The beautiful, expansive view provided is one of the things that draws people to Lookout Mountain. The narrow, negative view many people associate with the mountaintop community is driving many people away.
"In just my neighborhood, I could go 200 yards [from my house] and there's a dozen houses for sale," said Dwight Montague, who lives on the Tennessee side and works as a consultant for the town there.
Housing values on Lookout have steadily declined since 2006, a cumulative $66,500 median price decrease, while values on Signal Mountain have continued to rise a total $41,000 in that same time period. The median price for a home on Lookout in 2006 was nearly $100,000 higher than on Signal; it is now $11,500 below Signal's, yet homes on Lookout stay on the market nearly twice as long.
"If you go back five or 10 years it sold itself. It ain't selling itself anymore," said Jack Webb, a Crye-Leike real estate agent who lives on Lookout.
Many Realtors aren't selling it either, said real estate agent Gail Jenkins. Of the more than 100 agents at her Keller Williams office, she said she is one of two who sells houses on Lookout. In fact, most Chattanooga realtors are doing the opposite of selling Lookout homes; they're marketing against it, according to Webb.
"When Realtors take people around, Lookout Mountain is just the place where snobby old-line families live," Lookout Mountain, Tenn., Commissioner Carol Mutter said in regards to perceived public perception. Other local officials from both sides rattled off several other perceptions, all of them negative.
That's why the two mountaintop towns are considering launching a joint website to showcase all the attractive qualities and benefits that brought them to the mountain in the first place and that keep them calling it home.
"We have so much to offer up here in terms of assets, amenities and resources," Webb said, noting quality schools, close proximity to downtown, recreation facilities and programs, scenic beauty and safety. "We're not doing a good job of getting the word out. It's not just something that's affecting Realtors and Realtors' pocket books; it's affecting every homeowner, business, church and club on Lookout Mountain."
Based on the proposal he and Jenkins independently pitched to the mountain's two mayors, each town would pay half the $30,000 cost for the creation of the website. A part-time employee to constantly update it with information about local events and other opportunities, as well as help market the idea and mountain to the community, is estimated to cost another $15,000 a year.
"I asked myself 'Is this just a kneejerk reaction to a bad housing market?'" said Greg Brown, mayor for the Tennessee side. "No. It's about the vitality of Lookout Mountain in the long term. We've got competition like we've never had before."
Bill Glasscock, mayor for the Georgia side, also expressed support for the project, although the idea is still being fine-tuned after other public officials got their first introduction to it last week.
"I went into this program basically being a closet skeptic," Glasscock said. "It costs money. I hope I can nudge you all to accept this. We're at the bottom right now. It's the best time to put on our best face, sell and improve the value of Lookout Mountain."
Should the proposal be accepted by both sides, Jenkins said the website could be operational within two or three months, following focus groups and the creation of a brand and tagline.
"We can start to move the needle and get people excited about Lookout Mountain," Webb said. "It's about the whole mountain coming together to promote what we've got up here. If we're not all in it telling everybody up here, it will fail."