I’ve been in Charlotte since 1998 having moved from the Northeast.   Although its been almost 13 years, it still never ceases to amaze me how a snow storm can take out the whole city for three days!   It makes sense considering the investment required to properly  clear the roads  and since we  typically only get one or two storms a year, it is clearly not worth the investment.   Recently one of my clients who moved to Charlotte a year or so ago, sent me a cursing text saying that this snow is the reason he moved south.   I had to remind him that the area we both moved from got about three feet in the same time that  Charlotte got three inches.   Ah, Charlotte is  still a  great place to live.

Nonetheless it was a slow week for real estate.   Its hard for people to look at houses when you can’t  even get to them.   Surprisingly,  our listings  still saw an average of 2.6 showings each over the past week.   It appears there were at least a few brave souls that were determined not to let the whether slow down their home search.   Maybe that is good news for Charlotte real estate in 2011!

January is typically a slow month for contracts but the weather does play a huge factor in the results during this month.   But January also marks the start of listing season!   Yes, while there may not be a lot of contract activity going on right now, you can be sure that anxious sellers are making preparations to hit the market in the new few months as spring nears.   That means that we can expect to see inventory increase for a few months until demand catches up.   That is at least one good reason why the early birds may have a better chance to catch a sale.