Move to Salisbury NC ~ Where the Livin' is Easy!

Enjoy this slide show of the historic town and district of Salisbury NC in Rowan County.

Photography and video production by Keith Hall.




Homes are less costly here than in other nearby towns, and the commute to Charlotte, Greensboro, or Winston-Salem is only an hour's drive!

Give Realtor® Greg Rapp with Wallace Realty a call at (704) 213-6846 for your private showing of some of Salisbury's beautiful homes. There is something here for everybody, and every budget!

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

Spring Oak Drive ~ Under Contract in 5 Days ~ with Realtor® Greg Rapp

Are you looking to sell your home? Have you been trying to sell it...but with little success. Are you tired of waiting? . . . .


332 Spring Oak Drive was listed in the Fall of 2014, and again in the Spring of 2015, yet didn't move. This good, solid home in a quiet subdivision of Salisbury, North Carolina had a new roof installed in 2011, and has a very nice fenced and shaded back yard. Its 2-car garage was converted into hobby room and could easily be re-converted to hold automobiles. Why so long on the market?



Realtor® Greg Rapp with Wallace Realty listed 332 Spring Oak Drive on July 6th of 2017....and immediately the home began to get showings. After being shown several times...by July 11th ~ Greg had this sweet little 3-bedroom/2-bath 1406 square foot home under contract.

What are you waiting for? Here's the number to call: (704) 213-6846. Ask for Greg. . . and get the ball rolling!

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

Yadkin Heights ~ Listed & Sold ~ in Just Days!

Welcome to Yadkin Heights, a sleepy little hamlet at the northernmost edge of Rowan County along the Yadkin River. Once a mill village for the NC Finishing Plant, the sense of community here is still alive...even though the textile industry that tied the community together is gone...and the neighborhood is filled with charming history-rich cottages and homes.

Greg Rapp, Realtor® with Wallace Realty listed 175 Zeb Street in peaceful Yadkin Heights on July 19th, after the home was listed with another real estate agent for nearly 2 years (11/30/2015 - 7/12/207). And today, the sale on this sweet mill village home has closed. That's right...that's less than 4 weeks! 175 Zeb Street is not only a charmer from the exterior, tucked away on a quiet dead-end street shaded by huge deciduous trees. This pretty 2-bedroom/1-bath home built in 1952 has new central heat and air conditioning, fresh paint, updated electric, and an updated kitchen and bath! It features an open basement, perfect for a work shop, and a pleasant sunroom with its own entry has a nice tiled floor.



Check out this bright and shiny kitchen with a pantry and washer and dryer hook up. Don't you love that beautiful wainscoting?



The smart homebuyer was not about to let this one slip by, and now 175 Zeb Street is welcoming its new owner. We know they will enjoy this quiet Yadkin Height neighborhood!

If you are tired of your home languishing on the market. . . it might be time to give Realtor® Greg Rapp a call: (704) 213-6846. Four weeks? It doesn't always happen this quickly . . . but sometimes it does!

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

Circa 1883 Victorian Vernacular For Sale in Salisbury NC!

There are plenty of reasons to invest in a historic home. Older homes have character that’s hard to replicate in a newly constructed home. From charm and aesthetics to the value of long-lasting materials and workmanship, purchase an antique home with a long, unwinding story . . . and you have your own piece of history to which you can add your own chapters.

Anyone who appreciates a good antique can understand the nostalgic appeal of an ancient home whose walls are filled with history. Older homes have amazing character traits and historical features that most new homes simply do not have. Oh! Those pretty coal-burning fireplaces, the wood trim and moldings, and those high ceilings — these are all the amazing features that usually do not come in today's mass produced homes. Most of today’s builders do not take the time to dove-tail wooden joints, or hand-scrape large wooden ceiling beams. The custom, hand-crafted qualities of an older home usually mean long-lasting value and a durable structure that one cannot find in today's newer structures. These are the qualities that make us fall in love with a historic home.

