Mint Hill NC Relocation—Oxfordshire Community

Mint Hill NC Real Estate and Relocation—Oxfordshire Community

Desirable Oxfordshire Community

www.5617Sugarcane.com

Looking for a great home with lots of room and yet close to everything? Well, look no further.

This is one of Mint Hill’s finest communities.

• Mint Hill NC Location
• Oxfordshire Community
• All Brick
• 4 bedroom (one on 1st floor)
• 3 Full Baths (one on 1st floor)

• Large lot
• Peaceful cul de sac

• Formal sitting room or gathering room
• Large deck that over looks wooded yard
• Listen to the birds while relaxing in your own hot tub

Call Rich Ferretti, your Mint Hill NC relocation professional.

www.RichFerretti.com or Rich@RichFerretti.com

704-564-0807

Mint Hill NC – Oxfordshire Community

Mint Hill NC—Oxfordshire Community

STOP THE CAR----DID YOU SEE THIS HOME?

www.9824Hofstra.com

• Oxfordshire Community
• 4 Bedrooms
• 2 1/2 Baths
• 3/4 acre
• Large 2 car garage with special shelf brackets

A TRUE GREAT ROOM

Could you ask for a better layout?????

Call Rich Ferretti 704 564 0807

www.RichFerretti.com or Rich@RichFerretti.com

Mint Hill NC relocation and real estate-

That’s all you have to remember

Charlotte NC Townhome---$78,000

Charlotte NC Townhome

• Priced at $78,000
• Close to shopping and restaurants
• Walk to light rail
• Off Park Road
• Close to I485
• Great investment

View Full Album

Call Rich Ferretti for a personal tour of this “move in ready” CharlotteTownhome today.

Rich Ferretti is your Charlotte NC Real Estate professional with over 20 years experience.

www.RichFerretti.com

Rich@RichFerretti.cm

704.564.0807

Mint Hill NC Real Estate===It’s all about you.

Tips to Personalize Your Space

By Paige Tepping
RISMEDIA, June 4, 2010--Buying and moving into a new home can be a stressful process, but for many homeowners, the fun is just starting. A new home in a new location offers the perfect opportunity for homeowners to reclaim their space and personalize it by using objects, furniture and themes that are important or meaningful. Here, the experts at Ryland Homes offer tips to help you find your inner decorator and personalize your home so that it suites you for years to come.

Be true to you. Your home tells a story about you, so fill it with objects that you enjoy. Decorate for you – not for others.
Tread cautiously with trends. Trends are great, but not always practical for your lifestyle or your pocketbook. Ask yourself if the design you implement today is the one you’ll want to look at years from now.

Think of others. When planning your space, imagine it with people in the room. Often, homeowners try to decorate their homes like pictures they see in a magazine. But those are for photo shoots – not for real life. Instead, focus on what’s comfortable and functional for you, your family and your guests.

Focus. Find an inspiration around which to focus your design, whether it be a piece of furniture, art or a meaningful antique. By planning your design around your most prized items, you can maintain focus and stay true to your style.

Wow ‘em with white. Nothing brightens a room like a touch of white. By simply adding a white throw pillow or towel to a room, you can make it feel cleaner, brighter and more luxurious.

Think in 3-D. Don’t forget that every room has three surfaces to consider: the walls, floor and ceiling. Each helps establish the mood.

Cast the best light. Even the best design can look shabby in poor lighting. Choose good lighting to maximize your surroundings.

Look ahead. Kitchen and bathroom upgrades tend to offer the most return on investment when it comes time to sell your home, so don’t overlook upgrades like tile and cabinetry.

Thanks Paige, everyone can learn something from your article.

Rich Ferretti, Mint Hill Real Estate Professional.

www.MIntHillRealty.com

Why you still need a Realtor

1. Better Access/More Convenience
A real estate agent's full-time job is to act as a liaison between buyers and sellers. This means that he or she will have easy access to all other properties listed by other agents. Both the buyer's and seller's agent work full time as real estate agents and they know what needs to be done to get a deal together. For example, if you are looking to buy a home, a real estate agent will track down homes that meet your criteria, get in touch with sellers' agents and make appointments for you to view the homes. If you are buying on your own, you will have to play this telephone tag yourself. This may be especially difficult if you're shopping for homes that are for sale by owner.
Similarly, if you are looking to sell your home yourself, you will have to solicit calls from interested parties, answer questions and make appointments. Keep in mind that potential buyers are likely to move on if you tend to be busy or don't respond quickly enough. Alternatively, you may find yourself making an appointment and rushing home, only to find that no one shows up.

