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Lake Norman Real Estate
Charlotte-Cornelius-Mooresville-Huntersville
Our address is
19900 W Catawba Ave
Suite 103A
Cornelius NC 28031-4081
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great buys on homes and lots or browse for
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A Unique Community
Lake
Norman
is a unique community on a recreational
lake with 535 miles of shoreline, just 18
minutes from Charlotte, NC. The 530-miles of
shoreline that encompasses Lake
Norman are filled with everything
you will need for work and play. Extending across
four counties are four public school systems,
charter schools and private schools, recreational
activities such as boating, skiing, fishing and
golfing and a great variety of dining and
shopping. Click
here to view a map that will give you a good
prospective of the size of our "Inland Sea".
Lake Norman has
several unique and quaint towns. See
Cornelius
homes for sale,
Davidson
homes for sale,
Huntersville homes for sale,
Mooresville homes for sale and
Denver NC homes for sale.
You will
find Lake Norman real estate in
all these towns bordering Lake
Norman. Homes range from starter
homes to executive estates and villas. There are
still acreage and lots, both on and off the lake.
Lake Norman
NC real estate
offers a perfect setting for anyone looking
forward to finding a picturesque condominium,
build a new home, or just find the right house or
lot.
The Lake Norman and
Charlotte NC area has
unsurpassed economic climate and natural beauty
and some of the best neighborhoods in the country.
Lake Norman is unique in that the lake is located
just minutes from a major metro area and is
accessed by a good road system. I-77 running North
and South, I-40 runs east and west at the top of
the lake and I-85 runs south of the lake area. The
mountains of NC with winter sports are just 1.5
hours away and the beaches of NC and SC are only
3.5 hours away. The area enjoys low energy cost
and low taxes. Medical facilities are readily
available.
Lake Norman NC real estate
is within commuting distance of Charlotte,
Hickory, Statesville, Denver, Huntersville,
Cornelius, Mooresville, Denver, Troutman, Concord,
Kannapolis, Gastonia, and Lincolnton. These are a
lot of variety and price ranges for Lake
Norman Real Estate, including Cornelius
Real Estate,
Mooresville Real Estate,
Davidson Real Estate
and Charlotte Real Estate.
Lake
Norman
- Charlotte has great waterfront and golf course
homes and communities.
Locations-Location, Take a
Tour?
Location is important
and to put it in perspective, let's take a drive
from Charlotte to Lake Norman. From Downtown
Charlotte, go North on I77.
Continue this
Tour by clicking here.
History and Stats
Cowan Ford Dam, at the
southern end of Lake Norman, created the largest
manmade body of fresh water in North Carolina when
it dammed the Catawba River in 1963. The total
length of the facility is 7,387 feet, including
more than a mile of an earthen dam. The concrete
portion of the dam is 1,279 feet long and 130 feet
high.
Lake Norman
is an "inland sea" with a surface area of more
than 32,475 acres. Named after former Duke Power
president Norman Cocke, Lake
Norman is nearly as large as the
other ten lakes on the Catawba combined.
Full pond elevation at
Lake Norman NC is 760 feet. The
water of Lake Norman is used in
two ways to provide electricity to the Piedmont
Carolinas. It is used to power the generators at
Cowans Ford Hydroelectric Station, the Marshall
Steam Station and McGuire Nuclear Station to cool
the steam that drives the turbines. This steam is
condensed back to water so it can be pumped back
through the plants and used again.
Lake Norman
provides a dependable supply of water to Lincoln
County, Davidson, NC Mooresville NC, Charlotte
Mecklenburg and Huntersville NC.
Catawba Falls in the
Headwaters of the Catawba River Basin. This
is the start of the source of the water flow into
Lake Norman.
Details here for a short trip to check it out.
Our Lake Norman NC Real Estate
Team
Buying or selling real estate is a
complicated process. It is not like
driving through a fast food restaurant, placing an
order and driving to the next window to pick up
your order. That’s why having skilled,
seasoned professionals at your service makes all
the difference. Our
Brokers have completed an intensive real
estate course, passed a state exam and complete a
minimum of 8 hours of continuing education
annually. Many have obtained Certifications
through additional education classes and
examinations. Rest assured that when you work with
a Lake Realty Broker you will receive the highest
professional service. We are a
Quality
Certified Company and adhere to their code of
standard..
