Into Cycling? Thinking about it?

There may be no better time in the Lake Norman area to get moving!

 

The sport is growing and experts say reasons range from stress relief to finding alternatives to gas guzzling cars.

Those that already enjoy cycling are excited about the recent developments ranging from new mountain biking terrain to a proposed cycling network.

The Itusi trail is a 13 mile rolling single track mountain bike trail located at Lake Norman State Park in Troutman, NC.  The trail is laid out along the contours of Lake Norman and is appropriate for all skill levels.  Beginner riders can enjoy a leisurely ride on the 4 mile Hawk Loop while experienced riders can ride the current 13 miles in under an hour.

Whether you are a beginner or experienced rider in the Lake Norman area, check out this trail at Lake Norman  State Park, just north of Charlotte NC. 

See Also: Tarheel Trailblazers, Charlotte NC’s premier Mountain Biking Club.

If you ever need assistance with area Real Estate, please feel free to contact YOUR Lake Norman Agent at 704 451 7051.

I am working with a client that just has had an experience for the books.  This whole situation has changed my thinking entirely.

First let me say that I will not mention anyone or any company by name, but I will mention that my client contacted one of the big banks by filling out an online application.

The fun just began.  Client gets call from what we think is a salesperson in California.  (Oh, and I thought we were in the Charlotte and Lake Norman areas) After a few conversations, this person working for the bank sends my client a ‘pre-qualification letter’ and tells them to go find a home!  

So… we go find a home. I purposely put the close date 60 days out because in this lending environment, you just never know.   Seller agrees to the contract but asks to move the close date.  Big bank salesperson, says absolutely no problem.  Contract gets signed on Friday.

Monday, big bank turns client down.  Big bank tells client ‘ We are not a credit reporting agency’ and refuses (no refuses with attitude) to even discuss why!

And OH BY THE WAY:  She had to get a referral and release from her current landlord of 6 years.  THANKS BIG BANK! 

So. What is an agent to do.  I called the person that can get things done if they can be done!  I will provide her website below.  She is on vacation,  crap!  However, being the person she is, she calls my client, has her do an application and to make this short, has her on a 60 day plan that will get her the loan.

 I am against going online randomly to find a lending institution.  There is no personal touch and certainly no real motivation to go the extra mile.  It is not about personal relationships with the big banks.  It, obviously from this experience, is about volume.

So, if you have a real estate agent and they recommend some lenders they work with, remember there is a reason they have recommend them.  It is about getting the job done and building and retaining relationships.  We DO NOT get kick backs for making these recommendations.  We do, however, help get families in homes!

If you want  a home with a personal touch, contact your Lake Norman Agent at 704 451 7051!

 Want someone that actually takes the time to help?  Visit one of my favorite lenders here! She can help you in Charlotte, Lake Norman and the entire viewing area!

From Huntersville Web Site:

Forbes Magazine recently announced America’s 25 Best Places to Move and the Town of Huntersville was 2nd on their list.

Forbes’ article highlighted the hot spots across the country for companies and their employees to re-locate.

“Relovilles,” as the article calls them are destinations for periodic relocation of major corporations to young, mid- and upscale suburbs near company headquarters and office parks in major cities such as Charlotte, Raleigh and Atlanta among others.

To locate America’s best places to move, Forbes looked at “Relovilles” with populations of 25,000 and over. Forbes used data from 2000 to 2007 Census records to identify the hot spots for places where people were born out of state or abroad, who had moved to town from a considerable distance within one and five years, and who had moved for a job.

Forbes also noted that the top 25 Relovilles that emerged from the analysis generally have twice the incomes, twice the home values and home sizes, twice the college degrees, twice as many youth and half as many elderly among other factors. The relative strength of the Charlotte housing market during the economic downturn was also referenced as a factor that could have contributed to Huntersville’s high ranking.

Buzzwords such as “tree-lined neighborhoods” “charm” and “small-town feel” were associated with many of the 25 communities identified.

Check out All About Birkdale Village in Huntersville!

