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Charlotte Basement Homes

Many people relocating to Charlotte NC are looking for a home with a basement.  Most homes in the northeast have basements and considered the "norm" up there.  Most of the basement homes were built long ago and it is a convenient "space' for future use (albeit a game room, work shop or simply increased storage space).  People do not realize the cost involved with building a basement.

You must first consider that Charlotte NC Homes are very new.  Our population has been growing exponentially over the past few decades.  All of these new comers need Charlotte homes and must have new homes built to accommodate their needs.  Builders are in the business of building and selling homes.  They are willing to build anything people are willing to buy.  That is basic business logic but many do not consider that home building is a business that is actually based on demand.

When a buyer visits the builder the builder presents an array of options.  The buyer decides what to purchase based on his/her personal budget.  An unfinished basement will cost over $30,000 more dollars (can be much more based on the size of the actual home).  A finished basement will cost that much more.  It is much less expensive to add a sun room above the ground (which is added to your actual Heated Living Area) and allows you budget to be spent elsewhere (like a granite kitchen, tile, upgraded lights, a brick facade or anything else that you prefer.

Over the years I have witnessed this and found that basement lots are typically the last lots to be sold.  A "basement lot" in Charlotte is typically a lot that is on a slope and the builder realizes that they must dig basement size hole under the home in order to compensate for the slope. That being the case, they build and charge the buyer for the additional expense (could not stay in business long without charging for expenses incurred).

I have had dozens of people wand Charlotte Basement homes but few actually decide on the home based on the basement.  Most prefer to spend their money on features that will be used every day.  Does Charlotte have Basement homes?  Yes.  How many?  Less than 10% of Charlotte Real Estate has a basement.

I do not share this with you to discourage but so that you are more familiar with our real estate market.  We can sit down and speak to any builder and you can personally see how much a basement will cost and see if the basement is that important to you.  Ultimately if you are set on a basement home then we will find one.  Just keep in mind that the current owner paid a lot of money for that Charlotte Basement home and is not likely to donate his housing investment to you.  The sellers like buyers but just not that much.  Yes, there are some homes with basements.  Many Charlotte homes with basements are older homes which have pros and cons.  Older homes often have hardwood floors but the closets, master bedroom and bathrooms are functional but do not meet the new expectations of today.  We have the Charlotte basement homes that you desire but it important to accept the differences in our market place.  You still can get lot of home for your money in Charlotte Real Estate.

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Published Wednesday, May 20, 2009 10:25 PM by Rick Waite

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Paul Watkins said:

Hi Rick,

The issues you're talking about in this article do exist, but the Charlotte market is changing.  There are more skilled trades from places like Ohio, Virginia, and Pennsylvania that are driving down the labor costs on basements.  I would have to take issue about adding upper-level space is cheaper.  If you take the $30,000 figure and use a "modest" sized basement of 800 sq.ft.; that would be $37.50 for unfinished space.  Add $5,000 to condition the basement (highly recommended) and the space is $43.75.  If you were to add another $20,000 for a nicely finished space it would come in at $68.75 sq.ft.  Those are very competitive rates and basements certainly make MUCH better sense over things like the sealed crawl-space craze that's popular right now.  In fact, the emerging crawl-space science and mold liability issues may actually drive builders away from crawl-spaces and towards basements in the future.

While it may be the case that production builders don't build the sloped lots until the end - it's not really based on a negative connotation, just elasticity - the vast majority of the basements built in Charlotte are for custom or semi-custom homes.  So, in more cases than not, basements are luxury items in Charlotte.

I have some very good articles on the benefits of basements on our website: www.vcphomes.com/news.html.  I hope you and your readers might find them useful.

Best Regards,

Paul Watkins

VCP Homes, Inc.

May 22, 2009 8:39 AM
 

Fan of Pools in Charlotte NC said:

I didn't know that basements were so popular with people in Charlotte, NC. Personally, I'd rather have a pool to cool off in during the summer than a basement. In fact, when my husband and I bought our home here, that exactly what ended up happening. We are basement free, but we do have a pool. Probably one of the best pools in our neighborhood. It's totally worth it! I don't miss having a basement in the slightest.

March 2, 2012 7:28 PM

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