WE
WE CONTINUE TO TALK ABOUT THE CHARLOTTE REAL ESTATE MARKET AND IT'S HOT OR COLD DEPENDING
ON WHAT SIDE OF IT YOU'RE ON.
IT DEPENDS.
JOINING US NOW FOR THE TO SHOW
COMMUNITY ACTIVIST COLLETTE
FORESTY SHE HAS LIVED IN WESLEY
HEIGHTS FOR 20 YEARS NOW AS
YOU HEARD IN OUR LAST SEGMENT
THAT'S PERHAPS THE HOTTEST ZIP
CODE RIGHT NOW IN THE CHARLOTTE
REAL ESTATE MARKET.
OK, THIS IS A THIS IS BOTH A
BLESSING AND A CURSE AS WELL
FOR FOLKS.
GIVE US YOUR PERSPECTIVE IN A
SITUATION LIKE THIS IS SOMEONE
WHO'S BEEN IN ONE OF THESE
NEIGHBORHOODS FOR A LONG TIME.
WELL, TEXAS YOU KNOW THE NUMBER
ONE THING THAT YOU HAVE TO
WORRY ABOUT IF YOU ARE A BLACK
HOMEOWNER AND ONE OF THESE
QUICKLY GENTRIFYING
NEIGHBORHOODS IS TAXES YOU CAN
GO FROM PAYING LESS THAN A
THOUSAND DOLLARS ON PROPERTY
TAXES TO PAYING ALMOST THREE
THOUSAND DOLLARS IN PROPERTY
TAXES.
AND THAT'S WHAT I'VE
EXPERIENCED FROM 2011 TO
PRESENT DAY.
SO YOU NEED TO BE AWARE OF
PROGRAMS.
MECKLENBURG COUNTY HAS A
PROGRAM THAT HELPS PERSONS WITH
TAXES.
I'M BLESSED I'VE GOT A
REPRESENTATIVE MARK JERRAL WHO
REPRESENTS DISTRICT FOUR THAT
ENCOMPASSES WESLEY HEIGHTS THAT
ALLOWS HIS CITIZENS AND HIS
CONSTITUENTS TO KNOW ABOUT
THESE PROGRAMS.
BUT YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF LEGACY
OWNING GRANDMOTHERS WHO OWN
THEIR HOMES AND WESLEY HEIGHTS
20, 30, 40, 50 YEARS AGO AND
THEY PASSED ON NOW AND SO
THEY'RE GRANDBABY'S ARE NOW
HOMEOWNERS AND THEY DON'T KNOW
WHAT TO DO.
LET'S SAY THAT GRANDMA HAD THE
PROPERTY TAXES TO FALL BEHIND.
SO NOW YOUR REAL LOOKING AT A
STAGGERED AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT
YOU HAVE TO PAY AND IT COULD
SEEM LIKE IT'S ENORMOUS AND
HERE WE COME OPEN THE DOOR FOR
PREDATORY PEOPLE THAT ARE
MAILING YOU THINGS.
HEY, I'LL BUY YOUR HOUSE FOR
TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS.
I BUY YOUR HOUSE FOR ONE
HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS.
WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW IS THAT
THAT'S NOTHING TO PURCHASE THE
SAME TYPE OF HOME IN CHARLOTTE
TODAY WITH THE MARKET AND IT'S
ESCALATED.
SO IT'S A GIFT AND A CURSE
LIVING WESLEY HEIGHTS NOW
SEEING THE WORLD I'M
APPRECIATIVE BUT I'M ALSO
SCARED FOR MY ELDERLY
NEIGHBORS, MY LEGACY HOMEOWNERS
AND THEIR GRANDBABIES AND THEIR
ABILITY TO KEEP UP WITH PAYING
FOR THE HOME THAT THEIR
GRANDFATHER GRANDMOTHER WORKED
SO HARD TO ACQUIRE AND PASS ON
TO THEM DEVIL'S ADVOCATE AND I
REALIZE AS THE HOST OF THE SHOW
IT'S MUCH MORE COMPLICATED THAN
THIS.
