December 31, 2013

Happy New Year from Greg Rapp and Wallace Realty!

From our house to yours ~ 
Here's wishing you, your family, and friends

Very happy, healthy, & prosperous 
New Year!




December 12, 2013

Affordable, Flexible Space in the Tri-Level Home!

The split-level home design gained a following after the TV sitcom, The Brady Bunch, debuted in 1969. America saw how a split-level house worked well for Mike and Carol Brady’s large blended family with six children, and housekeeper Alice. The exterior of the Brady’s home was modeled on one built in 1959 by Luther and Louise Carson in San Fernando Valley, CA. Many of these homes have survived and are affordable.

Split level homes offer living space on multiple levels separated by short flights of stairs up or down. The tri-level layout contains a lower-level family room , mid-level entry and public rooms, and upper-level bedrooms and bathrooms. Owners cite the casual, open layout as the biggest perk.


Take a look at 1745 Sells Road in Salisbury, North Carolina! This 3-bedroom, 1.5 bath tri-level split was built in 1967 ~ when this style of architecture was the all the rage in suburban America.

Advantages of Tri-Level Homes

Takes up less space - If you have a narrow lot, you can have more square footage without taking up more land. They're excellent as they can be built over areas with unusual slopes.
Privacy - Tri-level homes are great for people who want to shut out the rest of the house when they work on business and/or on craft projects
Beauty - Looking out at singing birds on tree limbs and down unto the road, you can gaze at all the beauty around and beneath you. You might feel as if you're living in a tree house!
Quieter - Since your main level is on the second floor, it's not as noisy.
Good exercise - You'll burn more calories and keep your legs in shape with the walking you'll do on the steps each day.
Economical - Because the home is divided into three levels, you can also divided up heating and air-conditioning zones, saving on your electric, gas or oil bill.

Most who love split level homes do because of the spaciousness they offer. Many home owners like the split’s open floor plan because it’s great for entertaining. The lower level can be easily fixed up as a as an in-law suite or teenage hang-out. Home owners with young children also like the arrangement of clustered bedrooms. Just look at this very large , 22' basement-level den with wood-burning fireplace and wall-to-wall seating-level hearth at 1745 Sells Road. Many will choose to decorate hearths like these with cushions for sitting, books, and pieces of art ~ a nice touch!
And the living room on the main level, another spacious 18' room, offers plenty of living and entertaining space with loads of natural light from the double set of 12-over-12 paned windows.

The bedrooms are on the third level. This is why the tri-level home is ideal for growing families that need privacy at different floors in home.


But in today’s tough economy, the affordable price tag is perhaps the biggest lure of the tri-level home.
 
1745 Sells Road, at just $109K for nearly 1700 square feet of space ~ large rooms ~ and a beautiful sloping yard...is just outside of Salisbury's city limits (no city taxes!).

Sometimes, in the search for your dream home, you may come across a place that with some work will be a beautiful home. You can see the potential that other buyers don't. So you are willing to do what it takes to bring the house up to current tastes or styles.

While the wood-paneled kitchen, which overlooks the dining room, might look like it needs updating ~ the entire home interior has been freshly painted, and hardwood floors throughout are a great feature! The home boasts a finished, walkout basement, with a side patio entrance.

1745 Sells Road is ready for you to move in ~ and start taking advantage of all that space! Ready to see for yourself? Call Realtor® Greg Rapp at 704.213.6846 and ask him to show you affordability in living at 1745 Sells Road, Salisbury NC!




December 10, 2013

Solid Brick ~ 3500+ Square Feet ~ for Just $350K!



301 W. Marsh Street ~ an impressive all-brick home built in largely the Craftsman Style of architecture ~ sits on a shady side street in the City of Salisbury, North Carolina. This grand 4-bedroom, 3 bath home is move in ready, and retains many of the original elements of its circa 1925 design: beveled glass windows, gleaming oak hardwood flooring, stained ash moldings throughout,and original mantel piece on the living room fireplace.

