Real Estate

Cook’s Kitchen and Basement Hangout Seeking New Owners

Posted on June 3, 2016 by admin

Do you like to cook but are frustrated by the small kitchens and electric ranges? Are you seeking a basement entertainment area that includes a bar? Want a neighborhood with a golf and tennis option? Look no farther, your house is ready and waiting! This lovely traditional home is located at 10317 Whitethorn Drive, in the Raintree neighborhood, which offers golf and tennis memberships in a great facility. The membership fee is waived for homeowners but there are monthly fees. Check out this link for more information on the club.
So many homes in this price range have small kitchens with inexpensive electric ranges. Not this house. The current owners love to cook and have the kitchen to prove it. After enjoying a wonderful meal, often eaten on the screened porch overlooking the wooded, private backyard, it’s time to welcome the neighbors over to hang out in the basement and jam with the band. Music not your thing? That’s OK, this basement offers many possibilities. The master bath has been redone, and the master bedroom is huge, with a large seating area, or space that could very easily be re-purposed into an enormous master closet by adding a wall. Not that the existing master bedroom closet is small, but you can never have too much closet space!

Sitting area or new closet, you decide!

10317 Whitethorn Dr Charlotte-large-018-12-Whitethorn Dr3-1334x1000-72dpi

If you are a buyer looking for a great value in South Charlotte, you must check it out. This home has it all! More information is on our Listings page. Contact us if you’d like to see it or want information on the Charlotte real estate market.

Real Estate

A Very Happy Monday

Posted on May 12, 2016 by admin

Not everyone wants to spend part of a Monday in an attorney’s office, but in the real estate world it’s a great day! This week started off with the closing of one of our listings, a wonderful young couple off to pursue their dreams at the beach. I had helped them find their home in Charlotte less than two years ago, and while they loved their house and neighborhood, a business opportunity at the beach was too enticing to pass up. It would normally be very difficult to sell your home after less than two years to cover the cost of selling, but this couple covered their costs and more. How did they manage that? A lot of sweat equity and some smart renovations.
Their house had great bones when they bought it, but needed some updating. Vintage 80’s wallpaper covered the walls in many of the rooms. Removing the wallpaper, scraping the popcorn ceilings, and painting took lots of time and elbow grease, but just look at the result. The master bathroom was original 80’s as well, and the new owners wisely decided a renovation was in order. Just look at the result. Doing the updating, making a smart bathroom renovation without over-improving, were exactly what this couple needed to do to put themselves in a great position to sell their home in a very short amount of time for a great price. They were also smart enough to hire us to list it, knowing that we use a professional photographer for every listing, offer staging advice, and use multiple methods to market their home. They were under contract in one day with multiple offers. If you are thinking of selling your home contact us to discuss how to get the maximum possible price for your home.

Real Estate

Bathroom Humor: Thrones Edition

Posted on April 21, 2016 by admin

It’s no secret that the two most critical rooms in a house when trying to sell it are the kitchen and the master bathroom. Buyers will overlook many flaws in a house if it has an updated, functional kitchen and a spacious master bath. We are currently working with a seller on prepping their home for the market and while looking for ideas for the master bath I came across the following from Houzz. Disclaimer: I am a huge Game of Thrones fan and this post is for my fellow fans.

‘Game of Thrones’: The Home Edition

Real Estate

Sometimes It Just Feels Like Home

Posted on April 11, 2016 by admin

One of the really fun aspects of being a real estate agent is getting to tour so many different homes. Opening the front door to a home is a bit like unwrapping a package, sometimes you have an idea of what is inside, and at other times it is a complete surprise. Online photos can give prospective buyers and their agents a preview of the interior, but photos don’t tell the whole story. You really can’t get a feel for a home until you go inside. Most agents will tell you that homes give off a certain vibe. Many houses feel welcoming the minute you walk in the front door. Others seem a bit stiff, with not a lot of happy memories, some seem sad and neglected, and a few are downright scary. Maybe it’s the decor, perhaps it’s the staging, but there is definitely something intangible that creates those feelings when you walk into a home for the first time. I can usually tell when my buyer clients have found the right home even before they decide to make an offer. They walk in the front door and it feels like home. When you find that special house, the one that makes you happy and feels right, make the offer.

