Category — homes for sale

The Smith Mountain Lake 2011 Charity Home Tour, as well as the Fall Festival, will be held October 7-9 this year. You will not want to miss out on touring the 8 unbelievable homes on the tour, plus enjoy the other activities included in the Fall Festival.

The homes that are being open to those taking the tour are indescribably magnificent. Between the interesting architectural aspects of the physical structures themselves and the unique and creative interior designs, there is hardly room to consider the exclusive antiques and collectables that will be on display. Don’t forget about the distinctive, meticulous landscaping, not to mention the breathtaking view from each wonder you will visit on this tour. This year, there is a new feature to appreciate—live entertainment in some of the homes. Imagine being able to enjoy a string quartet or a pianist while touring.

This is definitely an event worth attending! You can take the tour by land (car) or water (boat). Either form of transportation may be privately owned or rented. This event will be held rain or shine, but the homes are not handicap accessible. Tickets are $20 if purchased in advance and $25 if purchased the weekend of the event.

The Home Tour has already acquired over $80,000 in both business and individual sponsorships. The 8 charities benefiting from this event have done their fair share in trying to generate these sponsorships and continue to work hard to create more interest.

Held at the same time this year,The Fall Festival will show off the area as well as the homes on the tour. There will be tours of Bridgewater Plaza, Downtown Moneta, The Forum, Lake Plaza, The General Store and P.W. Morgan Farms, plus big discounts on boat rentals, a weekend package at the Mariners Landing, half-price workout passes at the YMCA, and plenty of discounts at local restaurants for tour ticket holders. By the time the weekend occurs, event planners anticipate that there will be even more discounts available.

On Friday and Saturday, the tour times are 10am – 5pm. On Sunday, it will be 1pm – 5pm. And tickets are valid all three days, one visit per person per home. That leaves some flexibility for enjoying both the Home Tour and the Fall Festival. So mark your calendars and make a weekend of it! For more information on touring or making a donation, please visit the SML 2011 Charity Home Tour website.

The weekend should be fun for locals, visitors, and especially those who are considering a move to Smith Mountain Lake. As you can tell just from the extraordinary events planned for October alone, SML is an amazing place for a permanent residence. For assistance in buying lakefront property, call me, Vicki Millehan. I will be more than happy to give you some housing suggestions. I have over 19 years of experience in selling waterfront homes, and am a long-time resident of Smith Mountain Lake. My web page always has a current list of events that are taking place in Smith Mountain Lake.

In a recent article in the Smith Mountain Eagle, our local American Red Cross was reaching out to blood donors. The article pointed out that its blood supply remains at a critically low level, even though hundreds of local residents donated blood after a national campaign reached out to them.

As a long-time resident and top Realtor of Smith Mountain Lake, I wanted to do my part in assisting Virginia’s American Red Cross by reaching out not only to Smith Mountain Lake residents, but all Virginia residents to donate blood.

The recent heat may be part of the reason why blood supplies are so low. Many don’t want to venture out into the heat, while those who do may have elevated temperatures that disqualify them from donating. On a daily basis 38,000 blood donations are required to meet the demand. In order to meet this demand, someone must donate blood every two seconds. On average three pints of blood are required for one transfusion. Only 38% of the population is eligible to give blood.

There are many benefits to donating blood. By donating just one pint of blood, you may be helping as many as three people! We all know how good it feels to help others…and all it takes is just one hour of your time!

Donated blood helps many Americans. Much of the donated blood is used for accident victims and cancer patients.

We know that blood transfusions are often required by accident victims. But I was surprised to learn that 100 pints of blood may be needed by a single victim of a car crash.

Almost all of us have friends or family who have been stricken by cancer, especially since over one million people are diagnosed with cancer each year. Many cancer victims require daily blood transfusions while they are undergoing chemotherapy.

The American Red Cross website is wonderful. It will answer all of your questions on donating blood.

The Appalachian Blood Services website has the contact information for the Roanoke Blood Donor Center as well as other Virginia blood donor centers.

I urge everyone in Smith Mountain Lake and in all of Virginia to donate blood. The American Red Cross states: “The need is constant. The gratification is instant. Give blood.™”

If you are one of the 38% that can’t donate blood, but want to lend a helping hand, you can always host a blood drive or volunteer your time.

