Lake Norman to Uptown Charlotte Living: North Carolina: Charlotte

My wife and I have already made the reservations to take part in the 5th annual "Queen Feast" that will run from July 16 - 25. This 10 day summer promotion of 88 Charlotte restaurants is a way of showcasing some of the area's best restaurant's during a typically slow time of year.

We were not able to attend the last one they had set up due to severe weather conditions. However, our 7 yr old triplet boys will be in Florida visiting "Grammie" and "Poppie" so that allows us a little free time to enjoy a great night out. Participating restaurants offer a fixed price, three or more course dinner for $30 per person a savings over what the featured meal would typically cost.

Our selection this year is Fiamma an Italian restaurant located in the heart of Dilworth. They offer the a great authentic Italian. Owner and Chef Fernando Campoverde prepares homemade pastas and exquisite Italian dishes, using only the freshest ingredients. All of their pasta and pizza dough is made fresh twice daily in our kitchen. Italian meats and cheeses are imported directly from the finest markets. We have heard some wonderful things about Fiamma and look forward to dining out there.  Check out what they will be offering during that time. http://www.charlotterestaurantweek.com/Restaurants/Fiamma.html

Mike Carpino
Mike@LakeAndTown.com
704-301-9264

Celebrating its 16th year, Food Lion Speed Street transforms the streets of Uptown Charlotte into a showcase of motor sports with non-stop entertainment on two stages, appearances by top Sprint Cup Drivers, dynamic exhibits for all ages and an amazing assembly of NASCAR show cars and simulators.

The three-day festival debuted in 1995 and provided fans attending the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway an additional way to enjoy race weekend. It has remained a Memorial Day tradition for fans and the local community since its inception

Numerous family-friendly activities and promotions also will take place over the course of three days and are outlined below.

• NASCAR Hall of Fame Stage presented by Food Lion Located at 400 Martin Luther King Boulevard, the NASCAR Hall of Fame will be open each day from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. ET and play host to numerous question-and-answer sessions, autograph sessions and more.
• Taste of Food Lion Cooking Stage Hourly cooking demonstrations and special guests will take place on the Taste of Food Lion Cooking Stage. Fans may sample recipes and enter to win great prizes in the parking lot at Third Street and Tryon Street.
• Velveeta Shells and Cheese "Side Shack" Velveeta Shells and Cheese and Rodney Atkins have teamed up for a summer-long partnership to bring family and friends together. A custom-designed "Side Shack" will provide family entertainment each night beginning at 6 p.m. and located at Third Street and Church Street. Fans also may register for the "Side Shack" VIP experience at Third Street and Tryon Street.
• Wheaties FUEL "Feel the Fuel Contest" Food Lion and Wheaties FUEL will challenge race fans to a 58-hour contest live at Food Lion Speed Street. The most dedicated fan that can keep his or her hand on the Wheaties FUEL show car the longest will win a VIP trip for two to a premier race, suite tickets, $500 cash, $500 Food Lion gift card and a meet and greet with a driver. The Wheaties FUEL display will be at Third Street and Tryon Street.
• Paralyzed Veterans of America Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) will give away a Jeep Saturday, May 29 at 6:50 p.m. at the Coca-Cola stage. To register to win, visit the PVA's display located at Third Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard.
• The Boost Mobile Freestyle MotoX Experience The Boost Mobile Freestyle MotoX Experience will feature world-class athletes performing various motorcycle jumps. Approximate jump times will be 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. each night at the Miller Lite stage.
• Jimmy John's Freaky Fast Sandwich Making & Eating Contest At 5:30 p.m. on Friday, May 28 at the Coca-Cola stage, Jimmy John's will challenge a team of its fastest sandwich makers to take on three world-class, major league eaters. The group that finishes first will be deemed the winner of the fast challenge.

Check out links below for maps, event schedule and more:

• Map
• Schedule
• Parking

Come and Enjoy the Fun!

Mike Carpino
Broker/Owner
Lake And Town Realty
Mike@LakeAndTown.com
704 301-9264

NASCAR Hall of Fame opens in Charlotte, NC. Here is a recent article from the New York Times that covered the grand opening.

The $195 million Nascar Hall of Fame opened Tuesday with considerable fanfare in Charlotte, N.C., the de facto capital of stock-car racing, and thousands showed up in the rain to salute a sport that has a colorful history, but a much sketchier future.

"I want to tell our fans you have the best hall of fame in the world here in Charlotte," Brian France, Nascar's chief executive, said during remarks in the plaza outside the 150,000-square-foot museum.

A highlight of the ceremonies was the arrival of two of the first five hall members, who will be formally inducted on May 23. Richard Petty, the seven-time series champion, drove in a replica of his red-and-Petty-blue No. 43 1974 STP Dodge Charger.

