Charlotte NC, Concord, Kannapolis Real Estate

And why should you pay attention?

Well, if you live in Harrisburg NC already, we know that you’re just seeking news and intrigue about the town.  Small towns have that special flavor that the big cities (like our beloved Charlotte NC) just can’t seem to bottle up.  Harrisburg is perfectly located, just north and slightly east of uptown (downtown?  center city? who knows?) Charlotte NC, but over the Cabarrus County line which results in these low property taxes and superb public schools.

No, we’re not uppity-just because our average home price is 23.3% higher than the average home price in Charlotte NC.  

No, we’re not snobs-just because we successfully fought to keep Wal-Mart out of the center of town.  (I mean, come on, we’re a town of a little over 10,000 souls-a Wal-Mart in the center of town would have totally destroyed our balance with the increased traffic and crime and noise etc.)

For you folks who are new to Charlotte NC and are in the process of discovering and evaluating the outlying areas in an attempt to find the best spot for settling down, you’ll be hearing about Harrisburg NC.  You can keep your commute times low, be within 10 minutes of Concord Mills mall, send those future generations to top public schools, get a lot of house for your money (see below), and still see familiar faces at the Harris-Teeter when you’re doing your grocery shopping!

This great home for sale in Harrisburg NC is located in the Abbington neighborhood, off of Rocky River Road just east of I-485.  A full-brick home, custom designed and built by one of the area’s premiere builders, Grady Cook, with full finished basement and a huge lot…still under a million, asking price $950,000.

Come see today why Harrisburg is a breath of fresh air in the quickly growing Charlotte NC real estate market.  See why this Realtor, Leigh Brown, makes Harrisburg NC her home.  (and you’ll also quickly see why it’s also one of my favorite micromarkets for real estate investment).  Call today for your private showing of this exquisite home, or for more information on buying or selling a home in Harrisburg NC. I’m always glad to help!

You know, I think I've made this resolution before.

And I usually do a pretty darn good job of prioritizing my time, letting clients and prospects know when I am and when I am not available.

But then you get a buyer referral. And you're already busy-but it's a referral and we love those folks. (at least, I do!) And the buyers who are so anxious to purchase a home here in Charlotte NC are just chomping at the bit to go out and look.

In fact, they want to go out on: Dec 22, Dec 23, Dec 24, Dec 26, Dec 27, Dec 28, Dec 29, Dec 30, Dec 31 and Jan 1.

I know, you're all laughing right along with me! Seriously these people thought that I was only entitled to ONE day with my family at Christmas!

Sundays are my days for worship and family. I try very hard to keep that day of the week sacred. Otherwise, I will get burned out and I'll be of no use to anyone or anything. And let's be frank-I have two small kids. And I will NOT sacrifice my relationship with them to the altar of the almighty dollar.

So....long story short, I agreed to spend a couple of hours with these folks on Sunday afternoon since they were SO desperate to go buy something. I should have known better!! Whenever I've bent my own personal rules in the past, it's never worked out. Never. I thought we got along well, accomplished a fair bit and got to know one another. But then I got a call from the referring agent today that they would rather work with someone else. Someone who better understands their sense of urgency.

Fine by me. When this young couple gets married and has kids, perhaps they'll understand why I do not work on Christmas Eve. I work very very hard to ensure that my clients get the best possible representation from an agent who studies the market, the builders, the trends and can advise them accordingly. But respect goes both ways. So does commitment. Therefore, in 2008 and beyond, my schedule is my schedule and I shall refer out the folks who think that they are more important than my pumpkins.

What in the world am I thinking, you say?  Well, I figure a little new blood might be good for the town council.  We've had a lot of drama around these parts in trying to determine what we want the future of Harrisburg to be.

Stay tuned for the campaign updates (such as they are).  I'm determined to spend no more money on this campaign than the $5.00 required to file my candidacy.  It's truly ridiculous, the waste of money and trees that is represented by the little signs all over town...

Oh-and you heard it here first!!

