Priced to Sell on Smith Mountain Lake

One of the biggest questions any seller has is; “How long will it take to sell my house?” There is so much is tied into the answer. Like when to put an offer on another house and how soon you might be moving? Pricing your Smith Mountain Lake home right is the first step in a fast sell.


The Power of Price
In the current market, there are homes that are snatched up in less than 30 days and others that linger on the market for months. Two houses may even be comparable in size, features and updates but one home is priced $5000 less than the other. Of course the home with the lower listing price will stand out from the rest, but it may also include a larger buyer pool than the more expensive home.



Perfect Price
Finding the perfect price for your home can be done! Your realtor can help you find comparable homes that have recently sold in your area. Then they can review current home prices and market trends specific to your neighborhood. Armed with this information, you can come up with the best possible price for your home.



While the best price doesn’t guarantee a quick sale, it sure helps! Knowing what to set the price out is very important in special circumstances like short sales. You want the price to be low enough that the house doesn’t stay on the market long, but it must be high enough that the lender will approve the transaction. Helping you find the perfect price is just one area where having a realtor can make all the difference!



If you are ready to sell your Smith Mountain Lake home, call Vicki Millehan. You can use her free online Market Analysis to see what your home may be worth. She can also help sell your current home so you can buy that luxury lakefront home you have been longing for! If you haven’t had a chance to check out life of the lake, come for a visit, if you like it then move here!!

Bedford Wine and Relaxation for Mom

April showers bring May flowers and May flowers mean Mother’s Day is just around the corner! If you are looking for a great way to tell Mom “thanks” for all the things she does, look no further than Bedford County, VA! From special Mother’s Day Cruises on Smith Mountain Lake to a weekend enjoying the Bedford Wine Trail, you can find something to let Mom know she is special!


In case it is sneaking up on you, Mother’s Day is May 9th. You can spoil her with a 2 hour Mother’s Day Cruise aboard the Virginia Dare replica sidewheeler. She can sit back, relax and enjoy a great lunch all while cruising the Lake! The excursion starts at 2pm and is booking up fast so make reservations soon!

If your mom needs a whole weekend to recuperate from a year of motherly duties, it may be time for her to spend some time on the Bedford Wine Trail. She can sample some of the best wines Virginia has to offer and then spend the evening relaxing by the waters of Smith Mountain Lake. You can throw in a Mariner’s Getaway Package and a few spa treatments for good measure! You know your mom deserves it.

Of course the best present for that special lady in your life would be a beautiful waterfront home on Smith Mountain Lake! Come for a visit, if you like it then move here! Whether you are ready to become a permanent resident or buy a vacation home, call Vicki Millehan! She is your local real estate expert.

What’s in Bloom at Smith Mountain Lake

Just about anyone living on Smith Mountain Lake will tell you the climate is wonderful! While the lake does have four distinct seasons, the winters are usually mild and spring is very temperate. This all adds up to a great growing season for plants and flowers. For those who love to have their hands in the soil, Smith Mountain Lake has many plant nurseries and greenhouses where you can purchase your favorite blooms.


Just a little way down the road from Smith Mountain Lake is Hardy, VA. Here you can find Walter’s Greenhouse. They boast one of the largest selections in the area as you can see by their plant list. Everything they sell, they have grown in their greenhouses. Besides selling at their own location, you can find them at the Roanoke City Farmer’s Market. Don’t forget to check out their selection of fresh herbs!

Now if you are looking for not only great plants, but the beautiful containers to grow them in, Lakescapes Nursery is the place to head. From amphora’s to glazed pots of every shape and size, they will likely have just the container you are looking for. They also have a large selection of trees, shrubs and flowering plants.

For those who live right on the water, knowing what to plant can sometimes take on another consideration. There are regulations that outline what you can and cannot plant near the water’s edge. If you need help creating a buffer garden that meets American Electric Power’s shoreline requirements, Willowtree Nursery can help! You can have a gorgeous shoreline without the worry!

Landscaping your lot can add value to your property. These are just a few of the great nurseries in the area who can help. If you haven’t had a chance to see the wonderful waterfront properties in the area, come for a visit, if you like it then move here! When you are ready to have your own waterfront property to landscape, call Vicki Millehan! Smith Mountain Lake’s real estate resource!

