Do you want to know how the Matthews NC real estate market fared in 2008? This post will summarize the 2008 real estate sales for the town as a whole plus report on the most active neighborhoods within the Town of Matthews NC.  This report covers real estate activity within the Matthews town limits, which are entirely within Mecklenburg County.  For a complete understanding of how to search for Matthews NC real estate, read Taking the Confusion out of the Matthews NC Real Estate Search. 2008 Real Estate Market Report for Matthews NC Single Family Homes Number of Sales:  208    Price Range:  $49,000 to $1,139,000   Average Heated Area:  2311 sf   Average Price:  $250,788   Average Days on Market:  72 Townhouses and Condos Number of Sales:  40      Price Range:  $106,000 to $360,000    Av... 01/05/2009

A radon inspection is one of the elements of a complete home inspection and should be considered when you buy a Matthew NC home.  The NC Offer to Purchase and Contract form even has standard language providing for a radon inspection and creating a process for requesting mitigation if elevated levels are found. The truth is that radon is rarely an issue in Matthews NC home inspections.  The reason:  real estate agents don't emphasize the radon issue so buyers usually don't  inspect for it.  I just experienced my first elevated radon results from a home inspection in over twenty years of selling real estate in Matthews NC.  I learned a lot about radon from the process and hope the story of mitigating radon in this home will help educate you too. First, some background... What is radon? Ac... 12/26/2008

Real Estate Market Update for Single Family Homes in Mecklenburg County North Carolina Area 4 including: Charlotte, Matthews. Neighborhoods West of Hwy 74, Indepdendence Blvd. and East of Providence Road including, Grier Heights, Chantilly, Cotswold, Elizabeth, Eastover, Beverly Crest, Sardis Woods, High Timbers, Downtown Matthews, Lansdowne, Providence Plantation, and others. Data gathered for November 1, 2008 - November 30, 2008 New Active Listings In November, 127 new single family detached homes were added to the available inventory of Charlotte and Matthews Area 4.  As of the date of this blog, this brings the total inventory in Area 4 to 764 single family detached homes.  The new inventory was down 33.51% from the month prior and down 24.85% from the prior November.  Pending Homes... 12/12/2008

You have scheduled the home inspection for your new Matthews home.  Did you know that you can go on a virtual home inspection to learn more about what the home inspector will look for? The American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) has a great web site that includes a virtual home inspection.  Take the tour to better understand the various components of the home inspection. While you are at the ASHI site, you can review the Home Inspector Code of Ethics, get answers to some frequently asked questions about home inspections, and find links to specialized topics such as septic tanks and lead. Related Articles: Buy a Matthews NC Home:  Understanding the Home Inspection Process.  Want to know more about buying Matthews NC real estate? Visit www.CarolinaSmallTownLiving.com.  About the author... 12/11/2008

You are buying a home in Matthews NC.  Negotiations with the seller are complete and the home is under contract.  You are about to begin the next phase of the home buying process:  having the home inspected and negotiating repairs.  Unfortunately, for many buyers the home inspection process is more stressful than negotiating the contract.  This series of articles will give you an overview of this process and identify resources to help you make educated decisions about your real estate purchase. What inspection rights do you have in the North Carolina contract? You have the right to inspect all permanent improvements to the property.  This includes mechanical systems, such as appliances, wiring, plumbing and heating and cooling.  It also includes structural components, such as roofing, f... 12/11/2008

Would you like to receive a complimentary no-obligation report on your home and your local real estate market?  This report will be provided to you by a real estate professional using real time market data.  This Market Snapshot report is engaging, interactive and extremely informative.  Please click the image below to receive your FREE report.     12/02/2008

You plan to buy a Matthews NC home.  You found several properties that meet your needs.  You walked the lots.  You know the basic characteristics that you could identify by walking around the lot.  Now you want to answer some questions about each property that are not evident from a visit to the property.  Where can you find the details that will help you compare the lots and make a good  decision? Lot Layout and Location Within the Neighborhood Start with the Geographic Information System (GIS) of the county where the property is located.  Mecklenburg County calls its property information system the Geospatial Portal.  When you enter a street name, a map of the subdivision will open showing all of the lots and the footprint of the houses on the lots.  You can then drill down for more i... 12/01/2008

