New listing: 3800 Churchill Road Charlotte, NC. 28211

This lovely three bedroom two full bath town home located in the highly desirable area of Cotswold will amaze you with the openess of the place. This home offers a WOW factor that not many homes I have ever been in have done for me. It is a great location close to uptown and shopping and on a wooded lot that offers privacy.....

When you walk in this home you are instantly greeted by the high two story ceilings that adorn the living room/dining room area of the house. An already well laid out place this adds to the feeling of being larger than it is. The living room is accented with hardwood floors,beautiful woodwork trim around the room and a tiled gas fireplace. The dining area is also open and offers a beautiful vierw of the deck and the trees from the large patio doors.

Down a hallway that separates that part of the house from the rest of the downstairs you will find the kitchen. This kitchen has a large amount of cabinets, beautiful black countertops and a combination of stainless steel and black appliances that convey with the house..There is enough room in the kitchen for a table a few chairs as well.

Adjacent to the kitchen is the first floor full abthroom with access from the hallway and the master bedroom. As with the whole downstairs the master bedroom has hardwood floors. Currently beign used an office this room offers a lot of space and a private access to the tiled bathroom with new granite coutnertops.

When you go upstairs you are instantly greeted by the breathtaking view of the lving room and dining area from the balcony. After taking in the view you are greeted by the two remaining bedrooms upstairs. Both bedrooms are very good size and one can be considered a second master with a private access to the second full bathroom upstairs. That room also boasts a large walk in closet.....The other bedroom has a nice sized closet as well and like the whole upstairs it has newer wall to wall carpet throguhout.......

After viewing the house the other thing that caught my attention immediately was the oversized deck that overlooked the beautiful aged oak trees and added privacy. With a nice private drivway offering ample space for parking this townhome offers a little retreat......

This home is competitively priced and just waiting it's new owners....If you are in the Cotswold area of Charlotte off of Wendover road come visit this outstanding town home...You will definitely not be disappointed.....

Dave diCecco
Realtor/Broker
www.davedicecco.com

Do You Know What Updates Will Cost When looking At Homes?

This question might seem trivial...but it could cost you thousands of dollars in negotiations and a home you settle for instead of the one you want. I show a lot of homes and have seen homes that need a complete makeover to ones that you could walk right in and never do a thing for the next ten years and probably everything in the middle. What gets me is when a Realtor tells me that their buyer chose another home because the cost to update was to much versus my house. Yet had no idea of what the cost of the update would really be.

I sold a house to a nice young family. When we looked at the house we were comparing it with a house that someone had renovated a few houses down. The first house needed new appliances, counter tops, carpet, paint, and a kitchen floor. All these items were done in the other house. The price difference was a good difference apart. I advised my clients that we should measure the rooms and counter tops and check to see what it would cost to put what the other house had in it in this house. Paint is relatively inexpensive so that was easy to add to the cost.

In the process of me getting them some quotes to duplicate the counter tops in the other house and the flooring and them shopping the price of appliances around the makeover house sold. We gathered our numbers and made an offer on the other house based on what it needed. Converted the loan to a rehabilitation loan (which allowed us to roll in the cost of the repairs and work into the loan). Agreed to acceptable terms and came out after all the work was done 15% LESS than the other house.

What made me write this today was I went and visited them this morning and they wanted to show off their new house with all the repairs done to it. They had become friendly with the neighbors who bought the other house. When the neighbors found out what they were doing and how much it cost...they were shocked. They said their Realtor told them the cost was to much and that the other house was a better buy. Then I was talking with a Realtor whose client had narrowed their choices of houses down to 2 (one being mine) and said they went with the other house because the cost of updating was larger than the difference in price based on looking at it.

Not being a licensed contractor I am in no position to tell someone what is a better purchase in regards to buying something already done or one I can get to that shape. For some people they do not want to do anything but move right in. Others do not mind if they can save some money. Everyone needs are different....But are all your options explained to you and are you getting the right information before making a decision?

This one buyer paid 15% more for in essence the same house.... The one who bought the other house was priced $40,000 more than mine. My seller had received quotes on the updates at approximately $25,000 to $30,000 but since she was moving elected not to do them.... So, is the house all done really the best deal? Sometimes YES and sometimes NO.....

Dave diCecco
Realtor/Broker
www.davedicecco.com

Charlotte, NC. 2nd Among Kiplinger's Best Value Cities

Kiplinger magazine yesterday revealed it's top ten metro cities for best value and Charlotte, NC. was ranked second. It is no surprise to the people that live here that Charlotte has been named in many magazines best places to live or work.

Kiplinger based their study on various factors. They used a formula that factored in the cost of living in the city, the strength of the economy and the amenities that the cities had to offer.

Charlotte had a low cost of living index and as the think tankers said it may be the best kept secret in the south. With our diversification Charlotte is not poised to be boom or bust by one industry. yes, we are the second largest banking capital in the United States behind New York. But Charlotte is also home to one of the largest energy companies in the United States in Duke Energy. Many Fortune 500 companies call Charlotte their home.

One of the main reasons Kiplinger picked Charlotte, NC. as number 2 on it's list was companies are drawn to Charlotte because of it's family atmosphere and amenities. Charlotte is so centrally located in the south it makes it an ideal location. With the largest school system in the state and still managed to have 14 of our 33 high Schools recognized by Newsweek on their list of top 1600 high schools in the country. The fact that a large city such as Charlotte has been able to provide top notch education is no stranger to the residents of Charlotte.

But Charlotte is also very affordable and going more green every day. We boast some of the lowest taxes and utilities cost around and a recent article had North Carolina as the lowest cost for home buyers for closing costs. That and the commitment that the city has made to the greenways has helped shape the future of Charlotte. With over 33 miles of greenway and more being constructed everyday Charlotte has become a green friendly city.

But in addition there is a lot for the family to do here from sporting events, to museums, to art galleries, to live music and concerts...no matter what your taste Charlotte has something to offer everyone....

I realized six years ago how great a value Charlotte was and now the rest of the country is as well...

Dave diCecco
Realtor/Broker
www.davedicecco.com