Moonrise Vacation Properties... who are we?
We are a family-owned business that has always had our hands in real estate. It all began with Mike's mom and dad, Kathy & Vince who were real estate agents in San Diego, CA. They were naturally drawn to investing in real estate and having rental properties and helping others see their real estate dreams come true. Vince & Kathy instilled the importance of investing throughout their childhood and encouraged all of their kids to buy and hold on to real estate. Over the years homes were bought and sold, been long-term rentals and the natural progression was to move to short-term rentals.
The we, in Moonrise Vacation Properties, includes Jaime, that's me! I am a Registered Nurse for the past 7 years and am married to Mike - we have been together since I was 16 and married for 21 years this year! We have 2 amazing, high-energy, and BUSY boys - Joe is 15 and Nick is 12. Both boys play football & soccer and Nick plays the French Horn too! Kathy, grandma is Mike's mom and the driving force behind moving from long-term rentals to short-term rentals. She is retired from real estate and is busy helping us run the boys to all their events!
In 2021 there were a few life events that moved this idea along at a little faster pace. Kathy had been looking at short-term rentals in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Never having been to the Smokies we proceeded with caution... we were connected with our AMAZING Rock-Star agent, Karen Chenaille and she got to finding us cabins in the Smokies. One morning, Mike stumbled across a cabin that was almost done being built in Gatlinburg. We all fell in love... I know, you aren't supposed to fall in love with your investments but I did. I LOVE Bear Moon Rising. It encompasses everything we were looking for in a cabin to share with our family, friends, and guests... We bought Bear Moon Rising in August of 2021 and haven't looked back.
In 2022 we stumbled across the twins as we have dubbed them! They are more well known as Barkin' at the Moon and Howlin' at the Moon. These 2 cabins fell in our lap and we fell in love... again. I know, I know - said I wouldn't fall in love with the next one - but I guess it's who I am! The twins are hand-hewn log cabins - get this, the timbers came from the sawmill that my Granddad and Uncle Jiggs ran in Washington State many years ago! When I realized this, I had goosebumps y'all. Like they were truly meant to be. We were able to cultivate a really great relationship with the builders/sellers of these cabins and got some input on the finishing touches as the cabins came to fruition. It was a great experience! These cabins are super unique, in that they sit on 5 acres but are just 40' apart from one another. These 2 are dog friendly and we even created "The Moonwalk" - a little path that takes you up to explore the property.
Our next adventure will be complete in February of 2023... a 5 bedroom pool cabin on 3 acres halfway between Pigeon Forge & Gatlinburg in a quiet gated community. I will be posting updates on the progress of this new cabin and we cannot wait to see it come to life.
We welcome you along on our adventure and would love to host you in one of our cabins in the future. I am new to this blogging thing - but I will try to keep you updated on the progress of the new cabin and the fun things to do & see when you come and stay in the Smokies!
Stay well