Built in 1804, this beautiful historic home has been updated with new wiring, plumbing and central air and heat. Situated on almost 1 ½ acres in a prime south Charlotte location. Beautiful historic details accentuate the style and charm of this amazing home!

[View with PicLens]

Property Details

Property Map

View Larger Map

Maybe the buyer has fallen in love with your home . . . except . . .

The master bathroom is too small
A gas fireplace would be better than a wood-burning fireplace
The kitchen needs granite countertops
Hardwood floors would be so much better
The front door must be covered

And on, and on, and on. You just lost a potential buyer – or did you?

Savvy agents will take these comments and work them to the seller’s advantage. How? By taking the feedback/idea, and working it into a potential offer on the home.

For example: the buyer would buy a listing held by Schwebel & Associates of Prudential Carolinas Realty, except all of the bedrooms but one have direct access to a bathroom. We receive this feedback and become proactive. We contact 2DIFOR Builders.

2DIFOR Builders specialize in strategic home alterations. Strategic home alterations is a tool for real estate agents to custom tailor that perfect fit for their client. There is no cost – 2DIFOR Builders simply offer feasibility options and budgets for changes to the home during the buying and selling process.

Schwebel & Associates presents 2DIFOR Builders with the information about overcoming the buyer’s objections. 2DIFOR Builders will assess the situation, determine possible options and budget the alterations. Armed with this knowledge, we can then present options to the buyer’s agent.

From there, the cost of the alteration might be negotiated in the selling price of the home, or it may become a condition of the sale.

Strategic home alteration also works equally well for our buyers. If we show them a home that is perfect except for . . ., we can offer the services of 2DIFOR Builders to help them to realize their perfect home.

Not every buyer has the ability to ‘see’ a home with potential changes, and certainly most won’t have an idea of the costs involved. Our solution is to help them with the process and at the same time, find them the perfect home at a good price.

With the amount of inventory out there, every advantage that we can offer to our buyers and sellers can only help them to achieve their goals; to find the perfect home, or to sell their home in a timely manner.

Where I came from on Long Island we never had an association but we had a private swim club/recreation area.  Not everyone joined and the swim club eventually fell into disarray.  People did whatever they wanted to their home’s exterior and just didn’t understand the importance of having covenants and restrictions.  What my neighbors did eventually affected property values.

Most "HOA’s" serve a great purpose.  They protect our values by enforcing the covenants & restrictions but are not dictatorial.  As a body, "HOA’s" can get things accomplished that could benefit the community and surrounding homeowners.  I’ve lived in communities where HOA’s were able to have speed limits lowered, traffic studies done and protected our values when a home owner decides to rent their home and the tenant doesn’t keep the home up. They work to bring us together in a very positive social atmosphere.  They organize events from parties for the children, Poker night for the guys and gals, tennis and golf clinics and even swim teams that compete with other communities.

The larger my investment, the better I want the Home Owner Association to be.  They represent each and everyone of us.  Warren Buffett once said, "Price is what you pay.  Value is what you get."

So I ask you, Home Owner association Friend or Foe?

Let me hear from you!

Prices have been lowered $5 for regular admission, to $44.95, and a junior/senior ticket now costs $19.95 (down from $32.95 in 2006).

Cedar Fair owns several amusement parks across the country and are known for having the largest and most impressive roller coasters at their parks.  Other parks owned by Cedar Fair include Cedar Point (Sandusky, OH), Knott’s Berry Farm (Buena Park, CA), and Dorney Park in Allentown, PA.

A unique feature of Carowinds is that the park grounds straddle the North Carolina and South Carolina state line.  Carowinds is located approximately 20 minutes from downtown Charlotte, in the south western part of Mecklenburg County.

To find out more about Conservatory, or any other custom builder in Charlotte, please contactSchwebel & Associates with Prudential Carolinas Realty at 800-617-2760.

Rodeo has deep roots in American culture, as most of the events in rodeos are based on the skills used by Cowboys every day on a ranch. These skills were essential to every day life working with stock and riding horses. These cowboys are no less talented than their ancestors – and every bit as entertaining to watch.

Check them out this weekend. The event will also air on TV on the Versus network - (that’s the former Outdoor Life Network, or channel 74 on basic cable) at 8:00 pm on Saturday (LIVE!), and again at 8:00 & 11:00 pm on Sunday (Same day coverage). Other channels are:

DIRECTV – channel 608
DISH – channel 151
Time Warner Digital – channel 74

CBS (wbtv), ABC (wsoc), and NBC (wcnc) all keep up-to-the-minute information about closings and delays on their local websites.  They also run a continuous scroll across the bottom of the TV screen.  On the radio, WBT (1110 am) gives frequent updates, with emphasis on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System, with it being so large (over 125,000 students at this time).

Remember that if the area you live in appears to be clear, with no ice or snow, but schools are closed, the decision was not made lightly.  With the large area covered by CMS, it is completely possible that you may be looking at clear roads and little weather, but on the other side of the county the roads might be hazardous for driving.

North American Cougar
So here it is – January 17, and the 40-degree temperatures are the coldest it’s been in quite a while.  This past weekend, for example, we reached 70!  Besides constantly checking the calendar to reinforce the fact that it is, indeed, January, what do you do?

I went to the North Carolina Zoo.  Just 1 1/2 hours from Charlotte, the NC Zoo has been praised and won numerous awards for it’s innovative design and dedication to conservation and education.  Their concept is very logical – build the zoo exhibits grouped by continents.  Most importantly, give the animals natural habitats and room to behave like animals.

So far, only Africa and North America are completed.  But that is plenty, as a visit to just those 2 areas will consume the entire day.  This is due to the size of the various exhibits – the African plains, for example, cover several acres – and the area is currently undergoing an $8 million expansion/renovation.  Most exhibits have several vantage points from which to see the animals.

The weather was gorgeous, the exhibits were interesting and informative, and the trams inside the park were running . . . what more could you ask for?

He also has a blog calledTommy’s Table.  What a great way to read even more of his wonderful stories and keep up with current events in Charlotte.

Keith had the pleasure of meeting Tommy at one of his Optimist Club meetings a while back.  He has said that Tommy is one of the nicest people you could ever meet, and that his true personality comes out in his writing – which translates to ‘he’s exactly the person you’d think he is from reading his columns’.

Do you have a favorite local writer?  Let us know!

Control of the team was relinquished to the league last month, after declining attendance over several seasons.

There are efforts underway to bring the team back in 2008.