Mint Hill, NC Real Estate Agent and Home Stager

Pricing your Charlotte NC home to sell.   I have written many articles about pricing your Charlotte, NC home to sell but a recent listing appointment really hit home on this point.  

I recently went on a listing appointment to meet a couple who was referred to me by a dear friend.  They were a lovely couple just as nice as could be and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting them and spending time to review my listing presentation. The house was immaculate, their furniture was up to date...BUT the house was dated, floral wall paper, outdated bathrooms, outdated kitchen, I could go on and on.  They had owned the home for over 45 years, added on over the years (including some things that were very personal and not very marketable), this home was part of the family and there was a high emotional attachment to it by the owner which meant they were completely out of touch with the reality of what this home would be worth in the current Charlotte real estate market.

I spent several hours going through the home with them while they pointed out every detail and then went back to the office to prepare my listing presentation.  I knew I was going to have to walk gingerly around the subject of their home's condition and how to price their Charlotte NC home to sell.  To them the house was perfect and worth top dollar;  to a buyer it would be no more than a dated fixer with good bones at best.

I began my listing presenation as I always do, with a review of market conditions and an explanation of what it takes to sell a home in today's real estate market:

• Absorption rate - how long it will take the current inventory to sell if no other homes come on to the market. Current absorption rate in their area 12 months ie: their is a 12 month supply of homes on the market.  Six months supply is a balanced market, less than 6 months supply is a seller's market, more than 6 months supply is a buyer's market. They are in a buyer's market.
• In order for your home to sell quickly you MUST address the two things you have control over - Price and Condition.  Pricing your home ahead of  the market (at or slightly lower than current comparable sales and actives) gives you the highest probability of selling.  Condition, putting your home in the best most cost effective condition gives you an advantage over the competition who does nothing.
• I also included a chart I obtained from my Ninja selling class to hit home this point:

 

Why do some Charlotte NC Short Sales not close?  I have a property currently listed for short sale in Matthews, NC a suburb of Charlotte.  It is a great property for a short sale; fabulous location, doesn't need much work and it is priced rather competitively.  After only 2 months on  the market the property went into multiple offers.  I could tell that both buyer agents working the offers were inexperienced with Charlotte NC short sales.  How did I know this?  In spite of the fact that I provided very specific offer instructions the offers were incomplete, the agents used the incorrect forms and insisted I do things their way (and that was just for starters).  

If you are a buyer or a buyer's agent interested in buying a Charlotte, NC short sale you need to educate yourself about the process.  I am finding that buyer's agents do a poor job setting the appropriate expectation with their buyers and buyers do not do their due diligence to prepare for the short sale journey.  What are some of the things you need to know to make sure that if you decide to buy a short sale it will close?

• The listing agent has no control over the bank or how long it will take for them to approve a short sale.  All banks are different, I can give you a general timeframe but can guarantee nothing.  Putting an expiration date on your offer and threatening to pull it if you don't get an approval by that date will not force  the banks hand to speed up the process.  However it does tell me that you or your buyer may be unrealistic on the timeframes involved, or your buyer needs to move quickly and a short sale might not be the best solution for them.  Either way it gives me the impression that you are not committed to the process and are likely to walk.
• Please submit a complete offer package.  What does that mean?  An offer on the correct offer to purchase form, all addendums, loan letter or proof of funds and a copy of  the earnest money check. Earnest money check?  Yes, earnest money check.  You can cancel your offer at any time during the process up until the bank approves your offer and get this back.  The fact that you do not realize this or are not willing to put some skin in the game, again tells me you are not committed to this process and are likely to bolt.
• The offer must be accompanied by a loan approval letter (assets, income and employment verified) or proof of funds - No exceptions. I will not allow my seller to sign off on your offer without one, nor will I submit your offer to the bank without one.  No you can't wait until you get approval from the bank to then submit one, no, no please do yourself a favor and don't ask.
• Submit the short sale addendum with your offer, standard form 2A14-T.  Our state association has done a fabulous job in outlining the short sale process in this addendum.  Just filling it out and reading it to your client should clarify many of the questions I get asked by many buyer's agents.  I received an offer on a short sale listing of mine one time without it.  I politely demanded that the buyer agent review the addendum with their client and get a signed copy over to me and that the offer would not be considered without it.  After the agent reviewed it with their client, the client balked and pulled their offer.  

