As Howard and Dorie Sokol began to make more frequent weekend visits to Blue Ridge and Ellijay, they decided to invest in a second home in north Georgia. Dorie chatted about their home, called “Hide ‘n Creek,” which also is a rental property, in Mineral Bluff.
Why Mineral Bluff: The couple desired a private place on a loud babbling creek that they could rent to defray the costs of ownership, said Dorie, 53, who is hand therapy program director with Physiotherapy Associates. They looked at about 20 homes, and the one they chose immediately stood out because it was situated on Hot House Creek in Mineral Bluff. “When I saw this cabin … I got out of the truck and said, ‘This is it,’ and got back in,” she said. “Somebody said, ‘Did you see the inside?’ I said, ‘No, it doesn’t matter.’” The cabin is bordered on two sides by the creek. When she looked inside, it confirmed her first impression. The couple benefitted from the buyer’s market – the home was listed two years ago at more than $80,000 more than they paid when they bought it last fall, she said.
Their house: It's a furnished two-bedroom, two-bath cabin on 1 acre in a small community named Salem Valley Estates. “It had everything we wanted. There was nothing that was on our priority list that it did not have,” Dorie said. Extras include a screened porch and a hot tub, and the pine floors and walls create a rustic feel. “It looks like Daniel Boone’s place with running water,” she said.
How far from home: 107 miles from Dunwoody. “We have sometimes left on a Saturday morning at 6:30 or 7, get there by 9, and have two whole days and come home and feel renewed,” she said.
What they do when they’re there: Dorie starts out her mornings by reading and drinking coffee on the deck. She and Howard, 58, a lawyer and director of the paralegal studies program at Athens Technical College, enjoy hiking with their yellow Labrador retrievers, Max and Zoe, on trails around Lake Blue Ridge and in the area. The couple likes to fish, watch football and baseball games, play games and watch movies during their visits to the cabin.
What they love about it: “We are so busy during the week that come the weekend, we want to relax,” she said. “I am type A and can never relax, but when I go up to the cabin and walk through that front door, I feel as if I entered another world, and I often have tears in my eyes of relief.”
What they’ve learned about renting: The ability to rent out the cabin to cover some expenses made the difference between being able to afford the cabin in a buyer’s market and not being able to buy, she said. The couple asked Linda Labadorf, owner of Mountain Paws Cabin Rentals in Blue Ridge, for her insight during their search. “She came with us so she could supply a renter’s perspective,” Dorie said. Labadorf pointed out which locations would be a disadvantage for renters and told them that a flat lot was best for families seeking a rental property. The couple, whose cabin is on Mountain Paws’ rental program, aims to rent it out at least 10 days out of the month. In July, for example, they rented it out 16 days.
At a glance
The Sokols' cabin, built in 1985, has two bedrooms, two baths and about 900 square feet. They purchased it in September 2009.
Community overview
Mineral Bluff in Fannin County, north of Blue Ridge, is close to the Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia border, said Sidra McCain Dinco with Harry Norman, Realtors. “Mineral Bluff is mostly rural with large tracts of farmland and some cabin communities. It’s a great place to have a mini farm or horses or just enjoy the peace and quiet out in the country,” she said. Salem Valley Estates is a small neighborhood comprising seven or eight cabins, Dorie said.
Info
Mountain Paws Cabin Rentals
www.mountainpawscabinrentals.com
Fannin County Chamber of Commerce
www.blueridgemountains.com
Sidra McCain Dinco, Harry Norman, Realtors
www.SidraMcCain.com
For sale
$149,900: Humphrey Heights Lot 2, Mineral Bluff 30559. A new four-bedroom, two-bath log cabin on 1.78 acres with knotty pine floors, custom cabinets and covered porches.
$498,000: 266 Twin Peaks Drive, Mineral Bluff 30559. A five-bedroom, five-bath home built in 2004 on 1.76 acres with a three-car garage and wraparound screened porch.
Recent sales
$220,000: 396 Newberry Drive, Mineral Bluff 30559. A three-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath log cabin on 3.93 acres built in 2004 on a creek.
$267,840: 311 Watson Gap Road, Mineral Bluff 30559. A four-bedroom, 4 1/2-bath log home built in 2005 on 2 acres boasting four fireplaces.
Community information provided by Sidra McCain Dinco with Harry Norman, Realtors, and compiled by Delaney Young.
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