Lake Norman Real Estate’s December 2012 Calendar: Old-Fashioned Holiday Cheer!

Photograph Copyrighted by Cotton Ketchie

Yes, we do get a bit of snow here in the Lake Norman area!

Those of you who have followed this blog since 2007 will know that I have written about the schizophrenic nature of our Lake Norman communities along the east side of the lake where you will find the historic Main Street towns of Mooresville, (pictured above), Davidson, Cornelius and Huntersville on the east side of Interstate 77 and then the newer sides of these towns on the west side of I-77 along Lake Norman.

This gorgeous photo taken by renowned artist Cotton Ketchie, owner of Mooresville’s Landmark Galleries, captures the charm and small-town feel of Historic Downtown Mooresville so beautifully. On the right is the window of D.E. Turner’s Hardware Store which was opened in 1899 and where you can still buy an old-fashioned red wagon or ice cream churn for your children. The charming street lights and restored brick storefronts make one feel like they have traveled back in time to when cotton farmers made up the majority of the 3000 residents. (Thanks to growth, particularly on the Lake Norman side, the population has grown ten-fold since then.) Continue reading →

Lake Norman Real Estate Market Reports

Lake Norman Real Estate’s November 2012 Hot Sheet

Want the very latest insight into our Lake Norman real estate market? So do I which is why, every month, I do a snapshot analysis of the middle two weeks of the month to get a sense of where our Lake Norman real estate market is at this very moment…an almost live insight into the heartbeat of the Lake Norman housing market. These Hot Sheet reports serve as pretty good predictors of our short-term Lake Norman real estate market.

There is no doubt that 2012 has been a very strong year for Lake Norman real estate and home sales relative to all years since 2007. As of today the MLS has a total of 120 closed sales for May, 119 sales for June, 115 for July, 120 for August 92 for September and 92 for October; all 6 recording the highest months’ sales since 2007! While the best October since 2007, last month was the second month in a row where our sales failed to reach 100. While still relatively strong, we are seeing a typical seasonal slowdown in our Lake Norman housing market. November, while looking to be is a continuation of this slowdown, may be one of the strongest Novembers since 2005. Will we, for the 11th month in a row, beat the prior year’s sales for the month? Let’s take a look:

Continue reading →

Lake Norman Real Estate Market Reports

Lake Norman Real Estate’s October 2012 Sales Analysis; Did We Make it 10?

Lake Norman’s October 2012 residential real estate sales number should makes it ten months in a row that we have exceeded all prior months’ sales since 2007. However, as of today, we are tied with last year’s 88 total sales. As always a few more agents will be late in recording their sales. When all the numbers are for October we should have recorded at least 90 or more. So, yes, we will make it 10 but it will be a squeaker! However, because October 2011’s sales were unusually high beating that number still supports my belief that we hit bottom in 2011 here in the Lake Norman housing market and have had fairly robust sales consistently in 2012. Yes, we are clearly seeing our typical seasonal slowdown but the fact that October sales will most likely equal September’s, at this point it still looks like our Lake Norman real estate market has moved into sustained positive territory.

Let’s take a closer look at the numbers to glean some insight into the short term future and exactly where the Lake Norman housing market stands right now.

Here are the October 2012 numbers from our Charlotte Multiple Listing Service for our Lake Norman Area 13 real estate market: Continue reading →

Lake Norman photos

Lake Norman Real Estate’s November 2012 Wallpaper Calendar

Photograph Copyrighted by Cotton Ketchie

The Lake Norman’s 520 miles of shorelines are spectacular in the late fall as all of the hardwood trees like Maples, Poplars, Gum Trees, Oaks etc. turn into vibrant shades of yellows, oranges and reds. Thanks once again to renowned artist Cotton Ketchie, owner of Mooresville’s Landmark Galleries, who has generously provided this gorgeous photo of a sailboat on Lake Norman with the backdrop of stunning fall colors. Yes, our temperatures are mild enough that folks do get out on their boats through October and even November! Continue reading →

Lake Norman Real Estate Market Reports

Lake Norman Real Estate’s October 2012 Hot Sheet

The past five months pretty much blew our Lake Norman sales trends right out of the water. As of today the MLS has a total of 120 closed sales for May, 119 sales for June, 115 for July, 120 for August and 90 for September of which 4 of the 5 are the highest months’ sales since August of 2007! While the best September since 2007, last month we did begin to see a marked slowdown in our Lake Norman housing market. It appears from our numbers below that October is a continuation of this slowdown which may be a bit more than just the typical Lake Norman seasonal slowdown. Will we, for the 10th month in a row, beat the prior year’s sales for the month? Let’s take a look: Continue reading →

Lake Norman photos

Lake Norman Real Estate’s October Wallpaper Calendar is Up in the Air!

Photo Copyrighted by Cotton Ketchie

For the second month in a row I am able to share a photograph from renowned artist Cotton Ketchie, owner of Mooresville’s Landmark Galleries, who has generously provided me with well over a year’s worth of spectacular photos for Lake Norman Real Estate’s monthly wallpaper calendars!

This photo was taken at our amazing annual Carolina Balloonfest which takes place on October 19-21 in Statesville. I will write more about it in a separate article! Continue reading →

Lake Norman Real Estate Market Reports

Lake Norman Real Estate’s July 2012 Sales Analysis; Another strong month!

