north carolina real estate: NO! You Can NOT Have Your Earnest Money Back! - 04/23/08 01:39 AM
Do not pass go, do not collect $200, etc.
I mean, seriously. Enough is enough! We, as a collective citizenry (whoa-that goes against every grain of my Ayn Rand-loving nature), need to stand up and hold people accountable for their misbehavior.
Want to know why the easy mortgage money has dried up? Want to know why so many folks are whining and crying about ‘lost equity’ in their homes? Want to know why homeowners and investors alike are walking away from houses? It’s a lack of personal responsibility and we as a society have put up with it for too long. … (127 comments)
|
north carolina real estate: What Do Realtors Look For In An Attorney? - 09/24/07 01:22 PM
I received a call today from a local consultant, who is doing some business consulting for one of the local North Carolina real estate attorneys that I use on a regular basis.
(Here in NC, we don't close with title companies or escrow houses, we still close with attorneys-one of the main reasons our closing costs here are some of the lowest in the country. And unlike some of our lovely states up north, one attorney handles the closing for buyer/seller/lender.)
It's fairly simple, in my opinion.
First and foremost, I use attorneys who are on top of their game. They know the ins … (12 comments)
|
north carolina real estate: Open Letter to Internet Buyers and Sellers - 06/19/07 02:33 PM
Dear Mr/Ms/Mrs Internet Buyer and/or Seller:
I love receiving your inquiries via email. I pride myself on providing a lot of information on my website and my blogsite and it makes me quite happy to hear from you as you educate yourself on buying or selling a home in Charlotte NC or the metro area!
However, I have to tell all of you (and just like everything else in life, everyone seems to get chastised for the misbehavior of just one person!). I'm NOT going to break the Code of Ethics or the rules and laws of the North Carolina Real Estate Commission … (14 comments)
|
north carolina real estate: Moratorium, schmoratorium! - 01/21/07 07:50 PM
Why, oh why, do the powers that be always think the answer to growth is a building moratorium? The county manager for Cabarrus County (that's Concord, Harrisburg, Kannapolis NC) is apparently panicking at the current rate of growth and wants a moratorium to slow it down.
Granted-this area is undergoing dramatic change. The new Concord Convention Center opened last week, new subdivisions are multiplying like rabbits, new retail is opening everywhere, schools are bursting at the seams. And you know, the sacred cow of property tax isn't even something that's been a problem here. Sure, we're low compared to most of the country … (2 comments)
|
north carolina real estate: Leave My Buyer ALONE! - 01/15/07 02:13 PM
So can someone tell me when, precisely, it became okay for a listing agent to try and cut me out of a deal? I know, it happens all the time, but it ROYALLY ticks me off.
My buyer, by the way, is a repeat client of mine and is very loyal because I provide a high level of service to him-in the way that he deems to be most beneficial to him. See, he travels a LOT on business. And on the side, he develops land. He'll purchase a parcel, oh, once or twice a year. I don't push or pressure … (49 comments)
|
north carolina real estate: Real Feedback Received! - 01/13/07 07:24 PM
This is feedback I just received on a listing in a neighborhood where the other houses are keeping values from reaching their market potential! We have the cutest house in there, and one of the cutest houses in this area. And the seller knows that what he gets for this house will be dictated in large part by the rest of the neighborhood.
Yet another reason to work closely with a buyer agent before purchasing new construction...get an agent who knows that builder and what their neighborhoods do over time. Might be something in the way of a familiar pattern that can save you from feedback … (2 comments)
|
north carolina real estate: Memo to Buyers - 01/07/07 07:36 PM
So you've selected an agent. Picked out your area of town. And are ready to get out there and see some houses! So your agent recommends that you talk with a lender first to get pre-approved.
No big deal, a few glitches here and there on your credit, but you're definitely able to get a loan! Congratulations!However....you knew there had to be something, right? You didn't tell the lender what payment you needed before you headed out to look. And you PROMPTLY fell in love with the PERFECT house-at the top of your range. And then you called the lender back, … (6 comments)
|
north carolina real estate: Your Co-Worker May Not Be the Best Resource for Real Estate... - 01/05/07 02:31 PM
Now I know she's a lovely person and has been a great friend to you at work! But when you mentioned to her that you were considering purchasing a newly-built home instead of a resale home, she piped up that you wouldn't need me as your agent anymore-in fact, you wouldn't WANT to have an agent.
Let's talk about this, shall we?
