It's Winter! Think It's a Bad Time to Buy/Sell a Home? Think Again!

Fall and winter really can be a great time to purchase a home. Sellers can be more motivated and the holiday spirit just makes people want to be in a home. The combination of fewer buyers and slow business also means lenders and real estate agents might compete a little harder for your business. Shopping for homes in the winter months also gives you a unique vantage point of a property. 

So despite that December is usually when people are looking to deck their own halls—not buy new ones, buying a home in winter can be a smart move. Realtor® Greg Rapp at Wallace Realty, knows why winter may be the best season for buying or selling your home!  Give Greg a call at (704) 213-6846 and you'll know why, too!

Many real estate agents will tell you that the holiday season often represents a “lull” in the market. But savvy home buyers should look at the advantages of this season if they’re serious about buying. Firstly, mortgage rates are still low! But there are other benefits to home-buying during “The Lull” of November through January. 

There isn’t a lot of competition. People know they’re going to be busy or traveling during the holidays, so most deals have been wrapped up or people have put off looking until after the New Year. There are still homes on the market, but not as many people gunning for them. This is an advantage to both buyers. 

You might think inventory would be lower in a slow season, but that’s not necessarily true. And, sellers are motivated. The homes available on the market during this season are likely the homes that for whatever reason didn’t go during the peak season. The sellers will want to get the deal closed, especially for tax purposes. For a lot of people, they’ll be thinking it’s the end of the year and they will want to tie up loose ends. This is an advantage for buyers, especially if there are points to negotiate. 

Some Realtors® love this time of year, because the people who are out looking are serious. As a buyer, your broker will have more time to focus on you, as opposed to other times of the year when they might be juggling more clients. You may not be able to close before the end of the year, but it’s an excellent time to get something under contract. 

Buying in winter is also the ultimate litmus test for a home, since all the big systems such as heating, plumbing and the roof and gutters are put to the test in the cold. Some of the curb appeal may be gone, but fixing landscaping is a lot less expensive than finding out months later that your furnace doesn’t work. 

Moral of the story 

See what homes are on the market in Salisbury, North Carolina and surrounding areas this fall & winter season by calling the area expert Greg Rapp. Greg’s record in selling homes, and finding buyers what they need, is well-known in the area. You'll be HOME for the HOLIDAYS!!  (704) 213-6846 ~ Call -OR- Text!

Adapted from an article by Pauline Millard / LearnVest , December 26, 2013, Forbes.com http://www.forbes.com/sites/learnvest/2013/12/26/why-wait-for-spring-winter-is-a-great-time-to-house-hunt/

Greg Rapp 
Wallace Realty Co. 
704 213 6846 Mobile 
704 636 2021 Office 
www.realestatesalisbury.net 

Another Arts & Crafts Home on the Market ~ with the Agent Who is Selling Homes in Fulton Heights!

Selling homes in the Fulton Heights Neighborhood

It's no secret in Salisbury, North Carolina that Greg Rapp with Wallace Realty is the 'go-to guy' for historic properties in the real estate world. In the Fulton Heights Historic District alone, Salisbury's first electric street car subdivision, Greg recently sold the beautifully built, circa 1927 Arts & Crafts home at 410 Mitchell Avenue, The C.L. Stoner House, and the pretty circa 1942 2700+ square foot cottage at 1202 Boyden Road . . .amongst the many more that Greg has sold in this desirable neighborhood . . . and . . .

410 Mitchell Avenue • circa 1927 • Sold October 2016

1202 Boyden Road • circa 1942 • Sold October 2016

. . .  here comes another!

Welcome to 216 Mitchell Avenue ~ For Sale by Greg Rapp!

This c. 1921 Arts & Crafts brick home is another quality built 4-bedroom/2 bath home listed in the Fulton Heights Historic District on the National Registry of Historic Places. This fine two-story brick four-square boats a wrap-around hip roof and a deep Prairie-Style porch supported by thick square columns, extending over porte-cochère*, with a hipped central dormer in front.. A brick walk takes you past the deep terracotta-tiled rocking-chair front porch to the interior.




