Lake Norman Real Estate - Diane Aurit

Lake Norman Sunsets, which is best?

Lake Norman Real Estate ~ Diane Aurit (LKN Realty, LLC) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:18:51 -0600

Sun hasn't quite set. No lights on dock/pier but clear with good color

This was my photograpphers favorite shot...sun is gone and lights are on. A bit too pink for me.

Crystal clear water, great reflection and very dramatic

Here is a daytime shot for comparison

All of these photos were taken by a professional I use for my listings. Personally, I like the third one. Even though it doesn't covey the width of the water I love the reflections and the color. However, it does need to be straightened a bit.

Lake Norman October Homes Sales Report

Lake Norman Real Estate ~ Diane Aurit (LKN Realty, LLC) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:10:35 -0600

Wow, what a month this has been for not only Lake Norman real estate but our national real estate market!

Hot of the press, of course, is the big news that President Obama signed into law yesterday the newly revised and extended Homebuyer Tax Credit! Not only does this legislation extend the $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit to April 30, 2010, it also adds an exciting new provision. As of yesterday and through April 30, 2010, homeowners who have lived in their primary residence for 5 consecutive years out of the previous 8 years will be eligible for a tax credit of up to $6500 if they sell this home and have a new written purchase contract by April 30, 2010 and closing no later than July 1, 2010. This is expected to be a big boost to home sales throughout the country.

Other good news came from the Federal Reserve this week. They will keep the target rate for federal funds at zero to .25% and "continues to expect that economic conditions are likely to warrant exceptionally low levels of the federal funds rate for an extended period".

At the same time the National Association of Realtors report a record 8 straight months of pending home sales increases.

However, on the negative news side, there has been much discussion about the "shadow" inventory expected to come on the market next spring and a second round of foreclosures brought on by Option ARMS and Alt-A loans that are resetting over the next 18 months. Some are saying that this second wave of foreclosures, which for the most part are not subprime, will hit the mid-range and luxury home markets because these are loans that the middle class Americans got during the 2004-2007 time-frame. And, getting new home loans, especially jumbo, are still extremely challenging and a tedious process at best.

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. Below are our October real estate numbers for Lake Norman:

Lake Norman's October 2009 Housing Statistics

Active Listings continue to decline (4.0%). As I have written many times, this is an 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 however I am seeing some increased activity in part due to foreclosures and short sales.

Contingent Sales are down slightly compared to the 17 in September. These are the homes under contract that are contingent upon the buyer's home selling

Conditional Sales are up slightly compared to 58 in September. This confirms that recent activity remains at about the same level as last month

Pending sales dropped slightly compared to 87 in September. This would further confirm that we might expect November closed sales to be about equal to October and September which would actually be a significant improvement over November 2008.

The number of closed sales was identical to last month and a whopping 22% higher than October 2008! I am now feeling pretty confident that our fourth quarter 2009 sales will be significantly stronger than last years record lows. While this is relatively good news, it is hard to predict past November 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	78	64	98	117	184
November		46	84	88	145
December		62	64	132	134
Totals:	648	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 will definitely be stronger in our fourth quarter compared to last year. Granted, we are up against some very weak sales but I like the trend! Some of my buyers have jumped off the fence to take advantage of some incredible deals in all price ranges.

Based upon our October sales we currently have 17.7 months of active listings which is 3 times the 6-month levels of a balanced housing market however we are seeing this number improve slightly each month. Yes, Lake Norman is clearly in a buyers' market and probably will be for some time to come but we are heading in the right direction.

Related Articles

Lake Norman Real Estate's September 2009 Home Sales

Lake Norman: Important News and New Laws

Lake Norman Real Estate's August 2009 Home Sales

Lake Norman Real Estate: Why is it so hard to buy a home right now?

Lake Norman, Our Inland Sea

Lake Norman Relocation Resources

Lake Norman Sunsets Every Evening!

