Who’s This Local Celebrity Dancer or Sports Player?

The local middle school sports program funding was cut by the Fort Mill School board when the economy headed south a couple years ago. Parents formed a district wide school booster organization (FMSDAB) to raise money and keep middle school sports in the schools. One of the major funding activities by the middle school booster program is a Dancing with the Stars style fundraiser.

Dancing with the Stars Fort Mill is this Saturday 4/28/12 at the Tega Cay Glennon Center beginning at 6pm. Six local celebrity dancers 

• Dee Christopher, principal at Fort Mill High School
• Stafany Holmes, local restaurateur and school sports fundraiser
• Lucas McFadden, anchor/producer for CN2 News
• Patti Mercer, former Mrs. South Carolina
• Alison Rauch, reporter and photographer for CN2 News
• Jeff Schaefer, former major league baseball player

and their professional dance insturctore/partners have been practicing dance routines since February to compete this Saturday. Money is raised by dancers soliciting votes in the form of donations, selling show tickets, and sponsorships. Dancer fundraising totals will be factored into their scores when its time Saturday night to select a winner.

Dinner tickets are sold out but a limited amount of Show Only tickets are still available to purchase on line at www.fortmillathletics.org/dancingwiththestars/tickets/  at a price of $50 each (donation).

If you would like to make an online donation to a specific dancer go to www.fortmillathletics.org/dancingwiththestars/

” Haben Sie Hunger”

Did you know there is a German deli located on Hwy 160 in Fort Mill? I just had a deli sandwich called the Tavern Special at the Bavaria Deli which is located in the Fort Mill Gateway Commons on Hwy 160. It was a great sandwich! The sandwich consisted of a roll with prosciutto, lettuce, mozzarella cheese, tomato, fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt/pepper for $4.95.

The Bavaria Deli claims to be a German Specialties store with meats, sausages, cold cuts, cheese, krauts, mustard’s, pickles, jams, honey, tea, coffee deserts and more. It’s a German butcher-shop and a great lunch take out shop. You’ll also find larger meals like German meatballs, stuffed pork chops, goulash soup, stuffed pot roast and more. And if you like Bratwurst, this is the place to come. They also cater.

The Bavaria Deli opened in July 2011 and is owned by Anna & Stephan Stamm originally from Germany. Oddly enough when I asked some of the neighboring businesses how long had the deli been open, the repsone was a few months. I have been to the Gateway Commons several times the past year and I have not noticed the deli. I believe Stickland’s was in the space before the deli. I am glad I finally took notice of the deli and stopped in to try a sandwich.

Here are a few reviews listed on Yelp!

“This is a GEM! Tucked away in a shopping center, most people would drive by without even considering going inside. What a mistake!”

“INCREDIBLE! Great quality and selection. I cannot pronounce most of it but it is all great.”

The Bavaria Deli is open Tuesday – Saturday 9am -6pm.at 2000 Hwy 160 West – Fort Mill, SC 29708. Find them on the web at bavariadeli.net

“Auf Wiedersehen!”

Last Thursday March 24th, 2011, Toronto based Mood Media announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Muzak Holdings LLC (“Muzak”), a privately-held company based in Fort Mill SC, for 345 million.

Muzak, which started in 1934 playing phonograph records for hotels and restaurants, currently delivers its product to subscribers over satellite radio. Muzak relocated to Fort Mill SC in 2000 from Seattle. The company filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February 2009 and then successfully emerged from bankruptcy last year after restructuring its debt.

Mood Media uses an Internet-based delivery system and operates an international in-store media and music retail business with an extensive geographic footprint and a broad client base including several multinational blue chip organizations.

So will Mood Media shut down the Fort Mill Headquarters after the acquisition is estimated to be approved in the 2nd quarter? Lorne Abony, CEO & Chairman of Mood Media Corporation, said:

“Over the past five years, Mood Media has transformed the in-store media industry by offering unparalleled innovation and convenience to our customers across the world. We now have the opportunity to extend this legacy to a world-recognized brand and create a truly global leader with U.S. headquarters in the Charlotte area.”

The Mood Media Press Release further said:

“Mood Media intends to maintain a significant presence in the Charlotte, North Carolina area, with its U.S. headquarters in Fort Mill, South Carolina.”

