Showing posts with label Sedgefield. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sedgefield. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Bruce starts another Pre-Licensing!!
Bruce has begun teaching another Pre-license class at Superior School of Real Estate last week. Superior School offers all classes needed for real estate professionals as well as people who are looking to enter into the profession. Feel free to contact Bruce with any questions you may have!!! 704-488-7914 Directly.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Charlotte Could Benefit from New Tax Credit Options
Home Buyer Tax Credit Could Expand:
A first time home buyer tax credit of up to $8000 has helped to move housing inventory during an otherwise sluggish real estate cycle. Now both legislators and the business community are hoping to build on the incentive's success by expanding it.
A number of bills have been introduced in the House and Senate that lobby for an expansion of the measure. Among the proposed changes:
+ Setting a new cap of $15,000
+ Extending the tax break into mid-2010
+ Making the benefit available to all home buyers, not just first-timers.
+ offering a separate tax credit to $3,000 for borrowers who refinance.
A first time home buyer tax credit of up to $8000 has helped to move housing inventory during an otherwise sluggish real estate cycle. Now both legislators and the business community are hoping to build on the incentive's success by expanding it.
A number of bills have been introduced in the House and Senate that lobby for an expansion of the measure. Among the proposed changes:
+ Setting a new cap of $15,000
+ Extending the tax break into mid-2010
+ Making the benefit available to all home buyers, not just first-timers.
+ offering a separate tax credit to $3,000 for borrowers who refinance.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Brown Bag Wednesdays Summer Drop In at Freedom Park
Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department sponsors the “Brown Bag Wednesdays Summer Drop-In” series on Wednesdays, June 17 - August 5, 2009, 10am–12pm at Freedom Park shelter #3 (just below the Mahlon Adams Pavilion near the lake). Youngsters should bring their own bag lunch and share a picnic in the park!
These sessions are for boys and girls, ages 6-12. All sessions are FREE! Participants engage in a variety of fun activities including crafts, African drumming, wacky science, sports, wellness and fitness activities.
The following is a list of scheduled activities:
· June 17: Super Olympics
· June 24: Sports
· July1: Fitness with Ms. Brooke
· July 8: African Drumming
· July 15: Wacky Science
· July 22: Do it yourself crafts
· July 29: Do it yourself crafts II
· August 5: Party Time (Lunch provided this day!)
Participants must register by June 10, 2009. Space is limited. To register visit www.parkandrec.com, click on Eparks, and use Course Barcode #45427 or call 311 or Linda Ramseur Williams at 704 336-7644.
These sessions are for boys and girls, ages 6-12. All sessions are FREE! Participants engage in a variety of fun activities including crafts, African drumming, wacky science, sports, wellness and fitness activities.
The following is a list of scheduled activities:
· June 17: Super Olympics
· June 24: Sports
· July1: Fitness with Ms. Brooke
· July 8: African Drumming
· July 15: Wacky Science
· July 22: Do it yourself crafts
· July 29: Do it yourself crafts II
· August 5: Party Time (Lunch provided this day!)
Participants must register by June 10, 2009. Space is limited. To register visit www.parkandrec.com, click on Eparks, and use Course Barcode #45427 or call 311 or Linda Ramseur Williams at 704 336-7644.
Monday, April 27, 2009
New Teen Environmental Club in Dilworth
Recently there has been a Teen Environmental Club started in Dilworth. We meet at the Sykes Center. As one of our first events, we are organizing a clean up of Little Sugar Creek at Freedom Park, where the water quality is currently "degraded." It will be 4:30 -6:30 on April 30---meet at the tennis courts at Freedom Park and we will provide trashbags. We could really use all the help we can get! Great for community service hours. To register to help, email craig.colistra@mecklenburgcountync.gov.
If you have any questions or want a flyer to pass around, email me at henryandeliot@yahoo.com or call me at 704-335-9996.
Thank you!
Henry Schoenhoff
If you have any questions or want a flyer to pass around, email me at henryandeliot@yahoo.com or call me at 704-335-9996.
Thank you!
Henry Schoenhoff
Friday, April 24, 2009
Art and Soul is this Weekend!
Art and Soul of South End is back and better than ever! This weekend, April 25-26, the Charlotte community festival returns with some of the finest artists and craftsmen in the nation. This two-day arts fest also includes: Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools‘ Art Activities and Dancing in the Streets. Come along and enjoy the excitement while supporting your community.For more information, visit the Art & Soul Website.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Art and Soul is this Weekend!