BUT JUST DEVIL'S ADVOCATE WHY
NOT CASH OUT, SELL, SELL THE
HOUSE, MAKE SOME MONEY AND GO
SOMEWHERE ELSE?
WHY IS IT NOT THAT SIMPLE?
SO HERE'S THE THING AND I
REALLY APPRECIATE THAT
PERSPECTIVE.
I AM ABOUT WHATEVER IS BEST FOR
THE FAMILY THEY MIGHT BE FACING
DIRE FINANCIAL CRISES THAT IT
MIGHT BE WITHIN THEIR SCOPE OF
THINGS TO SELL AND I DON'T MIND
ANYONE DOING WHAT'S IN THEIR
BEST INTEREST BUT BE INFORMED
DON'T SELL YOUR HOUSE FOR
UNDERVALUE.
YOU'RE SELLING YOUR HOUSE FOR
ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS A
HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS
BECAUSE SOMEBODY MAILED YOU A
FLIER.
BUT WHAT YOU MAY NOT REALIZE IF
YOU TAKE THE TIME TO GO THROUGH
A REALTOR AND I'M NOT A REALTOR
AND I'M NOT PROMOTING REALTORS
BUT WHAT I'M SAYING IS MAKE
SURE THAT YOU HAVE SOMEONE
INFORM THAT WILL GIVE YOU THE
BEST VALUE FOR YOUR HOME
BECAUSE THE WORST THING
YOU WANT TO DO SELL YOUR HOME
FOR A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS.
SOMEONE'S GOING TO BUY IT, FLIP
IT AND THEY'RE GOING TO SELL IT
FOR FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND
DOLLARS AND I HAVE SEEN THAT
HAPPEN DOORS DOWN FROM ME ON MY
STREET.
SO YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT
YOU GET EVERYTHING THAT YOUR
HOME IS WORTH.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR
NEW NEIGHBORHOOD?
IT'S NOT YOUR NEW NEIGHBORHOOD
BUT IT'S BECOME A NEW
NEIGHBORHOOD.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF IT?
IT'S SCARY.
IT'S SCARY AS A BLACK WOMAN AND
I HAVE A BLACK SON THAT'S
FOURTEEN YEARS OLD.
I HAVE LIVED IN THIS
NEIGHBORHOOD SINCE 2000 AND
OWNED MY HOME SINCE 2000 AND I
WALK THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND I CAN
GO SEVERAL STREETS AND SEVERAL
BLOCKS AND I DON'T SEE A BLACK
PERSON.
THE DIVERSITY IS GONE IN MY
NEIGHBORHOOD IT MUST BE 80 TO
85 PERCENT WHITE AND THE
REMAINING PORTION LEGACY
HOMEOWNERS AND BLACK.
IT'S SCARY.
MY NEIGHBORHOOD NO LONGER HAS
THE DIVERSITY THAT IT USED TO
AND WHEN I DRIVE OUT OF THE
BORDERING STREET FREEDOM DRIVE
I LOVE SEEING GOOD CUSTOMER
LIFE EVENTS AND NOBLES GOT
GENTRIFIED.
SO IT'S IT'S A GIFT AND A
CURSE.
IT'S GIVEN A CURSE.
IT'S IT REALLY IS BECAUSE ALSO
YOU TALK ABOUT SOME
HISTORICALLY BLACK
NEIGHBORHOODS IN THIS TOWN AND
YOU GO UP NORTH OF WHERE
YOU ARE MERCURY HEIGHTS AND
NEIGHBORHOODS THAT FOR ONE OH
YEAH, WE'RE DIVIDED BY THE
INTERSTATE SYSTEM.
YOU KNOW, SOME FOLKS SAY THAT'S
A CONTROVERSIAL IDEA THAT'S
JUST THE FACTS.
THAT'S JUST WHAT HAPPENED IS
THERE'S NOT IN ANY PEOPLE
HAVING A HARD TIME WITH THE
TRUTH LIKE WHAT WAS DONE WITH
THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF BROOKLYN.
YOU KNOW, I MEAN THE TRUTH IS
THE TRUTH.
YOU CAN'T ALTER IT.
