What a challenge 2020 was for the world! And this time I am not dramatic!
What a grand time to launch a resort- not! But despite it all, a dozen cabins have closed, and groundbreaking has begun at Lake Haven, and soon we should be able to open front doors and walk out onto decks that offer breathtaking vista views of the Lake!
Our area prospered through 2020. We closed out our Century 21MVP real estate companies’ sales at an all-time record high. Greg and I sold over $48 million worth of primarily cabins in 2020. That is a crazy good number! As we enter 2021, the forecast for continued growth in the area surrounding The Great Smoky Mountain National Park remains strong. The communities are truly blending; Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville are creating a Smoky Mountain experience for tourists that is second to none. Due to COVID, we have many new faces that enjoyed the area for the first time and promise to return.
So what is going to make Lake Haven Resort a good investment this year? Location and Pristine Beauty! It sits 15 minutes from downtown Sevierville, 20-30 minutes to Dollywood Theme Park (depending on the traffic, and I know you know what I mean-LOL). It is on the up & coming main route into our area to avoid traffic – Hwy 411 – from the interstate junction of all Northern tourists coming down I-81 and all Southern tourists coming up from Asheville, NC. The widening of HWY 411 and opening the exit is going to create growth in that direction.
As for “Beauty,” Lake Haven is a mature forest on the top of pinnacle ridges. It offers absolutely glorious long-range views of the main lake channel and then, of course, deep coves of beautiful aqua water fingering around the resort. There are 2.5 miles of lake frontage in Lake Haven Resort.
These lakefront properties offer both mountain and lake views. They include incredible resort amenities such as walking trails around the Lake, a picnic area on the Lake, and a pavilion overlooking Douglas Lake. Lake Haven gives tourists the best of all we have.
But honestly, it will be an excellent investment due to the income from these lodges on overnight rental programs. We will be happy to give you financial proformas on these properties, but they will pay for themselves and generate revenue as long as you don’t stay in them constantly! And if you do – we celebrate with you – the joy of having a second home, and you will have to make your money in appreciation.
What drives the high overnight revenues to continue to be the Great Smoky Mountain National Park remains at eleven million-plus visitors on average. 2020 was a record-breaking year at 12,195,720. That’s a lot of cabin renters! Our cabin renters tell us that staying in a cabin is like having your own “theme park,” “movie theatre,” and arcade hall.” Some don’t make it into the National Park. But they mean to! So they report they will be back as they didn’t have the time to do all the activities that were on their “wish list.” Many of them keep journals on how many hikes they have done and have goals to hike every trail!
So we continue to be the most visited National Park in the United States. We are within a day’s travel time for the majority of the population of the US. Tourism has increased year after year. The Smoky Mountain National Park is a gateway to 500 thousand acres of Appalachian wilderness. There are 800 miles of mountain trails and camping in dense ancient forests, a historic community of Cades Cove where visitors can wander around grist mills, cabins, and experience how life was in Appalachia when our nation was founded. But that is not all the area has to offer: Dollywood Theme Park has 2.5 million visitors annually; there are many themed theatres, dinner shows, attractions, world-class shopping, outlets of every shape and size, and restaurants on every corner, large and small.
So what are we going to build at Lake Haven this next year? Everything! We started with the small one and two bedrooms, but we heard from so many of you this year that you wanted many different sizes, so here we go! In addition to the one and two bedrooms, we will also have a three, a four, a five, a six, an eight, a ten, a twelve, and a sixteen bedroom. The style will remain consistent. The exteriors will be a combination of log, shake, bark, timbers, board, and batten. The color palette will be complementary. No two cabins exactly alike in selections will be built beside each other. The feel will be fresh, clean, contemporary, rustic, and the latest in maintenance-friendly materials.
So call us for a guided tour on the weekend. Or email us for floor plans, financials, and more info.