A classic feature of Arts & Crafts homes are built-in bookshelves often flanking a fireplace . . . and this 216 Mitchell Avenue retains this wonderful feature with the original 1921 cabinetry surrounding the living room masonry coal-burning fireplace.  Note the pretty oak hardwood floors through the living & dining rooms.


The sunlit kitchen has original built-in china cabinets, pretty ceramic tile counters, and a striking pressed back-splash reminiscent of old tin ceilings.



A rear porch was enclosed to make another sitting room before you exit through sliding glass doors to the sun deck that takes you to the fenced back yard with its raised bed gardens and a charming fountain.

The upper level in this two story home houses four bedrooms (bedroom #4 has no closet) and an upper bath with unique original blue & white tile. The downstairs bath also houses the laundry room.

Fulton Heights Historic District was one of Salisbury's Street Car subdivisions. Laid out in a grid, the neighborhood is interlaced with sidewalks creating a friendly atmosphere for walking and neighborhood activities.  Mitchell Avenue was the site of the original trolley line, and the tracks are rumored to still be beneath the attractive planted medians that divide the avenue down its center. Common alley ways can often be found behind the homes - great places for parking - and 216 Mitchell is no exception. The streets are lined with homes that reflect nationally-popular architectural trends from the period spanning 1903 through the 1940s, most rendered as modest cottages and bungalows but also including a relatively small number of houses of the late Victorian era. An active neighborhood association plans ever-popular events such as annual Easter-egg hunts and a Halloween parade that attracts children from all points of Salisbury.  The neighborhood worked with the City of Salisbury to install a small neighborhood park ~ prized by the residents.

This beautiful 1860+ square foot home holds many original details from its 1921 beginnings, such as the original mantel piece, cabinets, and the original 4-over-1 Arts & Crafts style windows. Vintage, yes...but have no fear, the home has modern updates including a new HVAC system and new electric panel.

Make Fulton Heights your home

Isn't it time you took at look at the very popular Fulton Heights neighborhood ... and make one of these beautiful vintage homes your own?  If so, the time is right for you to call Greg Rapp at (704) 213-6846 to claim this Arts & Crafts beauty!

216 Mitchell Avenue
Salisbury NC 28144

$159,900

MLS#59228/CMLS#3234508 

Greg Rapp 
Wallace Realty Co. 
704 213 6846 Mobile 
704 636 2021 Office 
www.realestatesalisbury.net 





* porte-cochère: coach gate or carriage porch,; a porch or portico-like structure at a main or secondary entrance to a building through which a horse and carriage (or motor vehicle) can pass in order for the occupants to alight under cover, protected from the weather.

'One of the principal landmarks at South Yadkin River' . . . Centennial House for Sale in Salisbury NC

Traveling north out of Salisbury, North Carolina, the character of the landscape decidedly turns to countryside - opening up to winding roads and undulating fields. At the Rowan and Davie County line, just outside of Salisbury, along the southeast bank of the South Yadkin River, sits the landmark 2-story Lindsay-Tatum-Wyatt House on its 16.9 acre parcel. This historic home is now 'For Sale' with Greg Rapp at Wallace Realty.



John 'Captain Jack' Lindsay settled at South Yadkin River in the 1870s, and while little record is available for the exact build-date of this fine home, we can confidently call it a 'Centennial House' ~ built in or around 1875-1876.

Welcome to 8670 Hwy 601 North! Let us take you on a tour of what was once an elegant homestead...and can be again! Just wait until you see this 140+ year old gem!!




A slate walk takes us up through what was once a lovely landscaped estate, resplendent with acuba, ivy, lariope, nandina, magnolia, hollies, and more . . . to the expanse of front veranda with pierced balustrade ~ 34 feet of veranda to be exact!



