Melissa Polce

I live in Cornelius, NC...x28, Lake Norman...we have been looking for a house to buy for some time now...truth be told...I get so overloaded looking for homes with other people that I really get sick of it when the search is for me...but I have had my eye on 1...my dream home is a house that recently foreclosed on a "Main Street" of Cornelius....but the bank won't let it go(First Trust Bank, Charlotte)....it is almost 100 years old and in need of major repair...however...the local bank loaned too much money on it and I think someones job depends on trying to get that money back....so, to vent...here it is....

THIS IS 1 MORE MISTAKE THE FIRST TRUST BANK WILL MAKE....

1. The Bank Representative had people over to do some repairs...all of us in the REO, foreclosure industry will tell you...No, No, No...you should sell "As Is" as to not have actual knowledge or liability for the property. You will never repair the 100 year old home up to the standards of what a HOMEOWNER would do with it...you could ruin the Architecture of the home!

2. Stop trying to make the home seem more valable than it is....the only 3 people interested in the property have been, a realtor friend of ours-on behalf of us, my husband and myself...not 3 different individuals...

3. You hire some consultant to "Overlook" the property...not only was this guy not from the Lake area, but he had some bogus appraisal done for you...how could yours and ours be $100k apart? See, I was willing to share my appraisal with the bank so they could see our Appraiser's comps...funny, the Bank did not want to share!

4.Active properties for sale for the last 2 years on the same street mean 1 thing...OVERPRICED! You won't even put it on the market...it foreclsoed 90+ days ago!

5.Your Bank just posted a profit and all banks make lending mistakes...if you try and hold this property until the market swings back...it will be worth less than it is today.

6. This property is just sitting on your books...wasting away, you have wasted more money trying to figure out what to do with it and upkeep of it as well....SELL IT TO ME, we asked for it to be in "AS IS" condition, at a fair price...Come On!

7. This property was on the market for 18 months before it foreclosed, NOT 1, NOT 1 PERSON MADE EVEN A LOWBALL OFFER....how can you say it is still worth $400k?

8. Lastly...what gets me more than anything is the lack of response you have had with us about the property...we offered the Bank what we saw First Trust Bank foreclose on it for...per tax records...Come up to x28, look around the Lake sometime, NO ONE WANTS AN OLD HOUSE UP HERE BUT US, in this area most homes were built in the late 1980's or newer...not 1911!

I LOVE THAT DARN HOUSE...SELL IT TO ME AND BE DONE WITH IT...THAT IS WHAT BANKS DO WITH FORECLOSURES, THEY TRY AND SELL THEM.... I PROMISE!

N.C. 73 retail approved Huntersville board approves much-debated center set for N.C. 73 and Beatties Ford Road, despite road concern.

Joe Marusak Posted: Sunday, Jul. 26, 2009

The Huntersville Board of Commissioners is expected to decide tonight on two major planned developments: A 456-unit apartment complex on Rich Hatchet Road and a shopping center at N.C. 73 and Beatties Ford Road.

The Huntersville Planning Board recommended in late April that the commissioners reject the 24-acre Holly Crest complex proposed by Charlotte developer Bunker Land Group. Planning board members said they were concerned in part about the development's impact on Rich Hatchet and other roads. The developer wants to build two-, three- and four-story Class A apartment buildings on Rich Hatchet Road, about 900 feet south of N.C. 73. The commissioners are scheduled to decide tonight on both a rezoning and a subdivision sketch plan for the project.

A divided Huntersville Board of Commissioners approved a crucial subdivision sketch plan last week for the proposed Shops at Crossroads Village at N.C. 73 and Beatties Ford Road. The project's developers had sought the town's approval for three years. A longstanding hurdle had been uncertainty over the alignment of the planned Northwest Huntersville Thoroughfare near the project. But after 21/2 hours of discussion last week, commissioners Brian Sisson, Ken Lucas and Charles Jeter voted to approve the sketch plan despite the uncertainty about the thoroughfare's alignment.