Art and Soul of South End is back and better than ever! This weekend, April 25-26, the Charlotte community festival returns with some of the finest artists and craftsmen in the nation. This two-day arts fest also includes: Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools‘ Art Activities and Dancing in the Streets. Come along and enjoy the excitement while supporting your community.
For more information, visit the Art & Soul Website.
For more information, visit the Art & Soul Website.
Friday, April 3, 2009
6 Resons Why It's Still a Good Time to Buy!!!
The housing market is looking healthier. Here are six reasons why now is the time to jump into the market.
1. Uncle Sam is willing to help. First-time buyers (defined as anyone who hasn’t owned a home in the last three years) are entitled to a maximum $8,000 tax credit; interest rates are at record lows; and the Federal Reserve is doing its best to make mortgage loans available.
2. People have to live somewhere. About 800,000 new households are formed each year in this country, ensuring that the housing market will tighten, even if the economy doesn’t soar.
3. Borrowers leverage their investment. If you put $10,000 into the stock market and it earns 10 percent, you’ve earned $1,000. If you put $10,000 down on a home and its values increases 10 percent, you’ve made $10,000.
4. When prices come back up, you’ll have instant equity. In parts of the country where foreclosures have driven down prices, better times will mean the price of the home you buy will rise rapidly.
5. Mortgage costs stay the same. If you get a fixed-rate mortgage, the monthly payment stays the same – while everything else, including rent, goes upward.
6. You own it. There is something comforting in the notion that your home is your own. You can paint it any color you want, let the dog run in the back yard and hang a swing for the kids in the front.
Source: The Wall Street Journal, June Fletcher (03/27/2009)
1. Uncle Sam is willing to help. First-time buyers (defined as anyone who hasn’t owned a home in the last three years) are entitled to a maximum $8,000 tax credit; interest rates are at record lows; and the Federal Reserve is doing its best to make mortgage loans available.
2. People have to live somewhere. About 800,000 new households are formed each year in this country, ensuring that the housing market will tighten, even if the economy doesn’t soar.
3. Borrowers leverage their investment. If you put $10,000 into the stock market and it earns 10 percent, you’ve earned $1,000. If you put $10,000 down on a home and its values increases 10 percent, you’ve made $10,000.
4. When prices come back up, you’ll have instant equity. In parts of the country where foreclosures have driven down prices, better times will mean the price of the home you buy will rise rapidly.
5. Mortgage costs stay the same. If you get a fixed-rate mortgage, the monthly payment stays the same – while everything else, including rent, goes upward.
6. You own it. There is something comforting in the notion that your home is your own. You can paint it any color you want, let the dog run in the back yard and hang a swing for the kids in the front.
Source: The Wall Street Journal, June Fletcher (03/27/2009)
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Real Estate Hits Another Record High
Real Estate is more affordable today than at any time in 1988.
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) released its latest Housing Affordability Index (HAI) today, showing that housing affordability reached an all-time, historic record high of 173.5 in February (see chart above). A HAI of 173.5 would mean that the typical household earning the median family annual income of $59,726 in February would have 173.5% of the qualifying income to purchase a median-priced existing single-family house ($164,600) with a 20% down payment, which would be the highest level of housing affordability since the NAR started reporting housing affordability in 1971. Since mid-2006, the HAI has risen almost 74 points, from 99.6 in July 2006 to 173.5 last month. Stated differently, the annual qualifying income required to purchase a median-price house (with a 20% down payment) is only $34,416, with monthly payments based on a 5.12%, 30-year fixed-rate mortgage ($716.58 per month for principal and interest). Given the median family income of about $59,726, the typical family would have 173.5% of the income required to qualify for the mortgage to purchase the $164,600 home.MP: The record-high housing affordability will play an important role in the real estate market's recovery, and should be considered very positive news. This key real estate market statistic frequently gets overlooked by the media, which often seems more interested in reporting "record high jobless claims/employment losses/______ fill in the blank" when it's negative news, than reporting record high statistics like housing affordability when it's good news.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
The Healthiest Housing Markets for 2009
Builder Magazine, in conjunction with Hanley Wood Market Intelligence, debuts its metric for determining markets with the best and least potential.