Lake Norman Real Estate ~ Diane Aurit (LKN Realty, LLC) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:58:55 -0600

Photo Gallery

Dutch Colonial faces the lake

Rocking Chair Front Porch

Views Looking at Gardens and Lake Norman

Lovely Lawn and Mature Trees Line Shoreline

Gazebo and Hot Tub

Large Dock and Expansive Lake Views

Large Dock With 2 Boatslips

Great Room with Rustic Stone Fireplace

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!

Features

Bedrooms:	6
Bathrooms:	6
Parking Spaces:	multiple
Year Built:	1983
Subdivision:	none
Lot Size:	.79 acres
Garage Size:	1150 sq ft
School District:	Lake Norman
Square Footage:	3939
Agent Name:	Diane B. Aurit
Broker:	LKN Realty, LLC
MLS #:	899011
Special Features:	Large Dock with 2 Boatslips
Special Features:	Professional Kitchen
Special Features:	Spectacular Waterfront with Sunset Views
Garage:	3-car, 1150 sq ft, Finished with AC!
Lot:	216' shoreline, flat, sunset views

Location

431 Big Indian Loop Mooresville NC 28117

vFlyer Id: 2932971

Lake Norman Halloween Happenings 2009

Lake Norman Real Estate ~ Diane Aurit (LKN Realty, LLC) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:03:43 -0500

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!:

Forbidden Farms

"Forbidden Farms is celebrating the 2009 season with a nightmarish collection of 5 enhanced and electrifying scare zones.

Will you escape the hordes of ghouls, monsters, maniacs and the tormented????

Can you survive the total chaos and terror of spine-tingling, blood-curdling moments in all 5 scare zones?????

Come gather around the bonfires, at the well-known Carrigan Farms Rock Quarry, before or after you enter the haunted trail!

Visit us on Facebook, become a Fan and receive special discounts and coupons."

Have a GREAT Lake Norman Halloween!!!

Lake Norman's September 2009 Home Sales

Lake Norman Real Estate ~ Diane Aurit (LKN Realty, LLC) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:32:02 -0500

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 analysis by price range to provide greater insight into our Lake Norman real estate market.

Related Articles

Lake Norman Real Estate's August 2009 Home Sales

Lake Norman Real Estate: Why is it so hard to buy a home right now?

Lake Norman Real Estate's October 2009 Calendar is here!

Lake Norman Real Estate ~ Diane Aurit (LKN Realty, LLC) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 09:50:23 -0500

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...

EPA Launches Indoor airPLUS to Increase Focus on Indoor Air Quality

Lake Norman Real Estate ~ Diane Aurit (LKN Realty, LLC) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 07:16:00 -0500

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.

For more information "The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality".

RELATED ARTICLES

Lake Norman Real Estate: How Green Is Your Home?

Lake Norman Real Estate's Business of the Week: Think Green Recycle

Lake Norman Real Estate: How to Harvest the Rain!

Lake Norman Real Estate Launches Lake Norman Green Homes!

Lake Norman Real Estate Market Overview September 2009

Lake Norman Real Estate ~ Diane Aurit (LKN Realty, LLC) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 08:41:40 -0500

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.

Other Articles of Interest

Lake Norman Real Estate's September 2009 Hot Sheet

Lake Norman Real Estate's August 2009 Sales Report

Lake Norman Real Estate: Why is it so hard to buy a home right now?

Lake Norman's 4th Annual "Wiener" Race is this Saturday!

Lake Norman Real Estate ~ Diane Aurit (LKN Realty, LLC) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:24:32 -0500

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

Other Lake Norman Articles You May Enjoy:

60 Things You Should Know About Life in Lake Norman, Part 1

60 Things You Should Know About Life in Lake Norman Part 2

60 Things You Should Know about Life in Lake Norman, Part 3

60 Things You Should Know About Life in Lake Norman Part 4

Fresh Sushi, Hush Puppies: The Scoop About Living in Mooresville Lake Norman

Lake Norman's Business of the Week: lavendar BOUTIQUE

Lake Norman Real Estate ~ Diane Aurit (LKN Realty, LLC) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:45:20 -0500

lavendar BOUTIQUE

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.

lavendar BOUTQUE

279 Williamson Road Suite f

Mooresville, 28117

704.663.2880

Monday - Friday 10am - 7pm

Saturday 10am - 5pm

Sunday hours vary with seasons

BUY LOCAL!

