Auston Woods Apartment Homes Blog

This weekend will be the perfect time to get out of the apartment in Charlotte and take a little road trip. Enjoy the scenery as you drive to Albemarle to enjoy the Stanly County Winter Wine Festival.
 
The Stanly County Winter Wine Festival, an hour East of Charlotte,  will feature several of North Carolina’s finest wineries and vineyards. North Carolina has great wine, and here you can taste the best vintages. An excellent chance for learning about  North Carolina's Wine or just a great afternoon with Wine & Friends!

The event will be full of entertainment, food and wine sampling and 1,500 attendees are expected to be there! Saturday, Feb 25 12:00 to 6:00p at Market Station, Albemarle, NC.

Everyone in North Carolina is a basketball fan these days with our famous Tar Heels. But sometimes those games are hard to get to if you live in an apartment in Charlotte. Well, it you love basketball and can’t get to a Tar Heels game, here is the answer.

The CIAA Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament has come to Charlotte. Celebrating the conference's 100th anniversary this year, the CIAA Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament brings more than 150,000 fans to town for action on the court and the non-stop celebrations off of it.  

Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association is the oldest African-American athletic conference in the nation. Along with the tournament February 27 – March 3, step shows, a major centennial celebration and more will take over Center City.  To fire up the fans, the Toyota Fan Experience returns to the Charlotte Convention Center with free concerts, celebrities and interactive games, just to name a few.  

More couples are saving cash by opting to rent rather than buy. That dream of walking down the aisle and buying the perfect home is becoming a thing of the past. According to Zillow.com, apartment vacancy rates have fallen from 8% in 2009 to just 5.6% at the end of 2011.

Jay and Jessica Masanotti have been married for 5 years. During their first year of marriage they bought a house South Carolina in hopes of following the traditional American Dream, “You get married, buy a house, have kids, that’s the American dream; buying a house was the next step."
 
They figured the home would be a good investment, but now admit that they didn’t know what they were getting into.
 
But a new job in the Charlotte area put that newlywed home in an unsettling market. No matter what happens going forward, they will lose money on the house, "We bought it in 2 days and in 6 months, and we got nothing. It’s a great house but we will have to take a hit just to sell it and just to get it out from under us so we don't have that financial burden any longer."
 
If young couples are thinking about buying a house that they need to be prepared to make a long-term commitment. If buyers cannot commit to settling down in the area they are looking to buy, you’re better off renting. Renting offers flexibility and freedom to walk away and you can call someone else if something breaks or goes wrong.
 
Charlotte is seeing a big uptick in people renting. Rentals is this economic climate offer some big opportunity. Renting an apartment in Charlotte, NC  is a way to have what you want right now without having to wait until you can afford it.

For Jessica and Jay, renting in Charlotte has done just that, “It afforded us an opportunity to live in an area where we could never afford to purchase a house."
 
For more information on renting an apartment in Charlotte, NC,  contact Abberly Green.

Original article – Fox Charlotte

If you live in an apartment in Charlotte, NC and are looking for a way to beat the winter, head on over to the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden's Orchid Spectacular.  

The Orchid Conservatory displays a collection of 5000 orchids from around the world in this annual showcase of orchids.  On display in a tranquil glasshouse with peaceful waterfalls and winding paths, The Orchid Conservatory will be transformed into a 19th century orchid hunting ground so that guests can feel as if they are on an orchid expedition.

On February 11, grab a date and head to the gardens for a  Reflexology for Couples session to relax the senses with sweet aromas.  Throughout Valentine's weekend February 13 – 14, the first 250 guests to visit will receive a free red flower in honor of Cupid's big day.

Charlotte is the Queen City. For residents of apartments in Charlotte who are foodies, this is a great week to live in Charlotte. Queen's Feast: Charlotte Restaurant Week is for you. There are over 100 restaurants participating all over the Charlotte area from Lake Norman to Fort Mill and everywhere in between for the bargain price of $30 per person.

But don’t let the frugal price fool you. There are plenty of fine dining options too, from Thai food to tasty tapas. The restaurants are offering, three course menus to satisfy everyone’s taste. Area restaurants are also offering extras ranging from wine specials to complimentary signature appetizers.
 
This week you can discover the best of the ever-evolving restaurant scene in Charlotte where top chefs, new hot spots, and popular favorites show off their wares during this 10-day event.

Over 100 upscale restaurants will offer 3 courses (or more) at dinner for only $30 per person.

Attention Auston Woods Residents, Employees, and Friends!

The Bobcats hope your 2012 is off to a great start. Below is the next installment of games for our Arena Insider members. As you can see below, there are two (2) more great games to choose from for January, and you can save on up to 48% off just for being an Arena Insider.

Check out these great January games:

Tuesday, January 24 at 7PM Bobcats vs. New York Knicks

• Don’t miss Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire’s visit to Time Warner Cable Arena.

Saturday, January 28 at 7PM Bobcats vs. Washington Wizards

• Adult Jersey giveaway to first 10,000 fans!
• White Winter Hat Giveaway with ticket purchase through your Arena Insider Link!

To order is easy. Simply click on the 'buy now' icon or link and purchase your tickets (prices will include TM fees).

Order early as the best seats will go fast!

