Check Out This NASCAR Driver’s New 30,000 Sq Ft Futuristic Castle on Lake Norman

Charlotte Stories
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Check Out This NASCAR Driver’s New 30,000 Sq Ft Futuristic Castle on Lake Norman

The winner of 30 NASCAR Cup Series races, including the 2016 Daytona 500, has opened up his new 30,000 square-foot Lake Norman castle for a private tour.

Denny Hamlin’s Cornelius home sits on a private Lake Norman peninsula. He started construction in late 2016 and just put the finishing touches on the state-of-the-art complex.

denny-hamlin-lake-norman-mansion1
photo via Griffin360
photo via Griffin360
photo via Griffin360

He spared no expense, including a full-size indoor basketball court, helicopter pad, two-lane bowling alley, golf and racing simulators, elevator, and an IMAX home theater.

denny-hamlin-lake-norman-mansion3
photo via Griffin360
photo via Griffin360
photo via Griffin360
photo via Griffin360
photo via Griffin360

His entire home is integrated through an advanced ELAN Entertainment & Control System, giving him complete control of his lighting, door locks, surveillance system, music, TVs (24 60” TVs, and an 88” curved-screen TV), jacuzzis, and bowling alley from anywhere in the world via his smartphone.

“Interactive interiors did a phenomenal job to quickly and efficiently install ELAN into the home,” said Ted Thompson, President of Thompson Custom Home Builder. “Sometimes, programmers work for months on end when implementing a smart home infrastructure of this size and magnitude. But the installation process and the system configuration was totally seamless.”

photo via Griffin360
photo via Griffin360

In addition to some of the most advanced home-tech in the world, his stunning lake estate is also loaded with luxurious finishes, brilliant design, and world-class artisanship.

“Denny wanted the overall design aesthetic to be clean, simple and contemporary,” commented interior designer Scott Carpenter. “In addition to the unique architectural and design elements we incorporated, we also played with technology to achieve our goal. We installed custom-built LED lighting strips across many of the home’s moldings, especially for the home’s art gallery wall.”

photo via Griffin360
photo via Griffin360
denny-hamlin-lake-norman-mansion9
photo via Griffin360
denny-hamlin-lake-norman-mansion8
photo via Griffin360

What do you think of Denny’s new home?

Charlotte Housing Monthly Review – July 2017

Leonard Brecken
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Charlotte Housing Monthly Review – July 2017
  • housing-review-charlotteKEY HIGHLIGHTS. The Charlotte housing market continued to accelerate although affordability continues to be the most substantial headwind as prices are still rising, but at a slower rate. This is especially seen when more expensive homes are involved. Another headwind potentially is higher interest rates as well if the Federal Reserve continues to hike rates.
  • CUMMULATIVE DAYS ON MARKET. This figure now stands at 41 down from 62 a year ago, down 15 points from April’s 56. The decline continues a trend that began since 2011.
  • AVERAGE SALES PRICE. This figure fell from record levels at $282,736 in July vs $295,924, but still up 5.0% year over year. The 12 month average stood at 7.4%. The trend to move to south side of Charlotte continued as prices fell in Lake Norman disproportionally vs Waxhaw which rose. Specifically, Lake Norman prices are nearly flat YTD vs Waxhaw up 2.5%; these areas have among the highest average selling prices in Charlotte.
  • CLOSED SALES. This figure rose 3.9% year over year while year to date rose 7.6%.
  • PENDING SALES. This figure rose 16.2% year over year while year to date rose 7.3%.
  • MONTHS OF SUPPLY OF HOMES. This figure held steady at 2.2 days, but fell year over year by 29% from 3.1. The figure remains near 2017 lows set in May at 2.1 days.
  • COMMENTARY. The most interesting trend that continues is that lower priced homes continue to appreciate faster (2X-3X faster in some cases) than higher priced homes. Since starter homes are lower priced and rent increases continuing the buy vs rent decision appears to be the driver. Also affordability appears to be in play as well.

brecken-disclosure

being born again into the sweet morning fog

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Blaze Giving Away Free Pizzas To Celebrate Opening Their Second Charlotte Location

Steve
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Blaze Giving Away Free Pizzas To Celebrate Opening Their Second Charlotte Location

Blaze Fast Fire’d Pizza, the build-your-own pizza concept just announced that they’ll be opening their second Charlotte location tomorrow in the University City area.

To celebrate, they’ll be giving away free pizzas this coming Friday (Sept. 1st) from 11am-midnight to anyone who follows Blaze Pizza on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. The new 2,500 square foot location sits across from the UNCC campus in the Shoppes at University Place shopping center (8948 J.M. Keynes Dr.).

Blaze Pizza first launched in 2012, and quickly became one of the nation’s hottest new restaurant concepts. All of their customizable pizza and salad ingredients are free of artificial flavors, colors, preservatives and for pizza fans with specific dietary needs, they also offer gluten-free dough and vegan cheese.

