenever they move me. Green Man, for me, reminds me that we all must act as guardians for nature and our planet. Our role is to act as mentors and role models to others, be visible as we treat the world as kindly and ethically as we wish to be treated. Ahhhh, the Golden Rule again...

 
Green Man by Seraphina Crow Green ManOf the forest, Hidden by the trees.Even … (9 comments)

How Long Should It Take? - 02/13/12 08:26 PM

How long should it take to provide another agent with additional information about your listing? Should it matter if the information is requested at the end of Friday? Is Monday an acceptable length of time to wait? How about feedback after showings?
Our relationships with other agents can only be as good as the communication and cooperation is. When I set up the appointments to show 11 listings this past weekend, I let all of the listing agents know it would be Monday before they got any feedback. Why? Not because I didn’t feel like giving it to them … (25 comments)

Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood - Music on Monday - 02/13/12 07:55 AM

It sort of sounds like a mantra for the real estate profession, doesn't it?
 
Of course I knew the song, but I knew the version by the Animals. I like this cover for several reasons…her voice, her voice, her voice and of course she gives credit to the Animals. Sometimes it is easy to forget that artists pay attention to other artists. Have a really good week and hope you enjoy this selection of “Please Don‘t Let Me Be Misunderstood“ by Nina Simone.
… (7 comments)

They Work Hard for Their Money ~ an Encore Speechless Sunday - 02/12/12 05:33 PM

Okay, round two…by special request. I presented the sheep this morning and now here’s another Speechless Sunday post with the Great Pyrenees and their wards, the chickens.
The buyers’ daughter and I approached the enclosure and the two Great Pyrenees pretty much ignored us and just paid attention to the chickens…until we came within 6 inches of the electric wire. Then we got a couple of chiding “woofs”. These two were working hard for their money and we respected their message.  Besides, it was freeeeezing outside in Waynesville yesterday!

 
… (16 comments)

Looking Sheepish ~ Speechless Sunday (Almost) - 02/12/12 08:43 AM

Showing property or snowing property yesterday in Waynesville was a pleasant adventure in spite of the 25-30 mile wind gusts and the below freezing temperatures. If we had waited until today to look at houses, we would have been greeted by this morning’s temperature of 8 degrees with the wind chill taking us below zero.
Not only did we identify a few very good candidates for the buyers’ short list of homes but they brought their daughter, a professional photographer, with them. If the weather had been a tad more pleasant, I can see that we would have stopped far … (8 comments)

Today I'll Be Painting a Picture for Our Buyers ~ Silent Saturday - 02/11/12 07:41 AM

Today I’ll be painting pictures for our buyers as we look at houses all day. You see, the beautiful sunny and warm weather we’ve had for a few weeks now stops today. We’re looking at temperatures in the 30’s, no sun and snowflakes are falling already. One good thing about showing houses in this kind of weather though…if they like the house today, they will LOVE the house when the weather looks more like these photos.
 
Today, I’ll be painting pictures for our buyers so they can have that sunny and warm vision.

Have a great weekend!
… (14 comments)

That's a Really Good Question...Funny Friday - 02/10/12 11:43 PM
It's been a really good day, so I'm thinking a funny break is in order.  That "lost" dog at the vet's last night?  Leslie called the Animal Shelter in Waynesville and found that the owner has been looking for her.  She met her at the Junaluska Animal Hospital and Daisy and her owner were hysterically happy to reunite.  Happy ending.  Managed to get all the listings in order for a long day of showing tomorrow.  Showed one of our listings.  Ordered takeout from the new Chinese restaurant in Sylva "Jade Garden".  Cleaned up a bunch of emails and came across this … (11 comments)

