More Links to other great posts at bottom!

Living on the lake is a state of mind. It's like being on vacation 365 days a year!  My wife and daughter moved here 10 years agon and fell in love with the place. I really felt like I was on vacation all the time. I believe Lake Norman is truly the gem of the Charlotte metro area offering a rare combination of lake living within close commute to downtown Charlotte and the airport.

There's something for everyone here at Lake Norman with prices ranging from $400k to over 10 Million.  Minutes from Lake Norman, Charlotte is situated within 2 hours of the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and 4 hours of the North and South Carolina beaches. Outdoor lovers can go whitewater rafting in Charlotte,take in spectacular scenic drive to the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains or fish Lake Norman for the abundant catch available. 

Lake Norman is the largest lake in North Carolina and is truly a fun-lover's paradise bringing people from all over the United States.  Lake Norman has a reputation for some great Schools which also help to make this a nice place to raise a family.  Whether seeking a vacation home, retirement home, or a primary residence now is a great time to be investing in waterfront property at Lake Norman!  There are deals to be found!

Searching and selecting your ideal home should be a fun and easy process.  Bringing the best that technology has to offer I strive to provide my clients everything they will need while conducting a search for their dream home.  From this blog, my company websites and Real Living 2.0, I make every effort to provide my clients with all the information they need 24 hours a day to make an informed decision.  After all, it's all about customer service.

Check out the towns surrounding Lake Norman:

Denver North Carolina

Change and growth are surging towards this once small town. Denver is known for warm friendly people and much more. Located on the west side of Lake Norman Denver is on the verge of great growth. New highway revisions to route 16 coming from Charlotte and the completion of route 485 a new beltway around Charlotte will make Denver possibly the quickest commute to downtown Charlotte and the international airport from Lake Norman. Walmart and Lowes hardware stores are new additions to Denver and the beginnings of the huge retail growth slated for Denver. There are new communities abound as well as some of Lake Norman's finest established communities such as Sailview, Governors Island, and Verdict Ridge (my favorite area golf course).

Sherrills Ford North Carolina

Rural natural beauty dots the Sherrills Ford area located just north of Denver and is also slated for huge growth. Northview Harbour is the anchor Waterfront Community developed by Crescent Development Corp., THE premier developer of Lake Properties. Sherrills Ford will have similar new communities currently under development and expansive retail development in the planning stages. Sherrills Ford will also benefit from the new Rounte 16 that extends all the way up the west side of Lake Norman near the base of the Sherrills Ford area.

Mooresville North Carolina

 
Race City USA is another name given to the booming town of Mooresville. It's a place many NASCAR race shops and drivers call home. Mooresville is located on the northeast side of Lake Norman with interstate 77 and Hwy 150 intersecting in the middle. Mooresville has the luxury of plenty of shopping and many established and new residential communities. Mooresville is home to The Point which is the premier waterfront and golf community on Lake Norman, also developed by Crescent Development Corp. The Point has home and estates that range in prices from a half million to almost 5 million dollars. This community surrounds a championship 18 hole golf course designed by Greg Norman and features it's own restaurant, bar, yacht club, tennis courts and fabulous family pool area.

Cornelius North Carolina

Popular Cornelius is located close to interstate 77 on the southeast side of Lake Norman. Cornelius enjoys the amenities of shopping galore, boating, golf and quick commute to downtown Charlotte. The Peninsula is another residential crown jewel on Lake Norman with estate homes selling up to 5 million dollars and a sister community to The Point in Mooresville. The Peninsula offers a lifestyle of premier lake and golf living. The Peninsula has a beautiful and enjoyable 18-hole championship golf course designed by Rees Jones. The Peninsula also features a superb tennis and yacht club.

Huntersville North Carolina

At the southern tip of Lake Norman is the booming city of Huntersville. Close to interstate 77 and Charlotte Huntersville offers Boating, shopping at Birkdale Village and a short drive to the new Northlake Mall as well as fine dining, and the new Presbyterian Hospital.

