buyers: The Field of Forbidden Fruit...The Buyers' Risk of Skipping Pre-Qual - 04/25/13 04:17 AM
  Sometimes buyers want to skip or don't know the first crucial step in home buying of establishing a relationship with a lender and getting themselves pre-qualified for a loan. Even worse, sometimes the Buyers' Agent allows them to skip that step. A missed step can mean a bad fall. There is a real risk to the buyer if they haven't determined their ability to purchase a house first as well as sought the guidance of a loan officer to figure out their price range. The consequence is that buyers will shop based solely on their wants instead of their wherewithal … (27 comments)

buyers: Please Don't Sell "My" House! Bad Kharma Has No Place in Real Estate. - 04/09/13 05:36 AM
Please, don't sell "my" house! No, it wasn't the seller giving me that message...don't you love showing houses occupied by the renter? Is it ever in their best interests to have a great showing, an offer and a successful contract? I know they are under stress and I really do sympathize. It would be completely scary to have a month to month agreement rental situation, to pass a REALTOR's yard sign every time you pull into the driveway, to know that with little notice strangers could be walking through "your" home and commenting on your things and to always feel you are … (54 comments)

buyers: What's Trending With Buyers Now? - 03/21/13 06:27 AM
  We'll be meeting shortly with one of our sellers.  His listing is under contract and scheduled to close next week.  He and his brother are builders and naturally, they are ready to build one to replace the one we just sold.  What he wants to know from us is what's trending with buyers?    Have we noticed a pattern in a best selling price range?  How many bedrooms and baths?  Are garden tubs still important (even though not many people actually use them!)?  Is there a popular size range?  How about garages?  Vinyl siding or cedar siding?   A popular … (18 comments)

buyers: Seeds for Tomorrow - Client Relationship Management - 09/25/12 06:49 PM
  Autumn has been sneaking into the region over the last week here in the mountains of Western North Carolina. The evenings have been in the 40s and the days have been startling free of humidity. Slowly, leaves are turning colors or beginning to slightly brown and crisp up. Hidden among the leaves, all of a sudden are the seeds for tomorrow’s plants.
These berries on a Dogwood Tree here in Dillsboro reminds me that planting seeds for tomorrow’s business is an ongoing affair, something we should be doing even in the midst of the most dramatic deals and while marketing … (7 comments)

buyers: Meeting Self Imposed Goal - Fourth Quarter Challenge - 08/25/12 07:03 PM
  We are approaching the fourth quarter of the year and have been discussing which projects will be undertaken to expand service for our clients. Our goal is always the same…to continue to improve communication with present and past clients, prospects and our sphere of influence.   Here are three of our projects.     1. Leslie’s Flyers We anticipate great success with keeping our listings front of mind with the terrific flyers that Leslie prepares using our Publisher Program and photos we’ve taken of the listings. They give us a chance to break out of the MLS mold by giving … (17 comments)

buyers: FAQ ~ How Do I Know If the Neighborhood is Nice? - 06/06/12 08:11 PM
  The house seems perfect, just the right size with everything you wanted. The price is within your budget.  Just one thing, you are wondering “How Do I know if the Neighborhood is nice?” REALTORS have certain rules they must abide by and one of them is not characterizing a neighborhood. This is up to you.
Drive through the neighborhood at various times of the day. Observe the yards of the neighbors, do they seem to keep their trash cans in and their lawns cut? Are there noises that you think will bother you in the long run? Maybe the neighbor … (32 comments)

buyers: FAQ ~ I'm Moving, How Can I Find a Good Agent in My New Location? - 06/04/12 05:12 PM
  If someone is getting ready to relocate to a new city, state or even a new country, one major concern could be, “How Can I Find A Good Agent To Help Me Find a New Home in an Unfamiliar Area?”.
You have a couple of avenues available to you. If you are moving because of a new job, you can always reach out to your new employer for a referral to a couple of agents. If you are considering joining any groups that you are currently a member of locally, such as Rotary, National Organization for Women, an Animal Welfare … (7 comments)

