Charlotte Condos for Sale experienced explosive growth over that past several years. The main area of growth was in uptown Charlotte NC. Charlotte planning realized that a great city needs to keep the uptown workers close to town to aide the local economy. Charlotte observed that other cities lost economic activity at night when the workers went home to the suburbs. Center City Charlotte made great strides so that uptown Charlotte remained vibrant after dark. Charlotte began by attracting entertainment venues into the city. This included the arena, the football stadium and various other venues such as the Nascar Museum. The restaurants and night clubs followed suit as did the young professionals. Charlotte Condos began to thrive as the national excitement grew about Charlotte Real Estate.
Today the market has cooled due to the national economy. Crisis means opportunity! There are currently a great deal of Charlotte Condos being sold at lower prices than new! This is a fantastic deal since Charlotte will inevitably continue to grow. How can you really tell that Charlotte will continue to grow? Talk to people. Do not just follow the media like sheep but speak to people who actually live here. Ask them what they think. Ask them if they have family or friends relocating to Charlotte in the future. Just ask.
You will find that the growth in Charlotte is not due to the media but by real people visiting and realizing how nice it is to live here. You will discover this also. I would hope you question every resource. The best way to gain an impression of an area is to speak to someone who is thinking like you but a few years ahead (they already moved). Do not stop at just one person. Ask people at breakfast, out shopping, or in a coffee shop. You will quickly realize what is happening as Charlotte Homes for Sale continue to multiply! The time to buy a Charlotte home is today! The prices are only going up along with the interest rates.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Charlotte NC Home Tax Values
Many people continue to get mired in the "Assessed tax value" of Charlotte Real Estate. North Carolina and South Carolina Real Estate is assessed every four to eight years and each county decides when to assess. The assessments are all made together as a "mass assessment". This means they compare like properties in a very general sense by type of home, heated living area and garage. It is a little more detailed but not much. For example, if you have a home that is in extreme disrepair compared to one that is completely updated, it is likely that they will have the same assessed value if they are similar in square footage and in the same neighborhood. Do they really have the same market value? Of course not. Does te owner of the run down home realize that his home was over assessed? Typically not because he is delighted that his home is worth more than he thought.
Next consider time. What were the prices in the neighborhood four or five years ago? The only reason it matters is because you can see if the neighborhood is generally trending upward or downward since last property tax assessment. Here is a good way to elate to this issue:
Consider the Dow Jones Industrial Average. If you were purchasing a share of the DOW, would it really matter what it was worth four or five years ago? All that would tell you is that the value has appreciated or depreciated since then. That trend may change but you at least can use the history as a guide. Would you expect to pay the price of the stock four or five years ago or would you expect to pay current market value? Charlotte homes are the same.
How do you assess current market value? Market value is determined by what the market eill support. The best indicator is how much has a ready, willing and able buyer pay for a similar home today. We look back three months to help determine market value.
Visit Charlotte NC Homes for Sale to learn more about the greater Charlotte Real Estate region.
Next consider time. What were the prices in the neighborhood four or five years ago? The only reason it matters is because you can see if the neighborhood is generally trending upward or downward since last property tax assessment. Here is a good way to elate to this issue:
Consider the Dow Jones Industrial Average. If you were purchasing a share of the DOW, would it really matter what it was worth four or five years ago? All that would tell you is that the value has appreciated or depreciated since then. That trend may change but you at least can use the history as a guide. Would you expect to pay the price of the stock four or five years ago or would you expect to pay current market value? Charlotte homes are the same.
How do you assess current market value? Market value is determined by what the market eill support. The best indicator is how much has a ready, willing and able buyer pay for a similar home today. We look back three months to help determine market value.
Visit Charlotte NC Homes for Sale to learn more about the greater Charlotte Real Estate region.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Charlotte Builders Continue to Merge
Two national builders merged this past week. Pulte, the owner of Del Webb Senior Communities and Sun City Carolina Lakes south of Charlotte Real Estate, has purchased/merged with Centex. Centex Home Builders was based out of Texas and had large land holdings in both Texas and the Carolinas. This was appealing to Pulte based on the demographic trends and the baby boomers. New Homes nation wide and especially the Charlotte new homes market will flourish with senior homes.
Pulte homes tended to focus more on seniors and I am certain they will continue on this successful business plan as lending rules constrict. As lending rules tighten (or actually just become practical and cost effective) who has equity, credit and money? Seniors! It will be prudent to structure developments to cater to the seniors as they retire and continue to move south for lower taxes, less expensive homes and a warmer climate.