There is a reason that older homes are still standing — they were built to last. If you're in the market for a house with a bit of history, Realtor® Greg Rapp knows exactly where you should look:

Circa 1883 Heilig-Wright House

Enter 305 E. Bank Street in the Historic Brooklyn South Square District of Salisbury, North Carolina. This 2,014 square-foot, 3-bedroom/2-bath Victorian farmhouse is nestled up a cobblestone and brick drive into its 200' deep lot amassed with large shade trees. Through its picket fence gate and down through terraced landscape (with HUGE garden potential) sits this striking, freshly painted home. A deep veranda welcomes you to the front door surrounded by sidelights.

This solid home, a restoration in progress, greets you with original wood floors and vintage coal-burning fireplaces in most rooms. Enter to a large front parlor with original shiplap ceiling and chair rail, and fireplace outfitted with a wood stove.

Beyond the parlor is a darling formal dining room with exposed brick fireplace chimney creating a focal point. You'll be surprised that 305 E. Bank Street is equipped with an extra large kitchen for a home of this era, complete with a center work island. A kitchen side-door exits to a sweet little porch to the brick driveway. Beyond this highly functional kitchen, with another exposed brick fireplace and loads of cupboard space, you'll find a converted rear porch that is now a nice 1st floor laundry and utility/hobby room. Another side door exits to a sweet little brick patio and the fenced back yard. The home's second modernized bath is in this rear portion of the home.

To the left of the front parlor and handsome staircase ~ a large first floor owner's suite awaits. The master bath is newly remodeled with adorable bathroom with claw foot tub, modern shower, and large walk-in closet.  The vintage dresser is re-purposed as a wonderful single-sink vanity that just exudes charm, as does the triple paneled antique mirror above.





Upstairs, flanking a small center landing, you'll find two charming dormered-ceiling bedrooms with 4-over-4 mullioned windows and more shiplap ceilings.




The Norfolk-Southern Railway

An ever-present feature of Salisbury NC is the interlacing of Norfolk Southern rail track. Emanating from the historic Train Depot, the trains and track are part of the rhythm of everyday life in this southern town. The Heilig-Wright House cozies up to a historic ravine where the trains traverse in rhythmic sequence. The ravine and track here predate the Civil War. The neighborhood, in fact, is the site of a Confederate prison, and many homes in the district also saw the war come and go.

Most folks in the neighborhood are accustomed to the sound of trains, both passenger and freight, as well as the occasional steam engine on its way to the North Carolina Transportation Museum to the north in Spencer, NC. 

Norfolk-Southern recently designated the neighborhood a 'quiet zone', which means the passing trains no longer blow whistles or sound horns, but the rumble of the 'iron horse' is still a presence.  We paraphrased this about living near railroad tracks:

"Directly across the street from my parents house, where I lived for 23 years, are train tracks. There are weeks where a train passes every 2 hours night or day, and weeks where it passes only 1-2 times night or day. It is definitely loud, and will cause the house to vibrate. The noise never bothered me. As a child and adult I was able to sleep through it. It may take awhile to get used to it, though. The house is in an ideal location, besides having train tracks for a neighbor, minutes from downtown, easily accessible from 2 major highways, schools, banks, and grocery stores just a mile or so away." (Kelly Toupal, Home Buyer, Milpitas CA - https://www.trulia.com/voices/Home_Buying/Home_value_next_to_a_train_track)





This relayed story of living by rail tracks reminds us of this vintage 2014 square foot Victorian at 305 E. Bank Street in the Brooklyn South Square neighborhood, just blocks from Salisbury's award winning downtown, vibrant with nightlife, restaurants, breweries, and a thriving arts and theater district. 

305 E. Bank Street, in addition to its quality construction, features a deep lot with mature shade trees, the rear yard encircled by high stockade-style privacy fencing. While sharing a driveway with another vintage home next door, there is ample multi-vehicle parking.