2. Negotiating Is Tricky Business
Many people don't like the idea of doing a real estate deal through an agent and feel that direct negotiation between buyers and sellers is more transparent and allows the parties to better look after their own best interests. This is probably true – assuming that both the buyer and seller in a given transaction are reasonable people who are able to get along. Unfortunately, this isn't always an easy relationship.
What if you, as a buyer, like a home but despise its wood-paneled walls, shag carpet and lurid orange kitchen? If you are working with an agent, you can express your contempt for the current owner's decorating skills and rant about how much it'll cost you to upgrade the home without insulting the owner. For all you know, the owner's late mother may have lovingly chosen the décor. Your real estate agent can convey your concerns to the sellers' agent. Acting as a messenger, the agent may be in a better position to negotiate a discount without ruffling the homeowner's feathers.
A real estate agent can also play the “bad guy” in a transaction, preventing the bad blood between a buyer and seller that can kill a deal. Keep in mind that a seller can reject a potential buyer's offer for any reason – including just because they hate his or her guts. An agent can help by speaking for you in tough transactions and smoothing things over to keep them from getting too personal. This can put you in a better position to get the house you want. The same is true for the seller, who can benefit from a hard-nosed real estate agent who will represent their interests without turning off potential buyers who want to niggle about the price. (In order to benefit from hiring an agent, you need to choose a good one. Read Finding A Good Real Estate Agent for more insight.)

3. Contracts Can Be Hard To Handle
If you decide to buy or sell a home, the offer to purchase contract is there to protect you and ensure that you are able to back out of the deal if certain conditions aren't met. For example, if you plan to buy a home with a mortgage but you fail to make financing one of the conditions of the sale - and you aren't approved for the mortgage - you can lose your deposit on the home and could even be sued by the seller for failing to fulfill your end of the contract. (Keep in mind that the details of any contract may vary based on state law.)
An experienced real estate agent deals with the same contracts and conditions on a regular basis, and is familiar with which conditions should be used, when they can safely be removed and how to use the contract to protect you, whether you're buying or selling your home.

4. Real Estate Agents Can't Lie
Well, OK, actually they can. But because they are licensed professionals there are more repercussions if they do than for a private buyer or seller.  If you are working with a licensed real estate agent under an agency agreement, (ie. a conventional, full-service commission agreement in which the agent agrees to represent you), your agent will be bound by common law (in most states) to a fiduciary relationship.  In other words, the agent is bound by license law to act in their clients' best interest (not his or her own).
In addition, most realtors rely on referrals and repeat business to build the kind of clientèle base they'll need to survive in the business. This means that doing what's best for their clients should be as important to them as any individual sale.
Finally, if you do find that your agent has gotten away with lying to you, you will have more avenues for recourse, such as through your agent's broker, professional association (such as the National Association Of Realtors) or possibly even in court if you can prove that your agent has failed to uphold his fiduciary duties.
When a buyer and seller work together directly, they can (and should) seek legal counsel, but because each is expected to act in his or her best interest, there isn't much you can do if you find out later that you've been duped about multiple offers or the home's condition. And having a lawyer on retainer any time you want to talk about potentially buying or selling a house could cost far more than an agent's commissions by the time the transaction is complete. (This doesn't mean you can ditch hiring a lawyer altogether. Read Attention Home Buyers! Why You Need A Lawyer.)

5.  Not Everyone Can Save Money
Many people eschew using a real estate agent to save money, but keep in mind that it is unlikely that both the buyer and seller will reap the benefits of not having to pay commissions. For example, if you are selling your home on your own, you will price it based on the sale prices of other comparable properties in your area. Many of these properties will be sold with the help of an agent. This means that the seller gets the keep the percentage of the home's sale price that might otherwise be paid to the real estate agent.
However, buyers who are looking to purchase a home sold by owners may also believe they can save some money on the home by not having an agent involved. They might even expect it and make an offer accordingly. However, unless buyer and seller agree to split the savings, they can't both save the commission.
The Bottom Line
While there are certainly people who are qualified to sell their own homes, taking a quick look at the long list of frequently asked questions on most “for sale by owner” websites suggests the process isn't as simple as many people assume. And when you get into a difficult situation, it can really pay to have a professional on your side.

Rich Ferretti is your Charlotte and Mint Hill NC Real Estate Professional.

www.MintHillRealty.com

Home Repairs

Owning a home for the first time brings about a whole new slew of responsibilities, including home repairs. No longer will the friendly landlord provide basic home improvements, this time it is up to you. When looking for a new home to buy, it is a common to excuse certain aspects by thinking repair and remodeling is always a possibility. Before you start redesigning and gutting your home, here is a guide of common home improvement projects and the average cost.

