NAVMAK Realty Group, LLC proudly presents

6600 Blackwood Lane in the Wesley Oaks community of Wesley Chapel!

Conveniently located in Union County approximately 6 miles from HWY 485.

Priced to sell at $192,000!

3 bedrooms plus bonus room, 2 1/2 baths!

Enjoy the conveniences of your everyday needs.

Target, Harris Teeter, Lowes Foods and new restaurants opening soon.

All within walking distance. This 3 bedroom 2 bath home offers a large fenced yard and 2 car garage in a community with fabulous amenities, Wesley Oaks.

Priced below tax value for instant equity and quick sale.

First Floor Plan

Second Floor Plan

Formal living room, study, or first floor play room!

A comfortable family room with plenty of natural light and a cozy gas fireplace!

A convenient kitchen and breakfast area within view of the family room. Plenty of cabinet and pantry space!

A generous master bedroom retreat!

A functional backyard space. Slide open the doors off the breakfast area and enjoy your yard!

Pat Cozier is always on the hunt for a great recipe!  Here is her latest find!

CHICKEN PUFFS

A rich creamy chicken sauce is rolled in croissants and baked to form delicious puffs.  Wonderful for get togethers!

INGREDIENTS:

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cubed

3 Tbs. chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

¾  of 8oz pkg. cream cheese

6 Tbs, butter

3 – l0oz cans refrigerated crescent roll dough

DIRECTIONS

In a medium saucepan, over med. Heat, slowly cook and stir chicken cubes, onion and garlic.  Cook until onions are tender and chicken is lightly browned.  In a medium bowl, blend chicken mixture, cream cheese and butter until creamy.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Unroll croissants and divide in half to create 12 rectangles.  Place approximately one tablespoon of the chicken mixture on each rectangle.  Fold into balls.  Arrange balls on a large baking sheet. Bake in the peheated oven for 12 mins or until golden brown.

Note:  Some cream of chicken soup can be added to the mixture as desired.

Sell-ability, what is that all about?  Sell-ability is the appeal of your home to other home buyers.  What is going to “set the hook”?  Setting the hook is about how your home presents itself to prospective buyers.  You need to not only have it looking its best, you need to make sure it photographs well!  Give it the “umph” it needs!  Here is how to work with what you have to get your house ready to list!  The following is a list of my top three:

1.  Cleanliness. Cleanliness is so important.  Spending a little money (or elbow grease) on cleaning has a huge impact on the overall presentation of your home.  First impressions are so important.  When the buyers walk up to your front door for a showing, what are they going to see?  An ash tray by the front door?  Cobwebs in the corners?  Filthy siding?  All of these things demonstrate the age of the home and your level of upkeep.  For some, the amount of dirt can really send up a red flag.  We recently sold a listing and the buyers remarked that the perfectly vacuumed rugs demonstrated the level of care and pride the sellers had in their home.  Our sellers vacuumed their way out of the house before most of the showings.  This really struck a positive note with the buyers.  In this market you need to set your home apart from the others.  Show those buyers that you have been taking care of your home by keeping it as clean as possible.  If you keep to a schedule and keep up with the cleaning on a daily basis you won’t have to scramble (as much) when you get the last minute call for a showing.

On that note, please keep in mind that you should avoid postponing or canceling a showing if at all possible!  If you are afraid that your home is not in tip top shape, simply explain to the showing service or other agent that due to extenuating circumstances, your home is not as clean as you would like it to be.  You can even have your agent make a phone call to the buyer’s agent to explain the situation.  People can be understanding, especially if you have made the effort to relay this information.  The toothbrush on the counter can be overlooked.

Often overlooked areas to clean include:

Gutters

Powerwash siding, driveway, porch, deck and walkway.

Trash should not be on front lawn or in the landscaping.

Dust cobwebs from chandeliers and crown molding.

Wipe down cabinets in kitchen and bathrooms.

Wipe down baseboards, casing, and doors.  Keep an eye out for those dirty fingerprints!

