Located in Southeast Charlotte, NC in prestigious Providence Country Club, this home is a great buy at $435,000! Built in 2005, it features 5 bedrooms and 3.5 baths, with a master suite on the main floor, and a guest suite upstairs. Spectacular appointments include granite counters, stainless steel appliances, hardwood floors, plantation shutters, a covered terrace overlooking the fenced yard, and much, much more! Great schools nearby (Flat Branch Elementary, JM Robinson Middle, Ardrey Kell High) are a bonus.

Neighborhood features are numerous: golf, tennis, pool (membership fees apply), sidewalks, ponds, and shopping is very close by as well.

#829092.

Carolina Panthers Owner is on a heart transplant list after quadruple bypass surgery 6 years ago.  Mr. Richardson was not feeling well enough to make it to the Monday night game where the Panthers beat up Tampa Bay really running away with it in the fourth quarter.

The Carolina Heelsplitter (a local species of freshwater mussel) is back in the news.  The Charlotte Busines Journal wrote on October 31st about the latest development and restriction news in Union County – a rural/suburban county SE of Charlotte NC.

When I speak with new clients, the most often asked question is, “Where should I live?” Well, that depends on your needs. If you have school age children you need to be considering the best schools. As a parent that moved here over 26 years ago my research was limited. Now I would go to NCReportCards.org and schoolmatters.com. In addition, for Charlotte North Carolina schools, you can go to CMS.K12.NC.US. My clients have used these sites and find them to be worthwhile. We were lucky that in spite of not having accessible data we landed in the better school zones. Our children are grown, out of grad school with outstanding careers here in Charlotte.

So what else is important in order to find that great home in that perfect community? Selecting that right Realtor that cares more about your success happiness than the income they will receive. E-mail me with your questions and concerns on these two very important topics and I’ll elaborate. I can be reached at Irv@TopCharlotteAgent.com

Go to Google maps and put in your home address and then click the Street View tab.  I did mine and it was unnerving how the feel of my street came through as I panned around the cul-de-sac.  We have been looking into how to incorporate googlemaps into our site as we have found it very useful.  I was reading an article in my monthly Realtor magazine and thought this would be cool to check out.  It currently covers 40 cities and I haven’t been able to spend the time to see if this includes the suburbs as well, but what an incredible tool for home buyers relocating from somewhere else.  For the first time our buyer clients will be able to get a feel for not just an individual home, but the surrounding streetscape.  Lynn, our web guru says it creeps her out.  She’s sending a link to her parents who don’t like the idea of big brother looking over their shoulder-better watch out he’s here!

This is of course very biased, but I thought it appropriate to talk a bit about the Olde Providence Tigers, led this Spring by Coach Bob Adler.  The marked improvement in the boys physical skills and more importantly mental skills just blew me away and the coach deserves much credit for stressing the basics and keeping the boys focused mentally.  They didn’t come away with the championship this season, but they can walk away knowing they are better players due to their and their coaches’ efforts this season.

On another note check out Coach Adler’s other passion-BBQ

Coach Adler’s BBQ

Many people in Charlotte and around the country are realizing that there are opportunities to be had in Real Estate.  It’s funny that so many folks seem to forget the old adage buy low-sell high!   It applies in stocks, real estate, or whatever.  We had two of our clients (see featured article from the Charlotte Observer) who took advantage of a seller who was willing to sell the house below market value in order to get their equity out.  Our clients will have to put in some cosmetic repairs and spruce the place up, but at the end of the day they were able to buy the house cheaper than most of their neighbors.  With solid schools and a great location this was a great opportunity.  Many people are beginning to ask themselves how long will these deals remain on the table from motivated sellers and homebuilders looking to get rid of excess inventory.  Centex homes recently had a one weekend blowout event to reduce the inventory of completed homes.  It worked and they have a much smaller number of available homes and their prices have been restored to the previous levels.  If you didn’t buy that weekend you might have missed an opportunity.  I don’t have a crystal ball – if I did I would be in Vegas knowing when to bet it all on black 17 – but I do know that the way to make money in America still involves the concept of buy low-sell high.

How would you like to own your own home and have someone else do the yard work?  My home owners association dues covers just that and more!  Not only does it cover the yard but it also includes the swim club and play ground.  I live in a great community with some of the best schools around.  We have five shopping centers with in 5 minutes of our home and have easy access to the interstate.  I’ve said it before and I’ll continue to say it, "Living in Charlotte is like being on a permanent vacation" and oh by the way I just happen to go to work!

Irv Schwebel

You’re thinking about moving here and you hear all the horror stories about Home Owner Associations.  But are they true?  Your friends and colleagues tell you that they aren’t worth the money they pay each month or year.  How often have you heard, "I never use the pool, clubhouse, tennis courts or walking trails." "I just don’t see the value." "I have a neighbor that never cuts their grass or they painted their house an awful color."

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!