10 year Anniversary Of 9/11---I Will Never Forget

Tomorrow marks the 10 year anniversary of one of the most devasting attacks on US soil. Most of us are to young to remember Pearl Harbor and the lives lost there....However; all of us are old enough to remember 9/11/2001. That day will always, in my lifetime, be a rememberance for me. I had the unfortuante experience of being in New York City in lower Manhattan at what is now called ground zero when it occurred. I watched as the rest of the country did in shock at what was unfolding before my eyes and not knowing what to do or what really was happening at that moment. I remember not being able to use cell phone and walking for what seemed like an eternity to get out of New York with hundreds of thousands of people. But despite all the tragedy that occurred during that day...I also witnessed some of the greatest moments in my life and ones that made me proud to be an AMERICAN and a VETERAN. I witnessed first responders (firemen, police officers, EMT'S) rush into the buildings with no regard for their own lives to try and save someone they did not even know...They were doing a job. Those brave men and women put their lives at risk to save people like you and me. I remember sitting glued in front fo the televison for hours on end after it happened for the next few days as they went through the debris looking for people still alive and yet never complaining once.

I lost a few friends during the devastation that hit New York City that day. I vowed that I would never forget them or that day. As the healing continues, I saw something that made me stop today and write this now. Driving by Presbyterian Hospital in Matthews, NC. there is a banner out by the entrance symbolizing the 10 year anniversary. What got me was located by the pond at the entrance way were american flags. One for each person that died during that great tragedy. The flags are placed under a weeping willow tree.... I stopped and visited that spot a few moments before sitting down to write this blog. I knelt, prayed and cried. I felt my heart fill up with sadness as I remeber watching the people that lost their lives for no apparent reason at all and the first responders who lost their lives trying to save ours. To all those that gave their life that day and ALL those that saved lives that day and beyond....THANK YOU....I WILL NEVER FORGET. Dave diCecco Realtor/Broker www.davedicecco.com

What Are Special Assessments?

Today when buying a home you have many choices availble to you...The market has been favoring buyers for the past few years and it looks like that trend will continue into next year. So, besides deciding on what to buy or where to buy you need to look at the community HOA. One thing that most people are not aware of is special assessments. Special assessments are additional dues that a homeowners association can charge each homeowner individually (though the amount is equal to all homeowners) to offset additional expenses in the community. Generally in a community made up of single family homes this is not common...However; I did run across one the other day where their poor financial planning forced the HOA to assess the members an additional amount of money... This additional fee was equal to the HOA fees they were paying a month at that time and was for a period of one year. More common is you will find these in townhome or condo communities. When you purchase a townhome or condo you basically own the four walls of your condo and the homeowners association takes care of maintianing the exterior of your place including the roof. Condos/townhomes tends to have special assessments when it comes time to replace roofs. Generally they are all built around the same time and the roofs lifespans make them come do at the same time....Without proper planning this can be a nightmare expense. In addition if the exterior of the building is in need of repair then the homeowers association is resposnible for that repair as well..depending on the type of structure it is (wood, vinyl or brick) the cost can be expensive as well.... I always ask if there is an assessment scheduled or for a copy of the minutes from the last few months of meetings...That way you can see fi the discussion of repairs have come up and if you can expect a special assessment in the near future or not. The last thing most people want to do is move into a home and find out a few months alter that they are being billed an additional expense they were not anticipating..... Dave diCecco Realtor/Broker www.davedicecco.com

What to Look For In A HOA Whne Buying A House

HOA dues are more of a common factor in Charlotte North Carolina than they are in the northern states. If you lived in a condo/townhome you would pay a fee for the maintenance of the area and landscaping and snow removal.....However; generally neighborhoods were not built with such fees or amneties added to them. in Charlotte, NC. area this is a common fee since most newer subdivisons are built with some type of amenties attached to them. But what is it and how does it affect me purchasing a house? This is the question a lot of people do not ask or think about when they buy a house..... HOA fees are generally a monthly fee that the community charges for the maintenace of the common area, property taxes on that area and to maintain any amenties that the community may have. The amneties can vary from walking trails, playground(s), and swimming pool(s). With additional amenties come additional fees.... One thing I am always looking for when a prospective homebuyer is looking to purchase a home in a community with an HOA is the cost. I have seem them run as low as $20.00 a month and as high as $599.00 a month (I imagine there are even higher ones out there; I just have not come across them yet). That is a large fluctuation. Then, depending on the association and the solvency of the community you want to check to see if they can raise them... Some HOA's have built in provisions that allow the board to increase the fees without the majority vote of the homeowners. Others (like mine) require a vote of the homeowners and must be approved by 75% of the existing homeowners. If you get into an association that raises fees every year that manageable amount every month can quickly escalate to an unmanageable amount. I talked with a prosepctive seller about selling his house becuase his HOA dues have tripled in the past six years. He said he could not afford to keep paying that in addition to the mortgage on his house every month.... You want to know how solvent the community is as well...the reason his association kept raising the dues was becuase they were in financial distress...As the economy got weaker and people fell behind on bills this generally is one they stop paying on first....They did not have enough reserves set up to cover the expenses when people stopped paying. Cost of HOA fees are becoming more and more important as comunites struggle with staying solvent. ... Dave diCecco Realtor/Broker www.davedicecco.com