An interesting article appeared in Friday's Charlotte Observer. Due to copyright laws, I can not do a simple copy/paste, so I will do my best to summarize for you. The article can be found online at http://www.charlotte.com/, at least for the time being.In an article titled "Price trends? Area stats among nation's best", columnist Allen Norwood brings out some very interesting details. According to this article, the National Association of REALTORS (NAR) issued a press release that had said that in the South, the Charlotte region (known as Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord) had the strongest SFR price increase. The current average according to the information was at $220,100 which is UP 11% from a year ago. According to the article, the press release was from earlier last week, and covered the... 11/25/2007

While the talk around the nation has been decidedly bad regarding home prices, the Charlotte area, which includes Charlotte, Gastonia, and Concord just posted the largest increase median value increase in the south.  The median house price rose to $220,000, up 11% for single family homes in the third quarter.  The second highest increase was Baumont - Port Arthur Texas.  Unfortunately, don't look for this to be reported on the cover of USA Today or the Wall Street Journal.  Instead, you will probably read - US MEDIAN HOME PRICES DOWN 2%.  I don't even think the Charlotte Observer ran the story.  But this is great news, but news we've already known.  As a local real estate professional, I expect this trend to continue for three reasons.  First, people are still overwhelming moving to the... 11/25/2007

Great Price and Ready to Move In!  Well maintained 3 Bedroom - 2 Bath ranch with 1-car garage. 3% Buyer Closing Cost Assistance paid by Seller with full price offer. Conveniently located ±4 miles from the new Kannapolis NC Biotech Research Campus & ±2 miles from     I-85 access. 8 ft wall separating the great room & kitchen adds architectural interest to the open floor plan. Vaulted ceilings in Great Room, Kitchen & Breakfast Area. Spacious kitchen with lots of cabinets and access to patio & back yard. Master Bedroom with tray ceiling, ceiling fan, large closet & private bath. Attached 1-car garage with attic storage accessed by pull down stairs. Wonderful landscaping includes blueberry & raspberry bushes in back yard.  Desired Cabarrus County School District Offered at $114,900   Anoth... 11/19/2007

Concord, NC is one of my favorite places this time of year. With the seasons changing and the holidays approaching, the southern charm of Concord just stands out! The friendliness of the people really comes to life!As you drive around Concord you will see the holiday spirit coming to life. Lights are going up, decorations are being put in place and trees are getting trimmed for the holidays. And with such a diverse mix of cultures in the area, you are bound to see an interesting mix of holiday celebrations.And while the holiday shopping season is beginning as well, folks in Concord seem to have a smile on their face. The southern charm of this city already makes it a wonderful place to live, but add the holiday spirit on top of that and you just can't help but make new friends!While man... 11/18/2007

If you currently have an FHA Mortgage, you can "Streamline Refinance" your current mortgage. What exactly does "Streamline Refinance" mean? There is no appraisal required, no income or asset information listed on your application. Most lenders will run at least 1 of the 3 credit agency reports to get your current payment history on your mortgage. While your current credit situation does not matter in doing a "Streamline Refinance" you should not have more than 2 30 day late payment on your current mortgage in the last 12 months. You must be able to supply the lender with a copy of your current "NOTE" from your last mortgage settlement. It should only take 2 weeks from the time of application to the actual closing date. To view my official Website Please Click HERE If you are interested ... 11/16/2007

As the foreclosure market heads toward the next year, things don't appear to be turning around for the better any time soon. But sometimes you can make more money in a bad market than in a good one. I recently read that the time to buy (whether it's stocks or houses), is when prices are falling and people are rushing to cash out or are losing their homes as the case may be. Couple that with the fact that banks do not want to be holding real estate that they just foreclosed on, and opportunities do exist.For the investor that has enough capital to be able to purchase 2 or more properties for cash, banks want to talk to you. Banks get calls all the time from investors wanting to purchase a foreclosure house. But occasionally they get the investor that can buy 2 or more, for the right kind... 11/08/2007

The real estate market by nature is local, and that applies to buying investment properties as well. Most experienced investors stick to neighborhoods and areas they know well. They know the price ranges as well as what kind of features that the homes in that neighborhood have. For an investor that is just starting out, I would recommend picking 1 or 2 neighborhoods that are fairly mature in age. Look for and go to as many open houses in that neighborhood as you can find. If other potential buyers are at the open house, listen to what they say about the property. This is an excellent way to learn what potential buyers in the area are looking for.Once you have bought your house, by acquiring your knowledge of the other homes in the neighborhood, you will know what fixtures and features y... 11/08/2007