Customers can choose from pre-selected combinations, or build their own pie using dozens of different cheeses, sauces, toppings (with no limit on quantity);

Built my own pizza Blaze is on point! 👌👍🍕 #blazepizza

A post shared by Charles Davenport Cj (@cjgogetter) on

With literally millions of combinations, you’re free to design your own personal dream pizza;

take another little pizza my heart now, blazey 🍕😻🍕 #howdoyoublaze #blazepizza

A post shared by @tarheelinthecity on

@areyoujoekang #mytwopizzas #oneformeoneforthespiritofjoe #makeyourown #pizza #blaze #fire #clt

A post shared by eat.travel.draw (@c.lam88) on

“Our mission at Blaze is really simple – we’re taking pizza back to its roots,” said Jim Mizes, president & CEO of Blaze Pizza. “By making dough in-house, carefully sourcing ingredients, and cooking by fire, we’re giv­ing guests a great way to enjoy artisanal pizza without the wait.  It’s changing the way people think about and eat pizza.”

Owned and operated by Carolinas Restaurant Holdings, this will be the second Blaze Pizza location in the Charlotte area and third in North Carolina. The other restaurants are located on Camden Rd. in Charlotte’s South End neighborhood and on Hendersonville Rd. in Asheville.

Dinner with a view tonight. #charlotte #clt

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North Carolina’s Fall Colors Are Expected To Be The Brightest in Decades

Steve
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North Carolina’s Fall Colors Are Expected To Be The Brightest in Decades

North Carolina’s 2017 fall colors are expected to be the brightest and most beautiful in decades. According to NOAA Climate Scientist Jake Crouch, the North Carolina mountains have experienced its second warmest year on record. The average high temperature this year is 58.8 degrees – 3.5 degrees above normal. The summer has also been fairly dry this year. “Drier soils typically mean brighter fall color in the mountains,” commented Crouch.

North Carolina’s peak season will start toward the beginning of October in the higher elevations and run until the end of October in the Piedmont.

via AppState.edu
via AppState.edu

To see the best views in our state, check out our list of the ‘Top 10 Best Places To See Fall Colors Around North Carolina‘.

Sometimes I can't believe I lived in Florida for 18 years and missed out on all of this 🍂 🍁🏞

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According to RomanticAsheville.com these are the specific 2017 peak color dates;

To see the colors from some of the best overlooks, check out The Comprehensive Guide To The Blueridge Parkway Vistas.

No Swimming Advisory Issued For Lake Norman After 200 Gallon Raw Sewage Spill

Steve
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No Swimming Advisory Issued For Lake Norman After 200 Gallon Raw Sewage Spill

A no swimming advisory has just been issued for Lake Norman after 200 gallons of raw sewage spilled into a cove.

Charlotte water crews responded to a broken wastewater pipe this morning off Harbor Light Blvd. Crews were able to repair the pipe, but not until an estimated 200 gallons reached Lake Norman through a nearby storm drain.

Cam Coley issued a statement about the spill, urging residents to watch what they put down the drain; “A majority of wastewater overflows can be prevented with your help. Anything put in plumbing or a manhole can cause wastewater overflows, spilling raw sewage into your street, your creek or even inside your own home. Even products labeled as ‘flushable’ do not break down in the sewer system and can contribute to clogging.”

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services will keep sampling the water until results fall within safe levels, and will lift the swimming ban at that time.

We will update this article as soon as we receive new information.

Luke Kuechly and Christian McCaffrey Team In New Cookie-Baking Video

Charlotte Stories
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Luke Kuechly and Christian McCaffrey Team In New Cookie-Baking Video

Panthers’ Luke Kuechly and new star rookie Christian McCaffrey have just teamed up to make CPI’s latest commercial.

The commercial focuses on Kuechly’s ‘nice guy’ image, showing him in the kitchen baking gnome cookies as a welcoming gift for his new teammate.

Even though the cookies are apparently burnt as smoke pours out of the oven, the cookies end up looking like perfect little Kuechly gnomes.

Now I’m hungry!

Tropical Storm Warning Issued For North Carolina

Steve
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Tropical Storm Warning Issued For North Carolina

tropical-storm-10-in-north-carolina

Over the past couple days, a new ‘tropical disturbance’ has been gaining strength just off the coast of South Carolina.

Yesterday morning, “potential tropical cyclone 10” was about 20 miles south of Charleston, with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and was traveling at 7 mph toward the northeast.

Last night, the National Hurricane Center released a forecast of the affected areas of the storm;

According to this morning’s NHC public advisory; “The system is moving toward the northeast near 12 mph (19 km/h), and is anticipated to turn toward the east-northeast and accelerate during the next couple of days. The expected track will take the system along the North Carolina coast today.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for…
* North of Surf City to Duck
* Albemarle Sound
* Pamlico Sound

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for…
* Surf City to Little River Inlet”

The storm is now expected to cause flooding along North Carolina’s outer banks and dump at least 1-2 inches of rain across most of North Carolina – including Charlotte.

