Amid a tight housing market, people remain renters for longer than before, so their expectations of what their homes must offer have also changed and developers have rushed to deliver. Riding the wave of migration, Charlotte is no exception and scores 19th place among the top cities that built the largest share of luxury rentals over the last decade.

Charlotte has seen a surge in building apartments that offer VIP treatment. That’s according to our most recent analysis based on the ratio of high-end apartments out of the total deliveries in the last 10 years, in the US’s 100 biggest cities.

Our main highlights on premier apartment living in Charlotte include:

• Charlotte ranks in the top 20 in the nation for premier apartments, with 93% of its new apartments offering top-notch living.
• In response to growing demand, over 46,600 units have been delivered in Charlotte over the last decade.
• Charlotte apartments that fall under the “luxury” label come with plenty of space – 968 square feet on average, 100 more square feet more of space than the non-luxury ones.
• Besides space, these apartments also provide a plethora of amenities. These include, among other things, resort-like pools, spas, tennis courts, EV charging stations and co-working spaces, as well as more practical features like outside storage.

Check out the full report for more detailed data, together with what experts have to say about the trends in luxury development, here: https://www.storagecafe.com/blog/mid-sized-cities-in-arizona-texas-lead-the-country-for-premier-apartment-living/

Since the inception of the first cryptocurrency in 2008, portfolio diversification and investment opportunities have expanded rapidly. As a financial asset and medium of exchange, cryptocurrency is quickly shaping how the world executes financial transactions and activities. Today, countries like El Salvador and the Central African Republic have adopted cryptocurrency as a legal tender. Additionally, more businesses now accept crypto coins for payment processing. But is accepting crypto payments a good idea for your business? Here is what you need to know.

How Do Crypto Payments Work?

Unlike over a decade ago, when crypto payments involved the programming of transactions, payment processing using crypto coins is much easier and simpler today. In its most functionality, a crypto payment would involve transferring cryptocurrency from the user’s wallet to that of your business. Essentially, that would require clients to copy your public address into their digital wallets to transfer the currency into your wallet. However, this procedure is not only complex, but it is prone to errors and difficulties that are too sophisticated to handle across a blockchain network.

The complexity of manual crypto payments has resulted in the innovation of crypto payment gateways. These are payment processors designed to accept fiat currencies and crypto coins over an exchange. Such gateways allow customers to initiate payment transactions using cryptocurrencies, which are then converted and deposited into your business in your currency of choice.

What to Consider Before You Start

Before you operationalize your business transactions with crypto payments, here are factors you might want to consider;

Types of Cryptocurrencies to Accept

There are over 19,000 cryptocurrencies in circulation today. However, payment gateways and merchant accounts only support a few of them. For instance, you can only receive payments processed in Bitcoin using a Bitcoin merchant account. However, if you are to accept other digital currencies, such as Solana or Cardano, you might want to search for a service supporting such coins.

Crypto Convertibility

The value of cryptocurrencies is subject to high volatility in very short timeframes. Receiving and holding a crypto asset means that you may lose money within a short duration should the currency’s value drop drastically. Therefore, the crypto payment service you choose should allow you to convert crypto into cash quickly and efficiently.

Operational Issues Involved

Sourcing high-risk merchant accounts for crypto payments is good for minimizing transaction costs. However, you may have to evaluate many of your business operations to fully adopt crypto payments. These include customer inquiries, complaints systems, refund processes, and staff training. Also, is your business able and ready to integrate your current financial systems with crypto payment services?

Risks Involved

Crypto payment gateways are categorized as high-risk merchant accounts by financial institutions. High-risk merchant accounts are payment accounts offered to merchants with high-risk appetites. Financial institutions take on a huge risk to allow a business to accept crypto payments.

Benefits of Accepting Crypto Payments

Individuals and businesses adopting crypto payments find digital coins appealing for various reasons. From convenience and speed to cost efficiency and security, payment processing using cryptocurrencies create great leverage for any profit-focused business. Here are the key benefits of accepting crypto payments in your business.

Lower Processing Fees

Traditional payment processors will charge you a transaction fee as a specified percentage of the amount involved, which increases with the size transacted. However, in the case of crypto payments, the fee charged to complete a transaction rarely exceeds 1%, regardless of the payment volume. As an exception, the fees only increase if high-risk merchants are involved as third parties in handling transactional flow and monitoring.

Enlarged Customer Base

Recent studies indicate that digitally-enhanced businesses integrated with crypto payments have expanded revenue streams. The idea is that individuals will go for businesses accepting the type of crypto coins they own. Interestingly, such clients tend to spend more than traditional credit card users.

Fast and Easy Payments

Most payment methods require hours to several days to settle a single transaction. Fortunately, with crypto payments, transactions are completed in minutes, if not seconds, depending on the digital currency used. You can set up a Bitcoin merchant account or any other profitable crypto for your business to enjoy fast and easy payments.

No Chargeback Frauds

Traditional payment channels, such as credit cards, are known for fraudulent chargebacks. The lack of mechanisms to verify payment-related disputes can create an unrecoverable financial burden on your business. Fortunately, crypto payments do not support reversals, relieving business owners from the risk of chargebacks.

