Why You MUST Have A Home Inspection On Your Charlotte, NC. "As-Is" Home

I have written a blog before about the importance of a home inspection. A lot of people say why spend the money to have one if the bank or the seller 9if a short sale) are not going to do any repairs to the house? Well there are a lot of reasons as to why. First, even if a home is being sold in it's present condition you still have the right to walk away if an inspection uncovers some issues you were not aware of. I just went through this last week. Clients were looking at a house. it was obvious that the home needed some work.... We negotiated according tot the work that you could visibly see. After agreeing to a price we had a home inspection....The home inspection detected issues with the house that would have cost my buyer upwards of $20,000 to repair. If not for a small investment of time and money they would have never known until it was to late that they could have been out a lot of other money than anticipated. Second, you want to know what you need to do to the home once you move in. Even if after the home inspection you decide to purchase the house (most people do the above was an exception to the rule) wouldn't you want to know what repairs the house needs? Yes, you probably can see the obvious but what about the ones that were not so obvious? Why not know now and address them before the repair becomes more costly? Third, you can find out what to budget for in the near future for potential expenses... A good home inspector can tell you whether the furnace is designed to last longer or if you should plan on budgeting for a replacement soon...Same thing for an Air conditioner, a water heater, windows, or heat pump.. On my first home I purchased the home inspector told me the water heater worked but that it was beyond it's life expectancy and I should budget for a new one in the near future... Well two weeks after I closed it broke (Murphy law). But the knowing that it could go had me leave some money aside for the replacement of it despite the other cosmetic things i wanted to do for the house.... Fourth, having a home inspection gives you peace of mind of knowing you made a good financial decision. a home is the largest purchase you make....Why nit ensure ti is the right one you make? Buying a home is a big decision that is never taken lightly. However; why make one and not make sure it is the right one? have a home inspection on the home...... Dave diCecco Realtor/Broker www.davedicecco.com

What Is An Approved Short Sale?

see it advertised a lot on the Multiple listing service and across the Internet that this house is an approved short sale. Well what is an approved short sale? The perception among home buyers is that this is the number the bank will accept for the house...but is that always the case? See, not everyone can do a short sale. You have to have a legitimate hardship to qualify for a short sale. Just because you owe more on the house than it is worth does not necessarily mean you can do a short sale. There are times when an offer is submitted to a bank and the bank will come back and tell the Realtor that they will accept X amount of dollars for the house. because a lot of times the person that put the first offer in is not the one that buys the house.... they usually cannot wait it out and move on to another house. Or the bank wants more than they are willing to pay for the house. To me an approved short sale is one where the bank has accepted the short sale and agreed to a dollar amount they will accept on the house.....Then the short sale is approved and at a set price. I hear Realtors say, but not everyone is qualified to do a short sale and if the bank accepts the hardship it is an approved short sale....Well yes that is true. but should you be advertising a home as a short sale if you are not 100% sure it will pass the short sale criteria? When you see approved short sale...ask questions. if you see approved short sale at list price then know the bank will accept that dollar amount on the house and the transaction should move rather quickly. Dave diCecco Realtor/Broker www.davedicecco.com

Do You Look For A Charlotte Home For What It Is Or What It Could Be?

I was inspired to write this based on a transaction i did... A few months ago I sold a home to a couple relocating out here. The house met all their needs and some of their wants. The price was good. They looked at the house and realized the potential the house had. So they bought it. now a few months later the same house has been transformed. The home now is the house that not only fit their needs but their wants as well....... Like they said when they were giving me the tour of the house....You helped us realize the potential this house had and now we have a home that is more than we expected when we started the process of looking...... Do not get me wrong; we are all looking for that perfect home situated in the perfect neighborhood with the perfect neighbors painted and laid out the way we would want it... But how realistic is that view today? or for that matter anytime? I ask very specific questions of buyers and try to get an understanding talking to them of their wants and needs... I explain to them give em your needs in a home and I will search for that...If the list is to long I can narrow it down with some of your wants as well. But when you are looking at photos of homes are you looking at the potential the home has? or are you looking to see if the home is exactly what you want? there is a big difference here. Looking at homes for the potential opens up a lot of doors for you. ( I by no means believe you should sacrifice any needs for a house). but if a house has all your needs but not your wants or needs some cosmetic work...are you going to rule it out? more buyers today are doing just that or are looking for larger discounts because of the condition of the house. If a home needs some work adjust your offer to compensate for the cosmetic repairs that the house will need....Why pass on a house just because it needs some fresh paint, carpet or some minor repairs? looking beyond the house to it's true potential is like finding a diamond in the rough. Are you looking for homes based on what they could be or for what they are? maybe adjusting your search for potential homes will allow you to find that diamond in the rough...... Dave diCecco Realtor/Broker www.davedicecco.com