What's the Secret to Finding the Best Possible Value for Your Charlotte Home?

Today, I want to briefly go through our Home Equity Evaluation Audit and how we're different than other agents in helping you price your home for maximum value.

Most agents will come out to your property and pull a few comps. They'll show you a few MLS sheets with homes that are similar to yours and what they have sold for. They don't have any real definitive research and data behind how to price your property properly.

We do things differently than most agents. We use four methods to help our clients price their properties for the market:

1. Comparable analysis: We use seven comps to come up with a market value.
2. Technical analysis: We will go through and look at tax values.
3. Internet estimates: We don't hang out hat on these, but we look at how Internet estimates match up to the final sale price of comparable homes.
4. Square-footage analysis: We look at dollar per square foot ranges in terms of what comparable listings are selling for.

Most agents will simply pull a few comps and come in otherwise unprepared. They typically try to get you the information you need to be truly informed about your home's value.

If you're thinking of selling, please reach out to us. We would love to prepare an equity evaluation audit for your property. We look forward to hearing from you!

How to Avoid 7 Costly Home Selling Mistakes in Charlotte

Selling your Charlotte area home? Get a free home value report

Buying a Charlotte area home? Search all homes for sale

Today we'll be talking about how you can avoid seven costly mistakes when selling your home. I've actually got it in a brochure right here, so please don't hesitate to ask me for a copy.

1. Find a full-time real estate agent. A part-time agent is only partially committed to satisfying your needs as a consumer. Why work with someone that won't commit to your needs? Most agents sell 8-10 homes per year, but my team sold over 400 properties this year.

2. You need a pricing strategy that will attract the most buyers to your home. Ideally, you'll create a bidding war and push your sales price through the roof.

3. Don't limit your marketing. We spend nearly $30,000 per month on marketing, but it all comes back to us because we end up selling homes that are well-marketed to consumers. Your home will be seen by hundreds of buyers.

4. You have to sell your home to two different people: the buyer and the appraiser. You need to convince the appraiser and the bank that your home is worth what you say it is.

5. You have to understand your rights and your obligations. Most agents just want a paycheck, but we act as a team and as fiduciaries to our clients. We wouldn't walk you into a situation where you would end up getting hurt.

6. Don't sign a listing agreement with no "out". We have an easy-exit listing agreement, so you can fire us at any time. Most agents will want you to sign a contract for an entire year or six months.

7. Last, but not least - you have to select the right agent! I suggest you meet with our team and discuss what you want out of a transaction. If we're not the right fit for you, we can refer you elsewhere. No harm done!

If you need help selling in Charlotte, please don't hesitate to contact my team. We look forward to hearing from you!

12 Quesions You Must Ask a Real Estate Agent Before Hiring Them

Selling your Charlotte area home? Get a free home value report

Buying a Charlotte area home? Search all homes for sale

Today I am going to talk to you about some questions that you absolutely need to ask a real estate agent before hiring them. We’ve got a book of twelve, which we can send to you if you’d like, but today we are just going to go over a few of them. Here are some of the questions you need to be asking your real estate agent:

Are you a full-time agent?

There are a lot of part-timers in real estate that passively sell a few homes per year. That doesn’t give them a lot of practice negotiating, working with other agents, and all of the other tasks an agent is responsible. We are full-time agents here at the Lars Group and we spend our time wisely, which will allow us to sell over 400 homes this year.

What kind of operation do you run?

Most are doing the dozen or so tasks of an agent by themselves. They are putting out flyers, lockboxes, etc. instead of focusing on their clients. We have our business systematized so our agents can focus more on their clients without having to run around doing unnecessary tasks. 

Do you have client testimonials?

We survey all of our clients and ask them about their experience, and how we can improve it in the future. This helps our business, and our service, constantly grow.

Do you have a marketing plan?

Being able to market listings as an agent is crucial. We have a 151-point marketing plan that we would love to share with you.

What percentage of your business comes from referrals?

