Lake Norman Real Estate and NC Homes for Sale

Several news articles this week related to the greater Charlotte area economy (which would include the surrounding communities in Lake Norman) plus my own experiences while showing and listing property in the past few weeks prompted me to dig a little deeper and see if there are any tangible changes in our Lake Norman real estate market.

First, the news:

• Forbes Magazines Top 10 Best Cities for Homes Sellers listed Charlotte NC #9 with the comments:  'While prices here continue to climb on both square foot and median price level, there was a slight increase in unsold inventory last year.  Still, strong job growth and in migration bode well for sellers.  Also see the Forbes article: Best Cities for Home Sellers to learn more about how they arrived at these rankings.
• In the Charlotte Observer: City still attractive to new businesses. It states that 282 new businesses or business expansions were announced in the first quarter of 2008 which is almost identical to 2007. The report shows that Charlottes ability to create jobs is holding steady.
• Also in the Charlotte Observer:  “The number of permits to build single-family homes in Mecklenburg County plunged 65% last month compared with March 2007.  Overall building permits were down 32%.” Steady job growth and the continuing influx of new residents from around the country is obviously good news.  But, because of the slowdown in the volume of homes sold in the Charlotte and Lake Norman areas the fact that building has dropped is actually a very good thing.  Currently we simply have too much inventory of homes for sale compared to our rate of sales so the slowdown in new construction should help balance our supply and demand.

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Lake Norman Resource & Relocation Guide

Researching the Lake Norman North Carolina area when contemplating a relocation or buying a vacation home is an exciting adventure and it is not all about real estate or homes for sale.   Here is a comprehensive list  of Lake Norman related website links to help you learn about our area; from town, county and state government sites to detailed information about golf, boating and recreation on the lake as well as plenty of just plain fun things to discover! Please search under CATAGORIES in the column on the left (above my photo) for articles about specific communities, schools and real estate related topics.

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I don't often take too much stock in real estate news sources top ten lists because they tend to make gross generalities that sometimes contradict reality for our Lake Norman real estate market.  However, this recent article in Forbes:  Best Cities For Bargain House-Hunters , caught my attention because Raleigh NC was #2 and Charlotte #4.

Well, what did they consider when ranking for "bargain house-hunters"? 

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This is one of those subjects that can be uncomfortable to discuss but is very important to many Lake Norman area home buyers.  As a Realtor, I want to provide as many resources as possible so that you can find any information you may need to feel comfortable about your family's safety.  Whether you are moving to Lake Norman or already own a home here, I hope you will familiarize yourself with the following website:  www.ncfindoffenders.gov

On this North Carolina Sex Offender and Public Protection Registry website you can type in an address and search by 1, 3 or a 5 mile-radius to see not just how many registered sex offenders live in the area but also their home addresses and photos.

On this same website you can also sign up to be notified by email if a sex offender reports moving in or out of the radius of the address you requested.

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  A Lake Norman Restaurant Review

By

Kathy K. 

  
Rock Bottom is located right in the heart of the city of Charlotte.

On the day we visited there was a huge festival going on in the streets with plenty of food vendors yet Rock Bottom was packed and had a 10 minute waiting list.  They offer inside and outside seating but my husband and our friends took whatever we could get which turned out to be inside seating. 

The decor isn't bad but I have never been a fan of the open ceiling, industrial loft look especially when I can see dust and webbs all over the ducts.  In addition, the ladies restroom was appallingly filthy.  I did take into considerationthough that the bathroom is located next to a back door and I believe in addition to all the restaurant patrons, the restaurant was being bombarded with all the women from the festival using it as well. 

On to the food: 

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