Commissioners Ron Julian and Sarah McAulay voted against the sketch plan. Julian said developer JDH Capital's planned shopping center shouldn't be approved without knowing the road alignment. He said he speculated that the N.C. 73-Beatties Ford Road intersection is the second-most congested in town. "All growth is not good growth,"

Julian said. "We have to look at the roads and sometimes say ‘no.'" McAulay questioned the development's potentially adverse effect on Lake Norman, which is across N.C. 73 from the project. She questioned its effect on nearby neighborhoods and on the Gilead Volunteer Fire Department across Beatties Ford Road. Sisson said he couldn't see how the board could avoid approving the sketch plan, since, he said, it complies with the town's approved land-use plans for the area. "I can't see where we could successfully deny this," he said. "I don't see where they're not following any approved plans as of today." Lucas agreed, adding that the owner had already received the general rezoning, "thus a by-right ability to build. It is just a sad day when a property owner's rights are trampled on by a government entity."

Lucas said the town faced legal action if it denied the request, and "... we were in jeopardy of not being able to adequately defend our position to reject." "I was not ready to abdicate my elected responsibilities and duties to roll the dice on some court to determine the outcome," Lucas said of his vote. "I was elected to do that, and I did."

The 24-acre project will be on land owned by residents Danny and Madeline Phillips. The 120,000-square-foot center will include 14 buildings, including one for a grocery store. Architectural elements will give the project a downtown feel, rather than that of a strip shopping center, project representatives told commissioners.

They also said an N.C. Department of Transportation engineer agreed with the development's proposed road network.

Learn about I-77/N.C. 73 interchange study

The town of Huntersville will present findings to date of its "I-77/N.C. 73 Interchange Modification Study" from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the town hall, 101 Huntersville-Concord Road. The study, by consultant PB Americas Inc., focuses on long-term improvements to the interchange needed to meet future traffic demands.

Quite Honestly...I think it's terrible...if anyone that lived here spoke up and just said, "Really...we still can't fill most of our Commercial Buildings as it is and we have enough Drug Stores & Supermarkets for 3 cities combined"...I wonder where those horses and cows will be moved to...not all Urban prawl is good! Melissa Polce www.MyRelocation2Charlotte.com mjpolce@kw.com

Maximizing Exterior and Curb Appeal

When preparing to put your home up for sale, your first concern is the home's exterior. If the outside, or "curb appeal" looks good, people will more than likely want to see what's on the inside.

Here are some tips to enhance your home's exterior and curb appeal to buyers:

• Keep the lawn edged, cut and watered.
• Regularly trim hedges and weed lawns and flowerbeds.
• Be sure your front door area has a "Welcome" feeling.
• Paint the front door.
• In spring and summer, add a couple of pots of showy annuals near your front entrance.
• In snowy areas, keep walks neatly cleared of snow and ice.
• Check foundation, steps, walkways, walls and patios for cracks and deterioration, and fix any problem areas.
• Remove and repaint any peeling paint on doors and windows.
• Clean and align gutters.
• Inspect and clean the chimney.
• Repair and replace loose or damaged roof shingles.
• Repair and repaint loose siding and caulking.
• Reseal old asphalt.
• Keep the garage door closed.
• Store RVs and old cars elsewhere while the house is on the market.

Maximizing Interior Appeal

You want your home to look as spacious, bright and clean as possible. Also the home should look neutral - without a lot of your personal and sentimental objects - so buyers can begin to imagine living there.

