Thursday, October 11, 2007

Think You Can't Afford The Good Life? Think Again...




NOW LISTED BY KAY DOVER OF WALLACE REALTY (704)633-1111: 514 Watkins Street, Rockwell, NC 28138


The Basics:

The most basic thing is what you see when you drive up. Prepare to be blown away. If you judge this book by its cover you will end up spending up to $50,000 more than you should. It's been completely renovated. Trust me, you want to see the inside of this house. Here are the general stats, but a full blown description (with pictures follows.)

Price: $145,900.00 Just Reduced!
# Bedrooms: 3
# Bathrooms: 2
Approx Lot Size: Over .3 acres
Approx Year Built: 1965
Completely Renovated: 2006
Schools: Rockwell / Erwin / East
Approximate Annual Property Tax: $ 700.00 (Tax rates are subject to change from year to year.)

This home is located in Rockwell, NC. It is less than 5 minutes from a grocery store and restaurants. Rockwell is currently experiencing a bit of a Renaissance. Lots of new businesses are opening and the town is growing in a good way. The home is within 20 minutes of I-85 (either in Salisbury or in China Grove,) Highway 52 runs through town, and it is less than 15 minutes' drive to Pfeiffer University and Highway 49. Charlotte, Greensboro, and Winston Salem are about an hour away. You can reach Raleigh in about 2 hours, Wilmington is about 4 hours away, and Boone is less than 3 hours away.

This home sits towards the back of a lot that is a little over three tenths of an acre. The Heglars have done some really great work fixing up this home. There is a lot to see, so why don't we go ahead and take a look.

The first thing that you will notice as you come to the front door is the custom stamped concrete walkway and stoop. The home has also had a professionally designed landscape makeover.




As you look out from the front stoop you will notice that the front yard is spacious and private.








There's lots of shade too!






The simple truth about this house is that from the outside it looks like a plain-Jane ranch, but how many times have you found that real beauty and real character didn't always look glamorous on the outside?

I promise you, if you quit now (and this is the worst possible picture I could take of this home) you will miss out on a real keeper!


Now, I could go and show you a picture of the end of the house, but what would I be showing you? Instead why don't we go on around to the back of the house?


Here is the view from the back deck. When you come to tour this home you will be able to see a neighbor's home just to the left of the edge of this picture - way on the other side of the field. Every time I go out on this deck I expect to see deer or turkeys back in this little cove.

As I mentioned earlier, this home sits pretty far back on the lot. The property line runs just on the other side of the bush that you can see in the picture.

Still, it is quiet and secluded back here on the deck. It would be a great place to sit and watch the stars and listen to the sounds of the night before turning in. It would also make a great place to entertain friends and family.


Next to the parking area you'll find a large, sturdy storage building. Plenty of room for yard equipment and all the other stuff that always seems to accumulate.

So that's about it for the outside of the house. Let's go back to the front door and head in.


The first thing that you notice when you come in the front door is the kitchen. The floor plan is very open. I'll show you more of the kitchen later.

Let's take a look at the great room first. Some fairly extensive renovations went into the great room.



Originally there was a wall across the area where you can see the kitchen now.

There had been a fourth bedroom in the corner from where this picture was taken. The Heglars decided that they would get rid of one of the small bedrooms, enlarge the other and open up the great room to make it more suitable for entertaining.

The prior configuration would have made having a large dining area almost impossible.




The floors are solid 3/4" maple and are brand new.






Now, for the kitchen!

I'm a cook, so I always get excited about the kitchen - especially when it is as well done as this one has been.

The kitchen was completely redone, so there is a lot to point out here.



First of all, you will notice the stone tile floors. That was the first improve- ment made.

Then brand new custom cabinets were installed.




Then granite counter tops and a custom granite back splash were installed.






Add to that a new sink, new lighting, and new fixtures...






And throw in quality brand-new stainless steel appliances (including a side by side refrigerator with ice and water dispenser!)

