Back from NY, a swift but exciting trip. At our group meeting Friday I introduced our acquisition of a new product called Market Snapshot. It lets a consumer see what's going on in the neighborhood, in real time. Unlike Zillow and other valuation models, this uses the MLS (not old tax data) to quickly show "Sales" and "For Sales" in your neighborhood, with live links to the MLS data sheet for each house. I thought this a powerful tool for both buyers and sellers watching market conditions closely. Stay tuned for instructions on how to set it up for your neighborhood,it's easy and free.
Over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal wrote an article principally about Market Snapshot. You can see it here for a time:
atleast for a few more days. this is very neat. terry
Monday, February 12, 2007
Thursday, February 08, 2007
On the way to NYC
I do mean to ask my wife why she booked a weekend trip to NYC in February... I think she has forgotten how cold it can be. Anyway, sometimes you need to leave Charlotte to appreciate Charlotte.
We Charlotteans (been here 14 years, guess I am one now) like to complain about traffic, schools and taxes. I'm going to take them on, one by one. Traffic and the Big Apple are a good place to start.
When I arrived here 14 years ago, I heard complaints about the traffic. Leaving a city that moved nearly 18 Million people per day, I had a somewhat different perspective. I still do- as I travel, I see real horrors in traffic. In New York, traffic backups frequently extend more than 4 hours. Yes, 4 hours, and a typical daily commute is probably more than an hour each way. All the routes out are clogged.
In Los Angeles about a year ago, I was meeting a Charlotte client who lived there. Asked about the traffic, she said at any time, day or night, you should be prepared for a 2 hour traffic jam. Sure enough, on day 4 I drove about 15 minutes to a place, stayed about 1/2 hour and spent the next 2 hours getting back. There were no alternative routes through many of the mountain/ valley roads, no shortcuts.
Then I visit the Washington, DC area, have you ever travelled on their beltway?495? I remember when it first came and how it was faster to go around the city... well not anymore, the last few times we went to my brother's home, north of Washington, we go through downtown Washington, because while the traffic is sometimes heavy, it moves.
One thing is for sure though, there are more cars then there are roads here in Charlotte... and it is getting worse. I think the Charlotte area is about 5 years behind in its roads, and the challenge is to not let it fall further behind.
So the 5 minute trip of 14 years ago now takes 10 minutes-- twice as long--but I think if converted into New York Minutes-- not the fast kind-- it would be a 40 minute drive on Long Island. I'll keep the ten minute drive.
So here are the roads we need the most. Need your help here:
1. Please, COMPLETE 485, and do it NOW! 2014 won't do! This will take pressure off all of our interior arteries.
2. Add and addtitional 4 lanes, 2 each direction from 485 at Providence Road, over to 77. This section had backups the first day it was openned, now about 10 years ago.
3. Widen Providence Road to 4 lanes to Route 84.
What would you add to this list? Some of my northern friends? Brawley School perhaps? How about 150 across the top of Lake Norman, a mess most anytime...
We Charlotteans (been here 14 years, guess I am one now) like to complain about traffic, schools and taxes. I'm going to take them on, one by one. Traffic and the Big Apple are a good place to start.
When I arrived here 14 years ago, I heard complaints about the traffic. Leaving a city that moved nearly 18 Million people per day, I had a somewhat different perspective. I still do- as I travel, I see real horrors in traffic. In New York, traffic backups frequently extend more than 4 hours. Yes, 4 hours, and a typical daily commute is probably more than an hour each way. All the routes out are clogged.
In Los Angeles about a year ago, I was meeting a Charlotte client who lived there. Asked about the traffic, she said at any time, day or night, you should be prepared for a 2 hour traffic jam. Sure enough, on day 4 I drove about 15 minutes to a place, stayed about 1/2 hour and spent the next 2 hours getting back. There were no alternative routes through many of the mountain/ valley roads, no shortcuts.
Then I visit the Washington, DC area, have you ever travelled on their beltway?495? I remember when it first came and how it was faster to go around the city... well not anymore, the last few times we went to my brother's home, north of Washington, we go through downtown Washington, because while the traffic is sometimes heavy, it moves.
One thing is for sure though, there are more cars then there are roads here in Charlotte... and it is getting worse. I think the Charlotte area is about 5 years behind in its roads, and the challenge is to not let it fall further behind.
So the 5 minute trip of 14 years ago now takes 10 minutes-- twice as long--but I think if converted into New York Minutes-- not the fast kind-- it would be a 40 minute drive on Long Island. I'll keep the ten minute drive.