First of all, no slam on your co-worker. We don't really know what has happened in her past to make her distrustful of Realtors-heaven knows that bad experiences abound-which is one reason that I myself am bound and determined to raise … (5 comments)
|
north carolina real estate: Uptown Charlotte, NC -Market Conditions (Jan 3 2007) - 01/03/07 02:29 PM
Overview of the condo/townhome market in uptown (downtown?) Charlotte, NC as of Jan 3 2007:
Currently on the market: 237 homes (on the market an average of 125 days)Currently under contract: 87 homes (on the market an average of 131 days)Lowest current price: $142,900Highest current price: $3,450,000SOLD in the last 60 days: 140 homes (on the market an average of 54 days)
For more information on the uptown condo market, visit http://www.leighbrownandassociates.com/.
This photo was taken of the uptown (downtown) Charlotte skyline at night, from Dilworth. Charlotte's uptown/downtown area has two names depending on where you moved here from!
… (6 comments)
|
north carolina real estate: Charlotte, NC- Market Conditions 01/03/2007 - 01/03/07 02:16 PM
Overview of the single family real estate market for Charlotte, NC (as of Jan 3 2007):
Currently on the market: 3625 homes (on the market an average of 96 days)Currently under contract: 1645 homes (on the market an average of 71 days)Sold in the last 60 days: 3334 homes (on the market an average of 72 days)Lowest current price: $34,000Highest current price: $6,999,900
Overview of the condo/townhouse real estate market for Charlotte, NC (as of Jan 3 2007):
Currently on the market: 1524 homes (on the market an average of 130 days)Currently under contract: 825 homes (on the market an average of 85 days)Sold in the … (4 comments)
|
north carolina real estate: Harrisburg, NC -Market Conditions 01/03/07 - 01/03/07 09:49 AM
Overview of the single family real estate market in Harrisburg, NC:
Currently on the market, 84 homes (on the market an average of 107 days)Currently under contract, 27 homes (on the market an average of 57 days)Closed in last 60 days, 68 homes (on the market an average of 70 days)Lowest price listed $144,500Highest price listed $660,000Visit http://www.leighbrownandassociates.com/ for more information on buying or selling in the Harrisburg NC area!
This photo is one of my current listings in Harrisburg, over 3000 sqft with an unfinished basement for $359,900. Harrisburg is known for some of the lowest taxes in the area and fantastic public … (2 comments)
|
north carolina real estate: Where Have All the Agents Gone? - 01/02/07 11:59 AM
Not to mention attorneys, surveyors, lenders, inspectors...
I think this has been the longest Christmas and New Year's holiday EVER. It felt at times as though I was the ONLY one working for the past two weeks!
No repair responses...no signed contracts...no packages being delivered...no wires being sent...
And today, it's still just about impossible to reach anyone. Why? I suppose they're all busy catching up from not doing ANYTHING over the past two weeks! I have a buyer agent who still doesn't have a response from an offer on a bank-owned property, two weeks later. I'm still waiting on two repair responses on … (8 comments)
|
north carolina real estate: Do You Ever Second-Guess Yourself? - 12/30/06 12:19 PM
I do once in a while. Part of me isn't quite used to this balanced market idea-I'm entirely too used to the buyers' market we've been experiencing for several years!
I run comps like a fiend, do a lot of statistical analysis to know the overall market, and still wish I had a crystal ball!
Now, I do know that a properly priced, properly staged property in a desirable area will sell promptly.
But this knowledge in the back of my head didn't prepare for putting a house on the market late Thursday night-on a main road-in need of exterior paint, but otherwise pretty … (9 comments)
|
north carolina real estate: Using Price Bands in Establishing a Target List Price - 12/27/06 08:30 PM
Price bands are not 'range pricing', as used so effectively by Broker Bryant. Price bands are another way of gauging your inventory and absorption rates in different price breaks.
Tonight I have been preparing a market analysis for a property in Huntersville NC (just north of Charlotte, on the south end of Lake Norman). Pretty hot market overall, new construction is handled pretty tightly by the town since they don't want the town to become a sea of concrete.
The property in question is scheduled to be completed next month. My buyers need to sell it as soon as it's complete, since they … (8 comments)
|
north carolina real estate: Even A Blind Pig Can Find An Acorn.... - 12/27/06 01:30 PM
In reading Leanne's post earlier, I got to thinking about the proverbial blind pig.
In our industry, this correlates to new agents. Green agents. Rookie agents. Lazy agents. Part time agents. Undedicated agents.
You get the picture.
Blind pig isn't necessarily a derogatory term-it's a phase we all go through in becoming established professionals. Some folks come out of this phase to root for truffles and others are quite content to wander along seeking the occasional acorn.
But when you're a listing agent, you have to work for the blind pigs. Make their lives easy! Why, you say? Because they might somehow have discovered … (8 comments)
|
|
|
|
;)
;)
;)
