Business News

According to the Beverly-Hanks Q2 2020 Real Estate Market Report, Western North Carolina’s real estate markets have undergone rapid and meaningful adjustments since the end of March. However, a strong seller’s market still makes it a good time for many to meet their real estate goals.

“Even as the impacts of COVID-19 continue to make life difficult throughout the United States, it has yet to put a significant dent in Americans’ willingness to buy homes,” said Neal Hanks, Jr., president of Beverly-Hanks.

Houses for sale, which were already in short supply before the pandemic, are now insufficient to meet current demand. At the end of quarter one, there were 3,038 residential properties on the market. As of July 1, the number of homes for sale dropped to 2,838. That figure represents 33 percent fewer homes for sale than this time last year.

“We expect demand to remain high [in the second half of the year] for two very important reasons,” said Hanks. “Both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac predict that mortgage interest rates will average around 3.2% for the remainder of the year. The additional purchasing power and lower cost to own will most certainly drive demand, especially among first- and second-time homebuyers.”

“And secondly, with shelter in place orders barely in our rearview mirror, we’re already seeing a shifting preference from major metropolitan cities to places like the North Carolina mountains,” continued Hanks. “This trend is most noticeable in the upper price points, as these buyers’ wealth and employment tend to be more portable.”

The Franklin Chamber of Commerce recently held a ribbon cutting ceremony at Appalachian Growers located in the Cowee Valley.

Appalachian Growers started farming hemp driven by the passion to help others discover and apply the benefits of hemp. As a certified USDA organic and GMP operation, the business has carefully developed a full spectrum hemp product line. They are made with organic ingredients to guarantee that the final item in the consumers’ hands is of the upmost quality, safety and integrity.

The products are derived from hemp, containing the legal amount of 0.3% or less THC, which makes the product non-intoxicating. Although they can’t legally claim certain CBD benefits, users report that the products help them with sleep, pain management and overall relaxation. The oil comes in five different concentrations: 300mg, 500mg, 1000 mg, 1500mg and 3000mg so you can choose a strength depending on your body’s needs. The topical products contain full spectrum hemp, as well as organic and natural essential oils to soothe and nourish skin. Appalachian Growers’ products have been state and third party lab tested to ensure compliance and potency.

Purchase oils, lotions, salves, roll-ons and lip balm from www.appalachiangrowers.com or drop by the Franklin Welcome Center/Chamber of Commerce or Smoky Mountain Host Visitor Center.

The Small Business Center at Haywood Community College will offer a New Business Planning webinar series for those interested in starting a small business, with speaker Mike Collins.

For attendee flexibility, each webinar in this series will be offered twice: 7 to 8 p.m. Mondays and 2 to 3 p.m. Tuesdays.

Webinars will cover core topics of the business planning process including business start-up, marketing, business planning and ideation.

Creating a Winning Business Plan will be the topic on July 27 and July 28 and Dynamite Marketing on a Firecracker Budget will be the topic Aug. 3 and Aug. 4.

Attendees are encouraged to register for the webinars that best meet their current small business needs and availability. Visit SBC.Haywood.edu or call 828.627.4512 to register.

After 35 years of service at Mountain Credit Union, Patty Idol has announced she will retire in September.

After beginning her career with Mountain Credit Union in 1985 as the branch manager in Waynesville, Idol has been the president/CEO since 1999. She was active in several credit union related organizations, such as the National Association of State Chartered Credit Unions and the Carolinas Credit Union League. She served as NASCUS Chairman of the Advisory Council, as Chairman of the Carolinas Credit Union League Board, and as President of the Western Chapter of the CCUL.

Idol also fought tirelessly on behalf of credit unions and their members as an advocate at both the State Capitol in Raleigh and Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

Mountain Credit Union’s Board of Directors has officially named Amy Woody as her successor. Woody is MCU’s current executive vice president. She has over 29 years of credit union experience, including 23 years at Mountain Credit Union, and has held the position of EVP since 2003. She served on the Western Chapter of the CCUL Board from 2014 to 2018, and currently serves on the Carolinas Credit Union League Board and on the North Carolina Credit Union Division (NCCUD) Commission.

Ingles Markets, Inc., has announced plans to require customers to wear a face covering to help in the fight against COVID-19.

The CDC stated “Cloth face coverings are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus — particularly when used universally within a community setting. Face covering, combined with physical distancing and frequent hand-washing, has been proven to reduce the spread.”

Signs announcing the face-covering requirement are being posted at all store entrances, and in-store announcements are made repeatedly. This requirement is effective in all retail locations as of July 21 and will not apply to young children or to customers with medical conditions who are not able to wear a face covering.

In addition to requiring a facial covering, Ingles will continue its enhanced sanitation practices and regularly cleaning high-touch surfaces to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. One-way aisles to encourage social distancing remain in place, as will Plexiglas sneeze guards.

For more information, visit Ingles’ website at www.ingles-markets.com.

The Cashiers Area Chamber is partnering with the Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation to provide valuable Personal Protection Equipment to small business members in need.

Pick up a supply of reusable masks for your employees at the Chamber offices (202 U.S. 64 West) between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Quantities are limited to 10 per business and will be distributed on a first come/first served basis. The masks are provided as part of a FEMA/United Way effort to deliver more than 5,000 essential face coverings to the area. The masks are 100 percent cotton and contain silver and copper, which help prevent the growth of viruses and germs. They are washable and reusable up to 15 times. These are intended for staff only.

Attorneys Stephen P. Lindsay and Virginia R. Hornsby recently celebrated the grand opening of their new Franklin office.

Lindsay Law is located at 26 Iotla Street, Franklin. After more than 20 years of serving legal clients around Macon County, attorney Steve Lindsay decided to establish a permanent office right beside the Macon County Courthouse.

“Over the years, I’ve come to love this community. The people here are among the finest I’ve met — blessed with incredible kindness and compassion,” he said.

Lindsay, known for over 30 years throughout North Carolina for his in-depth practice in criminal defense, is also an instructor for the National Criminal Defense College, the top training program for criminal defense attorneys in the United States and internationally.

Ginny Hornsby brings 18 years of criminal law experience to the firm, first as an Assistant District Attorney and then in criminal defense. She also takes family law clients on a limited basis in child custody and complex divorce cases, having begun her practice in North Carolina in 2004.