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http://www.thecharlottepost.com tllje Charlotte THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2006 3D REAL ESTATE Condo living pluses Whether a condominium or a house it’s better to own than to rent. Jxist like hoioses, con dos come in several varia tions. Condos not only vary in sizes, they can also vary in styles. ership. Owning a condo relieves home owners of responsibility and mainte nance. Yard work is not a pop ular chore for many but, espe cially condominium dwdlers. For a fee the complex’s homeowners association will maintain the exterior. An HOA fee normally covers maintenance cost, master insurance poHcy real estate taxes and common areas. Regardless of your age or income, you can afford a condo in Charlotte. Sale prices will vary by location and size. The amenities offered will influence the amount of the homeowners’ fees. One of the most popular condo designs is the patio home version. This plan is most popular among the elderly Individual and cou ples like homes with every thing on the main floor. Patio homes can also be built with 1 or 2 car garages. Condominiums are not always built new. You can find numerous conversions of existing structures. Many older apartment buildings around the dty are convert- their compleces into con- dconiniums and selling them off as individual units. This concept is very popular near the Uptown area. Don’t be surprised to see some dis carded commercial building converted into condos. The second most popular condominium style is the two-story townhouse plan. Some of these designs give you the feel of being in a sin gle family home. You can also purchase condos with 1 or 2 car garages. The smallest condo is the studio/loft floor plan. Howev er, if you want to spend the money you can purchase a larger loft/studio design. Stu dios located near the dty are popular options of younger couples and single people who work in the Uptown area and/or desire the dty way of hfe. In the last decade the Uptown area has become a hveher location. What once was a weekend and after work ghost town is now con sistently fuU of people and activities. This means that people are spending money in the dty hke they do in bigger dties. In fall 2005, Bobcats Arena opened, which brought new exdtement and sodal events to Uptown. The value of real estate around Uptown is already pricey and has increased in value. The three rules of real ' estate remain tiie same all over the world, location, loca tion and location. Real estate will only gain value over time. No matt^ if it is a house or a condo it’s valuable real estate if it is in a desir able location. ROLAND K. HAWKINS is a Real Estate Agent with Coldwell Banker United Realtors. He can be reached at (704) 840-5762 or via the internet; http:\wmvjx)landhawkins.com PHOTOS/ARA CONTEf^ Modern kitches reveal a range of color schemes that go beyond the traditional. Real kitchens, real trends ARTICLE RESOURCE ASSOCIATION It’s easy to open decorating maga zines and daydream about aU the expensive, cutting-edge kitchens inside. But when it comes time to put their cash on the barrelhead for a new kitchen, what are consumei's actually willing to pay for? A nationwide survey this spring of more than 500 kitchen dealers, spon sored by Decorative cabinets and Kitchen and Bath Design News, asked that very question. Dealers imanimously said their business is booming - but that customers aren’t necessarily buying into every trend that comes along ‘T think the biggest thing this sur vey taught us is that people are spending more today on their kitchens than ever - usually between $25,000 and $75,000. But they’re still spending carefully,” said Elliot Sefiin, pubhsher of Kitchen and Bath Design News, a monthly trade piibli- cation for kitchen designers. “After all, they have to live with their decision for a very long time. They’re only willing to spend money on things they believe will truly make their lives easier,” he added. While the survey uncovered vol umes of detail about customer prefer ences, from knobs to cabinets to appliances, it also revealed some cen tral kitchen-industry truths: IVaditional designs are in, but traditional colors are out When asked to rank design styles in order of popularity dealers coast to coast generally ranked TVaditional as number one, followed by Mission/Prairie Style, Old World European, Tbansitional, and Country Modem/Eurostyle was dead last. ‘Tt makes sense,” said Jill Ross, designer for Drexel Interiors, a deal er of Decora kitchens in Oak Creek, 'TOs. “Customers want timeless looks ... something they know theyTl like just as well in 10 years. And the majority of houses are traditional in design, so traditional kitchens just flow better,” she added. While traditional kitchen designs may be popular, the standard tradi tional color scheme of bam reds, but ter yellows, himter greens and corn flower blues has been, knocked from the top spot by a more “transitional” color palette of earth tones, with deep dark chocolates, vibrant greens, warm beiges and pumpkins. Metalhc tones such as bronzes and nickel finishes are also in vogue, deal ers said. Robin’s egg blue, lavender, and rich e^plant are aU popular with