YOU CAN'T AIRBRUSH IT.
THE TRUTH IS THE TRUTH AND
YOU JUST WANT TO REPEAT IT.
AND TO YOUR POINT, YOU WANT TO
MAKE SURE THAT THAT THESE
NEIGHBORHOODS ARE MAINTAINED
MAINTAINING SOME DIVERSITY AND
YOU KNOW, THEIR ORIGINAL SORT
OF CHARACTER AND THE PEOPLE WHO
GAVE THEM WHAT WHAT THEY ARE.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
I ASKED THE LAST SEGMENT ABOUT
WELL, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT
THE TWENTY 40 PLAN WE'VE HAD ON
BEFORE TALKING ABOUT HOUSING
ISSUES AND AND THE LIKE?
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS
WHOLE DEBATE OVER SINGLE FAMILY
DWELLINGS VERSUS DUPLEXES?
TRIPLEX IS WHAT DO YOU THINK
ABOUT I WANT THE CITY TO DO
WHAT'S BEST FOR THE LEAST OF
THESE EVERYONE TALKS ABOUT IN
EVERYBODY GOT SO SHOCKED WHEN
THEY DID THIS STUDY AND IT WAS
SHOWN THAT IF YOU WERE BORN
POOR IN CHARLOTTE YOU'RE GOING
TO STAY POOR IN CHARLOTTE.
WELL, THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS
VERY LITTLE HAS CHANGED SINCE
THAT REPORT REGARDLESS OF THE
EGAS, NOTHING HAS CHANGED
PRETTY MUCH FROM THAT REPORT.
SO BE IT SINGLE UNIT BE AT
DUPLEXES IF YOU'RE GOING TO
CRAM PEOPLE INTO A SPACE, MAKE
SURE THAT THE PEOPLE THAT ARE
BEING CRAMMED IN NO ONE WE
DON'T WANT TO CRAM FOLKS BUT
THAT THEY'RE EDUCATED AND THEY
KNOW WHAT THEIR RIGHTS ARE AS A
HOMEOWNER, AS A RENTER AND THEY
KNOW THEIR VALUE.
THAT'S MY PROBLEM BECAUSE THE
DENSITY IS GOING TO BE SUCH
THAT I DON'T WANT FOR ONE
NEIGHBORHOOD LIKE IT USED TO BE
YOU COULD LOOK AT WESLEY
HEIGHTS, YOU COULD LOOK AT
HIDDEN VALLEY, YOU COULD LOOK
AT MACQUARIE AND YOU COULD SAY
WOW, THAT'S A BLACK
NEIGHBORHOOD COLUMBUS CIRCLE
THAT'S NOT BEING GENTRIFIED AND
YOU CAN SAY THAT'S A BLACK
NEIGHBORHOOD NOT SO MUCH NOW
SMALL WITH BETTER WOOD.
WESLEY MCCARY HEIGHTS THEY'RE
ALL GENTRIFIED AND I JUST DON'T
KNOW IF THAT'S A GOOD THING AND
I DON'T KNOW IF THE 20 40 PLAN
IS A GOOD THING BECAUSE I JUST
DON'T BELIEVE THAT IT'S LOOKING
OUT FOR THE LEAST OF THESE.
I THINK OUR NEIGHBORHOODS ARE
GOING TO BE RAVAGED.
WE'RE GOING TO LOOK UP AND
WE'RE GOING TO WONDER WHERE
HAVE ALL THE BLACK AND BROWN
PEOPLE GONE?
THAT'S WHY WE NEED TO HAVE
CONTINUE HAVING CONVERSATIONS
LIKE THE ONE YOU AND I ARE
HAVING BUT THEY DON'T ALWAYS
NEED TO BE ON AIR.
THEY CAN BE JUST BETWEEN
NEIGHBORS AND FRIENDS AND
PEOPLE WHO DON'T LOOK LIKE
YOU AND THINK LIKE YOU AND THIS
CONVERSATION HAS GOT TO KEEP ON
HAPPENING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE
DON'T REPEAT THE MISTAKES OF
THE PAST SO THAT FOR US KLETT,
ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO HAVE
YOU