Lake Norman Sailing and Rowing is Now Available to All!

Lake Norman Real Estate ~ Diane Aurit (LKN Realty, LLC) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:24:33 -0500

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.

Learn more, make a donation or sign up!

North Carolina Community Sailing and Rowing

Center Location: Blythe Landing, Cornelius

704.947.7245

Here is the Adult Novice Group

(I am the second from the back!)

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Speechless Sunday in Lake Norman

Lake Norman Real Estate ~ Diane Aurit (LKN Realty, LLC) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 07:49:43 -0500

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!

Lake Norman Real Estate's September 2009 Hot Sheet

Lake Norman Real Estate ~ Diane Aurit (LKN Realty, LLC) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 07:33:54 -0500

September 15, 2009 Lake Norman Hot Sheet

Some would argue that an analysis of any two-week period in our Lake Norman real estate market is simply too short a time time frame to be meaningful. However, I have found that these monthly two-week reports, especially when put in context with the past 5 months, can actually provide us with a good pulse on trends in the Lake Norman housing market.

Today's report is a great example of this

The above chart is a summary of today's "Hot Sheet" from the Charlotte Multiple Listing Service for single family homes in all of Lake Norman (area 13). These numbers represent a real time snapshot of the past two week's activity. As always, I have included the past 5 months so that you can put these numbers in perspective.

Highlights:

New listings dropped by almost 20%. Our seasonal trends seem to be continuing with decreased activity in the fall and winter. One of the most important parts to our Lake Norman housing recovery is a decline is inventory so this is a good sign.

The number of properties that came back-on-the-market, most likely due to cancelled contracts, soared to their highest number this year. Lake Norman is continuing to experience the challenges related to obtaining home loans which probably played a big factor in having so many cancelled contracts in one two-week period.

The number of price changes dropped to their lowest number since April. Lower prices are another key component to the Lake Norman housing recovery.

Pending home sales remained stable. I actually thought we would see a decline in pending sales but unfortunately, we have not been seeing all of these sales convert to closed sales so from this chart I would predict our closed sales for September will be about equal to August and down from the July high for the year.

The number of closed sales in the past two weeks dropped 44% compared to the first two weeks in August. Add these to a good portion of the pending sales and we once again end up with about 60 closed sales in September which is about equal to August.

Overall, the Lake Norman real estate market looks to be leveling off at a rate of sales that is far below our peak years. However, if we can get our prices down far enough to entice buyers and if our level of inventory of active listings keep dropping we are certainly heading in the right direction. I have been showing a lot of property recently and there is no doubt that sellers are dropping prices and adding additional incentives to attract buyers. Bargains are attracting buyers to get off of the fence. Once the momentum shifts and buyers feel they better buy before the market turns around, I think the Lake Norman housing market will stabilize.

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Lake Norman Real Esate's Business of the Week: "lavendar BOUTIQUE"

Lake Norman Real Estate ~ Diane Aurit (LKN Realty, LLC) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 07:30:29 -0500

lavendar BOUTIQUE

Neatly stacked by size in the "jean cube" as well as throughout the store you will find such designer labels as:

From a glass of wine to assistance by a personal shopper, a visit to lavendar BOUTIQUE is truly a treat.

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.

lavendar BOUTQUE

279 Williamson Road Suite f

Mooresville, 28117

704.663.2880

Monday - Friday 10am - 7pm

Saturday 10am - 5pm

Sunday hours vary with seasons

BUY LOCAL!