Lake
Wylie
For enterprising individuals,
growing families and active retirees, Lake Wylie
is indeed the perfect setting for home and
business. Lake Wylie is about 1/3 the size of Lake
Norman. It is nestled on the west side of
Charlotte in North
Carolina and on the northwest shore of Lake Wylie
in York County in SC (12,455-acres), Lake Wylie
community is ideally situated for both work and
play.
The York County portion of Lake Wylie is 17 miles
from Charlotte, one of the nation's fastest
growing commercial and financial centers and site
of Charlotte Douglas International Airport; 15
miles from Rock Hill, strongly emerging as an
economic hub in piedmont South Carolina; and less
than 75 miles from Columbia, the capital of the
Palmetto State.
Click to view Lake Wylie map
Frequently
Asked Questions (FAQ)
Link Partners
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Site

Luxury Homes - Visit this
internets destination for luxury homes and real
estate.
More Lake
Norman Business Information at
LakeNorman.com
You can find great local
Cornelius - Lake Norman North Carolina real estate
information on Localism.com
More Lake Norman
info
Thanks for visiting Lake Realty,
your Lake Norman
real estate area
specialist. Use our search for all Charlotte area
listings. Call or email regarding the Lake Norman
Real Estate Market
(704) 201-5262
Fax (704) 837-4443
Toll Free (800) 295-6186
E-Mail Us
19900 W. Catawba Ave, Suite 103
Cornelius, North Carolina 28031
Located Next to Lake Norman
NC Chamber and Visitor Center, Cornelius NC
We welcome your inquiring regarding
real estate, homes for sale and moving
to Lake Norman. Lake Realty is
your home for Charlotte and Lake Norman realty
including foreclosures, shortsales, REO, and
Bank owned
Too put it plainly, if you are a house
seeker, we work 4u
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Huntersville Homes for Sale |
Recommended Articles from our Lake Realty Newsletter
-
Why A Home
Inspection Is Crucial To A Home Purchase
-
Real
Estate Trading
-
Bargain
Properties - What You Want and What You Don't
-
Is Real Estate A Better Investment Now?
-
Superior Curb
Appeal Attracts Home Buyers Like A Magnet
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Why A Home Inspection Is Crucial To A Home
Purchase
We always recommend that every
home, including new construction be inspected by a
licensed home inspector. However, there are
several questions that come up, particularly from
first time home purchasers.
The first question is always: "Do I really need an
inspection or is this just extra money being spent
that is not necessary?" The answer is, if you like
putting your name on the line for a major monetary
transaction without every protection you can have,
then sure, do not get an inspection. A
professional inspector can tell you many things
about a house that the untrained eye will totally
miss and can cost many dollars in the future. No
surprises later is always a good reason to pay the
fee for the inspection. And rest assured that when
you sell your home the new buyers will get an
inspection.
Many people think they can do the inspection
themselves or have a carpenter or handyman they
know do it. A typical inspector looks over 200
homes a year and has been trained and carries
insurance that covers an injury or errors in his
inspection. This is one place a professional is
worth the fee.
If a problem is found, usually it is minor. A
buyer will be able to approach the seller for
concessions, a price reduction, or have the seller
fix the problem before the deal is completed. If
the problem is major, the buyer can back out of
the deal provided the agent has written a
contingency in the contract that provides for an
approved inspection without penalty. If the buyer
knows what repairs will be required, a budget can
be considered, depending on the severity and the
urgency for the repairs. Sellers have been known
to take on the repairs and, thus, save the
potential buyer many dollars.
Note that the inspection allows for the condition
of the home at the time of the inspection and not
for future problems. We recommend a home warranty
be purchased at closing. You can negotiate
this in the price or pay for it yourself.