As you can see, Lake Norman has it all. This is just the tip of the iceburg and you can see by this short synopisis, there is a lot to offer people of all ages and stages of their lives! 

Contact your Lake Norman Agent at 704 451 7051 if you need any additional information or assistance.

 See Also:

Lake Norman and Charlotte Are Useful Links

Lake Norman Golf and Waterfront Communities 

One of Lake Norman's Favorite Communities; The Harbour

Lake Norman Luxury; The Point

Knowing Your Way Around Lake Norman

Real Living 2.0 made for Lake Norman Buyes and Sellers

Sherrills Ford, Lake Norman's Best Kept Secret

Lake Norman's Hot Spot for Construction

Things to Know before Buying Lake Norman Waterfront

Lake Norman has Lot's of School Choices

On The West Side of Lake Norman;Denver

Huntersville, Lake Norman's Progressive Family Town

More about Real Living In Style at Lake Norman

Real Living Inc., the nation’s fifth-largest real estate company in the nation, announces the addition of new Web site features to assist consumers in all of their home-buying and –selling needs on RealLivingInStyle.com. The updated site will provide visitors with additional user-friendly tools, improved accessibility and specified property categorization. Users will find new and updated features in the RealLiving.com suite of Web tools. Consumers will be able to easily flip through Real Living’s entire stock of photos on the listing detail pages, which will provide a better glimpse of the home’s features and attributes. These features on each of the property pages will also be restructured for easier viewing. Visitors can now effortlessly move forward and backwards through the results of their home search and even refine search criteria on the results page.Each property on RealLiving.com now has added neighborhood information, including improved national and state maps that help narrow the search to the consumer’s specific needs.Real Living also incorporates:

MyRealLiving 2.0 –Consumer Intranet

This tool has revolutionized how Real Living agents and consumers communicate. A consumer has the ability to:

• Save listings, searches and bookmarks

• Share information easily with friends, family + agent

• Receive e-mails with updates on saved properties as well as new matches to saved searches

About Real Living Inc.

The largest independently-owned residential real estate firm in the Midwest and the fifth-largest in the country, Real Living Inc., boasts nearly 4,000 agents and employees, more than $8 billion in annual sales and nearly 130 offices throughout the U.S.  Real Living Inc was awarded the 2005 Inman Innovator Award by Inman News, ranked 23rd in Entrepreneur magazine’s Top 50 Best New Franchises and has won numerous awards for its marketing achievements. Every 14 minutes, Real Living sells a home. Each month, Real Living’s Web sites receive nearly 14 million page views. Real Living Inc. also offers a full range of affiliated business services, including home financing, title, relocation, corporate relocation management and home warranties.

Additonally, Entrepreneur magazine, in partnership with the Women Presidents' Organization (WPO), just released the first-ever ranking of the 50 fastest-growing women-led companies across the U.S. and Canada, and Real Living, the Columbus, Ohio-based real estate firm and franchisor, was named No. 45. Real Living was the only real estate company on the list.

For more information about Real Living or Lake Norman contact your Lake Norman Real Living Agent at 704 451 7051.

Check out these other posts about the Lake Norman area

Davidson Another Wonderful Lake Norman Town

Huntersville, Lake Norman's Progressive Family Town  

On the West Side of Lake Norman, Denver NC

Cornelius is a Lake Norman Town Gone from Mills to Upscale Shops  

Lake Norman's Best Kept Secret, Sherrills Ford 

Is the Lake Norman Traffic really as bad as it's reputation?

OK, here is my assessment of the situation.  It seems that many people have heard about the Brawley School Road and Interstate 77 and the reputation is one of frustration.

I have lived down Brawley School road for 10 years and I can tell you that at times it can be maddening.  In the morning when the kids are going to school, this two lane road is very slow.  In my opinion, too many parents drive their kids to school instead of putting them on a very very short bus ride.  In some cases it is a couple of miles!  There are three things to consider here.   First is and foremost I firmly believe that the quality of live living down Brawley School road far outweighs the headaches of sitting in traffic for 30 minutes. Lake Norman has way too much to offer and overlook.  My family has had more quality family time on the lake and in the neighborhoods than we could have ever had anywhere else.  Second, Brawley road is going to be increased from 2 lanes to 3 or 4 lanes.  The process will be tough but the results will alleviate a lot of the aggravation and help the properties to continue to increase in value substantially. Lastly, the schools continue to rank near the top in test score grades.  Check out the Lake Norman Waterfront Communities to get a perspective of the Quality I speak of!

