Qualifies for 10% down HomePath Financing!  Two story, partial brick home located in Tanners Creek loaded with upgrades.  The seller has repainted the house and installed new carpets.  The kitchen has stainless steel appliances and a center island. The front is nicely landscaped and the back yard is very spacious.  The home is located in west Huntersville, only minutes from Lake Norman.

Are you interested in this property?  Please fill out the form below and indicate any additional information you may need.  I will respond to your inquiry within 24 hours.  For faster response, you may call me during normal business hours at (919) 369-4926.

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Over $60,000 below original selling price for this super clean home built in 2006.  Georgous kitchen with stainless steel appliances and center island.  First floor offers a family room with gas log fireplace, a great room for your dining area and formal living area.  Upstairs the are four large bedrooms plus a loft.  Large lot with wooded view in the back yard.  The home is located off the I-485 beltline on the east side of Charlotte.  Easy access to the university and I-85.

Are you interested in this property?  Please fill out the form below and indicate any additional information you may need.  I will respond to your inquiry within 24 hours.  For faster response, you may call me during normal business hours at (919) 369-4926.

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Very roomy home with a nice open feel.  Highlights include a large kitchen with adjoining living room with fireplace.  See pictures below.  There is a bedroom on the first floor, three bedrooms plus a loft/bonus room on the second floor.  The back yard has a private wooded view.  This home is located in a desirable south Charlotte neighborhood that has easy access to downtown and Fort Mill. 

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The recession spared few U.S. cities, wiping out 9.4 million jobs between November 2007 and August 2009. Many will never return, and those that do you probably won’t find on the East or West Coast. For the most active areas of job creation (and lower costs of doing business) you have to go to the heartland, home to 80% of the top 25 regions on our list of Best Places for Business.

In most of these hot hubs you’ll find a strong university or two, providing rich cultural life and the kind of technology transfer that sparks entrepreneurial activity—giving that educated population lots of reasons to stick around.

Topping our 13^th annual list of the Best Places for Business and Careers is Raleigh, N.C. It is one of those locales with a strong university presence helping fuel growth in the area (albeit in an East Coast state, a rarity in the upper part of the list). Raleigh and nearby Durham (ranked No. 31) get a strong boost from three elite schools in the surrounding area in University of North Carolina, Duke University and North Carolina State.

Raleigh ranks No. 1 after dipping to third last year. Low business costs (18% below the national average) and a smart labor force (42% have a college degree) make North Carolina’s capital an attractive spot for employers like First Citizens Bank and Progress Energy. Job seekers get it: The net migration rate to Raleigh was the second highest in the U.S. over the past five years.

Our look at America’s Best Places for Business showcases the stark contrast between Texas—with its low-cost, pro-business regulatory environment (5 cities among the top 25, led by Austin at No. 7)—and overregulated and wildly expensive California (home to 8 cities that rank in the bottom 25, including No. 200 Merced). Texas was one of the last economies to succumb to the recession and one of the first to bounce back, while California is limping along with an unemployment rate of 11.7% (only Nevada’s is worse).

Besides Austin, Texas also placed San Antonio and Dallas in the top 10. San Antonio, ranked No. 8, is among the fastest-growing metro areas in the U.S. (the population increased 25% since 2000). It has been buoyed by defense spending and hiring at Toyota Motor’s truck assembly plant. Dallas (No. 10) has been one of the most resilient economies during the recession and could add 190,000 jobs in the next three years.

It’s not all bad in the Golden State. Aside from nice weather, California does have bright spots in San Jose (No. 35) and San Francisco (No. 37), both of which made the top 40 thanks to a rich arsenal of educated and talented workers.

Demographer Bert Sperling argues that much of the recent success of the heartland can be attributed to “extractive industries” like oil, gas and mining as well as record-high crop prices that have provided jobs and revenue to the center of the U.S. “These economies run in cycles, and these booms and busts are often decades in the making,” he says.

Our ranking of Best Places looks at the 200 largest metropolitan statistical areas in the U.S. These range in size from the New York City metro, with to 11.6 million people, to Laredo, Texas, home to 252,000 people (click here for a list of the Best Small Places for Business). We consider 12 metrics relating to job growth (past and projected), costs (business and living), income growth, educational attainment and projected economic growth.

We also factor in quality of life issues like crime rates, cultural and recreational opportunities and net migration patterns. Lastly we included the number of highly ranked colleges in an area per our annual college rankings. A tip of the cap to Moody’s Economy.com, which provided much of the data, including the economic forecasts. Bert Sperling, founder of Sperling’s BestPlaces, put together a culture and leisure index for Forbes and also crunched the crime numbers for us. College attainment data is compiled by the Census Bureau.

Des Moines, Iowa, last year’s No. 1 dropped one spot as employment fell 0.9% in 2010. The area still has plenty to offer with business costs 16% below the national average and household incomes that are expected to increase 4.2% annually through 2013, eighth best in the U.S. Workers at big employers like Principal Financial and Wells Fargo enjoy cheap housing (median price $148,600) and 20-minute average commutes.

Another big metro that made the top 10, in addition to the three Texas locales, is Denver, which ranks No. 9. U.S. economic growth has been tepid since the recession ended, but Denver’s economy grew 3.9% last year and is expected to grow 3.9% annually through 2013 according to Economy.com. Denver’s great quality of life and educated workforce make it a favorite with companies in industries from aerospace and bioscience to energy, financial services and information technology. Major employers include IBM, Lockheed Martin and Wells Fargo.