By:Boyce Thompson
With most economists and builders expecting a national market decline this year, this may not seem like the best time to be selecting the "healthiest" markets in the country. Virtually every market was down last year. But a close look at the numbers reveals that some markets have way outperformed others during the last four years and are likely to continue to do so this year.
When the housing market stages its official recovery, the markets listed on the following pages are likely to lead the parade. It may take a year or more for the weakest markets--where burgeoning foreclosure sales are still pounding new home values, making building and selling new homes an exercise in futility-- to finally stage a turnaround. We’ll present that list next week.
The healthiest markets have many things in common. Most of them are great places to live, either close to the ocean, mountains, or major universities. Most of them didn’t have a huge run-up in prices during the boom and aren’t experiencing rampant deflation during the bust.
To compile these lists, we analyzed the top 75 housing markets in the country. We ranked them based on population trends and job growth, perennial drivers of housing demand. We also examined what’s happened with home prices; many of the healthiest markets have managed to hold the line on home values. And finally, we considered the rate building permits, which may be the single best ongoing indicator of builder confidence in a market. We combined all these metrics to produce a score for each market. Here are the top 15, in reverse order.
The Healthiest Markets for 2009
15. Myrtle Beach, S.C.
2008 total building permits: 3,211
Though permit activity dropped sharply last year, Myrtle Beach remains one of the hottest markets in the country, especially when you analyze the number of permits pulled per resident. Only 266,000 people live in the Myrtle Beach metro area, which until recently had been growing its population by nearly 5 percent a year. That means builders pulled one permit for every 82 residents. A steady influx of people, many of them retirees, are drawn by close proximity to the ocean and 117 golf courses at last count. That has helped keep home prices steady; they fell only 4 percent last year to an affordable $189,400. Most of the home building is split between Brunswick and New Hanover counties. Jobs are dependent on the tourist industry, though, and the metro area was rocked last year when a $400 million rock-and-roll themed amusement park, Hard Rock Park, opened and then filed for bankruptcy. Myrtle Beach added jobs last year, but as of December employment was decreasing at a 4.2 percent rate compared to a year earlier.
Busiest builders: Centex Homes, D.R. Horton, Beazer Homes, Bill Clark Homes, Pasquinelli/Portrait Homes
14. Wilmington, N.C.
2008 total building permits: 3,551
Wilmington has the second highest ratio of permits pulled per resident, behind only Myrtle Beach. The population here, 355,700 by Census estimates, has been growing at a better than 3 percent annual rate for the last five years, well above the national average. Primary residents are drawn by a four-season climate, close proximity to Atlantic beaches, and affordable housing. Median home prices, at $203,100 last year, are just about the national average. The area gave back 1,100 jobs in December of last year, after gaining 20,000 the previous three years. Wilmington has had a 60 percent decline in permit activity since 2005, around the national average, but its track record for population growth helps it make this list.
13. Charlotte, N.C.
2008 total building permits: 12,231
People and businesses must love Charlotte, because they are moving there at a high rate. The metro area of 1.76 million has grown its residents by 4 percent annually over the last five years, one of the highest rates in the country. They are drawn by relatively affordable housing for the East Coast—median home prices are only $197,800, and they’ve "corrected" downward by only 3.2 percent in the last year. A strong fourth quarter helped Charlotte record 12,231 permits last year, a 44 percent decline since 2005. Charlotte’s strength relative to other markets led the investment banking firm UBS to predict last year that it would be one of the first markets to recover from the housing downturn. Charlotte is still a single-family market, with 62 percent of the residential activity in stand-alone homes. The job market in this banking hub contracted last year, after growing 3 to 5 percent annually the previous three years.
By:Boyce Thompson
With most economists and builders expecting a national market decline this year, this may not seem like the best time to be selecting the "healthiest" markets in the country. Virtually every market was down last year. But a close look at the numbers reveals that some markets have way outperformed others during the last four years and are likely to continue to do so this year.
When the housing market stages its official recovery, the markets listed on the following pages are likely to lead the parade. It may take a year or more for the weakest markets--where burgeoning foreclosure sales are still pounding new home values, making building and selling new homes an exercise in futility-- to finally stage a turnaround. We’ll present that list next week.
