Do you have a business Plan.

 
Real estate is a highly competitive field. To become a top-producing agent you need to treat your real estate
practice like a business. In fact, the most successful agents run their business as if they are the CEO, and
they create a yearly business plan as a road map for their success.
Agent CEOs use their business plan to help them prioritize their business tasks and automate much of the
“busy work” required to keep their business going. This allows them to focus on what they most enjoy—
working with clients, which allows them to dramatically increase their productivity and earning potential.
Agents who plan out their year in advance, and then use Market Leader as their basic business system
have the ability to consistently stay in touch and build relationships with literally thousands of prospects
“automagically.” That means they can stay on track and maintain a steady stream of business regardless of
market conditions.
Because as surely as the real estate market has changed, the consumers have changed as well. Nearly 80%
of consumers today are searching for real estate information on the Internet, according to NAR. Yet the vast
majority of agents continue to spend their advertising dollars on traditional channels, such as newspapers and
real estate magazines. Many agents continue to do things the way they have always done them. Unfortunately,
they are still getting the same results they have always gotten. Today’s and tomorrow’s top agents are
marketing and prospecting almost exclusively online. They are spending their ad dollars where the prospects
are looking.

Charlotte-area home sales fall 31%

The number of houses sold in the Charlotte area fell 30.6 percent last month, and the average closing price declined nearly 1 percent, according to the Charlotte Regional Realtor Association.

The number of closings dropped to 1,848 last month from 2,662 in October 2007.

The average sales price dipped to $216,777 from $217,504 a year earlier.

The average number of days on the market was 134.

The statistics cover homes in Mecklenburg, Union, Iredell, Lincoln, Cabarrus, Gaston and Stanly counties.

 

Info from CRRA

Curb Appeal and Marketing your Home

If you are like so many home-sellers right now, your house has been on sale a couple months, and you are starting to wonder if it is ever going to sell.

The current economy has produced a flood of homes on the market, lowered prices and not enough buyers able to make the purchase. These factors are meaning houses are on the market longer and selling for less than the original asking price—and sometimes dramatically under the home-value!

Fortunately there are things you can do to keep your asking price up and to draw in more buyers. With just a few updates, you can completely change the curb appeal of your house.

First, take a look at the property from across the street and write down all the things that look like they could detract from seeing the overall greatness of the house. Are there things that could be cleaned up, such as extra lawn ornaments, children’s toys, or even several cars in the driveway? Is the front walkway clean, in good repair and inviting? Is there a burst of color that attracts the eye to the front door like a contrasting paint color or flower box? Are leaves raked up and trees and shrubs neatly trimmed?

 Read the Full Story

Charlotte North Carolina and Curb Appeal

Curb appeal is what will make a potential buyer want to stop and walk into your house. Doing small touch-ups and cleaning up the outside of your property will make a huge difference in bring in the buyers. Here are the top twelve things you can do to increase your curb appeal and sell that house quick!

1) Store any extra garden implements, lawn ornaments and tools away. Less is more.

Full Story

Making Curb Appeal #1 Priority

Potential home buyers make a lot of judgments about a house before they even step inside. Curb appeal – or the view they see as they drive buy or up to the house, will determine if the buyer feels welcomed, and if they feel the house is worth further consideration.

So many houses are taken off a list before anyone even gets a chance to step inside!

Sometimes it is difficult to look at our own homes the way a potential buyer would. It is natural to become accustomed to the way things look and work, and we lose our ability to see the faults or areas of improvement. Read Article.

New Active Rain Post: Today's Housing Market

Hello Folks -

Today's market isn't all doom and gloom... Charlotte is still a strong city economically and I believe we will come out of this faster and better than many - Read more about my take on the real estate market on my active rain blog.

http://activerain.com/blogsview/786177/Taking-the-Good-with-the-Bad-Todays-Real-Estate-Outlook

Want more information about the Charlotte area real estate market? Check out www.richferretti.com

9 Steps to Home Ownership

The 9 Steps to Home Ownership

Step - 1 Make the Decision to Buy

It seems obvious, but it's good to note that the first step to buying a house is making the decision to buy. Consider the reasons you want a new house and write them down. Determine how long you want to live in the new house - does buying still make good financial sense? Can you afford a house that will meet your list of requirements? A good rule of thumb is your mortgage payment should not exceed 1/3 of your net monthly income.

Step 2 - Seek Professional Guidance

I'd like to schedule a time to meet with you to hear the reasons you want to buy a house and your plans for the future. We'll talk about neighborhoods, schools, economic factors liable to affect the market today and tomorrow, as well as how you would like your house and neighborhood to grow with you.

At this time, I will also help you get pre-qualified for a mortgage loan. Pre-qualification is a written statement from a loan officer indicating his or her opinion that you will be approved for a mortgage loan up to a certain amount. The fact that you are pre-qualified will help us when we are negotiating the deal.

Step 3 - Begin the Hunt

After our initial meeting, I'll search all my resources for houses on the market that fit your criteria. I'll preview these houses to eliminate the duds. Then, I'll schedule appointments to tour the houses at times convenient to you.

As we tour houses, I'll point out positive features and negative features. I'll ask you to tell me what you like and what you don't like. You'll probably amend your "wish list" as we tour houses, some things will become more important and others less important. With this new information, I'll refine our search criteria to narrow in on the house of your dreams.

Step 4 - Know the Market

My knowledge of the local market is an essential factor in the house search. I'll let you know when the market in a particular neighborhood is "hot" and requires immediate action or when the market is "cool" and allows for thoughtful consideration.

As we tour houses, I'll let you know when the asking price has negotiating room and when the house is "priced to sell". My unique market knowledge will keep you a step ahead of the "house hunting competition".

In a "seller's market". It is not unusual to see multiple offers on a property, full-price offers and even above-price offers. On the flip side, during a "buyer's market" there are more houses for sale than buyers. This gives us more negotiating room as houses are taking longer to sell.

Step 5 - Find Your Dream House

I'm confident we'll find your dream house. When we do, I'll put together the purchase offer tailored for your needs including appropriate contingencies (such as obtaining financing, favorable home inspection, clear title, etc.).

The offer is normally presented with "earnest money". This is a cash deposit made to a home seller to secure an offer to buy the property. The amount is applied to closing costs. If the seller accepts the offer, generally closing is held 30 to 60 days from the offer date (generally dependent on the turn around time of your mortgage financing).

Step 6 - Negotiate the Deal

It is not uncommon to receive a counter offer when the initial purchase offer is submitted. Don't let this discourage you. We will discuss the counter offer and decide whether or not to accept the counter offer, submit our own counter offer, or reject the counter offer and move on.

Market conditions will play a role in how aggressively we negotiate the deal. We will also work within your limits. Emotions can lead to buyer's remorse. It is better to set limits prior to negotiating an offer and stick to these limits.

Step 7 - Get a Loan

During the closing period, you will be working with your mortgage lender to close the loan. Since you pre-qualified for the loan before starting your home search, you will be that much closer to the end. I'll gather the necessary property information your lender will need to close the loan.

Step 8 - Close the Deal

You will receive a "Good Faith Estimate" of closing costs at the time the loan application is submitted to the lender. The estimate is based on the loan officer's past experience and may not include all the closing costs. I will be glad to review the "Good Faith Estimate," answering questions and highlighting missing costs and estimates I believe to be low.

Step 9 - Move In

Congratulations! It's time to move into your new house and make it your home. Enjoy this exciting time. I'll give you a checklist to help you remember the numerous details that will make your moving day a pleasure.