You know, when you run your mouth as much as I do, it's hard to think of 5 things that may not be public knowledge....

But to humor Jay per his blog earlier today, here goes (more in depth than my comment, Jay). =)

1.  I'm a classically trained pianist and vocalist.  I was forced to take piano starting at age 6, fell in love with it by age 9 and have played ever since.  I teach a few students on the side just for fun!  My beloved middle and high school chorus teacher, Ken Young, showed me that I had vocal talent as well. At the time, I was the accompanist for the school choruses, and didn't think I was any good.  I wound up in a lot of competitions, sang in college, more weddings and funerals than I can list here, and spent 10 years singing with the Charlotte Symphony (currently on a break because of the kiddos and bedtime conflicts).

2.  I was a woman sales rep for Husqvarna.  yep, it WAS as much fun as you might think!  It was eye-opening to be a woman in a man's world, to say the least.  The corporate honchos trotted me out at a lot of trade shows to show how progressive they were...and I drove 5000 miles per month on average, flew out of town at least two weekends a month, was moved into new territories every 11 months to trouble-shoot.  Long story short, that got old!  Did enjoy the annual sales meeting in Stockholm though.

3.  I'm a certified OSHA logging safety instructor.  Of course, that ties in with my Husqvarna days!  i can tell LOTS of stories about logging.  It's somewhat like you imagine, and then again nothing like you imagine.  I won't share the photos I used in safety class, they will turn your stomach!

4.  I paid for college by bartending.  I had a full ride at Florida State University as a National Merit Scholar, but then made some changes-decided I didn't want to be a music major after all and was homesick, so I transferred to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  I lost the scholarship $$ when I moved, but kept all my credits.  Got a job waitressing and bartending and finished my bachelor's degree in 3 years total.

5.  I'm a certified USSSA softball umpire.  Another job I picked up in college for cash (and yes, to pick up guys!).

How's that?  More than you ever wanted to know I'll wager!

I've always been somewhat interested in politics-and the older I get, the more focused I get locally.  You can have the drama in DC, thank you very much!

Because we have plenty here in our small town of Harrisburg NC.  Just north of Charlotte NC.  You probably last heard of Harrisburg when the first edition of Big Brother hit CBS....there was a lot of information on the AP about the battles between our hard-core Southern Baptist mayor and the openly gay resident of town on Big Brother.  Yes, we're very proud that THAT is how you know where we are!

But I digress.

There has been an ongoing battle in Harrisburg over retail space and the best planning for growth.  The residents, by an overwhelming majority, do NOT want big box retail in town (specifically Wal-Mart) and the town council has been very divided on this issue.  We fought and Wal-Mart died in the town meeting.  We continued the fight over Lowe's...and after a vote that was determined to be illegal, the re-vote came out against Lowe's this past week. 

Not sure why grown men turn into children at such times...but one of our council members who is an outspoken opponent of big box was barred from the vote because he had published articles in the local paper against big box.  At which point another councilman was barred because he published FOR big box in town.  Virginia Halter wrote about this meeting earlier this week when she was forced to leave the meeting because it was 'too large for the venue.'  What a crock.  They could have moved this meeting at any time-it was well-known in town that there would be a large turnout.

In today's Charlotte Observer, another article about the big box fight in Harrisburg surfaced.  Funny how the media tends to portray our town as close-minded and anti-growth (even if not in so many words), just because we don't want Wal-Mart (the feelings are pretty open toward Target).

And to top it off, the developers behind Lowe's are threatening to SUE THE TOWN to get their store built.  Which ticks me off, that they plan to tie up the town's money and the court system to force their way into where they're not wanted (if you didn't know, we have 2 Lowe's within a 10 mile radius already).

So I guess I'll have to run for mayor to put a stop to some of this foolishness, as much as I can.

My platform?

1. I'm not the current mayor.

2. I'll change venues if it's a hot topic.

3. I'm pro-Harrisburg. And that means understanding the difference between Wal-Mart and Target.