A big mover in the rankings this year is the New York metro, which ranked No. 45, up from No. 99 in 2010. Yes it is still the most expensive place to do business in the U.S. at 51% above the national average, but the job and economic forecasts are much improved for the area. The economy is forecast to expand 4.5% per year and household income are expected to increase 4.1% annually the next three years, 12th best in the U.S.

New York also scores well on quality-of-life issues. It ranks first on Sperling’s index among cities for culture and recreation, and its crime rate is 11th-lowest in the country. The biggest draw might be its talented, educated work force with 36% having a college degree–only Washington, D.C. is higher among the 10 largest metros. The concentration of big firms is unmatched as well. It is the corporate home for 80 public companies with more than $1 billion in sales.

Wonderful home in golf course location!  Over 3200 square feet of living space.  Sold new in 2004 for $200,000 and now is availble for only $129,900.  Tax value has already been adjusted to $151,200 this year.  Home has 3 large bedrooms plus a loft/rec room.  Master suite has a separate sitting room, 2 walk in closets, garden tub and separate shower.  From the bacy yard you have a view of the golf course.  Located on the east side of the county, near the university.  Easy access to I-485.  Very good rental area!

Are you interested in this property?  Please fill out the form below and indicate any additional information you may need.  I will respond to your inquiry within 24 hours.  For faster response, you may call me during normal business hours  at (919) 369-4926

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HomePath opportunity in north Charlotte.  Over 2700 square foot, 4 bedroom home for only $129,900.  Features include a formal living room, dining room, office, family room with fireplace and a 2 car garage.  Investor bidding can begin 1/6/2012.   

 Are you interested in this property?  Please fill out the form below and indicate any additional information you may need.  I will respond to your inquiry within 24 hours.  For faster response, you may call me during normal business hours  at (919) 369-4926.

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Over $80,000 below tax value!  Buy this georgous home with only 10% down.  This home is in beautiful, move-in condition.  The kitchen is complete with electric stove, microwave, dishwasher and refrigerator and has a large breakfast nook.  There is also a formal dining room, living room and family room with a fireplace.  All bedrooms are on the second floor and feature cathedral ceilings and walk in closets.  The master bath has a garden tub, separate shower and double bowl vanity.  The backyard has a private wooded view and a large patio for entertaining.        

Are you interested in this property?  Please fill out the form below and indicate any additional information you may need.  I will respond to your inquiry within 24 hours.  For faster response, you may call me during normal business hours  at (919) 369-4926.

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Price Reduced !  A rare opportunity to own a luxurious home in The Park at West Lake with financing offered through the VA Vendee program.  Buy this home with only 5% down.  Seller has just reduced the price to $248,900.  This home features hardwood floors, granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances, walk-up third floor attic that could be fininshed to provide additional living area, bonus room over the garage, fenced-in back yard and so much more.  It is located in Wake counties growing city of Apex. 

Are you interested in this property?  Please fill out the form below and indicate any additional information you may need.  I will respond to your inquiry within 24 hours.  For faster response, you may call me during normal business hours at (919) 369-4926

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Los Angeles led the pack at a November increase to 2.53 percent from 2.15 the month earlier.

The Miami market saw a default rise to 4.47 from 4.16 percent in October.

“These are two markets where we have seen some recent weakness in other housing statistics,” said David Blitzer, managing director and chairman of the index committee for S&P Indices. “Again, while there may be some cause for concern if this upward trend continues. Other recent housing statistics point to the same relative weakness, so these statistics align with the overall current picture of the economy.” The year over year decline in mortgage defaults currently stands at around 34%.

“Nationally, consumers continue to gradually improve their financial condition,” said Blitzer. “Debt-service ratios, the proportion of disposable income that goes to paying debt, continues to decline.”

With these improved financial conditions, consumers are returning to the market. Existing-home sales rose in November according to the National Association of Realtors. These sales rose 4.0 percent from October. Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said more people are taking advantage of the buyer’s market. “Sales reached the highest mark in 10 months and are 34 percent above the cyclical low point in mid-2010 – a genuine sustained sales recovery appears to be developing,” he said. “We’ve seen healthy gains in contract activity, so it looks like more people are realizing the great opportunity that exists in today’s market for buyers with long-term plans.”

Sales could be higher if not for contract cancellations that still plague the market. Cancellations are the result of changes in employment status, failed home inspections, decline mortgage applications, and appraisals coming in below contract prices.

Regionally, the largest rise was seen in the Northeast, where existing sales rose 9.8 percent. This is 7.7 percent above year ago levels.

The Midwest saw a 4.3 percent rise, gaining double-digits of 15.7 percent over last year.

The West rose 3.6 percent in November and the South was up 2.4 percent.

Keeping pace with the good news of existing-home sale rises, the latest U.S. Commerce Department reports that the production of new single-family homes was up 9.3 percent in November.

“While we still have a long way to go back to normal, the latest numbers are one more indication that housing is slowly turning the corner,” said Bob Nielsen, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Reno, Nev. “In scattered markets across the country, buyers who have long sat on the sidelines are starting to take advantage of today’s very attractive prices and interest rates, while others are making the move to a new apartment. This nascent trend would be stronger if not for the very restrictive lending environment that continues for both building and buying new homes.”