The interior of this wonderful 2620+ square-foot home follows a center-hall plan, featuring well-executed vernacular woodwork, beautiful wide heart-of-pine floors throughout, and gorgeous original mantles. The woodwork absolutely gleams. In the tradition of a center-hall plan of this era, two parlors flank the foyer. One is now a main-floor master bedroom that connects to the first floor bath.







A large formal dining room separates the front parlor from the kitchen ell.



The circa 1875 Lindsey-Tatum-Wyatt House is described in The Architecture of Rowan County by Davyd Foard Hood, as such: "The well preserved L-plan house remains today little altered from its original appearance. The home is mostly original with the exception of the two bathrooms and kitchen."





The front two-story block of the home is described as having a "one-story hipped roof sheltering the three first-story bays set in flush sheathing. Its bracketed posts are connected by a reticulated balustrade. The brackets are repeated along the eaves of the house's gabled roof. Chimneys flanked by fenestration [the arrangement of windows and other openings in a building] at each level stand at either gable end."





The narrative goes on to say that a two story ell and shed occupy the rear elevation. Today, the two-story ell houses an enclosed back porch and the kitchen.

A handsome stairwell with original 1870s banister and wood walls takes us from the center hall up to the second story bedrooms. A second bath was carved out of the original upper hall, and the two bedrooms flank that space. Above the kitchen ell are two additional rooms, original to the home, that have never been finished and are only accessible through bedroom #3. There, you can see the center chimney. The dining room fireplace would have fed that chimney.




















This grand 141 year old home is only one piece of the story! Sitting on nearly 17 acres with almost 1600 feet of river frontage, a curving drive snakes up the property between the house and an green metal-roofed building we've been calling 'The Club House'. Locals say that at some point in time, there were dams along the South Yadkin River. The dam created a beach at this junction of the river, and the 'Club House' was a sort of resort building, with bath house below, and dance hall above!



This very large building features a small entry room/kitchen area that then opens to an enormous open room with fireplace (picture fiddle players and dancers here!) and built-in benches lining the side walls. A windowed porch (now in dire need of attention) looks out over the river's flood plain - or where perhaps the rumored beach once lapped the shores. The lower level underneath the Club House, with a distinct 'root-cellar' appeal, is accessed by a narrow staircase along the outside of the building. Picture what you could do with this wonderful space!

Two massive magnolias flank the 32' front porch. From this view, you can see the Clubhouse across the drive.

Behind the house, another adventure begins. A large two-car garage sits to the side of the property, and from there the acreage unfolds in undulating hills, large open fields with small wooded knolls, and a woods to the river rich with wildlife (we came upon six deer as we were taking photos!). Down the hill, you'll find the stable barn, hay still in place. Behind the stables is another arbor building.

















As you walk back up the rolling landscape up to the house, you'll notice a wooden structure on your right overlooking the steeply sloping river flood-plain area. That's exactly what this is ~ a look out! And again, a narrow stone stairway takes you down underneath the structure where perhaps a garden once interlaced the wooden beams.









You may have noted on this journey through the Lindsay-Tatum-Wyatt House, that the home is in some need of attention. You would be correct! However, the house is extremely sturdy and level. Architectural details such as ornamental corbels and the pierced porch balustrade are all intact. Fireplaces would have been in every room in a home of this era, but you will note that some are walled over or filled in. We believe the dining room fireplace hearth is under the rug. The house sports its original metal shingle roof, visible from the back upper ell. Here too, old house enthusiasts will be excited to see the post and beam construction...no nails here, a lost art form!






This once grand estate on the South Yadkin River may just be the homestead you've been waiting for! To see the potential of this fine property, make an appointment with Greg Rapp ~ noted preservation and historic property specialist in Rowan County: (704) 213-6846. Don't let this one get away ~ it's just that good!








8670 US Hwy 601
Salisbury NC 28147

*** SOLD AS IS ONLY***

MLS#59222
CMLS#3233445

$249,900

Greg Rapp 
Wallace Realty Co. 
704 213 6846 Mobile 
704 636 2021 Office 
www.realestatesalisbury.net 

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