2.  Staging. Staging is another important aspect to selling your home.  Your house could have beautiful furniture, paint colors and upgraded features but if your decor and furniture is hiding these features, sellers may overlook them!  Open spaces need to feel that way.  When Margie Kiss, Pat Cozier, and I list a home, we take a spin through with the homeowners and let them know what they need to do to make their home appeal to buyers.  Working with what you have is important.  The last thing you want to do is invest money to get your house ready.  Sometimes, however, it is necessary.  The great thing about our company is that since I am a General Contractor, we can work with my sub-contractors to make necessary changes if needed—and at great prices!

Here are some staging tips to maximize you sell ability:

Make small rooms feel bigger by keeping the furniture in that room to scale.  Don’t overcrowd it with big bulky pieces.

In the family room, think about more than just setting up the furniture for maximum TV viewing.  Set your furniture up for conversation and focus on the fireplace instead of the TV.

Cramming furniture pieces in the corners of the room does not make the room feel bigger.  Try pulling the pieces out from the corner and “float” them.  If you have the choice for new furniture, try to avoid the big, bulky over-sized pieces!

Symmetry is a beautiful thing.  Provide balance by placing matching lamps on either side of the bed in the master bedroom or matching vases on either side of a picture over the fireplace.

Balance and a pop of color. FOR SALE! 2113 Bluestone Court Waxhaw, NC

Balance and color.

Paint color is an important part of making your home look its best.  Whether you have chosen warm or cool colors, color should help showcase your home’s best features.  Molding pops and a room feels decorated with a little paint on the walls!  Here is an example of a great paint color that made this home feel totally different!

Before color.

After color. FOR SALE!! 2113 Bluestone Court Waxhaw, NC

Notice how you barely saw the chair rail and crown molding before the paint color change?

3. Curb appeal. Curb appeal is extremely important.  The photo of the front of your house is the first thing a buyer sees when searching on the internet.  Cleaning up the outside (as mentioned above) is a great start.  Keep all cars (if possible) in the garage and put your garbage cans away once the trash has been picked up.  Fresh mulch or pine straw makes the home looked cared for and vibrant.  A splash of color with some planted annuals or hanging potted plants adds a warm and inviting look to your home.  Consider placing a properly proportioned potted plant on either side of your front door.  Pay the little extra and buy the plants that are already a significant size.  You’ll want the colors to show up right away in the photos your agent takes of your home.  Trim back all unruly shrubs.  Keep creepers contained in the beds.  A clean line around the walkway and a well manicured lawn demonstrates a level of pride and care in your home.  Buyers don’t want the house that looks abandoned.

Here are a couple of photos of homes that look well-cared for:

FOR SALE! 1116 Linda Lane Charlotte, NC MLS#: 922249

FOR SALE!! 2114 Sandy Pond Lane Waxhaw, NC

Now that you have put all of this effort into your home, make sure you have great photos and internet presence. With so many home buyers searching the internet for homes for weeks before buying and the abundance of competition, great photos are very important.  As a prospective buyer attempts to weed through the 100 listings in your price point they will automatically delete a few just based on the lack of photos or the poor showcasing of your home.  Home buyers don’t want to see pictures of your furniture, they want to see pictures of your home.  Staging plays a big part in this as well as the angle from which the photo is taken.  Generally it helps to stand in a corner of the room (as far against the wall as possible) and take the picture.  A wide angle lens is helpful to capture more of the space.  The only downfall to the wide angle is the occasional distortion when it comes to taking photos of rooms with columns.  I recommend switching lenses for those rooms.  Here are some examples of great angles.

2114 Sandy Pond Lane Waxhaw, NC

FOR SALE! 2537 Coltsgate Rd Waxhaw, NC

FOR SALE!! 6002 Fine Robe Dr Indian Trail, NC

FOR SALE! 2114 Sandy Pond Lane Waxhaw, NC

FOR SALE!! 6600 Blackwood Lane Charlotte, NC

FOR SALE! 2114 Sandy Pond Lane Waxhaw, NC

FOR SALE! 6600 Blackwood Lane Wesley Chapel, NC

FOR SALE! 1116 Linda Lane Charlotte, NC

Keep following our blog for more Top Threes!

