Posts Tagged ‘Charlotte Homes’

Population is Growing and Prices are Leveling Out

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Despite national mobilization being down—no doubt due to the lethargic economy of the past few years—there is something about North Carolina that keeps people knocking at its doors. With a 2% population increase last year, it became the nation’s 4th fastest growing state, and it is still standing strong as the 10th largest state in the country. This is great news for Charlotte, the hub on North Carolina’s business and housing sectors.

With an influx of people, Charlotte is seeing more trade and commercial development. The housing market is also set to benefit from the state’s continuing growth.

In November of last year, home prices had fallen 5.5% from November of 2008. The most recent publication from Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller Home Price Index cites that Charlotte home prices slumped a meager 0.3% from October to November in 2009. This is an insignificant decline compared to the three months previous and a far cry from the 5.5% drop of the year prior.

Charlotte real estate markets are still sitting on the sides of buyers, however. Home sales are increasing and home prices are gradually catching up, but with first-time homebuyer’s tax credits, mortgage assistance, lending reform, low refinancing rates and other movements geared toward bolstering the housing market, buyers can still find excellent opportunities for purchasing residential real estate at record-setting affordable prices throughout Charlotte.

Currently, the median home price in Charlotte is approximately $155,250 and every day, you can expect to see a selection of around 133 homes listed throughout some of Charlotte’s best neighborhoods. From the old-soul Dilworth suburbs to the chic condos of Plaza Midwood and historic ranch homes of Wesley Heights, there is a niche for everyone in Charlotte. If you are looking to get moving with the rest of the population that finds this booming North Carolina city so appealing, the home prices and real estate market are ripe and waiting.

Dilworth; Notorious Streetcar Suburb Presents History on Call

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

The Dilworth neighborhood is one area in North Carolina that has an extensive historic background of streetcar transportation with pleasant stories to tell. It is an extremely popular place to buy a unique Charlotte home and make residence because of its history, among many other things. Beautiful tree lined streets, charming bungalows and paved sidewalks make this neighborhood highly sought after because of the family friendly atmosphere.

Dilworth is notorious for being Charlotte’s first streetcar suburb that was established around the 1890’s by a man named Edward Dilworth Latta. The neighborhood is one of Charlotte’s earliest suburbs that utilized the streetcar system for transporting their residents. One company is now helping to communicate stories of the Dilworth history; Charlotte Trolley, Inc. has launched an informative program called ‘History on Call’.

This new effort is a cell phone tour that costs nothing to hear stories of the important people and places that make up Charlotte’s history. The audio dramas are accessible through the internet or by telephone and consist of six topics in the series. Each one tells a specific tale of moments in history that showcase the historic events of Dilworth. It begins with the introduction of the suburb with the electric trolley and tells of the struggles that were endured during the time of the company strikes up until the marvelous homes that were built by an architect named Charles Christian Hook. Many of the stately and historic homes that were created by Hook are still standing and are listed as landmarks.

Dilworth has homes for sale that have been built when the neighborhood first was created. Your new Charlotte home could be located inside one of the most famous neighborhoods in North Carolina. Call Katie Gray at 704-560-9699 or email katie@katiegrayhomes.com to find out more about the historical events and homes of Dilworth, the first streetcar suburb of Charlotte.

Choosing Education Programs and Schools in Charlotte

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

Living in a Charlotte home with children will require that you place your child into an education program or a public school system. Alternately, you could home school them, if that is your choice. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District will assign your child to a school depending upon where they live. Alternate choices are available for parents when deciding their child’s education path, like a magnet school that has a specialized curriculum.

According to the federal law known as ‘No Child Left Behind’, children have the liberty to attend another school within their district if it is higher in performance than the school they are attending. Sometimes when your workplace is in an area that is closer to another school district, it is necessary to transfer your child into a different district. There will be an application process to complete for the transfer and each individual school district will have their own set of regulations. If the transfer request is denied however, you can appeal the decision. Most often, the denial will come because of space limitations.