The inspection fee should run about $300 to $500,
but the fee depends on the size of the house as
well as the age of the house and the expertise of
the inspector.
Spending a small amount now might just prevent a
buyer from an expensive foundation repair which
can cost many thousands of dollars. Get an
inspection lasting several hours and have the
peace of mind for a small fee
Any questions, talk to one of
our experience brokers.
Back to
Lake Realty Newsletter Index
Real Estate Trading
Are you finding it hard to
sell your home or investment property?
Sometimes it is hard to sell on a tough market
and you need to think outside the square to
get inspiration. It can often be easier to
sell a difficult to sell property if you are
prepared to take something off the buyer in
part or whole exchange.
Maybe you have an interested buyer who is
short of the necessary deposit. It could be
that they would be interested in using their
car as a deposit. You could agree on a value
for the car and that gets passed to you as
deposit and part payment. Even if you have
allowed a value well above what may be
attainable elsewhere this could still be a
very useful way of getting that property sold.
Just consider that a cash buyer would have
been much more aggressive in making a lower
bid for your property.
Looking at trading a cheaper property for a
more expensive home can work well, especially
if the cheaper property can be rented out at a
good rental until you decide to sell. If you
do not like the idea of renting you can put it
straight back on the market at a hot but lower
price to get a quick sale. This needs to be
thought through before agreeing to the deal
because you do need to make allowance for any
later price discounting.
Taking things other than property in an
exchange needs to be looked at with more
circumspection, particularly if it is
something that you have never dealt in before.
Boats are a favorite to trade but they can
often be very hard to on sell. Get specialist
advice and an accurate valuation with anything
that you are unsure of.
So beware of the pitfalls of trading but keep
an open mind because it can so often be a
means to an end. Just be careful not to end up
with somebody else's white elephant that is
impossible to sell. In most cases, however,
things will always sell at the right price.
Which comes back to doing proper
investigations before doing any deal.
It is so important to be vigilant when trading
and only use it when all else is failing to
sell your property. It does work and many
people are more than happy with the result.
One final warning, be sure of the values it is
not unknown for unscrupulous traders to
artificially inflate the value of their
property to get an advantage in a trade. If in
doubt pay for a proper certified valuation.
Talk to an experienced
Lake
Realty Broker if you have any interest in
accepting or offering a trade in your next
real estate transaction.
Home foreclosures and
fixer-uppers have long been a focus of savvy
real estate investors looking to quickly make
big profits. Of course, if the target property
doesn't meet certain criteria, an investor can
lose their shirt almost as fast as a rock star
on a tour bus.
A cautious and methodical approach is best for
rewarding and risk-averse decision making.
Keeping that mindset, here are some critical
area's that must be considered when looking
for real estate bargains for investing
purposes.
They are not all equally important. But they
must all be considered in their entirety. The
property should firmly meet at least one of
the criteria, and should have no unjustifiable
issues in any one area.
Following these principles is essential for
achieving a higher return on your
investment and lessening your risk.
KNOW WHY IT IS PRICE AS IT IS
Most investors focus on price
first and foremost.
They search for properties they think are
selling for below apparent market value. It
seems easy enough but there are several things
to watch out for.
First off, never buy for less than market
price until you know exactly why the seller
was willing to cut the price. What was their
motivation. Are they relocating or in
financial duress?
If not, there may be problems with the
property that require costly, time-consuming
repairs. Structural problems such as a
compromised foundation, or outdated plumbing
and wiring could be deal killers.
HOLDING COSTS ARE REAL COST
A usually unforeseen profit
drainer is underestimating the liquidation
costs of holding and selling the property.
This is not surprising when one considers all
the cost components, including commission
payments to real estate agents, closing costs,
mortgage payments, taxes, plus repair and
maintenance costs.
An faulty determination of true market value
is another obstacle to the successful deal.
Market value is essentially a subjective
exercise where the true value is not known
until someone buys the property.
It's essential to analyze similar properties
in the area, keeping in mind that prices are
set at the margins and may reflect the
extremes of a particular housing market
environment.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS IMPACT PRICE
Investors often focus
obsessively on price and location and discount
other profit leveraging tools like the terms
of the financing. This is especially
advantageous if the property is intended an
income producing rental.
