On our way to Cornelius one day in our trusty pontoon boat I happened to notice this peculiar looking boat! Because Lake Norman is so large we have myriad types and sizes of boats from modest fishing dingys to jet skiis to Cigarette boats.
Lake Norman is even home to a few mega-party boats like this one owned by NASCAR race driver Tony Stewart:
At the Peninsula Yacht Club one can find a great example of the variety of boats on Lake Norman.
While I knew that there are helipads around Lake Norman and, of course, two airports, I still was quite amazed to see the helicopter above sitting on it's own little dock right on the water.
I can't wait for next summer!
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I just got these charts from the company that provides the property search program for my Website. LKN Realty LLC While these pertain to the entire Charlotte Regional Mulitple Listing Service (including Lake Norman) I think they are very relevent to our Lake Norman real estate market:
I am looking forward to seeing our final December numbers!
This month may be one of the most significanat to date for gaining a clearer sense of direction for our future Lake Norman real estate market. We know that November experienced stronger sales due in part to the expectation of the expiration of the first-time buyer tax credit. If sales continue to show improvement this month, it may be an indication that the bargains are drawing more and more buyers into the Lake Norman housing market.
One interesting thing I have observed is that many banks want properties off their books by the end of the year. I just has a short sale approved after months of waiting...but the stipulation was that we had to close by Dec. 30th. This may also contribute to a relatively strong December.
The above chart is a summary of today's "Hot Sheet" from the Charlotte Multiple Listing Service for single family homes in all of Lake Norman (area 13). These numbers represent a real time snapshot of the past two week's activity. (December 1 - 15). As always, I have included the past 5 months so that you can put these numbers in perspective.
Highlights:
New listings dropped sharply compared to previous months and are 22% below the same period in 2008. (Our total number of active listing in Lake Norman have dipped below 1300 which is a 12% drop from December 2008). A decrease in inventory is the most significant component to our housing recovery.
The number of properties that came back-on-the-market, most likely due to cancelled contracts, was actually quite high considering the time of year. This is further evidence that our loan process is extremely challenging. More properties came back on the market than closed in the past two weeks. Clearly This explains why our pending sales are not translating to even higher closed sales.
The number of price changes also dropped significantly. While I am seeing price reductions daily, my guess is that many sellers will wait until after the holidays so that they get more bang for their buck so to speak.
Pending home sales remain pretty strong considering it is December. They are 57% higher than December 2008. Since these are an indicator of future closed sales I predict our December 2009 sales will be about the same as November or maybe even a bit higher.
The number of closed sales in the past two weeks are almost equal to October's and up 58% for the same period in December 2008. Last year we closed 62 sales in December so I think we are on tract to beat that number!
Contingent and Conditional sales have dropped almost 30% compared to October but up 43% compared to December 2008. Since these are properties that just went under contract, these may translate to a typical seasonal January slowdown but still indicate a dramatic improvement from December 2008!
While the number of showings on my listings have slowed and I am not showing as much property as I did most of the year, there are still serious buyers and motivated sellers around Lake Norman. It continues to be all about bargains and I'm sure this will be true until our prices bottom out and our inventory is back in line with our sales.
Important news to consider:
I just read in the news that wholesale prices spiked which may lead to inflation worries. It will be very interesting to hear what the Feds say after their meeting in the next few days. Hopefully, interest rates will remain as they are.
Finally, a UNC Charlotte economist, John Connaughton, recently said that the NC economy has begun " ...its long, slow, turnaround, but it could take years before job and spending figures bounce back in the levels of better times..." He went on to predict that our state's economy will grow 2.8% in 2010 compared to a decline of 3.6% in 2009. While Connaughton expects North Carolina's unemployment rate to remain in double digits in 2010 (10.5%), he said "The recession is over, and the really positive news is we've started to see a change in the unemployment side. Things will get better each quarter in 2010."
Our Lake Norman real estate market has a long way to go in order to fully recover but it does appear that 2010 will bring more hope than 2009!
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Lake Norman Real Estate's December Hot Sheet 2008
Lake Norman Real Estate's Fourth Quarter Sales Analysis 2008
Lake Norman Real Estate's Waterfront Home Sales Analysis November 2009
Lake Norman Real Estate: What do recent sales in The Point tell us?
Lake Norman Real Estate: Why is it so hard to buy a home right now?
December is upon us here in Lake Norman and with it comes crisp clear "Carolina Blue" skies, cool temperatures (It got down to 38 degrees this morning but warmed up to 62 degrees this afternoon) and the return of "seasonal waterviews". With the trees now bare those of us whose Lake Norman homes have "seasonal waterviews" have seen our views transformed from thick and beautiful trees to expansive views of Lake Norman!
