Real Estate Information Archive

I am taking a class by the AMAZING Dave Ramsey called, Financial Peace University.  

Quick plug:  The course is completely worth the time and effort.  Should you see it offered near you TAKE THE COURSE.  It is 13 weeks and fantastic, neigh I say life changing!  If you have a teenager or young adult in your life whom you care for deeply, get them in this course!  You will never learn so much in so little time!

I am off my soap box now on to the task at hand.  How long had you had your current home owner's insurance policy?  3 years?  10 years?  30 years?  Well, I have personally had my homeowner's policy for 6 years.  When we got our policy we shopped around, we made sure we had replacement coverage, etc.  We were diligent and educated... which, at this point, means beans!

I am a very knowledgeable Realtor.  I pride myself on my knowledge level in all things real estate.  I thought insurance took care of itself once the policy was written.  I must admit that again, I have learned something from someone who knows more than me.  Thank you Dave!

We all need to call our insurance agents TODAY.  Find out what our deductibles are and if it would make better sense to raise the deductible a little to have a lower payment.  Afterall, it makes no sense whatsoever to call upon your homeowner's policy if your repair need is under $1500-2000.  I understand that is a lot of money but frivolous use of your insurance policy these days can lead to your policy being needlessly cancelled or to having the claim affect the resale-ability of your home in the future.  You may want to consider upping the deductible for a lower annual premium.

Second, MAKE SURE you confirm that your home have "guaranteed replacement coverage."  This means that, God forbid, something happen to your home the insurance policy will replace the home no matter the cost.  Many policies have been changed over the years to "extended replacement cost."  And you never know, in all those pages of the policy yours may have been changed unbeknownst to you.  "Extended replacement coverage" means if your home is damaged the insurance company will cover up to the amount of the policy plus 10-20% over that amount (different companies offer different percentage overage).  So let's say you have owned your home for 6 years.  You bought it for $200,000 and your policy is extended replacement coverage for the amount of $240,000 BUT replacement cost of your home, due to appreciation, market, etc, is now $300,000.  You would be stuck with a $60,000 bill that is not covered under your insurance policy. OUCH!

You are probably covered but it certainly makes a good case for a phone call to your friendly neighborhood insurance agent.  I am looking forward to saving a little bit of money AND making sure my home is properly covered.  That is one more thing I don't have to worry about this summer.  Have a great week!  

And remember, call me with any of your real estate questions.  I would love to help!

Let's discuss what is happening in real estate in Concord, NC these days.

Currently There are 902 properties active in MLS.  Those properties have been active for an average of 149 days.  And they are listed at an average price of $241,499.

Since January 1st, 89 homes have expired and gone off the market for 'failing to sell.'  These homes were listed at an average price point of $230,720 and stayed on the market for an average of 227 days.

Currently, there are 78 homes under contract to be sold.  They are listed at an average of $217,737 and were active on the market for an average of 117 before going under contract.

A total of 97 homes have sold since January 1st.  These homes were listed at an average price of $181,908 and sold for an average of $168,920.  Homes are selling for about 92.8% of list price.

This means that, while homes are tending to sell after an average of 93 days on market, there is currently a fourteen month inventory of homes in the Concord area.

If you are looking to sell a home in Concord, call me.  Even when market conditions may seem intimidating I can help you successfully sell your home.

Brrrr.  That is the one thing I think we all can agree on.  This winter has been chilly.  Let's take a look at what the real estate market is doing in Harrisburg this year.

Currently there are 144 homes on the market.  They have an average list price of $319,337 and have been active on the market for an average of 148 days.  

Since January 1st, 2010, 20 homes have 'given up,' in other words, their listings expired due to failing to sell.  They averaged 229 days on the market before giving up.  **Remember - buyers do not reject homes, they reject value or, rather, a lack of perceived value**  

There are currently 16 homes under contract in Harrisburg.  They averaged 190 days on the market before finding the right buyer.  Their average list price is $265,422.  

And, the best news of all, there are 31 happy sellers who have sold their homes since January 1st!  These homes averaged 108 days on the market.  They listed at an average of $298,115 and sold at an average sale price of $281,378.  This means that sellers in Harrisburg are getting an average of 94% of list price.  

