The Inside Scoop From One of The QC’s Most Productive Realtors

Selling or buying a house is a big deal. Having what it takes to be a top agent requires a lot of hard work, integrity, knowledge, and expertise.

Anne Bell, one half of the wife-and-husband Cottingham Chalk ‘The Bell Team’, shares the secrets of her success.

Double the Coverage, From Childhood Sweethearts

Anne and her husband, McSwain, bring to the table a unique blend of marketing savvy and construction experience – which ensures their real estate process is thorough and efficient. “We work together on every deal, so our clients essentially get two full-time top-producing agents instead of one. We also have a fulltime dedicated assistant, Emily, who makes our process run super efficiently! ” said Anne.

The couple met in middle school in Greenville, S.C. and moved to Charlotte in 2004 after graduating college (Anne attended Washington and Lee University, McSwain attended Clemson University).

The family, which has grown to include two kids age 11 and 8, and yellow Labrador, Bo, live in Eastover.

“We moved-into our current home in Eastover in 2019, right before the pandemic. We have moved a total of four times in Charlotte – we joke that it’s an occupational hazard! But truthfully, there are so many great neighborhoods in Charlotte we have loved different things about each one we have lived in,” said Anne.

Won’t you be my Neighbor?

Best for Families: Cotswold. Quiet streets, wonderful neighborhood events.

Best for Young Professionals: Dilworth. Short commute to Uptown, conveniently located near restaurants and bars, awesome parks.

Best for First-time Home Buyers: Madison Park. Our first home was in Madison Park. We met some of our best lifelong friends there! Easy-to-access Montford, Park Road Shopping Center, etc. and an easy commute to SouthPark or Uptown.

Best for Empty Nesters: Myers Park. Wonderful condo/townhome options as well as homes on smaller, low maintenance lots.

Hidden Gem Neighborhood: Randolph Park. Awesome quiet neighborhood near Cotswold with well-maintained ranch homes on large private lots; I think this neighborhood goes fairly undiscovered because so many people move there and never leave! Like everywhere in Charlotte, it seems you are starting to see more new builds pop-up here as well. When it comes to new construction, we love Jack and his team at Joyce Building Co. They build a solid house and are great to work with. 

Favorite Event in the City

The Wells Fargo Championship – such a fun social event for our city and we both love to watch golf!

24 Hours of Booty is another favorite in the summer. Our kids love to participate and ride with the Cottingham Chalk team!  

We also love going to Panthers games in the Fall.

How do you Give Back?

Madelyn’s Fund: Madelyn’s Fund was started by our dear friends Rachel and Andy Lee to honor their daughter Madelyn who sadly lost her life after just 8 short days. The Lees inspire us so much by how they have turned their immense grief into such good for our community serving infant and pediatric NICU families in need.

We also proudly support The Homeowner’s Impact Fund which was started by a group of local Realtors to combat homelessness in our community.

McSwain is also a member of the Charlotte Bridge foundation which awards scholarship money to very deserving high school students in our community.

Preferred Nearby Vacay?

McSwain and I are both beach people!  We are happiest by the water. N.C. has some gorgeous beaches, but I am a S.C. girl at heart! We love Kiawah Island, Murrells Inlet, and Sullivan’s Island.

Favorite Spot for a Date Night or a Bite to Eat?

We love to sit at the bar at Good Food on Montford or Barrington’s for date night.

Our whole family loves sushi so that is a favorite for take-out. Plus, we love Yama and Cowfish! We also love walking to Zio in our neighborhood for a casual family dinner.

When guests come to town Steak 48 definitely impresses.

Where do you Shop & Relax?

Monkee’s of Charlotte and Poole Shop for fashion, Cotswold Marketplace or Slate for home décor, Ruxton Mercantile or Paper Twist for gifts.

Our favorite park is the Mint Museum park/greenway: we love to ride bikes or walk from our house along the greenway.

Best Realtor Advice to Get The Deal Done

Do your research and be prepared so you will be ready to act confidently and quickly when the right house comes along.
Whether you are looking to buy or sell make sure you hire a broker who is an expert in the neighborhood either where you live or in the areas in which you are looking to buy.
Charlotte has grown immensely in recent years and in this challenging buyer’s market it is very important to make sure you are working with someone who is an expert with strong agent relationships and their ear to the ground on new listings coming to market, etc.

Scoop on the Best Listing

Exquisite 5 bed, 3.5 bath NEW CONSTRUCTION home by Joyce Building Co is situated on a corner lot in the popular Cotswold neighborhood. Desirable open floorplan with primary bedroom on the main level, great neighborhood close to SouthPark or Uptown and a flat backyard which would perfectly accommodate a pool to beat the summer heat!

View the listing here | Take the Virtual Tour Here.