Great Room with 2-Story High Ceilings and Wall of Windows with Lake Views
Great Room
Rustic Formal Dining Room
Professional Chefs Kitchen
Commercial 6-Burner Range/Oven
8' Island with Granite
Master Bedroom Opens to Lake
Large Recreation/Billiard Room on Main
One of the Upstairs Suites
View of House and Lake From Driveway
View of Driveway from Gated Entrance
3-Car Garage
Spectacular Sunset Views
Outdoor Lighting Enhances the Sunset Views!
View of Home from Dock
View of Home from Shoreline
View of Home at Sunset
Description
Imagine waking up every morning to expansive views of Lake Norman, brewing a cup of coffee in your professional chef's kitchen and settling into a rocking chair to soak in the peace and natural beauty of one of the most spectacular lakes in the entire country!
Or, imagine coming home in the evening to share a glass of wine with family or friends on your covered dock gazebo or even out in your boat, enjoying your spectacular sunset views of the lake.
Nestled on .79 acres of beautiful mature trees and landscaping, this remodeled Dutch Colonial home enjoys 216' for shoreline with year-round deep water. With 6 bedrooms, 4 of which have their own private bathrooms, this home offers a variety of living options for a wide variety of lifestyles with myriad ways to enjoy living on the beautiful shoreline of Lake Norman!
Empty nesters could enjoy hosting multiple family and friends while having options for home offices or other special hobbies/interests without loosing their sense of privacy.
A large family could make use of all of the bedrooms with no fighting over bathrooms!
A smaller family might make the upstairs rooms into a childs' paradise with TV and activity rooms and even computer rooms for quiet study.
Singles or couples have 5 rooms upstairs for friends, roommates, media rooms, home offices, hobbies and/or family visits all the while enjoying their own space in the downstairs master wing.
Vacation Station, our Lake Norman summer rental company, estimated that the weekly summer rental for this home would range from $2000 - $2600 per WEEK! As a second/vacation home this is a great bonus.
Are you a car enthusiast? (We have many here in Race City USA). The 1150 square foot heated and air conditioned 3-car garage offers an incredible opportunity for a year-round workshop and pleny of space for all of yourr tools and equipement.
If recreation/outdoor sports and boating are your thing, the two boat slips, your own boat ramp and large garage provide plenty of space for boats, Jetskiis, kayaks, mountain bikes, ATVs, and all of the lake toys you can imagine!
Finally, if you love to cook and entertain like the current seller who is a pastry chef, your professional kitchen, expansive downstairs which opens to large patios, hot tub, gazebo, lovely gardens and the dock gazebo are an entertainers paradise!
The Big Indian Loop neighborhood is so loved by the residents that many try to stay on the street when planning to trade up or down. It is a quiet street with lots of trees well located for easy access to the I-77 and shopping.
Truly an opportunity to enjoy the best of Lake Norman living!
Every year at this time the Lake Norman area comes alive with pumpkin patches, Halloween festivities for all ages and homes decorated to welcome all of our young trick -or -treaters.
If you are in search of a pumpkin patch or Halloween festivities in and around our Mooresville and Lake Norman area, here are a few ideas:
Carrigan Farms: Open 9-5 weekdays, 9-4 Saturday and 12-4 Sundays through Halloween. Pick a pumpkin, visit the animals and have some fresh apple cider. There are even hayrides every 15 minutes and special old-fashioned night time hay rides too! 1261 Oak Ridge Farm Highway/N.C.150, Mooresville.
Patterson Farm: Pumpkin patch is open with tours through Nov. 6th and on weekends don't miss Paw Paw Carl's Palyground where you can enjoy hayrides, a corn pit, Tomato Slingshot, Duck Races and more! See their website for more details.
Sixth Annual Boy Scout Pumpkin Patch: Pumpkins and gourds of all shapes and sizes. 17115 Kenton Drive, Cornelius
The Great Pumpkin Patch for Missions: Pumpkins, decorative corn, gourds and more! Davidson United Methodist Church: 233 S. Main Street. Davidson.
Or, just look to any of our many local produce stands like Josh's Produce Market on Williamson Road who are brimming over with pumpkins and decorations for your Lake Norman home!
Of course, it would not be Halloween without some fun, and even spooky events for all ages.
