Realtors take trolley tour of Oakhurst.

Lake Norman-based Gandy Communities' has begun taking local Realtor groups on tours of its Oakhurst neighborhood on classic trolley cars. The tours of small groups of real estate professionals help showcase the neighborhood but do so in a small-scale, personal way.
'The trolleys are modern transit vehicles," said Phil. Gandy, vice president of Gandy Communities. "But their look and image is right in line with the Oakhurst concept. And we much prefer to deal one-on-one with smaller groups. The trolley is a nice way of doing that as we tour Oakhurst."

The tours began in September with a tour for a local real estate office and have continued through October. A tour last weekend included a select group of 50 Realtors in the Lake Norman area. With eight decorated model homes in the community, including a new single- family model from Gandy Communities, there is plenty for realtors to see. The tours will continue through the end of the year.

Realtors are very important to us; they're our partners," said Gandy. "Homebuyers benefit from working with a realtor, and so it's our responsibility to give the Realtor good information and let them know about Oakhurst. Then they can bring homebuyers to our neighborhood and be able to show our builders' homes, explaining what they're doing in the neighborhood."

Oakhurst was one of North Carolina's first TND's or Traditional Neighborhood Developments. TNDs are designed like neighborhoods of the past, with narrow, connected streets, sidewalks; homes with large porches set close to the sidewalk; and various kinds of homes and businesses nearby. TND's are designed to be pedestrian friendly and should also include retail shops close at hand so that daily needs can be met without car trips. Parks and public spaces are also major features of a TND.

Since opening in 1999, almost 300 homes have been sold in Oakhurst More than 1,000 people now call it home. Oakhurst has single-family homes, condominiums and townhomes ranging from $100,000 to more than $300,000. "To be successful with a traditional neighborhood you have to communicate with the Realtors and let them know what you're doing," said Gandy. "They want the information so they can be effective with their clients. And the trolley tours are just a simple, old-fashioned way of telling them our story.

Lake Norman Times, Wednesday, November 6, 2002