Diane McDermott, Real Estate Broker, Charlotte NC

Here in Charlotte NC we have a TON of trees. Really, we do, even with all the development there are still an amazing amount of trees throughout the city.

When my husband and I first visited Charlotte, we drove down Queens Rd in Myers Park and it was so amazingly beautiful!!! The trees line the streets and it felt like a different world. Now we live in a neighborhood that also has lots of mature trees and we couldn't be happier. It just seems to add a different dimension to the landscape.

When I go to newer/new neighborhoods in Charlotte NC I love when I see that the builders have left some of the original trees. Now I know builders have to deal with grading and land prep and many times that means trees have to go, but even leaving some does add to the aesthetic appeal of real estate in Charlotte NC...in my opinion.

Newer neighborhoods that have been completely cleared take a long time to recover, but eventually the newly planted landscaping does mature and really seems to make a difference in how the neighborhood looks.

So, what is it about trees? Maybe to some people they don't make any difference but I do think they add an element of natural beauty that no house can outdo.

Diane McDermott
Real estate in Charlotte NC

Here in the Charlotte area, the county health inspectors score restaurants and issue a "sanitation grade". These are displayed in the restaurant - if you've never noticed them take a look the next time you're dining out. Most of the time they're posted near the entry.

The closer to 100% the score is, the better the restaurant scored as far as following the sanitation guidelines. I check these scores all the time and I used to have a co-worker who had a "minimum score requirement". If a restaurant scored below her minimum requirement, she would NOT eat there!

The county website has a searchable database of restaurants' inspection reports, the website is: http://mecklenburg.digitalhealthdepartment.com/ and the local news channel WCNC posts the top and bottom scores weekly on their website at http://www.wcnc.com/6newsextra/edbw/.
Just some food for thought!

Diane McDermott
Real estate in Charlotte NC

Will the Charlotte Knights be moving to a brand new baseball stadium in Uptown Charlotte? The county voted yesterday to approve the lease of land in Uptown Charlotte for the team to build a stadium. The Charlotte Knights are the local minor league team that currently plays in Fort Mill SC (just over the state line from Charlotte).

If the new stadium is indeed built, the move will bring baseball to Uptown Charlotte NC, which is already home to the Carolina Panthers NFL team and Charlotte Bobcats NBA team. It would be an exciting addition to Uptown, and most definitely bring a more central location for the Knights.

While the latest development is that the county approved the lease, which is a major step forward toward Uptown baseball becoming reality, there is still opposition. Most vocally from Jerry Reese, a local attorney who has filed lawsuits to stop the land lease from happening.

We'll see if baseball Uptown becomes reality, but one thing's for sure, it's always an interesting road to new developments Uptown!

Today's online Charlotte Observer has more details and a run down of the latest county developments regarding Uptown, http://www.charlotte.com/112/story/448258.html, including the possible new Uptown Charlotte baseball stadium, a park project and a mixed use development in the Uptown area.

Diane McDermott
Real estate in Charlotte NC

If you're considering buying a new construction home, just one of the considerations to keep in mind involved what's located right next to the community.

I've seen this happen in Charlotte NC real estate in more than one community so aside from the first step of taking your buyer's agent with you to visit the builder (builders pay buyer's agents commissions and most won't discount if you don't have an agent),

Find Out: Are there any undeveloped or large parcels right next to the community?

Why is this important? If there are any large tracts of land or undeveloped properties right next to a new home community, the likelihood of those staying undeveloped is not great. As I said, this happens in real estate in Charlotte all the time.

So when a developer decides to build on that undeveloped or large piece of property, they cut down trees for whatever they're going to build there (could be commercial, hi-density residential, single family, could be a lot of things but one thing it won't have is the same look that it does today). I'm not implying any of these developments are negative, just that most people don't want a view of them from their Charlotte NC homes or backyard.

Now if your property (or the one you're considering building on) has a view of this, guess what just went down along with those trees? Your property value!

Most builders charge "lot premiums" for culdesac or lots that back up to woods. So if the trees disappear because the majority weren't on your lot, and you suddenly have a view of the back side of a business, not only did you pay more for a lot worth less, you're not going to have an easy time finding a buyer for it.

Ask the question upfront, and when I say ask I mean of course verbally asking the on-site agent, but also taking the time to look at the aerial maps, even talking to the city zoning dept if needed. Your buyer's agent can help with this, they most likely know how to pull up county records/maps and get in touch with the city zoning department.

Knowledge is power, so gather as much as you possibly can! It should also be noted that this question also applies to any newer Charlotte NC neighborhoods even if it's a few years old development considerations still apply.

Diane McDermott
Real estate in Charlotte NC

For those of you outside the Charlotte/NC/Southeast area, for months now we've been in an "exceptional drought" with no end in sight. Water use restrictions started over the summer, and continued to get tighter leading to a ban on lawn watering/sprinkler use in September.

Now some of the local landscape, irrigation and nursery business seem set to ask the city to exempt or loosen restrictions on them citing the economic effects to their businesses.

I can see both sides of the issue, both the perspective from a business/livelihood standpoint as well as the city's duty to enforce conservation efforts in the community. I also can see though that the drought isn't improving and it just seems to me there should be a "reasonable person test" as far as what's essential and what's non-essential water use - for both commercial and residential.

One last note I just have to make: I have clients who bought new construction real estate in Charlotte NC recently, they didn't get sod installed at time of closing due to the restrictions....and they have a lawn now which has grown from the seed put down and despite the water restrictions.

Diane McDermott
Real estate in Charlotte NC