The saga continues.  Bruton Smith vs Concord NC.  If only we were in Vegas, this would be a match for the ages!  (And just imagine what it would bring in on pay-per-view).The latest twist is that Concord is proposing an ego-stroking manuever to save the Speedway and keep it here in Concord.  They want to rename Speedway Boulevard, Bruton Smith Boulevard.  It's a lovely gesture, and we all know that Bruton does indeed think highly of himself (heck, who wouldn't?  a self-made multi-billionaire? go after it, Mr Smith!)I have a better idea!The mayor of Concord, Scott Padgett, has found himself here lately with hat in hand, trying to find a way to salvage this situation.  Mr Padgett's friends are dwindling.  Rightfully so, the entire county is mad at him for allowing this situation to occur,... 10/26/2007

The average sale price of a home in the Concord area is $226,195. Homes are selling for 96.59% of the list price and are on the market for an average of 98 days. As of 10/25/07Zip Code: 28025, 28026, 28027Concord is just 20 minutes north, northeast of the city of Charlotte and is home to the famous Lowes Motor Speedway. Part of one of the hottest Real Estate markets it really has is all! You are 20 minutes from beautiful Lake Norman, just 1 hour from the mountains, just 3 hours from the ocean and best of all there is great weather. If you like nice people and plenty to do, this is the place for you.Other Charlotte Area Standouts: The Home of most of the top NASCAR Teams, Charlotte Bobcats (NBA Basketball), Carolina Panthers (NFL Team), University of North Carolina/Charlotte, Lowes Motor... 10/25/2007

I have seen the development of Christenbury first hand. From breaking ground until the iron gates and massive townhomes. This community has been unbelievable from the beginning. Its hard to imagine 5 years ago having a million dollar neighborhood on the corner of Cox Mill a road primarily used to cut through mall traffic. Now it has become one of the most elite neighborhoods in North East Charlotte and Concord.Christenbury offers luxury living from townhomes with movie theaters and game rooms, to Simonini Homes with large lots and every upgrade you can imagine. From the moment you drive into the iron gates and stone entryway you know this is a special neighborhood. The hard part is not deciding that you want to live in Christenbury, but decided where you want to live in Christenbury. Th... 10/24/2007

Local Concord North Carolina Mortgage Broker Your source for all of your Mortgage Needs. YES !!! We Write FHA Mortgage Loans The New FHASECURE Initiative First Time Homebuyer Programs Click Here Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) Click Here USDA Rural Development Program Click Here USDA Single Close Construction Loan Click Here 100% Mortgage Program Click Here FHA Streamline Refinance Click Here Want to Refinance Your Current Mortgage Click Here Need a Reverse Mortgage in South Carolina Click Here Refinancing a Subprime Mortgage - check out our Subprime Product of the month Click Here Need to Repair your Credit before applying Click Here Commercial Loan Access (24 States) Click Here NEW: Subdivision Construction Loans Click Here Customers firstIf you are looking for a mortgage loan in t... 10/21/2007

As a side note to my last blog about informative sites on the internet, I just found another site devoted to house flipping. Although it does have a book it is trying to sell, it gives away a lot of first hand advice from an experienced flipper that is very interesting. The link is as follows:http://getflipping.com/ and one page in particular is very interesting,it's link is: http://getflipping.com/flipper_ed/success_stories.htmlThis site seems to be a lot more real world and realistic about the process of acquiring foreclosures and flipping them, than the shows you see on television. Having gone on numerous broker price opionion trips to document foreclosures, his account seems to be dead on accurate. Anyway, this looks to be a website to keep in your favorites list.   10/20/2007

 It never ceases to amaze me at what can be found on the internet, especially for free. The trick is to know how to ask the question on the search engine. Google is very helpful, you can navigate their help site and it will give you all kinds of tips and tricks to make your searches more successful. Another online development that is now happening, is that big time newspapers like the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal have made their papers free for the browsing, on their websites. This is in response to the declining number of people who no longer subscribe to newspapers, but go online to get their news fix. The Wall Street Journal is especially a sweet deal, because they have sister sites that are devoted to certain markets, like The Real Estate Journal. This is so much easie... 10/19/2007

Local Concord North Carolina Mortgage Broker  Your source for all of your Mortgage Needs. YES !!! We Write FHA Mortgage Loans The New FHASECURE Initiative First Time Homebuyer Programs Click Here Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) Click Here  USDA Rural Development Program Click Here USDA Single Close Construction Loan Click Here 100% Mortgage Program Click Here FHA Streamline Refinance Click Here  Want to Refinance Your Current Mortgage Click Here  Need a Reverse Mortgage in South Carolina Click Here Refinancing a Subprime Mortgage - check out our Subprime Product of the month  Click Here Need to Repair your Credit before applying Click Here Commercial Loan Access (24 States) Click Here NEW: Subdivision Construction Loans Click Here   Customers first If you are looking for a mortgage l... 10/19/2007