incoming customers, who want to freshai their homes with color. White kitchens: Not dead yet The white/off-white kitchen, that icon of the 1990s, is a long, long way from life support, dealers say In fact, a majority said it’s stiU the most pop ular cabinet color they specify “This one surprised even us,” said Cathy Hitz, brand manager for Deco ra, an Indiana-based maker of semi custom cabinets, which are Sold through more than 1,000 deal^ nationwide. ‘What I think we are sedi^ with white kitchens, though, is a greater sophistication ...the iise of chocolate ^azes over white to subtly accent more complex moldings, or white cab inets paired with accent cabinets in black or dark brown for the base or island,” she said. And, in fact, there is considerable tmth to the industry trend spotting, which saj/s that light, natural wood cabinets with subtle glazes will be the next big trend. In fact, natural wood cabinets in maples and light cherry were a very close second to white, with traditional dark cherry or mahogany finishes, and contempo rary deep brown shades trailing behind. Some luxury items are becoming standard When dealers were asked where their customers were most likely to spend their money a few very clear winners emerged, namely granite countertops, elaborate mantle hoods over the cooktop, nickel finish faucets and knobs, and pull-out spce rack cabinets. But what feature won by the largest margin? The pull-out garbage can cabinet. “Used to be, the kitchen was stuck back in an imused comer of the house, away from the action. But now, with open floor plans, kitchens are looking a lot more like furniture. Molding embellishments hke mantle hoods and columns help define the space and create important focal points in wide open spaces,” said EUen Cheever, a well-known kitchen designer, design educator, and colum nist for KBDN. “The kitchen is now the hub of the house, and they are demandir^ that it function well. They want to plan their kitchen storage down to the square inch with storage accessories, so theyh never have to stoop or look disorganized in front of guests. They want the best hardware and faucets, which function hke jewelry in the room. And isn’t the pull out garbage can just the great equalizer? Who amoi^ us wants to dig aroimd for the recycling and garbage bins, after aU?” she added. Growing luxury trends help drive sales Even if you aren’t a gourmet cook, high-end professional apphances have their appeal. In fact, a majority •of dealers in this survey reported that they specify kitchens with high-end, professional grade apphances at least half the time. “Stainless steel finish apphances have been popular for a lor^ time now. But most of my customers aren’t just content to have a lower end apphance with a stainless finish. They want the six-burner range, the large capacity refiigerators and the highly-engineered dishwashers. Even if they hardly have time to cook, they want to feel they have the facUi- ti^ to entertain a crowd in style,’’ said Bonnie Settle, a designer and dealer of Decora cabinets at Corner stone Design in Atlanta, Ga. Dealers also noted the growing pop- • ularity of imder-the-coimter apph- anc^, hke wine chillers and beverage centers, which keeps special items fiom crowding the refiigerator. How to repaint professionally ARTICLE RESOURCE ASSOCIATION Are you hosting a graduation party this summer'^ Or perhaps you’re welcoming out-of-town relatives or throwing a wedding shower for your best friend. Nothing'motivates homeowners to spruce up their house like tiie prospect of entertaining. And while you want your home to look great, it would be nice if it didn’t cost a fortune or take too much valuable summer weekend time to get the job done. Even jobs that seem ove-- whelmii^ can be tamed with the right tools. For example, the tools avail able for repainting the exterior of your house have come a long way in the past few years. A quick trip to your local hard ware store or big box retailer can provide you with aU the sup plies you need to get the job done. And you’U probably be pleasantly surprised how easy the new generation of jaoducts makes this home improvement chore. The first and most tedious step in paintii^ your home is getting rid of loose or flaking paint and propping the surface for the fi^sh paint. A better propped surface means that the new paint goes on smoother, adheres better and lasts loiter. A new innovative tool from Wag ner Spray Tfech makes quids work of this process. The one-step, patent pending PaintEater system eUminates traditional time consuming and labor intensive steps of exterior paint prep. It removes chipped, peeMng paint, feathers rough edges and smoothes the surface in one easy process so you can be ready to paint more qviickly The PaintEater is pafect for do- it-yourselfer. It’s hghtweight, yet tough and maneuverable with an eigonomic design that aUows for multiple hand posi tions. The high-powered machine combines with the tough, 3M Coating Removal disc to create a perfect surface for repainting. PHOTO/ARACONTEr^
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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June 15, 2006, edition 1
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