sellers: Year End Thoughts for Agents, Buyers, and Sellers - 12/11/10 02:01 PM
While my four years in real estate does not qualify me as an old timer, I have been through enough reinventions to smell change.  My favorite quotation comes from the motivational speaker, Dennis Waitley.  It goes something like this.
"Crisis is an opportunity riding a dangerous wind."
To me that comes close to describing today's real estate world from a number perspectives.
First and foremost, if you are buyer in today's market, you have almost limitless opportunies to find a wonderful property at a great price, but there are still plenty of dangers where you need to tread carefully.
Second, if … (1 comments)

sellers: A basic law of the Internet that is important to buyers, sellers, and agents - 11/22/10 02:23 PM
The Internet has a tremendous amount of information.  It does not take long to figure out that some of it is helpful and some of it is worthless.
I have always found this to be a basic law of the Internet. It is something that people looking for homes, selling homes, and those helping them should keep in the forefront of their minds.
The first thing that is important to me when I look at Internet information is the site itself.  Why is the site there?  How to they make their money.  Are they trying to get something from me without … (2 comments)

sellers: Feeling like the "valley of humility between two mountains of conceit" - 09/05/09 08:19 AM
If you are from North Carolina like my wife and I are, you have likely heard the old description of North Carolina as "the valley of humility between two mountains of conceit."  The two mountains of conceit are Virginia and South Carolina.  North Carolina developed a little later because its well-protected coast line was harder for ships to penetrate. Until the last century North Carolina was considered a backwoods area by its neighbors.
Sometimes  dealing with buyers and sellers, I often see people who think they really know the real estate market.  Their only reason for using a real estate agent … (0 comments)

sellers: The changing needs of retirees coming to the Carolina coast - 08/17/08 01:36 PM
While it is probably a little early to make a complete judgment, I think the great wave of retiring baby boomers might be re-evaluating their needs.
I am working with an average of about three couples a month planning to either move to the coast or retire to the Carolina coast.
Some things that I am seeing are not surprising if you are a baby boomer yourself.
First and foremost these people are looking for value.  They have no intention of spending all their retirement dollars on housing.  They want to be able to travel.
Generally they are looking for smaller … (1 comments)

sellers: Your home is not a bank certificate of deposit - 04/21/08 01:36 PM
We live in an absolutely gorgeous area.  I feel wonderfully blessed to be in this part of the Southern Outer Banks.
Unfortunately even the pristine waters, fantastic climate, low taxes, wonderful places to visit, and friendly people cannot protect your home from a real estate slump.
Like many areas we have been struggling with homes that cannot find buyers or buyers that will not pay as much as the owners want for their properties.
I have spent a lot of time studying figures and providing information to people about the properties which are actually selling.  Those properties are the ones which are establishing market … (1 comments)

sellers: Spec houses, FSBOs, and selling free stuff - 06/10/07 09:05 AM
Yesterday was the the hottest day of the year here on the Crystal Coast.  We had a booth at the Swansboro Arts Festival.  As hard and hot as it is sometimes, standing out and talking to the public is a good way to gauge what is on people's minds.
That works if you can get them to stop and have a conversation. We were giving away sun screen, ink pins, postcards, and maps.
If we had known the heat was coming, a tanker truck full of lemonade, some wading pools and a watering station for the dogs might have gotten more people to … (4 comments)