Welcome to our company's web-site and hopefully, to a business relationship that will eventually bring you to one of our Lake Norman neighborhoods. My wife (formerly Victoria Howard) and I are native to the area and look forward to helping you consider real estate options here.

Catawba County lies in the Piedmont section of North Carolina near the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We are about 40 minutes north, north-west of Charlotte by way of NC Highway 16. Our very own Lake Norman is a beautiful, man-made lake which was built on the Catawba River when we were about 10 years old.

I'm proud to say that Vicki and I were both born and rasied in Catawba County and still live and work here. It's where I attended Balls Creek Elementary School and Vicki attended Sherrills Ford Elementary. We both graduated from Bandys High School, home of the Trojans. The only time I've lived away from the neighborhood was for the four years I spent at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, NC. I graduated in 1974 with a degree in Business Administration and a concentration in Business Law. I returned home in 1975, went to work, got married and bought a small 35-acres farm right across the road from my parent's home...it was my dad's homeplace and has now become the homeplace for my own four children: Erin, Leah, Lauren and Jay. Victoria graduated from the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) and became an elementary school teacher. She retired in 2006 and now helps me with our real estate business and does some occassional substitute teaching. She has one son: Jason Adams of Gastonia. We have four grandchildren: Payton and Jordan Tucker, and Lauren and Emily Adams.

I worked for the NC Department of Corrections, Division of Prisons from 1975 to 2004. I was the Assistant Superintendent of the Catawba Correctional Center from 1986 until I retired. It was an interesting, fulfilling job and I worked with some fine people over the years. But, as most of us do, I looked forward to my retirement. On the day that I had my full 30 years of service I turned in my notice and retired on March 1st, 2004. The very next day, I went to work as a real estate broker working for my brother-in-law, Bob Hecht. His company was one of the first on Lake Norman and very well recognized. They had been doing business for about 35 years when I started working there. I enjoyed the five years I worked at Century 21 Hecht Realty and am proud to have been associated with them.

In March of 2009, Bob Hecht sold Century 21 Hecht Realty to Coldwell Banker United. It was an unexpected turn of events. Most of the agents (myself included) transferred to the new company but I decided the time had come to go into business for myself. I worked with the new company for a few months and on June 1, 2009, Victoria and I launched "Mackie and Howard Real Estate, Inc."

Our goal is to remain small and focus on helping our neighbors and friends here in the area with residential real estate matters but I plan to represent buyers as well as sellers. A great many people continue to move into our communities from other areas of North Carolina as well as from other states. Catawba County's God-given beauty, low-tax rates, economic diversity and friendly people make this an excellent choice for relocation. Plus, we're close to Charlotte and all the opportunities a large, well balanced city offers people in the way of jobs, banking, air travel, entertainment and sports.

For anyone giving thought to buying or selling property in southern Catawba County (or for that matter, eastern Lincoln County or western Iredell County) I'd welcome an opportunity to meet with you to discuss what your needs are and to tell you if I think I can be of help.

Victoria and I always look forward to meeting new people. Even if you decide NOT to do business with us, it never hurts to get to know someone new and to perhaps drink a cup of coffee or a glass of iced tea and eat a piece of homemade pound cake together. If we DO happen to get to the point of doing business together, so much the better. I'm looking forward to finding out.

Please don't hesitate to call or text me at 828-320-7832 or e-mail me at charles@mackiehoward.com.

Charles