Sharon SellsCharlotte

At Keller Williams Ballantyne Area, Charlotte, NC, our Surprise Secret Guest for our Team Meeting day was someone who has defeated blind-faith in a way most of us will never experience. Trevor Thomas, who met the challenge of being blind and completed the hike of the Appalachian Trail, 2100 miles of walking and hiking . One day Trevor was finishing law school and waiting to be sent to Greece as an JAG officer for the Navy, and the next day he was at an optometrist's office hearing that he had a rare disease which would make him blind within weeks or months. But within the time of grief of losing his sight, he heard a speech from another blind person, Eric Weihenmayer, who had climbed Mt Everest, so he planned his adventure and course to overcome the parody of his handicap of blindness. As I listened to his story......he said, "You know, a newspaper addressed an article about me stating, "So You Think You've Had a Bad Day?". On his trek of the Appalachian Trail and his solitary journey, he hitch-hiked with hikers who were going his way and he traveled along beside of them, different groups, like boy scouts, couples, people who were doing short stints on the trail, but there were many lonely moments alone as the weather changed to snow, storms, winds at 60 mph and a hurricane that blew through the upper part of the northeast. Although he made it through the canyons and around the mountainside of some of the most treacherous trails from Georgiato Maine. So if you think you've had a Bad Day, NOT! If you would love to hear him speak of his experiences and the people he met, he would love to share his story. As he prepares to complete the Pacific Crest from Mexico to Canada journey take into consideration we are all doing things that might be unknown to us in our real estate business. Trevor asked us to go home and block our vision and just try to open the refrigerator and find a Coke, or maybe you could just try to wash your clothes and try to figure out if you have the Whites and Darks separated so they don't come out grey. Maybe none of us spend the time thinking if we lose one sense that it would enhance the other sense's we have. Trevor Thompson has lived by Faith and Confidence and Overcame Unknown Daily Challenges and put his life into the hands of strangers day after day. Strangers who let him trail with them as risky as it probably seemed to those that took him along. If he came to a stopping point and didn't know where to turn, he would just stop and wait until someone else came along and advised him which way to go. Incredible challenges and now he is ready for more. Stay tuned.....he's off to the Pacific Crest Trail to accomplish that 2500+ miles this spring. Good Luck Trevor, thanks for sharing.

In Weddington, NC, we have seen the beauty of the snow and silently have been able to keep from losing our electricity....thank goodness.......but when the groundhog gave us a lengthy perspective of a longer winter, I shivered.......as we always look for the daffodils in Weddington and the blooms of our trees early in March with great weather. But we love winter here because it is usually mild......houses are getting more showings and we are excited about that. But we're ready to ride around with our windows down and smell the aroma of Spring.

VISIT AND LIVE IN WEDDINGTON, NC 28104

Filling the days with activities Charlotte, NC and the surrounding bedroom towns like Weddington, Marvin, Indian Trail and Mint Hill, conveniently made me think of our soldiers and service men and women who are not here to enjoy the normal activities and be in the hustle and bustle of activity we so consume on a daily basis. Afghanistan has the headlines as we send more as I think of the opportunities we have in our country to be FREE. Shopping on Black Friday and rising at 4:00 a.m., we could all rise early to hit the stores, whereas, our service men and women were doing round the clock surveillances and entrances into unknown territory. We were free to go and shop for a new home with unheard of bargains and interest rates, while our servicemen and women are waiting on a thank-you card to arrive to know they aren't forgotten. As we go through our day, I acknowledge the fact that we are so fortunate to have the opportunities we have, to work in a safe office, park our cars in a safe parking lot, eat lunch casually at our favorite local diner, get up at 4:00 a.m. to go to a mall. So for all our men and women laying flat on the desert floor, or hiding in a cave or entering an unknown zone, we thank you for the privileges of living Free and having the opportunity to have heat, a well-cooked meal with napkins, fresh running water and being able to drive our car to the mall. We wish you were home and will miss you this Christmas. Finding a family this season that has someone away will be on my list to thank.

What makes a great high school??? Receiving an award like Weddington High School - they won the award for having the high number of students graduate in the senior class for the entire state of North Carolina. This is what I love sharing with people who want to living in Weddington, Union County, a suburb of Charlotte, NC; this award boasts that 93.3% of the students who began 9th grade at Weddington High in 2004 finishe school with a diploma in 4 years. Statewide the rate was 70%. A strong parent participation and level of education is exemplified by the students and expectation of teachers is monumental. The strong foundation was developed through a beginning stage at Wesley Chapel Elementary in the early 1990's where children was loved and cared for and there was great parent participation. These students are finishing their years of education with the same high standards. Needless to say, we are a school with some of the same challenges as other schools but the parent's and their active participation in their students have made the difference. Keep holding the students to the high standards you expect.

Bittersweet as it is, I contributed as well as my builders to having two sales happen du e to slow showings and a limited number of buyers in the higher range during the spring market. Fitzhugh and Willow Oaks went under contract with much negotiation and creating an atmosphere most advantageous to the buyer(s). What an opportunity for the buyer. But how smart of my builders to loosen up their credit lines when buyers were slimmer this year compared to last year. Yes, a buyer's market is truly for the buyer. But if you are a Seller, builder or buyer of a personal home, it is time to loosen up, keep the contractors in toe and sell the homes. Yes, it is a buyer's time in Charlotte and the surrounding community of Union County. Where we see great schools, low taxes and a larger amount of great homes on 1 acre lots, full brick with all the bells and whistles, we are moving and shaking in helping the builders sell their inventory. It is making the market stay strong and moving. Although shifting to ride the swells will keep inventory turning and creditors off the builder's backs and buyers thinking, "should we buyer now or shouldn't we". Longer time periods to sell but tremendous opportunities for the move up buyer to purchase their next home. But home sellers, be savvy about your pricing on your home to sell. SELLER'S MOVE YOUR EQUITY TO YOUR NEW HOME. Things will be turning around soon. Capitalize on what we have in inventory. Some sellers have the "motivation"to sell that a smart buyer is looking for. We have a tremendous community full of sports ammenities, activities for all ages and community spirit in Weddington, North Carolina. If you live in Weddington, Marvin, Wesley Chapel or anywhere on the southern tip of Mecklenburg County, there is great desirability to live in a community like this.