buyers: When Buying a Home in Charlotte NC, Do a Commute Test Drive - 06/10/13 03:42 AM
This is one thing I absolutely recommend to ALL of my Charlotte home buyers - when considering areas or neighborhoods, do a test commute!

Mileage, even general proximity many times aren't the most accurate gauges for what your commute will realistically be if you choose to live there.

By doing a test commute, you can get a pretty good idea of what you'd be driving each day and how long it would generally take.

It's not something I can do for you, and I can't decide what is/isn't acceptable on your commute time. That's why I think it's so important to … (2 comments)

buyers: Charlotte NC Home Search and the Power of NO - 04/03/13 04:56 AM
When buying and searching for a home in Charlotte NC, "NO" is a very powerful tool, and home buyers shouldn't be afraid to use it.
Being willing to honestly say "NO" when considering and viewing available homes for sale allows you as a home buyer to constantly refine, focus and zone in on the absolute best options and not wasting time on those that truly aren't a good fit.

What will trigger you to say No to any given home for sale will be unique to you and your needs. But when buying a home in Charlotte NC, that little word is … (0 comments)

buyers: Charlotte NC Relocation Home Buyer Success Story! - 04/03/13 03:48 AM
Walt and Kathy were buying a home in the Charlotte NC area after having planned for several years to relocate from Florida and make this area their home. They could have bought a house simply for size or number of bedrooms that met their basic criteria, OR been caught up in multiple bids on bank owned homes that didn't have everything that was important to them.
 
Instead they and we as a team spent time considering different locations, neighborhoods and areas to continually refine their search area and focus on the options within their favorite locations - keeping their lifestyle and convenience priorities in … (0 comments)

buyers: The Most Common Reasons Real Estate Contracts on Charlotte NC Homes FAIL - 06/05/12 02:37 AM
Not every contract on a Charlotte NC home for sale actually reaches a successful closing. Shocking, I know!
Sometimes homes that are under contract (buyer and seller have agreed to terms) come back on the market as active. The contract fails.
The two most common reasons that happens are:Inspection/condition related issues and Financing.
There can be other reasons too (buyer backs out for any/no reason during due diligence, and yes they can do that!), buyers house doesn't close (contingency on sale of buyers house), and let's not forget short sales which can fail for a ton of reasons not least of … (0 comments)

buyers: 5 Things That Have Nothing To Do With The Value of a Charlotte NC Home for Sale - 11/25/11 09:29 AM
The realistic market value of any given home in Charlotte NC involves many factors: location, condition, layout/style, neighborhood, amount of living space, amenities.  Finally and most importantly, recent sales of similar nearby homes adjusted in comparison to your home.
That being said, there are also some things that are NOT involved in analyzing a home's current value.
5 Things That Have Nothing To Do With What Your Charlotte NC Home Is Worth: 
               1. What you paid for it - The price you purchased the home for has absolutely nothing to do with what a buyer would realistically pay for it today.
               2. The amount you've … (2 comments)

buyers: No One Cares About Your Company, Your Services or How Great YOU Think You Are..... - 10/01/11 10:14 AM
 
This is inspired by a real life encounter in the world of real estate in Charlotte NC...the details will remain anonymous but it's an important reminder in customer service and what really matters because whether it's a fellow professional or a potential client - it's NOT all about you.
Really and truly, no one CARES how awesome the company you work for is, what services that company has or how magnificent and just what a high opinion you have of yourself.
It's not a company name or logo or anything else you want to hang on your office wall that … (10 comments)

buyers: Too Focused On Getting A Great "Deal"? You Might Just End Up With A Worthless Block of Wood - 08/31/11 07:22 AM
When buying anything, yes even a home in Charlotte NC, focusing on a great "deal" might just get you less than you bargained for.
 
There's a story online in the local paper about a woman who thought she was buying an ipad and ended up with a painted block of wood.
 
Now, I don't know about you but I don't typically shop for electronics in a McDonald's parking lot and would probably want to see this supposed product before I paid for it but there's still a message in this story.
 
