Blog
Mortgage Rates Fall Once Again—but Rising Home Prices Mean That Buyers Shouldn’t Expect Savings
By Jacob Passy cmart7327 / iStock Mortgage rates are still near record lows, but that isn’t making owning a home cheaper for home buyers any longer. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 2.91% for the week ending Aug. 27, dropping eight basis points from the week prior, Freddie Mac reported Thursday. The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage also fell eight... Read More
Pulse: Land Buyers and Sellers Don’t Cool Their Heels During Election Years
According to the June LANDTHINK Pulse results, 73.2% of respondents indicated that an election year does not affect their decision to buy or sell land. Every election year feels different than the one before it, but 2020 may be one of the most unique election years ever. It will go down as one of the most chaotic, tumultuous... Read More
Leave It like You Found It: Sustainable Forestry
Jay Mark Hendrix When the Europeans began to colonize North America around 1630, it’s estimated that the land that would become the United States was made up of over 1 billion acres of forest, or about 46% of the total land area. By 1907, forest land in the U.S. had declined to around 758 million... Read More
Virtual Staging and the Future Of Real Estate
Hermann Samano Staging a home for sale has been a tool used by real estate agents and sellers for years. When a home is beautifully staged, it can be a real lure for potential buyers. The process of home staging involves a lot of heavy lifting, rearranging furniture, and intense attention to details and decorating.... Read More
10 National Parks You Have to See to Believe
Jay Mark Hendrix Congress signed an Act establishing Yellowstone National Park “as a public park or pleasuring-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people” on March 1, 1872, and placed it “under exclusive control of the Secretary of the Interior.” There are certain places in the United States that can take your breath away because of... Read More
How to Plan an Outdoor Movie Night
BY DOUGLAS CALHOUN See the stars in your own backyard … on your DIY big screen, that is. In the height of summer, your backyard or porch is headquarters for family time and date night alike. Combine both, and cue up a movie on your DIY movie screen for a staycation highlight. A bedsheet or table... Read More
Open Field: History of the Acre
Jay Mark Hendrix If you’ve ever dealt with any type of real property, whether it’s undeveloped land, commercial space to set up a business, or residential property to buy your new home, then you’re familiar with the acre. Square feet and acres are the standard units of measurement we use to describe the size of... Read More
How to Create Your Ultimate Outdoor Kitchen
BY NATALIE WISE Create a beautiful outdoor cooking space for relaxing and entertaining all summer long. As summer approaches and temperatures start to rise, no one wants to spend time inside sweating over a hot stove. With an outdoor kitchen, you can make the most of the beautiful warm nights by spending them with your friends... Read More
Where We’re Growing: Charlotte’s Suburbs Headed for a Surge
The spots that analysts eye as high-growth spots for 2025—and beyond. Greg Lacour A rendering of the River District project, planned for the Catawba River’s eastern bank and the largest land development in Mecklenburg County since Ballantyne in the early 1990s.COURTESY It can be as hard to find an affordable place to live in Charlotte’s... Read More
How to Choose the Right Piece of Land to Build a Home
Jay Mark Hendrix The prospect of building your own home is extremely exciting. Creating the environment you and your family will spend much of the future and customizing it exactly the way you want, as opposed to the way somebody else wants, sounds great. And often times it is, but there’s a very important point... Read More