charlotte: Existing Homes Sales Report March 2015 From NAR
- 03/27/15 01:39 AM
What's not to like about the existing home sales report dated March 2015 from the NAR (National Association of Realtors)? Existing home sales are up The percentage of first-time home buyers is up to 29% Median home prices are up for the 36th month of year over year improvement Sales of distressed properties are down Days on market continue to stay low with more than a third of listed homes selling in under one month in February (all the bad weather notwithstanding!) The Charlotte, North Carolina region housing market is tracking closely to the national numbers reported by the … (6 comments)
charlotte: 50 Things Every (New Or Not So New) Charlottean Should Do
- 03/26/15 10:09 PM
From Charlotte Magazine, here's a list of 50 Things Every Charlottean Should Do. In Charlotte, we like to say that Charlotte's Got A Lot. And it's so true! Whether you're a new resident of Charlotte or have lived here for a while, this list of 50 things to do will make you feel like a true Charlottean. And if you do just one of these things each and every week, by the end of the year you'll feel as if you've been here all your life!
I've lived in Charlotte since 1998 and after going through this list of 50 … (18 comments)
charlotte: Charlotte, North Carolina Metro Area Easter Egg Hunts
- 03/23/15 11:42 PM
The Charlotte, North Carolina metro area offers numerous options for easter egg hunts in the coming days before Easter. Some of the most popular easter egg hunts are listed below. For a more complete list of Charlotte area easter egg hunts and events, check out the article in Charlotte Parent Magazine.
When: Saturday, March 28th from 9:00am till 11:00am (egg hunt registration begins at 9:00am) Where: 2600 E Franklin Blvd, Gastonia, NC 28052 (click here for directions to Adventure Landing) Cost: $3.00 donation to benefit Cancer Services of Gaston County Who: all children under the age of … (10 comments)
charlotte: Why Is It So Hard To Find A Great Foreclosure "Deal" In Charlotte?
- 02/23/15 12:47 AM
Why is it so hard to find a great foreclosure "deal" in Charlotte? Asking this question reminds me of the old Peter, Paul, and Mary song "Where Have All The Flowers Gone?" That's the operative question for the Charlotte, North Carolina metro market -- where have all the foreclosures gone and why can't I find a good deal?
From the chart below, you can see that nationally, the percentage of distressed property sales has dropped in the past three years from 35% to 11%. The inventory simply isn't there. And keep in mind that real estate is all about supply and demand, … (6 comments)
charlotte: Should You Stage Your Charlotte, NC Area Home When Selling?
- 02/21/15 07:13 AM
Should you stage your Charlotte, North Carolina area home when selling? There is a way to calculate your ROI (return on investment) for professionally staging a home (see the graphic below from StagingandRedesign.com). I've personally experienced the power of staging when listing vacant homes that had sat on the market for months but as soon as we staged them (often at a slighty higher asking price), they sold within a month or less. In these cases, the cost of the staging was more than covered by the quicker sale for the homeowners and a higher selling price because the homes sold … (6 comments)
What's not to like about the positive performance of the Charlotte region's housing market in January 2015? Charlotte region's housing market turned in a strong performance in the first month of the new year with none of the key metrics disappointing:
January 2015 Closed Sales: up 8.8% versus January 2014.
January 2015 Pending Sales: up 31.8% versus January 2014.
January 2015 Average List Prices: increased 4.7% to just under $271,000 versus January 2014.
January 2015 Average Sale Prices: up 3% to just over $223,000 compared with January 2014.
January 2015 Percent of … (4 comments)
charlotte: Charlotte's 2015 Southern Spring Home Show: January 16-18
- 01/15/15 09:11 PM
Charlotte's Southern Spring Home Show at Metrolina Tradeshow Expo begins today, January 16th, and runs through Sunday, January 18th. It doesn't matter if you're a homeowner, a home seller or a home buyer, the Southern Spring Home Show has something for everyone! The show's organizers like to say that their goal is to "inspire, motivate, and excite" homeowners about undertaking home remodeling, landscaping, and home improvement projects. They describe the show as a place for "Everything For In And Around Your Home... And So Much More!"
The Southern Spring Show will let you learn about the latest trends in home improvement and … (4 comments)
charlotte: Charlotte Metro Area School/Education Guide From Charlotte Parent
- 01/12/15 09:19 PM
The Charlotte Parent publication has released its 2014-2015 Education Guide. This comprehensive guide (which features some 775 education resources) includes pre-school, private school, boarding school, public school and charter school directories for the Charlotte metro area, including Mecklenburg, Union, Cabarrus, Iredell, Gaston, and Lincoln Counties in North Carolina and York County in South Carolina.
How To Get The Charlotte Parent Education Guide for 2014/2015:
You can pick up free copies of this Education Guide at many of the supermarkets throughout the Charlotte metro area, including at Harris Teeter and Publix stores.
You can download an app for your ipad … (4 comments)
Charlotte's popular, semi-annual Restaurant Week returns this week (January 16th) and once again it's time to enjoy a true Queen's Feast! You'll be able to dine like royalty for 10 days at 100+ upscale Charlotte metro area restaurants at a reasonable fixed price of $30 for three courses. This semi-annual event in Charlotte is now in its 12th "season" and very much anticipated by the "locals."
The first Charlotte Restaurant Week took place in July 2008 and had 42 restaurants participating. It's now grown to over 100 participating restaurants and attracts both local Charlotteans, as well as people from outside the area. Previous Charlotte Restaurant Weeks served some 125,000 … (17 comments)
Channukka (also often spelled as Hanukkah) is a Jewish holiday honoring a miracle that occured during the rededication of the second temple in Jerusalem in 165 BC, when a lamp that had only one day's worth of oil was lit, but continued to burn for eight days and nights.