Interstate 77 is also on of the roads that the engineers should be tar and feathered for.  It is a 4 lane highway that was in no way designed for all the growth that has happened in the area.  Between exits 36 and 23, a total of 13 miles, there is a lot of traffic entering the road during rush hour.  Thankfully, there are buses that run to help commuters.  As with many places, the time you travel means a lot.  Many of the commuters are traveling to Charlotte for jobs and businesses.   Also, if all the politicians can come together, the train from Charlotte will run all the way to the lake, which will also alleviate much of this congestion.  Obviously, this is years away but it is some hope on the horizon. Again, I want to point to the quality of life that I so love!

Highway 150, which is also exit 36 off of I77 can also be pretty congested.  With the shopping and restaurants, you can expect this.  However, I find the only time that I find this to be maddening, is during the 2 race weeks (May and October). With the speedway being 30 minutes away and many of the race shops residing in our area, we get an influx of fans,

Exit 25 and 28 off of I77.  Notice we gauge everything around here based on exit numbers. This area offers so much for so many.  Minutes from Lake Norman with private and public to all that Lake Norman has to offer as well as Birkdale and it's golf and shopping, this is just the top of the ice-burg for things to do.  Again, the quality of life, jumps out at you.  They exists can also be congested but very doable! Check out Lake Norman's Cornelius and Lake Norman's Huntersville the towns that make up these exits.

Lastly on the West side of Lake Norman is highway 16.  This two lane road is has a very rural feel and runs through Lake Norman's Denver, NC.  It has also kept the growth down in this side of the lake compared to the East side. However, the good news is that less than 1 mile west of highway 16 is a new highway 16 with 4 lanes and tremendous opportunity for growth.  Highway 16 runs south to Charlotte and while better than I77, can still be a challenge during rush our.

I hope that this helps with some of the reputation.  I want to emphasize that many people that life in the area love to complain but guess what; They are not moving!  Guess this says it all!  Lake Norman Rocks!

Check out these other posts to assist you.

Davidson Another Wonderful Lake Norman Town

Huntersville, Lake Norman's Progressive Family Town  

On the West Side of Lake Norman, Denver NC

Cornelius is a Lake Norman Town Gone from Mills to Upscale Shops  

Lake Norman's Best Kept Secret, Sherrills Ford 

Contact your Lake Norman Agent at 704 451 7051 for FREE information. 

Roby Robertson

704 451 7051 (m)

704 746 3937 (o)

Listen Up Lake Norman Buyers:

Below is a video by my lending partner Sherry Bradley.  Together, she and I can find you a home that fits your needs and your budget.  In this video, Sherry does a great job of explaining what lenders look for when underwriting your loan.  The video is about 5 minutes but worth every second. 

After watching the video, give me a call at 704 451 7051 or email me at roby.robertson@realliving.com.  I can set you up with a recurring search of properties sent directly to your email.  Sherry can work on helping you get the loan you will need and can obtain.

 I am sure Sherry and I can assist you in finding your Lake Norman or Charlotte area home.

Check out these other posts to assist you.Davidson Another Wonderful Lake Norman Town Huntersville, Lake Norman's Progressive Family Town  

On the West Side of Lake Norman, Denver NC

Cornelius is a Lake Norman Town Gone from Mills to Upscale Shops  

Lake Norman's Best Kept Secret, Sherrills Ford 

Choosing your Lake Norman Real Estate Agent

Choosing an agent

As I research the internet and look through trade rags
(Real Estate Magazines), I ask myself. "What characteristics make a person choose an agent". I sometimes laugh at the ads and websites that I see. Do consumers pick based on the pretty picture? Blogging is now king and so many agents just don't do it. I am also amazed at some of the utter arrogance and ignorance of some agents. I am also amazed at how many people find someone on the Internet and don't even interview them.

