Why You Need A Realtor To Sell Your Home?

In this economy many homeowners are looking for ways to minimize their expenses when they sell a home. A popular mechanism for that is For Sale By Owner (or more commonly known as FSBO). Despite facts that show these people tend to gravitate to a Realtor (approximately 80%) to help them sell their house....homeowners still hold faith that they can do what we have studies showing the percentage being as low as 3% do...SELL HOMES.

There are a few sites out there for people looking to sell their home on their own. www.forsalebyowner.com is the largest site. The founder preaches that you do not need a Realtor to sell your home has made millions off that promise. He preaches save the commission and sell it on your own you will make more money. For a nominal fee he will help you get your home sold for top dollar and you will save the commission on his website.

Ironically, the same person who made his millions telling people to NOT use a Realtor....went the to a full service broker (a full broker is one that gives you all the services) to get his 2.0 million apartment in Chelsea sold.

Not only did a full service Realtor sell his home...but got him more than he was asking selling it himself. A person who has made his livelihood telling other people you do not need a Realtor to sell a house had to use the services of a Realtor to get his apartment in New York sold.....

This is why over 95% of all real estate transactions in the United States are conducted through a Realtor. Even the original founder of www.forsalebyowner.com went to a Realtor and paid a full commission to sell his private home.

Are you looking to sell your home on your own? Trying to sell your home on your own now? Call a Realtor. The owner of the number one for sale by owner company did.... and got his home SOLD.....

Click here for the link to the article about his apartment being sold.

Dave dicecco
Realtor/Broker
www.davedicecco.com

Thinking Of Buying A Home....Avoid These Traps

With all the talk about record low mortgage rates and housing prices that are at the most affordable level ever for home buyers...more people are out looking to buy a home today. Unforutnately, with so many choices and more people everyday startign online to do a home search buyers are getting lured into traps on homes. I tell everyone who is thinking of looking at a home to avoid these common traps:

First, when you begin your seach online avoid the monthly payments that they are advertising. They are simply wrong. Those payments are based on the asking price plus interest at a low level.They do not factor in other things into your payment such as mortgage insurance (if you are not putting 20%) down, home owners insurance and property taxes for the house. In reality all of that adds money to your monthly paymnet.

For example a typical house for $150,000 in Charlotte would probably cost you around $45 a month for home owners insurance. Property taxes on average would add $135.00 a month and mortgage insurance would add another $50.00 to your payment. So that base payment now jumps up $230.00 a month. That is a substantial increase in yoru monthly payment.

Second, when talking with a mortgage broker tell the mortgage broker what you are comfortable as a monthly payment with your taxes, insurance and any premiums added in. Make sure the mortgage broker tell you what price range to look at that keeps you in that budget.

Third, interview Real Estate agents. Not all agents are the same. Yes we all have access to the same information but we all perform differetnly. By contacting different agents you can get a feel if they are knowledgeable with the area you are looking in and are looking for homes that fit your criteria. Just becuase you know the maximum you can afford is $150,000 you do not want only homes that are in that spectrum of price. You want everything under that price as well. Some agents (unfortunately) feel you are not worth the time if your price range is not at a certain dollar amount.

Fourth, make a checklist of things you want to make notes of when looking at a house. By going into a house with a checklist and noting things about the house you like and do not like you will be better off when you make a descsion on the house you want. The listing sheet and the information an agent gives you only can provide you with so much information. it could be something about the house or the neighborhood that attracted you to it. Without the notes you are probably going to forget.

Fifth, do not rush into a purchase. Even if you like a house and are ready to put an offer in sleep on it. Call your mortgage broker and give him the address of the house. He will be able to pull up the taxes on the house and give you a monthly payment within a few dollars (subject to your homeowners insurance). make sure based on the condition of the house and what you may want to do to the house that it will fit within your budget.