Any good agent should have happy customers, and those happy customers should come back to do business, as well as refer their friends and family to the agent that made them happy. A lot of our business comes from past clients and referrals, and we take pride in that.

These are just a few of the questions that you should be asking. To get our full book that details each question, reach out to us and we’ll send you a copy. We would love to share that with you. If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email.

How Do We Make the Buying Process Easier?

Selling your Charlotte area home? Get a free home value report

Buying a Charlotte area home? Search all homes for sale

Today I’m excited to talk to you about our home buyer guide and the process we use to get buyers the best deals when they are searching for homes. We have worked with hundreds of buyers to develop this system and refine our process so they get the best home for the best price and the best terms, all the while being hassle-free. 

Today we are just going to talk about a specific page in our home buyer guide, the buying road map, and I’m going to guide you through that today.

Most agents will just go out and start showing you properties without sitting down with you first and talking strategy, your needs, and what the outcome will be. We take the time to do this, and we also talk to you about financing and how we will get you the best interest rate and best terms.

Then we start showings. We make sure you have access to the newest homes instantly when they hit the market, and you’ll be able to preview those properties right away. We have skilled buyer specialists who will negotiate for you and make sure you get the best deal possible. 

The average agent may sell 6-8 homes a year if they are lucky, but our average buyer specialist is doing 3 deals a month. In terms of representing your best interest in a transaction, our buyer specialists are more than capable. 

Finally, after you've found the home and made the offer, we are on to the closing process. We have a client care person dedicated to make the process of getting to closing as seamless as possible. 

If you’re thinking about buying in Charlotte, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. If you’d like a copy of our home buyer guide, we would love to send you a free copy as well. Just let us know. We look forward to hearing from you!

Do You Need a Boost To Your Morning Routine?

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'm coming to you from Everlasting Changes. I wanted to share with you a routine that I've begun to adopt recently, which is a vigorous workout to begin my day. 

It's really given me the energy I need to perform well throughout the day, and it's made me adopt an overall healthier lifestyle. It's helped to improve multiple facets of my life, whether it's business, family, or overall health. I would encourage you to give it a try. 

Brent Kasmer is the owner, and he and his staff are really excellent at what they do. They've made such a profound impact on my life that I just thought I'd share this with you. This is a fantastic gym in Charlotte, and I highly recommend it to anyone.

If you would like to learn more, please don't hesitate to contact me. 

As always, contact me with any questions or concerns you might have about real estate here in Charlotte. My team is always happy to serve you!

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!

How to Price Your Home for Maximum Value

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 we are going to talk to you a little bit about how we price properties. Our goal is to price our properties not only to be competitive in the market, but get you top dollar for your real estate transaction as well. 

What most average agents do when they get your listing is come out and do a CMA, a comparative market analysis of your property. However, we are not average agents, and go above and beyond to sell your home. We take things a step further with our equity evaluation plan. We go through 4 different approaches to get the best, most comprehensive answer as to what price to list your home.  The 4 variables we use to determine your home's value are:

1. Comparable Market Analysis

2. Relative Tax Analysis

3. Internet evaluations

4. Square footage evaluation

The average agent just simply goes through a CMA, which is about 20 pages long. Our equity evaluation is nearly quadruple that, and we take pride in the fact that we are willing to work harder than anybody else out there to get your home sold. On top of all this, we also have a plan dedicated to pricing your home for maximum value, which should give you a good idea as to what dynamics are in play when it comes to pricing your home for maximum value.

If you or somebody you know is thinking about selling your home, be sure to give us a call or send us an email. We would love to have a chance to prove to you that we are indeed your best choice for buying and selling real estate in Charlotte. 

Thanks again, and have a Happy Holidays!

Don't Believe the Hype About the Spring Selling Season

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.

Don't Believe the Hype About the Spring Selling Season

Around this time of year, we get a lot of questions about whether now is the right time to put your home on the market. With the holidays coming up in quick succession, is now a smart time to list a property? There are three things in the market that affect conditions at any given time: active inventory, new listings, and homes going under contract and selling. 

