Let's Talk Charlotte and Charlotte Real EstateRecently posted or modified blog posts in the category - Local Eventshttps://www.housesofsouthcharlotte.com/blog/Copyright HousesofSouthCharlotte.com2020-10-27T00:53:29-07:00tag:housesofsouthcharlotte.com,2012-09-20:5816Staging Charlotte Homes – a Bit Like Spring Cleaning
Home staging is not the same as spring cleaning … but the results are similar. And it feels sooo good!<br /><br />Staging one’s home includes cleaning and organizing – particularly eliminating clutter throughout your home.
Clutter such as small kitchen appliances and other counter items – other than decorations – should be out of sight. You will find that removing family photographs and small items from tables and chests will make your home appear less cluttered– and more spacious. And stop using the refrigerator for a bulletin board.
This is the real test: count the number of items in each room and remove half of them – including furniture. You should consider renting a storage unit to store excess items, so that your normal storage areas do not appear crowded.<img style="float: right; margin: 10px; border: 1px solid black;" title="Selling Charlotte Homes" alt="Bills liqueurs" height="300" width="400" src="/userFiles/1510/image/BlogPhotos/bills_liqueur.jpg" />
Well… I started my spring cleaning yesterday. My first task was to get rid of old liqueurs – those not used in past ten years. (See the picture of the ones to go.)
When I offered the liqueurs to my daughters, one asked for Kahlua ; the other selected Jagermeister. For extra credit, which liqueur would you have selected?<br /><br />Next I intend to throw away all my herbs & spices older than one year. That will really clear out space. My cabinets never seemed so large.
If you are planning to sell your Charlotte home, <a title="Agent Becky" href="https://www.housesofsouthcharlotte.com/contact/">contact Becky</a> to learn how to get it ready for market.2011-02-16T12:22:00-07:002020-10-27T00:53:29-07:00Missy Bankstag:housesofsouthcharlotte.com,2012-09-20:5819The Housing Shortage of 2012“It is clear to me — if only me — that housing will mount a comeback in 2011”, so says Jim Cramer. Moreover, he goes on to predict that we will experience a <a title="Housing Shortage" href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/40828682/page/2/">housing shortage in 2012</a>.
Who is Jim Cramer, you ask. He is not a Realtor and he is not an economist. He is just one of the great investors of all time. He has an unbelievable depth of knowledge on all subjects affecting business and investments… and all life as we know it.
Today, you may know him from his popular TV show – “Mad Money”. Or perhaps you have seen him as a guest on other TV programs, where his advice & opinion is widely sought and highly respected.
Cramer is a Goldman Sachs alum who had a phenomenal fourteen year run with his own hedge fund. Over that period – from 1988 thru 2001 – his record was an unbelievable 24% average annual return. With that record, I would believe almost anything he said.
Buy, Buy, Buy
In his very bullish forecast, Cramer also says that 2011 is the year for aggressive investing. The same can be said for buying Charlotte real estate.
We all know that Charlotte home prices are low and near the bottom, if not on the bottom. (We will know that only after the fact.) For December 2010, the last reported month, Charlotte was one of six cities to hit their lowest levels since home prices started to fall in 2006 and 2007.
We know that interest rates are historically low… with some concern that they may be headed up anytime. It’s also a fact that the Charlotte home inventory is very high. And, needless to say, sellers are highly motivated!!!
If you believe Jim Cramer as I do, you have to believe that the foregoing conditions are likely to change during this year - 2011. My advice is, “Don’t try to be a market timer!”. The Charlotte home market can change very quickly. Buy now to get your choice of all available Charlotte homes.
<a href="https://www.housesofsouthcharlotte.com/contact/" title="Contact Becky">Contact Beck</a>y now to take advantage these "once-in-a-lifetime" buying opportunities for <a title="Charlotte Real Estate" href="https://www.housesofsouthcharlotte.com/">Charlotte real estate</a>.2011-01-06T14:37:00-07:002019-09-26T12:24:11-07:00Missy Bankstag:housesofsouthcharlotte.com,2012-09-20:5851New Shaw Power Group Employees – Welcome to CharlotteCharlotte has done it again!
At the Charlotte Chamber’s Annual Meeting last night, Shaw Power Group CEO, Clarence Ray, announced a major increase in the company’s presence right here in Charlotte.
Starting immediately, Shaw will begin hiring 225 new employees, primarily for engineering jobs, with the average salary beginning at $95,000. This move is directly related to the parent company’s strategic partnership with Toshiba, which was announced yesterday.
Shaw will be the exclusive engineering, procurement and construction contractor worldwide — outside of Japan and Vietnam — for Toshiba’s Advanced Boiling Water Reactor.
Given the current unemployment level of 9.8% in the area, this news is most welcome! It’s not just a welcome boost to our economy, but also an important step toward Charlotte's goal of becoming an energy hub.
