Historic Circa 1897 Old Salisbury Firehouse ~ SOLD by Greg Rapp

On the evening of Tuesday, February 18th, 2014, REALTOR® Greg Rapp posted the following article in www.realestatesalisbury.com:

http://www.realestatesalisbury.net/2014/02/historic-firehouse-for-sale-right-in.html

That same evening, Greg posted the article to his Salisbury North Carolina Real Estate Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Salisbury-North-Carolina-Real-Estate/159392450884081).

By 7:30am on Wednesday, February 19th, Greg got a call from local businessman Todd Littleton to purchase the historic Old Salisbury Firehouse at 113 S. Lee Street in the heart of downtown Salisbury's entertainment district.  Today ~ Tuesday April 8, 2014 ~ they close the deal ~ and the circa 1897 Firehouse will begin its next reincarnation.

Actually, Greg's phone, email, and Facebook pages blew up when he posted this building for sale.  It's the advantage of being a REALTOR® with online presence!  And as one of the most unique and perhaps 'coolest' buildings in downtown Salisbury NC, its availability sparked interest from a good many people interested in locating businesses in the thriving downtown district.

Local bar Benchwarmers’ owner Todd Littleton, who said work will begin soon on a $500,000 makeover of that business' exterior at 113 E. Fisher St., may open a small-batch brewery and taproom in the historic Old Salisbury Firehouse around the corner at 113 S. Lee St.  Because a facade renovation and microbrewery development aren’t enough to keep him busy, Littleton also has purchased a 10,000-square-foot former transmission shop at 215 E. Innes St. next to the old Foil Motor Building, which he plans to turn into a live music venue. That will take about five years, he said.  He praised plans by other downtown developers and business owners to expand or redevelop properties.  Littleton said it will take all these components coming together for Downtown Salisbury really be a destination.  Salisbury already has a thriving theater scene ~ we are almost there. (read the Salisbury Post article by Emily Ford HERE)

“The district itself is holding its own. The businesses that are there are bringing in quite a bit of traffic to that area, including Uncle Bucks and Go Burrito,” said Greg Rapp, the real estate agent who represented Littleton in the sale of the circa 1897 Old Salisbury Firehouse.  People like Rapp and Mark Lewis, president of Downtown Salisbury, Inc., say the entertainment district expands beyond the bricks to include businesses on the periphery of East Fisher Street like Go Burrito on West Fisher and Emma’s and the Perfect Smoke on South Lee. Uncle Bucks also plugs into the scene from its new location, nearby at 127 S. Main St. 

"Downtown has been waiting for more development", Rapp said. "The planned expansions and redevelopments would have a positive impact on not only the entertainment district but the central business district as a whole", he said.  "Downtown [Salisbury] is ready to bust open at the seams,” says Rapp. “It just takes people to take a chance.” 

Moral of the Story:

List with REALTOR® Greg Rapp ~ sell your home or building!
Work with REALTOR® Greg Rapp ~ get the home or building you want!


Greg Rapp
REALTOR®
Wallace Realty
704 213 6846 Mobile
704 636 2021 Office
www.RealestateSalisbury.net www.RealestateSalisbury.com www.GregRapp.WallaceRealty.com

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!

PSSSSSST ~ Another GREAT Listing...Just Around the Corner . . .

 

A fabulous Arts & Crafts brick home is just coming on the market in the historic and very desirable West Square district (known as "THE" Historic District) in Salisbury, North Carolina! Stay tuned . . . Salisbury NC's premiere antique~home real estate agent Greg Rapp will be opening the doors to this marvelous home just around the corner!

Making Home Happen!! NCHFA Home Advantage Mortgage ~ Guest Article by Dawn White

Dawn White ~ Bank of North Carolina

Please welcome guest author Dawn White,Vice President Mortgage Loan Officer at Bank of North Carolina in Salisbury, North Carolina, to RealEstateSalisbury.com.  Dawn has news about a new program being offered by the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency (NCHFA)!

Do you lack the down payment needed to buy a new home? The N.C. Home Advantage Mortgage program offers down payment assistance – and competitive interest rates – to give you the boost you need to buy your first home or move up to your next one.

The new program available through the NCHFA offers down payment assistance of 3% so you can get maximum financing available.  The program is no longer just available for first time homebuyers. You can purchase a new or existing primary residence in North Carolina.  We do the program underwritten to VA, USDA or FHA guidelines. The 3% down payment assistance is a second lien and is provided as a 15 year deferred/ forgiven subordinate lien. The lien is deferred for 10 years and forgiven by 20% each year in the 11^th-15^th years. After 15 years the loan is totally forgiven. This is a great way to take advantage of your option to use maximum financing when available!