The healthiest markets have many things in common. Most of them are great places to live, either close to the ocean, mountains, or major universities. Most of them didn’t have a huge run-up in prices during the boom and aren’t experiencing rampant deflation during the bust.
To compile these lists, we analyzed the top 75 housing markets in the country. We ranked them based on population trends and job growth, perennial drivers of housing demand. We also examined what’s happened with home prices; many of the healthiest markets have managed to hold the line on home values. And finally, we considered the rate building permits, which may be the single best ongoing indicator of builder confidence in a market. We combined all these metrics to produce a score for each market. Here are the top 15, in reverse order.
The Healthiest Markets for 2009
15. Myrtle Beach, S.C.
2008 total building permits: 3,211
Though permit activity dropped sharply last year, Myrtle Beach remains one of the hottest markets in the country, especially when you analyze the number of permits pulled per resident. Only 266,000 people live in the Myrtle Beach metro area, which until recently had been growing its population by nearly 5 percent a year. That means builders pulled one permit for every 82 residents. A steady influx of people, many of them retirees, are drawn by close proximity to the ocean and 117 golf courses at last count. That has helped keep home prices steady; they fell only 4 percent last year to an affordable $189,400. Most of the home building is split between Brunswick and New Hanover counties. Jobs are dependent on the tourist industry, though, and the metro area was rocked last year when a $400 million rock-and-roll themed amusement park, Hard Rock Park, opened and then filed for bankruptcy. Myrtle Beach added jobs last year, but as of December employment was decreasing at a 4.2 percent rate compared to a year earlier.
Busiest builders: Centex Homes, D.R. Horton, Beazer Homes, Bill Clark Homes, Pasquinelli/Portrait Homes
14. Wilmington, N.C.
2008 total building permits: 3,551
Wilmington has the second highest ratio of permits pulled per resident, behind only Myrtle Beach. The population here, 355,700 by Census estimates, has been growing at a better than 3 percent annual rate for the last five years, well above the national average. Primary residents are drawn by a four-season climate, close proximity to Atlantic beaches, and affordable housing. Median home prices, at $203,100 last year, are just about the national average. The area gave back 1,100 jobs in December of last year, after gaining 20,000 the previous three years. Wilmington has had a 60 percent decline in permit activity since 2005, around the national average, but its track record for population growth helps it make this list.
13. Charlotte, N.C.
2008 total building permits: 12,231
People and businesses must love Charlotte, because they are moving there at a high rate. The metro area of 1.76 million has grown its residents by 4 percent annually over the last five years, one of the highest rates in the country. They are drawn by relatively affordable housing for the East Coast—median home prices are only $197,800, and they’ve "corrected" downward by only 3.2 percent in the last year. A strong fourth quarter helped Charlotte record 12,231 permits last year, a 44 percent decline since 2005. Charlotte’s strength relative to other markets led the investment banking firm UBS to predict last year that it would be one of the first markets to recover from the housing downturn. Charlotte is still a single-family market, with 62 percent of the residential activity in stand-alone homes. The job market in this banking hub contracted last year, after growing 3 to 5 percent annually the previous three years.
St. Patrick's Day Parade and Charlotte Goes Green Festival
Date: Saturday Mar 14, 2009
Time: 10:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Place: Uptown Charlotte Address: 525 North Tryon StreetCharlotte, NC 28202
Cead Mile Failte! (100,000 welcomes)! The 2009 Charlotte St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Charlotte Goes Green Festival invites our sponsors, our vendors, and you to participate in the Thirteenth Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Charlotte Goes Green Festival, which will take place on Saturday, March 14, 2009.
Over 40,000 spectators watched Charlotte’s Twelfth Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade as it marched through the heart of Charlotte to the sound of pipes and the cheers of the spectators lining the streets. The combination of flags, floats, kids, and pipe band music made everyone smile and be Irish for a day. The Thirteenth Annual Parade will be even bigger and better!
Parade:
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade is a non-profit event, open to the public. The Parade is open to neighborhood associations, schools, alumni groups, cheerleading and drill teams, international organizations, police, fire, elected officials, commercial businesses, and anyone else who wants to be Irish for a day.
The parade will step off at 11:00 A.M. at Tryon and 9th street in uptown Charlotte. The parade will march south to Tryon St. and 3rd. Street.
You can also apply online for the 2009 Parade on the website www.charlottestpatsday.com/application.htm.