The comments seem to be positive for Fort Mill based Muzak employees. Time will tell how many jobs will actually remain in Fort Mill after the acquisition transition.



As you are driving around York County, you may see from time to time a re-zoning hearing sign posted on undeveloped property.  I happened to see a re-zoning hearing sign on the corner of Pleasant road and Carowinds Blvd.  I thought it would be of interest to see what was posted online at the York County govt website about the zoning hearing.

It would appear that QuickTrip, a convenience store/gas station company,  needs to rezone the parcel to be able to build and operate their type of  business on the property. Here is the online information:

On April 4th 2011 The York County Planning Commission will hold a hearing for the following re-zoning request

REZONING APPLICATION OVERVIEW F OR CASE 11-02

APPLICANT: Brandon Forshee (QuikTrip Corporation) 205 Regency Executive Park Drive, Suite 306 Charlotte, NC 28217 PROPERTY OWNER(S): B & C Enterprises 1440 Hwy 55 East Clover, SC 29710

REQUESTED ACTION To rezone approximately 4.522 +/- acres from ID to BD-III

TAX MAP NUMBER 7230000048

LOT SIZE +/- 4.522 acres

LOCATION Intersection of Carowinds Blvd & Pleasant Road in the Fort Mill community

EXISTING SITE CONDITIONS AND LAND USE Vacant Warehouse/Commercial

COUNCIL DISTRICT One (1) David Bowman

Business Development District III General (BD-III). This district is intended to provide for areas within the county where “large scale” commercial and business development may occur. This district is designed to support county-wide or regional shopping centers, and business complexes of greater magnitude than permitted by the BD-I and BD-II Districts. This district is designed to accommodate a wide range of business and commercial uses, generally clustered for “cumulative attraction” and optimum accessibility.

Permitted uses (some of which may require site plan approval) within the BD-III zoning district include: automobile and boat service repair; broadcasting stations; car washes and detail shops; churches; commercial recreation establishments; commercial parking lots; general business services; lodges and civic clubs; marinas; mini-warehouses; motels and hotels; museums, art galleries, and libraries; personal service establishments; professional uses; recreational vehicle parks; convenience, primary, and secondary retail establishments; transportation service and facilities; and multi-family dwellings to include townhouses, apartment buildings, and condominiums. (For more detailed information, please refer to York County Zoning Code §155.161 & §155.162.)

Fort Mill continues to see more new growth with another recent construction start near Highway 160 and Dave Gibson Blvd. The land that is in the process of being cleared behind the South Carolina Bank and Trust is for a preschool called Ivybrook Academy.

The new Ivybrook Academy in Fort Mill will be the 2nd campus for Ivybrook Academy, also found on the internet as LearningLinksAcademy.com. The first location is in Weddington NC and has been operation since August 2007. The Academy’s spokesperson Drew McWilliams said they picked Fort Mill for their new location

because of the highly regarded public schools in the area which matches that of our current early childhood education programs”.

Ivybrook Academy is a half-day preschool offering 6 different programs:

Mother’s Morning Out, Explorer, Investigator, Inventor, PreKindergarten, and Transitional Kindergarten. The Academy promotes their facilities are “Eco Healthy ” and  “expertly designed to provide the optimal learning environment for your child”.

The Fort Mill Ivybrook Academy facility is estimated to be completed by August 1, 2011. Just in time for the 2011-2012 school year. Read more about Ivybrook Academy at their website.

If you drive by the intersection of Gold Hill Road and Hwy 160 near Tega Cay, you can’t help but notice the construction taken place on the north east corner. Lake Wylie Lutheran Church is adding a 5,800 sq foot Fellowship Hall, meeting space, and expanded parking lot primarily for the expansion of their ministries and outreach possibilities for the community.

Lake Wylie Lutheran was established in 1981 and has a slogan of “Come As You Are”. The church has seen a 70% increase in congregation from 2002 to 2009. Currently the church has approx 325 members with average worship of 170 in two Sunday services.

Church Council President Dottie France said the Fellowship Hall construction should be completed in Mid March. The Church has a 3 phase growth vision which includes the expansion of the sanctuary and small chapel near the columbarium (Phase II) estimated in 2015 and a ministry building (phase III) in 2022.