Following these steps can help ease the anxiety that comes with buying a house. I know when I purchased my homes prior to being in Real Estate i wish I had known these things. Everytime I would start my search online to see what was out there and look at the monthly payments I would say i can afford that....until I found out i could not or did not want to. Then the emotional part of me is taking over and I am justifying to myself why I should buy that house.....By following these steps I have put myself in a psoition to know what i can afford and making a descison that is best for me and my family....

Dave diCecco
Realtor/Broker
www.davedicecco.com

When Should I Put My House On The Market?

The question is when you should put your house on the market. I received this question the other day when I was talking with a friend about selling their house. The premise he gave me; is there a better time than another time to put the house on the market in this economy.

A good question that deserved a well thought out answer. My first instinct as a Realtor and a salesperson was anyday is a good time to put the house on the market. However; in reality I said to him it is not so much when you put it on the market, but where you live that decides that more often.

Being in the south we are immune (for the most part) from the brash winters that the people in the North receive from November through February. So, the weather in Charlotte does not really play a factor in whether it is a good time to put a house on the market or not.

What does factor in is what is the neighborhood and area you are in doing right now. Is there a lot of homes on the market? Are they foreclosures or short sales or resales? What is the absorption rate of the homes on the market? Can you get what you need out of the house in a time frame that is workable for you?

These question more than anythggn else should decide when you put a house on the market versus anything else. If you are in a neighborhood with a high volume of short sales and foreclosures and the prices are substanitally less than what you are going to accept...then your best option is to wait.

I told him based on the numbers to wait...What he would realistically expect to get out of the house versus what he would be competing against did not work to his advantage at this time. Sometimes you need to let the market balance itself out before you place your home on the market. The worse thing you can do is look at it in an emotional state and feel that your house is worth more than it really is...

My advice to someone is always the same....there is never a bad time to put the house on the market if the numbers make sense. Because people buy houses 365 days a year...and who knows that buyer for your house could be out there right now looking for a house.

Dave diCecco
Realtor/Broker
www.davedicecco.com

New listing: 3800 Churchill Road Charlotte, NC. 28211

This lovely three bedroom two full bath town home located in the highly desirable area of Cotswold will amaze you with the openess of the place. This home offers a WOW factor that not many homes I have ever been in have done for me. It is a great location close to uptown and shopping and on a wooded lot that offers privacy.....

When you walk in this home you are instantly greeted by the high two story ceilings that adorn the living room/dining room area of the house. An already well laid out place this adds to the feeling of being larger than it is. The living room is accented with hardwood floors,beautiful woodwork trim around the room and a tiled gas fireplace. The dining area is also open and offers a beautiful vierw of the deck and the trees from the large patio doors.

Down a hallway that separates that part of the house from the rest of the downstairs you will find the kitchen. This kitchen has a large amount of cabinets, beautiful black countertops and a combination of stainless steel and black appliances that convey with the house..There is enough room in the kitchen for a table a few chairs as well.

Adjacent to the kitchen is the first floor full abthroom with access from the hallway and the master bedroom. As with the whole downstairs the master bedroom has hardwood floors. Currently beign used an office this room offers a lot of space and a private access to the tiled bathroom with new granite coutnertops.

When you go upstairs you are instantly greeted by the breathtaking view of the lving room and dining area from the balcony. After taking in the view you are greeted by the two remaining bedrooms upstairs. Both bedrooms are very good size and one can be considered a second master with a private access to the second full bathroom upstairs. That room also boasts a large walk in closet.....The other bedroom has a nice sized closet as well and like the whole upstairs it has newer wall to wall carpet throguhout.......

After viewing the house the other thing that caught my attention immediately was the oversized deck that overlooked the beautiful aged oak trees and added privacy. With a nice private drivway offering ample space for parking this townhome offers a little retreat......

This home is competitively priced and just waiting it's new owners....If you are in the Cotswold area of Charlotte off of Wendover road come visit this outstanding town home...You will definitely not be disappointed.....

Dave diCecco
Realtor/Broker
www.davedicecco.com