Merry Oaks Neighborhood Association

Newsletter Jan 2002

Merry Oaks Real Estate Report

Newsletter Jan 2002

If you need to see the archived, full paper copies of newsletter, contact Nancy Pierce Shaver.

Events
Jan 24, 7-9 p.m. General Meeting. Agenda included safety update, MONA into the future, Park and Rec update and neighborhood improvement project update.
Jan 26 tree seedling sale
Feb 9, Eastern Hills Baptist Church hosted a Central Ave. International Festival
Oct 21 a neighborhood picnic was held at Merry Oaks Elementary School and included music by Charlotte Folk Society.

Apr 20 Briar Creek Walk

Special Feature: Yearly Merry Oaks Real Estate Report by Lexi Longstreet, llongstreet@carolina.com

Jan, 2002. The Charlotte real estate market hit a soft spot this (past) year but the Merry Oaks neighborhood has seemed to skid around it without much impact. The Charlotte Multiple Listing Service (MLS) only recorded sixteen home sales in Merry Oaks this year. That is less than last year, which had twenty-six sales. Two condos in Woodmere sold this year – compared to four in 2000. A 1BR condo sold for $38,700 and a 2BR for $54,000. The least expensive home was $79,000 for the “Smurf” house on Arnold. As you all know that house was in bad shape and has since had some work done on it. The highest price house was over $165,000 for a great home on Arnold Drive. In between we saw sales from $92,500-$105,000 for smaller homes, most in relatively good shape with some major updates. Updates may have included, central air, refinished hardwood floors, nicely landscaped yards or remodeled baths. The market then took a jump to the $120’s for larger brick ranches with over 1300 sf. With few exceptions the majority of these houses were really nice. Most had two full baths, fireplaces, hardwood floors, some had great garages and workshops, some beautiful screen porches and yards and “showed” very well.
Homes that needed work either cosmetic or mechanical were running around $75-85 a sf. The average price per sf was $93.72. That is a little over a 9% increase from 2000 which recorded an average of $85.63 per sf. The most amazing jump was in the average home price. The average price was $117,280 and the median price was $123,457. The average sales price in 2000 was just $98,354. That’s an increase of almost $19,000. Now that’s something to celebrate!
The year started out with a bang, as homes sold pretty fast, a few in less than a week. But after September 11th, everything slowed down a bit and it took several months for the real estate market to start moving again. The average number of days on the market was 38 with half the homes sold selling in under 35 days. The average days on market for the city of Charlotte is over 90.
As you can tell by these figures, Merry Oaks is a great investment. As you and your neighbors continue to make improvements in your homes and yards the prices continue to increase – in leaps and bounds. As a Realtor I see a lot of homes every year. This year (early 2001), I can say one of the most inexpensive set of improvements that seems to make homes sell quicker – if not for money, is landscaping. Having a pretty bed of flowers near the front door or a private sitting area in the backyard can be done for relatively little money and may be the “feature” that makes your home a – “shiny penny.”
In the real estate business there is an expression for houses that are decorated and show well – agents call them a “shiny penny”. These are houses that you want to show your clients. Shiny pennies – are clean, the hardwood floors sparkle, the yards are manicured – they might even have a fire going in the fireplace when you step in to show. These houses are easy to sell..they practically sell themselves. To me that is what Merry Oaks is fast becoming. More and more yards are getting fixed up, houses are being painted, trash and junk is being hauled away – sidewalks are being installed..all these features make Merry Oaks a shiny penny. When I’m showing a client houses I always try to show them something in Merry Oaks. Sometimes it may take a few days, but they usually ask me…”remember that neighborhood, the one off Central….what was that called? I think I want to look for a house in there. That looked like a friendly neighborhood.” And, I say, that’s Merry Oaks!
What makes it so friendly is the people! So I thought I’d tell you about some of your newer neighbors. You’ve got a film director and musician, a ballet dancer, a banker or two, a bed and breakfast manager, a paralegal and a photographer, a master gardener and an artist or two. There’s a carpenter and a make-up artist, a wine salesman, a social worker and antique dealer, a location scout, an electrician, a prop master and grip who work on movies…oh yeah, and another banker or two. (And those are just the ones I know.) That’s what I call a good mix!

Neighborhood News and Updates

Neighborhood News and Updates
The January 2002 newsletter recapped the displeasure of Arnold residents at the removal of trees and paving of an entire front yard at Central and Arnold. Since the paving is against City Code, “The MONA Board is currently working with the owner of the property who says he will relandscape soon (it is the area directly behind the well-kept Medicine Shop). The City inspector notified the owners of the paved yard, but follow-through is slow. By City Code they are required to have some green area, and they must provide a buffer between their business and the residential homes. However, concrete is hard to move, so we expect they are wafflling. Contact Brian Sifford if you suspect a zoning violation at 704-336-3575. Or, contact Nancy Pierce Shaver if you can help work on this.

Skating Rink: Danny and Lisa Schisler, 704-536-0800 invited neighbors to skate free on Fri, Feb. 15. They are making improvements, changing the music style and eliminating the Sat. night dances which has drawn unruly crowds in the past and planning for a more family oriented rink.

Exxon: Trammel Crow is handling the sale of the property at Central and Eastway.

Park and Rec invests in Charlotte East: Evergreen Nature Preserve, only ½ mile from Merry Oaks will be a reality!. The County approved purchase of 30 wooded acres southwest of Reddman Road behind Firethorne Condos for a District Park.

Briar Creek Greenway: at the time of this newsletter, the County was working on getting the necessary easement from the Charlotte Country Club for a bridge that will cross the creek to the trail off Arnold Drive.

Park Apartments: increased security, new manager is Tammy Cavaliere. She welcomes phone calls from neighbors with concerns about the Park at 704-536-5208. Fences are up so that the entrance at Roseview (Arnold Drive) will now only be a pedestrian entrance.