Centex was building new developments and were riding the trend of larger and larger homes. As credit tightened, much of their market could not sell their homes out-of-state and business slowed. Pulte capitalized on this opportunity. Every crisis provides opportunity for those positioned well for the current trends and demands. Pulte Homes is that company.
Visit Charlotte NC Homes for Sale to learn about the great Charlotte Real Estate Opportunities. Yes, our market has slowed due to the national downturn. but it is still the best place to buy a home. People all around the nation have the desire to relocate to Charlotte Real Estate just to not have the financial liquidity to capitalize on the current opportunity. Be assured their plans have not changed; merely placed on a temporary hold. The opportunities of today will be gone very soon. If you are fortunate enough to capitalize on this financial downturn, Charlotte NC Real Estate awaits.
Pulte homes tended to focus more on seniors and I am certain they will continue on this successful business plan as lending rules constrict. As lending rules tighten (or actually just become practical and cost effective) who has equity, credit and money? Seniors! It will be prudent to structure developments to cater to the seniors as they retire and continue to move south for lower taxes, less expensive homes and a warmer climate.
Centex was building new developments and were riding the trend of larger and larger homes. As credit tightened, much of their market could not sell their homes out-of-state and business slowed. Pulte capitalized on this opportunity. Every crisis provides opportunity for those positioned well for the current trends and demands. Pulte Homes is that company.
Visit Charlotte NC Homes for Sale to learn about the great Charlotte Real Estate Opportunities. Yes, our market has slowed due to the national downturn. but it is still the best place to buy a home. People all around the nation have the desire to relocate to Charlotte Real Estate just to not have the financial liquidity to capitalize on the current opportunity. Be assured their plans have not changed; merely placed on a temporary hold. The opportunities of today will be gone very soon. If you are fortunate enough to capitalize on this financial downturn, Charlotte NC Real Estate awaits.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Charlotte Real Estate and the Charlotte Condo Market
There are many people seeking a solid Charlotte real estate investment but a single family home does not fit your lifestyle. Some of these people include seniors, single professionals and young couples just starting out and tired of paying rent. Charlotte Condos for Sale may be what you are seeking. There are several caveats to consider as you discover the Charlotte Condo market.
Charlotte is still a very new city. The condo market in Charlotte NC is still in its infancy. Many developers/investors did not do much research and just threw in their cash. Not a wise move.
You must first consider your market niche and decide why would a person want a condo in this location. Condos are to offer a more affordable home or convenience. Convenience is to either work and or night life. Condo developers swarmed in uptown Charlotte a couple of years ago without noting that the rate of condo development was far exceeding demand. Ultimately this challenged outer area condos because uptown Charlotte Condos were all the rage.
The rage has subsided and now many Charlotte Condo investors are holding onto empty condos. There will be many deals on uptown Charlotte Condos but please consider call of the expenses prior to buying. I do not share this to take you away from the condos but please consider these a longer term investment and be assured it is affordable for your budget. I do not want you to repeat the process that has occurred in uptown.
There are also areas where condos make a lot of sense. For example consider Piedmont Row in Southpark. Piedmont Row is a very nice complex with a great location in Southpark. Since Southpark attracted thousands of professionals that spend a couple of weeks a month at this office. These Southpark Condos are designed with you in mind. Due to the over development of Uptown Condos, many condos in outer areas (such as Southpark) did not see much activity over the past several years.
The areas such as Southpark will be ideal to take advantage of the slower market there. You can purchase condos below market value and be comfortable that you investment will appreciate over the next 5 or so years. These outer areas will recover much faster than uptown. Uptown Charlotte condos will take a while before our population meets the supply. In the mean time many of the 'investors' will let these homes go back to the bank.
Opportunity is all around. You just need to trust an expert that has your shared interest first. Visit my Charlotte Real Estate website for additional information of the greater Charlotte NC Homes market.
Charlotte is still a very new city. The condo market in Charlotte NC is still in its infancy. Many developers/investors did not do much research and just threw in their cash. Not a wise move.
You must first consider your market niche and decide why would a person want a condo in this location. Condos are to offer a more affordable home or convenience. Convenience is to either work and or night life. Condo developers swarmed in uptown Charlotte a couple of years ago without noting that the rate of condo development was far exceeding demand. Ultimately this challenged outer area condos because uptown Charlotte Condos were all the rage.