In fact, used wisely, an investor can pay full
price and use this positioning to negotiate
lower interest rates or a smaller down
payment. Over time, the rental cash flow will
be in the black because of the generous terms
given, combined with gradual rent increases
and price appreciation.
YOU OR BROKER HAVE TO KNOW THE LOCAL MARKET
Experienced real estate
investors often rely on the fact they know
more about the market than the seller does.
Rental market bargains come about because you
know more about the market than the seller.
Consider the absentee owner of a rental
property. They might be primarily concerned
with vacancy rates, so they keep prices low
instead of upgrading the property. In
contrast, your research shows that particular
upgrades like air-conditioning, second
bathrooms, or enhanced security allow for both
lower vacancies and higher rental rates.
LOCATION - GOOD OR BAD?
Other than price, location is
usually seen as the most critical component of
finding a good deal. In reality, this matters
much more in terms of finding a long-term
residence than it does for a quick sale. It's
more critical to focus on the potential profit
margins than the area it's located in. If the
ugly home by the dump is more profitable than
the fashionable condo downtown, then it's a
better deal, aesthetics aside.
DISTRESSED PROPERTIES - FIXER UPPERS AND
FORECLOSURES
A familiar area ripe for
investment picking is distressed properties or
fixer-uppers. Of course these are the houses
that need repairs to some degree. And the
investors job is to discount the costs of
these repairs enough so that the profit is
still suitable.
With small repairs such as painting, minor
landscape, and basic flooring, profits may be
available but not really worth the risk. More
significant profits are found with extremely
distressed properties. Those slipping down the
hillside and selling for a quarter or less of
normal area values. Or the plumbing is
corroded, the roof needs replacing, and the
interior needs to be gutted and remodeled, but
the seller is asking 50% of the market value
and you can repair it for much less.
ZONING - HIGHEST AND BEST USE
Zoning provides an opportunity
to put the property to a higher or better use
and is an area many investors ignore. Higher
and better use means that the owner is getting
the most out of the land. For example, if a
lot is zoned for three units but contains a
single lot, then it is not getting its highest
and best use. Or if a lot is zoned commercial,
yet there's a three unit residential building
sitting on it, it is not getting its best and
highest use, like a business or a store.
These are often bargains because the price is
based on current utilization. So the single
unit residential is priced low while the
double unit duplex could be sold higher or
rented out. Harder to find as developers stay
more aware of zoning allowances these days.
Watch out for "midnight conversions" where
owners, aware of the zoning ordinance, have
made changes without the oversight of the
local building authority. Garages being
converted to second units on a duplex lot are
common examples.
Zoning maps can be found at the local planning
department. The biggest thing to watch out for
with zoning bargains is properties with
multiple zoning that is not reflected on the
map.
Even if its not your core strategy, the zoning
should be looked at just to avoid negative
consequences. Something to beware of is a
future zoning change from residential to
commercial which might affect an income
producing rental property.
MOVING THE OLD OCCUPANTS OUT
A common instance of buying
bargain properties at foreclosure is handling
a former owner who still resides on the
property. Not facing reality or citing
mortgage fraud, they refuse to move out.
You can begin action to get the individual
evicted, but if they battle it in court the
judge may not dismiss the case and now you
have a potentially lengthy court battle on
your hands. Costs totaling in the many
thousands and time measured in multiple months
could be the end result of the purchase.
In any other type of purchase, always
stipulate the conditions of occupancy, such as
the house must be empty, before closing the
deal.
In closing, these are some important areas you
should use as a framework when searching for
bargain properties. It serves to remind us
that there's a bit more more to it than simply
price and location.
Back to Lake Realty Newsletter Index
Is Real
Estate A Better Investment Now?
With the world financial
crisis in full swing the world stock markets
are see sawing up and down like we have never
seen before. Downright scary for any serious
investor. Not surprising then that large
numbers of investors are fleeing these markets
but where do they put their funds. Well there
is the bank but they have displayed poor
judgement in recent times and do not give you
the same feeling of security as they once did.