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Speechless Sunday in Lake Norman

Lake Norman Real Estate ~ Diane Aurit (LKN Realty, LLC) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 16:46:31 -0500

The other day I had a client call and ask me to run over and take some photos of the "water" in front of a listing they had seen on the MLS. It was late afternoon and the water was like glass. Many times when one thinks of Lake Norman they think of the wide open water of the main channel but, in fact, this photo is more typical of the lake. While Lake Norman has 520 miles of shoreline, there are myriad coves and inlets like this one.

Lake Norman Real Estate: Foreclosures and Unemployment Numbers

Lake Norman Real Estate ~ Diane Aurit (LKN Realty, LLC) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 16:39:27 -0500

In today's real estate market, both here in the Lake Norman area as well as the entire country, economic data changes daily. This is especially true of the number of home foreclosures. And it is particularly difficult to stay on top of our local numbers as they are not as readily available.

That is why I got pretty excited when I learned about this interactive map on the National Public Radio's website: Interactive Map: The Economy Where You Live. If you click on the link a map of the United States will appear with the option to search three different numbers BY COUNTY:

Foreclosure Rates
Unemployment Rates
Median Household Income

These numbers are updated regularly so you can keep track of trends by county not only where you might be buying but where you are currently living as well.

Today's numbers for our four Lake Norman counties:

Iredell (including Mooresville, Troutman,Statesville):

Foreclosures: 1 in 1662 (one out of every 1662 homes are currently in foreclosure)
Unemployment rate: 13%

Mecklenburg (including Charlotte, Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson):

Foreclosures: 1 in 213
Unemployment rate: 11.7%

Catawba (including Sherrills Ford, Terrell, Hickory):

Foreclosures: 1 in 2479
Unemployment rate: 14.9%

Lincoln (Including Denver, Lincolnton):

Foreclosures: 1 in 1401
Unemployment rate: 14.5%

While I have included which Lake Norman cities fall in each county, it is important to know that there are many other cities in these counties, especially Mecklenburg which includes the greater Charlotte metropolitan area. It is clear that the more densely populated areas in Mecklenburg County are experiencing a much greater number of foreclosures than the other counties surrounding Lake Norman.

In a report released by RealtyTrac today, the foreclosure related filings in August were ranked by state, the worst being:

Nevada: 1 in 62
Florida: 1 in 140
California: 1 in 144
Arizona: 1 in 150
Michigan: 1 in 234

According to this report, one in every 357 U.S. homes was subjected to a foreclosure-related filing in August.

Overall, the Lake Norman area is doing considerably better than the country but the numbers are not currently trending in a positive direction.

I plan on checking these maps on a regular basis to watch for changes!

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Speechless Sunday in Lake Norman

Lake Norman Real Estate ~ Diane Aurit (LKN Realty, LLC) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 09:43:47 -0500

Fall in in the air, the skies are bright blue and the tips of the maple tress are just beginning to turn a warm yellow color. Before long Lake Norman will be ablaze with every possible shade of red, orange and yellows with a few evergreens mixed in. I took this photo last year when celebrating a recent rain storm that brought much needed water to our lake.

Lake Norman Real Estate's August 2009 Sales Analysis

Lake Norman Real Estate ~ Diane Aurit (LKN Realty, LLC) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:51:59 -0500

If you have been following the national real estate news about pending sales being on an upward trend as well as closed home sales in some states, you might have an overall sense that we have hit bottom and are slowly but consistently improving. But, we need to keep in mind that we always have a seasonal increase in sales monthly from April through July. Locally our August numbers took a significant dip. It will be very interesting to see the national housing numbers for August when they are released.

I have been working with a lot of Lake Norman buyers and I can tell you from first hand experience that most sellers in the Lake Norman area are struggling, prices are dropping and there are some really good bargains in every price level. It truly is a painful market right now and a challenging one for both buyers and sellers due to the difficulties with appraisals and loans and the drop in prices.

Lake Norman's August housing statistics

Active Listings continue to decline which is very good news. Note the average price of our active listings when compared to those that are under contract.