The Amazing Maize Maze at Rural Hill In Huntersville is going green this year! Open now through November1st, they have daily hours plus they are open for "Flashlight Mazes" on October 23rd and 31st! My daughter and I went several years ago and had a great time but do wear comfortable shoes and allow enough time and energy to discover all of the clues to make it through the maze successfully! If you need help, the have volunteers perched high on watch towers there to give you some hints.
t1 tapas in Birkdale Village is hosting The Spooktacular Halloween Bash to benefit Loaves & Fish on Friday, October 23rd, Tickets are $35 in advance or $45 at the door. Call 704.895.4373 for detail. They are also having a "Trick or Treat Weekend Oct 30 - 31st. Come and enjoy all the amazing new multi-media and enjoy Halloween cuisine and "wicked drink specials".
Downtown Mooresville Annual Halloween Treat for Families: 3-5pm Oct. 30. Downtown will be crawling with little ghosts and goblins as businesses hand out candy and treats. 3 - 5pmPumpkin Carving Contest, photographs of children in costumes and trick or treating for kids.
Downtown Davidson's Halloween March on Main Steet in Davidson 5-7pm. Free. Costumed characters of all ages are invited to march!
Howl-O-Ween Bash: Join Pet PALS for their first ever Howl-O-Ween bash at the new hit nightclub, Halo at the NC Music Factory. Enjoy appetizers, drink specials and dancing all to support the Humane Society of Charlotte. While costumes aren't required, they are encourged. We hope you can come out for a howling good time! Halo 820 Hamilton St Suite A2 Charlotte, NC 28206 704-246-1752 .
Loooking for something REALLY SPOOKY? So SPOOKY that they do not recommend it for children 12 and under? Check out Forbidden Farms!:
If you have been following the national real estate business news this past month, these are just some of the comments/headlines you might have read:
"Credit shortage has strangled recovery; households are in bunkers under collapsed net worth, and not coming out until home values are safe." (Lou Barnes, Inman News)
"The jumbo loan mod ‘pipe dream'" (Bernice Ross Inman News)
‘Mortgage Delinquencies - The Coming Storm....While subprime mortgages sparked the first round of housing problems two years ago, now troubles are lurking further up the food chain...White-collar job losses have accelerated while more adjustable-rate loans to prime borrowers are resetting to higher payments..." (Chief US Economist at MFR Inc. Joshua Shapiro)
"Credit Woes to Threaten Housing Recovery?" (Consumer New and Advice and RISMEDIA)
"Across the country, homebuilders and developers are reporting a deterioration in credit availability and intensifying pressure on borrowers with outstanding loans." (National Association of Home Builders Chairman Joe Robson)
At the same time the National Association of Realtors report a record 7 straight months of pending home sales increases. It is truly impossible to find any consensus on the future of the US housing market.
However, by taking a look at our local numbers we can have a better understanding the current Lake Norman real estate market and home sales trends and glean potential mini-trends from these.
Lake Norman's September Housing Statistics
Active Listings continue to decline (3.7%), this is a important part of our Lake Norman housing recovery. Again, note the average price of our active listings when compared to the average price of our solds this past month. Our high-end market is still suffering in part due to the difficulty getting jumbo loans.
Contingent Sales are up slightly compared to the 14 in August. These are the homes under contract that are contingent upon the buyer's home selling
Conditional Sales are also up slightly compared to 54 in August. This confirms that recent activity remains at about the same level as last month
Pending sales dropped slightly compared to 91 in August. This would further confirm that we might expect October closed sales to be about equal to September.
The number of closed sales jumped 25% compared to August but dropped about 5% when compared to September 2008. If we stay equal to 2008 winter sales we will experience a significant slow down. The fact that October looks about equal to this past month indicates we might actually have stronger 4th quarter sales than 2008. While this is relatively good news, it is hard to predict past October at this point.
5-Year Comparison of Lake Norman Home Sales By Month
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
January
27
69
87
102
105
February
40
50
105
98
88
March
55
71
151
153
136
April
65
90
120
143
152
May
66
90
152
182
157
June
87
82
169
227
172
July
90
101
147
166
191
August
62
76
144
180
233
September
78
82
105
135
163
October
66
98
117
184
November
46
84
88
145
December
62
64
132
134
Totals:
570
901
1489
1704
1873
* Please note that all of my numbers come from the Charlotte Region Multiple Listing Service and will not include sales that took place outside of our MLS.
**I have made an adjustment of the totals reflecting the ACTUAL sales every month in 2009 and the totals in the prior calendar year.
Summary
Overall it is my opinion that sales may be a bit stronger in our fourth quarter compared to last year. Granted, we are up against some very weak sales but it does appear we may experience some improvement.