I don't claim to know everything about short sales because as soon as I do, something will change guaranteed. But I am knowledgeable, professional and make sure that with each transaction I do my own due diligence with the seller as well  because if I don't do this on the front end, there is a highly likely possibility that I too will have some of my Charlotte, NC short sales not close.  There are many more pieces to the short sale puzzle and putting those pieces together and getting to the closing table requires that the agents on both sides of the transaction do their homework and educate their clients.  When we all work together and do our jobs well, it makes it a smoother process for everyone.

Mint Hill, NC - Brrr, the cold weather is finally here!  We have been experiencing an Indian Summer of sorts here in the Carolinas.  Don't get me wrong, I love it.  The temperature reached almost 70 degrees over the weekend.  That said when the cold arrives and our thermometer reads in the 40's for the high and the 20's for the low freezing temperatures can play havoc with the routine of our daily lives.  My favorite handyman that I use personally and recommend to everyone I meet was kind enough to send out an email with these helpful hints this morning.

It's that time of year again when: 

• If the water in your home is supplied by a well please be reminded of the potential for your water pipes to freeze due to being located above ground at the head of the well (under a dome or inside a well house.
• This week the temperatures are forecasted to be well below freezing for a few nights creating the possibility for water supply lines to freeze and burst.
• As a suggestion, plug a drop cord into the nearest GFCI outlet and place a 75 -100 watt, incandescent light bulb (no fluorescent bulbs) inside the well cover  near the PVC supply line to help prevent it from freezing.
• Also,- place the bulb under the well cover ASAP allowing heat to build up inside the cover.   Leave the bulb burning over the course of this cold spell and during any future freezing temperatures, plus- occasionally check on the bulb to be sure it's "burning". (A burned out bulb will NOT warm the pipes)
• To eliminate additional potential freezing issues in your home- DISCONNECT all GARDEN HOSES from every outside spigot/faucet during the winter months, even if you have "frost proof spigots/faucets", then cover the spigot/faucet with a styrofoam or similar cover for additional protection.
•  When water freezes, it expands greatly.  When you leave hoses attached to a spigot/faucet, water WILL freeze in the "neck" of the hose and back up into the spigot/faucet, expanding the water line inside the wall to a point of  splitting the pipe- unknown to you until it thaws, revealing a costly mess.
•  Also, if you have an irrigation/sprinkler system it's crucial to winterize it for the Winter months by removing the residual water remaining throughout the irrigation lines, otherwise you'll experience numerous issues next Spring when you start watering to green up your thirsty lawns... 

Thanks Rodney!  for these great and always timely reminders.  If you are in need of a great handyman please feel free to contact him, you will not be disappointed.

RentARodney, LLC

Your Professional Handyman

Rodney@RentARodney.com

www.RentARodney.com

(704) 900-3610

(704) 363-4327

Mint Hill, NC - Are you having a fashion emergency?

Well worry no more, Boutique Le'Aunj had their grand opening today November 18, 2011. Mint Hill's newest business is located at 11300-M Lawyers Rd, Mint Hill, NC and is the brainstorm of Angela Scull and Lisa Brantley.   Lisa and Angela had been selling their accessories and fashion advice at private parties and in Noda at the theater on the first Wednesday of the month during the "Cometry" series before they decided to open the new store front.  Today was their grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony,  the turnout was fabulous.