In Real Estate, No Two Days Are Alike...Ever - 02/10/12 08:34 AM

In real estate, no two days are alike. For some of us, that’s one of the real draws to the profession. I’ve had jobs working for other people before when days just roll into each other with no significant difference from each other. In those kinds of jobs, for me, there is no challenge, no passion, no sense of advocacy.
Our day yesterday started with a seminar hosted by Oldtown Bank in Waynesville actually it started with taking Gigi, the 80 pound black and tan coonhound mix to the Animal Hospital of Waynesville for some much needed dental surgery. THEN … (17 comments)

The Season of Sprinter ~ Wordless Wednesday - 02/08/12 09:04 AM

When I was walking on the other side of Scott’s Creek in Dillsboro the other day appreciating the 60 plus degree weather, I was thinking…no way this is winter. It’s not really spring since the breeze is still slightly cool and it IS February. But…look at the flowers blooming in February. This is unheard of. Why can’t I create a new season? I guess I can…as far as I know there aren’t any season police to stop me.




I’m declaring that this is the season of “Sprinter”.
… (10 comments)

May The Goat Force Be With You - 02/07/12 10:52 PM

There is a new labor force in Dillsboro, NC and they are doing some land clearing in a very green and efficient manner. Our mountainous terrain is well known for dense undergrowth that is hard to get to in order to keep it under control. Sometimes the property is so steep there is no way for a human to stand on it to mow or weed eat.
 
Who you gonna call? Brush busters? Nope, try goat rental companies like Well’s Farm Goats in Horseshoe, NC. I don’t know if that is where these particular goats are from but Well’s … (15 comments)

Jeweled Mechanic's Cloth-Speechless Sunday (late and with a touch of speech) - 02/06/12 09:00 AM
 
Early mornings are my favorite times to visit ActiveRain and post whatever has been brewing in my head overnight. It’s lovely to live in a south facing property in the mountains of Western North Carolina, the sun comes up over my left shoulder when I’m at the computer. That’s what happened yesterday when I was typing the post about LinkedIn’s sleep survey. I glanced over my shoulder and thought…perfect, there’s my Speechless Sunday post out on the deck. Everyone would like jeweled mechanic’s cloth, right?
Even though I did capture the photos, I missed posting them in favor of getting … (15 comments)

"Up Where We Belong" ~ I Don't Think You'll Be Expecting This...Music on Mondays - 02/06/12 08:32 AM
 
What is not to like? Again…I learned something from YouTube this morning. Buffy St. Marie wrote this Oscar winning song made famous by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warren - as Ms St Marie says, this is the songwriter’s version. Such richness in her version and a completely different message than the “hit”.  My perspective of "Up Where We Belong" has been altered beautifully.
This message resonates with many subjects including love. Anyone committed about their relationships, families, homes and professions may find as much appreciation as I did. I hope Jon Zoltsky happens to visit this post.  Although I’ve moved … (6 comments)

Sorry to Wake You But It's Time to Get Up... - 02/05/12 08:54 AM

Sorry to wake you but it’s time to get up.
It was a short night for sleeping last night and instead of posting a brand new topic I remembered something that Mike Cooper recently published. He suggested revisiting early blog posts to see if there were any to reblog or subjects to approach from a different angle. Yikes…how humbling was this visit down Memory Lane? Let me take a moment to say “NEWBIES…TAKE ALL THE COURSES ON WRITING POSTS THAT ACTIVERAIN UNIVERSITY HAS TO OFFER! ! !”. Most of my first posts shall remain “Members Only” forever.
So, back in March … (16 comments)

Mystic Grey Lace ~ Silent Saturday - 02/04/12 11:16 PM

This truly has been a welcome Silent Saturday with the exception of the sound of raindrops falling throughout most of the day. It felt really good to be in the house all nice and dry while appreciating the fog and the rain here in the mountains of Western North Carolina.

