May 3, 2008
Lynnsy Logue The Real Estate Lady and Condo CanDo in Charlotte NC
Mecklenburg sales down, but not equally
ALLEN NORWOOD, Charlotte Observer
Real estate folks like to point out that an average is just that, an average. When average sales are down, that doesn't mean sales are down by the same amount in every neighborhood. In fact, sales could be up in some areas, including yours.
Elementary-school math says that's true, and there's plenty of other evidence. Average home prices are down across the country, according to the respected Case-Shiller report – but up slightly in Charlotte.
I wondered whether local sales could be up in one of the nine multiple listing areas in Mecklenburg County, so I compared sales figures for March with the same month last year. The quick answer is no.
As you might imagine, though, Mecklenburg sales aren't down equally.
Sales dipped the least – 19 percent – in Area 8, northwest of uptown. They fell the most in southwest Mecklenburg's Area 6, where they dropped 38 percent. The average for the nine listing areas was 26 percent.
Sales were down at Lake Norman and Lake Wylie, in listing areas that include slivers of Mecklenburg and other counties.
But I did find sales actually up in one lake listing area. March sales of homes, condos and townhouses through Carolina Multiple Listing Services rose 19 percent at Mountain Island Lake.
The statistics are available online if you'd like to explore them. Visit www.carolinahome.com.Chuck Graham’s First Quarter 08 real estate report is up on www.condocando. Com
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From The Charlotte Observer, Bruce Henderson writes:GREENING THE REGION
Elected officials from nine counties and 14 cities heard a sometimes-bleak assessment of the Charlotte region's environmental challenges Friday.
Here's what speakers said about key topics:
Water quality
Land development is now the major cause of the region's water pollution, sending sediment, bacteria, metals, pesticide and oil into streams and lakes. Between 1984 and 2003, municipal areas of the region grew by 99 percent while the number of trees dropped 33 percent, said Mecklenburg water programs chief Rusty Rozzelle. Impaired waters in the Catawba River basin grew 32 percent between 1998 and 2004 alone.
Air quality
The region faces more regulatory headaches over ozone pollution, despite several years of improvement. All eight of the region's air monitoring sites will violate a new ozone standard announced in March, said Mecklenburg air chief Don Willard. The human cost of air pollution: It causes one-third to one-half of N.C. asthma cases, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates, triggering 240,000 asthma attacks and sending 6,300 people to emergency rooms each summer.
Waste management
N.C. residents send far too much recyclable material to landfills. Just 10 counties, including Mecklenburg, account for half of the state's total waste disposal. The average N.C. household recycles only a third of the 745 pounds a year of recyclables it produces each year, said Scott Mouw of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Open space
Time is running out for local governments to preserve open space, as land values soar. What Mecklenburg residents want, according to surveys: more hiking and biking trails, and large parks, said parks director Jim Garges. What they're most willing to spend tax dollars on: preservation of green space. The reality: 20 percent of the highest-priority natural areas targeted for conservation have been lost to development since 2006, and another 30 percent loss is expected soon.
Lynnsy Logue The Real Estate Lady and Condo CanDo in Charlotte
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