Luxury Homes

Luxury Homes

Luxury. Elegance. Refinement. Many words come to mind when thinking of luxury. The same is true when thinking of luxury homes. Luxury homes in our market are defined by their presence, spaces, materials, features, and locations.

So, what makes a home a luxury home? If luxury is something enjoyable or comfortable beyond life's necessities, in many ways, we all live in some level of luxury.

I know Luxury Homes. In our market, luxury homes begin at about $700,000. Of course, at the moment, $1.5 million is the new $700,000.

A true luxury home is not just one of size, but of presence. It must look grand from the curb and include the look of comfort and pleasure from the lawn to the exterior building materials. In our market, most houses over $500,000 include hardcoat stucco as a building material, either as an accent or main feature. Other building materials included are stone, and brick. Special features such as a circular drive, fountain, or guard house add to the persona of the home.

There are large homes with upgrades that may approach $700,000, but in contrast, a Charlotte area luxury home is defined by its spaces. A paneled den or study is a must for true sophisticated homes in our area. So, too, is a media room. Some of the best I've seen rival high end hotel or private club media rooms. Other spaces typical of refined homes include walk-in pantries, wine rooms, wine cellars and libraries. I personally don't like to see Jack and Jill baths (two bedrooms joined by a common bathroom) in anything over $1,000,000.

In the good ole days, a truly outstanding home in the Charlotte market began at $180 per square foot and beyond. In this current climate, few are being built, but those that are still include custom floor plans and are still being up fitted with well-appointed features and materials.

Some unique materials included in magnificent homes consist of on-site hand milled paneling, such as would be seen in a paneled den or study, or a custom handcrafted stained glass ceiling feature. Others feature award-winning hand-hewn stone fireplaces carved from such exotic places as the Yucatan Peninsula, and fashioned on-site. Media rooms feature the highest resolution projectors available on the market, and some feature whole-house Smart House systems, integrating IT, Surveillance, and Energy Efficiency.