Be sure agents you talk to fit into all these categories.

1. Agents should know the area well.
2. Agents should know backwards and forwards the contracts that we ultimately ask consumers to sign.
3. Agents should be providing lots of information.
4. Agents should be savvy Internet marketers.
5. Agents should be good communicators, patient and thorough.

 I have created a page where you can ask me questions with no obligation. Feel free to click on the link below!
Ask a question here

Monthly Activity Report: 02-2008

Lake Norman and Charlotte NC

Property Type: Single Family

%SP/LP is the percentage of the List Price that the home sold for.  While prices are still holding pretty firm, this percentage is down some from past markets.  Another example of sellers wanting to deal!

Area 1-9 are areas within Mecklenburg County.

Area 12 is Iredell County which is north of Charlotte.

Area 13 is the entire Lake Norman area.

295 Homes had price changes in areas 12 and 13 from March 1^st to March 17, 2008.

122 Homes went pending in areas 12 and 13 from March 1^st to March 17, 2008.

89 Homes sold in areas 12 and 13 from March 1^st to March 17, 2008.

79 Homes were withdrawn in areas 12 and 13 from March 1^st to March 17, 2008.

It is truly a buyers market.  I have lending partners that can help you if your looking to obtain financing.  If your credit is good, you can get funds to find a great home.

Contact Roby Robertson at 704 451 7051 or EMAIL to get more information.

Search for Lake Norman and Charlotte Area Properties.

The Lake Norman area has a wide range of choices for sending your child to school

The housing boom and rapid growth in the Lake Norman area has fueled the need for more schools. The demand has also made private and charter schools and home schooling viable alternatives for many parents.

There are at least 23 private and charter schools in the Lake Norman area, according to the N.C. Division of Non-Public Education.

More charter schools are continuing to crop up in the Lake Norman area.

The new Pine Lake Preparatory, a K-12 college prep charter school in Mooresville, will eventually house 1,300 to 1,400 K-12 students.

A temporary school site will open this fall for up to 1,100 students, said Kate Alice Dunaway, a board member of the school. So far, they've received more than 2,500 applications, she said.

"We did anticipate a high interest because of (Lake Norman's) rapid growth," Dunaway said.

Many parents say they're also turning to home schooling for the flexibility and freedom.

About 60,000 North Carolina students are home schooled, according to the N.C. Division of Non-Public Education.

At the rankings website listed below you can choose from the following counties for the Lake Norman Area: Catawba,Mecklenburg,Iredell and Lincoln

Public School Rankings

Private Schools

My daughter came up through the Lake Norman (Iredell School System) and I felt it was a good experience for all of our family.  She now a freshman at Western Carolina University.  

Contact your Lake Norman Agent  at 704 451 7051 to gather more information.

Quoting from the "Soft, But Stabilizing Home Sales" article recently posted at the National Association of Realtors web site for February 2008, NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun makes the following statements: 

"Today's data on existing home sales continues to show soft figures.  In January, there were 4.89 million existing home sales on a seasonally adjusted annual basis, which is down very slightly by 0.4 percent from the prior month and by 23 percent from one year ago.  It marks, essentially, the lowest level of activity in 10 years. 

