For Sale: 2840 Barnard - Perfect Family Home

Who do you know that is looking for a home in this area or Matthews/ Stallings?

Make sure you check out the Virtual Tour--http://www.2840barnard.com/.

Listed at $225,000, this beautiful home has a great floor plan -- perfect for a family.

Would you like more information about the Mint Hill, Matthews and Charlotte area real estate market?
Check out www.minthillrealty.com

12809 Hidden Hills, Mint Hill, NC: OPEN HOUSE

Please come to my Open House this Sunday August 9th from 1 to 4pm at 12809 Hidden Hills Lane in Mint Hill. Wine and Cheese will be served.

This is an exceptional home located in beautiful Mint Hill and has been meticulously maintained.

Trust me...once you see this home, you'll know what I mean.

See you this Sunday.

Rich

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

Buyers motivated by affordability, interest rates

We are in the most affordable housing market in 28 years. and low prices and low interest rates are attracting millions of home buyers to look for deals. However, the low prices are also causing home sellers to put off putting their homes on the market according to the new national Realtor.com® Homeownership Survey. Based on the Realtor.com survey, affordability is clearly driving more than two-thirds (65.2%) of potential buyers back into today's housing market.


Here are some other statistics:

--> 19.6% of prospective buyers say foreclosure bargains in their communities would motivate them to purchase a home.
--> An additional 15.5% said they're motivated to buy soon because they think prices are as low as they will go
--> An another 15.5% said they're motivated to buy before interest rates rise.
--> 14.6% of first time homebuyers say that the $8,000 Federal tax credit is the motivator to purchase a new home in the future.
--> 66.3% surveyed said they are not likely to consider buying a foreclosure in the future.

Are you interested in taking advantage of the current housing market?

Do you want more information about the Mint Hill, Matthews and Charlotte area real estate market?
Check out www.minthillrealty.com

Just Listed: 1134 Jade Glen Drive, Charlotte, NC

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

Real Estate Outlook: Housing Rebounding – Get IN NOW!

The big economic news for housing this week is all about sales.

Housing sales and pending sales contracts are up, dramatically in the North Carolina area, and a rebounding real estate sector could soon start stimulating the broader economy.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress last week that essentially the worst is over, the housing market is stabilizing, and we're heading out of recession in the second half of the year. Pending home sales soared by 6.7 percent in April, the third straight month of significant increases, and the highest pending sale total for any month in the past seven years.

This is all great and fantastic news for the economy, and it means that YOU need to react and get into the game.

Low prices nationwide, combined with mortgage rates at near-record lows, have pushed the National Association of Realtors' Affordability Index into record territory. In April the index hit its second highest market ever, based median household income and the monthly payments needed to buy the median cost home.

On the mortgage front, applications to purchase homes continued to rise last week -- up by 4.3 percent -- according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

But here's the sobering news: It's becoming increasingly clear that low mortgage rates are not going to be around forever. That is not a bad thing, it just means that you need to take advantage of the low rates now. Average thirty year fixed rates took their biggest jump in half a year last week on bond market jitters. The average rate for 30 year fixed topped five and a quarter percent, up from 4.8 percent the week before. And 15 year rates went to 4.8 percent from 4.4 percent.

So, if you are seriously considering getting off the sidelines - now that prices are back to pre-boom levels in some markets and sales are on the upswing, jump in sooner rather than later, if you want the lowest mortgage rates. Trust us, it is time to buy! Contact Rich Ferretti at Jamison Realty with any questions, and let’s get to house-hunting!

Rich Ferretti
Mint Hill Realty
Charlotte, NC
Want more information about the Mint Hill, Matthews and Charlotte area real estate market?
Check out www.minthillrealty.com

Why Use a Realtor?

The other day, I drove past two houses on the same street in Mint Hill that had “For Sale by Owner” signs out front.

I bet those signs will be there a very long time, especially in this market.

People who attempt to sell their own homes are usually doing so to save a Realtor’s fee. In a seller’s market, you may be successful in attempting to sell your own home. In a buyer’s market, it’s usually a recipe for failure--in in the high-demand area of Mint Hill. Without a Real Estate Agent, you won't have the ability to list your house in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), meaning you don’t have a broad reach and therefore have a much smaller pool of potential buyers to balance out the many homes on the market. Additionally, a Real Estate Agent does a lot that helps to sell a house, as quickly as possible, and at the best price.

Before you put that “For Sale by Owner” sign in your yard, consider whether you’re up to these tasks:

· Doing the research to make sure your home is priced properly
· Write, schedule and run ads in local papers and real estate publications
· Produce attractive handouts for potential buyers
· Pre-screen callers to see if they’re qualified buyers
· Run open houses
· Be available days, evenings and weekends to show your house
· Listen to critical comments about your home without being offended
· Negotiate offers and counter offers
· Know when to lower the price
· Qualify buyers
· Prepare proper disclosure paperwork
· Stay on top of the buyer’s mortgage application and approval
· Be available to coordinate inspections and appraisals
· Gather all necessary buyer’s and the seller’s legal documents

There is an art and science to selling real estate, especially during an economic downturn Shouldn't you put your home in the hands of an experienced and licensed Realtor?