This solid brick home, with over 3500 square feet of living space, is easily a $400,000 home or more ~ with it's 23 foot living room that stretches through French doors to an adjoining sunroom ~ with it's charming kitchen with loads of cupboard space, Viking range, not one - but TWO butler's pantries, and a breakfast room with built-in storage (typical of the Arts & Crafts design) ~ and over 500 square feet of shady front porch.

Stockade style fencing surrounds the back yard ~ perfect for children and pets, and large shade trees cool the yard, house, and the surrounding neighborhood. The previous owners enjoyed fireside seating outdoors while being able to watch children at play in the yard.

At just $350,000, this grand home in the prestigious West Square Historic District of Salisbury North Carolina, is priced below its value ~ and can be yours in the snap of a finger! Because photos do not do this Craftsman home justice ~ contact Wallace
Realty agent Greg Rapp to see for yourself all the wonderful design and space elements that make 301 W. Marsh Street the special home that it is.

Call Greg Rapp at 704.213.6846 ~ one of Salisbury's most knowledgeable real estate agents in the local historic home market ~ and you can be in your new Marsh Street home by the New Year!

301 W. Marsh Street, Salisbury NC ~ MLS #54911A ~ $350,000 ~ Greg Rapp 704.213.6846



December 08, 2013

Cutest House Ever ~ SOLD ~ in 10 Days!!

On October 29, 2013, Greg Rapp, licensed Wallace Realty Realtor®, listed the Cutest House Ever ~ a home we affectionately took to calling "Grandma's Cottage". One might think that the market for a small, 2-bedroom house on a remote road might be tough, but it's not so when you have the right real estate agent!

On October 29th, 355 Dukeville Road in Salisbury, North Carolina, hit the market....and in just 10 days, Greg Rapp had "Grandma's Cottage" under contract. The entire deal was signed, sealed, delivered by December 3rd....just 35 days for the entire process!

Need to buy/sell a home or commercial property?  Contact Greg Rapp ~ 704.213.6846 ~ and get things moving!!!


December 05, 2013

Peaceful Upscale Living ~ Forest Glen Home ~ Under $300K!

The Forest Glen community of Salisbury, North Carolina has all the amenities of an upscale gated community, without (a) the gates, and (b) the prohibitive price tag!

The streets of Forest Glen take you through the impressive stone entryway, past the community center with gorgeous swimming pool, clubhouse, tennis courts, and rose garden, and gracefully wind intricately more deeply into the neighborhood through pristine landscapes and pedestrian level lighting. Many of the homes here are built on somewhat a grand scale ~ but don’t let this intimidate you!

Hidden in a private, wooded landscape, surrounded by mature shade trees…114 Glenview Drive West, one of the earlier homes built in this quiet upscale neighborhood, has all the features of the modern ‘McMansion’ without the over-scaled architecture and matching price tag. This modest home in Forest Glen has features worthy of a closer look ~ and at under $300K ~ you'll be astounded!

Don’t let outward appearances fool you! While 114 Glenview Drive West at first glance looks like it could be smaller than some of the neighboring homes, once inside this solid brick home, you’ll understand the space and great design that over 2600 square feet can give you.

This house almost whispers with the lush, thick, cream-coloured wall-to-wall carpeting throughout the 18 x 15 living room, with gas log fireplace, dining room with built-in recessed shelves, and up the stairs to the home’s two 12 x 14 upper bedrooms.

Architectural details, such as crown moldings and arched built-in shelves and nooks for displaying works of art can be found throughout the home.

The vast kitchen~breakfast room area will be one of your favorite rooms in the home. Enter the kitchen through French doors at the living room, or from nearly anywhere else along the first floor of the home.

Stretching nearly 30 feet along the rear of the home, this fabulous, bright white, entertainment kitchen has tons of cabinet and counter space, and a huge work island at its center. The warm hues of the hardwood floors, in pristine condition, set off the gleaming white of the cabinetry.



