Meet the WC Realty Southcliff Luxury Sales Team

Walnut Cove Realty (WCR) has spent decades establishing relationships with luxury gated community homeowners, offering value added services and introducing likeminded individuals who enjoy the unique lifestyle that communities such as Walnut Cove and Southcliff have to offer. 

As we expand the WC Realty team to further serve the gated-communities of Western North Carolina, we are pleased to welcome the WC Realty Southcliff sales team Matt Payne, Sales Associate; John Ellis, Sales Associate; Bryan Smith, Sales Support Specialist; and Rebecca Dougherty, Broker-in-Charge. They have a combined six decades of real estate experience in Western North Carolina and the southeastern U.S. and are dedicated to serving the needs of the luxury gated community of Southcliff in Asheville, N.C. 

Matt Payne, Sales Associate: With over 20 years of experience in golf and private club management, Matt offers specific insight into Asheville’s luxury market as a real estate broker with Walnut Cove Realty. His areas of expertise include luxury land development and vacation and investment properties. Before joining WC Realty, Matt spent four years as the General Manager of The Cliffs at Walnut Cove.  

Originally from Southern California, he is a member of the Professional Golfers Association of America and has an innate ability to skillfully navigate the complexities of real estate transactions. Matt, his wife Devon (RN at Mission Hospital), and their two daughters (Sofia, age 9, and Stella, age 6) have made their home in the Western Carolina Mountains.

John Ellis, Sales Associate: John already had decades of experience working alongside real estate professionals and investors before earning his broker’s license to pursue his real estate passion in full. He has first-hand experience with short-term rentals and investment properties. In addition to his role as a luxury real estate broker with WC Realty, he embraces another calling as a captain at the East Asheville station of the Asheville Fire Department. As a firefighter, John has intimate knowledge of the city and surrounding areas that can’t be gained anywhere else, and his work as a captain has further reinforced John’s natural skills related to teamwork, discipline, and dependability. He approaches every meeting with an opportunity mindset. Bring him a challenge, and he’ll say, “accepted”.

Originally from South Florida, John grew up enjoying the ocean and playing a variety of sports where he learned the value of teamwork. After high school, his family moved to Western North Carolina and he fell in love with the mountains he now calls home. 

Bryan Smith, Sales Support Specialist: After retiring from a 20-year career in the U.S. Navy, Bryan started anew in the real estate industry. He initially joined WC Realty in 2017 as a Sales Support Specialist supporting the company’s Realty Visit program before moving to the same role at The Cliffs Mountain region. He rejoined WC Realty in 2021 in the role of Agent Services supporting the WC Realty team. He and his wife, Phyllis, have been married for more than 25 years and have two miniature pinschers named Dottie and Daisy. As a couple, the Northeastern boy and Deep South girl split the difference and now call Western North Carolina home, residing in the beautiful community of Lake Adger in Mill Spring, N.C.

Bryan enjoys the abundance of outdoor activities in the area including kayaking, golfing, and is committed to revisiting the skydiving days of his youth, a sport introduced by his father, a Korean War veteran who formed one of the first skydiving clubs in Western Pennsylvania. Bryan is thrilled to be part of the WC Realty Southcliff team and serve the needs of this unique, vibrant community.

Rebecca Dougherty, Broker-in-Charge and Sales Associate: With more than 30 years of experience in the real estate industry, Rebecca earned her broker’s license in 1988, and has built a dynamic career with real estate expertise that spans the full scope of experience as both a buyer and investor. Rebecca joined WC Realty in 2019 following a shift in focus to raising her three children. She brings high energy and an inquisitive perspective to every relationship, both personally and professionally. 

As an Asheville native, Rebecca has watched the city transform into the gem it is today, and loves sharing her local knowledge of the area with her clients. An avid hiker, and aspiring tennis player, when there is an opportunity to get outside and enjoy a game or the challenge of a local trail, she’s in! 

With meticulous attention to detail, and a penchant for sesquipedalian tendencies, it comes as no surprise to Rebecca that her journey includes a career focused on helping others achieve their dreams. She is excited to provide full brokerage service as the Broker in Charge and Sales Associate of WC Realty Southcliff in Fairview, NC.

Southcliff is an award-winning 400+ acre, gated mountain community located on the south face of Cedar Cliff Mountain just 7.5 miles from Downtown Asheville, NC. With home elevations ranging from 2500 to 3900 ft., and 165 acres of protected green space, this inviting community committed to conservancy and preserved acreage, blends mountain values, scenic beauty, luxurious living and a sense of community.

The addition of the WC Realty Southcliff sales team follows the company’s success with its innovative WC Realty Luxury Spec Home Program, which creates and delivers high-quality, customizable inventory for clients seeking luxury homes in Western North Carolina. In Southcliff, WC Realty partners with their preferred Builders to dramatically abbreviate today’s time consuming traditional custom-build process, resulting in satisfied buyers who can more quickly enjoy all that Western North Carolina has to offer. 

WC Realty sold ten Luxury Spec Homes in 2021. Currently, 22 spec homes are in various stages of production, from design to construction. In addition to The Cliffs at Walnut Cove, spec homes are also being built in The Ramble and Southcliff.

The WC Realty luxury real estate specialists at Southcliff serve clients out of the Southcliff sales office located at 10 Southcliff Pkwy, Fairview, NC 28730.