Charlotte Living

                                                 We recently acquired a new real estate prospect via our website, TheHouse4U.com. She appeared to be, by all accounts, a very nice person. I had a pleasant first conversation where I answered several real estate and mortgage questions of a common nature. This was followed by a second equally pleasant talk about the specifics of her needs and wants, her motivation and of course her time frame and availability. The second conversation was going well when my new potential client asked me to briefly speak to ˜her friend™ who had some questions of her own. œOf course was my response, after all this was not uncommon especially since her friend informed me she was a former Realtor from Florida (red flag). The friend proceeded to ask me if I intended to have my new prospect (her œclose friend) sign a Buyer Agency agreement and I responded œideally¦ YES!  As a fella that™s driven around the real estate block more than once, I always attempt to have a potential client I deem serious, sign a Buyer Agency agreement. This tells me that the person is as committed to me as I am to them and that I take my profession seriously. This is not to say I won™t work with a verbal agreement but I prefer not to do so. She replied œGREAT! I told my friend that™s a sign of a true professional to which I replied œbless you. Now, I have no problem taking a friend or family member on showings with a client so long as they are there for positive moral support¦ this friend was not.

Since I was involved with another client, it was left to my wife and real estate partner Lisa Martin to entertain the showings for our new client. Lisa and I were unaware of the friend™s intentions until the first showing and upon entering the house, the cat was out of the bag and the Jersey was out of the mouth. œI just want to let you know that my job here today is to point out EVERYTHING I find wrong with these houses! was this woman™s battle cry and as she strapped on her sword and microscope… she went to war on the first house. Clearly, Lisa and I have been on numerous showings where we have had to deal with the ˜anal™ buyer and that™s OK, after all I was the same way. However, it™s one thing to be critical about any given house; it™s another thing entirely to blow it out of the water for the sake of doing so. This so called friend went so far as to say of the first house that the AC unit was too small and will have to be replaced (on a seven year old house). It was at this point that Lisa had to put her foot down and stand her ground having endured thirty minutes of a verbal demolishing of this home which by the way she had already been to twice having looked in the windows, spoke to the neighbors and driven the area. Now Lisa is a real people person and a very patient person, Lord knows if you™re with me you have to be¦ but, it was ON. Lisa simply pointed out that there are not only building codes that have to be adhered to upon construction but that the only way to draw a logical and educated conclusion was to see what a home inspector had to say. This prompted the œknow it all retaliation until Lisa had to diffuse the situation not wanting to stress out the potential buyer¦ too late. The rest of the showings took a similar course.

If either one of us had known that this person was on a mission to sabotage her friends dream of owning a new house we would have saved a lot of time (it wasn™t like she had a condo coming on the market that she wanted her friend to buy¦oh wait, she does). It turned out that not only was ˜the friend™ never a Realtor but that we were not the first agents to take the duo out. Now we cut our losses and learned a valuable lesson, our former client however, has more to learn. If one goes on a date and has a friend along that points out every flaw in her date and even inventing a few¦ there will never be a  second date much less a marriage down the road. Although a blanket is there to protect and keep one warm¦ when it™s a wet blanket, you will always be left out in the cold.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   -JOHN MARTIN

Here at TheHouse4U.com we always try to inform you about the lastest and most exciting events in Charlotte, NC. Open nightly, Carolina Christmas is one of the largest holiday light shows in the United States, featuring a spectacular 2.5-mile drive-through course with nearly 500 different L.E.D., or light emitting diode, light displays, a live Nativity scene in a realistic Bethlehem-themed village, carriage rides, a marshmallow roasting pit and themed areas for children with food, music, rides and photos with Santa.

The art of candle making can be traced back thousands of years, however craftsman Jerry Hearst began his career making candles 25 years ago in Texas Hill Country. Hearst creates candles of many different colors and designs, but the most unique aspect about his candles is that they are hand carved and refillable, because when they burn, only the center melts.

œThey light up and glow like glass when they are burning, explained Hearst. œEvery place on the candle, where an opening is cut to the core, makes them flicker like a stained glass window.

The outside thickness of the wax has a much higher melting point than the center, therefore when the candle is burnt the outside doesn™t melt. Eventually a cylindrical hole burns down the center of the candle and that hole can be refilled with a smaller candle, making the original candle act like a candle holder for long term use.

œI™ve been actively using the same candle for 25 years, said Hearst. œThat candle is the best candle I have ever owned.

The most distinctive pieces Hearst makes are his scenery candles which he hand carves. His favorite hand-carved candle is called, œStorm Castle, that when lit, the windows of the castle glow as well as lightning bolts in the sky.