Photo courtesy of Cal Mitchner

Real Estate

Qualities of a Great Real Estate Agent for Listing Your Home

Posted on March 22, 2016 by admin

The real estate market in Charlotte is extremely hot right now. The median Days on Market for the areas in which we work, the Ballantyne and Arboreteum areas, is 16 days. So why do some homes sit on the market, while their competition is consumed by a feeding frenzy of competing buyers? It all starts with hiring the right real estate agent to list your home.

Choose carefully in selecting a real estate agent to sell your home.

What is the best strategy in finding a great listing agent? It’s not necessarily the one with the most listings. A great real estate agent should have their listings under contract somewhere around the median for the price range and location. Ask to see some of the agents listing photos. Do they use a professional photographer on all their listings?

A great photographer is a real estate agents best friend. We use Cal Mitchner of Charlotte Virtual Home Tours

Does the real estate agent know the area? Have they toured the competition? Will they be able to assist you in setting a price that will get you maximum exposure to buyers and reasonable offers? A smart real estate agent does all these things. But the number one quality in a real estate agent is one that will be honest with you about your home and its potential on the market.

Many sellers love their home. It may be their first home that they put a lot of sweat equity into, or where they raised their kids, or where they spent the last days with a departed partner or spouse. While this is generally very emotional for the seller, a potential buyer attaches no sentimental value to your home. Buyers willing to pay top dollar are looking for an updated, move-in ready home. You need a real estate agent who will be honest with you about your home’s potential and what needs to be done to prepare your home for the market. If a real estate agent is only telling you what you want to hear then they are probably not being as honest with you as is necessary to get your home sold for top dollar. Interview agents until you find the one that is honest and willing to put themselves out there for you. We hope that agent is us.

Real Estate

A Little Slice of Heaven in South Charlotte: 6319 Willow Run Drive

Posted on March 18, 2016 by admin

You wake up to the sound of birds chirping. The sun is just coming over the horizon. It’s a beautiful spring morning. You throw on your sweats, head out down the street and take your morning walk on the scenic Four Mile Creek Greenway. Afterwards you sit outside with your morning coffee on your screened porch overlooking your wooded back yard. Of course the screened porch and large deck aren’t the only things you love about your home, you pretty much love everything about it. The cozy den and kitchen with stainless steel apliances… The bright and cheerful living and dining rooms perfect for entertaining… At the end of the day you head up to your large master bedroom with updated bath. Want the details? Listed at $295,000 this home is approximately 2057 heated square feet, with 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths. The fourth bedroom makes a great bonus room as well. Don’t let this one slip away! Contact us today to schedule a showing.

Real Estate

Stop Renting! Now is the Time to Buy a House

Posted on February 25, 2016 by admin

A quick drive around town will confirm the fact that the Charlotte metro area is one of America’s 20 fastest growing cities. These days it seems as if every vacant piece of land is being developed. With all the new apartments are being built in Charlotte you would think that it would be easy to find a nice home or apartment to rent at a reasonable price. However that is not the case. Rents are high and getting higher, with a 5.7% increase over January of 2015 according to Zillow. Many property managers report that they are receiving multiple applications as soon as properties are put on the market. Most apartment complexes are using market based pricing, where the monthly rent quoted is only good for 24-48 hours. My son is paying way more rent for his small two bedroom apartment in South End then I am paying for my mortgage on a large four bedroom house. I work with many first-time home buyers and they always are amazed at how much less they will pay monthly on their mortgage compared to what they were paying for rent. Why make your landlord rich when you can build equity in your own home? Interest rates are low and there are many programs available for first time home buyers that do not require the traditional 20% down-payment. There are many great rent vs buy calculators on the web, and a good mortgage planner in conjunction with a good Realtor® can help you achieve the American dream of home ownership. Don’t be afraid the reach out for advice. I generally spend 6 months to a year working with my first time buyers, working with a lender to make sure they are on a solid footing financially and helping them find the right home. Have a question? Contact us for more information.