The kitchen area spills over to the breakfast room ~ which connects to a beautiful sunroom that acts as a bridge to the Master Suite, and doubles as a peaceful and unique sitting room for the Master Suite with its five arched custom 8-over-8 paned windows overlooking back yard vistas.


Double French doors take you from the kitchen to the wonderfully private sun deck overlooks the park-like back yard setting, complete with landscaping and mature trees and wooded perimeter. The back yard slopes gracefully downhill, providing loads of texture and privacy, and creating a walk-out basement area.



114 W. Glenview provides you with plenty of storage room in both the attic space and non-finished basement, as well as in the over-sized double attached garage with workroom.

Call Salisbury Realtor® Greg Rapp at 704.213.6846 to take a walk up the deep drive ~ up the curved brick walk past evergreen landscaping with in-ground irrigation systems, to 114 W. Glenview Drive, and see first-hand what having all the amenities of a private upscale community, without the prohibitive price can be about. 114 W. Glenview is in perfect, move-in condition, just waiting for your whispered footsteps to make it your next home!



November 26, 2013

Single-Story Living with Space~Space~Space ~ 411 Saint Johns Drive ~ $296.5K!

411 Saint Johns Drive, Salisbury NC ~ $296.5K
Your dream home is here! This custom-built, fully-brick home is single-story, spacious living at its best! Welcome to 411 St. John's Drive ~ a 2465 square foot home located in the St. Johns Wood neighborhood of Salisbury, North Carolina ~ a quiet 55-household neighborhood in Rowan County that includes residences on Saint Johns Drive, Young Road, and US Highway 601.

This gorgeous, nearly new, cream-colored brick home sits on over an acre of property. 411 St. Johns Drive has a very interesting and open floor plan ~ and this with its sprawling lawn offer a feeling of spaciousness both inside and out like you’ve never felt!


Inside the leaded glass front door, with leaded glass sidelites and transom, you are struck by the wide open space with warm hardwood floors stretching out before you ~ the 25’ living room straight ahead, and the nearly 18’ dining room to your left.

The sheer size of the living room, with its gas fireplace and 9-foot ceilings with crown moldings, sunlit by a bank of windows that flanks the entire back of the room, lends itself easily to entertaining on a grand scale. The living area unfolds to the breakfast area and kitchen.



The dining room ~ a gracious 18-foot room ~ is presided over by the magnificent custom triple-wide window with arched transom that equally acts as a focal point for the home's exterior. This dining area with more pristine hardwood floors and crown molding accenting the ceiling line is designed as a alcove off the front entrance and large living area.


The kitchen features recessed lighting, gleaming granite counters, and deep rich custom cherry cabinets. The lunch counter is a nice touch and makes for a great space to socialize with guests or family while the cook is at work! The hardwood floors here lead out to the adjoining breakfast area that overlooks the elevated rear patio area and picturesque back yard.




411 St. Johns Drive features a very large, 17’ x 13’, master bedroom suite has a nearly 10’ x 10’ walk-in closet, and an extra large bath, with ceramic tiled floors, a grand corner Jacuzzi tub with dual vanities flanking either side, and separate shower.



The exterior of this all-brick home is nicely landscaped with evergreen shrubs, roses, dianthus, and variegated liriope. The home has a dual-car, oversized (you can fit 2-autos AND have room for workbenches and storage!), attached garage with a small workshop area. There is more storage space in the unfinished 31’ x 16’ rough-plumbed attic.





411 St. Johns has had just one owner and is so immaculate, it looks like it was built yesterday! And…if this is all not enough, there are no city taxes at 411 St. Johns Drive!!

This 2007 custom built all-brick home with space~space~space, both indoors and out, is waiting for your visit! Call listing agent Greg Rapp today at 704.213.6846 to grasp this wonderful opportunity to own this home!


411 St. Johns Drive, Salisbury NC ~ MLS#: R55619A ~ $296,500 ~ Call Greg Rapp 704.213.6846