To Sellers:

My name is Roby Robertson and I am the broker/owner of Real Living In Style. I have access to a team of investors who are activly seeking to purchase homes in the area within the next 60 days.  The Lake Norman and Charlotte areas have been identified as a prime area to meet their objectives.

 

Are you  worried about losing your home to foreclosure? 

Have you missed a few payments?

If you have any interest in selling, please call me at 704 451 7051 let me know how we might help.

Here are some facts and questions you might need to know and answer.

1.  Have you exhausted all your options at trying to fix the existing situation.  We can give you advice in ideas to try and fix things first.

2.  Your credit is affected by a short sale.  Don’t let anyone tell you a short sales saves your credit. However, a short sale is better than foreclosure.

3.  Investors with experience have a far better chance of negotiating a short sale then a real estate agent.

4.  A short sale is a 3 step process that we can explain in detail and let you decide for yourself.

5.  The investors have access to have closed over short sale 400 transactions over the last 6 years. Check them out here.

6.  I do NOT represent the investors, I represent YOU!

If you are looking at alternatives, please give your Charlotte and Lake Norman Area Agent at 704 451 7051 and I will explain the whole process with no obligation on your part.  I can work in the entire Lake Norman and Charlotte areas with this process.

Did you know?

A short sale is less damaging to your credit than a foreclosure.  A seller’s credit is compromised for up to 10 years for a short sale or foreclosure.  However if a seller uses a short sale process, he only has to wait 2 years to apply for a Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae loan.  If a seller goes through foreclosure, he/she has to wait 5 years.

Not only does this 3 level, 3 bedroom, 2 full baths, 2 half bath 2500 sq. ft home show like a model, IT IS THE MODEL HOME FOR THE COMMUNITY!
Just North of Charlotte NC and convenient to I77, Birkdale Village and Lake Norman, this home and area really does have it all!

To see more information and pictures on this beautiful home visit this Cornelius NC Home Here!

Looking for Waterfront Living on our great Lake Norman?
Here are some statistics that may be of interest to you!

Currently there are 54 homes listed for sale as waterfront with boat slip/floating dock priced up to 500,000.

This price range has homes from $249K for a single wide trailor to larger homes listed up to 500K.

Price from 500K to 600K there are also 54 homes for sale. These homes come in all shapes and sizes and various lengths of waterfrontage and depth of water.  It is important to note note that some of these may be older or small and perfect for vacation homes or rentals.  Typically if the home is small or a manufatured home, the real value is in the waterview or frontage which makes for great potential.

The larger homes may be beautiful but also could possibly be in a cove where the water is not as good but access to the lake still exists.

Priced between 600,001 and 700,000 there are 58 homes listed for sale Lake Norman!

Priced between 700,001 and 900,000 there are 93 homes listed for sale on Lake Norman!

Priced between 900,001 and 1,100,000 there 55 homes listed for sale on Lake Norman!

UNBELIEVABLY there are 202 Waterfront homes listed for sale on Lake Norman priced from 1,100,000 and above with the highest priced home being 8,000,000 for 90 acres of luxury for a home previously owned by a NASCAR driver!

As of July 7, 2009 there have been 56 Lake Norman waterfront homes sold with the average days on the market being 166 and the average sold price to list price is 93%

Want a list of homes emailed directly to you?  Contact your Lake Norman Agent at 704 451 7951.

Want to Search on your Own and also set up a watch for when homes sell?  Join our Home Buyer Marketing Website!

Happy July 4th Lake Norman from Real Living In Style

To see an events calendar check out Lake Norman Savings.  Click on Lake Norman Event Calendar

Dedicated to Results in the Lake Norman area!

Recently we had a home to sale that was, in all honesty, a difficult sell.  Being one that dedicated to results, we decided that one of the best ways to market the home was to show prospective buyers what can be done to renovate and/or upgrade the home at a reasonable price.

Bring in Fisher Custom Homes.  I have partnered with the owners of this company for various reasons, not the least or which is professionalism, honesty and integrity.

