Lake Wylie Blog

Escape hectic life in Heron Cove

January 14, 2016 by lkw_df Leave a Comment

Heron Cove on Lake Wylie is the best of work and play. Its location makes traveling to Charlotte or Rock Hill a quick commute, less than 20 minutes for both. For recreation, all of Lake Wylie’s 12,000-plus acres is out your door to be enjoyed!

The neighborhood of 104 home sites, located just west of the Buster Boyd Bridge, is full of custom homes built by 5 builders on lots of a half acre to 1.5 acres. There is a community pool, walking trails and Lake Park for residents to enjoy.

The nearby River Hills Plantation Country Club features an 18-hole golf course, tennis courts, a fitness center and other amenities. Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden is nearby, as is Coffer Dam, one of the best fishing spots on the lake. McDowell Nature Preserve is just across the bridge on Highway 49. The 1,100-acre preserve is largely undeveloped and home to lots of wildlife.

Homes in Heron Cove range from the $400,000s to $900,000s. According to the Heron Cove Web site, there are still interior and waterfront lots available.

Currently, there are 3 homes listed on the market in Heron Cove. Over the last 12 months fewer than 1 home per month has sold. The average sales price is $486,737. The average price per square foot is just under $127.

Six homes sold in Heron Cove in 2015 for an average of 98% of list price.

If you’re interested in living on the lake then take a look in Heron Cove. The real estate market heats up with the weather, and you don’t want to miss out on Lake Wylie life!

Belmont: A little town with a lot going for it

January 13, 2016 by lkw_df Leave a Comment

Long-ago dependent on the textile industry for its lifeblood, the city of Belmont now stands on its own as a thriving suburb of Charlotte.

Downtown Belmont has a small town feel with locally owned boutiques, restaurants and a general store. Rest assured, you can still find modern-day services and amenities, too. It’s also home to the gorgeous Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden and Belmont Abbey College, a private liberal arts Catholic college.

The town is great for outdoor recreational activities and raising a family.

Getting to and from Belmont in Gaston County is a breeze. Interstate 85 passes through, as does Wilkinson Boulevard (US-74). Charlotte/Douglas airport is just 7 miles to the East.

Belmont is situated on a peninsula of land formed by the Catawba River and one of its tributaries, the South Fork Catawba River.

As of Jan. 13, there are 184 properties listed for sale in Belmont. Several of those homes are waterfront. There are also a few new construction waterfront homes in McLean, South Shore and The Conservancy neighborhoods, located southwest of downtown Belmont near the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden.

List prices range from nearly $2 million for a 6,800-square-foot-plus 2005 waterfront home in Misty Waters subdvision to under $30,000 for a small inland home that is north of I-85 toward Mt. Holly.

There are currently a total of 95 waterfront homes listed on all of Lake Wylie, with an average price of nearly $780,000.

Eighty-seven percent of the homes sold in Gaston County in 2015 fell into the less than $250,000 category. The $250,000 to $500,000 range accounted for 12.4% of the market, and the remaining 0.5% went to homes $500,000-$1 million and above.

Palisades brings nature home

January 7, 2016 by lkw_df Leave a Comment

Just south of the Buster Boyd Bridge on the North Carolina side of Lake Wylie is the awe-inspiring 1,500 acre master-planned community of The Palisades, where Mother Nature and modern lifestyle peacefully coexist.

The Palisades actually comprises 15 different named neighborhoods built by one of the community’s 5 builders. Outside your front door is all Lake Wylie has to offer in the way of water sports and fantastic views. In addition, there is a residents club, country club and golf course and recreational facilities.

The effort to preserve nature, green spaces and watersheds earned the community an Audubon International Certification. Residents can enjoy that nature on the community’s numerous trails.

Home prices range from the low $200,000 area to well over $1 million. There are new homes and lots on the market as well as previously occupied homes. The Palisades offers a limited number of waterfront homes sites.

As of Jan. 7, there are 74 homes on the market in The Palisades, 23 of which are under contract. Many of the homes listed are new construction.

During the last 12 months, an average of 7.1 homes sold per month in The Palisades. Given the number of homes currently for on the market, that is more than 10 months inventory. Nearby Riverpointe has about the same amount of inventory. Charlotte and Mecklenburg County each as 3.8 months inventory.

The average sales price in The Palisades during the last 12 months is just over $463,000, with an average price per square foot of $113.12.

The highest price of a home sold during the last year is $950,000; the lowest sold for $268,700.

Market spotlight: Forest Cove

January 6, 2016 by lkw_df Leave a Comment

The waterfront neighborhood of Forest Cove is the best of both worlds offering proximity to the northern end of Lake Wylie as well as an easy commute to the larger city amenities of Charlotte, which is a mere 20 minutes away.

While some Forest Cove homes are waterfront, all home owners have access to community boat slips. The neighborhood is 3 miles from the beautiful Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens and 7 miles from quaint downtown Belmont.