I love helping out my community, and I love assisting those who want to buy lakefront property, so call me, Vicki Millehan. I have over 19 years of experience in selling waterfront homes, and am a long-time resident of Smith Mountain Lake.

Out with the old and in with the new!! New Year’s celebrations at Smith Mountain Lake are in the final preparations for the big party! 2009 has been a year to remember! From the opening of The Southern and Southwest Virginia Fishing Trail at the 2009 Bassmaster Tournament to the record breaking snows of December, a lot has happened this year past. If you are ready to ring out the old year in style, the party at the Mariners Landing can’t be missed!

Mariners Landing is offering great “staycation” packages for the New Year celebration. The annual New Year’s Eve party in Huddleston will be featuring musical guest Dragonfly. They will be performing at Benjamin’s at The Pointe during the celebration! With great food, a champagne toast and more, there is no better way to say goodbye to the old year and welcome the new!

In Roanoke you can attend the New Year’s Eve Blast at Roanoke Civic Center or the New Year’s Eve Gala at the Hotel Roanoke. The New Year’s Eve Gala is a charity event that will feature a different band in both ballrooms. A balloon drop and champagne toast will round out the evening.

Now if you are looking for something a little more family friendly, you have a few different parties to choose from. You can celebrate the New Year at Still Waters Coffee House in Bedford. The admission is $20 per person and will include a dinner buffet, party favors and a non-alcoholic environment to ring in the New Year! In the Roanoke area you can enjoy an Enchanted Eve! The fun starts at 6pm and the first 500 kids will receive a free glow in the dark necklace! This celebration even includes fireworks at the stroke of twelve!

Over the last year, we have looked at all the different places and events available in Franklin County or Bedford County, VA. If you haven’t had the chance to visit yet, make 2010 the year to come! Come for visit and if you like it, then move here! Happy New Year to you and yours from Vicki Millehan! Thank you for making 2009 a year to remember!

Smith Mountain Lake and the surrounding area were in the mood to break records this last weekend. Record breaking snow fall blanketed the area leaving some places with over 2 feet of snow! Lake dwellers saw more snow in this one monster storm than what they normally see for the year! Just as an example, in January of 2008, Franklin County saw a total of 4 inches of snow for the whole month! As residents dig out and road crews work to clear secondary roads, here are a few tips to remember for this wintry weather.

If you are going to be driving, take along a small winter weather driving kit. Make sure to include extra blankets, this really can be a life saver if you end up getting stuck in the snow. Keeping extra snack bars in your vehicle can be a good idea too. Of course you will want the basics of a small shovel, ice scraper, and booster cables. Candles and matches are always good to have on hand, but remember to crack the window open to avoid carbon monoxide build up. A bag of kitty litter or sand will come in handy if you run off the road. By spreading some in front of your tires, it will help you get the traction you need to get back on the road.

Smith Mountain Lake doesn’t normally get a lot of snow or ice. More wintry mix is being called for over the holidays, so make sure and plan ahead if you need to travel. Always let someone know where you are going and how you are getting there. Keep your cell phone charged in case you need to call for help.

While all this may seem like simple things, it is easy to forget when you don’t normally have to deal with this much snow. If you want to live somewhere that doesn’t normally get 18 inches of snow, come for a visit, if you like it then move here!

If you want more information on living in Franklin County and Bedford County Virginia, call Vicki Millehan! She is a long time resident of Smith Mountain Lake and a local real estate expert!

If you ask someone what the capital of Virginia is and they will tell you Richmond. If you ask someone what the Christmas Capital of Virginia is and the answer will always be Bedford! The light displays at Liberty Lake Park and the Elks National Home is a tradition many return back to Bedford to enjoy! Add the Bedford Festival of Trees and the Holiday Nights in Bedford and you understand why the town has earned that moniker!

It isn’t Christmas until the lights are up! You can enjoy over 30 acres of lights at the Liberty Lake Park. If you are struggling to get into the holiday spirit, this will definitely get you in the Christmas Mood! Bring the whole family to enjoy the festive displays. December 11th at 5:30pm, you can witness the switch flip and drive through the Christmas Lights at the Elks National Home. These light displays draw over 100,000 visitors to the area through the month of December! Come and see why! There are no admission charges so no need to feel scrooged!!