One of the most important trends to watch right now are the prices ranges of Lake Norman homes that are selling. Of the 78 homes that sold last month, only 20 were above $500,000. First-time buyers are taking advantage of the $8,000 rebate and most other Lake Norman home buyers are gobbling up the foreclosures and other bargains that are now available. Some foreclosures are priced as much as 50% of the price they sold in 2005 or their original listing price.
Based upon our September sales we currently have 18.5 months of active listings which is 3 times the 6-month levels of a balanced housing market. We are still clearly in a buyers' market. It is so hard to predict what will happen if the $8,000 credit is not extended and the "shadow inventory" of potential foreclosures come to fruition.
In the next week or so I will do my 3rd quarter sales analysisby price range to provide greater insight into our Lake Norman real estate market.
October is truly one of my favorite months on Lake Norman. The skies are crisp and clear, the temperatures mild (today's high is 75) and the Lake Norman shoreline becomes ablaze with color. Our trees are just beginning to change but over the next four weeks the Dogwoods will turn a deep red, then the Maples and other trees follow, each with their own spectacular series of colors.
To make this your desktop calendar, go to: Lake Norman Real Estate, click on the round button at the top of this site's home page entitled: "Lake Norman Calendar"and up will come an image of my Lake Norman photo wallpaper calender for September 2009. All you have to do is right click and select "set as background". Enjoy!
While I have great fun taking pictures of Lake Norman, I would love to use one of your favorite photos depicting life here in Lake Norman!. If you'd like to submit a photo for a future calendar, please send it to...
Imagine what it would be like to have to breath through a straw. That is how one of my clients' daughters, who has severe asthma, describes how she feels when she is exposed to even the slightest bit of toxins in the air...including the ingredients in popular air fresheners and scented candles. While I was recently showing her family some Lake Norman waterfront homes, she had two serious asthma attacks triggered by just that. Each time it took her over a day to recover from just seconds of exposure to an air freshener or lingering cigarette smoke.
I must admit, despite my avid focus on "green" or "high performance" housing in Lake Norman I don't think I totally grasped the seriousness of indoor air quality until I met this family. It is one thing to learn about the latest low or no VOC (Volatile Organic compounds) paint products and the amount of organic gases like Formaldehyde that are emitted from such solid and liquids as hardwood floors, cabinets, sealers, paints, pressed wood products...the list goes on and on. It is quite another to watch this young woman gasping for air.
The good news is that indoor air quality is an important part of the "green" housing movement nationally and right here in Lake Norman. So much so, that the US Environmental Protection Agency recently created Indoor airPLUS which is designed to work in partnership with their more well known ENERGY STAR program. Just as ENERGY STAR is an accreditation program for energy efficiency, Indoor airPLUS is a program designed to encourage home builders to "employ a variety of construction practices and technologies in their new homes to help address" such air quality issues as:
Moisture Control
Radon Control
Pest Management
HVAC
Ventilation and Filtration
Combustion Venting
Building Materials
At the Indoor airPLUS's first outreach webinar they explained that 19% of US households have a member with Asthma, 40% of households have a member with a respiratory problem and that they have found that typical indoor air chemical pollution levels may be 2-5 times higher than what is considered "safe" levels.
Including these pollutants and sources of indoor air pollution:
Asbestos
Biological Pollutants
Carbon Monoxide
Formaldehyde/Pressed Wood Products
Household Cleaning and Maintenance, Personal Care, or Hobbies
Lead
Nitrogen Dioxide
Pesticides
Radon
Respirable Particles
Secondhand Smoke/Environmental Tobacco Smoke
Stoves, Heaters, Fireplaces, and Chimneys
So, how does a home in our Lake Norman area earn the Indoor AirPlus label? "A home must first be designed to earn the ENERGY STAR label, the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency. By adding up to 30 additional home design and construction features, an Indoor airPLUS qualified home helps protects residents..." from indoor air pollution. During the Lake Norman home-building process testers or "HERS" raters will visit the build site and verify the required construction specifications. The Indoor airPLUS label will be placed on the electrical panel along with the ENERGY STAR label when it has passed the certification process.
Knowledgeable Lake Norman "green" home builders view ENERGY STAR ratings as the lowest/less stringent when compared to such "green" rating systems as North Carolina's Healthy Built Homes, the National Association of Home Builders Green Home Building Guidelines and the very toughest LEED certified homes. However, while ENERGY STAR and Indoor airPLUS may not be as comprehensive as these, I am excited to be an early Lake Norman supporter or "ally" of the new Indoor airPLUS program in hopes that it will lead to an increased focus on indoor air quality throughout the building industry and by consumers both here in the Lake Norman area and throughout the country.