Hurricane Harvey Flooded Texas With 9 Trillion Gallons Of Water – Here’s How Charlotte Can Help

Steve
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Hurricane Harvey Flooded Texas With 9 Trillion Gallons Of Water – Here’s How Charlotte Can Help

Hurricane Harvey has already dumped over 9 trillion gallons of water on the greater Houston area and Southeast Texas regions. It’s now estimated that another 5 trillion to 10 trillion gallons could fall before things wrap up midweek.

“It’s fair to say it will produce more rain than we have ever seen before in the U.S. from a tropical system and over the fourth-largest city in the country,” said Eric Fisher, chief meteorologist at WBZ-TV. “Looking at those two factors, it will likely be an unprecedented flooding disaster affecting a massive number of people. It’s hard, if not impossible, to compare this to any other storm. It may stand alone when all is said and done in terms of rainfall.”

Here are 5 organizations on the ground in Texas who need your immediate support:

Samaritan’s Purse:

You can either donate online, or volunteer to travel down with a team from Boone, NC to help in person with relief efforts:

American Red Cross:

The Red Cross has already helped over 1,800 people in 35 Red Cross shelters in Texas. You can help them by giving online or by donating blood at a local Red Cross center;

Salvation Army USA:

The Salvation Army is helping distrubute water, food, and supplies to those hardest hit from the Hurricane. You can donate online at helpsalvationarmy.org or by calling 1-800 SAL-ARMY.

Save The Children: 

Save the Children’s emergency responders are seeking donations to help kids and families whose lives will be impacted by the hurricane.

North American Mission Board:

The North American Mission Board is now on the ground in Texas, preparing thousands of hot meals and performing mud-out, chainsaw and cleaning services to restore survivors’ homes.

Dozens of people from the Charlotte region have already traveled down to the hardest hit areas to help with relief efforts. The American Red Cross sent 16 volunteers from Charlotte, and Samaritan’s Purse (headquartered in Boone) just sent two tractor-trailers of supplies, along with several volunteers from the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team (based in Charlotte).

Governor Cooper also just announced that North Carolina will be sending 2 helicopter rescue teams down to Texas to help with the relief efforts;

Please spread the word and continue to pray for Texas!

Local ‘Gays For Trump’ Want To Sue After Being Denied Access To The Charlotte Pride Parade

Charlotte Stories
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Local ‘Gays For Trump’ Want To Sue After Being Denied Access To The Charlotte Pride Parade

gays-for-trump-deniedA local group is now planning on suing the Charlotte Pride organization for discrimination after being denied access to the Charlotte Pride Parade.

Brian Talbert, a member of ‘Gays for Trump’, and Deplorable Pride, said his group’s application was denied because they supported the president.

“It was going to be fun. We wanted to be energetic. We wanted to show that we weren’t the racist, bigot, misogynistic…We wanted to show that we are Americans, love our country and our president. We wanted to be there to celebrate gay pride. Everything fell into place except being able to celebrate who I am,” he noted.

The annual parade draws over 100,000 visitors to Uptown Charlotte and Talbert said he wanted to celebrate pride and patriotism with the other performers.

The group planned for one of their floats to be draped in red, white and blue streamers with drag performers dressed as Melania Trump and the Statue of Liberty on the float.

“We wanted to show that we weren’t the racist, bigot, misogynist whatevers. We wanted to show that we are Americans, love our country and our president. We wanted to be there to celebrate gay pride,” Talbert said.

“For a group of people to claim to want tolerance, acceptance, and give it to every single person you can imagine to give it to, for them to sit back and judge me for exercising my right as an American to choose my leader without judgment is hypocritical,” he added.

A Charlotte Pride spokesperson said they have a right to turn away groups that “do not reflect the mission, vision, and values of our organization.”

Talbert has now started a GoFundMe page to raise money for the legal fees to sue Charlotte Pride for discrimination. The campaign has already raised $7,363.

Do you think ‘Gays for Trump’ should have been allowed in the parade? 

Contagious Cat Virus Is Spreading Around North Carolina Animal Shelters

Steve
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Contagious Cat Virus Is Spreading Around North Carolina Animal Shelters

A highly contagious feline virus has been spreading around North Carolina animal shelters this summer.

Feline panleukopenia, also known as feline distemper can cause diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy, and often death in cats. Early warning signs of the virus include listlessness and loss of appetite.

This past week, the Cabarrus County Animal Shelter sent out a press release after discovering an outbreak of the virus in their facility:

“On Tuesday, August 22, staff discovered cats showing symptoms of the highly contagious illness, including vomiting diarrhea and lethargy. Staff immediately notified the staff veterinarian and officials at the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, and began procedures to contain the outbreak and sanitize the facility.”

The facility has since been decontaminated and they’re once again taking in new animals and allowing adoptions.

Yesterday they posted a plea for local residents to adopt more feline friends to help limit crowding and prevent future disease spreading;

Feline panleukopenia has also been recently discovered at animal shelters in Wake, Lincoln, and Iredell counties.

 

The North Carolina’s DACS’s Animal Welfare Section is urging cat owners to make sure their cats are up to date on vaccinations, and if any warning signs of the virus appear, to use an FPV home testing kit.

They also recommend keeping newly adopted cats isolated from other pets for at least a few days to make sure they’re healthy.

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