How We Can Help You Navigate the Market in 2015

There are many great Charlotte area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (704) 800-1200 Ext. 106 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

The holiday season has ended, and now it's time to get down to business. But first, I just want to say I hope you have a very successful and happy 2015! We also want to say thanks for the fabulous support you gave us in 2014 - we improved over 2013 even though the market was flat. It was a huge accomplishment and it's all thanks to your support! We truly do appreciate it, as we're still in the top 20 for RE/MAX. 

If you're looking to buy or sell, we have all the tools right here to get started. Searching our local MLS for homes is easy and obligation-free. Give it a try and let us know if you have any questions or would like assistance in your real estate venture!

We want to make 2015 our best year yet. We don't think it will be difficult, as you have all shown to be so very supportive of our team and our mission. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve you - it truly means the world to us!

Until next time, have a fantastic week!

Why Should You Be a Pre-approved Buyer?

 There are many great Charlotte area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (704) 800-1200 Ext. 106 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

Today I wanted to talk to you about a very important topic, especially if you’re in the market to purchase a home. Becoming pre-approved, not just pre-qualified, is the most important step in your home search. Before I go into that, I wanted to point out our market snapshot tool that has you plug in your information on your home and it returns a detailed report of the market as it pertains to you and your home. If you’re looking to buy a home, we have the best property search tool on the market as well.

In terms of becoming pre-approved, you have to look at it from a seller’s standpoint. For example, if a seller has an attractive property and is gaining interest and showings, you have to think about how your offer is perceived by the seller. If you make an offer with just a pre-qualification letter, the seller will see that the lender did not pull your credit or any background check, it doesn’t put you in a strong position.

If you’re working with the right lender, they will put you through a more rigorous process. They will request paystubs to verify your income and your assets so when they can write you a strong preapproval letter. This will be appreciated by seller when it comes to closing time to avoid any issues. You may even be able to close in 14-21 days if you have been pre-approved!

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me. Until we talk again, God bless and be well!

Why is it Important That You Accurately Price Your Home?

I hope you’re having a great year! Today I wanted to talk about a topic that is near and dear to my heart as well as most of our clients’ hearts and that is pricing your home properly and getting the most value possible. Before I go into that, I wanted to point out our market snapshot tool that has you plug in your information on your home and it returns a detailed report of the market as it pertains to you and your home. If you’re looking to buy a home, we have the best property search tool on the market as well.

We sell a lot of properties with a lot of sellers. To do this, we have a four step process that looks at tax values, square footage analysis, past comparable sales and we even check internet estimates to see if they correlate with actual sold values. This is a very rigorous process and if you’re thinking about selling and would like to know the value of your home, we would certainly take you through that process.

In terms of pricing your home properly, I can speak with personal experience from selling four of my own investment properties within the last four weeks in this market. I went through a process where I looked at the comparables in the area and chose not to price on the high side. Overpricing your home leads to more time on the market, greater chance of price reduction and statistics show you will get less money for home and it will take two to three times longer to sell even with required price reductions.

Buyers are very savvy these days and with publicly available information, they know what comparable properties are selling for. Also, bank appraisals are very rigorous in making sure they aren’t loaning more money against a property that isn’t worth a certain price. There is no way to trick the market into making your home worth more than it is. However, hiring an agent professional team with the appropriate income and budget to invest in marketing and advertising for their listings is important. This is what we do! Our goal is to have instant interest in your property.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call me! God bless and see you soon.

How to Prep Your Home for Sale

Today I wanted to discuss with you about how important it is to prepare your home for sale. Before I go into that, I wanted to point out our market snapshot tool that has you plug in your information on your home and it returns a detailed report of the market as it pertains to you and your home. If you’re looking to buy a home, we have the best property search tool on the market as well.

I cannot argue enough for preparing your home for sale. This doesn’t mean investing thousands of dollars in renovations; this can be as easy as cleaning your property. We have a 75 point checklist that we go through when we list properties and I would be happy to send it out to you. If you’re looking to sell your home, this checklist is one of the best available. Most of the items on this checklist are very inexpensive and require some time. However, a little time and little expense will return tenfold on a property.

Along with preparing your home for sale, getting a pre-inspection and home warranty are just as vital. For example, a pre-inspected and warrantied BMW will sell for more than buying one at an action. If you have any questions, please contact me. God bless and talk to you soon!