Typically, inventory will decline this time of year, so many sellers assume it's just not a good time to be on the market. The reality is, there isn't that much of a drop off in buyers who are going under contract this time of year, relative to inventory. There's less competition on the market this time of year - specifically during the months of November, December, January, and even February - making now the ideal time to put your home on the market. 

If you are interested in taking advantage of these favorable conditions, we have a Maximum Payoff Guide we would love to send out to you. We also have a VIP Seller Program that includes the 151 steps how we get properties sold for the most amount of money, in the least amount time, and with the least amount of stress. Additionally, we have a guide to getting the maximum value for your home in terms of pricing and the Seven Business Principles we follow here at The Lars Group. We would love to share all of this with you - give us a call or shoot us an email for the real estate resources you deserve! 

What We do Differently to Sell Homes

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.

What We do Differently to Sell Homes

 Today we are going to talk to you about what really sells a home, and what we do differently to get better results for our clients. Over the last 10 years, the way business is done in real estate has changed pretty dramatically. It used to be that open houses and yard signs were the keys to selling homes, but with the rise of the internet, that's no longer the case. 

We have a 151 step system that we follow to sell every one of our listings.We would be happy to send a copy to you if you were interested in what we do differently, especially with the internet and advanced marketing techniques we have available to us. We would also be glad to send you another one of our brochures, "The Maximum Payoff Guide for Sellers," which includes how we do our online marketing and use social media to sell homes.

If you have any questions at all about the home selling process, let us know. We will send these educational resources out to you at no cost. We would love for you to take a look at them and see for yourself what we can do differently than anyone else to sell your home. 

Our Advice for Purchasing New Construction

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.

How to Purchase New Construction

New construction is appearing in Charlotte and our surrounding areas very rapidly. Because of this, I will be showing you the necessary steps you must take to purchase these properties because it is a little different than purchasing a resale home.

The first thing you'll need to buy new construction is a qualified real estate agent. Four out of our seven agents here actually have sales experience in the new construction industry, so please feel free to contact us for assistance. We are very well-equipped to find you a suitable new home and ensure that you're not being taken advantage of. 

We recently caught wind of a buyer who paid $30,000 more than other buyers of new construction, and this was mainly because this person was not equipped with a real estate agent. As real estate agents we will sit down and speak with you so we can understand your needs, and we will then negotiate with builders to get you a good price with good terms. 

If you need any assistance buying new construction in Charlotte please don't hesitate to contact me or my team. We're always willing to sit down with you and discuss your individual needs. 

75 Point Home Preparation Checklist

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.

75 Point Home Preparation Checklist

Now that the spring market is upon us, I wanted to speak with you about preparing your home for sale now that the market is heating up. In terms of preparing your home for the market, we actually have a 75 Point Checklist that I can provide to you if you’re thinking about putting your home on the market.

This detailed checklist contains valuable tips that will help get top-dollar for your property. You won’t need to spend a lot of money or time – this list is a proven formula that will get the most money for your home.

Feel free to reach out to me by phone or email to obtain your copy of the 75 Point Checklist!

Your Key to Real Estate Success

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.

Your Key to Real Estate Success

If you’re looking to sell your property, check out our 151 Step VIP Seller Program and our Maximum Payoff Guide for Sellers. The 151 Step System actually details every step of the way, including how we make sure that the home is listed, marketed, under contract, sold and how we get you your proceeds of sale. We employ each step every time we take a listing! This has resulted in a very high success rate.

In regards to our Maximum Payoff Guide, it includes some great tips that will help sell your property as fast as possible for top-dollar, with as few hassles as possible! These documents are available to you free, with no obligation.

Please feel free to call or email me for your copy of these two wonderful guides. Thanks and have a great day!

Market Update: Act Now to Capitalize on Low Prices and Low Rates!