Lake Norman’s July 2012 residential real estate numbers once again exceeded all prior July’s since 2007 and my own predictions as well. All 7 months of 2012 have been strong but the past 3 months have been exceptional when compared to the past 4 years. Triple digit sales for three months with signs that August will make it 4 is good news. Gone, for now at least, is the term “erratic” which I have been using regularly for several years when describing our Lake Norman real estate market. While I expect a seasonal slowdown, at this point it looks like our Lake Norman real estate market is over the hump and moving into sustained positive territory. As always a few more agents will be late in recording their sales so when all the numbers are for July we should have recorded at least 115.

Let’s take a closer look at the numbers to glean some insight into the short term future and exactly where the Lake Norman housing market stands right now.

Here are the July 2012 numbers from our Charlotte Multiple Listing Service for our Lake Norman Area 13 real estate market: Continue reading →

Lake Norman photos

Lake Norman Real Estate’s August 2012 Wallpaper Calendar

This month’s picture is a great example of a wide cove with deep water and views out to the main channel of Lake Norman. For folks who don’t want the waves and noise that goes along with those incredible main channel views, a cove like this one is a great option. It has deep water and is wide enough to offer lovely views. I took this picture from the dock of a home I sold for “land value” for $305,000 last month. It was an exceptional deal! Continue reading →

Lake Norman Real Estate Market Reports

Lake Norman Real Estate’s July 2012 Hot Sheet

The last two months pretty much blew our sales trends right out of the water. As of today the MLS has a total of 119 closed sales for May and 115 sales for June which are the two highest months’ sales since August of 2007! It appears from our numbers below that July will also be a very strong month of housing sales for Lake Norman. Will we match last month’s highs? Let’s take a look:

Lake Norman Real Estate’s Two-Week Hot Sheet

7/21/2012

* The above chart is a summary of today’s “Hot Sheet” from the Charlotte Multiple Listing Service for single family homes in all of Lake Norman (area 13). These numbers represent a real time snapshot of the past two week’s activity. (July 7th – 21st). As always, I have included the past 6 months so that you can put these numbers in perspective.

I created this additional chart comparing just the July Hot Sheets for the past 3 years to help put our July 2012 numbers in perspective with the past Julys’, not just the past 6 months:

Continue reading →

Lake Norman Real Estate Market Reports

Lake Norman Real Estate’s 2nd Quarter 2012 Home Sales By Price Range

If you are a home buyer or seller in Lake Norman, it really only matters what is happening in YOUR price-range. Yes, it is important to know about the global economy, the national economy and the Charlotte area economy and real estate market but real estate is hyper-local so it is most meaningful to learn about the Lake Norman real estate market and within that, your specific niche. For instance, if you are looking to buy or sell in the $400,000 price range, you are going to have an entirely different experience than someone in the $700,000’s. This is exactly the reason why I create a price-range analysis every quarter:

*Compiled from the Charlotte Regional Multiple Listing Service’s data, this chart enables you to focus on your specific price range(s) rather than use the broad-brush approach thus allowing you to size up your competition and better position yourself. Continue reading →

Lake Norman waterfront homes

Lake Norman Waterfront Real Estate: What is Currently on the Market in YOUR Price Range?

Without a doubt the most common contacts I get from this blog/website are buyers searching for waterfront homes on Lake Norman. Most of these buyers want to buy at what appears to be our “bottom”. The good news is that prices are very low compared to our peak of 2007. However, our inventory has also dropped to half the number at our peak so there is less available today. In order to educate you about our waterfront homes I am going to describe what is currently for sale by price range. This should also help some folks who may arrive in Lake Norman with unrealistic expectations of what they can afford.

Continue reading →

Lake Norman photos

Lake Norman Real Estate’s July 2012 Wallpaper Calendar

It’s the weekend before 4th of July and it is HOT outside so what better place to be than on “the lake” as we call it here? I took this photo a few weeks ago while out on our boat. It really captures life here: gorgeous blue skies and water, thick green trees, lovely waterfront homes and folks out having fun on the lake. Water skiing is just one of myriad sports and activities on Lake Norman!

Continue reading →

Lake Norman Real Estate Market Reports

Lake Norman Real Estate’s June 2012 Hot Sheet

Lake Norman Hot Sheet Home Sales

Last month pretty much blew our sales trends right out of the water. As of today the MLS has a total of 118 closed sales for May which is well above any other month’s sales since August of 2007! It appears from our numbers below that June will also be a very strong month of housing sales for Lake Norman. Will we match last month’s highs? Let’s take a look:

Lake Norman Real Estate’s Two-Week Hot Sheet

6/21/2012

* The above chart is a summary of today’s “Hot Sheet” from the Charlotte Multiple Listing Service for single family homes in all of Lake Norman (area 13). These numbers represent a real time snapshot of the past two week’s activity. (June 7th – 21st). As always, I have included the past 6 months so that you can put these numbers in perspective.