The real estate market in Cabarrus County isn't all doom and gloom.  Compared to many parts of the country we have a lot to be happy about.  Here are a few statistics compiled by the Carolina Multiple Listing Service to prove my point. The average sales price of Single Family Homes in Cabarrus County has risen from $184,159 (YTD Average 1/1/06 to 9/30/06) to $198,773 (YTD Average 1/1/07 to 9/30/07).  That is an increase of nearly 8%! The average days on the market for Single Family Homes in Cabarrus County has remained almost unchanged.  Between 1/1/06 & 9/30/06 the average days on market were 76, compared to 79 average days on market between 1/1/07 & 9/30/07. The average percentage of list price compared to sales price has also remained nearly unchanged, 98.27% from 1/1/06 to 9/30/06, ... 10/09/2007

                                              I recently received an email detailing a campaign to keep Lowes Motor Speedway in Concord, NC.  The Cabarrus County Visitors & Information Bureau, the Cabarrus County Economic Development Corporation and the Cabarrus County Chamber of Commerce are working together on this project. They are asking members of the community to go online and fill out a brief form authorizing them to send a postcard to Bruton Smith, CEO of Speedway Motorsports, Inc.  The postcard will contain the following message: "Please keep Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord and continue to pursue your dream to build the World's Racing Destination."To take part in this campaign please visit the following website and fill out the brief online form. LINK TO WEBFORM: http://www.ca... 10/09/2007

If you're a NASCAR fan or a Charlotte area resident, the story of Bruton Smith and his race track are front page headlines.  For everyone else, here's the gist.Bruton Smith is the owner of Speedway Motorsports Inc which owns Lowes Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.  Recently, his company has decided to move forward with plans to add a drag strip to the Lowes Motor Speedway complex, which features a dirt track, offices, condos above turn 1. So this week, the City of Concord held a town hall meeting after some residents nearby the speedway were upset over the additional noise the drag strip would cause.  The race track has been on the same site since the 1950's (formerly the Charlotte Motor Speedway) and nearby are is a trailer park.  In the late 90's, the starter home development... 10/04/2007

Seriously, don't mess with Bruton Smith.  I know that he's being a bit ridiculous and over the top and is behaving like a very pouty kid who's ready to take his marbles and go home...but that's irrelevant. If you're not a NASCAR fan, you may have missed the brouhaha.  Bruton Smith (who is big time in NASCAR, owns several tracks, etc) was getting started on building a drag strip for NHRA-sanctioned events.  Concord decided to fix him, but good, by changing the zoning to disallow drag strips.So Bruton, in great dramatic fashion, announced that he wants to un-annex the Lowe's Motor Speedway properties from Concord and he'll go find another location in Charlotte on which to build a speedway.  It will only cost him $350 million (truly, that's pocket change to Bruton). Um, Concord, get real. ... 10/03/2007

With all of the controversy swirling around about the new drag dtrip that will or won't be built in Concord, there is one thing we know for sure;  race weekend is coming up October 10-13th.October 10th kicks off with the Jani-King Southern Showdown at 7:00pm.     Adult tickets $25 and children tickets $10October 11th is Bojangle's Pole night starting at 7:10pm.     Adult tickets $12, Children 6-12 yrs $1, nd under 6 FREEOctober 12th starts the racing off with the Dollar General 300 at 8:16pm. tickets prices vary And the grand finale is October 13th at 7:40pm with the Bank of America 500. ticket prices varyAnd, please, don't be worried about what to do all day!  There is plenty to keep you busy.  Visit Lowes Motor Speedway for more information.  We will see you at the track!  10/03/2007

Apparently, there is power in numbers!  No drag strip today!Last night, Oct 1st, more than 100 people packed the Concord, NC Planning & Zoning meeting to protest a new drag strip proposed by local billionaire, Bruton Smith. Smith proposed the new drag strip on land near the current Lowes Motor Speedway.  That sounds like a fine place to put a drag strip, however, the land is also within a mile of several neighborhoods in Concord.  People spoke for and against the drag strip.  Some folks for the project stated that it seemed like "the good of a few is being put ahead of the benefit and good of the many." Others said it would provide a hobby for children, something to keep them busy and out of trouble.Folks against the project  argue that the noise would be detrimental to their on childre... 10/02/2007