Staged to Sell in Smith Mountain Lake

One thing most sellers are painfully aware of is the number of homes on the market today. Whether you are selling your lakefront home on Smith Mountain Lake or a home in the country, one thing remains true; staging your home for your Open House will help it sell.


In today’s market sellers need to pull out all the stops if they want to sell their home quickly. Most buyers are interested in a home that is ready to move into. In the cash strapped society of today, people want to have some recovery time after purchasing a home before they begin to spend more money on upgrades. By staging your home, you are putting the best foot forward at your Open House, making a good impression puts you one step closer to an offer.

Recently we have talked about decluttering your home; staging takes it further. When the realtor put the “for sale” in the yard, your role changed. You are no longer Mr. or Mrs. Homeowner; you are now a business person with a product to sell. You have to start thinking like a business person!

So what is one of the first questions you need to ask yourself before staging your home? What type of person does my home appeal to? If your home is perfect for young, hip up and comers, you may want to take that into consideration when you are staging. A more modern look may appeal to them.

If your home is perfect for a growing family, then you may want to show off all the space your home has. Your realtor can help you determine what demographics your home should appeal to and what they are looking for in your local market. In all your preparations, remember you are not fixing the house up the way YOU Like it, you are trying to appeal to the buyers in your area! Staging your home helps it stand out above the rest!

In Smith Mountain Lake, if have real estate questions, you can call Vicki Millehan. A resident and agent in Smith Mountain Lake for over 18 years, she knows and loves the area! If you haven’t seen Smith Mountain Lake yet, come for a visit! If you like it, then move here!

Time to Brawl on Smith Mountain Lake

It’s finally here! This weekend the Blue Ridge Brawl will be held on Smith Mountain Lake! April 15th -18th top anglers from across the US will converge on Parkway Marina in Huddleston to fight for top honors at this Bassmaster Elite tournament. There will also be activities for the whole family to enjoy.


There will be free parking for the event and you take can advantage of a complimentary water shuttle between Bernard’s Landing and the Parkway Marina. The water shuttle will run from 2pm – 6pm on Friday and noon – 6pm the rest of the weekend.

Wear your college colors on Friday and show your school pride. A special tribute to Virginia Tech is scheduled and a Corn Hole Competition should add to the fun. Saturday you can check out taxidermy, trapping, fishing, hunting, and shooting. A Blue Ridge Brawl Karaoke Contest will be held with “open mic”, so break out your favorite bluegrass tunes! Also on Saturday a youth casting competition and a youth fishing tournament will be held

Fish Like the Pros youth fishing contest gives the kids a chance to compete! The categories run from ages 5 to 15 years of age and registrations starts at 9am. The first 200 to register for the tournament will also receive a free t-shirt. All youth 15 and under will also receive a free lunch.

This Smith Mountain Lake annual event highlights the wonderful fishing found here. Come for a visit, if you like it then move here! From country living to wonderful waterfront communities, Franklin County has it all! When you are ready for life on the lake, call Vicki Millehan! She is your local real estate resource.

Living History in Bedford, VA

Bedford Virginia is a place full of history. This weekend, April 10th and 11th, you can experience living history as the National D-Day Memorial Foundation presents Prelude to Invasion. Historical interpreters and the 29th Living History Association will be enacting what life was like for American servicemen as they prepared for D-day.


On Saturday the event will run from 10am until 5pm. They will be recreating a World War II encampment. Included in the re-enactment will be military vehicles, military gear, and other period vehicles. You can feel the morale of the men as they prepared for war.

Sunday you can experience a Soldiers Worship Service at 10am. Faith played a big role for many of our men and women in uniform. The 29th Living History Association will conduct a field service similar to the ones that were held as the men waited to begin the invasion of Normandy.

If you have always wanted to know more about military life during World War II, you don’t want to miss this event. Come out and honor the men and women who have served our country in times past. You can also be a part of the Flames of Memory Luminary project by purchasing a luminary to be displayed on June 6th.

Bedford and the surrounding area are rich with history. Come for a visit and if you like it, then move here! If a home in Franklin or Bedford County is in your future, call Vicki Millehan! She is your local real estate resource in the Smith Mountain Lake area.