Depending on what climate you are living in, roof repairs may be fairly infrequent. However, whether it's every five years or every twenty years, roof replacement is probably in your future. Roofs are extremely important for energy conservation and the main protection against the elements, but that doesn't mean they have to be without personality. Asphalt shingles are the least expensive, therefore are the most common. Removing old shingles can be $30-$60 per square (roofing is figured in "squares", which is 100 sq. ft.) and new asphalt shingles are $50-$150 per square. They may be cheaper, but they can come in fun colors and they are functional and durable. Next in price are metal and concrete tiles, which can range from $115 to $650, however these roofing materials can add a lot to the curb appeal of your home. Ceramic tiles are very modern, chic, and stylish and can cost $275-$500 per square and finally slate tiles are the most expensive because it takes great skill to install them. Slate tiles will cost $1000 per square, however they can also last up to fifty years.
Sooner or later, there will be a plumbing issue and unless you are or are friends are blessed as a very handy person, you will have to call a plumber. Plumbing issues are more common in older homes, but every home will eventually have issues because of basic wear and tear. Replacing a toilet, bathtub, shower or basin will range from $200 to $1500 as a base price. Replacing pipes for small homes will $2000 to $2500 and continue to rise in price the bigger the home and the more bathrooms there are. Remodeling or adding a bathroom can be pricey, but if you have the budget for it, it is also very rewarding. Remodeling an entire bathroom starts at the base price of $6000, and adding even a modest half bathroom will start out at $4000. Retiling a bathroom will cost $800-$2500.

In the summer months, it's hard to imagine living in a house without air conditioning. However, older homes may not have a central air conditioning system, which means this may be an added cost for you at purchase of the house. Adding central air conditioning onto an existing forced air system will cost $2000 to $3000. Adding a heat pump to a forced air system will cost about twice as much. Repairing or replacing any part on a central heating or air conditioning system will be the most common expense and will cost $1200 to $2000.

These are the most common repairs on a home, and when looking for a house to buy it is important to keep the cost of these repairs in mind. Ask questions about the plumbing and the roof. If the house is perfect except for the bathroom, maybe work your budget around to ensure you will be able to remodel. If the house hasn't had a roof replacement for 25 years, perhaps you need to forgo another project. Remember, asking questions is key and budgeting for repairs, especially unexpected repairs, will allow you peace of mind in the future.


Are you considering a move? Would you like more information about the Mint Hill, Matthews and Charlotte area real estate market? Check out http://www.minthillrealty.com/

Why Now Is A Good Time To Buy A Home

Many may think that now is definitely not the time to purchase a house because times are tough, right? Wrong. As home values begin to diminish and interest rates linger at extremely low levels, for first-time home buyers it just may be the perfect time to start looking for that perfect house. Obviously if you have a secure job, it will be way easier to take those steps in order to put a down payment on a house, and eventually purchase something you can call your own.
Purchasing a home is a huge investment, especially for first-time home buyers. First, a buyer needs to determine how much money they can actually spend on a house. It is important to understand your funds and determine how much you can realistically afford. It is also important to study the market, and make sure that the potential house is something that you could see yourself living in. Purchase for the "big picture" of things, and make sure that you're in it for the long haul. It may be more profitable to purchase something that you can see yourself living in for a long time. Plan ahead, and make sure the neighborhood is up to your standards, focus on schools in the area (if you plan on having children), and also look for things that could possibly bring the value of the neighborhood down.

Sellers in this type of economy are more than likely willing (and prepared) to negotiate on housing prices. Make sure are able to make a bargain on the house, and still have some money left over in order to decorate. Also, because of the economy, houses are staying on the market a lot longer than they used to, which means that you will have more choices to pick from. Because there is a wide variety to pick from, you have a better chance to choose a home that fits all of your needs.

In this type of economy, the buyer has the power to name their price, which means more savings! Home buying variables could change 6 months from now, so why hesitate on purchasing? Those who are interested in making "safe" decisions and continue to rent are delaying their opportunity to build domestic wealth. You can also anticipate an increase in rent because of the tight times, so if you wait around for the right deal to come along, you might actually be missing out. The real risk is to wait to buy a home in this economy. Interest rates are at an all time low, and prices are starting to level off, so it's time to decide if you're ready to make a bargain!


Want more information about the Mint Hill, Matthews and Charlotte area real estate market? Check out http://www.minthillrealty.com/