Just off the kitchen you will find the breakfast room.

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This room gets great natural light throughout the day. In the morning it is bright and cheery. What a great place to have your morning coffee and breakfast. I really like this room.

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I think the thing that I like most about this room is its possibilities. It has TONS of decorating and functional potential. Can't see it? Ask the Heglars to introduce you to my sister. She's an EXCELLENT interior designer!







The thing that gets me about this house is that there isn't a single room that I don't like. NOT ONE! Take for instance the pantry here. There is tons of room, custom cabinets, stone floors and plenty of room for additional shelving if you should so desire it. There are even granite counter tops in here! This is nuts!









I sold real estate for 4 years and eventually every house becomes X number of bedrooms and X number of bathrooms with maybe one stand out feature. This house is so not like that. Here is a picture of the laundry room - once again with custom cabinets for storage and a stone folding table. What more do you want?








Here is the first bedroom. As I mentioned earlier, this room was enlarged in the renovation of the great room. It is a good sized room. What can you say about a bedroom? It doesn't get interesting until the stuff gets added!









One thing about all of the Heglars' projects is that they try to go the extra mile. They try to give people something that is as nice as it can be for the money. That is kind of hard to find.


Now we are at what is probably my favorite room in the whole house - and that is saying a lot, because there is a lot to like. I know you won't believe me, but my favorite room in this house....

Is the hall bathroom.




This suite of rooms gets the prize for "Most Dramatic Trans- formation."





You can't really tell it from the picture, but this is really a bathroom suite.

As you enter from the hall you will pass the spacious room where the toilet and a nice linen closet reside.


As you pass the throne room, you enter the main bath where you will find a cultured marble whirlpool tub and a double vanity with cultured marble counter tops.


-->All that is plenty nice, but my favorite part and what I think is the most innovative renovation done was with the shower.

Seeing the finished product, it is hard to comprehend just how poorly this bathroom was laid out when the work began.

I have to do a follow up post to show you the before pictures sometime.

If you look at the picture above, try to imagine the toilet where the current entrance to the shower is, and the shower entrance forced you to try to step around the toilet when you were exiting the shower. It was a dungeon.

Now with a vestibule, a custom tile job, a genuine marble threshold, a built in seat, built in shelves, and a heater it is one of the most inviting showers I have ever seen. The pictures just do not do this bathroom justice. You HAVE to see it.

Here is the second bedroom. It is a pretty large room and it gets good sunlight most of the day.

The main thing that they changed here was to move the closet from the back right corner of the room to the front right corner.

This small change made a world of difference in the flow of the room. It made it much more inviting and interesting.

On to the master bedroom...


The master bedroom, not surprisingly, is the largest bedroom in the home. It gets lots of afternoon sunlight.



To the right in this picture you see the door to the room. Well, behind that is the master closet. It is a galley-style walk in closet. Unfortunately it just wouldn't photograph well, or I would have included a picture here for your benefit.

This is my second favorite room in the house. I don't know what it is about bathrooms! I'm not usually so impressed, but I guess these were just so well done for the space that is available.

I really love the stone tiles that were used in the shower. It gives it a real Mediterranean feel. The stone accessories are nice too. But with that rain shower head plus the additional shower head, I doubt that you would be able to get me out of there in the morning!





The Heglars have thrown in a shower rod and curtain hangars(not shown in the pictures), but I'd sure hate to cover up that pretty shower. If it were me, I'd try to find out how much Bruce would charge to install a glass enclosure. It would definitely cost extra, but it would be worth it.









Alas, we are at the last two pictures in our tour!



They got really creative with this one. Here we have a free standing vanity with a glass vessel sink. Tres chic!









Here is a detail of the faucet and basin.








Well, that about does it. This home can be had for the ridiculously low price of $145,900.00. I double dog dare you to find a comparable property for the same money. You just won't be able to do it.

Feel free to contact Kay by phone at (704)633-1111 if you are interested in touring this property.