Sunday afternoon was the perfect day to take a historical Segway tour of Charlotte. Our group was not made up of expert Segway users, but that started us off with a few laughs as we practiced around the parking lot in Uptown Charlotte. Arik, our Segway tour guide, was young and patient as we set out to see the sights. We toured a desegregated cemetery, seeing the memorials to Charlotte movers and shakers, as well as many unmarked graves of those less note-worthy. One tombstone marked a circus performer “killed by a lion”. A section was marked by numerous matching headstones and dedicated to the Confederate soldiers who died in battle. While we were there, we encountered a club of vintage hearse owners having their monthly meeting. There were 8 of them lined up as if at a funeral.  Very creepy.

From there we toured around the Bank of America Stadium and discovered little known facts about the Carolina Panthers. Off to Spirit Square, zipping across roads and around the sparkly “Firebird” statue at Bechtler Museum of Modern Art. Pausing at the intersection of Trade and Tryon, we admired the four statues there. The statue representing “Commerce” is symbolized by a gold miner spilling money on the head of a banker. Did you know the face of the banker is modeled after Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan?

We slowed down a little as we drove through historic 4^th Ward. Enjoyed the charming and quirky pastel colored Victorians with interesting courtyards and porches.

It started to lightly drizzle as we headed back to our starting point. Finished off a great afternoon with milkshakes and burgers at Mattie’s Diner. A fantastic day and a super way to appreciate all that Uptown Charlotte has to offer.

Taking a Segway tour of Charlotte is a great way to spend a fun afternoon ,while also learning a little more about this great city of Charlotte which many of us call home!

Clutter and Your Home Equity

Did you know that clutter can eat away at the hard earned equity in your home?  It does, and here are a few reasons why: 

• When a buyer sees clutter they often assume the home has not been maintained and that they would be buying something in need of repair.  This will prompt the buyer to assume it is worth less than list price and make a low offer. 
• Clutter takes up space and will appear to make a house feel smaller, which in turn will make the buyer think it is worth less.  A home could have gleaming hardwood floors, high end granite, custom tile and lush carpet, but if clutter is on the kitchen counter tops, if toys are left out on the floor, and towels scattered around the bathroom, then the buyer will be distracted from the true value.
• Clutter can also give a buyer the impression that the house does not have enough storage space, even if the home actually has ample storage.  Remember, your goal is to move, so get a jump start and pack up all the clothes you don’t wear, extra furniture pieces, toys no one plays with, and get rid of the clutter in your house. 

Keeping your hard earned equity is well worth it!

The 2011 Charlotte HomeArama at Baxter Village is rapidly approaching! It all begins Saturday, October 8 and runs through Sunday, October 23, 2011.  Take part in Charlotte’s largest home tour featuring five fully-decorated luxury home designs.   Catch up on the newest trends in interior and outdoor design furnished by some of the most popular designers in the area.  The homes are open from 10 am until 7pm Tuesday through Sunday.   Tickets can be purchased at the entrance and the prices range from $15 for adults, $13 for seniors 62 and up and children under 12 are free.   Tuesdays & Thursdays tickets are 2-for-1 if purchased on site at the ticket booth.   Directions to Baxter Village from Charlotte: I-77 south to Exit 85, Hwy 160.  Turn right at the top of the ramp; make immediate left onto Market Street and follow Market Street to the traffic light at Sutton Road.  Turn left on Sutton Road and make another left at Sixth Baxter Crossing.  Parking is available behind the Piedmont Urgent Care Center.  Come out and experience the 2011 Charlotte HomeArama , we hope to see you there!

Congratulations to the Fort Mill High boys lacrosse team for winning the 2011 state championship in only their second year as a sanctioned high school sport. Fort Mill beat defending champ Greenville High 16-12 to win the first lacrosse title in school history. Mac Banks of the Fort Mill Times posted the following article and I wanted to pass it along as well.  Congratulations once again from the Andy Bovender Team!

By Mac Banks – mbanks@comporium.net

LEXINGTON –
FQO!

Three letters embodied a whole season for the Fort Mill High boys lacrosse team. With their team trailing 11-10 after the third quarter, the Yellow Jackets faithful at White Knoll High School for the state championship game started chanting, “FQO, FQO.”

The letters stand for “fourth quarter ours” and that is exactly what it was as Fort Mill outscored Greenville High 6-1 in the final quarter to get a 16-12 win and its first state lacrosse title, ripping the title out of the hands of the Red Raiders, who have had a death grip on the state championship for the past five years.

“That was our quarter today,” said Fort Mill head coach Jim Van Blarcom. “It is exciting for our team. I am so proud for our kids. The kids played a heck of a game.”

