..."I've never seen anything like this before," says David Osterman, broker/owner of Cumberland Mountain Realty, "and I've lived and worked in real estate here on the Cumberland Plateau for more than fifteen years." Osterman is reflecting on the increasing momentum in real estate sales during the past eighteen months. "I hear a lot of the same concerns and issues from people visiting this area," notes Osterman, "and the underlying themes seem to be the same; a feeling of greater security living in less populated areas and a loss of confidence in depending on the stock markets for future financial security."
Osterman and many other small real estate offices have seen a huge influx of potential buyers flooding into rural areas and smaller towns all over the south and mid-atlantic states. Although prices have increased during the past couple of years, there still are comparitive values in these ares, when evaluated against the soaring prices in many east coast metropolitan areas.
"Most people I see are looking for a minimum of one acre and generally up to five or six acres at a reasonable price," says Osterman, "and we can still find parcels that size here on the plateau for affordable prices. I don't know how much longer this market will continue to expand, but I'm enjoying the business and meeting so many new visitors."