If you are having a fashion emergency, Lisa and Angela have a variety of items to solve your fashion crisis.  Their store has a variety on unique and one of a kind:

• Handbags
• Scarves/Shawls
• Hats
• Belts
• Accessories and more

While I was there today for the grand opening, I bought a sweater shawl and necklace for myself and got some Christmas shopping out of the way!  Not only is Boutique Le'Aunj a great place to go for all your fashion emergencies, they can come to you too!  Boutique Le'Aunj offers wardrobe consultations and will host handbag, jewelry parties, weddings and special events.  They are open on Monday's by appointment only and the regular store hours are Tuesday-Saturday 10-6 or you can check them out on-line at www.boutiqueleaunj.com  

Congratulations to Angela and Lisa for exercising their entrepreneurial spirit and the best of luck with their new business venture!

If I Stage my Matthews-Mint Hill Home, will you guarantee me it will sell?  I get asked that question a lot on listing appointments.   The short answer - no I cannot guarantee you if you stage your Matthews-Mint Hill Home that it will sell.  The long answer, home staging is just one ingredient in the recipe that makes for a successful transaction of your Matthews home for sale or your Mint Hill home for sale.  Home Staging alone does not guarantee a sale.  

However, there are some things I can guarantee you.   If you stage your Matthews-Mint Hill home and do not price it appropriately, I can almost guarantee you it will not sell.  If you do not allow showings when the appointment center calls, I can almost guarantee you it will not sell.  If you do not keep the home in showing condition and allow it to be shown while it is a mess, I can almost  guarantee you it will not sell.  If you do not leave the home when prospective buyers and their agents show up to view the home, I can almost  guarantee you it will not sell.  If you leave your pets in the home while it is being shown, I can almost guarantee you it will not sell.  As I mentioned previously,home staging alone does not guarantee a sale.  If you tried staging your home for sale previously but did not do all the other things mentioned, don't blame the home staging!!

Part of my listing presentation is to  perform a fact finding mission to feel out the seller's motivation and to see how cooperative they will be if I take the listing.  If the seller's have already had their home on the market previously and it failed to sell, I try to determine why the home did not sell.  I always bring up home staging in every listing appointment because I believe it works.  These prospective sellers who are already skeptical of us dumb agents always want to challenge me on this issue and ask: If I stage my Matthews-Mint Hill home, will you guarantee me it will sell?  What I have learned over the years that I have been a listing agent is when a home does not sell, there are usually a combination of reasons why.  I mentioned the top 5 reasons a home does not sell in the previous paragraph and they are all equally important.  If I had to rank the importance of correct pricing on a scale of 1-10  it would be a 100, home staging would be a 99. Stay tuned for my next article on how to correctly price your Matthews-Mint Hill home for sale. 

Photos provided by:

Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Matthews, NC Short Sale - 5 bedroom home with basement and master down for sale in Shannamara at the Divide

If you are looking for a Matthews Short Sale - 5 bedroom home with basement and master down for sale in a premier golf,swim and tennis neighborhood, welcome to Shannamara at the Divide, a wonderful golf course community that is convenient to everything. This neighborhood offers a great clubhouse with first class golfing, a pool with waterslides, tennis, play areas and walking trails.  It’s got everything including low Union County taxes and great schools.

The ever popular Shannamara at the Divide in Matthews, NC   is a predominantly brick neighborhood  built by several custom builders and features well maintained homes on generous size lots in one of the fastest growing areas of greater Charlotte, NC.  With easy access to I485 and Hwy 51 and 74, this home is just a short distance to Stonecrest or Concord or  the new medical park and hospital and 1 exit away from the new Bridges of Mint Hill, Charlotte’s newest upscale shopping, dining and entertainment enclave.