I created this additional chart comparing just the June Hot Sheets for the past 3 years to help put our June 2012 numbers in perspective with the past Junes’, not just the past 6 months:

June Hot Sheet Numbers for the Past 4 Years

Highlights:

New listings: Our number of new listings were the lowest since last December! If you add our new listings to the 21 back-on-market we had a total of 106 Lake Norman properties added to our housing inventory in the past two weeks compared to last June’s 128, 171 in June 2010 and 207 in June 2009. As of this morning the total number of active listings in Lake Norman had increased from our all time low of 752 in January back up to 977 which is still low historically and trending back down after a high of 985 a few weeks ago. The reason these low numbers are such good news is because keeping our inventory low will help stabilize our own Lake Norman housing market no matter what is happening in other areas or states.

Continue reading →

Lake Norman Real Estate Market Reports

Lake Norman Real Estate’s April 2012 Hot Sheet

Lake Norman Hot Sheet Home Sales

Want the very latest insight into our Lake Norman real estate market? So do I which is why, every month, I do a snapshot analysis of the middle two weeks of the month to get a sense of where our Lake Norman real estate market is at this very moment…an almost live insight into the heartbeat of the Lake Norman housing market. These Hot Sheet reports serve as pretty good predictors of our short-term Lake Norman real estate market.

Well, last month I was very enthused by our string of “hot” months. Unfortunately, a bit of doubt is beginning to creep in to my perspective of our current Lake Norman housing market. Instead of a consistent showing of improving numbers across the board, there are some hiccups that indicate to me that we once again may see some mild ups and downs in the coming months. Continue reading →

Lake Norman Real Estate Market Reports

Lake Norman Real Estate’s 1st Quarter 2012 Price Range Analysis

If you are a home buyer or seller in Lake Norman, it really only matters what is happening in YOUR price-range. Yes, it is important to know about the global economy, the national economy and the Charlotte area economy and real estate market but real estate is hyper-local so it is most meaningful to learn about the Lake Norman real estate market and within that, your specific niche. For instance, if you are looking to buy or sell in the $300,000 price range, you are going to have an entirely different experience than someone in the $500,000’s. This is exactly the reason why I create a price-range analysis every quarter:

Relocating? Life in Lake Norman

Davidson Farmer’s Market 2012 Season Starts this Saturday!

The best farmer’s market in the Lake Norman area, in my opinion, has got to be the Davidson Farmer’s Market which is celebrating its spring/summer season opening this Saturday from 8:00am to noon.

What makes Davidson Farmer’s Market so special?

Features more than 35 farmers and local producers withing a 100-mile radius
Certified organic, naturally grown & conventionally grown fruits and vegetables
Grass-fed beef, pastured porch & eggs from free-range chickens
Fresh baked goods
Prepared foods
Fresh cut flowers
Herbs, plants
And more!

Continue reading →

Lake Norman photos

Lake Norman Real Estate’s April 2012 Wallpaper Calendar is Here!

Without a doubt, April is my favorite month here on Lake Norman. This year’s unseasonably warm weather accentuated the annual burst of life that we enjoy every April. Blossoms are everywhere as our trees go from sticks to fully leafed out. Blossoming Cherry Trees (like the one above) are joined by plum, apricot, crabapple, Rosebuds and, of course, our spectacular Dogwoods. Bright yellow Forsythia bushes and daffodils are quickly followed by the showy pick flowers of Loropedalums, Spireas. And then, the Azaleas burst with color all over the lake shoreline. The skis are bright blue, temperatures are mild enough for avid boaters. Life is good! Continue reading →

Just the facts about Lake Norman, Relocating? Life in Lake Norman

Lake Norman Area Wins Top Honors for Economic Development and Donald Trump wants to Make Lake Norman “Magical”!!

For the 6th time in 8 years, Mooresville-Statesville was named top Microplitan area by Site Magazine thanks to nearly doubling the number of economic development projects in 2011! And, Governor Perdue recently announced that our state of North Carolina has risen to 4th place for states based upon the number of new and expanded corporate facilities also by Site Magazine. Both local and state officials say that these awards are evidence of our business-friendly climate.

More evidence of the health of our future ecomony came from a recent Penkse Truck Rental press release that ranked Charlotte in the top 10 of one-way truck rental destinations in the US.

Now, if this isn’t enough evidence of our strong local ecomonic future, guess what “The Donald” said about the Lake Norman area when interviewed recently about his interest in buying The Point Lake and Golf Club and asked why he targeted the Lake Norman area?

“North Carolina and the Lake Norman Market in particular are a much safer investment than some of the higher-profile resort locations teeming with speculative and unproven markets” according to a recent Business Today article entitled: Trump says Lake Norman market is big draw….Market ‘stable, well occupied’.

In fact, while in town for his meeting this week with members of The Point Lake and Golf Club in Mooresville, Trump went on to say to the Charlotte Observer:

“We love this piece of land, the lake, the tremendous lake…The views from the (golf) course are magnificent…I think Charlotte has a great future. I think the whole area is great. The people, the energy. That’s why we’re going to be doing this deal…I think we can bring that course to the next level…It will be a magical place.”

Continue reading →

Historic Downtown Mooresville, Lake Norman News, Events and Celebrations

Downtown Mooresville’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade is this Saturday, March 10, 2012!

St. Patrick’s Day is one of those holidays where just about everyone feels at least a wee bit’o Irish simply because it is such a fun day.

