Sherry Mills

Are you looking for that perfect house on the lake without paying top dollar? Look no further! This split foyer home offers lots of room at a very reasonable price. Square footage on this home is 2576 for only $199,000.00 and has a full finished basement. New siding and brick veneer make this an easy keeper. Two car garage opens into the basement. Den with wood burning fireplace, fourth bedroom, half bath, laundry and workroom or storage make it convenient for extra living space and privacy. Main level has formal living room, formal dining room, large kitchen, den with wood burning fireplace, hall bath, two bedrooms and master suite.

Check out the covenants and restrictions online at http://www.northlakeshoa.org/. HOA is optional! HOA membership does offer you lake access. The nieghborhood has playgrounds, tennis courts and basketball courts. Minutes from Highway 321 make it easy to travel to Lenoir, Blowing Rock or Boone. 20 minutes away from downtown Hickory for all your shopping and business needs. Northlakes is in the center of "Furniture Country" allowing you to have your home furnished and ready to occupy when you close. For more information: www.SherryMills.net or email Sherry@SherryMills.net.

Daily routines are a natural fiber of life. Where did I hear that? But it is true. I wake up every morning to the sound of our cats meowing to be fed, our dogs barking to be fed and our horses nickering for their morning feeding. I slowing and carefully clamber out of bed to avoid the pain in my feet from years of running in half marathons and make my way to the kitchen for that ever wakeful cup of coffee.

Our two tabbies race to the kitchen looking at me as if asking what is taking me so long. Can't I see they are there already? Izzy and Jack dance and twist waiting to get out of their kennels to go outside after being cooped up 8 hours. Dashing out the door Izzy stops dead just outside the threshold and barks for me to follow him. But I'm not dressed for 29 degree weather and I haven't had my coffe yet! "Go do your business," I say and he runs off the deck to be back 2 minutes later barking to get back inside. He doesn't like the cold either.

CNN and the weather channel, then outside to the barn and kennels to fed the rest of the crew. Horses and dogs, that's all we grow around here but I love every minute of it. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, there is frost on the ground and it is the promise of a beautiful day here in little ol' Statesville, North Carolina. The weather man says it is supposed to reach 64 degrees today and it is only the 2nd of March. We have the best weather here and are usually protected from severe storms.

I will spend the morning cleaning house then go outside to exercise our many horses. My fat little quarter horse, Lakota, has to be ridden a few times a week to keep his mind straight about who runs the show. My daughters appaloosa mare, Eclipse, is in the process of learning to be a sweet ride with consistency. Our 1 1/2 year old TWH, Carolina Willie, is learning to give to the bit and longe before he reaches two in August. The rest of the crew just need to get exercise from lounging around most of the winter (really just a long fall).

This is my relaxation. This is my world away from work. This is what keeps me sane.

Now, I could easily have written a blog about why to use a realtor, how to sell your house yourself, what the market is like or any number of articles about real estate. But isn't is refreshing to know that your realtor is just as human as you and takes the time to kick back, relax and regroup in order to have a fresh perspective and clear mind for the upcoming real estate week. visit me at http://www.SherryMills.net.

That's what it said! When I read the newspaper this morning I couldn't believe it. What's the catch? No frills flying and great attitude from the flight attendants. Skybus Airlines, who's website is skybus.com, offers ten seats for $10 - period! But those seats sell out as quickly as they become available. The flights are a lot cheaper, but the destinations are the smaller airports that service the metro areas. They also offer a base price for drinks, snacks, early boarding, backpacks, luggage, etc.. Boarding and take off is quicker than in the larger airports, of course, which saves time. Sounds like a great deal, if you are a day traveler, traveling light and are a good planner and don't mind driving a little farther. Greensboro, NC is one of the two bases for Skybus and is certainly close enough to drive on into Statesville, Mooresville or Charlotte.

The nonstop destinations from Greensboro are: Boston, Chicago, Columbus, OH, Fort Myers, Fort Lauderdale, Hartford, CN, Jacksonville/Daytona Beach, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York and Philadelphia. Check out their website, book a flight and come visit us here in North Carolina. www.skybus.com

Just to update you with some statistics, The Statesville Record and Landmark ran an article on Sunday, Feb.24, 07 about the population boom in Iredell County. They were not real specific about any particular area other than to say that most of the growth was in the Mooresville area and that the population in the West Iredell High School attendance area was expected to increase by more that 4,000 people in the next eight years.

The report went on to say that the expected growth over the next eight years will be an increase of 26.6 percent overall. That is up from the previously projected 12.7 percent increase. The firm that did the study was Warren & Associates. Warren said the firm was able to identify 297 subdivisions across the county with remaing lots and that the southern end of the county still has a lot of open land.

The Lake Norman High School attendance area added more than 9,700 people in the last seven years. The lastest studies will help the county with forecasting for new land-use plans plus public utilities and public school needs. For more information on this article please go to: http://statesville-north-carolina.santopia.com/.

http://www.statesville.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=SRL/MGArticle/SRL_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173354724964

That all depends upon how much you want to take upon yourself to get done. Staging can be expensive if you hire a stager to rent or buy furniture, blinds, drapes and plants to put in an empty home to give it that comfortable lived in look. BUT, you can do three simple tricks to get your house staged. 1) Clear your home of clutter. Clear off countertops, tables, desks and put the clutter in storage. 2) Clean everything in sight and behind closed doors. Bring in a professional cleaner to scrub from top to bottom and clean out the garage. Clean the outside of debris, grass clippings, fallen limbs, pressure wash the siding, sidewalks, driveway and clean the gutters. 3) Color can bright a room quicker that 100 watt bulbs in your light fixures. Paint the entire inside a nuetral soft color. Brighten bedspreads, drapes, towels and rugs. Use light uplifting artwork and put out flowers. It doesn't take much to get a home in order for the first showing and will increase your value substantially. I may take as little as a few cans of paint to spending a few hundred dollars for professional work.

Should you choose to use a professional stager be sure and check references. Know exactly what they charge and who is reponsible for furniture brought into your home. Ask to see the contract and take time to read it as in any contract. Check for liability insurance and know the terms. Professional stagers are great and becoming in high demand. They can quickly assess your homes needs for updates, cleaning, moving furniture around to make the traffic flow easier. The condition of your home will be a major factor on the cost when it comes to staging. It may be in your favor to do a little updating on your own before you hire a stager. Whatever you decide to do, check out all your options, get advice and opinions first. Try asking your best friend to give you a completely honest opinion of how he/she sees your house through a buyers eyes. You may be pleased at what you can do yourself and how little it will cost you.

For more information check out these articles: http://realtytimes.com/rtpages/20041206_homestaging.htm

http://interiordec.about.com/od/homestaging/Home_Staging_for_Sellers.htm

http://www.homestagingresource.com/newsletter.asp

http://homebuying.about.com/od/sellingahouse/ht/homeprep.htm