Hyper-focusing on a "deal" or "amount reduced" … (2 comments)

buyers: Disabled Veterans Property Tax Relief in Charlotte NC - 08/29/11 09:02 AM
For disabled veterans who own (or plan to buy) a home in Charlotte NC, there's a tax relief program that may be worth checking into.
Qualified veterans may be able to have the first $45,000 of assessed real estate value on their permanent residence excluded from property tax.
There are no age or income requirements with the exclusion but there is an application required and the disability must be service-connected and 100% total and permanent (certified by the U.S. Dept of Veterans Affairs or another Federal agency).
The deadline has already passed for this year but applications will be available after … (2 comments)

buyers: There's No Crying In Real Estate! Well, Sometimes There Is.... - 08/19/11 10:27 AM
Have you ever cried about a client?  I'll admit that I have and I'm not ashamed of it.
Go ahead and say there's no crying in real estate or that's unprofessional, too emotional, weak.  Whatever.
I've always said and still say this business comes down to people.  Real people, with real lives. To me clients aren't numbers, stats or cold hard data.  People are at the heart of what we do as real estate brokers.
We get to know them, meet their families, laugh with them, listen to them, spend time with them.
Several years ago I met Sam and his wife.  … (5 comments)

buyers: Home Buyer Question: What Appliances Are Included? - 08/17/11 08:33 AM
A common question from buyers considering homes for sale in Charlotte NC is what appliances are included with the home.
The answer - whatever is detailed in the purchase contract.
Our NC Offer to Purchase and Contract specifies that "range/stove/oven" and any "built-in appliances" are to be included as fixtures.
Most refrigerators aren't considered a fixture so it's not typically included with the home UNLESS it's agreed to and detailed in writing on the purchase contract.
Same thing with washer and/or dryer.  They're not included unless they're added (in writing) on the contract.
So what appliances are included in any given Charlotte … (2 comments)

buyers: Homes for Sale Assigned to Beverly Woods Elementary School in Charlotte NC - 07/12/11 09:30 AM
 Beverly Woods Elementary school in Charlotte NC is located on Quail Hollow Rd, across from the Harris Y and just down the street from South Park.
Charlotte NC homes for sale that are assigned to Beverly Woods Elementary School are currently priced from Under $200k to More than $4 million including a wide variety of south Charlotte area neighborhoods and price ranges.
For the school website - Beverly Woods Elementary School in Charlotte NC
To view available homes for sale (links are updated daily):
Beverly Woods Elementary Homes for Sale Under $200k
 
Beverly Woods Elementary Homes for Sale $200k to $299,999
(2 comments)

buyers: Homes for Sale Assigned to Olde Providence Elementary School in Charlotte NC - 06/16/11 08:52 AM
Charlotte NC homes for sale that are assigned to Olde Providence Elementary School are currently priced from Under $200k to Over $3 million - quite a variety of price points!
Olde Providence Elementary is located on Rea Rd in south Charlotte, between Colony Rd and Providence Rd.
The school serves many centrally located area neighborhoods between South Park and the Arboretum.
To view available homes for sale (links are updated daily):
Olde Providence Elementary Homes for Sale Under $200k
Olde Providence Elementary Homes for Sale $200k to $299,999
Olde Providence Elementary Homes for Sale $300k to $399,999
Olde Providence Elementary Homes for … (0 comments)

buyers: How to Check School Assignments in Charlotte NC - 06/14/11 09:20 AM
Schools and school assignments are common home buyer questions when it comes to Charlotte NC homes for sale.
In the listing information, schools may or may not be noted (it's not required to include them) but even if they are included it's a good idea to double-check that info if it's important to you as a home buyer.
The easiest way to check on school assignments for any given Charlotte NC home for sale is through the county geo-portal address information website.
Go to Charlotte Mecklenburg NC Geoportal and enter the address at the search bar that's at the top Left of … (0 comments)

buyers: Home Buyer Question: How Long is the Inspection Period When Buying a Home in Charlotte NC? - 06/04/11 11:32 AM
Question from a home buyer: How long is the inspection period when buying a Charlotte NC home?
Answer: There isn't one.
That's right, there is not an "inspection period" for home buyers.
We used to have separate and distinct deadlines/dates for the home inspection (and any repair requests), financing, appraisal, seller response to buyer repair requests.  ALL of those are gone.
What we DO have is the Due Diligence period.  One single date (serious deadline) that's negotiable and will be whatever time period buyer and seller agree on.
The Due Diligence period is the Charlotte NC home buyer's opportunity and window … (2 comments)

