Charlotte is the largest city in the state of North Carolina and the 20th-largest city in the United States. The Charlotte metropolitan area has an estimated population of 2,491,650 including city of Charlotte and towns of Lake Norman, Lake Wylie, Fort Mill, Indian Trail, Mint Hill, Matthews, Pineville, Rockhill, Tega Cay, Weddington, Waxhaw, among others, located in the counties of Mecklenburg, Iredell, Cabarus, Union, Lancaster, York, Gaston, and Lincoln.

Nicknamed the Queen City, Charlotte, as well as the county containing it, is named in honor of Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg, who had become queen consort of King George III the year before the city's founding.

Home to 328 of the top Fortune 500 companies and more than 340 foreign firms, Charlotte has also become a major U.S. financial center.  Based on assets, both the nation's largest and third largest financial institutions call the city home. Bank of America and Wachovia headquarters, along with other regional banking and financial services companies, are located primarily in the Uptown financial district.

Located in the sunny Central region with a moderate climate, Charlotte has unlimited accessibility. I-77 and I-85, which intersect in Charlotte, link the city with the Great Lakes region, New England, and Florida. I-40, running coast-to-coast across the United States, is only an hour north of Charlotte. A two-hour journey to the West takes you to the Blue Ridge Mountains, and a three-hour trip to the East - to the Atlantic beaches of South Carolina.

There are several religious institutions in the Charlotte area. The birthplace of Billy Graham, Charlotte was and still is locally known as the "The City of Churches."

In recent decades, Judaism has thrived in Charlotte and the Carolinas. Over the past 10 years, the Jewish population of the Charlotte region has grown by at least a one-third to an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 individuals. Jewish synagogues Temple Beth El, Temple Israel, Ohr HaTorah, Havurat Tikvah, and the Charlotte Torah Center congregation are located in or adjacent to Shalom Park on Providence Road. Lake Norman Jewish Congregation is a spiritual home for Jews in the North Charlotte and Lake Norman area. The Sandra and Leon Levine Jewish Community Center (JCC) is a special place filled with laughter, play, learning, friends and Jewish heritage. For over 25 years, Jewish Family Services has been committed to preserving and strengthening the quality of life for individuals and families. Whether you are new to Charlotte or you've been here for years the Jewish Federation Community Directory will help you find everything that Charlotte's Jewish community has to offer.

Charlotte's public school system, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, is the second largest in North Carolina and 20th largest in the nation. Secular and religious private schools are prominent. Charlotte Latin is a school based on traditional values and unlimited opportunities. Providence Day School exists to inspire in its students a passion for learning, a commitment to personal integrity and a sense of social responsibility. Idyllically located on a wooded campus in South Charlotte, Charlotte Preparatory School has been preparing children for greater things in life since 1971. Charlotte Jewish Day School is a co-educational elementary school K-5 dedicated to the instruction in, and promotion of, a Jewish religious and cultural education embodying the values of Judaism taught in conjunction with an excellent and intensive program of general studies.

Charlotte area's tremendous growth rate is reflected in the real estate market from Uptown to old and new home communities in the suburbs. Charlotte skyline is changing rapidly as new residential towers are being built. Trademark, Avenue Condominiums, Fifth and Poplar, 210 Trade, The View are only a few examples of Charlotte uptown condos renown for their luxurious living and lavish amenities. MyersPark and Dilworth are two of the original suburbs containing some of Charlotte’s most charming, historical and eclectic streets and neighborhoods. One of North Carolina’s largest and most distinguished business districts and home to many of the finest residential neighborhoods, South Park has become a defining element of South Charlotte. Country’s finest retailers, including Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom are located in the South Park Mall. Ballantyne is a 2,000 acre master-planned community designed to achieve balance among living, working and playing. Ballantyne is also known for having some of the most sought-after golf course communities throughout greater Charlotte.

Some of the most prestigious neighborhoods of South Charlotte include Myers Park, Dilworth, Foxcroft, Morrocroft Estates, Seven Eagles, Heydon Hall, Stonegate, Town And Country, Pellyn Wood, Courance, Chambery, Whitegate, Carmel Estates, Old Providence, Piper Glen, Ballantyne, Ballantyne Country Club, Providence Country Club, Parkside, Dilworth at Lexington, Rosewood, Royal Court, 1610 Queens, Stephens Square, Penthouses at Phillips Place, Morocroft, Piedmont Row, Provence on Providence, Louisburg Square, The Mayfair, Rea Gardens, Hagood Reserve, Raintree, Greenviwe Terraces, and Fairway Row.

Charlotteans who like to get away from the bustle of in-town life after a long day at work might want to consider the resort like lifestyle found in the Lake Wylie area. The community of Lake Wylie is not an incorporated city, but a collection of neighborhoods and businesses such as Tega Cay, The Palisades, The Sanctuary, Riverpointe, Montreux, Reflection Pointe, River Lakes, and Allison Creek Estates around the lake’s 327-mile shoreline.

Nested on the banks of beautiful Lake Norman is a broad range of communities including family-friendly neighborhoods with sidewalks and bike trails, waterfront condominiums with boat slips and spacious luxury apartments. The Point, The Peninsula, Bay Crossing, West View, Portside, Kings Point, Cove Key, Vineyard Point, and Pointe Regatta are just a few examples.

Carolinas Metro Realty and our real estate professionals welcome the opportunity to help you in your home search. Let our real estate professionals help you find the home of your dreams whether you are looking for a waterfront, waterview, inland real estate property, a lot, home site, land or acreage. If you are not ready to buy your new home yet, Carolinas Metro Realty relocation specialists can help you find temporary housing whether you want to rent, lease, or lease with option to purchase. We look forward to assist you with all your relocation needs in Charlotte and surrounding areas of North and South Carolina.