Here are some tips to enhance your home's interior appeal to buyers:

• Give every room in the house a thorough cleaning and remove all clutter. This alone will make your house appear bigger and brighter. Some homeowners with crowded rooms actually rent storage garages and move half their furniture out, creating a sleeker, more spacious look.
• Use a professional cleaning service every few weeks while the house is on the market.
• Remove the less frequently used, and even daily-used items from kitchen counters, closets, basement and attic to make these areas more inviting.
• Make sure that table tops, dressers and closets are free of clutter.
• Pay special attention to the kitchen and bathrooms: they should look as modern, bright and fresh as possible. It is essential for them to be clean and odor free.
• Repair dripping faucets and shower heads.
• Buy showy new towels for the bathroom, and put them out only for showings.
• Spruce up a kitchen in need of more major remodeling by installing new curtains and cabinet knobs, or applying a fresh coat of neutral paint.
• Clean walls and doors of smudges and scuff marks.
• If necessary, repaint dingy, soiled or strongly-colored walls with a neutral shade of paint, such as off-white or beige. The same neutral scheme can be applied to carpets and linoleum.
• Check for cracks, leaks and signs of dampness in the attic and basement, and fix any problem areas.
• Seal basement walls if there are any signs of dampness or leakage.
• Repair cracks, holes or damage to plaster, wallboard, wallpaper, paint and tiles.
• Replace broken or cracked windowpanes, moldings and other woodwork.
• Inspect and repair the plumbing, heating, cooling and alarm systems

We were all excited when the federal government announced in February that first time home buyer's were going to receive a true tax credit for any primary residence purchased before December. The tax credit was an extension of a previous $8,000 tax credit from last year. The difference being that this one did not need to be repaid. The tax credit has been beneficial in boosting first time home buyers to get off the fence and make a purchase. More however could have been done.

When the tax credit was being discussed in congress, there were several versions of the bill that would have allowed for a credit as high as $15,000, and have the credit available to all home buyers not just first time home buyers. At the time the government that such a move was too aggressive and would lead to an over correction in the housing market.

Now it is several months later and the recession is being more tenacious then expected. The housing market has seen some improvement but nothing like what was hoped. That result isn't surprising considering that first time home buyers make up only about a quarter of all home purchases on average. So what about the other 3/4?

As we speak, there are several (four at last count) versions of a bill circulating around congress looking for support. Each is in favor of extending the tax credit to all home buyers and extending the deadline to the middle if not the end of next year. The politics behind the process is slowing the process down. Many senators see such a bill as a being a big boost to the economy and a great item to get your name on for future political aspirations. As such many are unwilling to allow their name to be second or third on the bill. Hence the four bills floating around congress.

The good news is that there seems to be widespread support for extending the current $8,000 first time home buyer credit beyond the current December deadline, and also a lot of support for extending the credit to all home buyers. They may also increase the amount of the credit but none of the bills currently in formation include such a provision.

Stay tuned. I'll keep you posted. Hopefully by the end of summer we will have a broader bill. I would be really excited is we did. I can't think of much that would help stimulate the housing market more then free money from the government. After seeing the effect the bill has had on first time home buyers, one aimed at all home buyers would be a welcome sight.

Melissa Polce, Broker Realtor

www.MyRelocation2Charlotte www.ExclusiveHomesofCharlotte.com

I admit, I have a few Condos and Townhomes for sale but I can't buy a showing on them...Once you are in Charlotte and ask $150k for a condo/townhome or more, you can easily buy a home for that price here in some really great up and coming neighborhoods...and while the draw of "no maitenance" living was great a few yaers ago, more people really turn to pride of ownership and wanting to spend more time at home, doing "Projects" to upgrade your homes value...suddenly yard work and curb appeal is a great way to spend a weekend!

HOA fees, think of the money you save, while most neighborhoods have a minimal HOA quarterly, you must pay HOA's for Condos/Townhomes monthly, most range between 100-600 a monthly, that extra money is key in todays market...some homebuyers don't need the extra "fluff" making HOA's obsolete in their minds!

We have had a slow number of condos/townhomes selling this year in Charlotte-in my opinion, back in the early 2000's, I could not keep them listed, now I prefer not to take them at all...the worst Days on Market Averages come from the gross number of Condos/Townhomes on the market...even trying to give them away but price reductions have netted my sellers very few if any showings at all.

Years for it to rebound, i think we will see more and more Condo projects being put on hold, beautiful high rises being turned into Luxury Rentals and more and more of these slated for Charlotte, going bankrupt.