Cead Mile Failte! (100,000 welcomes)! The 2009 Charlotte St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Charlotte Goes Green Festival invites our sponsors, our vendors, and you to participate in the Thirteenth Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Charlotte Goes Green Festival, which will take place on Saturday, March 14, 2009.
Over 40,000 spectators watched Charlotte’s Twelfth Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade as it marched through the heart of Charlotte to the sound of pipes and the cheers of the spectators lining the streets. The combination of flags, floats, kids, and pipe band music made everyone smile and be Irish for a day. The Thirteenth Annual Parade will be even bigger and better!
Parade:
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade is a non-profit event, open to the public. The Parade is open to neighborhood associations, schools, alumni groups, cheerleading and drill teams, international organizations, police, fire, elected officials, commercial businesses, and anyone else who wants to be Irish for a day.
The parade will step off at 11:00 A.M. at Tryon and 9th street in uptown Charlotte. The parade will march south to Tryon St. and 3rd. Street.
You can also apply online for the 2009 Parade on the website www.charlottestpatsday.com/application.htm.
Festival:
We expect that the 2009 Charlotte Goes Green Festival will be our biggest and most attended yet. There will be something for everyone from 6 to 60 to enjoy.
The Festival is located on S. Tryon St. between 1st St & 3rd St.The festival hours are 10AM – 6:30PM and it will feature Irish music, Irish dancers, bagpipers, food, vendors and plenty of beverages. There is no admission fee, it's all Free!
For more information: http://www.charlottestpatsday.com/
We expect that the 2009 Charlotte Goes Green Festival will be our biggest and most attended yet. There will be something for everyone from 6 to 60 to enjoy.
The Festival is located on S. Tryon St. between 1st St & 3rd St.The festival hours are 10AM – 6:30PM and it will feature Irish music, Irish dancers, bagpipers, food, vendors and plenty of beverages. There is no admission fee, it's all Free!
For more information: http://www.charlottestpatsday.com/
TOADs (Toddlers Out and About in Dilworth)
One of the great things about living in Dilworth is that there is always something going on for our children. At the Tom Sykes Rec Center, there are a variety of classes for toddlers and children. This Friday, March 6th, at 9:30am Craig Colistra will join us to lead a little toddler yoga. He will show us some poses and activities that we can do at home with our little ones. Below you will find some information regaridng children's yoga and why it is so benefecial. We look forward to seeing you all on Friday.
Just watching a child's movements, it is evident that they are born natural yogis. Parents can encourage a lifelong path to health by modeling movements and placing names to the movements. As toddlers develop, yoga helps them become aware of the range of their movement and physical abilities. Through games, activities and storytelling, children will associate fun and play with creative movement, challenge, and teamwork. As they become teens, yoga postures helps them have a high sense of body awareness, helping to appreciate their developing bodies and instilling a positive self image.
Tom Sykes Recreation Center offers yoga classes to three age groups on Wednesday afternoons. Ages 3-5 (FREE) from 3:15p-3:45p; ages 6-11 from 4:00p-4:45p; and ages 12-17 from 5:15p-6:15p. Cost:$15 per month. Contact Craig at 704-432-4806 for more information.
Just watching a child's movements, it is evident that they are born natural yogis. Parents can encourage a lifelong path to health by modeling movements and placing names to the movements. As toddlers develop, yoga helps them become aware of the range of their movement and physical abilities. Through games, activities and storytelling, children will associate fun and play with creative movement, challenge, and teamwork. As they become teens, yoga postures helps them have a high sense of body awareness, helping to appreciate their developing bodies and instilling a positive self image.
Tom Sykes Recreation Center offers yoga classes to three age groups on Wednesday afternoons. Ages 3-5 (FREE) from 3:15p-3:45p; ages 6-11 from 4:00p-4:45p; and ages 12-17 from 5:15p-6:15p. Cost:$15 per month. Contact Craig at 704-432-4806 for more information.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Phase 2 Meeting for East Blvd. Pedscape
The East Boulevard Pedscape Phase 2 meeting will be held on Thursday, Feb. 26 at 6:30 p.m. at Dilworth United Methodist Church. The project team has prepared the recommended alternative and will present it at this third public meeting. Come out and see the plans for East Boulevard. For more information, contact Sharon Buchanan, Project Manager at sbuchanan@ci.charlotte.nc.us or 704.336.2044
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