Today is a perfect day to be out on Lake Norman boating and playing, especially for our children who are on summer vacation. But, if you are smart, you will go shopping instead because today starts our North Carolina’s annual tax-free back-to-school days! 

This sales tax holiday, which lasts through this Sunday, August 9th (2009), is meant to help back-to-school shopping more affordable for parents but truly most of us can benefit as well. 

For those of you new to the Mooresville Lake Norman area, every year NorthCarolina sets three days as “tax exempt” just for back-to-school supplies. What a great way to help out parents, especially this year with our continuing economic and housing struggles.

Here is a list of the items the qualify for exemption from sales tax:

• Clothing & footwear (including outerwear, shoes and diapers)
• School supplies of $100 or less per item (including backpacks, paper, notebooks, calculators, lunchboxes and other writing and art supplies)
• NEW IN 2009!: A separate exemption for instructional materials such as reference books, maps, globes, workbooks and textbooks of $300 or less per item
• Computers of $3,500 or less per item
• Computer accessories such as discs and printer ink at $250 or less per item
• School Sports and recreation equipment of $50 or less per item 

Items NOT covered include:

• Computer parts such as monitors, keyboards or speakers unless sold as part of a package including the computer
• Jewelry and cosmetics
• Protective equipment such as hardhats, safety belts and tool belts
• Wallets
• Furniture
• Items used in a trade or business
• Rentals

The North Carolina Department of Revenue has a website: dor.state.nc.us/taxes/sales/salestax_holiday.html where you will find a list of exempt items and a listing of frequently asked questions.  All retailers in North Carolina that sell these designated items are required to participate according to the NC Department of Revenue.

Don’t forget that we have a Staples and Best Buy in Mooresville on Hwy 150 just across the street from our SuperTarget and down the road from our SuperWalMart. With all of these large stores so close together it’s a great way to save on gas too.  Most of these stores are offering back-to-school specials this weekend as well.

This weekend is a wonderful opportunity to get the kids out of the house (or out of the lake) and enjoy a chance to save a bit of money as school is just around the corner!

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Today is a perfect day to be out on Lake Norman boating and playing, especially for our children who are on summer vacation. It’s hard to believe that another year has gone by and that this Friday – Sunday are North Carolina’s annual tax-free back-to-school days!

Technically, the sales tax holiday begins at exactly 12.01a.m. on Friday, August 1st and ends at exactly 11:59p.m. on Sunday, August 3, 2008.

For those of you new to the Mooresville Lake Norman area, every year North Carolina sets three days as “tax exempt” just for back-to-school supplies. What a great way to help out parents, especially this year with our housing slowdown, high gas prices and economic challenges!

Here is a list of the items the qualify for exemption from sales tax:

• Clothing, footwear and school supplies of $100 or less per item
• School instructional materials such as reference books, workbooks and textbooks of $300 or less per item
• Sports and recreation equipment of $50 or less per item
• Computers of $3,500 or less per item
• Computer supplies of $250 or less per item

Items NOT covered include:

• Clothing, accessories
• Jewelry and cosmetics
• Protective equipment such as hardhats, safety belts and tool belts
• Wallets
• Furniture
• Items used in a trade or business
• Rentals

The North Carolina Department of Revenue has a website: dor.state.nc.us/taxes/sales/salestax_holiday.html where you will find a list of exempt items and a listing of frequently asked questions.

Don’t forget that we have a new Staples and Best Buy in Mooresville on Hwy 150 just across the street from our SuperTarget and down the road from our SuperWalMart as well. With all of these large stores so close together it’s a great way to save on gas too!

This weekend is a wonderful opportunity to get the kids out of the house (or out of the lake) and enjoy a chance to save a bit of money as school is just around the corner!

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Lake Norman Real Estate: How to do research about our schools?

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Starting when I was in the sixth grade, my family was relocated across the country about every two years because of my father’s job. Every time my father brought home the news of our next move, my mom would go into major research mode. The number one priority was always the school systems and then real estate.