You can also enjoy the Holiday Nights in Centertown Bedford! Also starting December 11th all evening until 9pm, there will be shopping, carriage rides and you can find the Jolly man himself hanging out at the Bedford Museum. Santa and everyone else will be in Centertown every Friday night until Christmas.

Christmas time or summer time there is no better place to live then Franklin and Bedford County VA! Wineries and waterfront homes, cottages and country homes, whatever style of home you want, you can find it here! If you are looking for a Bedford home call Vicki Millehan! She is your local real estate expert!

If you have been looking for a reason to come check out the area, there is no better time than this weekend! September 26 and 27 is the Smith Mountain Lake Wine Festival at LakeWatch Plantation! It is still not too late to buy advance tickets at a discount! You can even buy them online, but hurry, advance tickets are available until September 23rd!

The SML Wine Festival is a favorite event and one of the most popular with visitors! Wineries from across the state come to offer samples of their top wines. Add to that wonderful food and live music and you have a great weekend ahead of you! With so many wines and so little time, how do you know what wines to sample first?

Well, first off, if you are going to be sampling a lot of wines: bring a designated driver! Law Enforcement will be present to make sure everyone stays safe. Secondly, bring your ID! You would hate to miss out on sampling award winning wines. This may sound simple, but they are very important tips!

When it comes to sampling, you may want to check out the different vendors BEFORE you start. Taking a stroll around the Festival will give you an idea of what wines are available to try. With such a large variety of wines, some people even have a little notebook to make notes in so they know which wines they want to go back and sample. They can also make note of what they liked the best! This may sound serious, but with such diverse wines to choose from, it really helps!

Just as an example, let’s take a look at a Peaks of Otter Wine; Chili Dawg. This is an apple wine with chili pepper wine blended in. This is one HOT DAWG! Of course it isn’t as hot as their Kiss the Devil wine. That one is made from 30 varieties of peppers! The name says it all! Then if you take a look at some of the Hickory Hill wines, you will see how broad the difference in wines can be! Smith Mountain Lake Redbud is a sweet dark rose wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Vidal Blanc. There is also a wonderful “breakfast wine”, Smith Mountain Lake Sunset, it is a great dessert or brunch wine (and the 2007 Virginia Governor’s Cup Winner).

There is almost no better time to visit Smith Mountain Lake than during the SML Wine Festival! With over 20 wineries participating, you can truly see and taste the best of Virginia! So come for a visit, if you like it, then move here! Vicki Millehan can help you find the perfect waterfront home! She can even tell you more about the Savoy Lee. An award winning winery for sale now in the Smith Mountain Lake area! Who knows, maybe next year YOU could be a vendor at the wine festival!!

You have finally decided you are ready to take the plunge and purchase that dream home on Smith Mountain Lake! You couldn’t pick a better place to buy a home! The area has much to offer. With so much to choose from, how do you decide the home that is right for you? The answer depends on your needs.

Let’s start with the reason you are buying a new home. Is this home going to be your primary residence or a second home? If you are looking for a place to get away from it all or looking for a place to grow roots, knowing the answer to this basic question will help your agent narrow down the potential homes for you! If you are not sure yet what you are really looking for, make a list of what you WANT in a home and what you need. This list will be a big help as you look at properties.

The next thing you want to determine is LOCATION! LOCATION! LOCATION!! Do you want a waterfront property with its own boat slip? Do you prefer a view of the mountains? Do you need your own dock or is a community marina OK? It may seem like you have many different options, that’s because you do! Do you want to live in a community with all the amenities or in a luxury waterfront home of your own?

If you desire the convenience of community living, check out the Cottages on Contentment Island. You can have a lake view of the sunset or enjoy the pool! There is even off lake storage for your boat in the wintertime! With these features, the townhouses here make a great retirement home or second home!

If you want a luxury home all your own, you can’t go wrong with a custom home with its own dock and houseboat slip. However, if you are looking for a place to take the family on the weekend or for and investment property, there are condos available that would be perfect! So knowing what you are going to be using your home for makes a big difference! From $1.6 million luxury homes to a townhouse on the lake, Smith Mountain Lake has a home for you!

If you are ready to start looking for your Waterfront Dream Home, call Vicki Millehan! She is your local real estate expert! Vicki can even help you become the owner of the Savoy Lee, an award winning winery! If you have not decided you want to live in the area yet, then come for a visit; if you like it, then move here!!