The driver Junior Johnson might have even upstaged Mr. Petty by arriving in a tricked-up black 1940 Ford that harked back to the earliest and most romantic days of stock-car racing, when moonshine runners gathered on weekends to see whose car was the fastest.

"We do different things as champions together, but today I had that heart-warming feeling that this was something special," Kurt Busch, the 2004 Nextel Cup champion, said in a teleconference on Tuesday.

 Nascar was founded in December 1947 at the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach, Fla., so its hall of fame has been a while coming. Charlotte was selected, in part, because it has become the hub of a sport.

Bill France Sr., the late founder of Nascar, will join Petty and Johnson in the first hall of fame class, as will his son, the longtime Nascar chairman, Bill France Jr. The late Dale Earnhardt Sr., the seven-time series champion, will also be inducted.

The museum has race simulators and several interactive exhibitions, including one in which visitors can find out just how difficult it is to change a tire during a pit stop. The museum also features "Glory Road," in which 18 notable racecars are mounted next to a walkway that approximates the banking of a Nascar racetrack.

Groundbreaking for the museum was nearly three years ago, and Nascar has been affected adversely by the faltering economy since then. Attendance, television ratings and sponsorship are down, and Nascar has increased its efforts to nod to its roots, when the sport was much more homespun and the drivers more accessible than they are today.

"Eventually, they will be in the hall of fame, and they should be here for the inaugural deal to see what it's all about and see why they are the heroes today," Petty said, "and see that Junior Johnson, Fireball Roberts and Lee Petty made this all happen for them."

Baseball, Football, Basketball and others have their Hall of Fames and now it is only fitting that Charlotte is now home to the Nascar Hall of Fame.

Distressed properties in Uptown Charlotte NC are not going away anytime soon especially with the volatile banking industry right now. That allows buyers to capitalize on the real estate market and get into some fantastic Uptown Condos and Townhomes.

It is real important to let your Realtor do his homework and to find out how long certain properties have been on the market to determine if it is worth pursuing. To many times people have found themselves in negotiations and have left with nothing but waisted time.

My rule of thumb and some may disagree but to only look at properties that are at least 120-150 days on market. That allows the Realtor who is listing to get all necessary paperwork in order so there will be no surprises. Of course there are many other variables, but do the research and you may be getting a super deal!

 Click below to view all Homes

  Mike Carpino
Owner/Broker
Mike@LakeAndTown.com
704 301-9264

Uptown Charlotte, NC Short Sale Condos for sale.

If you've been on the sidelines waiting for our local housing market to be affordable, now is the time to buy. Today's confluence of low rates, affordable prices and inventory makes right now an ideal time to buy a foreclosed property, a short sale or any of the other bargain homes on sale now. Don't wait -- the best-value homes are selling as soon as they come on the market.

Some buyers and investors find bargain prices on pre-foreclosure sales or at foreclosure auctions, while others find it easier and less risky to purchase bank-owned (REO or "real estate owned") from the lending institutions and government authorities that repossess these homes.

REO homes are very attractive to bargain hunters. They know lenders and government organizations don't really want to own homes and would rather move their "non-performing assets" off the books as quickly as possible. Still, institutional owners will try to recover as much of their investment in a foreclosed home as possible. Negotiating is key to getting a true bargain price on an REO!

Finding an under-valued property and negotiating a low-cost contract are the keys to success in the months ahead. Let us help you navigate the offerings available.

Click here to view all Short Sales in the Charlotte region.

Charlotte, NC Real Estate is beginning to see signs of recovery and Lake And Town Realty is reaping some of the rewards.

Within the past couple of weeks we had a number of closings and our agents are still picking up buyer clients.

Here is a recent article from our local newspaper that has documented a few reasons and stats to the upswing of sales.

Low interest rates, a hefty tax credit, price discounts and pent-up demand helped push Charlotte-area home sales last month to their first gain of the downturn - and a big one at that.

Last month 2,210 houses, townhouses and condos sold in the region, up nearly 20 percent from October 2008, according to results released late Tuesday by the Charlotte Regional Realtor Association. That was the first yearly gain since February 2007, when the national housing slump began to hit the Charlotte area.

The big jump is the most robust signal yet of the local housing industry's recovery but still leaves sales below the 2003 level. The region's housing market held up for about two years into the national decline and also has lagged in the rebound. Existing home sales nationwide, for example, began rising in June compared with a year earlier.

The deadline rush helped push pending sales up more than one-third last month for MLS transactions. That's the second month in a row for a gain in pendings, which are signed contracts that haven't yet closed. They are an important barometer of closings to come.

November looks even stronger with loan closings on track to "be up well over double."

Photography Charlotte, Huntersville, Lake Norman Area, South Charlotte NC Real Estate Listing Photos- LKN Imaging available to Realtors, For Sale By Owners, Banks etc.