Navigate Lake Norman

Lake Norman is a very large lake as you can tell by the image above.  You will notice that there are 4 main accesses on the East,West,North and South of the Lake.  On the East side of the Lake, you will notice I77.  This runs North and South.  Approximately 20-25 miles south of Lake Norman you will find Charlotte, NC.  Also on the East side of the lake, there are the towns of Cornelius,Huntersville,Mooresville and Troutman.  In the world of Lake Norman these are all identified by exit numbers.  To make it easy, Exit 25 is Huntersville, Exit 28 is Cornelius,  Exit's 33 and 36 are Mooresville and Exit 42 are Troutman at the extreme North of the Lake.  Make Note that exit 42 and the Troutman area is in full growth mode.  On the West side of Lake Norman running North and South is 2 lane Hwy. 16.  For years this has been the only access from Denver to Charlotte.  Approx. one mile west of Hwy. 16 a new 4 land hwy. 16 is being built for faster access to Charlotte.  Due to this construction, this area is also targeted for huge growth.  South of Lake Norman, the East/East highway is Highway 73.  Also a 2 lane highway.  North of the main body of Lake Norman is highway 150.  Along 150 growth has continued and will continue to be prevalent.  Along 150, you can see a road named Perth.  This road heading North to Troutman is seeing many new subdivisions sprouting up and is also growing.  In the Northwest corner of Lake Norman you will see Sherrills Ford.  I have also written in this forum about it's growth as well.

 I hope this helps with an overview of navigating around the Lake.  If you would like a map mailed to you or just more information about a particular area, please call me at 704 451 7051 or email me at roby.robertson@realliving.com

Hot spots for Construction around Lake Norman!

Growth is the name of the game in the Charlotte region, but it's particularly true around Lake Norman.

The Lake Norman area continues to grow due to the amenities of the lake, the schools and, outside Mecklenburg County, for lower taxes.

And the growth won't stop -- at least not anytime soon.

One of the big trends is mixed-use developments, which can combine residential, retail and office space on one site. Government planners like them because they encourage people to live, work and play in one area, which can reduce traffic.

Here are a few places you could be seeing construction for a while.  These aren't the only hot spots, but they're a few of the biggies.

• Langtree at the Lake: An $800 million hotel, condo, retail and office complex slated for the northwest, northeast and southwest quadrants of the new Exit 32 off Interstate 77, which is under construction. Includes a 12-story Embassy Suites, a golf course and a yacht club. The first phases of this Mooresville project are expected to be finished by spring-summer 2009.

• Sherrills Ford: Big changes may be afoot for the community on the west shore of Lake Norman in Catawba County. Various developers have projects planned that will need county approval. One project at N.C. 150 and Slanting Bridge Road is a "village center" with up to 577,000 square-feet of retail and office space, up to 350 homes, a YMCA and a medical center. Another project known as Key Harbor would put up to 1,500 -homes on 700 acres off Island Point, Raccoon Track and Azalea roads.

• Bryton:A nearly $1 billion mixed-use proposal including 1 million square feet of retail, 1.2 million square feet of offices and flex-warehouse space, multifamily housing and single-family homes built around a commuter rail station on 430 acres, just north of I-485 in Huntersville. The project's viability depends on Mecklenburg County successfully borrowing $30 million to relocate a rail line through Bryton and make other transportation improvements.

• Mooresville Mills: A $150 million mixed-use project on 39 acres at the town's former cotton mill. The work will combine restoration of existing buildings and new construction to create an "urban village" of shops, residences, live-work units and offices. This downtown revitalization project depends on a successful public-private partnership between the developers, the town and Iredell County.

• Exit 45 project: A 900-acre mixed-use development on the east side of I-77 between Exits 45 and 49a in Statesville. The as-yet-unnamed project is slated to include a "Birkdale-like" shopping center; about 2,800-3,300 residences, many of them reserved for active adults; and 275 acres of greenways. The developer has said the first phase of construction could start by the end of the year.

• Village at Lake Norman:The proposed Cornelius retail center would include three department stores, 284 condos above stores lining a central green, a high-end grocery store, and a full-service hotel and conference center. With 900,000 square feet of retail planned, the proposal includes three times the shopping space of Birkdale Village in Huntersville. The project likely depends on a public-private partnership to build a new I-77 exit at Westmoreland Road. The Cornelius Town Board must approve this project before it can go forward.

The widening of Brawley School Road is also an important move in the Mooresville area.  The Brawley Peninsula is home of some of the most beautiful areas on Lake Norman.  However, the notorious 2 lane Brawley School Road continues to frustrate.  With the start of the widening project, commercial land is not available and sure to be a hot spot for new development soon.  It will also make residents of the Peninsula very happy! 