Rich Ferretti
Jamison Realty
Mint Hill and Matthews

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

Charlotte's Having a Property SALE

There is a lot of talk from the radio, TV and print news about the economy. The combination of the national mortgage crisis and the price of gas have families across the country looking to cut back, get a bargain, and make a good investment.

BUT--What I am not hearing is how great a sale we are having now! And we are having a real estate SALE.

With every downturn, there is an up-side.

The upside is that we have an opportunity as consumers and investors to get a discount. And who doesn't like to get a deal? With the market struggling in so many cities, Charlotte has taken heed and put its for-sale homes on discount as well.

Charlotte's economy is relatively strong and all indicators are that we will weather this storm just fine. But we are seeing very reasonable prices, nothing over-inflated, and all very fair. If you buy here you will get a good home, at a GREAT price, and in many cases we can find you one at an astronomical deal.

Sales are cause for celebration -- so all you bargain hunters out there... have you considered an investment property in Charlotte? How about a second home in a growing area, perhaps on the lake? Can you see yourself retiring to this warm and wonderful climate?

Property continues to be a sound investment. If you are looking for some great home-SALES, I would be happy to work with you to find the right property!

Rich Ferretti
http://www.richferretti.com/

If you are looking for more information on Charlotte's growth, read my article on Active Rain.

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

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


Charlotte named best place to liveRelocate-America.com ranks top 100 cities in its annual listBy Amy Hoak, MarketWatchCHICAGO (MarketWatch) --

Apparently, there's just something about North Carolina. For the second year in a row, America's best city in which to live lies within its borders, according to Relocate-America.com's annual list.This year, Charlotte, N.C., is in the top spot, the site announced this week. Last year's winner was Asheville, N.C., which slipped to No. 7 on this year's list. "North Carolina is very active on our radar," said Steve Nickerson, president and CEO of HomeRoute. "It continues to get a flood of interest from all over." HomeRoute is the real estate firm that operates Relocate-America.com, a source of community information and real-estate resources for those who are relocating. Each year, the site ranks the top 100 places to live in the country. Areas need to be nominated on the site in order to be eligible for the list; more than 2,000 were nominated this year, Nickerson said. Special efforts are made to prevent spamming campaigns from influencing the results, he added. But the site's editorial team also takes into account an area's growth, its educational and employment opportunities, crime rates and housing options before granting it a spot in the top 100. Environmental highlights also play a role, with a city gaining points for good air and water quality or the strength of its recycling efforts, Nickerson said. Home-price appreciation does get some consideration, however it's only one piece of the analysis, Nickerson said -- explaining why some struggling real estate markets in California and Florida, for example, still made the top 100. Areas that offer a comfortable climate and economic opportunity tend to be the most sought-after communities on the site, he said. Charlotte's diversity of housing options and home affordability were two of the reasons users nominated the city, Nickerson said. The city's strong economy, boosted largely by the banking industry, was another selling point. Second on this year's list was San Antonio, Texas, which people praised for its cost of living, recreational opportunities and diversity, he said. Chattanooga, Tenn., came in third place, noted for its vibrant downtown and affordable home prices in the nominations. Below are the top 10 cities in Relocate-America.com's 2008 list:
Charlotte, N.C.
San Antonio, Texas
Chattanooga, Tenn.
Greenville, S.C.
Tulsa, Okla.
Stevens Point, Wis.
Asheville, N.C.
Albuquerque, N.M.
Huntsville, Ala.
Seattle, Wash. Read the full list at Relocate-America.com. The firm also plans on releasing a coffee table book on the top 100 in the near future, Nickerson said. Proceeds will benefit American Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity, he added. The view from the topCertainly, being ranked as the top city to live in has its benefits, mainly as a marketing tool for the area to use, said Tony Crumbley, vice president of research for the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce. An email blast sent news of this list to thousands of residents, and the chamber actively keeps track of where Charlotte falls in many of the lists that are published. "They are important," Crumbley said of the good rankings the city receives. But he also knows that these rankings come and go and that they're somewhat subjective; the city's appeal can change from one day to the next, depending on who is writing the list. There weren't any significant changes in Charlotte during the past year that would account for boosting the city to the top of this particular list, he said. But the city definitely gets recognized a lot more today than it did 25 years ago, he added. Bank of America and Wachovia have their headquarters in Charlotte, and it's also a hub for US Airways -- all of which seem to have increased the visibility of the city outside its boundaries, Crumbley said. The addition of professional sports teams since the 1980s has also helped. In recent years, Charlotte has been successful in attracting young, educated workers to relocate there, he said. Asheville, on the other hand, has become a popular choice with retirees, he added. But cities can easily make it to the top of one list and rank poorly on another, he said. Case in point: One recent Forbes.com list ranked Charlotte as one of the country's most miserable cities, a ranking, not surprisingly, that Crumbley and others disagree with. Forbes also ranked it as one of the best places to invest in foreclosures, in part because the real estate market there is relatively stable. "If they're good, you use them. If they're bad, I won't tell you you should ignore them -- you look at them," he said of the lists on which Charlotte appears. But negative rankings aren't likely to end up getting used as a marketing piece for the city. Amy Hoak is a MarketWatch reporter based in Chicagohttp://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/charlotte-dethrones-asheville-nc-best/story.aspx?guid=%7B52C3B402%2DD1AA%2D4F75%2DB863%2D2C599E3DD97B%7D