If you are thinking about selling a home in the Harrisburg area give me a call.  I would like to help you stay out of the "failed to sell" group and get you into the "happy sellers who closed" group! There has never been a time as competitive as now.  Condition+Price=Happy Seller who Closed

If you are starting to get that itch to move, that yearning for a larger home, the yen to be in the neighborhood you couldn't afford three years ago, then you have to get yourself ready. Ask yourself these questions:

1) Do you have a house to sell before you buy?

If so, go ahead and talk to your 'Realtor for Life.'  Found out where your numbers are.  Make sure you are, indeed, in a place to put your house on the market. Especially now.  If you bought at the height of the market you want to be sure you are in a financial position to sell right now. 

Next, get your house on the market!  If you want to buy *but* you have to sell before that, bite the bullet and get your home on the market.

2) If you are planning to finance the home, talk to a lender NOW.

Do not wait until you are in the process.  Lending laws and practices have changed and lenders tightened their belts.  Go ahead and get pre-approved now. Your benefits are that you will be made aware of current loan programs, you will know what amounts are comfortable for you on a monthly basis and as a whole.  You will also find out if there are any glitches on your credit that a) shouldn't be there and need to be disputed, or b) need to be corrected before purchasing is possible.  Either of these *glitches* can take months if not longer to correct.

Now that your current home is marketed or sold and your financing is taken care of the FUN can begin.

Call your 'Realtor for Life.'   If you don't have one call three Realtors to interview. I would love to be your 'Realtor for Life.'

Sit down for a consultation as you do with any other professional.  Your dentist tells you what he or she is going to do before they start pulling teeth!  

• Talk to them about the area, city, town, neighborhood you are interested in.  See what they know about that area.  
• Talk to them about how they do business.  Is real estate a full-time job? Can you contact them on weekends? Are they capable of walking you through the purchase process confidently and with clarity?

What a wonderful turnout for my 4th Annual Christmas Party!  

I have lived in Harrisburg for six years now and I love Huntwick and Camelot more and more every year!  People were very patient on the streets of the neighborhood as they maneuvered around our festive "reindeer and sleigh."

Of course, no Christmas party is complete without a visit from Santa Claus.  And this year Santa was fortunate enough to arrive in time for some clam chowder before everyone starting rolling in.

We had a terrific spread of clam and corn chowders and oyster stew.  With the rain and the cold yesterday, the chowder table was completely empty by 3 pm.

I believe everyone had a wonderful afternoon.  From what I have heard, it was certainly better than watching our beloved Panthers playing the Patriots.  For all the best pictures, visit my gallery.  Video will make it on just as soon as I can find the time to edit!

Thank you all for helping me make 2009 a very successful year both professionally and personally.  And remember, I am never too busy for your referrals.  I will care for your friends and family just as I have cared for each of you.  I will make you look great for the referral.  

2010? Bring it!

2009, what a wild ride, huh?  Everyone has heard about the real estate market.  I know because I get puppy dog eyes from people who know I am still in real estate, "Hey Virginia, are things getting better yet?"  "How is business?" "Oh, you're still in real estate?"  Bless you all.  I appreciate the pity but the good news is that people really are still buying and selling real estate.  And I intend on helping many of those folks!

Back to THAT market.  Let's talk about where I call home, Harrisburg, NC. 

• Currently there are 136 homes active on the market
• They have been active for an average of 166 days
• They have an average list price of $317,657

Holy smokes, such a wonderful couple of weeks with my 2010 plan in place working for me and now this!  Micah 13 yrs old???  How did that happen?

His bank sent him an invitation yesterday to have a credit card since he is "of age."  He was THRILLED.  I am not sure if he completely grasped the idea that it comes with a bill attached on a monthly basis.

This brings me to my very important point.  We have few things in this life that we actually get to control.  One of these things is our money and credit.  There are others, of course, but I am true to my real estate roots here.  Money and credit are so, so easy to get sometimes, people may not realize just how hard those things are to get back when you have become foolish or spoiled with their use.

Let me pause for a moment and just mention that I realize "things do happen" and there are times when these things seem to be beyond our control.  I am mainly talking to the "young and vulnerable" here.

To these 'young and vulnerable' who may not know yet; it only takes 30-45 days to establish credit.  And typically, it all starts well.  So 30-45 days to establish good credit.  It only takes one good vacation week to ruin credit if you don't have a solid payment plan already devised.

With poor credit you can't buy a car or a house.  These days with poor credit, you will lose many job opportunities and you may lose your bank account.  How long does it take to recover from a credit fall?  Sometimes YEARS.   One missed rental payment or missed mortgage payment will haunt you for 12 months!  Protect your credit.  It is easy to get and very difficult to get back.  