Lake Wylie Lutheran Church welcomes all people to worship. They offer two worship services each Sunday; the 8:30 uses the traditional Lutheran liturgy and the 11:00 service uses the best of current contemporary Christian music. A professionally staffed nursery is provided each Sunday. See more info at www.lakewylielutheran.org.

The results from a recent Fort Mill Times survey voted Century 21® First Choice as The Best Real Estate Company in Fort Mill !

CENTURY 21® First Choice has been serving the Fort Mill Township under the direction of President and Owner Pete Hall for over thirty years. Their know to provide the community with the most comprehensive residential brokerage service. Their service includes buying, selling, renting, property management, REO/foreclosure services and more. The Century 21® First Choice award winning team of agents have the necessary training, experience, and tools to serve our communities real estate needs.

Just as important as great customer service, the Century 21® First Choice agents and staff are well known for their community service including many donation projects for school supplies, clothing, and food, to name a few.

Congratulations to the Century21® First Choice Staff for outstanding service which include:

• Peter W. Hall,
• Becky Shugart
• Jodi Boone-Baird,
• Kellye Coltharp
• Cydni Crain
• Alex Dewey
• Melanie Dewey
• Kim Efird
• Shannon Evans
• Barbara Ferguson
• Linda Hall
• Debra Hayes
• Sandy Hynes
• Sue Kost
• Ann Lyman
• Bindu Mathew
• Carmen Miller
• Laura Pogue
• Deborah Storin
• Jessica Sullivan
• Debbie Sue Taylor
• Kelli Voss
• Andrea Wells

Read more about the Century21® First Choice agents and staff at www.fortmillsc.com.

ALDI, a more than 1000 store grocery chain, posted a banner this week their new store location on Hwy 160 and Vandora Springs rd in Fort Mill will open January 13, 2011. The new store has been under construction for several months and appears to be completed but is sitting idle until January.

ALDI opened their first store in southeastern Iowa back in 1976 and now has more than 1,000 grocery store locations in 31 central and east coast states. Their slogan is “honest to goodness savings” on the items you buy the most. If you have not been to an ADLI, the first thing you’ll find different is you’ll have to pay 25 cents to use a shopping cart. ADLI claims they save money by not having extra employees fetching carts so they encourage you to return the cart and get your quarter back. By the way, bring your own eco-friendly shopping bags to shop.

I have seen local online comments glad to see ADLI in our area to other comments stating we don’t need another grocery store. I am sure the negative comments come from the fact that another grocery chain Publix is attempting to build a store in Fort Mill within a couple miles of the new ALDI. More stores or choices should breed competition and in theory lower prices. Who’s not for lower grocery prices? For those of you that have shopped at an ALDI elsewhere, please share your ADLI shopping experience with us.

As another step toward better communication with Tega Cay residents, the City of Tega Cay rolled out their new website including combining all of their departments websites into one new website. The website is by CivicPlus based in Manhattan Kansas who specializes in “next generation” city, county, state and school websites”. The new site went live last Friday.

Here is what Mayor George Sheppard has to say about the City’s new website communication tool:

We have updated the website because the previous site just had too many limitations. With the new website we are able to stream Council meetings for those who don’t have channel 19 or are unable to attend meetings (they are not live, but they are there!). The calendar feature is also an exciting new tool; any resident can sign up to receive alerts of City functions. Once signed up residents will have the option to receive an email or a message to their cell phone reminding them of upcoming events.

I feel this website is another great example of the steps of transparency and council’s willingness to communicate with the resident’s.

Visit the new website with the same URL: www.tegacaysc.org.

Please note that all email addresses at the Admin Office and Development Services office have changed. They are now the staff member’s first initial followed by their last name @tegacay.com (ex. cfunderburk@tegacay.com). Please delete the @tegacay.org addresses from your contact lists.

Regards,

George Sheppard

Mayor, City of Tega Cay, SC

I would say the new website is easy to navigate and read. If you would like to sign up for city notifications here is a direct link tegacaysc.org/list.aspx.

You can also sign up for a city Constant Contact email along with the city notifications.

Don’t forget to join Tega Cay’s Face Book Groupfor you hardcore Facebook users.

