Charlotte Daily Short: Nationwide Foreclosures Down, Sales of More Expensive Properties Up Per National Association of Realtors®

NAR comparison of home sales in
Jan 2015 vs Jan 2016 (via KCM Blog)

According to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), January home sales have increased year-over-year in the four highest price categories, beginning at $250,000 and higher.

Sales prices in the typical starter-home price-range ($100,000--$250,000) have dipped slightly nationally while the biggest drop in home sales is in properties priced under $100,000.

Per Keeping Current Matters:

Some Highlights: 

• Home Sales are up year-over-year in the top 4 price ranges and only slightly below last year's numbers in a fifth.
• A lack of distressed property inventory has led to a slow down in sales in the under $100K price range.
• As home prices continue to rise, there will be less homes available for sale in the lower ranges.

Here's a look at home sale trends by price in the Charlotte area in the past five years:

As foreclosures have decreased, home sales under $100,000 are at their lowest point since before January 2011.

Charlotte Home Sales >$100,000

Charlotte's sweet spot is in the $100,000 -- $250,000 range with steady growth and the highest number of sales per month. Notice the time of year when most properties are closing.

Charlotte Home Sales ($100,000-$250,000)

As new construction increases and as values continue to rise, the $250,000 and up price range has seen a surge in the past five years and I expect this upward trend to continue.

Charlotte Home Sales ($250,000+)

And just because you wanted to know how Charlotte's $1 Million-Plus market is performing, it, too, is on the rise, peaking the previous two summers.

Charlotte Home Sales ($1 Million+)

About the Author:

Jimmy Grappone is a Realtor® living in the Charlotte area for nearly a decade. 

His hobbies include fishing, playing golf, watching football, and exploring the Carolinas.

Jimmy is a licensed Realtor® with Allen Tate Company in North Carolina and South Carolina. 

He is passionate about helping his clients find their way home!

Contact the Author:

Facebook.com/JimmyGrapponeRealtor

Twitter & IG: @jimmygrappone

Online: www.jimmygrappone.com & www.itsjimmyon.com

Email:  Jimmy.Grappone@AllenTate.com

Phone:  980-298-9385

Fifteen Simple Steps to Buying a Home in North Carolina, Part Three

Everyone thinks purchasing a new home is complicated and the truth is...they are right.

In addition to managing your own work, family, and social responsibilities, you have to navigate a myriad of steps and tasks required to purchase a home.

That's why so many people rank buying and/or selling a home as among the most stressful times in their lives.

The following list is not exhaustive. For some buyers, there may be many more steps involved. For others, i.e., a cash buyer, the process can be much simpler.

This is a high-level overview, but should give you a good idea about what's involved in purchasing a new home.

And remember...you, too, can buy a home in just fifteen simple steps!

Just don't forget your Realtor®!

Fifteen Simple Steps To Buying a Home in North Carolina, Part Three

Closing The Deal

11.  After the due diligence period and negotiations have concluded, schedule utilities to transfer to your name on the day of closing. You should also hire and schedule movers if you are going to use them.
12. Conduct a final walk-through of the property prior to closing to confirm repairs are completed and that no new or unexpected repairs are necessary. Negotiate further if new repairs are required or if the sellers didn't hold up their end of the deal.
13. Transfer moneys required for the transaction to the closing attorney who will then divert funds to the proper lenders, lien holders, and the sellers. 14. Attend closing at the attorney's office and sign the litany of documents required to purchase your new home. This may also be the first time you get to meet the sellers face-to-face. In my experience, both parties attend closing about 3/4 of the time.
15. Your attorney records the deed, you get your keys and move into your new house!

This concludes the three-part series, "Fifteen Simple Steps to Buying a Home in North Carolina."

Please contact me directly if you or someone you know would like to know more about buying and selling real estate in the Carolinas.

About the Author:
Jimmy Grappone is a Realtor® living in the Charlotte area for nearly a decade. His hobbies include fishing, playing golf, watching football, and writing articles about things that interest him. Jimmy is a licensed Realtor® with Allen Tate Company in North Carolina and South Carolina. He is passionate about helping his clients find shelter and having a good time along the way!

Contact the Author:
Social Media: @jimmygrappone
Online: www.jimmygrappone.com & www.itsjimmyon.blogspot.com
Email:  Jimmy.Grappone@AllenTate.com
Phone:  980-298-9385

Fifteen Simple Steps To Buying a Home in North Carolina, Part One

Everyone thinks purchasing a new home is complicated and the truth is...they are right.

In addition to managing your own work, family, and social responsibilities, you have to navigate a myriad of steps and tasks required to purchase a home.

That's why so many people rank buying and/or selling a home as among the most stressful times in their lives.

The following list is not exhaustive. For some buyers, there may be many more steps involved. For others, i.e., a cash buyer, the process can be much simpler.

This is a high-level overview, but should give you a good idea about what's involved in purchasing a new home.

And remember...you, too, can buy a home in just fifteen simple steps!

Just don't forget your Realtor®!