The rage has subsided and now many Charlotte Condo investors are holding onto empty condos. There will be many deals on uptown Charlotte Condos but please consider call of the expenses prior to buying. I do not share this to take you away from the condos but please consider these a longer term investment and be assured it is affordable for your budget. I do not want you to repeat the process that has occurred in uptown.
There are also areas where condos make a lot of sense. For example consider Piedmont Row in Southpark. Piedmont Row is a very nice complex with a great location in Southpark. Since Southpark attracted thousands of professionals that spend a couple of weeks a month at this office. These Southpark Condos are designed with you in mind. Due to the over development of Uptown Condos, many condos in outer areas (such as Southpark) did not see much activity over the past several years.
The areas such as Southpark will be ideal to take advantage of the slower market there. You can purchase condos below market value and be comfortable that you investment will appreciate over the next 5 or so years. These outer areas will recover much faster than uptown. Uptown Charlotte condos will take a while before our population meets the supply. In the mean time many of the 'investors' will let these homes go back to the bank.
Opportunity is all around. You just need to trust an expert that has your shared interest first. Visit my Charlotte Real Estate website for additional information of the greater Charlotte NC Homes market.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Union County Real Estate and Union County Schools
Union County continues to grow and Union County must adjust the school borders to adjust for the current population. The New Cuthbertson Schools (middle and high) are opening in 2009/2010. Union County Real Estate maps are now constructed to allow for the new students to attend. Each new school creates new real estate opportunities. The New Cutbertson schools pulled students from Weddington Real Estate, Marvin Real Estate and Waxhaw Real Estate. Many Union County NC Homes within this new area will experience an increase in demand due to the excitement of the new school. This is good news for the vast majority of residents because their Union County Homes will increase in value.
The Sun Valley High School, further east in Indian Trail, is beyond capacity and needs to lighten some of the student burden (according to county officials); each student deserves a comfortable learning environemnt and each teacher should have manageable classroom sizes. Any redistricting is met with oppositiion which is understandable. Most buyers purchase homes based on their "current" school assignments.
Ultimately there are many difficult decisions to be made as the greater Charlotte Real Estate area continues to grow. I understand the concern of home owners and I do everything possible to assure you find the home in an area with schools of your choosing for your new Charlotte Home.
The Sun Valley High School, further east in Indian Trail, is beyond capacity and needs to lighten some of the student burden (according to county officials); each student deserves a comfortable learning environemnt and each teacher should have manageable classroom sizes. Any redistricting is met with oppositiion which is understandable. Most buyers purchase homes based on their "current" school assignments.
Ultimately there are many difficult decisions to be made as the greater Charlotte Real Estate area continues to grow. I understand the concern of home owners and I do everything possible to assure you find the home in an area with schools of your choosing for your new Charlotte Home.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Charlotte New Homes: Where are the deals?
One of the beautiful things about moving to Charlotte NC is that Charlotte New Homes for Sale are still affordable. Nothing beats the excitement of having a brand new Charlotte Home where you personally select all of the features that you desire in a home. The downside to the new home building process is that life often changes before the home is even complete. Is this a downside or an opportunity? It depends on your perspective.
The rapidly evolving Charlotte Housing market is causing grief for builders. As the lending rules evolve so does the odds of the Charlotte New Home buyer. As the credit tightens many potential Charlotte New Home owners can no longer buy their dream home. Please be certain that you exceed the current credit rules if you are purchasing a new home. The lending rules/criteria are changing all of time. There is no way to know what the rules will be six months from now.
So what happens to the new home after the buyer can no longer get financing? This is not good for the Charlotte builder. In today's economy, builders are not building spec homes (also known as inventory homes). It simply takes too long to sell a spec home and it is not a viable business plan. So now what? The builder is in the same position as the potential buyers are today. There is no way of knowing with any degree of certainty what tomorrow will bring. Builders will discount these brand new homes to eliminate the risk and to free up their financial resources for new buyers. Yes you can purchase a discounted brand new Charlotte home. The down side is that you will not be able to select everything that you wanted but you can receive unheard of discounts of 20% or more!
As the economy changes these Charlotte NC Homes For Sale will not be discounted much longer. Springtime is always a more active real estate time period so the wise money is buying now. As the spring market heats up these discounted properties will be no where to be found.
Visit my Charlotte Real Estate website today and learn more about Charlotte NC Homes For Sale.
The rapidly evolving Charlotte Housing market is causing grief for builders. As the lending rules evolve so does the odds of the Charlotte New Home buyer. As the credit tightens many potential Charlotte New Home owners can no longer buy their dream home. Please be certain that you exceed the current credit rules if you are purchasing a new home. The lending rules/criteria are changing all of time. There is no way to know what the rules will be six months from now.