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.

Market Update: Act Now to Capitalize on Low Prices and Low Rates!

About six days ago, CoreLogic released a report on our market. With some of the snow storms that recently hit the South, our area shut down and caused a minor blip in the amount of homes that sold. However, that did not affect the overall market.  When you compare January 2013 to January 2014, we can account for a 9% rise in pricing. A part of that increase can be attributed to higher-priced homes that are selling this year instead of the previous year because buyers are trading up.

Overall, the market is very strong. If you’re looking to sell your property, it is a great time to consider listing your home and if you’re looking to buy a property, it is a great time to enter the market as prices are projected to rise in the future and rates remain historically low.

If you have any questions about buying or selling, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. Thanks and have a great day!

Selling Your Home: 151 Intricate Steps to Competitively Market Your Home!

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.

How Our Marketing is Different

Today I wanted to speak with you about how we are different when it comes to selling homes. The last ten years of real estate have really changed the way things are done. Previously, open houses and yard signs sold homes; now, the internet, advanced marketing methods and direct response advertising principles are being brought into what we do. Our team does have an advanced yard marketing system that beats the national average of 4% homes sold from yard signs.

We boast an extensive 151 Step Marketing Program that we use to sell properties. Due to the numerous marketing channels we have at our disposal, it takes a lot more effort to market your home more competitively. Along with sending you our 151 Step Marketing Program, we will also send you our Maximum Payoff Guide that goes over what sets us apart from our buyer lead generation systems, how we utilize social media, yard signs, how we use the MLS and photography.

Those are a few tools that are available at no obligation to you. If you would like a copy of either of those guides, call our office and we will have them sent out to you. Also if you have any questions about the home selling process, we would be happy to answer them and do our best to earn your business. God bless!

How Sellers can get a Strong Appraisal on Properties

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.

In the market that we find ourselves in today, appraisals can be very important for our sellers and we want you to know how to get a good price for your property. With so many variables involved in the process, we actually step in and help you throughout the entire process. This is very rare for listing agents, but we want to ensure that you get a great appraisal on your property.

How Can You Help With the Appraisal Process

We will actually have you prepare an informational package for an appraiser once he/she arrives at your property. This can include:

• Information on the best comparable properties for them to use.

• Information in regards to and and all upgrades that you have made on your home. This will help to up the price if the appraiser finds it necessary.

• We will also have you provide data on the price per square footage, including upstairs and below ground. It's important to provide the right numbers to an appraiser to get an appropriate price.

We prefer to get actively involved in the process so that you can get a strong appraisal and a good sale on your property. These are just a few of the ways that we assist you in the listing, marketing, and sales process.

If you have any questions at all, please contact me at (704) 800-1200x106 or email at Lars@LarsRealEstate.com

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!

Should You Keep Your Home on the Market During the Holidays?

During the fall and winter months, I am always asked if people should keep their home on the market or list it just before the holidays. 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. Click here to access it. If you’re looking to buy a home, we have the best property search tool on the market as well.

Fortunately, we’re not in a market North Dakota where the market shuts down for three months due to seasonality. Our peak months are May, June and July but homes are still selling. We live in a large job relocation market and January is the time executives are looking to move. I would not recommend holding off until the spring market because the buyers out there now are serious.

If you have any questions, please contact me. God bless and talk to you soon!

How Has the 2013 Market Affected You?

Welcome back! If you’re looking to sell your property, we have a 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.

The market has been crazy this year. The year started with a slight surplus of inventory but then began to pick up in certain areas causing inventory to plummet. The problem with the increase is that it wasn’t happening in every area causing confusion between markets. Interest rates also rose 1% in August which scared off buyers and triggered a slow September. With all the market uncertainties, we will make sure you have all the information available.

I cannot say for sure whether it is a buyer or seller’s market; it varies from neighborhoods and price points. Since we are in a weird market, I will be happy to consult you every step of the way. Talk to you soon!