Tony Orefice Realtor/Kannapolis NC,Concord NC

When we first moved to North Carolina, we settled in Concord. After about three years, we gave Cornelius a try. Still later, we put down roots in Huntersville. In spite of living in all these different places, Concord remains near and dear to my heart.

That's why I decided to start a campaign for Concord. Every time I frequent a restaurant, movie theatre, park, etc, I will write a blog about it. My hope is that people from other parts of the country will read it and know how special Concord NC is.

Attached is the very first inststallment of my blog adequately named-

Tony Tours The Town - The Concord Chronicles

Perhaps one of the best places to eat in town is the IHOP located at 800 Cloverleaf Parkway, on the Kannapolis/Concord border. My mother-in-law is in town for Thanksgiving and LOVES IHOP! I took this opportunity to make this my very first blog for The Concord Chronicles.

Upon walking in we were immediately seated. The staff was friendly and eager to please. The waitress, named Yong, always with a smile on her face, brought us much needed coffee. She came back a few minutes later to take our order. Don't you love it when the waitstaff is attentive?

It didn't take us long to place our orders. Before we knew it, Yong was back with our food. I asked her to hold still for a moment so I could take her picture for my blog. She was happy to oblige me. What you can't see in this picture is that the camera's battery power was low and it took about a half a minute for the picture to take. Yong was talking through her teeth, saying," Please hurry sir, these plates are heavy".

I felt bad for her, but the blog must go on!

We ate eggs, bacon, toast, grits (yum), orange juice (IHOP's is the best). I had pancakes.

Tony's A1 You Must Try - the pumpkin pancakes - DELICIOUS !! I give them 5 out of 5 *****.

After indulging in a second cup of Joe, I grabbed a few Sweet N Low packets and Grams took a few of the coffee creamers and we went to pay the bill.

At the counter is a sign telling you about their breakfast special...perhaps I'll get that next time...

We enjoyed our breakfast here at IHOP immensely and would recommend it to anyone looking for a great meal at good prices.

Keep posted for future installments of Tony Tours the Town - The Concord Chronicles.

I LOVE A PARADE !! Especially a Concord NC Christmas Parade

Concord, NC had its annual Christmas parade on November 22, 2008. Spectators lined both sides of Union Street to watch floats, cars, trucks, and paraders on foot march their way down the heart of the city.

My wife, two daughters and I found an old tree whose roots were so large and protruding out of the ground that it made for a ringside seat for us to sit on while we watched and enjoyed the festivities.

Some homeowners had tables set up outside their homes with food and drink aplenty. Sidewalk vendors made their rounds selling goodies such as candy apples, cotton candy, popcorn, and much more. We brought money!

Participants of the parade ranged from dance studios to church groups to high school bands. There were firefighters, policemen, Cub Scouts, pageant winners, and clowns.

YES clowns!

This was a heartwarming event. Everyone was waving and wishing each other a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Parade watchers, marchers and passersby alike all fell under the spell of the Christmas spirit. I was moved by it.

While I was truly enjoying the procession, I must admit that I had a special reason for being there. My son is a member of the JROTC, Air Force division, being sponsored by Northwest Cabarrus High School. He holds the rank of Airman 1^st Class. We couldn't be prouder of him. We are also very pleased with the education he is receiving in school. GO TROJANS !!

But I digress...

Lastly, at the end of the parade, the man we were all waiting for....yes, you guessed it!

Santa Claus !!

Listed below (in no particular order) are some of the many participating groups:

CHA - Cabarrus Health Alliance

Sonic Drive In

CiCi's Pizza

Old Courthouse Theatre

The Party Connection

Wheels of Grace

Crossroads Church

Kelly O'Shea's Performing Arts

Family Promise of Cabarrus County

Cub Scout Pack 222

Northwest High School

Concord Fire Department

Concord Police Department

A L Brown High School

Concord Animal Clinic

Chick-fil-A

And many more...

(Forgive me if I left you out)

Except for the overcast sky, it was a fun time had by all!

From my family to yours- Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Tony Orefice

Broker/Realtor

The Suddreth Group

980-254-7263

www.TonyOreficeRealEstate.com

Code of Ethics training class...

Before December 31, 2008, every Realtor is required to complete a 2.5 hour Code of Ethics training class. This training is offered through local associations, other local resources, and online. The end of the year is fast approaching!

Due to high traffic on the online course, Saturdays and Sundays are the better days for completing the training. REALTOR.org registration, which is required to complete the online training course, is also experiencing longer wait times. If you plan to take the course online and are not registered on REALTOR.org, you should register for the site ahead of time.