That is why the news that Mooresville is holding its first St. Patrick’s Day Parade in over 20 years is welcomed by so many! While a full week before St. Patrick’s Day, this Saturday, March 10th from 2-4 pm promises enough shamrocks, leprechauns and green to get everyone in the spirit.

“Hosted by the Mooresville Downtown Commission, the parade will feature a bagpipe band and local dance groups, said MDC Executive Director Kim Atkins” according to a recent article in the Mooresville Tribune.

The parade will be on Main Street in Historic Downtown Mooresville starting at Iredell Avenue at 2pm. While there, you might want to check out the many wonderful shops and restaurants as well and help support our local businesses! Continue reading →

Lake Norman Real Estate Market Reports

Lake Norman Real Estate’s February 2012 Sales Analysis: Good news!

I don’t know about you, but I welcome good news of any kind these days. The fact that our Lake Norman home sales have not only picked up but have had two positive months in a row with indications of more to come is almost GREAT news!

It is important to note that these numbers are only as good as the agents who report them. Expect an adjustment in our 57 sales in February upward perhaps two more sales by the end of the month since it takes some Realtors several weeks to actually input their sales into our MLS. I create these reports early in the month while the information is still very fresh so always pad the sales upward just a bit.

Here are the February 2012 numbers from our Charlotte Multiple Listing Service for our Lake Norman area real estate market: Continue reading →

Lake Norman photos

Lake Norman Real Estate’s March 2012 Wallpaper Calendar is Here!

Lake Norman Waterfront Shoreline at Dusk Photo for Calendar

Awwww, another day in paradise here on Lake Norman! I took this photo at dusk from the dock of a property I listed this past Saturday which sold with multiple offers in 3 hours! Yes, our Lake Norman housing market is improving. (I’ll write a separate post about this sale). Last month’s calendar photo was a main channel view. This photo is of a very wide cove which opens to the main channel. The homes in the photo are located in Connor Quay, a small luxury gated community adjacent to The Peninsula in Cornelius. The benefit of a location like this one is that you have stunning views including sunsets but you are off the main channel far enough to be spared from the wear and tear on your dock and the noise at peak boating times in the summer.

This photo was taken just a bit later and I turned towards the main channel but I was standing in the exact same spot as the photo above. Continue reading →

Lake Norman Real Estate Market Reports

Lake Norman Real Estate’s January 2012 Sales Analysis: Things are looking up!

While I anticipated weak sales before an upswing this month, January wasn’t actually too bad. We squeaked by just equaling our January 2011 sales

It is important to note that these numbers are only as good as the agents who report them. Expect an adjustment in our 46 sales in January upward perhaps two more sales by the end of the month since it takes some Realtors several weeks to actually input their sales into our MLS. I create these reports early in the month while the information is still very fresh so always pad the sales upward just a bit.

Here are the January 2012 numbers from our Charlotte Multiple Listing Service for our Lake Norman area real estate market:
Continue reading →

Lake Norman photos

Lake Norman Real Estate’s February 2012 Calendar is here!

I was previewing Lake Norman waterfront properties last week on a spectacularly beautiful day and decided to take some photos. This is about as good as it gets for what we call “main channel” views. At the southern portion, the main channel of Lake Norman widens out quite a bit which creates these vast, wide open water views. As you travel to the north side of the Brawley Peninsula, the main channel narrows a bit and curves around our many peninsulas making the main channel views quite different; a bit more private.

And yes, that is a real palm tree! Continue reading →

Lake Norman News, Events and Celebrations

Charlotte’s Southern Spring Home & Garden Show 2012 Starts February 29th!

”IMAGINE CREATE INSPIRE SAVE LEARN”

Here is a little secret: some of us living on Lake Norman enjoy gardening just as much as boating! I confess that I am one of those crazy folks. So, news about our annual Southern Spring Home & Garden Show on February 29 – March 4, 2012 might be even more exciting than the boat shows to some of us.

Held in Charlotte every spring, this wonderful event with over 400 exhibitors promises to inspire and tempt attendees with 24 stunning Showcase Gardens, Kitchen and Bath vendors’ latest and greatest products, a Green Living and Market and plenty of experts on hand to answer even your most esoteric questions about everything from orchids to home remodeling. Continue reading →

Lake Norman Real Estate Market Reports

Lake Norman Real Estate’s January 2012 Hot Sheet is Warming Up!

Lake Norman Hot Sheet Home Sales

Want the very latest insight into our Lake Norman real estate market? So do I which is why, every month, I do a snapshot analysis of the middle two weeks of the month to get a sense of where our Lake Norman real estate market is at this very moment…an almost live insight into the heartbeat of the Lake Norman housing market. These Hot Sheet reports serve as pretty good predictors of our short-term Lake Norman real estate market.

So, our Lake Norman real estate market is showing clear signs of picking up after 5 relatively strong months over the summer and early fall followed by a marked drop in November and December. Quite a roller coast ride we are on these days! Activity in the Lake Norman housing market picked up right after Christmas and seems to be gaining steam every day. Here are our numbers Continue reading →

Lake Norman Real Estate Market Reports

Lake Norman Real Estate’s 2011 Sales Analysis by Price Range

If you are a home buyer or seller in Lake Norman, it really only matters what is happening in YOUR price-range. Yes, it is important to know about the global economy, the national economy and the Charlotte area economy and real estate market but real estate is hyper-local so it is most meaningful to learn about the Lake Norman real estate market and within that, your specific niche. For instance, if you are looking to buy or sell in the $300,000 price range, you are going to have an entirely different experience than someone in the $500,000’s. This is exactly the reason why I create a price-range analysis every quarter:

Relocating? Life in Lake Norman

Red Line Commuter Rail from Charlotte to Mooresville; Good or Bad Idea?