What’s your opinion of the new website?

How is city doing on keeping the Tega Cay residents informed?

Republicans win most races in South Carolina and York County!

Straight Party Voters – 59% of the York County straight party voters, voted Republican ticket!

Over 60 thousand voted in York County SC, a 48% voter tun out!

South Carolina elects their first Women (Republican ) Governor!

Here are the unofficial election results for seats representing the York County South Carolina area. (as of 11pm Nov 2nd reported by the Registration and Elections Commission for York County, SC). Final results confirmed Nov 5th

York County Election Result Nov 2 2010 summary Raw report download from the Registration and Elections Commission for York County, SC

The 2010 November General Election is less than a month away. There are many National, SC Sate and local York County, Rock Hill, Fort Mill candidates to choose from.  I’ve put together a list of all candidates running for available seats that represent the York County SC area along with State and National races.

Here is a list of candidates:

National and SC State candidates for York County Area

York County, School District, City seats and Candidates

To download the full list of candidates for the York county area Nov 2nd 2010 York County SC Candidates

There are 4 State of SC Constitutional amendments to vote for or against.

They are:

Amendment 1

Must Article I of the Constitution of this State, relating to the declaration of rights under the state’s constitution, be amended by adding Section 25 so as to provide that hunting and fishing are valuable parts of the state’s heritage, important for conservation, and a protected means of managing nonthreatened wildlife; to provide that the citizens of South Carolina shall have the right to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife traditionally pursued, subject to laws and regulations promoting sound wildlife conservation and management as prescribed by the General Assembly; and to specify that this section must not be construed to abrogate any private property rights, existing state laws or regulations, or the state’s sovereignty over its natural resources?

Explanation

A ‘Yes’ vote will make it a constitutional right for citizens to hunt and fish and will permit the State to legally provide for proper wildlife management and the protection of private property rights.

Amendment 2

Must Article II of the Constitution of this State, relating to the right of suffrage, be amended by adding Section 12 so as to provide that the fundamental right of an individual to vote by secret ballot is guaranteed for a designation, a selection, or an authorization for employee representation by a labor organization?

Explanation

A ‘Yes’ vote will give employees the constitutional right to vote by secret ballot when they are voting on whether to be represented by a labor union.

Amendment 3

Must Section 36(A), Article III of the Constitution of this State be amended so as to increase from three to five percent in increments of one-half of one percent over four fiscal years the amount of state general fund revenue in the latest completed fiscal year required to be held in the General Reserve Fund?

Explanation

A ‘Yes’ vote will increase the amount of money state government must keep in the General Reserve Fund (its “rainy day” fund) from 3% of the previous year’s revenue to 5% of the previous year’s revenue.

Amendment 4

Must Section 36(B), Article III of the Constitution of this State be amended so as to provide that monies from the Capital Reserve Fund first must be used, to the extent necessary, to fully replenish the applicable percentage amount in the General Reserve Fund?

Explanation

A ‘Yes’ vote will require that the Capital Reserve Fund’s first priority is to replenish the State’s General Reserve Fund (its “rainy day” fund) instead of serving to offset midyear budget cuts at state agencies.

Looking for voting locations in the Fort Mill or Tega Cay SC?

See precinct list below sorted by zip code and city.

To view the full list of precincts in York County including Rock Hill, York, Lake Wylie =>Where To Vote York County SCxlsx.

Source York County SC Registrations and Elections

See update post on Nov 16 2011  Publix will open late 2012 or early 2013

Publix, a south east grocery chain, plans to build a 54,000 sq foot grocery store on a 3.5 acre property located at the corner of Gold Hill Road and Pleasant Road in the Fort Mill Township.

The proposed Publix grocery store would be the first in our Fort Mill, York County area. It would also be the first Publix location near Charlotte NC since Publix is primarily in the southern and western portions of South Carolina.

Publix has to re-zone the 3.5 acres from a agricultural residential zoning to a business development (commercial) zoning designation with York County approval. The York County Council has initially approved the zoning and use change during their September 7th 2010 meeting. See re-zoning application.

