BALLANTYNE

Ballantyne is south Charlotte at its most planned. Most of it was laid out from the 1990s onward as master-planned subdivisions around the Ballantyne corporate campus and its golf course, so streets curve, lots run larger than in the older core, and homes within one subdivision tend to share a builder, an era and a price band. Two-story brick-and-siding traditionals dominate, with townhome and condo pockets closer to Johnston Road.

Almost every subdivision here has a homeowners association, and the dues, the architectural rules and any rental restrictions travel with the house. Read the declaration and the current budget during due diligence, not after. The other thing worth checking is the state line: Ballantyne sits against South Carolina, and an address a few minutes south can be in Fort Mill or Lancaster County, which means different contracts, a different tax system and a different closing process.

Getting around runs on I-485 and Johnston Road (US-521), with I-77 to the west. The old office campus is being rebuilt as a mixed-use district around The Backyard, so more of the day-to-day errands and evenings out now happen inside the neighborhood rather than a drive away.