The future of our Lake Norman Real Estate market may depend as much on government and financial regulations and the progress of the US economy as it does on our local economy. Nationally, the housing market has been greatly impacted by new regulations that have made the ability to get home loans much more difficult. Since we rely so much on relocation buyers, Lake Norman's housing market gets hit twice, once with the difficulty of folks wanting to relocate here having problems selling their homes and once because our potential Lake Norman home buyers are having a hard time getting loans on purchases. Here is a summary of some of the details related to our Lake Norman housing market:
The Home Valuation Code of Conduct rules employed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac since May 1, 2009 for home appraisers have had such a negative affect on the national housing market that the National Association of REALTORS, The Mortgage Bankers Association and the National Association of Home Builders have united in an effort to get the federal government to "establish consistent appraisal rules for FHA and the GSEs" (Fannie and Freddie) and gain official clarification of these new appraisal rules".
Is the FHA (Federal Housing Administration) in trouble? Rumors have been flying about whether the FHA is running out of reserves due to mortgage losses. According to a recent press release, the FHA "will tighten credit standards and implement new rules for appraisals on January 1, 2010″. They went on to say "FHA's insurance fund is sufficient to cover future losses, but the tighter policies will ensure that the loan guarantee remain self-sustaining...." (David H. Stevens, FHA Commissioner).
The Federal Reserve will stretch out mortgage purchases according to their news release yesterday. This means they will continue to purchase mortgage-backed securities that have helped keep mortgage rates low by extending the $1.25 trillion program's sunset from the end of 2009 to March of 2010. Good news!
The First-Time Home Buyer $8000 rebate expires November 30th. There are some efforts to get this extended but they don't seem to be getting traction.
A new bill was signed into law in North Carolina several weeks ago that is meant to stem the foreclosure rates. The legislation requires a court clerk to determine whether a mortgage holder has been able to talk to their lender about working out a way to pay the loan and whether the lender has given the mortgage holder sufficient notice before trying to foreclose. "This legislation allows time for loan modifications" according the NC Attorney General Roy Cooper.
From the trenches I can tell you that home loans and appraisals have been and continue to be a significant problem here in the Lake Norman housing market. Lenders are now having to use third-party appraisal management companies to hire appraisers who in many cases are not experienced in the area of in which they are appraising properties. Underwriters are taking second looks at the loan packages as late as the day of closing leading to days of delayed closings. Most feel this is because the underwriters are afraid that the loan they approve many not be saleable to mortgage purchasers like Fannie and Freddie.
Where is our Lake Norman real estate market today? I just took a quick look at our September month-to-date numbers on our MLS. With 39 closed sales so far this month, it looks like our September sales will be down from both last month and last year. However, the pending and conditional home sales look a bit stronger so we may see a slight increase in closed sales in October. Our inventory remains about the same as last month. According to an article in the Charlotte Observer on September 10th the entire Charlotte area saw some positive signs. However, Mecklenburg County "saw sales and prices down 12% " and "Iredell's average price decline of 17% was the biggest" of all of the counties. (Compared to 2008).
Where is the Lake Norman housing market heading? Some of my savvy home buyers have jumped off the fence and are actively looking and buying. This is because they feel there is a window of opportunity this fall. With high inventories and dropping prices, sellers may be psychologically feeling more anxious than they will be when Spring comes and they have renewed hope that the market will improve. With interest rates back down to about 5%, I would have to agree that this fall may be a good time to make a move.
Sometimes I wish I didn't have to write posts like this one. I remember when buying a home was about just that, finding the right property in which to enable a family to create their dream home...not an investment. Some home buyers still feel this way but most care more than ever about the pricing and timing of their purchase.
Meet The Red Baron. He is one of the "Wiener"Run competitors in Mooresville this Saturday, September 27, 2009. His training program is so stealth like that you might think he is sleeping but it is truly a cunning act to make the other Dachshunds think he is out of shape.
Like most folks, I always underestimated these small yet energetic dogs until I attended the annual Dachshund race in Mooresville. It was truly amazing! There were Dachshunds of all colors, sizes, and ages everywhere.
