Debe Maxwell, Realtor® - Charlotte NC MLS - Charlotte NC Neighborhoods

Charlotte NC Market Report, 2009 Q3

As a member of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, my team is privy to early news releases pertaining to the city of Charlotte and plans to expand local businesses. This information reflects directly upon the Charlotte NC housing market. Combined with data from the Charlotte NC MLS , the local economy appears to continue the trend began in 2009 Q2.

The first three quarters of 2009 showed Mecklenburg County Charlotte NC expanding 11,500 jobs which was a 15% year-over-year increase from 2008. This, during the worst recession in many years, is nothing short of commendable. This is one of the reasons that FORTUNE Small Business Magazine named Charlotte NC as the 7th best place to launch a business!

Homes sold in the 'under $250K' price range reflect a large number of first-time home buyers who are taking advantage of the $8,000 Federal Tax Credit for First Time Home Buyers here in Charlotte. The graph below also indicates that with the increase in sales of the average-priced homes in Charlotte NC , first- and second-time home sellers were able to move up; this statistic was reflected in the movement of the higher priced homes area as per the Charlotte NC MLS data below.

Should you be searching for or selling a home in the Charlotte NC area, we would love to assist you. Our team has many years of experience in the area to share with you and would be happy to assist you with your Charlotte NC real estate needs.

Eastover, located just southeast of Charlotte’s Center City, formerly two dairy farms, (also formerly Myers Park Eastover), was developed by E. C. Griffith in 1927. In the Eastover Charlotte NC community, history abounds! Eastover is one of the most desired areas in Charlotte NC; the treescape in Eastover is simply breathtaking, especially in the spring when the pear trees are in bloom!

From the days of Earle Sumner Draper, the Southeastern US ‘premier’ urban planner to present day, Eastover has been the home of some of Charlotte’s most elite. From cotton brokers to bankers to attorneys, the facilitators of Charlotte’s growth have resided in Eastover. E.C. Griffith sought to create Eastover as a competitor to Myers Park. Charlotte NC was headquarters to 770 textile mills, consuming more cotton than any other sector of the world. In 1927, the piedmont North and South Carolina, officially surpassed New England in cotton cloth production.

Charlotteans not only owned numerous mills and brokered much of their own cotton for the region, but boasted a large number of bankers, attorneys, stockbrokers, and leading retailers. Griffith saw this elite, upper-income group as a potential market for a new suburb branching off of Myers Park, which was not completely developed at that time. E.C. Griffith made a name for himself as a successful local real estate developer and the company remains one of the oldest in the city, dealing now primarily in commercial real estate.

Nearly 600 homes make up the Eastover Charlotte NC neighborhood which is full of towering hardwoods, winding streets and amazing architecture. Eastover Elementary School is at the ‘heart’ of Eastover. Small businesses outline the neighborhood on the east and winding sidewalks provide easy access for the residents.

Early Eastover Charlotte NC architecture is primarily Georgian, mixed with Tudor, bungalow and Colonial. One home, the Reynolds-Gourmajenko House of Tuscan Revival architecture exists on Providence Road; no home like it exists in Charlotte or Mecklenburg County. As the commute to the city became a bit longer for suburbians, vacant lots quickly filled with new construction, mostly in-keeping with the Georgian theme. Currently older estates are being renovated and are truly amazing.

The Mint Museum of Art, the first branch of the US Mint, was transported to Eastover in pieces from its original location in Uptown to a site donated by E.C. Griffith Company. Martin Boyer, who orchestrated the move, marked each and every stone before its move.

The Civil Works Administration, one of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal Agencies, provided the labor to resurrect the building as the Mint Museum of Art in 1936. This was one of Charlotte's first historic preservation operations.

Since the late 1800’s, prosperous Charlotteans have enjoyed living on the fringe of the Uptown (formerly Downtown!) area and Eastover was one of the city’s first suburbs. Sometimes called ‘country homes,’ the Georgian homes in Eastover, Dilworth, Elizabeth and Myers Park were a mere 5¢ fare to Uptown Charlotte NC on the electric streetcar (1890’s). The more impressive suburbs tended to be south or east of town, in essence, due to the fact that the city's only railroad bridges at the time, were on East Trade and East Morehead Streets. Dozens of trains blocked the tracks on a daily basis creating a blockade surrounding the business district.