Here is what you get when trying to sell your home that may be a little older and challenging to sell.

You get the dedication of a fulltime Lake Norman area agent as well as a team of professionals committed to trying to get your home sold. 

Through Fisher Custom Homes, you also get an initial design consultation to discuss ideas on how to modernize your home.

One 18”x 24”  blueprint with foam backing and easel to display with marketing materials in your home for prospective buyers.

Master copies & PDF versions of legal and letter sized blueprints to provide buyers with portable versions of your renovation plans.

Up to twenty 3-D design views for easier understanding of design concepts and a strong visual tool to help buyers visualize how they will live in their new home.

One open house consultation- Brian Fisher, Owner of Fisher Custom Homes & Renovations will attend one open house with the listing agent to consult prospective buyers on possible changes for your home.  This will provide hands on access to a general contractor and make the buyer’s vision for their new home even easier to realize.  Additional open house consultations are available for an additional charge.

Free Estimate for renovation services, plus a 5% discount on renovations for design service customers when you list with a Real Living Agent.

If you have any questions about Lake Norman area Real Estate contact your Lake Norman Real Living agent at 704 451 7051.

For new construction or home renovations, visit Fisher Custom Homes.

The “Cap and Trade” bill that passed the House of Congress last Friday has a special provision in it that Lake Norman and Charlotte Real Estate Investors will just “love”. If the bill passes the senate as written, the Investors in Real Estate will have new higher hurdles to climb. The bill contains language that will mandate an EPA inspection on any home or office building and that inspection will require that the home must meet current EPA standards for energy efficiency. So, if you are buying homes in disrepair, you essentially cannot buy those homes from banks or other investors unless and until the home is brought up to EPA mandated standards for energy efficiency. You will also be required to have energy efficient appliances in the home as well as energy efficient windows and doors.  The things you were going to fix when you bought it and the reason for your discount on the property at purchase? Your discount is going to be mandated out and so will the idea of buying cheap, fixing, and selling will be moot.

This bold-ed comment could affect everyone and anyone selling a home!

As if all of that isn’t bad enough, the EPA standards will require that your home is fully up to a federalized building code before selling. The source of the federal building code?  California’s building code.  The state that is about to go bankrupt because it has overspent its budget? 

Not sure how the California building code differs from ours in the Lake Norman and Charlotte areas but it sounds kind of scary to me! Now, I am for cleaning up the environment but these steps seem to go too far especially now. 

Read more about the Cap Trade Bill in this post!

These comments are based on my understanding.  If you are a real estate investor, my advice is to look into this further and if you agree it will affect your efforts adversely, please contact your senators!

As always if you are interested in Lake Norman and Charlotte area real estate, please contact your Lake Norman Area Agent at 704 451 7051.

Hey Lake Norman Home Seekers, I will say it again:  Buying a bigger home doesn’t necessarily mean spending more money!

According to our local multiple listing service, in our highest growths in value, waterfront homes were increasing in value at a huge rate that was not sustainable.

As would be expected, this category of home would also have the farthest and biggest opportunity to loose value. During the height of growth, the average waterfront home sold for about $300 per square foot. According to today’s statistics the average waterfront homes are now selling at about $200 per square foot.

As I wrote the other day, there are 37 homes on the water with a floating dock for sale under $500,000. In the past, this would not have been possible, unless the home was in bad repair and the value was just in the water frontage.  It was not unusual to see vacant lots selling from $400,000 into the millions.  For now, at least, those days are gone!

Pack the boxes!

The same opportunities exist for homes off the water that exist on.  As you may know by now, Lake Norman is surrounded by 4 counties, Mecklenburg, Catawba, Lincoln and Iredell. All of these areas have been affected by the price decreases. However, places like Mooresville and Cornelius had the biggest growth and has had the farthest to fall and they have. We have seen more short sales and foreclosures in these areas than we have ever seen before.

If you thought the Lake Norman area was out of your price range for the type and size home you want and need, think again. The opportunities are out there and we are prepared and knowledge enough to help you find them.