The following are resources provided by NAR on REALTOR.org to prepare and help you complete your training.

Online Course Information

NAR Code of Ethics Training Quick Reference Guide - What you need to know for the online course, including how to get your NRDS number and your REALTOR.org login.

Quadrennial Code of Ethics Online Course - REALTOR® Ethics Training course developed by NAR. A NRDS ID number is needed to register and the course can be completed in one session (approximately 2.5 hours), or in parts within 30 days from the start of the course.

Online Ethics Course Frequently Asked Questions and Suggestions

General Training Information

Code of Ethics Training - Provides information and resources for all new and existing Realtors.

I'll be (selling a) Home for Christmas...fa la la la (edit/delete)

Is it just me, or is the holiday season starting earlier and earlier each year?

I couldn't believe it. The day after Halloween, I turned on my car radio and heard a Christmas song for the first time this season! Come on people, Thanksgiving hasn't even passed yet.

I have a love/hate relationship with the holidays. I hate the hustle and bustle, but love the spirit that the season brings.

Many home sellers view the holiday season with dread. Some actually withdraw their listings until after the New Year, while others won't even list until signs of Spring are in the air. They worry about their home sitting on the market and getting stale while the buyers are out shopping for presents, drinking hot cocoa and going to holiday parties (whoo hoo).

The holiday season offers unique opportunities that home sellers should consider:

• The buyers that are out during holiday periods are serious purchasers! In fact, they are exactly the type of buyers that we are hoping to attract.
  
  
• Often relocation buyers make buying trips during the holidays. These are buyers who have a sense of urgency to find their next home.
  
  
• Since homeowners are under the false impression that their home won't sell during the holidays, the inventory is lower now. Listing a home now gives the seller the advantage of less competition for those most serious purchasers. Stand out now, or potentially get lost in the crowd later.
  
  
• Most homes never look better or more inviting than when infused with a little holiday spirit! Of course the smell of baking cookies in the oven doesn't hurt either!

Good Luck !!

Tony Orefice - Broker/Realtor - 980-254-7263

tony@suddrethgroup.com - www.tonyOreficeRealEstate.com

The Suddreth Group - www.suddrethgroup.com

Hi everyone!  Being new to Active Rain, I am still finding my way around this great service provided to us all.  I thought I'd take this opportunity to post and market myself a little bit. Todays blog will be about, yes, you guessed it!...Relocation.

First off, a little about myself. My family and I relocated here in 2001 from New York. My wife had the chance to transfer with the company she works for and we took it. So I quit my job of 7 years, uprooted our 7 year old son from all he knew, packed up our little girls and moved to Concord NC. The house and area were beautiful but we soon came to realize that living out in "the boondocks" was a culture shock to say the least. After 3 years, I sold the house and we moved to Harrisburg (on the Charlotte border) while our new house was being built in Cornelius. Some 7 months later, we moved into our new home. Living by Lake Norman was enjoyable....the parks, the water, and the people were great. After about 1 1/2 years, my wife came to me saying that she couldn't stand the commute to work anymore, so, I...you know what I'm going to say...sold the house. This time we moved into the apartments next to Concord Mills (shopping Mall) for about 6 months while we built, yet again, another house. We are currently living in Huntersville (bordering Concord) and have been here for 1 year. Happy so far...knock wood.

OK, OK...this is where the Relocation part comes in. As you can see, I have lived in various parts of the Charlotte area over a span of 7 1/2 years. I've shopped at the stores, attended the churches, involved my kids in all types of recreation, driven most of the roads (actually an easy task for we really don't have that many...lol), enrolled my kids in various schools, etc.

Since you are reading this blog, you are probably wrestling with the idea of relocating to the Charlotte area as well. Or maybe the choice to move has been made so you are now trying to figure out how to do it as easily as possible. When we moved here, we had a Relocation realtor help us. However, her services were limited as we later came to realize.

She really didn't tell us about the area. We weren't advised on where we might feel most comfortable living or given any idea what living here would be like. I don't want that for you. I want to make your transition here go as smooth as possible. My main goal is for you to be happy with your choice of home and area for years to come.

I hope you will consider contacting me when you are ready for the big move! I know where you're coming from, figuratively, and want to make sure you know where you're going. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and I hope to hear from ya'll soon. Thank you,

Tony Orefice - Broker/Realtor

980-254-7263 - tony@suddrethgroup.com

go to www.TonyOreficeRealEstate.com to check out my profile and read my blog.