Contingent Sales also remain about flat for the past few months. These are the homes that are sold but they are contingent upon the buyer selling their home...very weak contracts that could go on indefinitely

Conditional Sales are actually slightly above the 48 in July.

Pending Sales are equal to July's 90 pending sales which indicates to me that our September numbers may mirror August's.

The number of Closed Sales dropped 18% compared to July 2008. The average sales price declined 14% and the average days on market increased 30%. In my opinion, these are critical numbers as they best tell the story of our Lake Norman housing market. My guess is that our sales peaked last month (July) for 2009 and will now level off.

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		69	105	135	163
October		66	98	117	184
November		46	84	88	145
December		62	64	132	134
Totals:	492	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.

***IMPORTANT CHANGE IN DATA

While preparing this report I decided to look at the details of the properties that sold in July and August. I discovered a major flaw in the MLS data program:

The normal MLS search for properties that have sold by date actually include the properties based upon when the listing agent entered the sold data into the MLS, NOT when the property actually sold!
I went back and discovered that there are a significant number of home sales that are entered several days or more into the next month so the monthly sales numbers are inaccurate.
I spoke to the data person at the Charlotte MLS and he said this is the way that the entire MLS reporting is done but that if I want to know the number of ACTUAL sales in any give month I must do a custom search (which I have since done). So, be forwarned that the public numbers quoted for Charlotte but our MLS will use the flawed method. I do not know how the national numbers are calculated.

I have since gone back and corrected every month in 2009 to reflect the actual sales that closed in that month.

To give you an example of how bad those prior numbers were, in today's report our August sales would be 79 rather than 62. There are 22 sales in the August 2009 search that actually closed in July and 5 sales that are included in September when they actually closed in August for a net error of 17!

Summary

Clearly our Lake Norman home sales peaked last year in the month of July and I would predict that they also peaked this year in July. August sales dropped 31% versus last month. Right now, with 62 sales and 1498 active listing we have 24 months of inventory of Lake Norman homes compared to a balanced market of 6-8 months of supply. The average sales price declined 14% compared to August 2008.

Inventory is coming down as are prices so the Lake Norman housing market is moving in the right direction to hit bottom. We must get our inventory down which means getting our prices down to a point where buyers feel confident to buy.

We are still clearly in a buyers' market. I think the advantage will be with buyers through the end of the year but then we may see a shift in the mindset of both buyers and sellers as we enter spring 2010. If the momentum changes, buyers will start to buy fearing they are missing the bottom and they may be right!

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Is Your MLS Lying?

Lake Norman Real Estate ~ Diane Aurit (LKN Realty, LLC) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 10:28:34 -0500

Warning: Hardcore Real Estate Talk

(Like Lenn Harley would say)

I just found out that I have been using bad data on most of my sales analysis for years due to a flaw/weakness in my local MLS that may exist in many MLS's throughout the country. This flaw is so profound that it could actually be impacting our national data on home sales!

It all started while gathering up the data for my August Sales Analysis when I decided to take a look at every property that sold, not just the statistical summary. As I was going down the list I found that there were a good number of homes that shouldn't have been included in the closed August sales because they actually closed in July.

To give you an example of how bad those prior numbers were, in today's report the August sales for Lake Norman using the flawed search would be 79 rather than 62. There are 22 sales in the August 2009 search that actually closed in July and 5 sales that are included in September when they actually closed in August for a net error of 17 ora 27% more than the actual.

If I had not corrected the numbers I would have had 85 sales in July and 79 sales in August which would be interpreted as a pretty minor decline in sales rather than the actual -31% decline!

I called my MLS and was told that the standard MLS search for properties that have sold by date actually include the properties based upon when the listing agent entered the sold data into the MLS, NOT when the property actually sold! Now we all know how long it takes some agents to report their listing as sold. Given the volume sales on the last day of the month, most of these actually fall into the next month's sales data!

I was told by my MLS that the only way to get the accurate sales numbers is to create a "Custom Search". And sure, enough, using the custom search I got only properties that actually sold in August.

