White Sulphur Springs has only 92 hillside home sites on 145 acres. The development will encourage a lifestyle that embraces family-oriented activities in a historic location, said real-estate broker and owner Burke Robertson, and will foster an environment where neighbors will be friends.

Located in North Carolina’s wine country, White Sulphur Springs is 40 minutes from Winston-Salem, 60 minutes from Greensboro and 90 minutes from Charlotte.

“We are just eight miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway and three miles from Mount Airy. Yet every convenience is within 10 minutes — without the traffic, noise, intensity and stress of busy city life,” Robertson added.

White Sulphur Springs is centered on the property formerly occupied by a legendary turn-of-the-century hotel of the same name. The grand hotel enticed affluent travelers from the East Coast, Europe and South America to enjoy the lush mountain landscapes, rejuvenating spring waters and cool hillside breezes.

More than 2.5 miles of nature trails meander throughout the heavily wooded property and the Ararat River borders the 7.5-acre front lawn. The riverbanks will remain undeveloped for residents and guests to fish, canoe or kayak, wade in the cool, crystal water or just watch the river as it flows along. A new Spring House will be built at the site of the historic mineral spring (which still flows). A 3,500-square-foot covered outdoor Pavilion, on the site of the original dancing pavilion, will be a center for community activities and family gatherings.

Nearly six acres have been set aside for a planned 28-room Inn and 12 guest cottages. A dining room and restaurant will be available to guests and residents alike and concierge service will be available.

However, median and average sales prices rose at the end of 2007, climbing to $191,633 from $187,088 (2.4 percent) on average. The biggest jump: nearly 11 percent in the price of four-bedroom homes.

Sales, including condos and townhouses, totaled $89.5 million, compared to nearly $103 million in December 2006.

Winston-Salem-area brokers sold more one- and two-bedroom houses in December 2007 — 55 versus 31 a year earlier. Three-bedroom homes’ sales fell 24 percent and four-bedroom sales were 17 percent lower.

Though the numbers are small, they suggest it’s taking longer to sell homes. Fifty-three percent of the houses sold in December 2006 were the market for more than two months and 31 percent for more than four months. In December 2007, 58 percent were listed for more than 60 days and 35 percent for more than four months.

Triad MLS reports home, townhouse and condo sales in northwest North Carolina’s Piedmont Triad region and in three multi-county sales areas centered on Winston-Salem, Greensboro and High Point. The Winston-Salem area includes Forsyth and Stokes counties adjoining Surry County.

The average sale among all units was $179,562, 1.1 percent higher than in November 2006. About 30 percent of the 445 houses sold last month had been on the market for four months or more, a percentage unchanged from last year, suggesting that sellers haven’t changed their habits while waiting for the right buyer or price.

The biggest change was in financing. Last month, buyers used conventional financing to acquire 312 houses (70 percent). In November 2006, 386 houses (80 percent) were purchased with conventional loans. This year almost 60 buyers paid cash compared to 40 in 2006. FHA- and VA-financed home loans jumped to 47 last month compared to 36 in 2006.

In the Triad as a whole, including areas served by the Greensboro and High Point Realtors’ associations, there were 1,120 units sold in November 2007, 126 (10 percent) fewer than in November 2006.

The Winston-Salem Regional Association of Realtors serves Forsyth, Stokes, Davie, and northern Davidson counties.

The Surry County Board of Realtors serves Surry County.

Sales dropped in all sizes in single-family homes — two bedrooms or less, three bedrooms and four or more.

Only condo and townhouse sales increased, from 53 in 2006 to 60 in October 2007.

The change from September to October this year was abrupt and severe as concerns about the housing market spread across the nation. Sales had been strong in September when area Realtors sold 70 percent more homes than in September 2006 for a total sales volume of $204 million. But in October the national shockwave hit the Piedmont Triad.

The Winston-Salem-area Realtors reported 539 sales of single-family homes, condos and townhouses in October 2007. The median price (half sold for more, half brought less) was $147,500 and the average price was $182,245. Sales totaled $98.2 million.

There were 604 house, condo and townhouse sales in October 2006 with a median price of $144,325 and an average price of $193,300. Total dollar volume was $116.8 million.

Real-estate agents and brokers in the 12-county Piedmont Triad region, which includes Surry County, sold 2,636 existing single-family homes in the third quarter of 2007, 8.3 percent less than in the July-September period a year ago. The total also was down 6 percent from the second quarter 2007.

Meanwhile, the inventory of homes for sale keeps growing. On Sept. 30 there were 9.2 percent more than a year earlier, nearly 9,000 in all, and that’s 3.1 times the number sold in the preceding three months.

“At the current sales pace, it will take 9.3 months to exhaust the existing inventory,” according to the Triad Business Index monthly analysis from the Bryan School of Business & Economics in the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Despite the surplus, prices did not seem to be softening. The average home sold in the third quarter brought 0.7 percent more than in the previous quarter. The average quality-adjusted price of an existing home in the Triad was $184,385.

Across the Piedmont Triad over the past year, average home prices have risen 2.0 percent in Greensboro, 2.5 percent in Forsyth County, and 0.3 percent in High Point, according to the Triad Multiple Listing Service. The number of homes sold has dropped 8.9 percent in Greensboro, 9.9 percent in Forsyth County, and 12.6 percent in High Point.

Triad MLS statistics for October, normally available by Nov. 10, have not been posted at this time. SurryBusiness.com will report the numbers as soon as they’re available.