Fifteen Simple Steps To Buying a Home in North Carolina Getting Started & Finding Your Home

1. Get pre-qualified or, even better, pre-approved for a home mortgage loan by a mortgage loan professional.
2. Determine your monthly budget. A mortgage professional can help you figure out exactly what your highest and most comfortable monthly payments will be and how that translates into purchase price.
3. Hire a Realtor®. You will need to review and sign a few papers up front, but they are mostly for your protection. Examples of the forms you'll review and sign in North Carolina are: Working with Agents, RESPA, and Exclusive Buyer Agency. You will also be asked to confirm receipt of a sample Offer to Purchase & Contract, a Q&A on Home Inspections, and a sample Professional Services Disclosure. Come to think of it, you might just want to talk to a Realtor® first. In the majority of transactions, the seller will pay 100% of your agent's commission, so hiring a Realtor® shouldn't cost the buyer any money.
4. Determine where you want to live. What general area and which specific neighborhoods do you like? Do you want or need to be in a specific school district? If you are relocating, you may not know much about the area, but your Realtor® can help you with this. You will also need to decide what size and style of home you want to buy, which specific features you can not live without, where to look if restricted by loan type (i.e. USDA), whether or not you want to live in a neighborhood with a Home Owner's Association (HOA), etc.
5. Review homes and neighborhoods online with your agent. Narrow down your list of prospective homes and schedule a tour with your Realtor®.

This concludes Part I of Fifteen Simple Steps To Buying a Home in North Carolina!

Stay tuned for Steps 6 - 10 in Fifteen Steps, Part Two!

Please contact me directly if you or someone you know would like to know more about buying and selling real estate in the Carolinas.

About the Author:
Jimmy Grappone is a Realtor® living in the Charlotte area for nearly a decade. His hobbies include fishing, playing golf, watching football, and writing articles about things that interest him. Jimmy is a licensed Realtor® with Allen Tate Company in North Carolina and South Carolina. He is passionate about helping his clients find shelter and having a good time along the way!

Contact the Author:
Social Media: @jimmygrappone
Online: www.jimmygrappone.com & www.itsjimmyon.blogspot.com
Email:  Jimmy.Grappone@AllenTate.com
Phone:  980-298-9385

Everybody Works In Sales and Two-Year Olds Are The Best Salespeople

Salespeople get a bad rap.  Not always as individuals, but certainly as a collective group.

Just like new. If "like" means "this is" and "new" means "old." 

We've all heard the descriptions of shady characters you encounter, peddling products for profit, but seemingly unconcerned about the end user.

"He's such a used car salesman."

"She's so pushy...I hate pushy salespeople!"

Too many experiences with bad salespeople have contributed to our negative feelings about salespeople as a group.

But then you have that refreshing experience with a salesperson who takes the time to listen, to educate, and to guide you to a mutually beneficial result.

That's when a "used car salesman" becomes a "used car consultant."

Consulting vs Selling

Visit a CarMax and you will enjoy an experience based on serving the customer's needs more than the needs of the company or the individual selling the vehicle.

When I worked in wireless sales, I rarely led my store in quantity of sales, but I often led in quality metrics because I took the time to listen to my customers, to educate them about the products and the benefits they provide, and to "right-fit" them into the products and services that best suited their needs.

Co-workers said I was slow because my average transaction lasted a bit longer than theirs, but I also spent less time fixing problems on repeat visits because I did the job right the first time. Slow and steady always won the race.

Now, being a quality salesperson does not mean never making a mistake. Believe me, I've made my share.

But it does require honesty, integrity, empathy, understanding, caring, personal branding and marketing, building relationships, industry knowledge, attention to detail, admitting when you make a mistake, being willing and able to solve problems, and asking for current and future business.

If you can master all of that, you shouldn't have any problems

Everyone is a Salesperson

Selling is teaching. And the "classroom" is now
omnipresent and louder than ever before.

In my experience, every profession involves sales in one form or another.

Doctors, lawyers, and physical therapists sell a service. Judges and politicians sell opinions and policies.

Priests sell religion and teachers sell education.

Even parents have to sell good behavior, broccoli, and bedtime to their children.

Two-Year Olds Are The Best Salespeople

Children are often the best little salespeople of all because they know how to ask for the sale and close the deal.

Toddler tears and puppy dog eyes are extremely dangerous weapons.

Today, I work as a Realtor®, marketing my clients' homes for sale, helping buyers find their dream home, and guiding my buyer and seller clients through the obstacle course that is buying or selling a home.

I am proud to be a career salesman and I consider it one of the noblest professions outside of working in health care and childhood development.

So next time you interact with a salesperson, put them in the position of working in your profession and realize we are all salespeople.

We are just peddling different products.

About the Author:
Jimmy Grappone is a salesman living in Charlotte for nearly a decade. His hobbies include fishing, playing golf, walking the dog, and writing articles about things that interest him. Jimmy sells real estate for a living with Allen Tate REALTORs in North and South Carolina and he is passionate about helping his clients find shelter and having a good time along the way. Jimmy's beautiful wife, Lauren, is a physical therapy assistant and skin care consultant with Rodan + Fields. She's the least "sales-y" person the author knows, and even she's proud to be playing the game.

Contact the Author:
Social Media: @jimmygrappone
Website: www.jimmygrappone.com
Email:  Jimmy.Grappone@AllenTate.com
Phone:  980-298-9385