Lake Norman Real Estate & Living

Current Market Conditions:

How is the Market Doing in the Lake Norman Area?

The following are the sales numbers for the first six months of 2008 for The Peninsula, The Point, River Run & Birkdale with a four year history for the same time period for each of the communities. Every community's sales are down from previous year. Business is SLOW, but not DEAD!!

1. 1995, 2% of Home Buyers used the Internet to search for a home

2. 2007 84% of Home Buyers used the Internet to search for a home

3. 3 out of 4 Home Buyers drove by or viewed a home they saw online

4. Buyers cited the Internet as the most useful tool when looking for a home

5. More buyers find their new home through the Internet ... than, the newspaper, home magazines, direct connection with the seller and yard signs combined

6. Almost half of the buyers said newspaper ads were not useful

7. Newspaper circulation peaked in 1990

8. Since then the US population has continued to grow ... and, newspaper circulation has continued to decline and advertising rates have increased an average of 4% per year

Consumer Research by Prudential of the Carolinas - May 2008

The above are the reasons Team Ziegler has focused so much on developing a comprehensive and easy to use website ... Luxurylakenormanhomes.com. This website has just recently won four awards. There is no signing in.  We try to give you information that is useful as you look for a home to buy and to get as much information as you can about the community of Charlotte and Lake Norman as well as school information.  If you are a seller, you will see how we feature our listed homes with the most advanced home tour which is so important to potential buyers.  Do browse and enjoy.

1. Air-dry Dishrags
Bacteria can't survive without moisture so let dishrags dry completely between uses.

2. Keep Handbags off Tabletops
Most purse bottoms are full of bacteria

3. Sanitize Countertops
Use a paper towel dipped in chlorine-based cleaner, then throw it away immediatley

4. Sing "Happy Birthday" while Washing Hands
It'll take 20 seconds - exactly how long you need to scrub hands to kill germs

5. Skip the Soaking
Letting dirty dishges sit in warm water allows bacteria to multiply

6. Wash Apples, Oranges and Melons
Germs on the outside skin can contaminate the pulp when you cut or peel fruit

Pillar to Post - Vol.8, Number 3

Moving Check List

1. Decide what to move and what not to move
1-a Purchase moving insurance. Your mover's liability for lost or damaged goods will not equal their replacement cost

2. Get estimates from several moving companies or truck rental companies

3. Plan your travel itinerary, make transportation and lodging reservations in advance

4. Have your car serviced for the trip

5. Request records from doctors, dentists, eye doctors and veterinarians. Ask for referrals if possible

6. Transfer bank accounts

7. Pay existing bills and close out local charge accounts

8. Obtain children's school records to make for easier transfers

9. Record expenses incurred during your house-hunting trips. If your move is employment related, you will also want to save your moving expense receipts for tax deduction purposes

10. Cancel or transfer deliveries, newspaper, garbage collection, etc.

11. Arrange for servcice of utilities for your new home

12. Coordinate the transfer of utilities to the new owner of your home

13. Make arrangements for transporting pets and plants

14. Transfer insurance policies or arrange for new ones

15. Check on personal items that might be at the photo shop, dry cleaners, repair shop or a neighbor's house

16. Check with your attorney about your will if you are crossing state lines

17. Save your old address labels to speed-up filling out change-of-address forms for your new address

18. Notify others of your new address ... charge accounts, banks, relatives, friends etc.

The telephone isn't ringing off the hook, we just reduced the price on three of our listings and I talked to two realtors and a mortgage banker today at my Health Club about how slow this housing market is (even in the Charlotte area).The mortgage banker said she has been in the business 16 years and this is her worst year for putting together loans for buyers. There just seems to be a shortage of buyers. I just read a survey that 60% of people who are thinking or ready to buy a home are going to wait to see what happens to home values going forward. On a brighter side, we have just closed two homes in the Lake Norman area and two more will be closing very soon ... and only one was a real bargain. People are always selling and buying; hopefully, spring will give a boost to this housing market.

We will keep you informed as the selling season progresses.