buyers: FAQ ~ Should I Find a Good Real Estate Agent or Talk to a Bank First? - 06/02/12 04:44 AM
  “Should I find a good real estate agent first or talk to a bank first?”. If you know enough to do a little research about buying a house first, most professionals will suggest you talk to a variety of lenders before beginning your search. That would be us…the professionals. If you didn’t know to talk to a lender first, not to worry. We’ll provide that advice.
No one goes to the grocery store without knowing how to pay for their purchase? Buying a house is just like that but on steroids. Without knowing what price range and payments to expect, … (15 comments)

buyers: FAQ ~ Do Home Buyers Have Out of Pocket Expenses? - 06/01/12 07:39 PM
  One question we are frequently asked by buyers is “Will there be out of pocket expenses for me when I buy a house or vacant property?”.
YES! YES! YES! Outside of loan associated costs, which are often rolled into the loan, buyers should be prepared to spend anywhere from $500 to $2,000 out of pocket BEFORE they ever see the closing table.
You’ve found the house of your dreams and are ready to make an offer on the house. Attached to the offer itself is an Earnest Money Deposit and possibly a Due Diligence Fee. There are no standards for … (14 comments)

buyers: Buyers Are Liars and So Are Sellers...Doing Our Own Homework! - 05/17/12 05:07 AM
  Real Estate Schools sometimes give pre-licensing students a grim view of the profession they are about to enter. I clearly remember more than one instructor informing the class that “Buyers are Liars…and so are Sellers”. Do you think there is truth in that statement?
Until the last couple of days, I can’t say that I’ve run into any buyers who were blatant, out and out liars but certainly have run into a few who would “stretch” the truth a bit. Exaggerate a situation. You know, turn a dripping faucet into a scenario of the sink that is likely to fall … (37 comments)

buyers: A Shortcut to Vintage Franklin, NC - 03/23/12 07:28 PM

Sometimes the buyers drive when we look at property. If they are from out of town, they really find it helpful to get familiar with an area. I’m always prepared with a map or directions to the listings. Sometimes the buyers have some sort of GPS or other navigation system in their vehicle and between the directions, maps and navigation systems…we always find our way to the listings.
While in Franklin the other day with buyers looking for vacant land, the buyer thought he knew a “shortcut”. The “shortcut” added about 20 minutes to our showings but on the upside, … (12 comments)

buyers: "I Love This Frickin' View" - 03/16/12 08:08 PM

“I love this frickin’ view” he kept saying. Why not? The mountains of Western North Carolina is one of the most beautiful areas in the world and the frickin’ views from the cabins the buyers were looking at ARE amazing.
This has been a good day that actually started last weekend. The reason that we are working with these great buyers this weekend is because I answered my cell phone on a Saturday afternoon and was agreeable to putting together a list of cabins that these buyers could do drive bys until I could meet with them on the following morning.
… (17 comments)

buyers: Getting Down to the Nitty Gritty - 03/13/12 04:59 PM

We’ve been getting down to the nitty gritty of real estate lately. There have been some great posts on AR lately about simple organizational methods. Not a moment too soon! Like a lot of REALTORS lately we’ve been consumed with activity…offers, contracts, listings, new buyers, revamping marketing, more new buyers…
Oddly enough, even though this isn’t Monday when I usually post some sort of musical video - I woke up with a song I hadn’t heard in YEARS and now I can’t get it out of my head. I guess because it always reminded me of forward motion and not … (19 comments)

buyers: Going, Going Gone...Vanishing Inventory - 02/24/12 07:37 PM

Yeah…going, going, gone. Okay, vanishing inventory might be stretching it yet but here’s what’s happening. I’ve been showing houses this week. Lots of houses with several buyers. Let’s all pause for a moment and send a mental Hallelujah Shout Out to the whichever powers are controlling this…oh wait, what am I saying? We’re in control and the consumer is in the driver’s seat.
Back to showing houses. A year ago, as I would prepare the list of houses to show and would call to set the appointments…every single house would be available and the listing agent would be begging for … (13 comments)

