Winter in Charlotte?
After a week of beautiful weather in the 70s - golf in shorts, perfect dog park visits and holiday shopping with no coats to get in the way - we’re almost back to normal. While the warm days were nice, it’s harder to feel like it’s near the end of December when you’re digging out the summer clothes for an afternoon outside.
It cooled off yesterday (OK - it’s all relative - mid 50s was pretty chilly after short sleeve weather!), and today we’re supposed to be seeing rain which will continue for a few days, maybe even until Christmas. So much for a White Christmas. Does this mean we’ll have one of our famous blizzards later in the season? Or should we put away our wool sweaters until next year?
Best Christmas Lights in Charlotte
The Griswolds are alive and well in Charlotte, NC! Lights on the trees, lights on the house, lights on the roof, lights on the lawn – pretty much lights are attached to anything that’s not alive and moving. And there are 2 neighbors with dazzling light displays themselves.
Where is this wondrous holiday light display? It’s on Sherwood Forest Drive just off of Colony, between Rea and Carmel Roads in Southeast Charlotte. If you drive on Colony between those two roads, you can’t miss it!
The other night Santa was in the driveway waving to passing cars – a nice extra treat if you had kids in the car.
Do you know of a fantastic-not-to-be-missed light display that you’d like to share? Leave a comment below and let others know!
Charlotte’s Own Rockefeller Skating Rink!
Skating in uptown Charlotte has arrived for the holiday season! Although our current daytime temperatures are slightly warm, nighttime temperatures are just right for an outdoor skating experience.
Three years ago, WBT started the uptown skating rink and it has quickly become a tradition. The rink is a little larger this year as well. Hours are posted here. The cost is $5 for admission, and $3 for skate rental. All ages are welcome! More details on the WBT Holiday On Ice website.
So get out there and soak up the Holiday spirit! Outdoor ice skating in Charlotte, NC - who would have thought it possible?
Virtual Tours - Charlotte Real Estate Listings
One of the largest time consumers in the search for a new home is, of course, visiting the actual homes. What if you could tour the homes before seeing them in person? What if you went into a home looking for that fabulous kitchen island that you know is there? What if you couldn’t wait to see the back yard in person because it was so spectacular looking in the tour you already took?
WHAT?! The tour you already took? Absolutely - the virtual tour! A ‘virtual tour’ is a comprehensive look at a listing, both inside and out, including 360-degree panoramic shots. With the majority of buyers looking online these days, we try to provide our listings with every opportunity to be seen on the internet. Viewing an OBEO tour allows buyers to see what the homes looks like without spending hours driving around.
The benefits of a quality virtual tour are many, with increased exposure, interest generated before the buyer even visits the home, and professional photography. Our listings sell faster, and everyone is happier!
Buying An Older Home in Charlotte
In weighing the decision to purchase an older home vs. a newer one, many criteria come into play. There are many advantages to purchasing an older home. Mature landscaping and an established community can be found. Quite often you can get a larger yard and a closer location to downtown. Older homes tend to have more character than new construction. Older homes can also have some disadvantages. Newer homes have more open floor plans and bigger closets. The lack of these features are examples of functional obsolescence; items that are not easily updated. If maintenance has been neglected on an older home, damage can vary from minor to catastrophic. An older home must be looked at with a critical eye by the buyer and his/her inspectors to make sure the home is in good shape and will work for the buyer.
Here is a personal story that illustrates what can happen when you purchase an older home. My wife & I purchased our home in 1999. It was built in 1970 and is located in an established part of town that offers proximity to downtown, shopping, etc. Our home has small closets and the main living area tends to get very crowded when we have only a few guests over. We do however have a large yard and mature hardwood trees. As we have outgrown our home we faced the decision of purchasing new or doing an addition/remodel to our existing house. In order to get the size and features we desired in our part of town we would have to spend a figure well over our budget, or move farther out and get a new home. We decided that we really wanted to stay put and with market conditions favoring redoing our existing home we have decided to bite the bullet and put up with the hassle and mess of a major remodel. The appreciation we have seen and the added value of a remodel/addition, in our opinion, makes up for the 7 years we’ve spent in a home with Brady Bunch décor and the inconvenience of dealing with the work being done.
Kiplinger’s Praises Charlotte Real Estate Market
Concerned about the so-called “housing bubble” that has apparently burst according to experts across the country? Pick up the January 2007 issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine and read the article, “What’s Next for Home Prices”.
The article, by Patricia Mertz Esswein, is a realistic look at home values nationwide over the past few years. The Charlotte Real Estate market is mentioned as an example of steady growth. While some areas of the country have enjoyed an explosive rise in home prices over the last few years, Charlotte NC has seen a gradual but steady increase in real estate prices.
A chart is included comparing the 100 largest metro areas in the US, with median home prices and how they have changed since 2001.
Kiplinger’s Praises Charlotte Real Estate Market
Concerned about the so-called "housing bubble" that has apparently burst according to experts across the country? Pick up the January 2007 issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine and read the article, "What’s Next for Home Prices".
The article, by Patricia Mertz Esswein, is a realistic look at home values nationwide over the past few years. The Charlotte Real Estate market is mentioned as an example of steady growth. While some areas of the country have enjoyed an explosive rise in home prices over the last few years, Charlotte NC has seen a gradual but steady increase in real estate prices.
A chart is included comparing the 100 largest metro areas in the US, with median home prices and how they have changed since 2001.