Publix proposed grocery store location has met opposition by next door residents who live in the Ashford on the Water subdivision. The Ashford resident’s concerns are; adding too much traffic, safety issues, noise, and having a large grocery store structure next to their subdivision as reasons for their complaints. The next step in the approval process is to seek York County Zoning Board of Appeals approval on Oct. 14. The Ashford on the Water residents protests will be heard at the Oct 14th meeting.

York County is still growing especially in the Fort Mill Township area. Another new grocery store Aldi, located on Hwy 160 next to Waterstone subdivision, is under construction with a planned open in January 2011.

I am hearing many different points of view if we need more grocery stores. Some don’t like the commercial building and increased traffic. Other residents encourage the competition to save money. What’s your point of view?

Update October 22, 2010

Ken Elkins with the Charlotte Business Journal reported on  October 21, 2010,  The York County Council approved zoning changes that will allow a Florida developer to build the area’s first Publix near Tega Cay. In addition, Publix is eying a second south Charlotte  location around the hwy 521 location in Lancaster County SC.

How about some good news for our area? Manpower released their Manpower Employment Outlook Survey Results this week. Their report for the Charlotte metro (MSA) which includes York County SC (Fort Mill, Tega Cay, Lake Wylie, Rock Hill), shows of the metro employers surveyed, 16% plan to hire between October and December. Among the national employers surveyed, the Charlotte Metro is ranked fifth best in the nation.

The Q 4 hiring news is good news since the same survey results for 2009 Q 4 was -6%. The rest of the survey indicated 76% of local employers surveyed were planning to maintain staff levels while 5% plan to decrease staff levels.

Manpower’s report also indicated the best job sectors for positive growth are Construction, Durable and Non-durable Goods Manufacturing, Financial Activities, Professional & Business Services, Leisure & Hospitality.

To see more survey results go to press.manpower.com

Update Oct 2011 – PDQ is now called Tenders, same management and food menu. See new Post at PDQ-in-tega-cay-changes-name-to-tenders/

New Fast Food Restaurant in Tega Cay?

I imagine you, like me, are curious about the new fast food restaurant under construction at Gray Stone Crossing Shopping Center in Tega Cay (Hwy 160 between Dam Rd and Stonecrest Blvd). I have not found anyone directly familiar with PDQ. I know the Fort Mill Times sent out a Tweet a while back asking anybody for info on PDQ. Here is what I have been able to find about PDQ via my internet research.

PDQ Fresh Food Fast restaurant is a new concept restaurant developed and owned by the Captiva Restaurant Group together with Robert Basham (co-founder of Outback Steak House). Captiva’s partners Mike Vaughn, Joe Douglas and Chris Carlsen own and operate the small chain of 131 Main restaurants in Cornelius and Charlotte. Their always fresh concept (they don’t own a freezer) at 131 Main units is part of the PDQ’s fresh food concept claiming food is never frozen. The group decided to expand the PDQ concept after success with the first PDQ type unit in Cornelius NC called Tenders Fresh Food.

Info from a real estate marketing listing claims PDQ’s menu will be a simple offering of chicken tenders and sandwiches, turkey pork tenderloin sandwiches, fries, milkshakes, and fruit. PDQ estimates opening in September. As you can see in the first picture, a sign company was putting the last sign up yesterday evening.

By the way, the .084 AC PDQ site is being marketed for sale (ground lease) as an investment by Berkeley Capital Advisors LLC for $950,210.

PDQ is located at 2435 SC Highway 160, Tega Cay, SC 29708

Update Monday 9/13/2010

Ft. Mill High School Fundraiser – Join PDQ while they prepare for their upcoming opening! Thursday, September 16th 11am-2pm and 5pm-8pm. Any “Meal Deal” for only $3.00! All proceeds (100%) donated to Ft. Mill High School “Meal Deal” includes any entrée, fries and a soft drink! (Normally $6.60 plus tax)

Must bring coupon to PDQ Ft._Mill_Fundraiser_Flyer Limit one per Guest

2429 Highway 160 West, Tega Cay, South Carolina 803-548-6555

Below per your request is PDQ’s menu as of October 2010

Tried PDQ yet? Tell us what you think below

>>>>>>

To read more about Tega Cay including events go to www.seetegacay.com

To read more about Fort Mill including events go to www.aboutfortmill.com

The proposed new Fort Mill School District elementary school, currently named “Number 8”, received its first structure. The new sign was recently installed to mark the location of the new school.