Fort Mill finished the season 15-2, with one of their losses to Greenville earlier in the season. This was just the second year the state High School League has recognized the sport, but it has been played as part of the South Carolina Lacrosse League for the past several years with local high schools sponsoring teams. Fort Mill has had a team for the past five years. The seniors on the Jackets’ squad have been part of the program since it began.

The game was back and forth for the majority of the game, until the Jackets dominated the fourth quarter. Junior goalie D.J. Quill made seven of his 16 saves in the final period.

The Jackets, who dined at Burger King to celebrate their state title afterward, were led by senior Steve Blanchard, who scored five goals and freshman Mitch Russell, who scored three goals.

Russell said playing for his teammates inspired him in the game.

“I wanted to do this for the seniors,” he said. “They have worked hard for this for so long. I wanted to give this to them. It feels great.”

Friday, April 8, 2011, members of The Bovender Team and The Allen Tate Company, alongside other local Realtors, were proud participants in the annual Realtors Care Day, an all-day, community-wide initiative that assists homeowners with critical exterior home repairs. Each year, more than 600 Realtors volunteer to help improve the living conditions for approximately 30 homeowners. Since 2009, the project has assisted a total of 64 families with an estimated financial impact exceeding $300,000.00.

The families and project sites are located in Mecklenburg and Iredell counties, and are identified and selected with the help from local community partners. These partners include the City of Charlotte’s Neighborhood and Business Services Department, Habitat for Humanity of Charlotte, Habitat for Humanity of Iredell County, Habitat for Humanity of Matthews, Our Towns Habitat for Humanity, Love, INC, and the Davidson Housing Coalition’s HAMMERS program.

The day began at 7:30 in the morning with the volunteers meeting in southeast Charlotte at the Mint Hill home of Alan, a father of three. Our team worked side-by-side all day long with the other Realtors, helping to pull out old rusted fencing, raking and grading the yard, and, cleaning, caulking and painting the windows and siding. We also managed to pull out and replace an old worn out deck. The beautiful spring day was filled with camaraderie and a fun spirit amongst all who participated to the end of completion. We chatted with neighbors, shared tools and expertise and avoided making contact with the dreaded poison ivy.

As active members in the real estate industry, we represent our clients with buying and selling homes.  However, today was a day to deviate from that mindset and give help to a homeowner in desperate need of assistance.  Realtors® Care Day is our opportunity to say thanks and give back to the community that has been so good to us!  – by Kim and Debbie H

MAME AWARD WINNER - David Weekley Homes; Nychole DiGerolamo, Billy Whidden, Dawn Fink, Rob Gislason,Tammy Schuft, Mike Morrell and April Rotenberry

Last night I had the honor of attending the 2010 MAME Awards Banquet presented by the Home Builders Association of Charlotte. The banquet was held at Founders Hall in uptown Charlotte and I was the guest of David Weekley Homes, who nominated me for the Co-Broker of the Year Award. David Weekley Homes had a great night, winning the Builder of the Year MAME Award, the Design of the Year MAME Award for the Breeland Plan in the Christenbury community and the Public Service Builder of the Year Award for collecting a total of 451 turkeys city wide to benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank Thanksgiving Turkey Drive. Clear Springs Development also had a good night, winning the Developer of the Year and a Gold Award for Master Planned Community of the Year which was Baxter Village. Although I did not win in my category, I had a wonderful evening attending the event with the representatives from David Weekley Homes; my sincere thanks go out to ( l-r)  Nychole DiGerolamo, Billy Whidden, Dawn Fink, Rob Gislason,Tammy Schuft, Mike Morrell and April Rotenberry.  And congratulation once again to Clear Springs Development for their achievements as well, it was a great night for all at the 2010 MAME Awards Banquet!  by Debbie Hooker

In case you haven’t read the article, Andrew Dys, wrote a fantastic piece on the attraction of Baxter Village in Fort Mill and the positive impact it has had on the local economy in York County,SC the past decade since it’s inception.  I hope you enjoy the article as much as I did, enjoy!  -posted by Debbie Hooker

In York County, Baxter Village is a slow town with fast growth
Community is a prime example of county’s boom since 2000.
By Andrew Dys
adys@heraldonline.com
Posted: Friday, Mar. 25, 2011

FORT MILL, S.C. About 5 percent of York County’s 61,000-plus population boom can be seen from one great spot: Jeff Miller’s front porch on Market Street, in what certainly is the poster child place for York County growth – Baxter Village.

