Donald Trump’s interest in NC started before his campaign

Before Donald Trump announced his bid for the presidency, he had a much different stake in North Carolina.

The real estate mogul invested in property in Mooresville on Lake Norman three years ago. And in 2007, his company considered building upscale condos, a five-star hotel and offices at the corner of Trade and Stonewall streets in Charlotte. The project was put on hold in 2008, and Crescent Communities is developing the site.

Trump, who had a campaign rally in Raleigh in early December, doesn’t appears to have any other property in the Carolinas.

He has frequently touted his business success on the campaign trail, even holding up a financial statement – which he said showed his $8.7 billion net worth – when he announced his presidential candidacy at the Trump Tower in New York in June.

“I’m really rich,” he told supporters during the announcement.

A controversial deal

His property in Mooresville, The Village at Trump National Golf Club, Charlotte, was lined with twinkling lights for the holidays. Wreaths hung on every window of the shops, and an enormous Christmas tree greeted visitors at its entrance.

Trump bought the golf course and clubhouse in 2012, renaming it and promising to invest millions in repairs and upgrades.

The deal was controversial for residents when it was being considered, but the upscale neighborhood saw dramatic improvements to its club after the sale, residents say.

Alice Carpenter, who has lived at The Point for 16 years and has a social membership at the club, said Trump went above and beyond in his upgrades to the property.

“The biggest improvements have been to all of our facilities,” she said. “He did all the updates – repainted everything, repaired everything.”

Annie Perrino, who has lived there for 10 years and has a full membership to the club, said the quality of food and services were “stepped up a notch.”

Dan Jones, broker and owner of Charlotte-based Carolina Real Estate Experts, said interest in development at The Point since Trump bought the club has increased dramatically.

He said the housing market at The Point improved at a slightly faster rate than homes of comparable size and price in the Charlotte market.

In 2012, only 34 percent of homes on the market at The Point sold, compared with 61.5 percent in 2015, at a time when the market overall improved as well.

But Carpenter and Perrino said belonging to Trump National has no effect on their views of Trump’s presidential campaign.

Carpenter said Trump has emphasized issues candidates typically wouldn’t talk about in a presidential race, but some of his ideas are a little “out there.”

“I think people need to look at (his business and his politics) as two different things,” she said.

Trump’s appeal

National polls have pegged Trump as the Republican frontrunner for months.

An Elon University poll in November found that North Carolina voters have a favorable view of Trump, ranking him just behind retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who has fallen considerably in national polls since then.

In South Carolina, Trump leads in the polls by between 24 to 30 percent, said Scott Huffmon, a professor of political science at Winthrop University.

“We like people with big personalities who simplify complex problems and pretend they’re solvable, ... and that’s Trump,” he said.

Kenneth Fernandez, director of the Elon University Poll, said many voters in the South have a historic distrust of the federal government. Those voters may find political outsiders such as Carson and Trump appealing, but those voters don’t always show up to cast ballots in primaries.

“If you talk to the obvious political scientist, they’ll say, ‘Well Trump might not truly have as strong of a chance that these polls might suggest,’ ” Fernandez said.

Still, he said, it’s surprising how well Trump has done for so long.

“These numbers are capturing something,” he said. “They’re tapping into some anti-incumbent, anti-Washington sentiment, nationally and, of course, in North Carolina.”

Huffmon said Trump appeals to a demographic of voters who are angry.

“This is a group that is traditionally used to having influence and having sway, and they feel they are being marginalized,” he said. “Basically (Trump) is channeling their anger.”

Politics, business linked

In the real estate world, the Trump brand is indicative of luxury. His name on real estate in North Carolina specifically commands respect from voters, Fernandez said.

“That is a measure of his success,” he said.

Huffmon said owning the golf club at The Point would certainly affect residents’ view of him.

But respecting Trump’s business acumen doesn’t necessarily translate to wanting him to be president, Huffmon said.

“Your typical country club Republican tends not to be the angry, kind of middle class firebrand you often see at (Trump) rallies,” he said.

But Randall Bell, director of the national real estate company Landmark Research, said when it comes to the value of real estate, it’s all about perception.

He said some of Trump’s more offensive comments could cause a push back on his real estate.

“Frankly, any reasonable person would see that kind of behavior and have a hard time seeing a positive spin to that,” he said, “and that can’t help the Trump franchise.”

This story was originally published December 26, 2015 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Donald Trump’s interest in NC started before his campaign."