The new school site on Gold Hill Drive is at the edge of Tega Cay’s city limits. Mayor George Sheppard in his Fourth of July address made the following statements about the new school;

Maybe you have or haven’t heard about the property that the FM School district just purchased on the other side of the Tega Cay sign (better known as the McCall property). The 27+/- acre property will have an elementary school for 1,100 students and for the first time in FM SD history it will be a partial 2 story building. We have had conversations about the districts interest in the property being annexed into the city generating utility revenue on property we will already be first responders to in the event of an emergency. This is Annexation that would add revenue without adding excessive burden.

In the July Fort Mill School District Meeting the following update was presented to the board about elementary school 8’s progress:

Elementary School #8

The anticipated bid date is August/September 2010; the anticipated completion date is March, 2012. The property has been acquired and we are now in full swing of the site adaption design. We have scheduled a design committee review of the new site concept on July 14th and once all comments/concerns are addressed, we will move into the design development phase of the project. Once the DD phase is complete, we will make a presentation to the school board and then finalize the schedule for bidding and construction. We anticipate that the presentation can be made in August. The current design includes space for a 1,000 student capacity and remains approximately $2,000,000 over budget. We are optimistic that the current bidding environment, in conjunction with increased competition, will aid in reducing the delta. We are also identifying alternates and value engineering items to assist in bringing the project back down to budget. Key issue is site adaption.

More school updates coming soon….

To read more about Tega Cay including events go to www.seetegacay.com

To read more about Fort Mill including events go to www.aboutfortmill.com

Homes sales in the York, Chester, and Lancaster SC counties in February have picked up pace compared to February 2009. As stated by Jason Foster Reporter for the Rock Hill Herald, homes sales are up 10 percent for the tri-county area compared to last year.

Carmen was interviewed recently by Jason of the Rock Hill Herald. Jason’s story was published March 24th. Carmen said;

“It’s definitely a better market right now than it was last year at this time,” said Carmen Miller, a Century 21 First Choice agent in the Fort Mill-Tega Cay area, noting that homes priced below $300,000 are generally performing well.

“It’s a little exciting. You hate to be overconfident, but it’s showing good signs.”

Many Realtor’s like Carmen are wondering what will happen to home sales volume after the home buyers tax credit expires on April 30th.

To read more of Jason’s article  and Carmen’s quotes see the Herald article titled “Home sales edge upward in York, Chester, Lancaster counties”

I thought it might be interesting to recap some of this weeks headlines from national and local news sources to see what the news media mood is related to real estate and the economy. Here is a recap of this week’s real estate headlines:

• Mortgage rates stay below 5%
• Charlotte-area home sales pick up in February (up 3.6%)
• Clear Springs back to development Mixed-use project one of rare starts across the region at Springfield Town Center in Fort Mill

(Charlotte Business Journal)

• Foreclosures level off in February
• It’s OK to be optimistic

(Inman News)

• Fort Mill to lose 27 teaching jobs,middle school sports to budget cuts
• York County Says: Fort Mill tower owners have 60 days – Claiming that MorningStar Ministries breached an agreement with York County to rehabilitate the former Heritage USA tower

(Fort Mill Times)

• FHA Head: Don’t Raise Down Payments
• FHA Commissioner David Stevens said if the mandatory down payment for an FHA loan is raised from 3.5 percent to 5 percent, the organization will probably insure 300,000 fewer homes every year.
• Future Foreclosures Could Hamper Housing
• A second wave of foreclosures could hit the market this year, which could negatively affect an otherwise stabilizing housing market.
• Mortgage Rates Remain Steady
• For the second week in a row, average rates for 30-year mortgages stayed below 5 percent.
• Home Equity Loans Available Again

(Realtor.com)

The mood seems to be positive, negative, and contradicting but I would say leaning more positive. Your thoughts?

North Carolina grants a Job Development Investment Grant to Husqvarna that could be worth up to $2.5 million to the company. In return Husqvarna will move its North American headquarters from Augusta, Ga., to Charlotte. This means approximately 160 new jobs will be created for the Charlotte Metro.