If you want to buy a Matthews NC home...walk the lot.  You've found a home that you love and you can picture your family in this house.  But don't forget to investigate the piece of ground where the house sits.  Don't forget to walk the lot! This article, Part 2 in the Basics of Due Diligence series, outlines some of the questions you should ask when evaluating a lot for purchase.  Part 3 of this series will discuss resources for finding answers to some of these questions. What to Consider When Choosing a Lot You can change the exterior of a home by painting it a different color and you can change the interior with the latest fixtures and upgrades but you cannot move the lot to a different location or change its basic characteristics.  To a certain extent, a lot's appeal will depend on ... 11/24/2008

You want to buy a home in Matthews NC.  You have located several properties that might meet your family's needs.  What are some of the questions that you should ask about this Matthews NC real estate so that you can make a good buying decision?  This article is one in a series about exercising due diligence when you buy a Matthews NC home.  I hope to help you develop a set of questions that should be asked about any property that you consider for purchase and then show you how to find the answers. The Basics Let's start with the most basic questions... Where is the property located? The first question to ask about any property identified as being in Matthews NC is which county is this property in?  It is very easy to determine the county location by looking at the zip code.  Matthews NC... 11/19/2008

This lovely neighborhood in Matthews includes community amenities such as a pool, playground and tennis courts.  Many homes offer wooded lots and nice landscaping. to see Callaway Plantation real estate currently for sale in Matthews. Homes in this subdivision tend to range from $105,700 to $200,000. Therefore, with Terra Vista Realty’s 1.5% cash rebate, we can pay you from about $1,600 to $3,000 to buy a house in Callaway Plantation through us. Houses in this neighborhood generally range from about 1100 to 2900 square feet. Below is additional information on Callaway Plantation in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina... Neighborhood Amenities: Playground,Pool,Tennis Courts Approximate Lot Sizes: 0.16 - 0.7 acres Home Styles: Traditional, Transitional Key Roads: Clifton Meadow DR, Elkins ... 11/11/2008

Want to know how Veterans Day is celebrated in Carolina small towns? I decided to check out the festivities in Mint Hill NC and in Matthews NC on a beautiful fall day with Carolina blue skies. The Matthews Rotary Club sponsored the 4th Annual Chili Cookoff and Bluegrass Festival for Veterans Day.  The event took place in Stumptown Park in downtown Matthews. Bluegrass musicians at the band shell provided  the music and a number of teams vied for honors at the Chili Cookoff in the park. Good food and good music! Visit www.CarolinaSmallTownLiving.com for more information about living in Matthews NC and other area small towns. About the author:  Carol Fox is a veteran real estate agent who has lived in the Matthews area for over twenty years. Copyright 2008.  Carol Fox.  All rights reserved... 11/10/2008

Baby boomer, active adult, over 55 or senior?  No matter how you describe yourself, Matthews NC is a great place for your active adult lifestyle.  What makes Matthews NC so attractive to seniors? Matthews is located in the North Carolina Piedmont with its mild weather and four seasons.  The mountains and the beaches are just a few hours away.  A number of golf courses are found within a 20 to 30 minute drive of the town. Matthews has a quaint town center that offers fun destinations, such as the Matthews Farmers Market and Renfrow's Hardware, in business for over a hundred years.  Events and festivals in downtown Matthews attract visitors throughout the year.  You can walk to the library or a coffee shop, get a sandwich or eat at an upscale restaurant in downtown Matthews. Matthews seni... 11/06/2008

Festival in the Park has been a Charlotte NC tradition since 1964.  The festival happens in September every year, so the next one is in 2009, but that doesn't mean that it's not an interesting part of Charlotte.  People interested in Charlotte real estate should definitely know a little about it, especially since the festival is in Freedom Park, which is easily accesible from uptown neighborhoods like Dilworth or Myers Park. Festival in the park features arts and crafts and performing arts.  The art is juried and the festival organizers hand out prizes to the winners.  The art ranges from fine oil paintings to caricature artists and pottery.  It's free to for everyone to walk around and enjoy the artwork. The outdoor festival lends itself to live music.  There is a great variety of musi... 11/03/2008

Walkable neighborhoods.  Matthews NC comes to mind when I am asked to name a small town near Charlotte NC that has neighborhoods within walking distance of the downtown area.  I define a walkable neighborhood as one that is within one mile of town or community amenities and that has sidewalks or trails that provide a way to reach those destinations.  Matthews has a number of community destinations within its downtown area and several walkable neighborhoods near downtown.   What are some downtown Matthews NC amenities?  Town hall, library and post office Matthews Community Center offering classes and community theater Matthews Farmers Market Matthews Elementary School Stumptown Park and Bandshell Restaurants and shops Renfrow Hardware, in business for more than 100 years Churches   Is is... 10/15/2008

