Mecklenburg Times: News for Mecklenburg, Union and Iredell counties Real Estate, Development, Construction, and Community News in the Charlotte area and throughout Mecklenburg, Union and Iredell counties

A new landscape is emerging in many cities. Open space is replacing the growing number of vacant homes.

Tagged with: Woodard

A home that has a reputation for being haunted may be an outstanding bargain for a homebuyer. This and other types of stigmas can push the price down by 10 to 15 percent on average, according to one study. In some cases, the price reduction is much more.

Tagged with: Woodard

As local, county and state governments face growing, and sometimes desperate, economic needs, they increasingly turn to real estate transfer taxes as a source of funding. This is a tax that may be imposed at the closing of home sales or other real property transactions.

Tagged with: taxes Woodard

The sluggish economy and high unemployment rate has a greater impact on today's homeowners than a possible foreclosure. It also increases the risk of home burglaries and even home invasions.

Tagged with: Jim Woodard

An interesting trend is surfacing in today's housing industry. More first-time homebuyers are being financially assisted by their parents. This is particularly noticeable when the parents are among the baby boomer generation. They are showing an intense interest in helping their children and grandchildren become homeowners.

Strategic defaults, the practice of homeowners defaulting on their mortgage even though they have the financial capability to make the payments, are on the rise.

Tagged with: Foreclosure Jim Woodard

Recent news reports indicate a growing trend of individuals and families opting to rent a residence as opposed to buying a home. This is probably a temporary, and not a long-term, trend.

Tagged with: Jim Woodard

Seniors seeking a retirement home are increasingly turning to rental units, as opposed to the traditional practice of purchasing a smaller single-family home or condo. At least, they are opting for rentals for temporary housing while waiting for the market ...

In recent years, there have been slowly evolving changes to the type of homes desired by most buyers. The changes affect the key living areas of homes, both inside and outside. John Burns, a noted real estate consultant, conducted a ...

The key to a substantial housing recovery is to make financing more readily accessible to homebuyers and to reduce the large current inventory of foreclosed and other distressed properties. That’s the consensus of opinions expressed by most housing industry leaders. ...