Kate Merrill

Challenging times call for changes, says Kate Merrill, co-owner of Merrill-Jennings Galleries on South Main Street in Davidson. The longtime art gallery owner has taken up a second career in real estate, with Allen Tate Realtors in Mooresville.

Ms. Merrill says she will remain “vitally involved” with the gallery, many of the day to day activities will be overseen by her partner, Susan Jennings.
“I have always enjoyed following trends in the housing market, and in many ways, real estate drives the art business. The fine art of real estate is like choosing a painting—it is both an emotional and a financial decision.” Ms. Merrill said. Read the full story

paint colors

Selecting the color and shade of paint that is right for your walls and ceiling seems so easy. Paint color chips are readily available at locations selling paint. But how the paint color appears on the wall or ceiling can differ from what you see on the paint chip.

Following are some tips to consider when selecting your next paint color: Read the full story

Davidson East site sketch, June 22, 2011 (Davidson Planning Department)

Davidson planners presented their staff report to the Planning Board Monday night on last week’s two-day workshop examining the proposed rezoning of the 180-acre Davidson East property, off N.C. 73 east of town. Read that document below, and see rough site plans that came out of the workshop.

Read the full story

Before and after the living room makeover.

My client want to make this living room more functional and comfortable. Up to this point, she primarily used it as an area for changing her young son’s diapers. But the room was in full view when visitors came through the front door, and she knew  it wasn’t a welcoming sight. Not only was she unsure how to arrange the furniture, but the corner window also presented a problem – how to attractively add a decorative window treatment.

To start, I felt that the walls would benefit by being painted with a color and not left white. We selected a very pale green shade that would complement the existing sofa she wanted to keep in the room. Read the full story

Home sales increased in the Charlotte region between April and May, but sales remained well below where they were a year ago, according to the Charlotte Regional Realtor Association. Meanwhile, the average sales price of a home in the region was about even with a year ago, but up from April. And more homes were under contract during the month, which could mean higher sales this month. Read the full story

Planners, residents and property owners look at sketches for the Davidson East site Tuesday at Town Hall. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

A revised conceptual plan for the 180-acre Davidson East site off N.C. 73 east of town could wind up looking a lot like what’s been proposed previously, with some improvements. That was the outcome of a 2-day public planning workshop at Town Hall that wrapped up Tuesday afternoon and gathered ideas from Davidson planners, property owners and residents. Read the full story