It turns out the races are quite serious, depending on the "age bracket". The puppies tend to wander out of the starting box looking absolutely adorable but totally confused. The older dogs for the most part truly get the whole idea and run to their excited owners who are yelling at them from the finish line. Here is a photo I took last year of the race in action:
This truly is a great way to spend your Saturday morning, especially since the weather won't be great for going out on Lake Norman. Plus, all of the proceeds go to the Lake Norman Animal Rescue, a non-profit organization who is raising funds for the future Lake Norman Animal Shelter.
The Facts:
Date: September 27, 2009
Time: Registration begins at 9:30, races begin at 11:00am. Get there early to get a good spot along the fence!
Location: The public parking lot on Broad Street at Iredell Avenue in Historic Downtown Mooresville
Race Entrance Fee: $10
Who: All dachshunds are eligible and will race according to age.
Besides the actual races there will be pet vendors, "I was there" T-shirts and all sorts of fun things. Remember, this is a great cause! For more information: lknweinerrun@gmail.com
Walking into Mooresville's lavendar BOUTIQUE you might just think you were suddenly transplanted to a shop on Rodeo Dr. in Beverly Hills or New York City except for one big difference: you will instantly feel welcome by the warm and friendly "shop girls" . Designer fashion with Southern hospitality, what could be better?
There is no doubt that Lake Norman has a casual, lake lifestyle. That is why lavendar BOUTIQUE's emphasis on designer denim is both smart and successful. Transplants like myself (from California) who have adopted Lake Norman's wonderfully casual ways still want our favorite brand of jeans and we don't have to drive to South Park to find them!
Neatly stacked by size in the "jean cube" as well as throughout the store you will find such designer labels as:
7 Diamonds, AG Denim, Citizens of Humanity, Da-Nang, Ella Moss, Generra, Gorjana, Hudson Jeans, Invisibelt, J Brand, Joe's Jeans, Motif 56, Paige Premium Denim, Rock and Republic, Seven for all Mankind, Splendid, Susana Monaco, Tart, Taverniti So Denim, True Religion, Theory and more.
Located right next door to the Red Eye Martini Bar and Indigo Joes in the Mooresville Town Square, lavendar BOUTQUE was created by local resident/owner Sherry Pollex to fulfill her dream of owning the first and only men and women's designer boutique in the Lake Norman area where she not only offers clothing not readily found outside of South Park but a shopping experience second to none.
From a glass of wine to assistance by a personal shopper, a visit to lavendar BOUTIQUE is truly a treat.
Today Sherry helped me pick out several pairs of jeans, pinned the hems and arranged for them to be hemmed and back to the boutique for me in just a few days. Instead of driving all the way to South Park and back I spent all of half and hour and ended up with exactly what I wanted!
If Sherry is on the road with boyfriend and NASCAR NEXTEL Cup driver Martin Truex, Jr., co-owner and sister Jill and all of their knowledgeable "shop girls" are there to help you too.
Lake Norman is an incredible place to live, particularly if you own a waterfront home or a boat. But, what if you want to go sailing or rowing on Lake Norman and you don't have a boat? Thanks to the generosity and passion of some local sailors and rowers, North Carolina Community Sailing and Rowing, a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization working in partnership with Mecklenburg County and Cornelius Parks & Rec Departments, recently opened to the public offering sailing and rowing programs on Lake Norman for all ages and abilities.
What is great about this new Lake Norman sailing and rowing program is that the boats and equipment are provided by the center thanks to the generous donations of many Lake Norman area residents and businesses. All one needs to do is sign-up, pay a very reasonable fee for a season pass and you are on your way to learning how to sail and/or row. The center is conveniently located on Lake Norman at Blythe Landing in Cornelius.
Fall Lake Norman sailing and rowing programs are underway but it is not too late to join!
A friend of mine and I have started the rowing classes which are held on Saturday mornings. There are three classes depending on your age and experience: Masters, Adult Novice and Juniors. This photo was taken of the juniors out on the first day. The boats we are using hold 8 rowers but they also have sculls for different sizes. Learning the technical skills to row successfully as an 8-person team is challenging but really really fun!
Because NC Community Sailing and Rowing is a fledgling non-profit they are looking for financial donations as well as more boats and equipment so that they can offer a full schedule of classes on Lake Norman in the Spring.
As fall arrives it is time to say goodbye to some of my favorite activities during the summer in Lake Norman: Farmers' Markets. Soon the canopies will be taken down all around the lake and simple signs will be put up saying "See you in the Spring!". While there will be several special weekends in Davidson for the holidays, for the most part it is time to say good bye to our farmers' markets and fresh produce stands until 2010!
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
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