Step into this stunning five bedroom, three and ½ bath 3 side brick home with a basement and master down and you will be pleasantly surprised with it's open neutral floorplan. Located at 5638  Anglesey Ct.,  Matthews, NC  - this opportunity can't be beat to buy a Matthews, NC Short Sale in Shannamara at the Divide.   This home sits on a cul de sac lot and is surrounded by beautiful hardwoods trees and professionally landscaped, providing a peaceful serenity of a wooded setting with lots of privacy.    The main living areas feature hardwoods in the foyer and dining area and newer carpet in the great room and master along with newer cermic tile in the kitchen and baths.   Four additional generous sized bedrooms, lots of storage and surround sound round out the many features of this home. You won’t be disappointed sitting out on the back deck and relaxing after a long day of work.  This serene outdoor living space includes partially covered deck, professionally landscaped yard with many colorful plants and trees surrounded by a fenced yard that is great for cookouts and entertaining. 

For more information on this Matthews, NC Short Sale in Shannamara at the Divide, feel free to view the virtual tour at 5638 Anglesey Ct., Matthews, NC

Charlotte Homestagers Give back to Cabarrus County Habitat for Humanity.  As part of StagedHomes.com initiative to give back to the communities our home stagers work in, The Charlotte Chapter of International Accredited Home Staging Professionals (IAHSP)took on the corporate office of Cabarrus County Habitat for Humanity this year as their pet project during Worldwide Staging Service Week.

Every year the chapter participates in the annual Worldwide Staging Service Week (WWSSW) which allows the Charlotte IAHSP® chapter to give back to worthy charities, groups, or individuals through the IAHSP® Foundation. The IAHSP® Foundation schedules this annual event to give back joy, time, dollars and resources to help others in need. It is an honor to serve others through WWSSW® service week and the IAHSP® Foundation throughout the year as well.

It was a rainy Wednesday, but the members of Charlotte IAHSP showed up and took over the Habitat office with the goal of making the space more inviting while showcasing what Habitat is all about.  The only rule we had to follow was to use items out of the local Habitat ReStore for our staging project. It was a collective effort from over 20 members in our chapter and we were definitely up to the challenge.  After several hours of "shopping" at the ReStore, the members assembled at the Habitat Office and allowed our inner design divas come out.  

Since this was a design project we were able to personalize the space and showcase some of the many projects Habitat has been involved in over the years.  This goal was to make the office space warm, inviting and show the potential opportunities available to clients that come to Habitat for their services. 

The experience was phenomenal and the folks at Habitat were in shock with the results that we were able to produce from their very own Restore.  Below are some before and after photos of the Cabarrus County Habitat for Humanity Office along with a heartfelt thank you!

Before and after of the seating area.

The opposite side of the sitting area before and after.

The conference area was a challenge but we were able to fit a table.

This is the entry area by the front door.  There was nothing there prior to the project, it turned out to be the perfect spot for this Vignette.

Jennifer Manchester is Public Relations Chair for the Charlotte Chapter of International Association of Home Staging Professionals (IAHSP).   The Charlotte IAHSP sets the standard for excellence in the Home Staging Industry for the Charlotte Metro area. 

Renfrow Hardware, Matthews NC is located in historic downtown Matthews, NC.  If you are a fan of old fashioned hardware stores this will be a treat for you.  Once you step inside Renfrow Hardware, Matthews, NC you will take a step back in time and find almost anything you never knew you needed or that hard to find thing-a-majig that no one else has.

Located at 188 N. Trade Street, Matthews, NC, Renfrow Hardware has been in business since 1900.  The store's roots began in the days of cotton and the store originally began as a location for cotton farmers to bring their cotton and use the cotton gin. Well Renfrow Hardware, Matthews NC has come along way since cotton was king.  Now Matthews, NC is a desirable suburb of Charlotte with it's small historic downtown charm, shops, restaurants and yes Renfrow Hardware.

Renfrow Hardware, Matthews NC is definitely a fun place to visit and a great place to get gardening tips if you are new to the area and need some assistance with developing a green thumb.  You can buy seedlings or if you prefer, buy your seeds and start from scratch, they have a very extensive seed catalog to choose from.  This year I planted tomatoes and squash from Renfrow Hardware and my garden is overflowing!