For 15 years there has been a planning effort among state and local officials to create what is being called the Red Line project; a 25-mile commuter train that will run east of I-77 and link Charlotte to Harris, Eastfield, Hambright, Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson and end at Mount Mourne in south Mooresville.

To me the benefits are obvious: cutting traffic on I-77 and helping commuters who work in Charlotte but wish to live in the Lake Norman area. Opponents of the plan unfortunately include a large chunk of Iredell County elected Officials and several Cornelius town board members who balk at the taxes, proposed development along the line and feel it will benefit just a few. Continue reading →

Lake Norman photos

Lake Norman Real Estate’s December 2011 Wallpaper Calendar: Happy Holidays!

Wow, I can’t believe December is here!

In the Lake Norman area our gorgeous hardwood trees are now bare and most of our perennial flowers are going into hibernation for the winter. But, our Fescue lawns are still bright green and pansies bring new color to entrances to subdivisions and shopping areas.

The good news is that because of the bare trees our views of the lake have never been better! During these next 4 months, homes with “seasonal views” will truly enjoy the best of Lake Norman. Continue reading →

Lake Norman Real Estate Market Reports

Lake Norman Real Estate’s November 2011 Hot Sheet

Want the very latest insight into our Lake Norman real estate market? So do I which is why, every month, I do a snapshot analysis of the middle two weeks of the month to get a sense of where our Lake Norman real estate market is at this very moment…an almost live insight into the heartbeat of the Lake Norman housing market. These Hot Sheet reports serve as pretty good predictors of our short-term Lake Norman real estate market.

The past five months our Lake Norman housing sales have been relatively strong with a particularly stellar August and October. (Our October sales are now at 88 after 6 more were reported since my October sales analysis making it the best October by far since the recession hit and almost as high as our 2007 sales!)

Unfortunately, it looks like we will not sustain this trend through the final months of 2011. Based upon our numbers so far in November I don’t think we will even match November 2010’s 81 sales:

Lake Norman Real Estate’s Two-Week Hot Sheet

11/21/2011

* The above chart is a summary of today’s “Hot Sheet” from the Charlotte Multiple Listing Service for single family homes in all of Lake Norman (area 13). These numbers represent a real time snapshot of the past two week’s activity. (November 7th – 21st). As always, I have included the past 6 months so that you can put these numbers in perspective.

Highlights: Continue reading →

lake norman real estate

Putting the Lake Norman Real Estate Market in Perspective isn’t Easy!

I was recently reading a national real estate news article that explained that todays’ monthly mortgage payments are 40% cheaper than 2006. This is a fascinating perspective of how to evaluate the true cost of a home today compared to our peak of 2006.

The article went on to say that “Although affordability has increased….housing demand remains depressed with existing home sales back to 1998 levels.”

Of course, I had to see if these is true of our Lake Norman real estate market and here is what I found:

Lake Norman Annual Sales Analysis by year

* Note that our 2011 numbers are through today and I expect them to equal 2010.

Insight Summary Continue reading →

Lake Norman photos

Lake Norman Real Estate’s November 2011 Wallpaper Calendar

Fall has definitely arrived in Lake Norman. The 520 miles of shoreline are lined with shades of green, yellow, organge and red as our gorgeous hardwood trees respond to the cooler weather and shorter days. The Maples turned first this year so you will see firey brilliant reds and oranges framed by green Popular and Pine trees.

It’s time to plan Thanksgiving dinner! Continue reading →

Lake Norman Real Estate Market Reports

Lake Norman Real Estate’s September 2011 Home Sales Analysis: Signs of Improvement Continue

August was indeed a stellar month for our Lake Norman housing market. (The second best month of closed home sales since August of 2007!) While our number of closed sales were not quite as high in September, all of our numbers indicate strong closed sales this month (October). Our third quarter 2011 sales were 14% higher than 2010 after a drop in both first AND second quarters. Add to this trend our declining inventory and shrinking numbers of disressed properties and I believe we have some strong signs of recovery. Of course, this can change but these are important indicators to watch!

Here are the September numbers from our Charlotte Multiple Listing Service for our Lake Norman area real estate market:

Some significant additional interesting statistics for you:

Only 10% of our closed sales were “distressed sales” ( Foreclosures (REOS), defaults, Short Sales) compared to 16.8 last month, 18.5% in July, 25% in June and 27% in May. Not only is this a record low since the market tumbled, but unless we experience a new wave of foreclosures which we certainly haven’t seen signs of yet, then I think we can safely say that our Lake Norman market is healing and the worst is behind us.
38% of our closed sales were waterfront homes up from 21% last month.
52% of our August sales were under $400,000 and 74% were under $600,000.
Today our active listings stand at 985, the lowest number since I started these reports in 2007

A closer look: Continue reading →

Lake Norman News, Events and Celebrations, Relocating? Life in Lake Norman

Lake Norman Beer Festival is this Saturday, September 17th!