A candelabra, known as a menorah, features nine candles, one of which is lit every evening throughout the Channukah celebration, often referred to as the Festival of Lights, celebrating the triumph of light over darkness. The shamash (guardian) is lit first and … (11 comments)
charlotte: Charlotte, NC Listed In Top 50 Cities For Global Trade
- 12/11/14 09:09 PM
Global Trade magazine has just listed Charlotte, North Carolina in the Top 50 Cities for Global Trade, as well as named Charlotte the Most Entrepreneurial City--truly a wonderful distinction for the rapidly expanding Queen City.
See the exerpt below from Global Trade's list (and you can click on the picture to see the full list of the 50 Top Cities for Global Trade):
This latest accolade for Charlotte being a top city for business and trade is on top of Forbes listing Charlotte, NC as a Best Place for Business and Careers both in 2013 and in … (8 comments)
Vocativ.com's 2014 list of the top 35 most liveable cities for those 35 and under is based on factors such as salaries, employment rates, rents, utility costs, restaurant prices, access to sports and culture, and crime statistics. Click on the picture below for the complete list and description of all the cities that made Vocativ.com's list of most liveable citites for people under the age of 35.
It's been clear for a while that … (4 comments)
charlotte: Charlotte, NC Second Fastest Growing City In The US!
- 12/07/14 11:44 PM
Charlotte, North Carolina is the second fastest growing city in the United States among cities with more than 500,000 in population. Since the 2000 Census, Charlotte has grown 40% and only Fort Worth, Texas has had more growth than the Queen City of Charlotte.
Charlotte is also the ONLY city in the top 5 fastest growing American cities not in Texas, ranking #17 in the nation's largest cities--a nine spot increase since before 2000 when it was ranked as the 26th largest city in the United States, and a big jump from 35th rank in 1990.
The 100 best public high schools in North Carolina have been announced by Niche.com, and Charlotte metro area schools have made an excellent showing, with 13 area high schools ranking in the top 100 list.
The top rankings include three of Charlotte area's high schools in the top 10 positions with Marvin Ridge High School (in Marvin) ranked at #5, Ardrey Kell High School (in Ballantyne/Charlotte) ranked at #6, and Weddington High School (in Weddington) ranked #7.
Four additional area high schools ranked in the top 25 positions with Cutherbertson High School (in Waxhaw) ranked at … (6 comments)
charlotte: What's Happening In And Around Charlotte This Week
- 11/15/14 11:15 PM
Lots of things happening in and around Charlotte this week. Whether you're in south Charlotte in the Ballantyne area, in Southwest Charlotte, Uptown, or Northwest of Charlotte, there's something for you to see and do.
Cell Phone Drive for Soldiers: sponsored by Mark Antonich with Ameriprise Financial. Collecting gently-used cell phones for our troops. Donations at: 8832 Blakeney Professional Drive/Suite 302. The fourth annual drive begins Novemer 18th and continues through December 31st. For more information call 704-944-2080.
Holidays at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden: begins the holiday season with lots of displays, the famous Orchid Tree, cookies & cocoa with … (11 comments)
FREE Paper Shredding Event (in celebration of America Recycles Day: Saturday, November 15th from 8:00am till noon. You can get up to three "banker" boxes or three 13-gallon trash bags of paper shredded at four recycling/yard waste center locations--Foxhole Recycling at 17131 Lancaster Highway; Hickory Grove Recycling at 8007 Pence Road; North Mecklenburg Recycling at 12300 N Statesville Road; and West Mecklenburg Recycling at 8440 Byrum Drive. More information is available at www.WipeOutWaste.com. Or you can call 311.
Attack … (6 comments)
charlotte: Charlotte, NC Is The #1 Big City Bargain
- 09/23/14 06:27 AM
Right on the heels of being ranked as the 16th largest city in the US, Charlotte, North Carolina has just been named by Money Magazine as the #1 Big City Bargain, based on housing and cost of living values! Money Magazine says to make this list houses have to be priced right, have appreciation potential, and people should want to live there! Those of us who moved here in the past 15 or so years already knew this about Charlotte, but it's great to have this validated by Money Magazine. Want to know more? Click on this link to WCNC's full report … (7 comments)
Charlotte, NC region's housing market had a very respectable showing in January 2014 as compared with January 2013 based on the key metrics that we Realtors® follow: Pending Sales: +6.2% versus January 2013 Closed Sales: +0.4% versus January 2013 Days on Market (List to Close): -7.7% to 143 days from 155 days in January 2013 Average List Price: +7.6% versus January 2013 Average Sale Price: +15% versus January 2013 % of Original List Price Received: 93.1% (a .5% improvement over January 2013) Months Supply of Homes For Sale: 4.7 (a 17.4% drop versus January 2013) with the total … (10 comments)
Charlotte gears up to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. this weekend, beginning on Saturday, January 18th through Monday, January 20th. To commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Charlotte events will include a parade, special museum exhibits and programs, as well as a prayer breakfast.
2014 City of Charlotte Martin Luther King Holiday Parade:
When: Saturday, January 18th beginning at 11:00am till 1:00pm. Where: Parade route starts at 11th and N. Tryon and ends at Stonewall and S. Tryon (click on the link for the map) More … (4 comments)
The Charlotte, NC region's housing market is a seller's market as of the end of 2013 (but it's been heading in that direction all year). And home buyers should take note of this fact because a seller's market will determine the number of choices home buyers have, how much negotiating they can expect on price and terms, and how much they will pay for their homes. If you're a Charlotte, NC region home buyer in 2014, here's what you need to know about the Charlotte area housing market as we enter the new year: … (8 comments)
What's not to like about the existing home sales report dated March 2015 from the NAR (National Association of Realtors)? 
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