Today we also started on a new project, removing the old backsplash in the kitchen of a home in Waxhaw, NC and the install of a new one.  Removing existing backsplash can be a challenge.  You never really know if it will chip off cleanly or bring all the drywall behind it along for the ride!  This tile came off nicely.  The homeowners are picking out the accent pieces to put over the cooktop area this afternoon.  The accent tiles will provide a nice eye catching update to their kitchen!  In a previous kitchen job we were trying to remove an existing back splash and chunks of drywall were coming off with it.  The better, more cost effective solution ended up being to tile over the existing tiles.  I was skeptical of the outcome but assured my my expert tile subcontractor that it would be beautiful.  He was right!  It came out fantastic and the homeowners loved it!

Stay tuned for more photos!

Much to their dismay a family living in the Hunter Oaks neighborhood of Waxhaw, NC  discovered that water was leaking from their master bathroom shower pan into the wall and floor.  The homeowners had been diligent and kept up with the occasional standard maintenance (caulking and cleaning) but when they began to see water spots on the ceiling of the study on the first floor of their home, they knew they had a problem!  Once they peeled away some caulking and started investigating, they saw mushrooms growing in their wall!

The overall view of the master bathroom before the repair/update.

Some of the damage caused by the leaking shower pan.

The big challenge for this project was puring aesthetic.  The tiles are over 10 years old and discontinued.  We had to be careful not to damage the floor tiles since the homeowner did not have extras.  Jeff, Jennifer, and Margie helped the homeowner find a complimentary tile from Florida Tile to use for the shower and tub deck to save the homeowner from having to replace the floor tile.

To make the repair, update the bathroom, and save the homeowner as much money as possible, we took the following action:

1.  Removed the tub and shower materials.

2. Removed the damaged OSB, drywall and wood.

3. Cut a hole in the ceiling of the room below, applied Kilz to the wood that was salvageable and installed bracing to support the new mud pan.

4. Installed new OSB, DUROCK, rebuilt kneewall, formed the shower pan.

5. Plumber installed new rough in valves for new tub and shower fixtures.

6. Installed pan liner and formed mud pan for the shower.

7. Installed tile, grout, and new fixtures.

8.  S&S Building Specialties will be measuring for the new semi-frameless shower enclosure on Monday.

We started this job on Friday and are tiling the bathroom on Monday….final photos still to come!

UPDATE:  MONDAY MARCH 1ST, 2010!

Today we are tiling the bathroom.  Here is an updated photo on our progress!

Bathroom is looking good!

Tile progress!

Hard at work!  The tile is looking great!  Mark is very meticulous and does a fantastic job making sure everything level and even.  I’m looking forward to the finished product.

Just putting on the finishing touches!

Tiling is almost complete!  Just finishing up some grout work.  What a huge difference!  The homeowners have a semi-frameless shower enclosure on order with oil rubbed bronze hardware.

Looks fantastic!

Thank you to Mark, Alex, and Coles and MGK Plumbing for great work!

Kara Cozier, General Contractor NC/SC

Our most recent renovation project in Marvin, NC:

Scope of work included moving a structural, load bearing wall that separated the family room and living room 4 feet to enlarge the family room.  We had to engineer the support system to do this which included installed LVLs and a new pier to support the load under the bearing end of one side in the crawl space.  We also, cut into the back wall of the home to install two 6 foot double french doors.  New crown molding was added throughout the first floor and the entire first floor was painted.  We also removed the old carpeting and glue-down hardwood flooring from the first floor and installed new Acacia wood handscraped pre-finished hardwoods throughout.  As you can see from the photos below, we also updated the lighting and added outlets as well as enclosing the opening into the front living room to accommodate a single door.  The addition of the closet to the front living room allows the room to be classified as a bedroom and will work well for guests.

All appropriate permits were pulled for Union County and Marvin and all subcontractors were licensed as required and insured.

The Family Room

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The back wall of the family room before the french doors.

After the install of the double french doors...progressing!

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The Front Living Room

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The Foyer

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Foyer before new hardwoods, crown, and paint.

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The Game Room

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Game room before renovation.

This review was posted in the Business Reviews Forum on Union County Mommies website by the customer (KaraC is my screen name):

“As y’all might remember, a few months ago I inquired from everyone to recommend a licensed contractor to move a load bearing wall and do some other reno work on our house.