If you love beer and music, this Saturday’s 2nd Annual Lake Norman Beer Festival is the place to be!

Hosted by Galway Hooker in Cornelius from 12 noon to 10:00pm, not only will you be able to sample over 42 craft brewers, but you will also be entertained by a great lineup of bands featuring Simplified, Blue Monday and Gael Warning and can purchase food and fun merchandise. And, a portion of the proceeds will benefit the USO. Continue reading →

Lake Norman photos

Lake Norman Real Estate’s September 2011 Wallpaper Calendar is Here!

With the 38th Annual Carolina BalloonFest just around the corner, I was thrilled to receive this stunning photo taken by one of our readers and a local Lake Norman resident, Terri Shoemaker. She took this photo of a hot air balloon barely clearing the trees on our Lake Norman shoreline from a moving vehicle. Wow! Thank you to Terri for allowing me to use this as our September calendar photo! Continue reading →

Relocating? Life in Lake Norman

Lake Norman’s Brawley School Road Has Gone From a Nightmare to a Dream!

“Today (Thursday, August 25, 2011), I saw the world’s most beautiful DOT sign”.

I friend of mine (thanks Beth!) forwarded this photo and the caption to me last week. It is hard to explain how much the quality of life has improved for all of us living down Brawley School Rd (in Lake Norman) since all lanes were opened just in time for the first day of school last Thursday!

It now takes me, on average, 4 minutes to get to the intersection for Brawley School Road and Williamson Road from Isle of Pines. ( I used to allow 20-30 minutes for this trip depending on the time of day). I have yet to witness any bottleneck at this notorious intersection. When making a left turn on Williamson Rd on to Brawley School Rd, simply chose one of the TWO left turn lanes and breeze through.

The funny thing is that now that traffic is zooming by (I think folks are so giddy they are exceeding the 45 mph speed limit) merging on to Brawley School from the Harris Teeter Parking lot or the BP Car Wash now requires waiting for a wide enough space to allow us to merge and get up to speed quickly!

As far as I am concerned the 3-year nightmare was more than worth it. Living down Brawley School Road is now, in my opinion, one of the absolute best places to live in all of Lake Norman!

Continue reading →

lake norman real estate, LKN Realty LLC

Is Lake Norman Real Estate Ready for QR Codes?

Chances are that if you are reading this you fall in to one of two camps:

There are those of you who look knowing at the symbol above, probably own a smart phone with an app to read QR Codes and wonder why I am bothering to write about them.

Then there are the majority of you who may never have heard the term QR Code but vaguely recognize this type of bar code and wonder what the heck it has to do with Lake Norman real estate!

According to Wikipedia: A QR code (abbreviated from Quick Response code) is a specific matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code) that is readable by dedicated QR readers, smartphones, and, to a less common extent, computers with webcams. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded may be text, URL, or other data.

I (and some other Lake Norman area real estate agents as well as many throughout the US) have started using QR Codes on my listing flyers in front of the properties so that folks driving by can simply scan the QR Code like the one above, and almost instantly get to the website I created for that property with multiple photos and all of the data about the property that they could possibly want up front. It is predicted that QR Codes will be used consistently in real estate once everyone catches on. Continue reading →

Relocating? Life in Lake Norman

Lake Norman Real Estate’s August 2011 Wallpaper Calendar is Here!

When I think of August, one of the first things that comes to mind is vineyards. Every August from the year my first child was born we would visit my parents at their vineyard in Napa Valley CA. The wine grapes were about a month away from picking (looking just like the photo above) and the views of the miles upon miles of lush green grape vines interrupted only by an occasional winery were simply stunning.

What I didn’t know until moving to Lake Norman was that North Carolina also has a thriving wine country located in three major viticultural areas: The Yadkin Valley, Swan Creek and Haw River Valley. You can learn more at the Visit North Carolina Wine Country website. There is nothing more relaxing than a picnic in a serene vineyard on a warm August day so if you don’t feel like going out on Lake Norman, try a day in the wine country! Continue reading →

Relocating? Life in Lake Norman

Lake Norman and Charlotte Remain At the Top of The List of Places to Live

Sometimes when the news is full of negativity, it is nice to sit back and take a look at the big picture, especially if you are fortunate enough to live in the Lake Norman Charlotte area. In the recent Kiplinger article which ranked Charlotte #2 in their Best Value Cities of 2011, there are many great reminders of why the future of our area is still so bright.

Some of their reasons for Charlotte’s desirability:

Banking/Financial center
Diversified Economy
Efforts by local governments to entice small and large businesses to the area
It is becoming an “energy hub” including Duke Energy, Siemens and Toshiba as well as more than 125 companies in green industries
Family-oriented, top-notch schools
Affordability including low taxes, utility rates and reasonable construction costs
Fun including “upscale restaurants and bars to funky neighborhood eateries”, the “cultural mile”, NBA and NFL stadiums, the arts and festivals
Greenspace in the form of parks, greenway trails, the US Whitewater Center, and, of course, Lake Norman
Location: Less than two hours to the Mountains and 3 hours to some of the best beaches on the East Coast

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Lake Norman News, Events and Celebrations

Lake Norman Real Estate: NC Sales Tax-Free Weekend is August 5-7, 2011

North Carolina Sales Tax-Free Weekend!

