What clients are saying

We have used Jochen Lucke twice for the purchase and sale of our home. He is very professional and takes care of every detail. I would not hesitate to recommend him and Silver Creek Real Estate Group for any real estate transaction. He is the best Realtor my wife and I have ever used.

Jochen Lucke was our agent when we first started looking for a vacation home in the Cashiers area. He quickly surmised that what we wanted, at the price point we were considering, was not for sale at that time (2013). He then recommended that we consider building this home. Because we live in the mid-west, this was not our favorite option, but we listened.

Jochen immediately showed us lots for sale that fit our requirements.. We desired that the home have a big view, be a close proximity to town, and have a distinctive mountain architecture that was as beautiful on the exterior as it was on the inside. He quickly found a lot that delivered on the long, layered easterly view and was close to Cashiers. Jochen then went to work helping us purchase the lot under market value. He also helped negotiate for the Seller to finish out the road and bury utilities and sewage lines past our lot and up to the top of the mountain.


My wife and I then worked with award winning Travis Mileti to custom design our dream home. We identified Josh Byrd Construction as the builder that we wanted to work with in order to construct the home. All through the design and building process, Jochen supplied us with invaluable recommendations. Jochen's knowledge of the real estate market, construction and design are likely unmatched in this mountain area.

Years later when we reluctantly decided to sell the home, Jochen sold it in a few weeks, very close to our asking price. He is highly ethical, extremely responsive and a pleasure to deal with. My wife and I would not hesitate to give Jochen our highest recommendation to anyone buying, selling or considering buying land to build in this mountain area.

Jochen got more than he bargained for when he took us on as clients!! When our house sold, he took us all over Cashiers looking for a new house. He took us to see a house we weren't really interested in...and we fell in love with it! He knew we'd love it! Then during our move, he answered all our questions and went well above and beyond what a realtor should do! I'm sure he missed our daily..and sometimes hourly...calls and texts! He also sold our lot!! Thank you Jochen!

Jochen was a pleasure to work with when selling our lot on Lake Glenville. He was always a step ahead of us and very informative. His years of experience and knowledge of the market made all the difference.

Having been in the real estate business for some 25 years and in a position to represent myself in the sale of my home, I instead choose Silver Creek and Jochen Lucke to handle the marketing, sale and transaction servicing on sale of our home in Cashiers. Experience had told me that only a firm truly committed to the total process, each piece, would be the correct partner for sale of our higher priced home in a market still recovering from the recession. This choice was the correct one. Jochen and the Silver Creek team's marketing package is by far the "best in class" on the plateau and his attention to detail on all other aspects of the process are not left wanting. His experience in the market place, knowledge of service providers and people you need to know to get things done have proven to be very valuable. No doubt, we made the correct choice with Jochen and Silver Creek.

AMAZING SERVICE! What a wonderful experience we had working with Jochen Lucke. He is a very knowledgeable real estate PRO! He knows the area very well and offered solid advise on the properties. He was patient and thorough in his approach to each property. I was beyond impressed at his level of professionalism and expertise on buying in this area. I took his advise on a number of things and he made home buying EASY! The purchase process was one of the most smooth and non-stressful experiences in my life. They have a lifelong customer now. I would never think of letting anyone else help with my real estate needs again. If you are moving to the Highlands/Cashiers/Sapphire Area, I would highly recommend Silver Creek Real Estate Group.

After failing to find a rental property, I decided to use my VA Loan benefit to look for a home to buy. I emailed Dan Allen on a Friday afternoon, the only broker I called because of his excellent reputation, relayed to him my specific needs--living space all on one level with very accessible entrance into the property. It is necessary to understand how rare it is in the Blue Ridge Mountains to find a home with those qualifications. On Saturday, Dan emailed a current list of possible properties, one of which seemed perfect. We looked at the property the following Tuesday, loved it, and an offer was made which was promptly accepted! Dan worked closely with the lender, VA loans are very tedious, and the seller. He was constantly in touch to keep me apprised of the progress of home inspection, appraisal, etc., and status of the VA loan. It has been a number of years since I owned a home and was mentally prepared for an arduous process, which never happened. Today, I closed on the property and will be moving this coming week, all accomplished in just over 6 weeks. Unheard of! The success of this transaction is due to the diligence and interest of Dan Allen in reaching the successful conclusion we came to. I will be forever grateful to Dan in locating the perfect property to fit my needs and to the attention he gave to me and to the other parties involved in the loan process. Anyone would be very fortunate indeed in having Dan Allen as their real estate professional!

We were a retired couple looking to move to the NC Cashiers area, desiring a lakefront property. We serendipitously met Dan thru Silver Creek website when exploring houses. When inquiring about properties Dan responded immediately with information that helped us narrow our search and not waste time as we were in Atlanta. On our third time up to the area we found the perfect house on the lake and Dan was instrumental in helping us navigate the process as we had not bought or sold in 30 years! Things have changed!! The characteristics we most appreciated were: responsiveness, honesty, upfront with pros and cons , not pussyfooting around, good negotiation skills. In addition, Dan was able to intuit after showing a few houses just what our ‘style’ was, again, not wasting time. If you are planning on buying or selling a house in the NC mountains you could NOT find a better agent to help you. And in addition, just closing is not the end of the relationship. He has been crucial in introducing us to servicemen, housekeeping, landscapers.....all the people one needs to know when moving to a completely new area. I sincerely recommend Dan Allen for your real estate needs.

We visited Western North Carolina recently to learn about the area as a possible place to retire. My cousin had referred Eddy McDonald to us since she and her husband had purchased their Cashiers mountain retirement home from him. I have been a buyer for several major manufacturers for many years and therefore my standards for assessing those whose job it is to sell anything are quite high. And in my personal experience, I realize good realtors can be found, but truly excellent real estate professionals can be hard to find. From the first day we met him, Eddy impressed us. The consummate professional yet casually personable and relaxed, Eddy made us feel as if we were his only client. Highly organized and thoroughly prepared, Eddy gave us the time to view a variety of homes. A keen listener, Eddy had meticulously pre-screened and selected qualified homes for us to see, and he gave us all the time we needed to look at numerous homes more than once. I was impressed at how flexible and helpful he was throughout the entire process. Eddy is a busy professional, yet he was always extremely responsive in person, phone, or text, making the process of buying this home from another state seamless. Without a doubt, we found and purchased our home in Cashiers because Eddy was our broker. Both before and after the closing Eddy has gone far beyond what was actually required. Thank you, Eddy McDonald, for being such a great person, professional, and realtor.

Cassie was our buyers agent for our mountain home in Sapphire. She spent the time to make sure that we saw all options in our price point. She arranged for inspections contractor pricing for possible repairs and facilitated all aspects of this transaction that made it very smooth. We could not be happier with her service to us as our agent. We highly recommend her. She started as our agent and ended as our friend.