Real Estate

Inventory Down, Prices Up: It’s Not That Simple

Posted on February 15, 2016 by admin

Homes sales in January fell by 10.6% in the Charlotte metropolitan area over January 2015 according to the Charlotte Area Realtors Association. The main reason for the drop is the lack of inventory. Inventory of available homes in Mecklenburg county is at a 1.9 month supply, compared to a 3 month supply in January 2015. A stable market is considered to be a 6 month supply, anything below that is considered to be a seller’s market. The median sales price increase of 7.8% over last year support this fact.

But what does mean for the average home seller? Will buyers come beating down the doors once the home is on the market? Some home sellers seem to think so, and are pricing their homes high with little preparation or upgrades. These homes are generally sitting on the market. While inventory may be low, many buyers are willing to wait for the right house at the right price.

From our Sold listing in Ardrey. Photo courtesy of Cal Mitchner.

Homes in high demand areas that are properly prepped for sale are going under contract very quickly, sometimes with multiple offers. What do we mean by properly prepped? Clean, neutral paint, free of clutter, including rooms with too much furniture, and updating light fixtures. These are things that won’t break the bank but make your home attractive to buyers.

Real Estate

Our Tuesday Preview : Vintage Creek in Weddington

Posted on February 3, 2016 by admin

Kristin and I schedule one day per week to preview properties, both resale homes and new construction. Yesterday we checked out Vintage Creek, a new home community built by Standard Pacific Homes in the town of Weddington, North Carolina. Weddington is a nice little community just south of Charlotte. They have two model homes open and both are quite spectacular.

Kitchen in Vintage Creek Model

Their home designer has done a wonderful job, both models are chock full of great ideas! Two very different kitchens, one dark, one white, both spectacular. My iPhone photos aren’t the best, but you get the idea.

The white kitchen in the Vintage Creek model home

There are so many unique features in the model homes that it’s worth checking out, whether you are thinking of moving, or just want some inspiration for updates in your own home. Just remember, while the onsite agents in the model are very friendly and helpful, they are agents of the seller and working in the seller’s best interest. We highly suggest that you utilize the services of a Realtor® as your buyer’s agent whether you are purchasing a new home or an existing home. (If you don’t already have an agent we’d love to help!)

The tough part of doing all the previews is that Kristin and I want that same look for our own homes, but we love our neighborhoods and don’t want to move. What’s the next best thing? Remodeling your current home! I found a great link on Houzz about remodeling the bathroom, check it out!

Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel Your Bathroom

Real Estate

Falling in Love All Over Again

Posted on July 15, 2013 by admin

We love seeing the excitement of our buyers as they plan how they are going to live in their new home. Maybe they are putting in new flooring, painting, getting new furniture- it’s a fun process. Many of us remember that feeling of excitement, then life intrudes and before we know it we have too much clutter, too much furniture, perhaps the kids have left the nest, or elderly parents are moving in. Take some time to evaluate your house and what you’d like to change. Renew that romance with your home. Vanessa Brunner of Houzz has written a great blog on the subject. And if you haven’t heard of Houzz, you should check it out- it’s a great website with lots of helpful information and wonderful ideas. Enjoy!

10 Ways to Love Your Home More

Kitchen ideas, bathroom ideas, and more ∨

Ideas for your living spaces, lights and landscape design.
Find drapes and plantation shutters for french doors, or kitchen curtains and drapery rods for your kitchen windows.

Sell with Lisa

The Right Agent Makes All The Difference

Category Archives: Real Estate

Cook’s Kitchen and Basement Hangout Seeking New Owners

A Very Happy Monday

Bathroom Humor: Thrones Edition

Sometimes It Just Feels Like Home

Qualities of a Great Real Estate Agent for Listing Your Home

A Little Slice of Heaven in South Charlotte: 6319 Willow Run Drive

Stop Renting! Now is the Time to Buy a House

Inventory Down, Prices Up: It’s Not That Simple

Our Tuesday Preview : Vintage Creek in Weddington

Falling in Love All Over Again