Check out these other posts to assist you.

Davidson Another Wonderful Lake Norman Town

Huntersville, Lake Norman's Progressive Family Town  

On the West Side of Lake Norman, Denver NC

Cornelius is a Lake Norman Town Gone from Mills to Upscale Shops  

Lake Norman's Best Kept Secret, Sherrills Ford 

 For more information contact Your Lake Norman Agent at 704 451 7051.

Source of some of this information was the Charlotte Observer.

Huntersville, just north of Charlotte and at the southern tip of Lake Norman, is a nice place to raise a family. That's what brings most newcomers to the subdivisions sprouting up on former farms all over town. The town is known for its progressive land use policies and embrace of "new urbanist" design principles, on display in walkable developments like Vermillion and Birkdale Village. The area's growth also makes Huntersville home to two seriously crowded high schools -- North Mecklenburg and Hopewell.

HISTORY: Today, few vestiges of the mill and farming past remain, but a ride down gravel McAuley Road (off N.C. 73) east of town or the Beatties Ford Road corridor to the west will give you an idea of days gone by.

LANDMARKS: Historic Latta Plantation on Sample Road (www.lattaplantation.org) is a living history cotton plantation. Ramah Presbyterian Church on Ramah Church Road was established in 1783.

WHAT THE LOCALS KNOW: The back way to Northlake Mall. Instead of taking Interstate 77 and Exit 18, hop on Mount Holly-Huntersville Road (either at N.C. 115, U.S. 21 or the backside of the business park) and take it until the intersection with Alexanderana Road. If you go straight, the road turns into Northlake Centre Parkway, which hops over Interstate 485 and hits Northlake Mall before you get to all the traffic.

ON THE JOB: The Park Huntersville at Exit 23 houses 3,399 workers for various companies, and Newell Rubbermaid recently announced a major expansion of its offices at Exit 25.

SEE THE SIGHTS: The Carolina Raptor Center rehabilitates injured and orphaned birds of prey (www.carolinaraptorcenter.org). Don't miss Birkdale Village, the shopping lifestyle center at Exit 25. The little ones love splashing in the fountain, and adults enjoy live music on summer weekend nights.

DON'T MISS: The Main and Maxwell Farmers Market on Tuesday and Saturday mornings from May 5 to Oct. 27 (between Main and Maxwell streets downtown). The Carolina Renaissance Festival off Poplar Tent Road on fall weekends. The Loch Norman Highland Games each April at Rural Hill Farm off Beatties Ford Road (www.ruralhillfarm.org).

BIRKDALE VILLAGE: It has the quaint ambiance of a small Nantucket village with all the high-end necessities. The family-friendly, center-court area appeals to every age group.  See the Video.

HUNTERSVILLE BUSINESS PARK: Serious cyclists ride past in a blur as the casual lunch walkers take in the six-acre lake. The park is a fantastic blend of big business and preserved nature. www.huntersvillebusiness park.com

PSSGHETTI'S: This little Italian joint with a piano bar and mile-high lasagna stuffed with authentic Italian sausage is in the shadow of Mickey & Mooch, but holds its own. www.pssghettis.com; 704-895-9448       

AMAZING MAIZE MAZE AT THE RURAL HILL FARM: Kids from ages 2 to 92 try to find their way out of the creatively confusing aisles of corn. The maze will run Aug. 25-Nov. 4. www.ruralhillfarm.org

Quick Facts:

FOUNDED: 1873

POPULATION: about 40,000

AVERAGE HOME VALUE: $239,416

AVERAGE INCOME: $94,080

LOCAL TAX RATE: $.29 per $100 valuation

MAYOR: Kim Phillips

MECKLENBURG COUNTY CONTACT INFORMATION: www.charmeck.org

TOWN CONTACT INFORMATION: 704-875-6541; www.huntersville.org

SCHOOL DISTRICT(S): Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, 980-343-3000 ; www.cms.k12.nc.us

Source of information: The Charlotte Observer. ]]>