So what happens to the new home after the buyer can no longer get financing? This is not good for the Charlotte builder. In today's economy, builders are not building spec homes (also known as inventory homes). It simply takes too long to sell a spec home and it is not a viable business plan. So now what? The builder is in the same position as the potential buyers are today. There is no way of knowing with any degree of certainty what tomorrow will bring. Builders will discount these brand new homes to eliminate the risk and to free up their financial resources for new buyers. Yes you can purchase a discounted brand new Charlotte home. The down side is that you will not be able to select everything that you wanted but you can receive unheard of discounts of 20% or more!
As the economy changes these Charlotte NC Homes For Sale will not be discounted much longer. Springtime is always a more active real estate time period so the wise money is buying now. As the spring market heats up these discounted properties will be no where to be found.
Visit my Charlotte Real Estate website today and learn more about Charlotte NC Homes For Sale.
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Charlotte Foreclosures-Charlotte Short Sales
Many home buyers in today's Charlotte Real Estate market are looking for a deal. Well a steal would be more like it. As the banking industry deals with the national foreclosures they are also dealing with the homes that was considered collateral.
The sub prime market gave money to many that had no reason to ever own a home. Lending money to a person for a home that already has a history of not paying money back is not a sound business plan. Now we get Charlotte Short Sales and Charlotte Foreclosures.
From a bank's perspective a Short Sale is preferred. A short sale is a home that is already delinquent several months on payments (that is why a bank agrees to a short sale) and is willing to take less than what is owed. The bank also knows that there are more expenses to go through the foreclosure process and frequently the highest cause is the damage done by the person that was not paying the mortgage in the first place.
A Foreclosure home is often beyond just disrepair. I have seen them completely gutted to include the removal of entire kitchens, bathrooms (including all plumbing), HVAC units, furnaces and hot water tanks. I have seen them with the electrical panel removed and all of the House wiring severed.
The difficulty with a Short Sale is the "mortgage company" typically is insured by the Government (since the Government mandated the loans) and the bank is overwhelmed in this department. The Short Sale department represents a loss for the institutions. It is difficult to keep throwing more money after bad loans. The process is further complicated by the 2nd mortgages since the second mortgage holder bears the brunt of the losses.
You must get two "overloaded" departments to agree on a course of action, a fair price and who takes what loss. Are there deals to be had? Yes, but patience is required.
There are Charlotte Short Sales and Charlotte Foreclosures to be had. Keep in mind that the same rules apply to foreclosures as it does to regular homes. The homes for sale in the most desirable Charlotte NC Homes in the highest demand areas will also get the highest price for a Charlotte Foreclosure. The reverse is also true.
Visit Charlotte NC Homes For Sale to learn about the various areas surrounding Charlotte Real Estate and together we will find the best deal for you!
The sub prime market gave money to many that had no reason to ever own a home. Lending money to a person for a home that already has a history of not paying money back is not a sound business plan. Now we get Charlotte Short Sales and Charlotte Foreclosures.
From a bank's perspective a Short Sale is preferred. A short sale is a home that is already delinquent several months on payments (that is why a bank agrees to a short sale) and is willing to take less than what is owed. The bank also knows that there are more expenses to go through the foreclosure process and frequently the highest cause is the damage done by the person that was not paying the mortgage in the first place.
A Foreclosure home is often beyond just disrepair. I have seen them completely gutted to include the removal of entire kitchens, bathrooms (including all plumbing), HVAC units, furnaces and hot water tanks. I have seen them with the electrical panel removed and all of the House wiring severed.
The difficulty with a Short Sale is the "mortgage company" typically is insured by the Government (since the Government mandated the loans) and the bank is overwhelmed in this department. The Short Sale department represents a loss for the institutions. It is difficult to keep throwing more money after bad loans. The process is further complicated by the 2nd mortgages since the second mortgage holder bears the brunt of the losses.
You must get two "overloaded" departments to agree on a course of action, a fair price and who takes what loss. Are there deals to be had? Yes, but patience is required.
There are Charlotte Short Sales and Charlotte Foreclosures to be had. Keep in mind that the same rules apply to foreclosures as it does to regular homes. The homes for sale in the most desirable Charlotte NC Homes in the highest demand areas will also get the highest price for a Charlotte Foreclosure. The reverse is also true.
Visit Charlotte NC Homes For Sale to learn about the various areas surrounding Charlotte Real Estate and together we will find the best deal for you!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)