Our annual sales tax holiday is almost here! Created in an effort to help families during the costly back-to-school shopping time, the “August Sales Tax Holiday provides an exemption for certain items of tangible personal property sold between 12.01 am on Friday, August 5, 2011 and 11:59 pm Sunday, August 7th” according to the North Carolina Department of Revenue website.

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Lake Norman waterfront homes

Lake Norman Waterfront Home Sales: Summer 2011 Update

Owning a waterfront home on Lake Norman is certainly the goal of many of the people planning a move to the greater Lake Norman area. The sales prices of waterfront homes here have certainly been dramatically impacted by the national and regional housing market decline since 2007. At our peak it was almost impossible to even find a decent waterfront lot on Lake Norman for under $500,000. In the past 60 days, as you will see below, nearly half of our sales of single family waterfront homes were below $635,000:

* All data is from the Charlotte Multiple Listing Service

Above is a snapshot of waterfront home sales by price range for the past 60 days. Here are some additional statistics about our current waterfront real estate market: Continue reading →

Lake Norman News, Events and Celebrations

Brawley School Road Widening: Lastest Update from NCDOT 7/15/11!

Anyone who has been driving around Brawley School Rd. in the past week or so has most certainly noticed all of the paving that has been going on during the day resulting in even worse and excruciatingly frustrating traffic delays. After sitting for almost an hour trying to get out the other day I once again leaned on my friend Mooresville Town Commissioner Miles Atkins for some help trying to figure out what in the heck is going on! Continue reading →

Relocating? Life in Lake Norman

Lake Norman Real Estate’s Business of the Week: Shred Wakening!

Justin Boston is passionate about water sports, being active and action sports of all kinds. At just 21 years old, he is on a mission to share his passions by getting as many kids and adults outside, enjoying action sports of all kinds and the fellowship that goes along with them.

Last summer Justin ran a very successful wakeboarding school out of his waterfront home on Lake Norman. His vision brought him together with Matt Hemric and he has teamed up with Shred Wakening a unique recreation company founded on their shared desire to help kids and adults to become “the healthiest and most vibrant” people they can be. From wake boarding lessons and water sport camps to outdoor adventures like snowboarding, climbing, surfing, paddling and even camping there seems to be no limits to the possibilities they want to offer. Check out their just released video:

Jocassee Wake Trailer from Zach Burkhart on Vimeo.

Shred Wakening is an example of “out of the box” thinking by a handful of extraordinary young men who want to make a difference in their community. It is not just about teaching wakeboarding and other water sports, it is about touching the lives of as many kids and adults as possible, getting them ” off their couches” and outside experiencing adventures they may never have thought possible.

They just finished filming the documentary above to inspire kids about how important it is for everyone to get outside and be active. Last week Justin even went to Victory Junction Camp to help those special kids have a good time on the lake! Continue reading →

Lake Norman photos

Lake Norman Real Estate’s July 2011 Wallpaper Calendar is Here!

It’s July in beautiful Lake Norman which is obviously a glorious month to enjoy boating and water sports. But, hey, go fly a kite! With the breezes on and around the lake, all you have to do is find a spot without trees (which may be a bit of a challenge given our abundance of gorgeous trees) and off they will go. I haven’t tried to fly one off of our boat but since windsurfing and sailing are so successful I have to believe flying kites from a boat would be great fun too. Continue reading →

Lake Norman Real Estate Market Reports

Lake Norman Real Estate’s June 2011 Hot Sheet Market Update

If you are new to this blog, every month I do a snapshot analysis of the middle two weeks of the month to get a sense of where our Lake Norman real estate market is at this very moment…an almost live insight into the heartbeat of the Lake Norman housing market. These Hot Sheet reports serve as pretty good predictors of our short-term future housing sales.

Last month the fact that our Hot Sheet included some pretty mediocre numbers was an indication that our closed sales in June and July were going to remain sluggish after a slight uptick in March and April and rather dramatic decline in May. The report below substantiates that our Lake Norman real estate market seems to have stabilized a bit but at a rather sub-par level.

Lake Norman Real Estate’s Two-Week Hot Sheet

6/21/2011

* The above chart is a summary of today’s “Hot Sheet” from the Charlotte Multiple Listing Service for single family homes in all of Lake Norman (area 13). These numbers represent a real time snapshot of the past two week’s activity. (June 7 – 21st). As always, I have included the past 6 months so that you can put these numbers in perspective. Continue reading →

Lake Norman News, Events and Celebrations

Important Brawley School Rd Widening Update 6/13/11!

Breaking news about Lake Norman’s infamous Brawley School Rd Widening Project just came to me from Mooreville Town Commissioner Miles Atkins. It is clear that our frustrations are being heard and that then end is in sight! Here it is in its entirety:

Mooresville Town Manager’s update to commissioners 6/13/11

Brawley School Road: Continue reading →

Lake Norman News, Events and Celebrations, Relocating? Life in Lake Norman

Catawba Valley C.C. “Potters’ Workshop” with Renowned Potter Kim Ellington

How would you like to be able to learn how to make pottery from the man who made this one, renowned Catawba Valley Potter Kim Ellington? Yes, I said make, not buy! For the past two years Kim has been working with the Catawba Valley Community College developing a pottery school “relevant to this area’s long standing Catawba Valley pottery tradition”. His vision came to fruition last August with the launch of Catawba Valley Potters’ Workshop, an ongoing series of 10-week classes for beginners as well as experienced potters.

