Carolina on my mind!

First Impressions

2008-01-10T18:15:00.000-05:00

Your Home Doesn't Get a Second Chance to Make a First Impression.

Home staging is becoming more and more popular as homeowners prepare their homes for the marketplace.

Of course, the goal when listing a home for sale is to sell it quickly at the highest price possible. To achieve this, marketing is important, as well as attracting the largest amount of potential buyers. The purpose of staging is to make the home a welcoming and appealing place to live. Staging includes depersonalizing such as removing personal photos, taking way clutter, cleaning, sprucing up the landscaping.

One of the most inexpensive ways to add value to a home is to paint, but please leave this to the professionals. Sometimes, only a few rooms need to be done for a home to feel warm and welcoming.

Here are some tried and true staging tricks from the professionals for the kitchen:

Apply orange oil to cabinets that appear dry to renew their original luster;
Display large bowls of fruit such as polished apples or bright oranges;
Arrange colorful and fun cookbooks on the counter.

Bathrooms should look bright and relaxing. Give it the spa treatment by:

Tying towels with ribbons;
Filling baskets with scented soaps and soft,thick towels;
Making sure the room smells like a spa with fruity or spiced lotions.

Market Report for MacAulay, Huntersville, NC

2008-01-09T20:23:00.000-05:00

MacAulay is a premier Huntersville neighborhood of more than 650 beautiful homes. Trees, parks, pond, sidewalks, pool, clubhouse, and tennis courts highlight the amenities of this family friendly neighborhood.

Currently there are 27 Macaulay homes listed in the Multiple Listing Service. These homes average 3,251 square feet and a list price of $366,640. Homes that are on the market in Macaulay range in price from $249,000-$499,900.

In 2007, 43 homes have sold in Macaulay, with an average of 3,033 square feet and a sales price of $338,196. These homes sold in an average of 61 days on the market!!

Directions to Macaulay: I77North to Exit 25 (Sam Furr Road), turn left onto Sam Furr Road/Highway 73, turn left onto Northcross Drive, sharp left turn onto Stumptown, and right onto Bytham Castle.

Exciting news from the mortgage industry...New FHA loan limits!!

2008-01-06T10:20:00.000-05:00

GREAT NEWS!!! FHA LOAN LIMITS HAVE INCREASED FOR THE CHARLOTTE METRO AREA CHARLOTTE METRO (CHARLOTTE, CONCORD, GASTON, YORK)
$230,470 LOAN LIMIT- $237,597 SALES PRICE.

IREDELL COUNTY $200,160- LOAN LIMIT=$206,350 SALES PRICE.

What does this mean for consumers?...

For buyers..

**FHA HAS NO CREDIT SCORE REQUIREMENT; DOES NOT REQUIRE COLLECTIONS TO BE PAID OFF AND ALLOWS FOR EXPANDED RATIOS. ONLY 3% DOWN PAYMENT REQUIRED; SELLER CAN PROVIDE GIFT FOR DOWN PAYMENT AND 6% TOWARD CLOSING COSTS!!! This is great news for buyers struggling to find a down payment.

For sellers..

This greatly increases the pool of buyers that are eligible to purchase their home that were not eligible before.

What is your home worth? What is the home you want to buy worth? Find out with Market Snapshot...Our newest innovation & resource for our clients.

2008-01-04T18:22:00.000-05:00

Go to www.AdvantageNC.net to order your custom report!

"Indecision is a thief of opportunity"

2007-11-19T09:11:00.000-05:00

I learned recently the reason why excersizing just 20 minutes a day is so beneficial! When we get our heart rate up for 20 minutes a day it increases our metabolism for the next 18 hours. Amazing. So, without even changing our eating habits we can lose weight. I have to admit I need this! I finally made the decision to run each morning! There is just too much benefit for only 20 minutes of work!
I ran for 20 minutes this morning and at the end I was just glad I didn't have a heart attack. I'm incredibly out of shape & that really bothers me. I'm determined to keep at! I know it get's easier and my body is begging me to do it.

There are many opportunity's out there that if we act on it we will benefit. Indecision, procrastination, does us no good!

If we apply this to real estate, for those thinking about investing in real estate now is a wonderful opportunity to start. Most people think about and talk about it but few actually do it. Those who do reap the benefits & continue. Same for first time home buyers. It's may be easier to rent but home ownership brings with it many rewards to those who reach out for it.

Rich

Networking Works

2007-11-08T13:15:00.000-05:00

Rich and I are members of the Lake Norman Business Group. We meet every Thursday morning from 11:30 to 1 PM at The Mia Famiglia Restaurant in Cornelius, NC. It's a great way to grow our business. We have been focusing on giving referrals to help others grow their businesses and eventually they return the favor. We enjoy having an amazing group of people that we can count on. We know that we can refer them and they are going to offer excellent service. I received 3 referrals from the group this morning, and I am very excited about it. Don't hesitate to contact us if you would like to visit our networking group.

2007-11-07T20:15:00.000-05:00

Training in Asheville

2007-11-07T18:52:00.000-05:00

Well, here I am in beautiful Asheville, NC. I'm here this week earning my final educational requirements toward the much coveted CRS designation. I have already been a member of the CRS council but after this week I can proudly display the CRS designation. CRS stands for Certified Residential Specialist. As a designee, I become part of a nationwide network of top real estate professionals allowing me to assist clients whether here in NC or literally in every & any state in the country.

I could not ask for a more beautiful setting to receive this training than here in Asheville. The fall colors are just beautiful and the weather is sunny, cool & crisp with Carolina blue sky's.

One of the instructors this week included a VP of CountryWide Home Loans reviewing topics associated with residential financing. He also gave us very interesting updates on the current mortgage market & insights into what has led to current crisis in the subprime market. The good news is that for most borrowers business is as usual. There is no liquidity issues with FNMA or FHLMC and source funds are available for conforming loans. Interests rates are still low and NC as a state has enjoyed a 4% appreciation rate in property values.

Our instructor today was a member of the Joint Forms Committee for the Real Estate Commission. We received a thorough overview of navigating the sometimes slippery slope of getting a sales contract to close successfully to the benefit of both buyer & seller. We reviewed many case studies that has gone through the courts. A real estate transaction can be wrought with pitfalls & one of our roles as an agent is educating our clients through the process in order to avoid problems.

Well, thank you for visiting our team blog. You will see posts regularly from both me & also from Nuria. We welcome your comments as we go along.