Charter school enrollment, on the other hand, is not necessarily governed by boundaries of location. You can place your child into a charter school without state regulations, if there is adequate space available. Magnet schools will sometimes have an enrollment process that is quite competitive and will require the child to pass an entrance exam. Other magnet schools may allow enrollment by using a lottery system or a combination of the lottery and an exam.

In the school district of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, there are six separate geographic learning communities with a seventh area that is called an achievement zone. The CMS district strives for excellence in education and performance, which is the purpose of reshaping the communities. There are many choices for your child’s education when moving to a new town. Real estate experts like Katie Gray can help you find your new Charlotte home in an area with the best elementary and high school according to your preferences.

Call Katie today at 704-560-9699 or email katie@katiegrayhomes.com and she will help you find your new home within the Charlotte-Mecklenburg district.

Downpayment Assistance Program for Charlotte Homebuyers

Sunday, November 22nd, 2009

If you think you can’t afford one of the luxurious Charlotte homes because of your income level, you may want to reconsider your options. The City of Charlotte has designed an assistance program for homebuyers in their Neighborhood & Business Services division called “HouseCharlotte”. The program provides financial assistance that can be used for a down payment, paying down points, closing costs and to even pay off up to $3000 in medical collections that you may have acquired.

You could qualify for up to $10,000, depending upon the neighborhood for which you are applying. The eligible homes are located in areas that are predetermined by the HouseCharlotte website and it is called a Neighborhood Statistical Area (NSA). Some of the areas include Villa Heights, Wilmore, Belmont, Wesley Heights and North Charlotte, along with many other neighborhoods.

An excellent example of a qualifying 3 bedroom home in Villa Heights with 2 full baths is located on Parkwood Avenue. It is a newer home with an open floor plan with wall-to-wall carpet, central air conditioning, insulated windows and it includes all appliances. There is also an option on this beautiful home for a full home warranty. The list price for this ranch style home is a mere $124,999. This could be a perfect first time home that would qualify for the Downpayment Assistance Program.

Applying for the assistance is fairly easy; simply find your desired home and make sure that it qualifies for the assistance program, first of all. Once you have determined that it does qualify, you will need to fill out an application form. Most of the real estate agents have access to these papers, but if you would like to print them at home, it is also available on the HouseCharlotte website. Talk to Katie Gray about the possibilities of obtaining the down payment assistance to purchase your new Charlotte home.

For more information on the homes listed above, contact Katie at 704-560-9699 or email katie@katiegrayhomes.com.

Keeping Charlotte Beautiful and Prosperous

Saturday, November 21st, 2009

Buying a home in Charlotte is advantageous for many reasons; one of them is because of the continual efforts to keep the city beautiful and prosperous. The area is economically flourishing and has a tremendous growth rate that has continued for many years. Keeping the city at its finest is top priority with a long standing committee for keeping Charlotte beautiful. Founded in 1974 as one of the very first affiliates of the Keep America Beautiful program, Charlotte leads the way in the objective.

Keep Charlotte Beautiful or KCB, as it is sometimes called, is a committee that works to improve the beauty and cleanliness of the city. Teaming with area schools, businesses and local government authorities, as well as homeowners groups and neighborhood organizations, the committee plans and implements various programs like the Neighborhood Recognition Program, Earth Day, Mow Across America, Litter Sting and an adopt a street program.

When you move in and get settled into your new Charlotte home, you can get involved in any of the beautification programs that will enhance your own neighborhood. A fun program is the Litter Sting where you can actually ride along in the vehicles with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg law enforcement officers to find people in the neighborhood that are littering. You can spot and stop the litter bugs by giving them a ticket to appear in court. This will conquer two tasks; it will encourage cleanliness in your own neighborhood and will also allow you to contribute your civic responsibility to the area.

The elite region of neighborhoods and towns in North Carolina are not only beautiful, but offer a wide variety of structural design. New construction and existing homes that consist of cozy bungalows, ranch houses, contemporary condos and mansions that are custom built are available for immediate purchase.

Call Katie Gray today at 704-560-9699 or email katie@katiegrayhomes.com and she will help you find your new home with the unique personality, just as your own.