Charlotte Foreclosures Dominate The Local News

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Free List of Charlotte Foreclosures

Charlotte Foreclosures

In the recent addition of the Charlotte Observer, it was pointed out that for the first time ever, home sales percentages were greater for bank owned properties than traditional sales.  While the percentage was close ( approx. 51% to 49%), these statistics are unprecedented.

What this means is that it is not just investors buying these Charlotte area distressed properties.  While this is not really unexpected given the state of the economy, there are still some very real risks and unpublished results.

Wouldn’t it be interesting to know of he 51% of sales that were bank owned, what percentage of these turned out to be ‘What have we done’ moments.  With a percentage that high, we know they exist because these homes are sold as-is!  We don’t hear about these and I bet the buyer would not in a million years admit they made a mistake.

Something that I wish every buyer of these properties would ask me or their Realtor is this?  What percentage of homes that have sold and/or are listed in the community are distressed.   Why is this important!?  How much further are home values going to change?  One way to analyze this is to check what percentage of home sales are distressed.

You see if over 15% are distressed, appraisers can and will use these in comps for the next sale.  Over time, these will continue to bring prices down.  So, maybe only about 7% of sold homes are distressed.  How many are listed as distressed and how many are listed in the tax records but not in MLS?

You see there is some real research that should be done to ensure you really are getting the deal you think you are getting!

If you need help with these, contact us.   We know how to help!

Check out these websites we have created to allow you to see all the distressed properties in the Charlotte and Lake Norman areas that have been turned over to Realtors.

Free List of Charlotte Foreclosures

Free List of Lake Norman Foreclosures

Lake Norman Awaits You

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Offered by Carolina Living Real Estate

DEEP WATER! Experience Lake Norman the way it used to be- No HOA, no thru traffic and clear view of stars at night!   Hard to find flat lot with mature hard woods has rock wall to keep rise in lake levels at bay.   Older home has been freshly painted, cleaned and would be ideal as vacation, year round, or the framework for the home of your dreams on this unique waterfront property.

See this Lake Norman Waterfront Home Virtual Tour

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I AM Sorry But You Are Fired

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Carolina Living Real Estate
Bet you have heard stories of a client firing his/her Real Estate agent! But have you heard about the Agent firing the client?

We agents are bound by Integrity and Real Estate laws that guide what we do every day. This is especially true at Carolina Living Real Estate.

If a client tells us an untruth or asks us to not disclose something that is a material fact, we will ask to be removed as your agent immediately.

Wait, but you can’t fire me, I am the client. The answer is yes we can, we can remove ourselves from any situation that compromises our integrity and laws that bind us!

Our client relationships have to be based on mutual truth and respect. Anything short of this, whether we represent the buyer or the seller will result in a friendly separation.

Roby Robertson is Broker/Owner of Carolina Living Real Estate.

Is Your Home Warranty Really Protecting You

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We Realtors, when representing our seller and buyer clients, often time recommend a Home Warranty to protect our clients from something major happening to the home.  We recommend to our seller clients to have protection during the sales process as offering it to a buyer.  On the buyer side, we often time use this a negotiating tool for our clients.

However, does your Realtor really know if the protection is really the protection your needs?  I would argue NOT.

Do they really consider the age of the home or do they just recommend a carrier that covers things like water-heaters, HVAC etc. and assume that you can sleep well a night because ‘ we got it covered’!

I can tell you that there is a little secret that the Home Warranty Companies do not tell.   Just because your policy says replacing or fixing  the water heater is covered, it really might not be.

Case in point!

Our Property Management Division has a client that recently had an issue with the water heater leaking.  The tenant called us as required and we in-turn called the Home Warranty Company.   The Home Warranty Company called HIS/HER preferred plumber to prescribe a solution.  The solution, Water heater had to be replaced!

Cost… $650.00 which included the diagnosis, labor and new water heater.  WHAT! , we have a home warranty!!!

However, the plumber stated to the Home Warranty Company that the water heater was no longer ‘up to code’.  HUH! Where does it say that in the Policy?  uh, er, hmm,  IT DOESN’T!

So, I ask again.  Does your Realtor really know if you are covered?  At Carolina Living we now know to ask a whole more questions instead of just recommending the cheapest Warranty!

Have a Home Warranty Policy?  One of your New Years Resolutions should be to call them!

Should You Trust Your Realtor

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Carolina Living Real Estate - Charlotte NC

Even in the best of times, some people perceive that Realtors are just money hungry so and so’s that are just out to make a quick buck.  In trying times, some perceptions are magnified.

Recently we had a situation where one of our Carolina Living Agents was relieved of his services with assisting a buyer find a home.  WHY?

