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Archive for February, 2012

We Passed the Radon Test- I Think!

Posted in Real Estate on February 23, 2012 | 1 Comment »

Back in January I posted on the subject of radon and radon testing.  January was Radon Month, and I was able to order a radon test for free from the North Carolina Radon Program hosted by  the NC Department of Health and Human Services.  I received the test kit in a few days and eventually got around to reading the instructions and hanging the test kit from the dining room chandelier in my home in Mooresville.  It stayed there for the several days called for in the instructions, then I packaged it up and mailed to away for analysis.  The following week, I looked it up on the the specified web site and read the results- 2.1 pCi/l.  The upper limit for safely is 4.0 pCi/l, so we should be in good shape.  The instructions on the web site say that if the result is over 2.0 pCi/l, you should run another test and average the results.  So, I just checked the NC Radon Program site, and they’re still offering free test kits.  I ordered another just to be on the safe side.

It might be a good idea if you do the same thing and order a test kit while they’re still free.  They may be free there all the time, but if not, I just saw kits from Kidde in Lowe’s yesterday for about $15, so that’s not much to pay for piece of mind. 

Still, I’ll take the frugal route if I have the chance.

 

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Read Those Home Owner Association Rules!

Posted in General Real Estate Market, Real Estate, tagged , , , , on February 9, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Many people in the real estate buyers’ market become interested in homes that are governed by home owner associations (HOAs).  Sometimes after they’ve bought their home, they discover that something they want to do with their property is prohibited by the CCRs- Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions- of the subdivision.  For some homeowners, these restrictions seem excessive, and worth bucking.  The trouble is that when they bought the property, they also agreed to abide by the rules set up originally by the sudvision developer and later overseen by the Homeowners’ Association of which the buyer is a member and pays HOA dues.  This was covered in the avalanche of words and papers that are part of the purchase contract and closing paperwork.  New home sales reps and Realtors should be sure that their buyers are given the opportunity to review the CCRs before they sign the paperwork.

If you already live in a subdivision with CCRs and you’ve never taken the time to read them, now’s a great time to do that.  It may keep you from doing something to your property that will run afoul of the HOA and waste time and money.  If you can’t find your copy, your HOA or management company can provide a copy.  They are also in the public records and can be found on your local Register of Deeds web site, although sometimes it takes some digging to find them.  If you need some help doing this and are in the Mecklenburg/Iredell/Lake Norman and surrounding counties, I’ll be glad to help. Just call or email me.

The degree of detail and restriction of different CCRs varies all over the map.  Some are fairly limited and others quite extensive.  They all are there to help protect the value of the properties owned by the HOA members, but various developers and HOAs differ on how much control and what details are necessary to do this.  Ultimately, if owners and HOAs disagree, things can get serious up to and including foreclosure on a property for failure to pay dues or fines.

Radio station WFAE recently addressed these issues on Mike Collins’ show Charlotte Talks.  He hosted several knowledgeable folks there to talk about the ideas behind HOAs and CCRs, and discuss issues and trends in that world.  It’s slightly less than an hour long, but worth listening to if you live in a planned community or are thinking of buying in one.  A link to the show is HERE.

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Latest Twists and Turns for America’s Park Baseball Facility

Posted in Economic Development, Iredell County, Lake Norman, Mooresville, Troutman, tagged , , on February 3, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

This week the Mooresville Tribune reported that there has been a change of ownership of the development of the America’s Park youth baseball facility.  “Lou Presutti of Salisbury, who unveiled his plan last April to build a 25-field private youth baseball facility, is no longer involved in the project. Todd Hines and Jeff Cernuto are now the principal partners, the Mooresville-South Iredell Economic Development Corp. said Tuesday.” You can read the whole article HERE.

The article goes on to note that Mr. Cernuto owns the land on which the park will be built, so obviously, he has good cause to have an interest in it.  Any kind of land development is especially difficult in our current economic environment, so it’s not surprising that at least part of the reason for the change has to do with financing issues.

We certainly hope the new partners will be successful in bringing the park to fruition, given the large positive impact on our area around Mooresville and Troutman.  It does serve as a warning though that when we read about the grand plans of various developers about their plans for wonderful new developments that will be a boon to the area, we can be sure we’re not let in on the whole story.  Developers need buy-in from many different kinds of people.  Certainly those who can help finance a project must be comfortable with it, but the process also involves local and state government plus the sentiment of local residents in order to make the project work and get all the necessary approvals.  Developers will always describe a project in the most positive light in order to help get that buy-in.  I certainly don’t blame them, since the success of many projects will also bring economic benefits to many other residents of the area.  We just need to read news of such projects through a filter of a bit of skepticism.

I’m a card-carrying skeptic, so that’s not a problem for me.

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