Wide-plank wood floors, solid wood craftsman doors, deep front porches … the list of reasons to love an elderly home could go on forever. To a certain extent, you can replicate these characteristics in a newly built home, however; a new home usually comes with a young neighborhood that is still developing...which means no big century-old oak tree in the front yard, and unpredictable neighborhood developments. A tree-lined street and quaint neighborhood do not happen overnight, hence the appeal of older neighborhoods where everything is in place and established.




You have to love an antique home for what it is — old. It will consume you (and your wallet) if you try to completely modernize an antique home. Yes, 305 E. Bank Street is a restoration work in progress. Complete modernization can be done, but are you sure you want to?  Often, the very reason you fall in love with a vintage home in the first place is its aged character. There are certain quirks that you may want retain. The creak of the floors, the door that won't stay closed on dry days and then sticks on humid days — all are quaint characteristics of an old home that add a certain charm and lived-in feeling. Remodel what you absolutely have to, but think about keeping some of the original historic appeal. (Adapted from: Shelley Little, June 17, 2014 in Freshome's Very Best, http://freshome.com/2014/06/17/10-things-nobody-tells-buying-older-home/#ixzz4oRhparXR)



The custom, hand-crafted qualities of a vintage historic home translate to long-lasting value and a durable structure. There is a reason these older homes in Salisbury NC are still standing — they were built to last, and these are the qualities that make us fall in love with a historic home. If you're in the market for a house with a bit of history, Realtor® Greg Rapp at (704) 213-6846 / GregRappRealtor@gmail.com, knows exactly where you should look:

305 E. Bank Street
Salisbury, North Carolina 28144
CMLS#3304530
$100,000

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

Live, Work, Play in Salisbury North Carolina

Here is just a snippet of some of the wonderful things that happen in Salisbury, North Carolina each month of the year! This video series, 'Salisbury Now', is composed by the City of Salisbury public communications group, and we think they do a great job!


Salisbury NOW (episode 010) from City of Salisbury, NC on Vimeo.


What the video doesn't tell you is that the cost of living, and the cost of purchasing a home here in Salisbury NC, is much lower than many surrounding cities!

An adorable vintage bungalow, with 3 bedrooms and two baths, plenty of square footage, and loads of original period details can run you into the hundreds of thousands in the Charlotte/Mooresville areas.

But here in Salisbury, the same can be as little as just UNDER $100,000 to just under $200,000.

Greg Rapp, licensed Realtor® with Wallace Realty, Salisbury's oldest and most established real estate firm, has a breadth of knowledge covering vintage homes in this area. . . as well as newer homes and subdivisions! Let's put some money BACK in your pocket when you purchase a Salisbury NC home! Then you, too, can enjoy the many and varied events hosted in Salisbury, North Carolina, each month of the year!



Greg Rapp Realtor®
704.213.6846
gregrapprealtor@gmail.com
www.RealEstateSalisbury.net

Have a Safe and Happy 4th of July Weekend!!!

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

This ca.1875 Home is for Sale!

Looks can be deceiving...what looks like a cute little bungalow is really over 2400 square feet of vintage home featuring a lovely center entry hall flanked by dual parlors, three sets of French doors with transom, 4 bedrooms, two full baths, and the cutest country kitchen ever! All this AND formal dining room, a family room off the kitchen, screened porch, and sun deck.  Shhhhh ~ a secret room upstairs has its own balcony overlooking the deep, fenced back yard overflowing with perennial gardens surrounding a Victorian potting cottage! Add the large 3-car garage with extra workshop area and the wrap-around front porch ~ and you can't miss!

Modern updates in this vintage home include vinyl siding (low maintenance, anyone?) and a tankless on-demand gas water heater (low utility bills, anyone?).

Let's take a look around!



Located in the Brooklyn South Square Historic district of downtown Salisbury, North Carolina...the Circa 1875 Shaver-Trexler House is close to so many of the wonderful amenities a historic downtown offers: two community theatres, unique shopping, many terrific restaurants, and downtown events such as concerts, wine tasting events, and festivals.