Well, several of you referred me to UCM’er KaraC and her business Navmak of which she is a contractor and realtor. Kara and her team did a most immpressive job on thoroughly going through my requests and coming up with a bid. She fell on the upper middle for the bid quotes I got, but she had the shortest finish time of any of the contractors. With three kids under 7 in the house, I did not want to live through 1+ months of reno, and she promised 11 days.

The workers were fantastic, methodical and perfectionists. Their goal was to do everything right. Kara and her partners were in the house at minimum once, if not more times per day overlooking the work and picking up any needed supplies. The quality was so well done, that I added a few additional things to the project such as crown molding, more painting, full wood floors, etc. No matter what I threw at ‘em, they still met the deadline.

We are thrilled with the way things turned out, and happy to say we had no hiccups. I usually expect something to go wrong during a large renovation, but the worst thing we had happen was that two of our new patio doors came in with brass strikeplates instead of brushed nickel ones. That’s it! Nothing! (She’s getting me the right strikeplates, by the way. LOL!).

KaraC was able to give me lots of ideas, suggested paint colors and even the fabric choice on our new couches! It was very helpful to have another perspective. I would absolutely use KaraC and the Navmak crew again if I had another reno. Her crew definitely took my house up a notch and brought it to the next level. It has made it more liveable for a family of 5. We love it!

Yay for KaraC! Super job!”

In our next “Renovation Realized” blog post…..the kitchen face lift in Matthews!!!  New tile back splash, new granite, bead board, lighting and the homeowners are tackling painting the cabinets with a little help from Pat Cozier!

****Special thanks to the following subcontractors for fantastic work!  Tod Ellis from Ellis Electrical Services, John Hancin (Construction Consultant), Anderson Lima from KW Hardwood floors, Matthys Barker, PE from Sustainable Engineering and Efficient Design, PLLC, and Mark Larysz from Mark Construction.****

NAVMAK Realty Group, LLC proudly presents

2537 Coltsgate in the Park Providence community of Waxhaw!

Conveniently located in Union County approximately 6 miles from HYW 485.

Priced to sell at $199,000!

—Approximately 1944 square feet.

—4 bedrooms 2 ½ bathrooms. —

Formal dining room.

—Open two story family room.

—Custom screened patio. —

Large master suite with vaulted ceilings. —

Hardwood floors throughout main level. —

Large pantry.

—Perfect open concept for entertaining!

Convenient to shopping:

Harris Teeter 2 miles away
Lowes Food within 4 miles
Target within 4 miles
Shops at Wesley Chapel, Blakeney and  Stonecrest shopping centers
Ballantyne

Schools:

Cuthbertson High School
Cuthbertson Middle School
Kensington Elementary School

Click here to go on a Virtual Showing!!!

A beautifully decorated home! This open floor plan is a fantastic set up for entertaining or keeping an eye on things in the family room while working in the kitchen!

The formal dining area with fantastic molding accents. Hardwood floors throughout the first floor!

This family room feels like home with the cozy fireplace with molding details and natural light!

Finally! A master suite worth coming home to! Peaked ceilings and an ensuite bathroom with shower and garden tub!

Won't your guests feel at home in this room? One of FOUR bedrooms in this home!

Fabulous outdoor entertaining area! Screened porch and patio! A nice, flat backyard to play in!

Our children are the most precious things in the world.  As parents we want to love, nurture and mold them into fabulous people.  We have hopes and dreams for them before they even enter this world.  On day one of discovering that a bundle of joy (at least we hope for joy 24/7!) is going to be in our lives in 9 months the designer starts coming out in all of us!  Colors, furniture, accessories, supplies oh my!  It is easy to get overwhelmed and figure out where to start.  Take a deep breath and relax.  Inspiration can come from just about anywhere.  Just like the Kohler commercial where the woman tells the Architect to design a house inspired by a plumbing fixture. I did say anywhere…  Your inspiration will probably come from a nursery rhyme, fabric, a stuffed animal or a picture.  It just takes one inspirational item to create the perfect room.