So Thursday, that is exactly what Miller did: He sat on the front porch, coffee and cellphone in hand, smile on his face, content in a place that a decade before was a cow pasture.

Miller looked at the Baxter Village residential-commercial expanse with its big, beautiful homes built specifically to look like an old town, the houses close together, surrounded by tiny, manicured lawns that require almost no maintenance.

Miller, in his 40s with a wife and kids, was raised in Ohio, came to rural York County after college more than 20 years ago, and found “country.”

But six years ago, instead of buying a house in Charlotte close to his office near SouthPark, Miller bought a big house on Market Street – the main drag of Baxter. A main drag with a speed limit of 15 mph.

“The school is down the street, the park is across the street, there are places to get a cup of coffee and something to eat right here in sight,” Miller said.

“The YMCA is here. The highway is right over there – I can be in downtown Charlotte for anything I want, sports, events, whatever, in almost no time. Fifteen minutes, tops. This is the best of all worlds right here.”

A decade ago, Baxter Village was barely a vision with just a few houses built. Now it is almost an entire town – although it isn’t even in a town.

Nestled along the western side of Interstate 77 at Exit 85 where the Springs-Close family for decades raised cattle and peaches, Baxter is an incredible 1,239 occupied homes that sprang up in the last decade.

Many more homes are under construction. Using a conservative formula of 2.5 people per house, Baxter alone has added more than 3,000 people to an area that a decade earlier had almost no people.

The county added about 61,000 people in the last decade, according to the census, and when Baxter is busy, it seems like all of those 61,000 people are right there in one spot.

And they all seem to be smiling.

Although not all residents came from other states to Baxter, most did, said James Traynor, president of Clear Springs Development, which took Baxter from cow patties and peaches to a postcard for modern suburbia.

Yet Baxter is not in the town of Fort Mill. It is in unincorporated York County. Baxter Village is now a place, a destination, where a decade before it almost did not exist.

“We had just started a decade ago, but it is fair to say that back then, when the last census was taken in 2000, there was no ‘here’ here,” Traynor said.

Baxter is exactly why people have flocked to York County by the thousands over the past decade: proximity to Charlotte and the money to be made there in the financial and related industries coupled with quality of life in York County.

York County brags that it beats Charlotte with lower taxes, more property for the buck, top-flight public schools, and more.

But Baxter isn’t just a subdivision. There are more than 120 businesses in Baxter alone. Plus, across busy S.C. 160 from Baxter, dozens more businesses have popped up to serve those new residents of Baxter. Inside Baxter, there are medical and law offices, places to have nails and hair done, shoes shined and bikini lines waxed, get shirts pressed, learn dance moves or piano concertos, eat Asian, American, Italian or English pub food. One can even have a martini or sit at a wine bar in Baxter, or buy a chocolate dipped strawberry.

Can Baxter be the perfect place – the postcard for the suburban census boom in America – right here in York County?

From his perch on Market Street just down from the restaurants and shops, Miller said it is. Baxter is, he said, “great.”

“I live near the historic district of Baxter, too,” Miller joked. “Those people down the street have been here eight years – the old-timers.”

On Baxter streets, South Carolina and American flags fly from homes, but the next house might boast a Philadelphia Flyers or West Virginia Mountaineers flag. Michigan and Ohio State and Penn State sports decals are on cars and homes that belong to other refugees from the snow and rust of the Northeast or Midwest that has taxed itself into oblivion and sent so many jobs, and people, to this area.

Jim and Gail Slovern, transplants to York County seven years ago from Maryland, ate lunch in Baxter Village on Thursday at busy Peppers deli, a stone’s throw from Jeff Miller’s front porch.

The Sloverns, who live in Lake Wylie – which almost tripled in population itself in the past decade to almost 9,000 people south of the Buster Boyd Bridge – came to York County like so many thousands of others: to work in Charlotte.

But the Sloverns said the best choice for living was here, in York County.

Jim Slovern now has his office across S.C. 160 from Baxter – part of that Baxter offshoot boom.

“Baxter is great,” Gail Slovern said. “I would think anybody moving to this area would look here first. It has everything.”

Baxter boasts Fort Mill’s branch of the York County Library, a sheriff’s office substation, sidewalks for walking and running and the ubiquitous leashed dogs of suburbia. It also has that nonflashing sign of American success and population growth: a Starbucks coffee shop.

Yet even caffeinated, Baxter has a pace so slow, life seems like a crawl.

But that is what brings people to Baxter: There is almost no crime. Work is in Charlotte – Baxter is quiet, and slow, and home.

The gas stations and convenience stores and grocery store are across S.C. 160, as is the big Lowe’s home improvement store and so much more.