If you are in need of some squash or tomatoes give me a call.  If you would like to start your own garden, stop by Renfrow Hardware and sign up for one of their gardening classes.  If you would like to just stop by and shop you can do that too.  Some of the items you will find at Renfrow Hardware:

• Veggies
• Flowers
• Seeds
• Chickens (yes chickens)
• Birdhouses, Birdseed
• Red Wagons
• Crickets
• All kinds of parts for things
• All kinds of tools for things
• Mason Jars
• Cast Iron Cookware
• Free Advice

Check out  Renfrow Hardware, Matthews NC  on-line.  They have a really cool video on the history of the store.

Time Warner To hire 225 Employees in Charlotte, NC.  We hear so much negative news about the economy and unemployment being high, finally some positive news in the Charlotte, NC job market.  Time Warner Cable to hire 225 employees here in the Charlotte, NC area by 2014. 

Time Warner plans to expand its corporate campus here in Charlotte, NC to accomodate it's hiring of 225 new employees and to expand its data center.  The positions they will be hiring for include: accounting, finance, engineering, information technology and human resources.  All good paying jobs for a major company here in Charlotte:  Time Warner Cable to hire 225 employees here in Charlotte, NC.  This is good news and a sign of things to come.

Staging your home to sell in Davidson, NC.  Home Staging can turn the unsaleable into saleable.  With the current economic conditions and state of the current real estate market you can't just be good, you have to be better than good.  This has been a hard lesson learned for some sellers in this market.  This blog post tells the story a Davidson,NC family struggling to get their home sold in this market.  Over a year ago these Davidson, NC home seller's had home staging recommended to them prior to listing the home.  The seller’s originally declined because they did not want to spend the money and besides they were in a desireable  location, had done lots of renovations and thought their house was great just the way it was and would  have no problem selling.

Fast forward a year later and the Davidson, NC home for sale was still sitting on the market and the seller’s had already  moved.  As nice as the renovations were at this Davidson, NC Home for Sale the house was empty and did not show well.  Lot’s of feedback was received by various buyer’s agents focusing on things like, don’t know how to use the space, some of the wall color choices were undesireable etc.  The seller's broker approached  them again with the idea of staging.  This time the seller’s were exhausted and tired  from the year their house had sat on the market with no offers and agreed to at least listen to a proposal.   They called Maria Tobin, ASP and CIRC Chapter President and asked for the help of the Charlotte Regional Chapter of the International Association of Home Staging Professionals (CIRC).  Maria put together a plan of action for the sellers and called in members of the Charlotte Staging Chapter to help execute it.

A collaborative effort was made by over 20 area Accredited Staging Professionals to stage the Davidson, NC home for sale.  It took over eight hours and two moving truckloads of furniture and accessories to highlight the home’s best features, giving purpose to each room and even playing up some of the paint choices the sellers had chosen.  The home went from sitting on the market to receiving two offers  in just under 90 days after the full staging was performed. 

Entry Foyer Before, Buyers were not enthusiastic about the paint color.

Entry Foyer After, Warm and Inviting, paint color no longer a sticking point.

Dining Room Before, Empty Rooms don't show well and do not give buyers a reason to engage with the room.

Dining Room After, Offers a broad appeal to everyone.

Great Room Before, Not so great, buyers questioned furniture placement.

Great Room After, Lots of possibilities, at the end of the day we created 3 distinct seating areas in the room giving buyers lots of options.

If you would like to see more photos of this home, be on the lookout for the September issue of Lake Norman Magazine.  This home will be featured in the magazine along with interviews with Barb Schwarz, The Creator of Home Staging and President of StagedHomes.com and Maria Tobin and myself.  The article addressess the misconceptions the public has about home staging as well as answers the many questions we often get when they learn what we do.

Jennifer Manchester is Public Relations Chair for the Charlotte Chapter of International Association of Home Staging Professionals (IAHSP).   The Charlotte IAHSP sets the standard for excellence in the Home Staging Industry for the Charlotte Metro area.