For this month's calendar I chose this photo of our North Carolina bird the Cardinal because of its naturally beautiful red feathers. Perfect for this holiday season!
To make your desktop calendar, go to Lake Norman Real Estate, then click the round button at the top of this site's home page entitled: "Lake Norman Calendar". Click on this button and up will come an image of my Lake Norman photo wallpaper calender for December 2009. All you have to do is right click and select "set as background".
Enjoy and best wishes for the holidays!
While I have great fun taking pictures of Lake Norman, I would love to use one of your favorite photos depicting life here in Lake Norman!. If you'd like to submit a photo for a future calendar, please send it to...
Articles of Interest
One of my first exciting discoveries after moving to Lake Norman in 2005 was the extraordinary pottery; first in Seagrove and then in Catawba Valley. Whether you are an avid collector as I am or just curious, these next four weeks are an exciting opportunity to buy from the most coveted Catawba Valley potters at their holiday kiln sales.
Besides the adherence to historical methods and traditions, Catawba Valley pottery is also unique in that in order to buy from the most popular of the potters you must attend their individual kiln sales held at their homes scattered from Vale to Lenoir. If you have never attended a kiln sale, I truly encourage you to do so this month. If you see me, be sure to say hi!
Here is a summary of the scheduled kiln sales. As always, you can go to Steve Abee's CV Pottery website for more information and directions:
Steve Abee: Saturday, November 28th @ 10:00am:
Steve is an incredibly talented and creative potter. He honors all of the historic techniques including digging his own clay, making his own glazes and firing his pieces in his hand-made wood-burning Ground Hog Kiln. His faces are known for their wide mouths and bugged eyes. Steve also does stunning swirls pieces, miniatures and a great variety of shapes and whimsical creatures from pigs to roosters.
Joe Reinhardt: Saturday, December 5th @ 10:00am:
Joe is a direct descendant of generations of Catawba potters. He grew up watching Burlon Craig, the potter who is credited with saving the traditional Catawba Valley methods and teaching them to our current generation of potters. Joe has a wonderful sense of humor which is embodied in most of his pieces. He always writes a fun little message at the bottom of each piece. Under this birdhouse he wrote: "12:50pm 11-18-07, Bird House for Rent and you feather dusters pay in advance or sail on."
Joe has struggled with health issues for the past years so I am always grateful to see him holding his annual kiln sale and to be able to purchase one of his wonderful pieces and have him hand sign it at his sale. (Which he is always happy to do!)
Kim Ellington: Saturday, December 12th @ 10:00am:
Kim has taken Catawba Valley pottery to a new, more sophisticated level. His large vessels and beautiful glazes are featured in art museums and pottery books. However, recently he has caved in to our demands and makes a handful of his wonderful face jugs for his December kiln sales. But, he also makes a large quantity of vases, mugs, plates, planters with gorgeous glazes. This is a great place to buy holiday gifts!
Michael Ball: Saturday, December 12th @ 10:00am:
Michael is the newest of the most collectible Catawba potters. Since I first started collecting his pieces I have seen him perfect the art and definitely making it his own. He truly has such an amazingly creative approach to his art that you never know what you will find. From incredible detailed Guineas to lizards and Roosters to his facejugs I am always excited when I see his latest work! This"eye" jug is huge (3-gallons) with a spectacular glaze and myriad eyes. This has become one of his signature styles but he doesn't make many so get there early!
The biggest decision I have to make is whether to go to Kim or Michael's first!
I hope to see you at one or all of these sales. And don't forget to got to CV Pottery for details, directions etc.!
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Specializing in residential real estate since 1991. Mooresville and Lake Norman; Relocation specialist; great diversity of clients and experience; passionate about offering the best service to all!
Welcome! I am so glad you stopped by to see what is happening in our wonderful Lake Norman area.
You will probably find that I write quite enthusiastically about Lake Norman and about life here. That is because I am writing through the eyes of someone who discovered, fell in love with and just up and moved to Mooresville Lake Norman in 2005 for no other reason than my husband and I decided it was the ultimate place in the country to live.
If you know the old adage "There is no substitute for experience," I have found that this definitely applies to all of my real estate services. My extensive marketing background, years in real estate that have encompassed a diversity of locations, economic markets, price ranges, types of housing, cultures, ethnicitys, ages and personalities of clients comprise the foundation upon which I build all of my customized real estate services.
But, honestly, and I know this sounds corny, but there is only one thing that truly motivates me: I care. I care about every one of the clients I choose to work with and I do my absolute best to represent them, support them and educate them; designing their real estate experience to best suit their needs and meet their goals.
Just the Facts
08/28/07
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