After you have your Ah ha moment, as Opera would say! Start by making a list of the basic items you will need.  Think of how you would like to room to function when making this list.  Most people think of a nursery and think crib only.  I am a firm believer in having a crib and twin bed if the room allows.  It is not very comfortable sleeping on the floor next to the crib when your child is not feeling well and if you are like me; I wanted to be close but not on the floor.  While you’re at it make that a trundle bed.  Someday you will also be experiencing the joys of sleepovers so go ahead and get prepared. A couple other items that serve a dual purpose are a dresser or armoire.  These pieces can function as a changing table besides great storage.  Purchase a contoured pad that fits the top of the dresser or the interior cabinet of the armoire.  My favorite is the armoire; close the doors and you have hidden the pad and supplies.  Be creative, you do not need to purchase a designated changing table.  It is a waste of money and valuable floor space.

The theme of the room, the fun part!  Like I said this could come from anywhere.  And please don’t think that you have to purchase every coordinating item to complete the look.  It could be as simple as a pillow of Winnie the Pooh to tie in the colors and fabrics.  Keep in mind in two to three years you will be changing the room to grow with your toddler.  Find fabrics that are the colors you like but will grow with your child.  In other words create a great back drop that will change easily with the addition of new accessories and pillows.  Here are a couple room designs that I created for a few very special little clients.

My fairy tale room was inspired by the fabulous bed.  The fabrics are transitional and will last until this little girl is a teen.  The accessories can be changed based on her age.  This room was designed with make believe and a whimsical Fairy Princess in mind!

The moon room below was created for a little girl and her brother to share.  When it was done unfortunately big sister loved it so much she didn’t let little brother in!  The inspiration came from Carolyn’s wish to have a room of “all God’s little creatures”.  Inspiration does come from anywhere.

Carolyn also wanted to sleep under the sky.  The moon bed was designed and custom made especially for little brother but, I don’t think he ever got to sleep in it.

I have not forgotten little boys.  All little boys like to play Cowboy!  This room was inspired by the fabric and grew from there.     Complete with chaps on the windows.

Have fun with your designs and enjoy the process.  Just remember there will come a day when you don’t get to have as much say in the design concept.  So have fun with it while they are still little.

Happy designing!

Margie

This recipe is one of my ABSOLUTE favorites!  It comes out very moist.  The orange peel is an important ingredient that really makes the taste fantastic.  I have used a few substitutes for it though.  Lemon peel works and of course, the extracts instead of the peels is an acceptable substitute if you don’t have an orange on hand.

Ingredients

* 1-1/2 cups sugar
* 1/3 cup chopped pecans
* 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1/2 cup chilled and cut into pieces, 1 Tbs. melted
* 1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
* 3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
* 1 cup buttermilk
* 2 large eggs
* 2 tsp. vanilla extract
* 1-1/2 tsp. orange peel, grated
* 2 cups all purpose flour
* 1 Tbs. baking powder
* 1-1/2 cups blueberries

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9×9 inch baking pan. Make topping by combining 1/2 cup sugar, pecans, 1 Tbs. melted butter, cinnamon and 1/2 tsp. nutmeg in a bowl.  Set aside.

Whisk buttermilk and next 3 ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Combine flour, baking powder, remaining sugar and nutmeg in a food processor or bowl. Add 1/2 cup chilled butter and process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk mixture and process until just blended. Fold in berries and transfer to prepared pan. Sprinkle topping over. Bake about 1 hour 5 minutes, or until tester comes out clean when inserted into center. Cool cake completely in pan on rack.

Keep this one in mind for the football fans in your family!

Prep: 10 min
Cook Time 1 hr

Yield:  4-1/2 cups

2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, cubed
2cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup ranch salad dressing
1/4 cup of Tabasco (this was PLENTY of Tabasco for me but I’m not a person that loves things really hot.  I recommend doing this to taste.  You can always add more!)
Tortilla chips and/or celery sticks
Minced fresh parsley, optional

In a 3-qt. slow cooker, combine the chicken, cream cheese, cheddar, salad dressing and hot sauce.
Cover and cook on low for 1 hour or until cheese is melted.  Serve with chips and/or celery.
Sprinkle with parsley if desired.
Serve with Tortilla chips and/or celery sticks or PITA chips.