The N.C. Housing Finance Agency offers N.C. Home Advantage with down payment assistance up to 3% of the loan amount at 0% interest. This not only helps you get into your new home, but enables you to build equity more quickly. If you qualify, you don’t need to repay the down payment unless you sell, refinance or transfer the home. Even better, it is completely forgiven at year 15 and reduced by 20% a year in years 11 through 15.

With 30-year, fixed rates, the N.C. Home Advantage Mortgage is a perfect match for buyers looking for safe, affordable financing.

Am I Eligible?

You may be eligible for an N.C. Home Advantage Mortgage if:

• you are buying a new or existing home
• you buy a home in North Carolina and occupy it within 60 days of closing
• your annual income does not exceed $85,000
• you are applying for a FHA, USDA or VA loan through a participating lender and meet the sales price limits of the loan type
• you are a legal resident of the United States, and
• your credit score is 640 or higher.

What Kind of Home Can I Buy?

• New and previously owned single family homes
• Townhouses
• Condominiums
• Duplexes

Additional Help for First-Time Buyers

If you are a first-time homebuyer, you may also be eligible for a Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC) worth up to $2,000 a year in tax savings. If you qualify, you can claim 30% of your mortgage interest – up to $2,000 per year – as a credit on your federal income taxes, while still claiming the remaining 70% of interest as a deduction. You can receive an immediate benefit from your MCC tax credit by filing a revised W-4 with your employer to increase your take-home pay and help make your house payments more affordable.

How to Apply

NCHFA homebuyer assistance is available statewide through participating lenders. To find a lender near you, go to the Home Buyer section at www.nchfa.com or call 1-800-393-0988.

 

Dawn E White

Vice President ~ Mortgage Loan Officer

Bank of North Carolina

415 Jake Alexander Blvd. West

Salisbury, NC 28147

Office-704.652.7818

Fax-704.647.0967

Cell-704.239.6601

dewhite@bankofnc.com   
 
Thank you, Dawn!  Remember to call Salisbury Real Estate Agent Greg Rapp at 704.213.6846 to see the variety of homes that are available for you to use the NCHFA homebuyer assistance!  See you soon! 

Salisbury ~ The Downtown Series ~ #1

What sets a city's downtown apart?  Innovative, creative approaches to local investing, property redevelopment, and new business models, entrenched in community values.  Every community has local assets, talents and resources, just waiting to be tapped.  The 2013 North Carolina Main Street Conference being held this week in Salisbury, North Carolina features fresh, new, collaborative partnerships that are creating locally owned enterprises, cultural and entertainment venues, downtown housing and schools and a mix of activities.  It’s no longer downtown business as usual here in Salisbury NC!  Innovative ideas here are attracting people, interest and investment, making this community more resilient and better positioned to endure tough economic times and expand markets and opportunities. Salisbury is creating innovative change for a sustainable future.

450 people from around the state be in downtown Salisbury this week for what’s expected to be one of the largest N.C. Main Street Conferences ever.  Why the big turnout? As quoted in the January 28, 2013 Salisbury Post article by Emily Ford, "Salisbury to host 450 for N.C. Main Street Conference", Liz Parham, director of the N.C. Office Urban Development, answers that question with, “It’s Salisbury. People find Salisbury really interesting.” 

Salisbury, North Carolina competed against other cities to host the 2013 conference, which runs January 30 – February 1, 2013 and features workshops, tours, an awards ceremony and nationally known speakers. When communities compete to host the event, state officials look at all aspects of the city’s downtown, considering the business mix, current or recent projects, what highlights guests could take in during tours, and long-term successes, as well as practical considerations like how many volunteers the community can muster and whether they have enough hotels and restaurants to accommodate the enumerable participants. Organizers of this annual downtown summit were swayed by the number and variety of meeting venues available in Salisbury, as well as the synergy between the Meroney and Norvell theaters, which co-host  the award ceremony Thursday night.

Titled “Main Street: Innovation, Collaboration and Impact,” the 2013 NC Main Street Conference will use seven downtown Salisbury locations for meeting space, including the Trolley Barn, Salisbury Depot, Rowan Museum, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, F&M Professional Center and downtown’s three theaters — the Meroney, Norvell and the Looking Glass Black Box Theatre.Conference-goers are expected to spend up to $150,000 in Salisbury hotels, restaurants, and retail establishments.

Read Ms. Ford's article covering this special event and honor to the City of Salisbury here:

http://www.salisburypost.com/article/20130128/SP01/130129728/1023/salisbury-to-host-450-for-nc-main-street-conference-this-week



And for more information and/or registration details for the conference, please follow this link:http://www.ncmainstreetcenter.com/

Salisbury Realtor Greg Rapp is available this week to show you the variety of opportunities in the available commercial and residential properties in the downtown Salisbury area.  Call Greg at 704.213.6846 to be a part of the innovative ideas in Salisbury, North Carolina that are attracting people, interest and investment, and to tap the local assets, talents and resources just waiting here for you!