Hearst™s display can be found in The Shoppes at the North Pole and his unique masterpieces start at only $25.

Located in the South Pole, visitors can stop by Bethlehem Village, which features a live Nativity scene with more than 30 participants and live animals. Bethlehem Village also houses a blacksmith and basket weaver among other attractions.

The village blacksmith, Shane Stainton, hails from the Adirondack Mountains of New York and has been practicing his trade for 10 years. A self-taught craftsman, Stainton acquired his skill by trial and error, internet research and watching other professionals in the business.

œI got online and Google-searched a lot, explained Stainton. œI read a lot of articles and tried to build some things. I made a lot of mistakes, but I learned from them. I sought out other blacksmiths and would watch them, I still meet with other smiths and we teach each other things.

Stainton is a full-time knife maker who works an average of 60 hours a week. His knives range in price from $35 to his most expensive $5,000, a knife featuring a fossilized mammoth ivory handle, wired gold wire inlay, engraving on the ricasso (the flat section of the blade between the guard and the start of the bevel) and file work down the spine.

Although knife work is Stainton™s main focus, he makes time in his busy schedule to travel to renaissance fairs and knife shows around the country attending a couple of major shows a year where he shows off his skills and vintage equipment.

œThe anvil I use was cast in 1861 in Brooklyn, N.Y., and my blower was made in 1902 in Lancaster, Pa., said Stainton. œMost of the rest of my tools I made myself, ˜By hammer and hand do all other arts stand.™

Also located in Bethlehem Village is basket maker, Teresa Yoder, of Midland, N.C. Yoder, a self-proclaimed crafty person, began the art of basket making four years ago.

œI™m a craft person, said Yoder. œI™ve done everything from pottery and stained glass to quilting and knitting. When I started making baskets I loved it and it just fit. I liked it so much I started to teach basket weaving.

Yoder shares her skill in retirement homes, churches and even gives lessons in her home.

Baskets are complex works of art and Yoder has basket making down to a science.

œFirst of all, I have to decide what type of basket I am going to make, explained Yoder. œThere is a lot of mathematics that goes into it. The weave I do must be divisible by a certain number, otherwise you have to use too many spokes. Then I have to decide the material and color because I dye all of my own reeds. After I˜m finished weaving, I put a solution on it so it won™t be dry and brittle, that way it will last an eternity.

Yoder has made nearly 400 baskets since starting four years ago and they range in price from $8 to $250.

Operating hours for Carolina Christmas are 6 to 10 p.m. through Jan. 2, 2011, rain or shine. Tickets are available online at www.visitcarolinachristmas.com or at the gate nightly during event hours for drive-up traffic. Admission is just $20 per passenger vehicle, with group and motorcoach packages available.  

Coupons for a $4 discount off admission can be found on select packages of Coca-Cola products at your Charlotte area grocer or get a $3 off coupon on receipts with select purchases at area Lowe™s Home Improvement Warehouse stores. A $2 off coupon is available in the Concord Mills Mall coupon book.

Families may also take advantage of The Speedway Club’s holiday dinners and Carolina Christmas packages, which include a speedway-provided ride through the Carolina Christmas display. Individual meals start at just $20 per adult, and family-style meals are also available. For more information, call 1-800-455-FANS (3267) or visit www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.

For daily updates, connect with Charlotte Motor Speedway on Facebook at www.facebook.com/charlottemotorspeedway or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CLTMotorSpdwy.

As we all know the last year has been a great time to buy.  If you  you were buying a first time home, a foreclosure, a short sale (yuk!) or even retail (and there are some motivated buyers out there)…2010 was your year. But hey, you haven’t missed the boat. According to Freddie Mac, Thirty-year fixed-rates loans are likely to remain below 5% throughout the year and initial rates of 5/1 hybrid adjustable-rate mortgages will likely to remain below 4% in 2011. Now the key here, if you’re wanting to purchase in 2011, is to focus on the first half of the year. Although great opportunities will abound year round, I expect a gradual but sustained recovery in the second half of 2011. Also keep in mind that if a seller has a home listed in the winter months, that is usually an indicator of a very motivated seller and although no one wants to give their home away, you can find some real bargins as you can see for yourself in this property search.  BUT…sellers keep your head up. As I’ve said before, 2011 will be the year prices level off and then (fingers crossed) start to slowly rise as the foreclosures get sold off and modifications become more effective, the retail market will strengthen albeit slowly. More to come. Please visit TheHouse4U.com for more real estate news. Peace

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