Buy Now | More Info

If you live in an apartment in Charlotte, NC and you are looking for something exciting and different to do this weekend, here is the answer; Monster Trucks.

Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam® is the world’s premier monster truck series. Monster Jam events in the Time Warner Arena are affordably priced for the whole family with seats starting at $25. Tickets are available at the Time Warner Cable Arena Box Office, Ticketmaster.com or 1-800-745-3000. Be there this weekend, January 20 and 21.
 
The Charlotte favorite, Grave Digger will be there celebrating its 30th Anniversary! Here is a great clip that celebrates 30 years of Grave Digger the monster truck that became a legend! Showing off why he is one of the best of all time, see this video of Grave Digger!



The show will also feature Monster Mutt, High Education, War Wizard, Bad News, Stone Crusher, Instigator and Virginia Giant.

Are you still trying to think of or keep your New Year's Resolutions? New Year’s resolutions don’t have to be limited to losing weight. Make some that are easy. Do something for yourself and your apartment in Charlotte this year.

Get organized
Who doesn’t want to be better organized? Whether it’s paper clutter, closets that are overflowing, or a room that has stuff everywhere, an excellent New Year’s resolution is organizing your life.

Clean more often
You have to admit that quality of life at home improves when your apartment is clean. Figure out how to stay motivated to keep your home clean. Set a cleaning chore chart Make keeping your apartment cleaner part of your goal-setting plan for the year.

Redecorate
Is your apartment décor tired? Or maybe you never got around to actually hanging pictures. Make interior designing your apartment home your New Year’s resolution. Get inspired, set your priorities, write up a budget, and start making it happen. This will let you create the apartment you can’t wait to come home to!

Resolve to keep these New Year’s resolutions by writing them down. Make this the year you move away from procrastination and toward happy new beginnings for you and your apartment in Charlotte!

Many people are told when they are younger that renting is only for college graduates or people who cannot afford to buy.  Many parents hammer these ideas into their children and tell them that renting is equivalent to throwing money away every month.  Fortunately, today people are beginning to finally think for themselves and challenge these ideas.  Here are 4 reasons to pat yourself on the back for deciding to rent an apartment in Charlotte, NC home at an HHHunt Community!
 
1.  Renting can save money

At the very minimum you’ll be shelling out PITI for your home. That is:

1. Principal
2. Interest
3. Tax
4. Insurance

The PITI doesn’t include property maintenance like maintaining the yard, paint, plumbing, repairs, decorating, etc… When you rent an apartment in Charlotte at an HHHunt community, the monthly payment is almost always quite a bit less than the PITI in your area and there are no maintenance expenses!

2. Homeowners’ tax deductions are overstated

According to research quoted by MSN, “… half of homeowners don’t get a break, because even with mortgage interest and property taxes, their total deductions do not exceed the standard federal tax deduction ($11,900 for couples and $5,450 for singles)”.

For these folks, it’s like spending $100 to save $20. They’re better off saving the difference and investing it.   Even if there is a “break” on your taxes, you typically had to spend more than you would have spent to rent to get back that $20 for every $100 spent in interest payments.

3. Renting gives you flexibility

For the up and coming young professional, you’re better off renting and saving for a few years than to buy a small condo. Who knows how fast you will outgrow it?  When you own a home, you can’t always sell it when you need to sell it at the price you want to sell it for in order to accept a new employment opportunity.  If you have owned a home and don’t want the constant maintenance responsibility, renting gives you the opportunity to enjoy your weekends instead of completing that “to do” list.

4.  Our superb service teams!

Most apartment communities offer 24 hour emergency maintenance and technicians who are skilled in HVAC, plumbing, and electrical.  At an HHHunt Community, our service teams take great pride in offering prompt and professional service to you.  Whether you need a light bulb changed or a new compressor for your AC unit, we are there to take care of you as fast and efficient as possible.  We are always a phone call or email away and most service requests are performed on the same day or within 24 hours!

If you are searching for an apartment in Charlotte, NC and you are on the go, take advantage of mobile technology to make your apartment search more efficient and more effective. Mobile search is available literally at your fingertips.

Check your toolbox
You may currently use mobile technology for everything from checking the weather to downloading movies, but have you thought about how you can go mobile with your apartment search? GPS and mapping tools simplify your search by pinpointing apartment locations that are located in Charlotte or in a desired area. And many apartment communities and apartment search guides have Facebook pages where you can get a quick overview of what tenants are saying and what a community has to offer.

After find a potential apartment, use mobile technology to instantly go online where you can read reviews and compare apartment communities to others nearby. Use your mobile device to jot down notes electronically and take pictures. Then you can e-mail pictures and thoughts directly to your partner, roommate or friends.

No apartment search would be complete without submitting an application, which you can also quickly do from your mobile device once you find your dream apartment. That way other renters won’t beat you to the punch!

Socialize your search
Taking advantage of mobile technology can help you locate, preview and contact apartment communities. Before you sign the contract, you may want to go mobile to get opinions on your decision. Logging in to Facebook on your smartphone gives you quick access to your friends so you can post questions about your apartment choice and get immediate feedback.

Making a move and choosing a new apartment in Charlotte can be challenging, so maximize your mobile technology to make decisions faster and get a jump on the hottest apartments on the market.

Original article – Moving Today