So here are the roads we need the most. Need your help here:
1. Please, COMPLETE 485, and do it NOW! 2014 won't do! This will take pressure off all of our interior arteries.
2. Add and addtitional 4 lanes, 2 each direction from 485 at Providence Road, over to 77. This section had backups the first day it was openned, now about 10 years ago.
3. Widen Providence Road to 4 lanes to Route 84.
What would you add to this list? Some of my northern friends? Brawley School perhaps? How about 150 across the top of Lake Norman, a mess most anytime...
Monday, February 05, 2007
New York Pizza in Charlotte
About a year ago, I had some Pizza guys here from Long Island, and they looked at the "offerings" here and found them, well wanting. What a difference a year makes, New Yorkers and other lovers of great pizza check this story out in today's Observer: http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/16624610.htm
ACC Basketball Weekend
I know everyone is talking SuperBowl, butlike so many, it just wasn't that Super. It was upset weekend in the ACC,with State beating UNC, Florida State over Duke at Duke, and my Terps finally winning an away game at Wake Forest. See a good sports page of college hoops at the Observer- http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/sports/colleges/
Sunday, February 04, 2007
"The Pusuit of Happiness..." Communities and Neighborhoods...
One of my recurrent thoughts through the years is that the newcomer's greatest worry may be, "Will I, or my family, be happy here?" And of course it is the question I nor anyone else can answer for that individual or family... the corollary is "What's Charlotte like?" is a little more answerable. To that I have several thoughts I'd like comments on:
Charlotte isn't a stereotypical "Southern" city, there are too many "imports" for the Southern culture (that is still here in some places) to be dominant. Many neighborhoods are dominated from families from the northeast or Florida.
Folks who want to discuss their neighborhood are encouraged to Post, tell us about the people you've met on your street, and what "your" part of the Charlotte area is like... this obviously includes nearby Huntersville, Davidson, Mooresville and beyond to the north, and Matthews (where I live), Ballantyne, Weddingotn and Waxhaw to the South.
I'd also like your thoughts on Southern virtues that remain. After 14 years here I still appreciate that people are more polite and generally show more courtesy here. Certainly the kids are more respectful and you rarely hear a car horn honked in anger. I also think people care about the look and appearance of their properties more-- from city streets that stay pretty clean all the time--there is not a lot of trash and grafitti Uptown, to the homes in their neighborhods, and wildflowers on our Interstate (can't wait for spring to bring them back!) There are areas that are more trashy than others, and I read about them in the local paper... most places up North it wouldn't deserve comment. I'll be in NYC next weekend, I'll update on a fresh look at the Big Apple. terry
Charlotte isn't a stereotypical "Southern" city, there are too many "imports" for the Southern culture (that is still here in some places) to be dominant. Many neighborhoods are dominated from families from the northeast or Florida.
Folks who want to discuss their neighborhood are encouraged to Post, tell us about the people you've met on your street, and what "your" part of the Charlotte area is like... this obviously includes nearby Huntersville, Davidson, Mooresville and beyond to the north, and Matthews (where I live), Ballantyne, Weddingotn and Waxhaw to the South.
I'd also like your thoughts on Southern virtues that remain. After 14 years here I still appreciate that people are more polite and generally show more courtesy here. Certainly the kids are more respectful and you rarely hear a car horn honked in anger. I also think people care about the look and appearance of their properties more-- from city streets that stay pretty clean all the time--there is not a lot of trash and grafitti Uptown, to the homes in their neighborhods, and wildflowers on our Interstate (can't wait for spring to bring them back!) There are areas that are more trashy than others, and I read about them in the local paper... most places up North it wouldn't deserve comment. I'll be in NYC next weekend, I'll update on a fresh look at the Big Apple. terry
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Relocation fears, tears and worries
As many of you know, I have spent a good bit of my time helping familes relocate throughout the area, and I have tried many times to see what you see. I know, if you are coming from another area of the country, there is a fear that you won't be happy here... I know there is a fear that comes with the unknown...Are there still a lot of sterotypes about the South? Those of you who live here, how often do you think of yourself in the South? But I'd like to put the question to you, what were your biggest fears? Your moments of highest stress? How were you able to put them aside? How has the move to Charlotte, Huntersville, Matthews, Weddington, Waxhaw or Lake Norman-- how have the fears worked out, and how has the move worked out,for your family, for yourself?
New Slide Show?
If anyone wants to take some pictures of local events, I'd be happy to get them into and up on slide show.
post a Charlotte Link
I'm looking for favorite links to Charlotte area events, organizations and other worthwhile sites... We have the Chamber, Center City Partners, CMS, what's your favorite? What should be on the right hand side?
Thursday, February 01, 2007
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