Sure, the houses all sell for $250,000 and up – way up. And you can’t buy cigarettes or a lottery ticket anywhere in Baxter Village.

“I never thought about that,” laughed Miller on his front porch, “but I don’t buy those things, either. It has never come up here that I can remember, not being able to buy a lottery ticket in Baxter.”

Maybe because many there in Baxter Village, more than 3,000 people in a place that a decade ago had cow troughs instead of a wine bar, might feel like they already won the lottery.





For those of you who do not know me I am obsessed with a restaurant on North Davidson Street in the Arts District of Charlotte, NC, called Cabo Fish Taco.  Several years ago I saw a preview of Cabo Fish Taco on the Food Network.  A few nights later I organized a “girls night out” at Cabo and have been hooked ever since. My husband and I frequent this establishment several times a month; in fact you could say we are “regulars”.  The friendly staff recognizes us every time we show up, making us feel right at home. Our favorite bartender, Charles, (pictured), knows our order by heart: Silver Surfer Margarita (my personal favorite), a cold Budweiser for my husband, tortilla chips and Queso for starters. Then it’s BBQ Mahi Mahi and Chicken tacos, Jalapeno Cheddar Mashers and Baja rice.  Wow, just writing about it makes me wish I was sitting there at the bar!  There are many reasons why I love this popular NoDa restaurant, but the main reason is because it makes me feel like I am on vacation in southern California and the Baja coast of Mexico. I highly recommend Cabo Fish Taco… escape and give it a try, you won’t be disappointed!  Check out their full menu here.  Enjoy, Debbie Hooker

Pat Riley, President and Chief Operating Officer of Allen Tate Realtors,  wrote a very informative blog on the difference between cost and price when buying a home. I thought I would pass along it along to you, enjoy!

Are you waiting for home prices to fall before you act?

It makes sense to try to buy a home when you believe it has hit the rock bottom price. I totally get that. In some areas where there is additional depreciation to be played out, waiting can be the right move to make. But overall, I believe that waiting is not a good financial decision. As a buyer, unless you are paying cash, you need to be looking at Cost not Price.

What is the difference between cost and price? The cost of a home is made up of the interest rate that is paid as well as price.

The 4th quarter housing research report of last year stated that sales in America rose 15.4 percent over the 3rd quarter. With each passing day, the stability of housing prices is taking shape.  As soon as Realtors, appraisers, bankers, buyers and sellers all understand the new value system then normalcy can begin take hold.  Someone who delayed buying a house because of the price might find that prices have actually not decreased. They’ve simply re-adjusted to the new normal. But as Paul Harvey always said, “Now … the rest of the story.”

And the rest of the story is centered around interest rates. Freddie Mac reported that 5.05 percent 30 year fixed is the highest level since April 2010.  The equation then is that prices are stabilizing and interest rates have gone up steadily during the past 90 days.

What that means is that, even though prices are staying the same or being compacted more, it still costs more. As the parade marched by the past 90 days this is what happened:

Today, on a $340,000 mortgage the monthly payment would be $ 1,835.60. In November 2010 that same mortgage would have required a $ 1,656.72 monthly payment. That gives us a difference in payments per month of $178.88 and a yearly difference of $2,146.56. The difference in over the 30 year life of the mortgage $64,396.80

That’s a lot of numbers. So what exactly is it that I’m saying?

I am saying that, even if prices fall another 10 to 12 percent, if you desire a move up, down or over and have equity and credit THE COST OF A HOME WILL INCREASE if interest rates go up another 1 percent.

Costs later this year are more of a concern than price.  Price and Cost are part of this parade!

By Pat Riley

In case you haven’t heard, Baxter Village is the proud host of the 2011 HomeArama event. Kerri Robusto of Clear Springs Development sent out the following announcement and I thought I would pass it along for you to read. Congratulations to Baxter Village for this prestigious honor!

We are very excited to announce that Baxter Village will be home to the 2011 HomeArama event. HomeArama is an annual luxury home tour sponsored by the Home Builders Association of Charlotte where multiple builders showcase model homes on a single street. The Charlotte HBA has been promoting HomeArama for over 20 years in the Charlotte region, and the tour attracts anywhere from 10,000 to 25,000 visitors over a 16 day period. This is great exposure for Baxter and the participating builders! The builder team this year includes David Weekley Homes, DR Horton Homes, Evans Coghill Homes, New Old Homes, and The Designer Collection by True Homes. The tour dates are September 23 – October 9. You can visit www. to see information on last year’s tour. The website will be updated soon with information on the 2011 tour in Baxter, so stay tuned for details.