  • He was given criteria in which to find a home which included, schools, price, bedrooms etc.
  • He spent hours finding and researching homes.
  • He spent more time showing numerous homes.
  • He write up multiple low-ball offers even though he was quite certain they had no chance in heck of being accepted.
  • He gave his opinion that the offers were not very realistic! (as evidence of the seller not even countering the original offer)

Realtors are many things.  We are trusted advisers, we are chauffeurs, we are cheerleaders, sometimes we are babysitters and pet sitters, we are clients security blankets against lawsuits and making poor decisions.

By the way, the reason the agent was relived of his services was because he was ‘not on the same page’ as the buyer because he gave her what she asked for.  Advice and Knowledge.  The unfortunate things was that the advice and knowledge did not fit inthe category of ‘Yes’ man!

My advice to the agent.  So be it.  Your better off.

Realtors are held to a higher standard than many professions.  The public has the NC Real Estate Commission to file complaints and other agents have the Carolina Realtor Association to address agent to agent issues.

Realtors are indeed trustworthy.  We are required to put our clients needs above our own.  Most good Realtors do this day in and day out.  While we sometimes come across selfish people like the client mentioned above,most clients do respect Realtors and quite frankly, we deserve every bit of it.

The Peninsula Home For Sale

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Carolina Living Real Estate

Designed for luxury livng with expanded master suite, two-way fireplace graces MBR and study, extra room adjoins MBR as exercise room with bar sink,refrigerator, microwave, large bath with oversized jacuzzi. 2nd bedroom with sitting area, island amenities on main level. Graciously proportioned 2 story foyer, Hardwood floors, surround sound, covered porch overlooks 8th hole.

Totally unique floor plan will offer gracious, large living areas , accomodates owner desiring a second master main level suite, with 2 bedrooms on upper level. Buyer may desire to update, kitchen ha s solid surface counters, all white cabinets. Natural light and overall plan is can be appealing.

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It’s Time To Winterize Your Home

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Carolina Living Real Estate service Charlotte

The weather will soon be getting colder around Charlotte and it’s important to take the proper measures to winterize your home

Here are some highlights:

  • Call an HVAC professional to inspect and clean your furnace. The best piece of advice I can give you is to turn the furnace on and have it inspected before the coldest winter months. The last thing you want is to have a faulty furnace when the temperature starts to plummet.
  • Inspect your doors and windows for cracks and exposures. According to EarthWorks Group, the average American home has leaks that amount to a nine-square-foot hole in the wall…that’s a lot of cold air coming into your home during those winter months!
  • Clean out gutters and prevent the formation of potential ice dams by removing any debris.
  • Drain air conditioner pipes and shut off the AC water valve. If you’ve never experienced a burst pipe during a winter freeze now would not be the time to start. Shutting off the AC water valve and making sure the pipes are drained will save you from many unnecessary headaches this winter.

Read the rest of : 10 ways to winterize now

Carolina Living Property Management Hits Milestone

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Charlotte 10/31/2010

Carolina Living Property Management, a division of Carolina Living Real Estate, hit a milestone of 35 single family homes under management.

Concentrating on the single family market, Carolina Living charges no upfront fees and a very reasonable 8% management fee which is helping it steamroll into the property management picture.

Carolina Living Property Management offers a complete solution by partnering with our sales agents and agents with other firms listing the home for sale.  While listing and marketing the homes for rent, the listing agent continues to list the home for sale, in a effort to find the homeowner a solution.

Carolina Living Property Management currently focuses on single family homes in a effort to keep its focus on one core competency.

Learn more at the Carolina Living Property Management website.

For Agents – Will You Survive

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The last decade has provided agents a windfall of success. The market was so good that almost anyone could expect have a successful real estate career. Today, agents are faced with many challenges brought about by our failing economy. The type of buyer and seller have changed. The way houses are sold and bought have changed. And the way agents organize and conduct their business has changed.

The agents embracing change will survive the down market. The ones who don’t change the way they work, will be one of the many fatalities of our business.

Never before has the following statement been more meaningful: There are those who make things happen…Those who watch things happen….and Those who say… “What Happened?”

Many agents will feel they need their company to survive, and the company will do it’s best to make the agent feel that way. The truth is, the company needs you more than you need them. Your transactions may decrease over the next few years, but the fees and percentages you pay your company on each deal will not decrease. The result is….less money in your pocket.

A person on a 50/50 split who only does half the transactions this year that they did last year, will be receiving half the commissions they received last year. On the other hand, the same agent with our company receiving 100% of their commission, will receive the same amount of money even though they only did half the transactions. Regardless of your current split, the extra money you would receive with our company could really help offset any reduced transactions.

We want the agent to receive a 100% commission check with no strings attached!
Because of our lower agent count, agents are able to communicate with the owners, other brokers and mentors easily.

Agents who have joined our company tell us that they have learned more advanced skills and techniques with our company, than they have within their entire career

See Carolina Living Agent Careers