This in itself is very disturbing but here is what really worries me:

According to the person I spoke to, all of the statistics provided by our Charlotte Regional MLS use data based upon when it was entered by the agent, not the actual sales date!

If this is true for our large MLS, is this true throughout the country? Is it true in YOUR MLS? Is NAR using accurate data? YIKES!

The Lake Norman September 2009 Calendar is here!

Lake Norman Real Estate ~ Diane Aurit (LKN Realty, LLC) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:53:43 -0500

September is here and it already feels like fall on Lake Norman. The humidity of the lazy days of summer has been replaced by invigoratingly fresh air and cooler temperatures.

Some of my favorite events in Mooresville and the greater Lake Norman area occur in September; from the Denver Days Fall Festival to the Amazing Maize Maze to the just too fun Wiener Races. (Yes, I mean Dachshunds!).

However, for this month's photo I decide to peak ahead to October and the 36th annual Carolina Balloon Fest on October 23-25. Many don't know that Statesville (and Lake Norman) NC is considered one of THE places for hot air balloons and that this annual rally is one of the largest National Balloon Rally's!

To make this your desktop calendar, go to the round button at the top of Lake Norman Real Estate's home page entitled: "Lake Norman Calendar". Click on this button 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!

Lake Norman's; Speechless Sunday

Lake Norman Real Estate ~ Diane Aurit (LKN Realty, LLC) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 10:06:40 -0500

It is moments like this that I wish I were Teresa Broadman. During a recent visit to the Daniel Stowe Botancial Gardens I saw this magnificent butterfly. I just have a point and shoot camera but at least it cooperated with me and stayed fairly still while I shot this photo as it enjoyed a blooming Lantana bush. There is nothing more spectacular than Mother Nature!

Lake Norman Real Estate: The Utimate Car Week!

Lake Norman Real Estate ~ Diane Aurit (LKN Realty, LLC) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 11:46:41 -0500

Anyone who has lived in Mooresville (Race City USA) knows that cars are a big part of life for many folks here. From NASCAR to the local drag strip to our monthly Cruise-ins and weekly gatherings of car collectors of all kinds, if you are a car fan, this is THE place to be...well with the exception of Monterey California during "Car Week"!

One of my client's, Brett Hemphill, thought it might be fun to share a bit about this incredible week for those that may not have been lucky enough to attend it. All I can say is WOW and I hope you enjoy it:

Car Week 2009

One of the best ways to wind down summer is to spend five days in Monterey and Carmel for the various car events collectively known as "Car Week". This was my second time experiencing the "car overload" and can't wait to do it again.

This year's event was a little different in that we were selling our Touchless Car Cover and trying to fit all of the great events in. We figured a way to do it.

The week started with the McCall's Revival Party at the Monterey Jet Center on Wednesday evening. The grounds are filled with aircraft, rare cars and plenty of car talk. Porsche used this event to introduce the new Panamera sedan. The attendees are well heeled, I am told. Rumor has it that there were 15 jets sold at the event in 2008.

Thursday morning is an early wake up call. We head over to the start of the Pebble Beach Concours tour. This event features cars that will be shown on Sunday on the 18th green of Pebble Beach. It is great to see these cars lining up near the equestrian center at Pebble Beach in the early morning. If there happens to be a tie on Sunday at the Pebble Beach Concours, the car that participated in the Tour gets a bonus point and wins.

We spent Thursday afternoon prepping two cars that my business partner is auctioning the following day at the Russo & Steele Auction at the Marriott in downtown Monterey. At this point, a brush fire has started nearby and there is ash in the air.

Later, we had to drop off three car covers at Concorso Italiano. The Blackhawk Museum contacted us and wanted the Touchless Car Cover to protect and hide their three Alfa Romeo BAT cars from the evening foggy mist and prying eyes. Then it was off to La Dolce Vita to set up our Touchless Car Cover booth in preparation for sales at that event on Friday.

That evening is the Russo & Steele VIP party in the parking structure with all of the cars that will be sold during the next two days.