If you are a parent contemplating a move to the Lake Norman area I’m sure you are also anxious to learn as much as possible about the various schools before you make a decision if or where to purchase a home. Thanks to the Internet, you can do most of the research from the comfort of you own home.

The first thing you should know is that there are 5 school districts surrounding Lake Norman.

1. Charlotte-Mecklenburg The Charlotte Mecklenburg County School District encompasses the towns of Davidson, Cornelius, Huntersville and south to Charlotte.

2. Iredell-Statesville: The Iredell County School District includes the County area of Mooresville (zip-code 28117) along the east bank of Lake Norman and north up through Troutman and Statesville.

3. Mooresville Graded School District The Town of Mooresville has their own school system. So, if you are looking at real estate in the zipcode 28115 this will most likely be your school district.

4. Lincoln County Schools include the town of Denver and Lincolnton on the south west side of Lake Norman.

5. Catawba County Schools include the communities of Sherrills Ford, Terrell on the northwest side of Lake Norman.

A great resource for researching Lake Norman schools in addition to the above school district website is the North Carolina State website: NC School Report Cards. On this site you can search by school system, by a map or even an individual school and it will provide you with:

• School size
• Average class size
• Financial support
• Performance of students in each grade in both reading and math and by gender, ethnicity and other factors
• Individual school’s performance and designations (Honor School of Excellence etc.)
• Quality and qualifications of teachers
• School Safety
• Access to technology

Helpful pointers on how to pick out a school from Ann Doss Helms, Charlotte Observer education reporter:

• Ask about and visit classes and programs your child is likely to take part in such as electives, special magnet classes and programs for gifted or disabled students.
• Principals are key to a school’s atmosphere. Do administrators make you feel welcome and seem to care about staff and students?
• Use test scores cautiously. Ask the principal to explain scores and ratings and describe what is being done to remedy weaknesses
• North Carolina law requires each school to have a leadership team, made up of parents and staff, and a three-year school improvement plan. Ask to see the plan and talk to those on the team.
• Beginning in 2009, state law will change the current date of October 16th for the cut-off date for children to turn 5 for entering kindergarten to August 31st.

Another great way to learn more about schools is from the Lake Norman moms themselves! The most popular website/blog: Lake Norman Mommies.com is a great way to network with other moms in the area for friendship, support and fun.

Finally, every month the Charlotte Observer publishes the Observer Homes which provides information about all Charlotte area schools.

If you would like, just call or email me for a free, customized Lake Norman real estate relocation packet in which I can include brochures from the schools, a copy of the Observer Homes Magazine as well as lists of Private Schools and even Colleges and Universities.

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I knew it was coming but I still felt a pang of sadness when I saw the bright red number spray-painted on this quaint and historic landmark. As I read in the Charlotte Observer months ago: “The last home remaining from the long-ago community of Mayhewtown is about to be leveled for the widening of Brawley School Road In Lake Norman.” The bright red number is the last thing this house will see before the tractors mow it down.

I wrote a while back about a wonderful old store that had just been torn down as well. But, this isn’t just a builiding. This home represents the decendents of all of the Mayhew family who settled in our area in the late 1700’s. Over 200 years ago the small town of Mayhewtown had about 40 farming families who raised cotton, soybeans, oats and corn. Most of Mayhewtown and their farmland is now under Lake Norman. This house and a small historic marker erected by the Mayew family in 1970 are all that remain to remind us of a town that once had more people than Mooresville.

John Love William Mayhew, the original settler, was a veteran of The Continental Army and moved here from Prince George’s County, MD where he became a preacher. He founded Mayhewtown in 1793. It is likely that he chose this spot along the Catawba River because of the river itself and the fact that it looked down on the “bottomland” that could be farmed.

One of the true ironies is that folks used to bartered things like muscadine and “scuppernong” at the local store who would then turn around and sell them in Charlotte….the present day Brawley School Rd ran all the way to Charlotte back then! Hundreds of years later we are widening this very street in order to enable the thousands of residents who live down Brawley School Rd. to get to….Charlotte. Ahhhh, don’t you love progress!

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