Crypto Wallet Vs. Crypto Payment Gateways

As a matter of principle, crypto wallets and payment gateways are designed to receive cryptocurrencies. However, the procedures and applicability of both entities differ significantly. On the one hand, a crypto wallet is a digital location, offline or online, where cryptocurrencies are stored. Crypto wallets can either be hardware or software, depending on the wallet’s purpose.

On the other hand, payment gateways are processors designed to receive crypto payments from other users, with the capacity to convert the coins into fiat currencies of one’s choice. For example, a Bitcoin Merchant account allows businesses to accept bitcoin as a medium of exchange. Most crypto payment gateways are issued by high-risk merchants. This is because cryptocurrencies are considered high risk by a majority of financial institutions.

Conclusion

As the world embraces blockchain technology and digital currencies, it is obvious that businesses with crypto expertise will be at a competitive edge. Whether it is a Bitcoin merchant account or direct payment setup, accepting crypto payments is definitely a timely and profitable idea. Bitcoin owners will likely trade more in an enterprise integrated with a Bitcoin merchant account. This is true for all the other cryptocurrencies.

A major grocery distributor just announced plans to invest $35 million in a Hickory, NC expansion.

Merchants Distributors (MDI) will be building a new 250,000 complex in Hickory, adding 125 new jobs to the region.

“Businesses that call North Carolina home continue to thrive here,” said Governor Cooper in a press release. “MDI knows firsthand the workforce, business and quality of life advantages North Carolina offers and it is great to see them grow once again in our state.”

The company was originally founded in Hickory in 1931 and now distribute both food and non-food grocery items to more than 600 retail stores across the US. The company also provides additional retail support to its customers, including marketing and other services. Their new expansion will add considerable perishable capacity to their facilities.

“Hickory, North Carolina has been our home for over ninety years, and we are excited to support our continued growth with another expansion at our Caldwell County facilities in the city of Hickory,” said MDI CEO Brian George. “As our business continues to grow, demand for perishable products has increased the need for chilled warehouse space to service our customers and communities. North Carolina continues to support business growth and invest in workforce development which makes expanding at this location possible.”

The average salary of the 125 new jobs will be $59,092, which is above the current average wage in Caldwell County of $43,905. It’s estimated that state and local area will see an additional impact of over $7 million each year from the new payrolls.

You can find out more information about MDI or apply to one of their new jobs here.

The warm days of summer are here, which means it is a prime time for a combination of outdoor activities and the cool comfort of indoors. Duke Energy is offering a wide array of programs and plans to help customers reduce energy usage and manage their bills.

Since mid-2021, costs for fuels used to produce energy have more than tripled. Duke Energy does not profit from these increased costs, and the company proactively takes measures to insulate customers from these spikes. These steps include negotiating long-term fuel contracts and maintaining a diverse fuel mix, including nuclear, solar and hydro, for power generation.

“With the price of everything going up right now, we want to relieve the impact on our customers as much as possible,” said Larry Hatcher, senior vice president of customer experience and services. “We offer a variety of programs ranging from payment flexibility to financial assistance that will help our customers who may be grappling with higher bills.”

Payment Options

Two payment options include Flexible Payment Plans and the Budget Billing Plan.  Payment plans allow residential customers to pay their balance over a more protracted period. Options are available for customers who either need a few extra days or require a more extended installment plan to catch up.

The Budget Billing Plan is a free and popular option for customers who like to know what to expect each month. It provides predictable monthly energy bills to help customers with their household budgeting.

Energy Efficiency

There are several programs to improve a home’s energy efficiency for customers hoping to take proactive measures to keep their energy bills manageable.

Customers who have an email on file and a smart meter receive a mid-cycle Usage Alert to provide a mid-month view of their current usage to date and a projection of their monthly bill at their current rate of usage. They can also access daily usage through their online account profile. These tools are intended to give customers insight and control over their energy use.

The Home Energy House Call is a free program for eligible Duke Energy homeowners (In Florida, the program is called a Home Energy Check). Customers receive a free assessment detailing steps they can take to increase efficiency and lower their energy bill and a free kit with energy-saving products valued at over $180.

In most Duke Energy territories, customers can find savings at the company’s online store at duke-energy.com. It offers energy-efficient fixtures such as thermostats, lighting and faucets. Also on the website, customers can discover rebate offers for making energy-saving home improvements.

Income-Qualified Programs

To help connect our customers in need of assistance, Duke Energy partners with community and state agencies to help those who qualify access Duke Energy and federally funded assistance programs. Programs and eligibility vary by service territory, so customers can find more information by visiting duke-energy.com or calling our customer care center.

• The Crisis Intervention Program (CIP) covers heating- and cooling-related crises and is available throughout the year.
• The Weatherization Program helps income-qualified customers save energy and reduce expenses through energy conservation measures like weatherstripping and HVAC repairs or replacements.
• The Helping Home Fund is offered to income-qualified applicants in several Duke Energy operations territories. It provides in-home energy assessments and improvements such as replacing appliances and HVAC repairs up to $800.
• The Neighborhood Energy Saver Program is also available to income-qualified customers to help them lower their energy bills through in-home energy assessments.
• The Duke Energy Share the Light Fund also assists qualifying customers struggling to pay their energy bills. Employees, customers and Duke Energy shareholders contribute to these funds, which the Duke Energy Foundation matches.