Friday morning we were off to Concorso Italiano to retrieve our covers. The venue was quickly filling up with Ferrari's, Lamborgini's and all things Italian. Then it was off to La Dolce Vita. We unveiled a 1931 Alfa Romeo 6C Grand Sport. Organizers of the event asked us to cover it with a Touchless Car Cover to protect it from the aforementioned ash shower that seemed to be getting worse. We spent the day meeting people from around the world and talked about cars.

Friday night found us at the Russo & Steele Auction. We did some viral marketing by offering a Touchless Car Cover with the first car on the block. This was followed by going to the invite only party at Mercedes Benz on the 4th fairway of Pebble Beach. An interesting crowd varied between under dressed and over dressed. Cocktails and chocolate were being served. The Mercedes evening was capped off with the Pointer Sisters singing a mini concert. Since we did not expect the lack of food, we ended up at McDonalds. How is that for a contrast?

Saturday was spent at the Mecum auction. I was standing 50 feet away from a Daytona Cobra race car signed by Carol Shelby as it went through the block at $ 7.25 million (plus the buyer's premium). The auctioneer asked the excited audience: "Do you know the difference between a car and a house? You can sleep in your car, but you cannot drive your house".

Our celebrity status (read: they want to sell us advertising) got us invited to the $100 per head Sports Car Market seminar at Gooding & Company. Gooding definitely had the premium cars to auction including one of Mario Andretti's Dean Van Lines Indy car.

Saturday night we were back at Russo & Steele doing viral marketing with the first car on the block. Then it was off to dinner with friends - at the table we discussed cars. Imagine the conversation of five Porsche owners in discussion with one Corvette owner. The guy didn't have a chance.

The weekend was capped off by attending the Pebble Beach Concours. It is just as much fun to see where the cars came from as it is looking at the cars. We saw cars from Hong Kong, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, and more. Forget the cost of the cars, how about the cost of transporting them back and forth? The biggest chuckle I got was watching one of the owners trying to start up a million dollar car. He had no idea how to operate it and had the assistance of an unsolicited mechanic. I am fairly convinced that he had never driven the car.

We took highway 101 South toward Newport Beach and made a detour to the Peachy Canyon Winery for a tasting. The girl serving admired my car. We knew we had picked the right spot as we sipped wine and discussed cars with our wine expert who currently drives a Mini Cooper (S - of course).

Thanks Brett!

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Lake Norman Real Estate ~ Diane Aurit (LKN Realty, LLC) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 09:20:41 -0500

I couldn't resist sharing this photo of one of my favoirte homes on Lake Norman which I took this summer after viewing some waterfront homes for one of my buyers. It's not often that you find a log cabin ESTATE complete with its own vineyard. This property is located along the Western shoreline of Lake Norman in Sherrills Ford just off of Molly's Backbone on Azalea Road. No, I did not make up the street names!

60 Things about life in Lake Norman that you won't find in the tour guides! Part 4

Lake Norman Real Estate ~ Diane Aurit (LKN Realty, LLC) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 08:16:44 -0500

There is so much about life in my wonderful Lake Norman community that one can only learn after living here. If you have been following this series you will now know that you need to carry a compass with you because there are so many trees it is very hard to get a true sense of direction, that roads will change names when you least expect it and how to pronounce some names that aren't quite what you expect. Here is the last of my series:

Out Buildings: When I first started looking for homes here I keep reading about outbuildings and I had no idea what they actually were. Well, they are simply detached sheds, workshops and garden shops. Most of us have one because we need somewhere to keep our John Deere mowers!

If ice or snow is predicted, everything shuts down! Folks from cold climates truly laugh their first winter here as they observe not just schools but the entire Charlotte area shut down if we have even an inch or two of snow or a threat of ice storms or even ice on the roads forming overnight.

Walk out basements versus traditional basements: It you are from the north where basements come with every home, you will be surprised to know that most all of our homes do not have basements. However, if the lot is slopped enough, we have walk-out basements that are extremely popular especially if they walk out to the lake. In place of basements, most of our newer homes have a large bonus room on the second or third floor of the home.