Swedish owned outdoor power equipment manufacturer Husqvarna plans to consolidate its Consumer Outdoor Products subsidiary in Augusta with its Professional Products office in Charlotte to create the North American headquarters.

Husqvarna said they will begin hiring next month and expect to complete filling the jobs in the first quarter of 2011. The jobs will cover a variety of occupations, ranging from administration to engineering to sales. No manufacturing jobs are part of the move.

We invite moving or relocating Husqvarna employees to consider the Fort Mill, Tega Cay, and Lake Wylie area as a good place to live. Fort Mill and Tega Cay are just minutes south of Charlotte, near or on a recreation lake, lower property taxes than NC, good schools, small neighborhoods, and a great quality of life.

For more relocation information or homes for sale information contact Top Producing Realtor® Carmen Miller, licensed in NC & SC.

Call me for questions or showings.

Exciting news Tega Cay and Fort Mill!  George and Jan Wallace from Tega Cay are opening a new garden center in Fort Mill in Spring 2010. It took vision and nerves of steel, but Jan and George purchased property on Highway 160 at the border of North and South Carolina and are building a premier garden center.

Here is what their website says about their new Sugar Creek Garden Center:

Sugar Creek Garden Center will be a garden center with an atmosphere like a botanical garden and will offer inspirational ideas in a project-based retail operation catering to today’s homeowner demographic. In addition to offering high quality and unique varieties of plants,  Sugar Creek Garden Center will offer outdoor living and landscape projects, gardening tools and accessories, gifts, birding items, and houseplants.  Sugar Creek Garden Center will also have a design center, knowledgeable staff and exceptional customer service. Sugar Creek Garden Center will be a family oriented garden center hosting seasonal and educational events for children and adults.

Construction began last October.

The rain has slowed progress but you can now see a greenhouse standing. Sugar Creek Garden Center is now hiring. For more information, contact George or Jan at george.wallace@SugarCreekGardenCenter.com or call them at 803-802-2600. Visit their website for progress pictures, newsletters, blog, and apply online. www.sugarcreekgardencenter.com

Great news for Fort Mill Home Buyers and Sellers.  Congress has passed legislation to extend the First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit. But the bill added incentives to current home owners. Here are the details of the extended home buyer tax credit signed by the President November 6,2009.

The new bill:

* Extends the First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit of up to $8,000 to first-time home buyers until April 30, 2010.

* Expands the credit to grant up to $6,500 credit to current home owners purchasing a new or existing home between November 7, 2009 and April 30, 2010.

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Here is Tom Kunz, President and CEO, Century 21 Real Estate with more information on the Extended 2009 – 2010 home buyers tax credit.

More information on the the extended home buyers tax credit:

First-time home buyers who purchase homes between November 7, 2009 and April 30, 2010 and current home owners purchasing a home between November 7, 2009 and April 30, 2010, who have used the home being sold or vacated as a principal residence for five consecutive years within the last eight qualify for the credit.

To qualify as a “first-time home buyer” the purchaser or his/her spouse may not have owned a residence during the three years prior to the purchase.

The Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit may be applied to primary residences, including: single-family homes, condos, townhomes, and co-ops.

The maximum allowable credit for first-time home buyers is $8,000. The maximum allowable credit for current homeowners is $6,500.

Each home buyer’s tax credit is determined by tw0 additional factors:

1. The price of the home.

2. The buyer’s income.

Under the Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit, credit may only be awarded on homes purchased for $800,000 or less.

Buyer Income

Under the Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit, which is effective on November 7, 2009, single buyers with incomes up to $125,000 and married couples with incomes up to $225,000—may receive the maximum tax credit.

Some buyers may still be eligible for the credit if their income is over the limits. The credit decreases for buyers who earn between $125,000 and $145,000 for single buyers and between $225,000 and $245,000 for home buyers filing jointly. The amount of the tax credit decreases as his/her income approaches the maximum limit. Home buyers earning more than the maximum qualifying income—over $145,000 for singles and over $245,000 for couples are not eligible for the credit.

Under the Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit, as long as a written contract to purchase a home is in effect on April 30, 2010, the purchaser will have until July 1, 2010 to close. The extended 2009 home buyers tax credit info is from National Association of REALTORS®.

Click for more information about the The Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009.

Call Carmen for more details.

www.HomesFortMill.com