… (13 comments)

The Prince of Privilege and the Rest of the Story - 02/04/12 09:21 AM

Here is the rest of the story I began the other day with the Prince of Privilege and his liberation from the sad situation he and his sisters were living in.  He had lost his human to a horrific auto and truck accident and was living with his human’s mother who did want to provide a good safe home to him but she herself was in the middle of awful circumstances.
The day we met Frosty, Sabrina and Zoe was cold and damp…a Sunday…sometime in late October…maybe early November six years ago. At that time they had been living outside in all … (15 comments)

Monica's Gift Revisited ~ A Study in Fog ...Friday's Fotos - 02/03/12 08:36 AM
 
This morning I wanted to revisit Monica’s Gift, but with a Study in Fog for the Friday’s Fotos group.
Today will be sunny in the mountains unlike last week when we had several foggy mornings. One of the most absolutely best things about living in the mountains of Western North Carolina is that the view never ever looks the same. For those of you who saw the posting of Monica’s gift the other day against the lush green and sunny background, here is the same piece against the same background shrouded in fog.

We haven’t seen Monica in probably … (14 comments)

This Seal Pup is Really a Canine - 02/02/12 11:48 PM

He’s really not a seal pup, but sometimes he sure looks like one. He’s little, but he’s all canine.
Frosty’s had quite a life. He started out as someone’s very special darling…going everywhere with his human. Then tragedy struck and his human was killed in a terrible traffic accident. His human’s mother took care of him for a while…but she was dealing with the grief of losing her daughter and also her husband’s developing Alzheimer’s disease. As a result, Frosty and his sister Sabrina along with a third companion, Zoe spent a full year living outside in chain link pens.
Because … (17 comments)

It's A Great Time to Buy Land in the Mountains of Western North Carolina - 02/02/12 08:28 AM

For buyers who have been considering purchasing vacant land in the mountains of Western North Carolina, this is a great time to take advantage of historically low prices. We are starting to see investors moving into the area to purchase lots of all sizes…sometimes for pennies on the dollar!
The extreme “deals” would be good for people who are prepared to hold onto them for a few years before trying to re-sell them, but for example…in some of our gated developments lots which were formerly selling for $100,000-$150,000 are now being snapped up for $4,000 to $12,000! These are still … (7 comments)

Monica's Gift ~ Wordless Wednesday - 02/01/12 10:11 PM

It was a simple gift almost 15 years ago from a favorite employee and friend. It hangs on the back deck and is one of my favorite subjects to photograph. In fact, there is a whole folder devoted to “Monica’s Gift”. She can’t know how much pleasure we get looking at this cheerful sun figurine during all seasons.
Because the weather has been so warm, it feels odd that everything is so brown. So, today’s Wordless Wednesday is dedicated to Monica and greener weather.
… (17 comments)

The Public Doesn't Know...Safety First Always - 02/01/12 08:21 AM

The public doesn’t know what goes through the minds of REALTORS and real estate agents when they ask us before we’ve met them personally to meet them for the first time at the property. We (agents) always need to consider Safety First. 99% of the time there is probably nothing to worry about. That is more than likely because 80% of the people calling have no dastardly intentions to do us harm and 19% have no intention of buying anything. Thankfully the instances are few so we hardly ever see mention in the media about the agents who have been … (9 comments)

 
Mona%20800%20squared Ambassador_large

Mona Gersky, GRI,ABR~MoonDancer Realty~ Western NC Mountains

Sylva, NC

More about me…

Buyer & Seller Representation

Address: Sylva,Bryson City,Cullowhee,Balsam, Webster,Whittier,Waynesville, Dillsboro, NC, 28725

Office Phone: (828) 631-0077

Cell Phone: (828) 508-1107

Email Me

What job could possibly be better than bringing people together by sharing our common interests and learning new ones? Here's my opportunity to introduce conversations and photos of the area I feel so passionate about...the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina. This is one way to give you some background about me and our MoonDancer Realty company to help you make an informed decision about hiring us as your next REALTOR. I hope you enjoy the content as much I enjoy sharing it. I'm looking forward to reading your comments and hope to meet you soon.


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