Call Greg Rapp to see this lovely home for yourself: (704) 213-6846. This is a whole lot of house for the money: $149,900! Reach out to Greg today and make the c. 1875 Shaver-Trexler House your home!





















418 FISHER STREET EAST
Salisbury, NC 28144 
MLS#59460 
$139,900





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

Homes Are Selling Quickly in Rowan County, North Carolina. List with Greg Rapp!

Turn around on homes in Salisbury, North Carolina and the surrounding area are getting shorter and shorter. Gone are the days when a home would languish for years on the market. 

Greg Rapp of Wallace Realty recently listed these three homes, for example, and had them under contract in just days. Greg has more stories like these to share!

Are you ready to sell your home or property? The time is right to call Greg Rapp - (704) 213-6846. Let's do this!

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




#GregRappRealtor #OldHouseGuy #GregRappSalisburyNC

Restoration Buffs! Here is Your Dream House! Just $27,500!!!

Do you fantasize about renovating and living in a gorgeous vintage home?

Old house lovers are very different from the average décor enthusiast. Where a “normal” person sees a neglected pile of bricks that’s seems to be past its prime, an old house lover sees nothing but potential. Being able to see past decades of grime, peeling paint, and terrible trends is akin to having a superpower.

Here is the opportunity to put your superpower in action!

Welcome to the circa 1900 C. L. Emerson House in the North Main Historic District of Salisbury, North Carolina.



If you’re the type of person whose heartbeat quickens at the mere mention of “original details,” you’re not alone. And Realtor® Greg Rapp is the guy to talk to about historic homes such as this gem.

If the family of this home could tell you about this house, they would tell you that it used to be one of the most beautiful houses in this downtown Salisbury, North Carolina neighborhood. It was originally built about 1900 (probably earlier) and still holds all of the character of its era. Handcrafted wooden doors, original hardwood floors, a pretty staircase, and the fabulous "rocking chair porch" supported by the most unique stone pillars in all of Salisbury. The home itself needs drastic repairs, but the bones and location make this a great buy!



The circa 1900 C.L Emerson House has been in the same family until just 2016. The Emerson family donated the home at 1008 N. Main Street to the Historic Salisbury Foundation in late 2016. The foundation worked to stabilize the house and put protective covenants in place to maintain its distinctive architectural features and to preserve the association with the Emerson family. The importance of this property on North Main Historic District cannot be overstated, according to Executive Director Karen Hobson. “The renovated C. L. Emerson House will provide an important anchor to this section of North Main Street”. North Main Street acts as the northern gateway into Salisbury, and the C. L. Emerson House will be a catalyst to the continuing revitalization of the neighborhood.



The National Register of Historic Places identifies this home as "Pivotal" in the North Main district, saying:

"Built by Salisbury's first oil dealer, C. L. Emerson, this unusual two-story dwelling emphasizes the asymmetry and irregular massing so characteristic of the late Victorian period. Emerson, who delivered oil to the city's homes and businesses by horse and wagon, lived in the house until his death in the 1940s. The home was then occupied by his widow and later by his son, C. L. Emerson, Jr., and his wife Nellie, who still resides in the house. Unlike its more eclectic Victorian contemporaries, it features a steeply pitched side gable roof interrupted by a broad gable and majestic five-sided turret on the front, and gabled and hipped roof dormers at the rear. The asymmetrical first floor facade is defined by a porch supported by tall, fluted, stone pillars, found only on one other structure in the vicinity. A hint of the rich exterior ornamentation found on some of district's other Victorian dwellings is provided by circular sawn vent located high in the front and side gables and by diamond-shaped mullions which divide the upper sash of windows in the front gable and turret, as well as those windows which rise up the south elevation along the course of an interior stair."

It is of interest to note that the Register does not take into account the early renovation to the home that added extra square footage, and the upper turret that created another upstairs bedroom. A circa 1903 photo shows the home's original architectural style . . . more of a Stick-Style Victorian.  Along the way, several feet were added to the south side of the home and porch, the interesting turret was added, and the signature stone columns along the porch replaced the original turned posts and ornate brackets.