Aside from the security issues the investment
rates offered are really not worth having.
You can look at any number of alternative
investments and they either look shaky in the
current economic climate or the returns are
very poor. So where do you put your money? You
could bury it in the garden or hide it under
the bed. That is very risky and anyway you
will not earn any return doing that.
So, for most people there remains the old
stand by of property. That, of course, has had
its own bad press lately but it still remains
one of the safest investments around. The
trick is to buy at the right price. There are
a lot of forced sales going on currently so
there should be plenty of opportunity to buy
cheaply. Do the sums and work out your
purchase price that will give you a good
return on your investment This should not be
hard to do given the present market
conditions.
Real estate has always been a good solid
investment. The current woes are the fault of
greedy finance companies lending money without
any care or responsibility under terms that
were unheard of only a few years ago. The fact
that thousands of borrowers are now unable to
keep up with their repayments is proof of that
lending policy failing.
That loan money fueled the huge unjustified
rise in real estate prices and that same loan
money is fueling the drop in property prices
as people are forced to sell their properties
cheaply.
Real estate is still a great investment if the
purchase price is well considered. Do not rush
in and purchase right away but watch local
prices and wait for your opportunity to buy.
It will be a long time before we get another
real estate boom but it will come, maybe not
on the same scale as the last one but it will
come.
Back to Lake Realty Newsletter Index
Superior
Curb Appeal Attracts Home Buyers Like A Magnet
First impressions matter the
most to potential home buyers. This is one
concept that many homeowners trying to sell
their homes often fail to understand. A house
will sell many times faster if the property is
well landscaped and maintained. First
impressions make all the difference when a
potential buyer looks at your property.
Curb appeal is the buyer's first impression
when it comes to evaluating a house to
purchase. You as a seller want those driving
by to immediately think of your house as an
attractive home to own. For this reason you
should spend time and effort making the
outside of your home inviting and appealing to
potential buyers.
One of the first things that people will
notice is crumbling paint, or tired and faded
colors on the exterior. Vinyl siding is often
more inviting because it is easily cleaned and
maintained. Be sure the exterior of your home
stands out and adds value to your property. A
clean and crisp paint job, or siding, makes a
much better impression than an apparent state
of disrepair.
Another thing you can do to add curb appeal is
to plant low maintenance flowers and plants
around the exterior of your home. You do not
want to invest in plants that require constant
care, or plants that are going to grow out of
control and detract from the overall beauty of
the home. Bushes and climbing vines do well
along fences around the property, or as a
dividing line between your property and your
neighbors homes.
If you live in an area that is not conducive
to green grass you may want to consider some
sort of hybrid plants for your yard that can
grow with less water. Choose some form of
landscaping that does not rely on large open
patches of grass in order to be beautiful.
Excellent curb appeal will make the biggest
impression when it comes to selling your home.
If you properly care for the exterior of your
home and keep it nice, the buyer will more
than likely be inclined to want to see the
interior of the home as well. Then you or your
real estate agent can proceed to sell your
home on the rest of its merits.
The point is to make your home as attractive
on the outside to buyers viewing it as they
will find it on the inside. People buy
according to the perceived value. An
attractive home makes the buyer feel as though
they are getting more for their money.
Taking the extra time to ensure that the
outside of your home is attractive to buyers
can translate into a higher sale price for
your home. This tip can add thousands of
dollars to the sale price of your home and
help you sell it faster in the local housing
market. For these reasons it is well worth
your time to improve the curb appeal of your
home before the sale.
Back to Lake Realty Newsletter Index
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NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE
EPA Rules on Lead Paint in Home Renovations Take
Effect 4/22/2010
Hiring someone to
renovate your
older home is about to become more complicated
and expensive. Contractors working on almost all
homes built before 1978 must prove they have the
Environmental Protection Agency's stamp of
approval to do the work -- or face fines of up
to $37,500 a day. More information
at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/15/AR2010041506308.html
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