Explore Asheville

Ideally, you can explore Asheville in person at this point. It may not work out that you are able to. Maybe you’re in Hawaii or Alaska or Nepal. But, if you can, it would be helpful. If not, just combine this step with Step 9 – Visiting Homes. I prefer to do these steps separately because it can get confusing, more stressful, and take longer. But, whatever works best for you.

You need to spend at least several days just driving around so you can really learn about Asheville's areas. Begin your visit with a trip to the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center and a ride on the Asheville Trolley Tour. They stick fairly close to downtown, but will give you a great overview of that area.

Bring your notebook and maps. Get another little free map or two at the Visitor Center to help you plan your exploration. You may be able to pick up maps of specific areas, too, like West Asheville and Black Mountain.

Be sure you have a list of places ready from all the research you’ve done. Plan your route and drive around the places you think may fit the lifestyle you want. Check them out at different times of the day. Talk with people who are out working in their yards or walking their dogs. Figure out how long it will take you to get to the places you'll want to frequent like the golf course, coffee shop, or YWCA.

Don’t be tempted to look at specific houses yet! You need to keep focused on places – unless

Use the resources you find on this site to help you explore Asheville. Feel free to contact me if you have some questions. You may discover places now that you’re here, that you didn’t know about before. Some of the places you thought you’d love are not really what you thought.

This would also be a good time to touch base with a Realtor in person. You may have started a relationship with someone already. Let her/him know well in advance that you’re planning your explore Asheville trip so you can meet some time for coffee – just to chat.

If you are on the fast track to relocate, you feel sure about what area you want to live in, and all your ducks are in a row to make the move, then go ahead and look at houses. Hopefully, you’ve worked through all the other steps.

OK, you're getting there! On to Step 7!

Go to Step 7 - Asheville Dream Home