Real Estate Information

Want to do something different for dinner tonight? Add a side of adventure with the U.S. National Whitewater Center's "zipline and dine" tonight beginning at 5pm. With Zipline & Dine, you can zip-line through the trees as the sun goes down before enjoying a fireside dinner with craft beer and wine.

Guests will travel via a course of 5 different zip-lines and 2 roped bridges before rappelling out of the trees alongside the Catawba River. After a short hike to Hawk Island, guests will be greeted with craft beer, wine and dinner around a roaring fire pit. Vegetarian and gluten free meals prepared with advanced requests.

Check in at guest services between 5 and 6:30. Tickets are $75 per person and can be purchased here.

Are you considering buying your first home and wondering if this is the right time?  Amid all the negative news you've heard, homes are more affordable than they have been in decades, based on how much monthly mortgages cost and whether owning is less costly than renting.

Eric Lascelles, the chief economist at money-management firm RBC Global Asset Management Inc., says this is a remarkable time to be a first-time home buyer.  This could be the best time in a generation to be a first-time home buyer.  Affordability is the best it has been in 30 years, thanks to the combination of a 34% decline in prices since the 2006 peak and historically low 4% average rate for a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage. 

What you have to ask yourself is, is buying cheaper than renting.  Real estate website Trulia reported that buying is cheaper than renting in 98 out of America's 100 major markets.  Call us today to get started on finding your future home.

April ended strong for Charlotte's housing economy.  Charlotte Regional Realtors Association reported 2,170 closings for the month of April.  That's up 15.3 percent from April 2010.  A great sign for our city.

The month of April follows a year long trend of jumps each month above levels from the previous year.  Last month's average sales price rose 5.6 percent to $214,779 and the average list price was $272,358, up 9.2 percent from April 2010.

Inventory dropped 18.7 percent from 2010, leaving the area with a 9.7-month supply of homes for sale. The association reported a 13.7-month supply during the same time last year.

What a great day this is!  As a Buffalonian born and raised who now calls the great city of Charlotte home like many, many, many others, I am thrilled to be able to pass this information along.  Many times over the years I found myself craving some Buffalo favorites like Anderson's, Jim's Steak-Out, Mighty Taco and Ted's Hot Dogs. 

Well crave no more!  A new restaurant is coming to town and they'll be serving up some Sahlen's hot dogs.  JJ's Red Hots is scheduled to open in July on East Boulevard occupying the space formerly known as Boardwalk Billy's.  Sahlen's, a Buffalo company, provides their delicious brand of hot dogs to be chargrilled at seven Ted's Hot Dogs locations across Buffalo, NY and one in Tempe, Arizona.  I expect there will be some similarities to Ted's simple menu options with some southern additions of course as a nod to their new home.

JJ's Red Hots will be a great addition to the landscape of Buffalo food inspired restaurants here in Charlotte.  If you haven't yet, be sure to try the beef on weck or Friday fish-fry offered at Lebowski's in Dilworth.  Owner Kirk Weaver brought his home town favorites (from Buffalo) to the menu.  Stop by Tavern On The Tracks, home to Buffalo sports fans, also offering up a mean beef on weck and my family favorite, stuffed banana peppers.  If you're in the Huntersville area, you can't miss the traditional pizza and authentic wings at Taste Of Buffalo Pizzeria.

I'm so excited for this.  I will see you at the grand opening Mr. Johnathon Luther, JJ's Red Hots founder.  On behalf of other Buffalo natives, thank you!

Posted by Christina Richard, Assistant Mahool Nance Team

Add a new kind of fun into your midweek.  On select Wednesday's throughout summer the U.S. National Whitewater Center will be offering "micro-brews cruise" including flatwater kayaking, fireside dinner and craft beer tastings.

Each cruise begins with a guided flatwater paddle along the Catawba River. As the sun starts to set on the river,  you’ll work your way back to the main facility for a specialty, fireside dinner on Hawk Island. Each cruise will feature a different craft brewery and tasting; representatives from the breweries will lead the tastings by highlighting new, seasonal and unique brews (schedule below).