According to Mr. Ray, Shaw is “very excited about the opportunity to increase the size of our staff here in what has become our nation’s New Energy Capital.”
Well, needless to say, we here at Agent Becky are excited!! We welcome the opportunity to work with any and all newcomers <a href="https://www.housesofsouthcharlotte.com/" title="Relpcating to Charlotte">relocating to Charlotte</a> from around the country.
So, come on down (or up) to Charlotte! We will certainly find you a Charlotte home that suits you and your family's needs perfectly! It's also important to point out that we work with all relocation companies nationwide!!
You're gonna LOVE Charlotte!2010-12-01T13:05:00-07:002019-10-16T06:05:18-07:00Missy Bankstag:housesofsouthcharlotte.com,2012-09-20:5830To Price Your Charlotte Home – You Must Know This<img height="225" width="300" src="/userFiles/1510/image/BlogPhotos/price_home.jpg" alt="Pricing Your Charlotte Home" title="Pricing Your Charlotte Home" style="margin: 15px; border: black 1px solid;" />If you want to sell your Charlotte home and you’re having trouble pricing it, then keep reading! Because getting it right has never been more important. Believe me…an over-priced home during the Great Recession can cause you a lot of unnecessary pain.
Pricing a home is simple. You just need to determine its value by using data that is readily available! The hard part is getting YOU to believe the data and accept the result. To overcome this hurdle, you must understand…and master... these two pricing concepts:
One, the current Charlotte real estate market sets the value of your home. This sounds simple…but, remember this, no matter how many improvements or “love” you have invested in your home, YOU do not set its value. Moreover, no Realtor, no appraiser and no lender can set its value either, only the market can do that. But these folks can analyze the market to determine the value of your home. (Please keep in mind that the tax value is of zero significance for this purpose.)
Two, your home is a commodity. I know it’s hard to believe, but almost all homes have enough in common to compare one to another, while estimating dollar adjustments for the “major” differences. This method of utilizing comparable houses (known as “comps”) becomes more apparent in homogeneous neighborhoods, but it continues to be used as the primary basis for valuating almost all residential real estate.
That’s it in a nutshell! Internalize these concepts and then hire a professional to determine the value of your home. If you are ready to get started… <a href="https://www.housesofsouthcharlotte.com/contact/" title="Contact Becky">contact Becky</a> now for your free market analysis (CMA) of what YOUR home could be worth.2010-11-19T14:22:00-07:002019-09-26T12:25:02-07:00Missy Bankstag:housesofsouthcharlotte.com,2012-09-20:5812Real Estate Market Aftershocks - ((Property Revaluation))<img height="246" width="247" src="/userFiles/1510/image/BlogPhotos/prop_tax.jpg" alt="property tax" title="Charlotte-Mecklenburg property tax" style="margin: 15px; float: left; border: 0px;" />Do you own property in Mecklenburg County? If so, get ready for the after effects of our up & down real estate market of the past seven plus years. I’m talking <a href="https://www.housesofsouthcharlotte.com/charlotte-property-taxes-property-tax-rates/" title="charlotte-mecklenburg property taxes">Charlotte property taxes</a>!
And if you plan to buy a home soon, you had better do your due diligence. We have not had a property revaluation since 2003 and, by N.C. General Statute 104-286, we must have one every eight years or less.
It’s no secret that the Charlotte real estate market has been on a roller coaster ride the past few years. And the last revaluation in 2003 was pretty early in the ride! Consider that the average sales price of homes in our MLS did not peak until June 2007 at $248,048… four years of growth after the last revaluation. Our average sale price (value) is up 12 percent from 2003.
Those four years of real estate boom caused an unprecedented rise in local market values, particularly in some of the area’s desirable, older neighborhoods, such as Myers Park, Dilworth, Eastover, Foxcroft & Cotswold. Limited supply and strong demand!
Further out from the city, the supply of new communities and new homes kept up with the demand.
Average sales prices seem to have bottomed out in September 2009 at $196,760 and have increased slightly since then. But getting to that bottom has caused a lot of pain. The Great Recession did not spare Charlotte. With unemployment over 10% for a while, we have had our share of foreclosures, bankruptcies and other misfortunes.
So here we are... facing the 2011 property revaluation with significantly higher property values and tax bills on the horizon. Look for lots of wailing and gnashing of teeth. County leaders are already gearing up for 40,000 appeals next spring.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg is not alone in bracing for rough sailing over property taxes. Union County has moved its revaluation from 2016 to 2012 in an attempt to make taxes more equitable. Commissioner Lanny Openshaw said, “I don’t think it’s fair to lock people in for eight years at a bubble price”.
You have been forewarned! If you a home buyer, verify the status of the property tax value before you buy. If you are a homeowner, do your homework and be prepared.
It's going to be interesting...
Bill2010-11-09T10:35:00-07:002020-10-27T00:47:28-07:00Missy Banks