Originally built in a Stick Style Victorian circa 1900 it was later modified & enlarged by 1908 to represent a Queen Anne Style with a second story turret, full front porch & unique stone porch columns. This home retains most of its original stain grade millwork. It has unusual pierced kitchen cabinet doors that mimic the porch balustrade. The home sustained a very small electrical fire causing VERY LITTLE damage, but the home will need a complete restoration. The home appears to have newer gas heat and central AC. Located in the heart of Salisbury's North Main Historic District, 1008 N. Main Street is categorized as 'Pivotal' in the National Historic Register.

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

1008 N. Main was unfortunately a rental home in recent years, and it shows in its wear and tear. You'll also find strangely placed toilets due the rental nature. The catalyst for the family's donation of the home to the Historic Salisbury Foundation was an electrical fire in the kitchen in 2016. The fire itself caused little damage, but overall neglect had already taken its toll. The C. L. Emerson House will require complete restoration.

As you enter this 117+ year old home, you find yourself in a spacious foyer or entry parlor. It is definitely a room unto itself with a corner fireplace (non-functioning at this time), and the handsome staircase to the upper floor. Original wainscoting and chair rail as well as thick wood moldings and trim bedeck this room.





French doors take you from entry to the formal living room or front parlor. This room features a striking bay windowed area overlooking the veranda. Yes, that paneling has got to go, and we're sure the drop ceilings sadly hide the original tall ceilings that would have been common to a home of this era! A wonderful turned fretwork piece remains in the large open doorway between this parlor and the next room. Original window casing molding tell remnants of the homes history. The room off the front parlor could possibly be a den or family room, yet has a closet, so could be modified as a main floor bedroom with the addition of some doors.









The dining room features the cutest little built-in china cupboard. And while you'll again find original wainscoting and trim, here is where you'll also find one of those surprise toilets! It is something of a miracle that the woodwork in this vintage home escaped painting over the decades, unlike so many others of this era, and holds its original stain!





A small electrical fire in the southwest facing kitchen caused damage to the ceiling here, but you can clearly envision what a cheerful kitchen this once was, and clearly a complete overhaul will be needed here. Look at the cutwork in the cabinet doors! It mimics the cutwork balustrade on the front porch!





A curving staircase that may have been the original path to the 2nd story is found here in the kitchen. The stairway is impassable at this time, but such a unique feature to this home! Off the kitchen is an enclosed & heated back porch/laundry room with a doorway that takes you to the large back yard.

Up the stairs, past the uniquely stacked trio of windows (part of the early addition to the home), you'll find 3 bedrooms and a full bath.









Outside, 1008 N. Main Street enjoys a prominent third-of-an-acre corner lot where the side street, W. Miller Street, slopes down to not one but two beautiful city parks: City Park and Hurley Park. Huge shade trees help keep the house cool in summer, but what appears to be two newer AC units, one for each story, remain intact. The home also appears to have newer gas heat. At this time, due to the kitchen fire, there is no functioning electricity in the home.







The circa 1900 home at 1008 N. Main Street in Salisbury is located in one of Salisbury's local historic districts, and therefore the city's Historic Preservation Commission retains oversight regarding exterior changes, repairs, or improvements. The city often offers matching Historic Preservation Grants to assist home owners in the historic districts with repairs.

The C. L. Emerson home will additionally come with Historic Salisbury Foundation protective covenants and deed restrictions.

The home is being sold "As-Is", but at $27,500 for this 2124 square-foot home . . . the price considers the work and investment needed by the right buyer who can envision its potential.

Do you fantasize about renovating and living in a gorgeous vintage home? Old house lovers ~ we know you see nothing but potential here. Call Greg Rapp with Wallace Realty at (704) 213-6846 ~ and put your superpower into action!




1008 MAIN STREET NORTH
Salisbury, NC 28144
MLS #59581
List Price: $27,500

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