Hardwood trees are good and Pine trees can be evil: This may seem harsh, but I learned this from my tree guy who is a native. It turns out that pine tress have small root-balls so they tend to be the trees that blow over in storms. Since learning this I have observed it myself. We have had two trees fall on power lines at different times on our street and in both cases they were pine trees on forested lots.

Pine straw mulch is a cure-all: I had never seen pine straw mulch until moving here which is why I even bother to mention it. I have since found out that most serious gardeners include a twice annual ritual of spreading bales of pine straw under and around their trees, shrubs and flowers. It is used extensively commercially because it tends to make everything look very fresh and neat.

Siding: We have all of the common types of siding here. Brick is the most popular because of the low-maintenance but it is also one of more expensive options. Other types of siding include stones of all kinds, cedar, cement fiber, logs (as in log cabins) hardcoat stucco and various thicknesses and textures of vinyl. Some folks are still a bit nervous about stucco because of the synthetic stucco problems years ago but there are great stucco experts that can test it for moisture issues.

Inspection issues: moisture, crawl spaces, caulking: Moisture related problems are the most common found on home inspections here. From crawl spaces with inadequate drainage or moisture barriers, to lack of caulking at windows to dryrot damage to door jambs. Also, look for broken seals in double-paned windows...there will be moisture in between the exterior and interior layers of glass.

Barbecue, especially churches and clubs: I wrote an entire article about North Carolina Barbecue but I just wanted to mention how much barbecue is a part of life here. Churches, civic organizations, fire departments and schools are known for their great barbecue fundraisers. Just look for home-made signs at street corners or in the local newspapers. Pulled pork is the best!

Festivals! It you want to experience the true, small-town and southern culture, you need go no further than your local town festivals. The Lake Norman Festival is held every May in Mooresville. Davidson has a wonderful Christmas Festival and you will find many around the Lake area on July 4th. What they all have in common is decadent food (funnel cakes, giant turkey legs, fresh lemonade, barbecue, Kettle Corn), arts and crafts, music and entertainment.

Art, Gallery Crawls: I had no idea how art is ingrained in the culture here. Whether you are interested in Museum quality, contemporary or traditional, paintings, pottery, wood turning, sculptures and photography, you will find it all right here. Downtown Mooresville has monthly "gallery crawls" and exhibits at the local Artist Guild. Davidson has wonderful concerts, plays and performances on and off campus plus some exceptional art galleries and stores. There are concerts ON the lake as well as movies you can watch from your boat. Then there is always the Mint Museum, the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens and such in Charlotte.

No Smoking laws! Now this truly is a sign of the times as North Carolina recently passed a law forbidding smoking in bars and restaurants. It is great news for us non-smokers but actually over the past few years most establishments have banned smoking on their own. With towns like Winston-Salem it truly is a big deal to be able to see this law passed.

Take the time to get to know the locals...we have invaded them. Most people estimate that 75% of the current residents are what are termed "transplants". We have come from all over the country to enjoy life here. Many folks around the lake never take the time to get to know the old-timers and locals which is truly a shame. I have met so many wonderful, native residents who have shared what it was like watching the lake fill up in the 1960's and their sleepy cotton and tobacco towns scattered along the railroad increase in population ten-fold since the completion of the I-77.

Yur Fine! This is one of my very favorite responses you will get from our true Southerners to any kind of apology. Example: "I'm so sorry!" "Oh, yur fine" they respond with a smile!

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Speachless Sunday: Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens

Lake Norman Real Estate ~ Diane Aurit (LKN Realty, LLC) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 10:06:42 -0500

Last weekend my husband and I went to the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens which is just south of Charlotte. This was just about the last of the summer color so Crepe Myrtles were the highlight of the outdoor gardens. However, when I entered the orchid gardens I was overwhelmed with the way the plants were naturally growing literally in the air! What a treat!