Business Owners! Each year corporations, large and small, look towards the Carolinas as a prime location to headquarter their company. Carolinas Metro Realty offers Commercial Real Estate Services throughout the Greater Metropolitan Area of the Charlotte Region, North and South Carolina. We would like to assist your company in making this evaluation and in the relocation of your employees.

Investors! We work with investors of all ranges, from $100K to $10M. As a part of our services, we will help manage your assets. We handle rental, retail and office properties through our Property Management group.

We hope to see you soon!

701 North Church Completed in July 2007, this nine-unit residential project is at West 10th Street at North Church Street. Only a few units are for sale in the $500,000's - $600,000's price range.

Avenue Completed in November 2007, this 386-unit, 36-floor high-rise is at West Sixth St. at North Church St. Condos range from the mid-$200,000s to more than $500,000 and are 668
to 1,271 square feet. Retail space is also available. Currently aproximately 92% units are sold.

Citadin This yet-to-begin project is at West Eighth Street at North Graham Street. In January, the city approved 550 units and 30,000 square feet of commercial space for the mixed-use development. Plans are for an eight story building with condos from 570 to more than 3,000
square feet that range from the $170,000s to more than $1 million.

Garrison at Graham Construction began in summer 2007 and should be completed by spring 2009 on this 11-story, 41-unit property. Currently, the remaining 20 units are listed between $425,500 and the mid-$800,000s.

Uptown Village Located at Hamilton Street and Seaboard Street, this new entertainment and
retail center will consist of the North Carolina Music Factory and a residential area. Plans are to restore some of the historic buildings for housing, galleries, nightclubs and restaurants. Deco One will be a six-story, 139-unit building for residents. In total, more than 1,000 condominiums are planned. Pre-sale units are expected to run $195,000 to more than $600,000 for 558 to 1,835 square feet. The project is slated for completion in 2010, but currently units are not yet for sale.

The VUE Charlotte This 51-floor, 410-unit condominium high-rise will be at West Fifth Street and Pine Street. Units are 570 to 3,000 square feet and range from the low-$300,000s to more than $2 million. On February 6, the VUE received underground-easement approval and was scheduled to proceed with clearing and construction. The project is due for completion in 2010, and as of press time, the units were more than 60 percent sold.

For example, take worker productivity in the U.S. It jumped by 2.2 percent in the latest quarter - and that was on top of a 1.8 percent gain the quarter before. Why is that significant for real estate? Because rising productivity generally points to lower inflation, and lower inflation fears help keep interest rates low helping buyers!

In addition, Charlotte, N.C., leads Relocate-America.com's annual ranking of the top 100 cities. Apparently, there's just something about North Carolina. For the second year in a row, America's best city in which to live lies within its borders, according to Relocate-America.com's" annual list.

This year, Charlotte, NC is in the top spot, the site announced late last week. Last year's winner was Asheville, which slipped to No. 7 on this year's list.

"North Carolina is very active on our radar," said Steve Nickerson, president and CEO of HomeRoute. "It continues to get a flood of interest from all over."

HomeRoute is the real-estate firm that operates Relocate-America.com, a source of community information and real-estate resources for people who are relocating. Each year, the site ranks the top 100 places to live in the country.

Areas need to be nominated on the site in order to be eligible for the list; more than 2,000 were nominated this year, Nickerson said.

Thinking about relocating to Charlotte? Facing a job transfer, a quality of life move, or just want to come for a nice weather - visit us at http://MyCharlotteHomepages.com/ or http://LakeWylieHomepages.com/ or http://123charlottehomes.com/, call us directly (704)405-0634 or email us.

• When the borrower receives a bankruptcy discharge and the deficiency was included in the bankruptcy
• When the borrower is insolvent at the time of the cancellation of the debt. Insolvency would occur when a borrower's liabilities exceed assets. Note that seller would have to prove this insolvency to the IRS when filing a tax return.
• When the debt was secured by a nonrecourse loan. Under a nonrecourse loan, the lender does not have the legal right to collect a deficiency judgment from any assets of the debtor not pledged to secure the loan. While most home mortgages are do not fall into this category, purchase money loans on a person's residence are nonrecourse in some states.
• When the tax liability from the cancellation of debt on an investment property can be offset against other business liabilities and expenses. This exception does not apply to properties occupied as a residence by the mortgagor.

In many short sales, a seller would be able to qualify under the first two of these exemptions, especially since it was almost certainly necessary to show financial hardship in order to convince the lender to agree to a short sale. However, it is the seller's responsibility to notify the IRS why the amount in the 1099-C should not be counted as ordinary income. Otherwise, the IRS will consider the forgiven debt as income and penalize the seller for unpaid taxes.

If you live in Charlotte, NC or surround area and need additional info on short sale call real estate short sale specialists Yuriy Vaynshteyn @ 704-405-0634 or visit our web site http://CarolinasMetro.com/.

• The Sandra and Leon Levine Jewish Community Center
• Temple Beth El
• Temple Israel
• Congregation Ohr Ha Torah (Lubatvitch of North Carolina)
• The Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte
• Hebrew Cemetery Association of Charlotte
• Charlotte Jewish Day School
• Jewish Family Services of Greater Charlotte

Need additional info on Jewish Agencies in Charlotte, NC and surrounding areas call real estate RELOCATION specialists Yuriy & Luda Vaynshteyn @ 704-543-4590 or visit our web site http://123CharlotteHomes.com/ or http://CarolinasMetro.com/.