Anyone who knows me or has been reading this blog for a while understands that I have a passion for Catawba Valley Pottery which I discovered and started collecting shortly after moving to Lake Norman in 2005. So, the thought of being able to learn how to create pottery using this local tradition as a foundation and by an exceptionally talented artist like Kim Ellington is, well, exciting to say the least! Continue reading →

Lake Norman photos

Lake Norman Real Estate’s June 2011 Calendar

Before moving to Lake Norman in 2005, I had no idea how big golf was in the Tarheel State. (North Carolina of course!). I’m sure it has something to do with the fact that I don’t play golf but, in any event, even I am impressed with the number and variety of beautiful golf courses surrounding Lake Norman. From the Greg Norman designed course at The Point, The Peninsula Club in Cornelius and other prestigious courses to the public courses like the one in Mooresville, one can’t drive too far without seeing glimpes of the expansive lush, green grass of a golf course. Continue reading →

Relocating? Life in Lake Norman

How to Get the Latest Lake Norman News, Events and Savings!

Living in Lake Norman presents some interesting challenges regarding keeping up with local news and events because the 520 miles of Lake Norman shoreline fall in 4 counties and 10 towns. Before doing research for this Lake Norman Real Estate blog post I was actually contemplating creating a Facebook page for “Breaking News” and special coupon deals just for Lake Norman. What I discovered was that there were a number of resources online already available, you just need to know how to find them!

Many of you may not use or even care to use Twitter or Facebook. But, if I provide you with a how-to guide and links it will be easy for you to keep up with Lake Norman news, events AND even coupons and special savings:

Twitter can be overwhelming and almost useless unless you narrow your focus on what you really want to learn. However, it is absolutely the best way to keep up with what’s happening from events to sales/coupons to news in the Lake Norman Area. I use Hootsuite. This lets you set up any number of searches with real time feeds which are displayed in individual columns. I have one column set up for Lake Norman but you can also set searches up for towns or any subject of interest. Here are the most recent Tweets of interest: Lake Norman Buzz posted an update a few minutes ago that Lake Norman is going to get 177, 500 bass with a link for more info. Cornelius Today wrote about the North Rail Line from Charlotte to Lake Norman. There are many Tweets about recent sports as well.

Facebook does not offer as wide a variety and quantity of news but here are some pages worth checking out. You can search for all Lake Norman pages at the top of your homepage. Here are a few good ones:

Lake Norman This is a pretty good source for everything from businesses posting sales and coupons to jobs and local news. With almost 4000 friends it offers a nice variety of hyper local news. For instance, this week JR Motorsports has a Race Week sale going on, and last weekend Rusty Rudder had a special “end of the world” discount on special drinks.
Lake Norman Fan Page Another Facebook resource with 8450 fans.
Downtown Mooresville Learn about upcoming events and sales at local businesses!

Events can be found on Twitter and Facebook as well as our local magazines like Lake Norman Magazine and Currents. However, there are a few dedicated sites and email updates as well:

704Events.com
Creative Loafing
Vist Lake Norman has a calendar of events page. The is the Lake Norman Convention and Visitors Bureau website
Lake Norman.com

Breaking Lake Norman News is most readily available using Twitter. However, there are several newspapers with websites as well:

The Charlotte Observer also has a section for the Lake Norman area
The Mooresville Tribune
Denver News
Davidson News
The Herald Weekly for Huntersville, Cornelius and Davidson
Creative Loafing

Coupons and Savings are all the rage right now. Of course, Groupon is huge, but there are many local options as well:

LKNSavings.com will email you special “deals” just for the Lake Norman area and provide quite a few more on their website. Today I received one about their “Deal of the Day” which is an “In Home Wine Tasting”.
LKNFun.com is a site dedicated to restaurants and special events and they include a number of special deals at Lake Norman area restaurants. They even have a separate tab for “Coupons”.
360 Lake Norman offers coupons in the greater Charlotte area but you can search by town.
Groupon Charlotte
Creative Loafing

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Lake Norman Real Estate Market Reports

Lake Norman Real Estate’s April 2011 Home Sales Analysis

After a positive upswing in home sales in March, our Lake Norman real estate market is trending back down when compared to not only last month but prior years as well. I actually anticipated slightly higher closed home sales in our Lake Norman area for April but while the month started fairly strong, it ended with a whimper. Here are the numbers from our Charlotte Multiple Listing Service:

A closer look: Continue reading →

Lake Norman photos

Lake Norman Real Estate’s May 2011 Wallpaper Calender is Here!

May is the month when Lake Norman truly comes back to life. We have already had some days in the high 80 degrees this year and I now hear the familiar sound of happy squeals of children as they ride behind their parents’ boats on various tubes and make-you-dizzy contraptions. From sailing to kayaking to Jet Skis, Lake Norman has entered its boating and recreational season which usually lasts well in to October.

Most boat owners who have wet docks will either have lifts to keep them out of the water in the winter or, if a pontoon boat, we leave them in the water year-round. Either way, it is easy to move into action as soon as weather permits! Continue reading →