buyers: What Does the Amount of Real Estate Inventory in Charlotte NC Mean? - 05/10/11 08:42 AM
The amount of Charlotte NC real estate inventory is a measure of how long it would take to clear all of the available homes for sale from the market.
It's based on the recent home sales pace compared to the amount of active listings and the simplest explanation is that it's a comparison of Supply (active listings) to recent Demand (sold activity).
Real estate inventory is a frequently used real estate market indicator (I use it in my own area/neighborhood market updates) and as a general guideline:
LESS than 6 months of inventory: favors SellersAround 6 months of inventory: BalancedMORE than … (10 comments)

buyers: Instead of Telling Me Who NOT to Call, Letting Me Know Who I Should Call Might Be Helpful.... - 05/05/11 02:00 AM
Checking on market activity in a certain area recently I came across a rather interesting Charlotte area real estate listing.  It stated in no uncertain terms "DO NOT CALL LISTING AGENT".
Now this wasn't a limited service listing where it notes to contact sellers directly and gives their phone numbers.  Those can sometimes include their own special kind of fun.
Nope, from all appearances this was a regular listing.  Only it was stated not once but twice - don't call the listing agent.
Ummm.....ok now who exactly am I supposed to call?????  Instead of telling me who shouldn't be contacted how … (16 comments)

buyers: The Most Overlooked "Closing Cost" for Charlotte NC Home Buyers - 04/20/11 07:57 AM
Based on tons of scientific research (my opinion and experience with buyer clients) the most frequently overlooked closing cost for home buyers in Charlotte NC has nothing to do with lender fees, attorney charges or even real estate taxes (although those can be overlooked and are time of year dependent).
The MOST overlooked home buyer closing cost is actually - the charge from the neighborhood homeowners association or management company.
It's actually become very common with homes that are in a homeowners association neighborhood for there to be a charge to update the documents and records with the new homeowner (the … (8 comments)

buyers: Some Home Search Criteria I'd LOVE to See in Our Charlotte NC MLS System - 04/13/11 11:49 AM
We've all seen them, previewed them and shown them - the homes for sale that are a "surprise" in person. While some Charlotte NC homes for sale are indeed a pleasant surprise and better than expected, the real humor and laughs come from the ones that are well, mildly to comically disappointing.
So I've come up with a list of criteria that I'd absolutely love to see mandatory in our Charlotte NC area MLS system.  I really think it'd save us agents and our buyer clients tons of time :)
- Carpet in Bathroom (any bathroom): Yes/No
- Original Cabinets: Yes/No … (7 comments)

buyers: Closing Cost Concessions - An Example for Charlotte NC Home Buyers - 03/29/11 08:04 AM
Seller paid closing cost concessions are when sellers agree to pay some dollar amount or percentage toward the buyer's closing costs (lender fees, insurance, attorney fees, escrow setup, etc).
But closing cost concessions from a seller aren't "free money" and it's a frequent home buyer topic so thought an example may help.
Buyer and Seller have agreed on the terms of a contract (we're leaving all the other contract terms and details out for the sake of focusing just on the closing cost example):
WITH Seller Paid Closing Costs: Sales Price is $200,000. Sellers contribute $6,000 toward buyer's closing costs.  Buyers … (2 comments)

buyers: “Renovated" - One of the Most Subjective Words in Real Estate - 03/26/11 03:39 AM
Take a look at available Charlotte NC homes for sale and chances are somewhere in the description you'll find the word "Renovated".
In my opinion, that's one of the most subjective words in real estate and in most some cases it's open to interpretation.
Renovated can mean many things: - cosmetically enhanced but not really updated (think granite on 30-40 year old cabinets)
- replaced and updated.....15 years and three design style cycles ago
- really meant to say "maintained" as in fresh paint which is NOT a renovation it's maintenance!
- we did the easy stuff. The systems and really … (2 comments)

 
Diane McDermott, Charlotte NC Real Estate Market (Realtor®, GRI, Landis e2 Real Estate, LLC)

Diane McDermott

Charlotte NC Real Estate Market

Charlotte, NC

More about me…

Realtor®, GRI, Landis e2 Real Estate, LLC

Address: Charlotte, NC, 28226

Office: (704) 516-3691

Mobile: (704) 516-3691

Real estate info and more for Charlotte NC
Diane McDermott - Real Estate Broker, Charlotte NC

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