Eastover Charlotte NC, not only rich in history, is considered one of the city's most sought-after neighborhoods where residents enjoy true neighborly relationships. Families who have resided in Eastover for generations are more than welcoming to newcomers moving to Charlotte from all over the U.S.

Visit Eastover Charlotte NC and savor a piece of history as your tour stately homes in this lovely neighborhood.

Stay tuned for a new Charlotte NC Eastover premier townhome coming on the market soon. Here's a sneak preview of the interior!

Copyright © 2009 By Debe Maxwell, All Rights Reserved...*Charlotte NC Eastover--Full of Local History*

Charlotte NC's LYNX Light Rail System

In keeping with Charlotte's cat theme (Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Bobcats, CATS [Charlotte Area Transit System]), the light rail, LYNX has become our new favorite means of transportation in the city! Connectivity is key (hence the name, LYNX) in getting the city's south end transported into the city during rush hours.

In November, 2007, the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) began operation of the 9.6-mile LYNX Blue Line light rail, after having been under construction since February, 2005. The LYNX fleet includes sixteen Avanto light rail cars built by Siemens. The line extends from Uptown Charlotte NC, southward to Pineville and runs almost parallel to I-77. Previously used by the Charlotte Trolley, a heritage streetcar operation that also began running in tandem service with the LYNX trains beginning spring 2008, the line brings the suburbs into the city.

This model is patterned by the light rail in Houston, Texas, and has also been ordered by the city of Portland, Oregon. Charlotteans have enthusiastically embraced the light rail after much ado about county expenditures to build the system. This was demonstrated by the opening month’s records of carrying over 9,000 passenger trips per day. CATS projects over 18,000 passenger riders by the year 2025.

Visit Charlotte Center City Partners website for a LYNX interactive map.

Come ride the LYNX today!

There's a new live/work condo right on the line at New Bern Station that you MUST see--so, take the New Bern stop and pop over to 3030 South and check out this one-of-a-kind live/work community in South End Charlotte NC.

Shopping for a Charlotte NC Live/Work Community?

Are you shopping for a Charlotte NC live/work community? Well, hop on the light rail and pop over to the New Bern Street Station. Less than a block from the station, you'll find 3030 South, Charlotte's newest live/work community in historic South End. 3030 South is like no other condo complex in South End or Uptown Charlotte NC! With garages, spacious living, location near shopping, restaurants and bars, PLUS Charlotte's new light rail just outside your home!

3030 South Charlotte NC is a unique blend of contemporary architecture and urban planning with focus on modern day transit needs. At first glance, you'll think that this hip complex is just that--a new, architecturally appealing condo complex in South End Charlotte NC! Well, this complex is a mix of flats, townhomes and live/work townhomes. The lower level of the 4-level live/work townhomes, is zoned for commercial use, just for your office, hair salon--the possibilities are endless! There's plenty of parking for your visitors and you, of course, will have a large office and storage area on the 'business' level as well as two entrances on that same level. Your home above your office, has its own entrance, either through the garage or on the main level.

Because the developer of 3030 South Charlotte NC used land which was a former industrial park, tax credits are given to the homeowners until 2012 too!

These spacious units are certainly appealing including 10' ceilings, high end appointments, and ceiling to floor windows, bringing in the sunshine!

We have a new listing in 3030 South that is one of the Live/Work units which includes:

• Spacious 1st level office/conference space with lots of storage + garage + plenty of additional parking and separate entrance
• Open 2nd level with living, kitchen and dining rooms + powder room. Large, arched ceiling to floor windows make this bright, open space very inviting
• Large 3rd level bedrooms with master and luxury bath + guest bedroom and full bath
• Breathtaking views of the city from the 4th level terrace (view below is from the 4th level terrace of 140 Rail Crossing Lane).
  

This is truly a one-of-a-kind home that you simply must see!

Neighborhood access includes:

• Dilworth Harris Teeter Supermarket
• Dowd YMCA
• Park Road Shopping Center
• Freedom Park
• Healthy Home Market
• Dilworth Neighborhood Grille
• Many other South End shops, restaurants and bars.

---not to mention the ability to hop on the light rail and you're mere minutes from Uptown Charlotte NC!

Shopping for homes in South End Charlotte NC? View available condos and townhomes here or here.

Click here to see our new listing in 3030 South

Other live/work community in Charlotte