buyers: Do Buyers Get The Blues? ~ Music on Mondays - 02/20/12 04:40 AM
Do buyers get the blues? Sometimes...how could they not? Especially when there’s a little of them here…a little of them there…one person is on this front…the other is on the other home front. There might be a new job involved or a new town. New jobs mean meeting new people and learning new skill sets…sometimes it means no one’s familiar face is at the dinner table when you finally collapse in exhaustion at your "not really yours" home. Change usually can be a very good thing and it's all necessary to keep our brains and bodies involved and intact.  However...it’s all … (15 comments)

buyers: What Do You Think About Buyers Doing The Driving? - 01/14/12 07:24 AM

Occasionally, in fact more times than you would think, our buyers want to drive when we look at properties. Does this happen to you and what do you think about clients driving?
There’s a couple of reasons that I’m usually quite okay with buyers doing the driving…we have no traffic problems to speak of! Just another great reason to move to this area.  The other reason is that if the buyer is doing the driving, they are usually highly committed to the purchase.
Clients sometimes want to drive for a variety of reasons. They feel they get to know the area … (23 comments)

buyers: A Tale of Two Clients ~ A Pig Tail - 01/03/12 10:41 PM

Interestingly enough, one former client shared a video with us today that had an uncanny resemblance to our activities today for another set of clients. Here's my tale of two clients.
We are frenetically working on behalf of our clients to get all I’s dotted and T’s crossed during an all too swiftly fleeting 10 day Due Diligence period for a Fannie Mae purchase. Keeping in touch with the clients who are in two different parts of the world, lining up home inspectors, pest inspectors, chimney inspectors, closing attorneys AND trying to extract the information we need from the listing … (3 comments)

buyers: Reblogging! "Stop Renting - Busting a few myths about buying a home" - 12/19/11 08:13 AM
This is such a clearly written post and should be in your arsenal of easy to send links for those folks who are sitting on the fence about buying.  I'm bookmarking it for sending to those folks calling into the office who are "kinda sorta" thinking it's time to move on from their rental status.
I also clicked suggest because the article is written simply and that is the beauty of it.  Joseph manages to convey a great message without overwhelming the reader.
Via Joseph Metzler MLO MMS NMLS # 274132 (Mortgages Unlimited, Inc):
No more excuses. Go buy a home!
The … (6 comments)

buyers: Five Simple Tips for Buyers to Make the Home Buying Process More Efficient - 11/26/11 08:57 AM
 
5 Simple Things You Can Do
to Make the Home-Buying Process More Efficient 
 
Get pre-approved. Pre-approval assures you that you are shopping for what you can afford. Not only does it make the experience "real" for you, it also lets the seller and Realtor know you are serious. That's a crucial step in any market. Once you are armed with this knowledge you will find the search to be much more fulfilling. If the agent you hire does not ask you to take care of this step...consider another agent! 
 
 
Work with a Buyer's Agent. You use brokers … (4 comments)

buyers: No Matter How Colorful the Character - Take Care of Business First! - 10/25/11 01:41 PM

One of the most interesting parts about being in real estate is the opportunity to meet colorful characters and there is no doubt that one of the MOST colorful characters has been Frisco. However, no matter how charming and talented the folks are that you are getting ready to work with in real estate - don’t forget to take care of business first.
 
Before we had a chance to review the Agency Disclosure, Frisco gave me some technical assistance from the top of my computer screen. Funny thing is, he actually made more sense than most of the “help” … (8 comments)

 
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Mona Gersky, GRI,ABR~MoonDancer Realty~ Western NC Mountains

Sylva, NC

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Buyer & Seller Representation

Address: Sylva,Bryson City,Cullowhee,Balsam, Webster,Whittier,Waynesville, Dillsboro, NC, 28725

Office Phone: (828) 631-0077

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What job could possibly be better than bringing people together by sharing our common interests and learning new ones? Here's my opportunity to introduce conversations and photos of the area I feel so passionate about...the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina. This is one way to give you some background about me and our MoonDancer Realty company to help you make an informed decision about hiring us as your next REALTOR. I hope you enjoy the content as much I enjoy sharing it. I'm looking forward to reading your comments and hope to meet you soon.


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