Just 4 homes in Forest Cove have sold in the last 12 months. Those homes sold for an average of 97% of list price. Currently, there are 2 homes on the market in Forest Cove, one of which is a waterfront property built in the mid-1980s.

The highest sold price for the last 12 months is $451,500; the lowest sold price is $285,000.

In the last 12 months, an average of 0.3 homes have sold per month. With 2 currently on the market, that gives Forest Cove about 6 months of inventory, which is slightly higher than Belmont’s 5.7 months of inventory.

The average sales price and average price per square foot for during the last 12 months is $344,875 and $110.36, respectively.

Living the good life in Lake Shore

December 31, 2015 by lkw_df Leave a Comment

The gorgeous, mature neighborhood of Lake Shore is a golfing and water lover’s dream come true!

Lake Shore residents can enjoy access to a 27-hole golf course, fitness center, pool, tennis courts and recreation area.

The homes in Lake Shore were primarily built in the early 2000s. They range in size from around 2,000 square feet to more than 5,000 square feet.

In the last year, an average of 2.2 homes have sold each month in Lake Shore. That number is trending downward to less than 1 home sold per month in the last 3 months.

Currently, there are 9 Lake Shore homes on the market, which is approximately 4.2 months of inventory. Three of those home are under contract, as of Dec. 31. Lake Shore has less inventory than nearby Serenity Point, which has 10.2 months inventory. Tega Cay as a whole has more than 6 months inventory.

The average sales price for the last 12 months is just over $400,000. The price per square foot during the last 12 months is $120.36.

During the last year, 20 homes sold in Lake Shore. The average discount off list price is 1.6%. Several homes sold for more than list price, which is a great sign for sellers when the market picks up in spring 2016!

Catawba Park revision presented, vote soon

December 29, 2015 by lkw_df Leave a Comment

A Rock Hill-based engineering company presented Tega Cay City Council with its latest plans for a proposed recreational park facility that potentially will span 62 acres below New Gray Rock Road, across the river from Westminster Park.

Campco Engineering presented its revised plan Dec 21. A vote is expected in January, according to a Rock Hill Herald report.

Tega Cay owns 10 acres. The city is in talks with Duke Energy and Clear Springs Baxter for an additional 52 acres.

The site along the river would add sports fields, picnic shelters, a canoe/kayak launch, playgrounds and restrooms, among other amenities. The site already has a boat ramp and fishing areas, according to the report.

The final design planning could take six months. Design approval for the city’s 10 acres means work could start on that parcel of land sooner while agreements with the other land owners are negotiated.

Spotlight on Forest Bay

December 27, 2015 by lkw_df Leave a Comment

Six miles south of downtown Belmont on a peninsula of land between the Catawba River and the northernmost finger of Lake Wylie lies Forest Bay subdivision. The enclave of luxury homes offers lakeside living without giving up proximity to metro Charlotte.

Forest Bay is easily accessible from downtown Belmont via Highway 273 and a short drive from the beautiful Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden.

The majority of established homes were built in the early 2000s, however, there are 2 lots available for sale in the subdivision as of Dec. 26.

The average number of homes sold per month during the last 12 months is less than 1. No homes have sold in Forest Bay during the last 3 months. The highest sales price in the last 12 months was $1.045 million and lowest sales price was just shy of $450,000.

The average sales price for the last 12 months is $739,500 and average price per square foot at just over $157. Because so few homes are sold in the neighborhood annually, the average sales price and average price per square foot data for the last 12 months is not enough to draw conclusions about overall trends for the neighborhood. The data appear to show a downward trend, however, it represents only 3 home sales.

Currently, there are 2 homes on the market in Forest Bay, one of which is under contract. The subdivision has 8 months of inventory, slightly higher than the 6.2 and 5.8 months inventory for Belmont and all of Gaston County, respectively.

The real estate market tends to cool with the weather and pick up in the spring. Forest Bay has fantastic options for finding a dream home near the lake or building it from the ground up on one of its available lots.

Spotlight on Somerset at Autumn Cove

December 22, 2015 by lkw_df Leave a Comment

Maybe you cannot afford the lakeside home of your dreams that costs well over $1 million…yet. That’s okay. Somerset at Autumn Cove homes start in the low $220s and offer the amenities and views of the lake without breaking the bank.

Eastwood Homes is still building out the neighborhood, which offers a community pool, walking trails and a boat storage area. If picking out one of 11 floor plans and design details isn’t your cup of tea, there are currently 13 homes on the market there that are move-in ready. Seven of those listings are already under contract.

The highest list price is currently $850,000 and lowest $226,990. The average sold price is just over $321,000.

The number of homes sold per month is approximately 1.7 for the last 12 months.
That number is up to 2.3 for the last 3 months. The average sales price and price per square foot are also trending upward to just over $320,000 and nearly $112, respectively.

Somerset has about 7.8 months of inventory on the market right now, given that fewer than 2 homes per month are selling. Established Autumn Cove at Lake Wylie has just under 3 months of inventory on the market. Clover and York County both average about 7 months of inventory.