Kannapolis, NC

The North Carolina Dare Association recognized Kannapolis Police Officer Terry W. Triplett as the 2009 North Carolina D.A.R.E. Officer of the Year.

At a training conference in Atlantic Beach on January 15, Officer Triplet was also sworn into his second term as First Vice President for the North Carolina D.A.R.E executive board of directors.

Officer Triplet has taught and graduated over 3,000 fifth graders as an instructor for D.A.R.E. in the Kannapolis City Schools.

Officer Triplett joined the Kannapolis Police Department in 2002 after his retirement from the United States Air Force.

Kannapolis Fire Station 5, located on Barr Road, opened recently.

The 12,300 square-foot station will provide increased public safety coverage for the rapidly growing western part of Kannapolis allowing for decreased response times.

Key areas served by the new station include Afton Ridge, Pine Creek, Renaissance Square and River Pointe.

An official grand opening will be scheduled for mid-February.

If you are looking for some holiday fun this weekend, take a trip to the Village in Kannapolis and join in the holiday festivities.

On Saturday, November 28 and Sunday, November 29, there will be a Holiday Farmers Market at the Old Cabarrus Bank Building at 201 West Avenue from 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Fruits, vegetables, jams, jellies, cakes, cookies, handmade gifts and Christmas decor will be available.

Enjoy the sights and sounds of a Williamsburg-inspired village on November 28 and 29, December 6, 13 and 20 from 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. at the North Carolina Research Campus Visitors Center at 200 West Avenue.

Do you live in Kannapolis North Carolina or the surrounding area and need to sell your home NOW to avoid foreclosure? But, due to current real estate market conditions you won't be able to sell it for a high enough price to pay off your mortgage(s), the Realtor's listing commission and other seller fees? Well, you aren't alone!

Unfortunately, owners in Kannapolis North Carolina and across the country are finding that their home's current market value is less than they paid for it. Even more tragically, the value of their home is less than the loan payoff. They always heard that home values will go up over time, they thought they were building equity in their home... thus saving for retirement or for a downpayment to move up to a larger home in a few years.

If possible, home owners should stay in their home, keep their mortgage current and ride out the "mortgage crisis". Most specialists are predicting that the real estate market will turn around in time. However, some home owners find them selves in situations that cause them to fall behind in their mortgage payment... they either loose their job, have a serious illness or death in the family, have a divorce, are transferred to another location with their job, or experience some other tragic situation in their life.

Once a home owner falls behind in their mortgage payments, their lender will start to call them... sometimes incessantly. When this happens many homeowners stop communicating with their lender, which is the wrong way to handle this matter and avoid foreclosure. If the home owner wants to stay in their home, they should contact their lender as soon as they know there is a problem (even before they miss a payment if possible). Lenders don't want more foreclosures, they want home owners to stay in their homes and make their mortgage payments. Therefore, they will work with home owners to find a solution that will benefit everyone involved.

Here are a few of the options that may be offered by your lender, to avoid foreclosure:

A revised repayment plan - Forbearance - Loan modification - Short Sale - Short Refinance

In the case of a Short Sale, the lender may allow you to sell your home for less than the outstanding loan amount, take the proceeds and forgive you of any remaining debt.

A short sale occurs when the proceeds of a real estate sale fall short of the balance owed on the property. In a short sale, the bank or mortgage lender agrees to discount a loan balance due to an economic or financial hardship on the part of the mortgagor. This negotiation is all done through communication with a bank's Loss mitigation department. A Realtor can help you through this process and negotiate with the bank on your behalf.

Currently, if you are an owner occupant of a property, the tax code allows you to avoid paying taxes on the shortfall (a 1099 was previously sent in the amount of the shortfall and the owner was responsible for paying income tax on that amount)... this can be a huge savings for owner occupants who decide to sell their home as a short sale.

The short sale option will have much less negative effect on your credit than a foreclosure would, so a short sale may be the best course of action for you if you've fallen behind on your mortgage payments. But don't wait too long, since foreclosure proceedings will begin once you miss 4 regularly scheduled payments.

Home owners in this situation should contact an experieced short sale Realtor to list and market their home, communicate and negotiate with the bank on their behalf, and handle the entire sale and short sale process for them.

I have the knowledge and experience it takes to help you avoid foreclosure and negotiate a short sale with your lender, so contact me anytime if I can help.

I service Kannapolis NC and the surrounding areas including Charlotte, Concord, Harrisburg, Salisbury, China Grove, Landis, Cornelius, Huntersville and Mooresville,

PARK CREEK IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE EXPANSION OF THEIR BRIDGE MOORE AND BRIDGE MOORE ESTATES NEIGHBORHOODS.

With the design of Phase 3 at Park Creek, Bridge Moore has expanded by an additional 26 lots all a minimum of 1 acre in size. These lots extend into the wooded country side adjoining the northeast corner of our current development. Within these lots there is included, an additional 20 acres of open space, and another small creek feeding Park Creek. This creek will be crossed by a timber bridge.

Bridge Moore Estates will be expanded by an additional 13 estate lots, all at least 3 acres in size. It will also create an additional gated entry to the neighborhood.

Construction on this phase is scheduled to begin in 2009.