That's pretty much covering all the loves of my life...nature, food & beer.  Sign me up! Tickets are $55 and can be purchased here.  See you on the water.

• May 9 – NoDa Brewery (Charlotte, NC)
• May 23 – Olde Mecklenburg Brewery (Charlotte, NC)
• June 13 – Four Friends Brewing (Charlotte, NC)
• June 27 – Highland Brewing Company (Asheville, NC)
• July 11 – Heist Brewery (Charlotte, NC)
• July 25 –  LoneRider Brewing Company (Raleigh, NC)
• Aug. 8 – Birdsong Brewing (Charlotte, NC)
• Aug. 22 – New Belgium Brewing (Fort Collins, CO)
• Sept. 12 – Thomas Creek Brewery (Greenville, SC)
• Sept. 26 – SweetWater Brewing Company (Atlanta, GA)

What a great home in Huntersville!  Shows like a model! - 2 story great room, hardwoods & tile floors, gas fireplace, surround sound throughout great room, dining room & master. Kitchen has Corian counters, tile backsplash & tile floor with 42 inch cabinets & stainless steel appliances. Dining room has beautiful wainscoting & chair rail molding. Large master bedroom with trey ceiling & huge walk-in closet, master bath with jetted garden tub & dual vanities. Large sunroom & more!

$230,000

Click here for virtual tour

Mortgage rates are staying low, record lows in fact.  Rates on the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.84% for the week ending May 3, down from 3.88% last week and 4.71% a year ago.  Rates on fifteen-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 3.07%, down from 3.12% last week and 3.89% a year ago.

Are you or someone you know looking to purchase a home?  Rates are as good as they are going to get so take advantage of these historical lows.  Call us today to get started.

Yesterday, the Mahool Nance Team (all but one-Lawrence you were missed) was lucky enough to spend the day at the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club.  We had a great time and spent equal amount of time checking out the golf as we did checking out the real estate.  That's why this week's featured neighborhood is Quail Hollow. 

Quail Hollow is a luxury community located in south Charlotte between Carmel Road and Park Road, just south of the Southpark area and approximately 10 miles south of Uptown.  Residents have easy access I-77, I-485 and Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

This community is a true golf-lovers paradise with many beautiful homes facing the course.  You can’t get a better location to watch the Wells Fargo Championship PGA Tournament.  In addition to golfing, Quail Hollow offers residents a clubhouse, pool, recreation area, tennis courts and walking trails. 

Quail Hollow is mostly residential however there is a construction plan for Ritz-Carlton Residences which would create a residential, retail and restaurant complex.  Residents of the community benefit from nearby Southpark area that offers luxury shopping at Southpark Mall and dining options galore with some of Charlotte’s best restaurants like Del Frisco’s, Good Food On Montford, Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar and many more.

This is a beautiful community but is not for everyone as the available homes on the market currently start at $700,000 to over $5 million.  If it is for you, call us for a personal tour of the homes available in Quail Hollow. 

We love Charlotte!  Great weather and lots of things to do.  Today is a great day to get outside and enjoy some of the live entertainment options being offered around the city.

Tonight kicks off Alive After Five at the EpiCenter with rooftop band Maxx and Alternate Take playing in the courtyard.  The US National Whitewater Center has Town Mountain playing on their outdoor stage.

Have fun and get an early start to your weekend!

Local internet marketing company, Red Ventures will be adding 400 jobs by July.  200 of those positions will be filled at their Indian Land headquarters bringing employment at the site to 950.

The positions at the headquarters will be sales positions and the average salary will pay between $40,000 and $65,000 per year.  Red Ventures has experienced more than 50 percent revenue growth each year over the last three years.  Red Ventures was ranked No. 13 on the Charlotte Business Journal's 2011 list of the 50 fastest growing companies in Charlotte.