God charges us to be 'good stewards of his gifts.'  If I can relay this level of responsibility to Micah at age 13 then maybe it will make sense to him when I am not by his side to help with the decision making.

So I sat down with my broker just the other day to formulate my 2010 Business Plan because we all know without goals, there are no rewards.  We went over numbers galore; averages, number of transactions, number of listings, number of buyers, etc, etc.  Then we set goals.  What kind of numbers I should strive for in 2010.  Fascinating right?

Then we started to discuss the real meat of things.  What are the educational goals?  What are the family goals?  Where and when will we vacation next year?  How will Virginia grow in 2010?  For those of you who haven't taken such a challenge, I dare you.  Sit with your family, spouse, boss, SELF, and set your 2010 goals.

I used to run.  I mean really run.  I ran 30ish miles a week.  I loved it.  Well, in real estate sometimes your schedule can take over your life hence, I no longer run consistently.  

My 2010 goal?  One 5K per quarter. Seems reasonable, right?

Fast forward to yesterday, I was browsing facebook (minding my own business) when a friend from college posts that she is running the Sacramento Marathon on Saturday.  I post back, "Plan on Chicago next Oct.  My hubby is running it.  We can visit.  I won't run a full marathon so I can cheer you guys on."  

Her reply?  "You and I can run the half.  I will call my friends.  It's a date!"

I stared at that reply for a good ten minutes.  What do I say?  Do I wimp out?  Do I commit?  She and I are both over 40.  If she can I can. Holy smokes, what AM I thinking?

You guessed it.  I committed.  Now it is on my blog so I am really committed.  Look for updates.  I will post a schedule of my races soon.  Chances are good I will post a LOT about my progress.  I am all about the "ataboy."  I am scared to death (of running 13.1 miles again) but I am so jazzed about the coming year.

2010 is going to be one helluva good year in the Halter household.  Name your goals, professional and personal.  Give yourself a road map for your success.  You won't believe how good it feels.

Please help my office, RE/MAX Signature Properties, celebrate the joy of giving this Christmas season.  We are asking for donations of care package items to be sent to some of our troops stationed in Baghdad, Iraq.  These folks work HARD for our freedom on a continuous basis.  Let's show them how appreciative we are with a GREAT BIG care package!

I ask that you prayerfully consider a generous donation to help those who continually sacrifice so much for our freedom. 

Drop off: Monday, Dec 7th through Friday, Dec 11th 

Time: 8 am - 5 pm

Location: RE/MAX Signature Properties

7752 Gateway Lane Ste 200

Concord, NC 28027

Call for additional info: 704-605-4285

Acceptable donations include:

Dried Jerky (all flavors); Dried Fruit; Nuts (all flavors/kinds);
Wasabi Nuts/Peas; 

Microwaveable mini meals or soups (Hormel, Chef Boyardee, etc.);

Trail mix; 

Mini toiletries: shampoo, razor, deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, travel Kleenex, Charmin-to-go; 

Baby wipes; 

Candies - only hard, no chocolates they melt; 

cigarettes; chewing and/or dipping tobacco; 

games: Mad Gab, Sequence, Suduko, mini puzzles

Calling cards

Lip Balm

Please help us provide the best Christmas possible for our troops overseas by giving generously. Gift boxes will be shipped on Monday, Dec 14th and should arrive before Christmas day.

More information can be found on our event page on facebook.

Thank you and have a very, Merry Christmas!

Roberta Farms is voted as North Carolina's #1 Property Owners' Association Community of the Year for 2009!!  When you drive through Roberta Farms you can feel the sense of community the homeowners have here.  Homeowners share a community pool and recreational area situated in the center of the neighborhood. In speaking with  resident David Divincenzo, he said the win is a "culmination of hard work over the years from the Roberta Farms board and community volunteers."

Situated in Concord, NC between Hwy 29 and Hwy 49, Roberta Farms is convenient to Concord Mills Mall, Lowe's Motor Speedway, and down town Concord.  Frank Liske Park, one of Cabarrus County's nicest parks with mini-golf, tennis, paddle boats, several playgrounds, an enclosed barn & pavilion, and many baseball & soccer fields, is right around the corner from the neighborhood.

A few real estate statistics:

• average sale price over the past six moths is $184,666
• average sale price in 2008 $183,875. (that is a 1% increase which is huge in this current market)
• average list price is $205,940