Attention Realtors & Home Sellers:

Need Professional wide angle shots for your listing? Please contact kathy@lknimaging.com or call 704 577 6858 or text.

They will provide 20 wide angle 10 mega-pixel shots for $80.00, emailed within a day, MLS ready with a Picasa Web Album available to view online, showing more photos and any other images you would like to add (floors plans) etc. Additional services are available, brochures, flyer's, e flyer's, very well priced. Please inquire.

According to NAR 87% of homes searches begin online, if so, what is the first criteria a prospective buyer is looking at when they begin their search? PICTURES!

They are the first gate your property or listing must pass, and they can make or break the number of inquires or showings if they don't effectively market the property.

Listing photos require staging, lighting and correct angles to promote the structure and the spaces within it, not whats in it. There is a place for that, but its not primary.

Every home and property has strong points and good sight-lines that must be captured to ensure a solid marketing effort.

Don't have a 10 mega pixel SLR, wide angle lenses, and an eye for angles and light? Seriously consider having it done. Depending on the cost it can be a serious bargain when taken into account the influence it has on promoting your property.

Remember a picture tells a thousand words!

Best Of Luck,

Nick

Kathy Stallard:

Art background, NYC's School OF Visual Arts.

As an added convenience with the permission of the owner through their agent I will accompany the photographer with my Supra Key and neither agent or owner need take the time.Call and its done!

Full Service Listing Photos.

Website Coming soon!

Uptown Charlotte Nightlife is still thriving!

One thing is certain: people still want to party, in good times and in bad.

If you're looking to kick up your heels, your first stop should be uptown's entertainment district where crowds of 20- and 30-somethings descend every weekend to sample the best of Charlotte nightlife.

The biggest trend this year? The one-stop entertainment destination.

In its first year of business, the EpiCentre (210 E. Trade St., www.epicentrenc.com) quickly became the go-to hot spot. Stop by Whisky River, owned by NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., on a Tuesday night and you'll find lines of partyers clamoring to get in.

 Suite, an upscale nightclub, is just as popular on Saturdays, drawing local celebrities and professional athletes.

BlackFinn Saloon is the spot to watch Panthers games, thanks to many flat-panel TVs.

Hoping to give the EpiCentre a little competition is the N.C. Music Factory (820 Hamilton St., www.ncmusicfactory.com) on the northwest edge of uptown. The Uptown Amphitheatre, a 5,000-capacity, Live Nation-operated music venue, opened this summer to sell-out shows. The 2,000-capacity Fillmore Charlotte, also a Live Nation-venue, is drawing acts ranging from the Plain White T's to BB King.

 Set to open in October are Wet Willie's Daiquri Bar, upscale lounge Butter and dance club Crobar.

Other popular neighborhoods to party:

NoDa

The arts district north of uptown hosts a monthly gallery crawl the first Friday of the month and many crawlers stick around for a glass of wine at Dolce Vita (3205 N. Davidson St., www.dolcevitawines.com) or live music at the cozy Evening Muse (3227 N. Davidson St., www.theeveningmuse.com).

 South End

Just outside of uptown, this laidback neighborhood boasts a variety of nightlife including ultra-loungy Sunset Club (1820 South Blvd., www.sunsetclubcharlotte.com), casual Tyber Creek Pub (1933 South Blvd., www.tybercreek.com) and gay-friendly Tutto Mondo Lounge (1820 South Blvd., www.tuttomondo.com).

 Plaza Midwood

Play ping-pong at Thomas Street Tavern (1218 Thomas Ave., www.thomas-street-tavern.com). Stop by the Thirsty Beaver Saloon (1225 Central Ave.) for a Bloody Mary on Sundays.

Mike Carpino
Mike@LakeAndTown.com
704 301-9264

Charlotte Hair Salon - Solace Atelier Salon located in Charlotte NC.

I know you are wondering why a man is writing about a hair salon, but I promised my wife Suzanne that I would.

I am always asking her what people look for when moving to a new area and right away my wife being the big trendsetter did not even hesitate and said hair salon.

I sat there for a second and said you are absolutely right. Women are very concerned and sometimes obsessed with their hair. Remember guys it's not just sit down for 15 minutes and have the barber clip away. It's the whole experience.!

Now Charlotte has something more in common with New York, Paris, and London. Exclusive hair care, skin care, body and home products from around the world.

Their team of experts researched the area and looked for the unique products that were missing in the Charlotte hair and skin care market.

My wife says they pride themselves in offering services and products that you can't find JUST anywhere. From the friendly atmosphere to the latest haircuts. I know that she has referred a number of friends and family and believe most are going back.

If you are moving to Charlotte be rest assured your wife will at least know there is a great hair salon for her to go to.

Solace Atelier
901 S Kings Dr
Suite 110
charlotte, NC 28204
ph: 704-334-1007
fax: 704-334-1034
solaceatelier@yahoo.com