[netdragon]

My father may be moving down to Charlotte and wants to live on or very close to a lake. He's thinking about Lake Norman -- a good deal that's relatively move-in ready. What do you recommend?

[Coin]

If you want a good deal, look around Lake Wylie. Lake Norman won't offer much in the way of good deals.

[Style]

depends what you consider a good deal.

if he is looking for a good deal on a house that is 1.5 million or more, then sure. if he wants a good deal he will have to be on the north part of the lake and commute through hell to get to his job.

lake wylie is where it seems to be at for now. a wider 485 and 49 have helped fuel growth towards the south side of that lake.

[initiald]

Actually, the best deals are an hour away on Lake Tillery and Badin Lake in Stanly and Montgomery counties. But even there the prices are going up sharply, considering there is a plan for midrise condos on Tillery and there is Uwharrie Point on Badin. It is not uncommon to run into Panthers players or Nascar drivers.

Old North State Club, Uwharrie Point, from the interwebs:
http://www.golfcoursehome.net/doc/communities/uwhlede.jpg

http://www.landdesign.com/html/casestudies/images/biguwharriepoint.jpg

My Tillery photos:

http://www.pbase.com/bz3rk/image/51879517.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/bz3rk/image/51879546.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/bz3rk/image/51942174.jpg

Badin Lake:

http://www.pbase.com/bz3rk/image/51942175.jpg

[Coin]

I suppose if you're willing to drive an hour, you can find a better deal. I thought he was asking about the immediate Charlotte area.

[Coin]

http://www.lakewyliewaterfront.com/

Lake Wylie has some surprising values still waiting to be had, but there are also more upscale developments both existing and under construction. Both the Palisades, Riverpointe, and the Sanctuary are being built on the NC side, and multiple developments are also going up on the SC side, such as the Landing in Lake Wylie and Lake Shore in Tega Cay. There are also many non-development existing homes scattered about in the copperhead island area and, for that matter, pretty much anywhere there is coastline that a larger development hasn't grabbed.

In addition to being more affordable and less developed (at the moment), Lake Wylie also offers lower SC taxes and less congestion (also at the moment) than Lake Norman. McDowell Nature Preserve and Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens are also nearby.

[Coin]

The lake:
http://www.riverhillsplantation.com/hoa/assn291/images/Lake%20Wylie%203.JPG

http://k43.pbase.com/u35/wboth125/large/22965055.McDowellParkPan5087a.jpg

McDowell:
http://k41.pbase.com/u35/wboth125/upload/22987976.FallColors5124_r1.jpg

http://i.pbase.com/u34/wboth125/upload/34685979.McDowellPark7827_r1after.jpg

Daniel Stowe:
http://www.ncsu.edu/jcraulstonarboretum/jcra_updates/jcra_e-updates/2005/july/P0004344-600-pixels.jpg

[larryfla]

I just spent twelve days looking all over Charlotte and area. I particularly liked Stonecrest off of Providence Rd, Ballentyne, Matthews, Lake Wylie (a little too far from the restaurants and bars I require), and other areas. We absolutely fell in love with Cornelius and made our downpayment on a house we will have built. It is in the middle of everything. It has the city things that I like, and the country things my wife likes. Believe me, it has everything. Oh yes, we also liked Huntersville (Birkdale) and Davidson. Went out to the Whitewater Rafting Center. What a great place that is as well. Must visit. The pictures posted before look pretty enticing.

[Style]

parts of matthews (for south charlotte standards) is down right ghetto. outside of their downtown and areas off pleasant plains road, the housing is cookie cutter 90k homes that are built on clear-cut land.

[larryfla]

parts of matthews (for south charlotte standards) is down right ghetto. outside of their downtown and areas off pleasant plains road, the housing is cookie cutter 90k homes that are built on clear-cut land.

I missed that in Matthews. I actually looked at townhouses that were in center town. Pretty convenient but not as good as the lake.

[netdragon]

depends what you consider a good deal.

if he wants a good deal he will have to be on the north part of the lake and commute through hell to get to his job.

lake wylie is where it seems to be at for now. a wider 485 and 49 have helped fuel growth towards the south side of that lake

$500k or less would be affordable to him with plenty of space with at least 3 bedrooms, a small bit of land and within a 1/4 mile of a lake and a marina. Being in a golf or tennis community would probably be a plus. I see the occasional non fixer-upper listing in normal subdivision for less than this, but to make the search less exhausting, a region with better deals in general, but on the upswing. Sounds like the N. side of Norman or Lake Wylie then? He'll probably not going to begin looking in person immediately -- 6 months or so.

The one advantage I see about Wylie -- and correct me if I'm wrong -- is that it appears from the map that it's on the same river system as Lake Norman.

He's not sure where he'll work and he may not even have to work within Charlotte city limits because he's a doctor, but he may have to. If he does, I doubt he'd want more than an hour commute, but he was already considering the possibility of having to live East of Charlotte for other reasons.