Stratfordshire in Matthews - 435 Trafalgar Place - Approx. 3119 heated SF - Elegant custom brick 2 sty with basement nestled on a1 acre corner, wooded lot in exclusive sought after neighborhood of Stratfordshire in south Charlotte. This home features a grand 2 story foyer, hardwoods on main level, stunning kitchen w/center island, new appliances, custom cabinets, designer lighting, tile & solid surface countertops. Exquisite dining room opens to soaring great room with 2 story wall of windows, marble fireplace, guest bedroom & office/den down. Impressive new master bath with granite and custom tile spa shower. Huge unfinished basement. Basement is heated & rough plumbed with workroom & plenty of storage, On the basement level you'll find a 2-car side load garage. Potential in-law suite ... 10/15/2008

Downtown Matthews NC is a great place to find artwork in the month of September.   The 23rd annual Artfest of Matthews occupied the Village Green in downtown Matthews last weekend.  The Artfest is a juried art show that showcases the finest artists from the southeast.  The Artfest also has a YouthArt Scholarship Competition for rising seniors from area schools and a children's area for creativity during the event. Let me paint a picture of the scene at the Matthews Village Green last weekend. People strolled down Matthews Station Drive toward the Village Green and the Matthews Town Hall in the distance.  The Village Green is a landscaped traffic circle with a Gazebo and stone walkways and benches in the center.  A jazz band played music in the Gazebo.  Booths with artwork and pottery li... 10/04/2008

Public schools in Matthews NC and Mint Hill NC are part of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System (CMS), one of the largest systems in the country.  CMS just unveiled its Data Dashboard, an online database that puts information about the system and each of its schools into a central web site. The Data Dashboard is the place to start if you want to learn about Matthews and Mint Hill schools and compare them with other schools in the CMS system.  The information presented includes not only test scores but also results of student and family surveys as well as service goals, such as whether the buses run on time.  CMS identified seven Strategic Goals with performance targets for year 2010.  These goals provide the organizational categories for the information. What can you learn about the ... 10/01/2008

One of the hardest decisions we had to make when we were relocating to the Carolinas was in which city we would settle down in.  Myself, being relatively self employed, could go anywhere and my wife had opportunities in Chapel Hill, Charlotte, and Winston Salem.  It was a tough call but we decided on the Charlotte area because it seemed to have the most to offer and, with the exception of the water, was most like where we were moving from in Maryland.  Since my wife's job opportunity was in south Charlotte, we focused our search there on a home and a new hometown.  I personally adore Lake Norman and Lake Wylie but she didn't like the idea of a 1 hour 1-way commute each day (and she says she loves me).  We did the typical ride around with a REALTOR showing us houses in both Indian Trail,... 09/18/2008

FEATURED LISTINGS Reverdy End is a beautiful cluster / enclave of luxury homes located in the popular south Charlotte area town of Matthews. (Reverdy End is a K2C Community) This small group of homes offers residence the privacy of a small community with mature landscape. Convenient to downtown Charlotte and area shopping, Reverdy End is considered one of the Charlotte areas prime luxury home enclaves. If you are interested in the Reverdy End Luxury Home Enclave of homes and would like to see current listings in person, please contact the Craig R. LePage Realty Group at 704-618-2412. Community: Reverdy End Price Range: $900k to $1.4 Million Location: South of Charlotte / Matthews County: Mecklenburg Community Description: Small Enclave of Homes   Amenities:   Home Site Sizes: 0.14 to 0... 09/14/2008

Matthews NC Market Report 08/18/2008 Matthews NC Market Report 9/01/2008 Just a short drive from Uptown Charlotte NC, Matthews boasts a small town feel with its historic downtown, quaint suburbs and modern communities at every price point. With plenty of small town atmosphere, you'll see joggers, strollers and community happenings all around Matthews.  Matthews has a great public library, a revitalized downtown area and a very active Chamber of Commerce.  With a wildly successful Matthews Alive! 2008, the popular 'small town' welcomed visitors from near and far with open arms during the Labor Day weekend.  Visit Matthews and see what the 'buzz' is about! Matthews housing market remains strong with little change in this slowed market.  The Matthews market update for August, 2008 reveals... 09/07/2008