Can Video Tours Help You Sell Your Charlotte, NC. Home?

With new technology coming out it seems like everyday; can video tours help you sell your Charlotte, NC. home? I think it does. yesterday I had a closing on one of my listings. While I was in the lobby waiting the buyer came in and said "I know you; you are famous". needless to say i had a perplexed look on my face. I have been called a lot of things; but never famous. he told me he watched my you tube video and was thoroughly impressed with the time and dedication I put in. In fact, in this market he said that was the deciding factor for him to go and actually view the house and eventually put an offer in and buy it. I have had other similar stories of people who told me the video helped them decide on the house or not to. but one constant remained throughout all the conversations I had...it helped me market the house better. I do not do a traditional video where you stitch a group of photos together and put up a slide-show of the house with multiple photos. I actually take the time to walk through the house and explain the features and selling points of each and every room. I actually give a virtual walk through on the house. With the market being such that buyers and sellers have limited time available; this has enhanced my homes on the market and has brought buyers ready to make an offer subject to seeing the house. The Internet has made it so that over 90% (and I actually think this is a conservative number) of people start their search on-line for a house. Out of those 90% plus people over 45% said in a recent survey they found the house they bought on-line. that is almost half. What f the weather is not conducive for the buyers to go out and view a home. Would it be nice to know they can watch a complete tour of the home and it's features on-line form the comforts of their home? What are you doing or your Realtor doing to enhance your home so as to attract those almost 50% of buyers who buy a house they found on-line to your home? Videos are now a must in my opinion to get a home sold... I can attribute 3 sales in the past 9 months to videos.... Dave diCecco Realtor/Broker www.davedicecco.com

Why You Should Sell Your Charlotte, NC. Home In The Winter

Most home sellers that did not sell their home this past year are deciding to wait until the spring time to place their home on the market. The theory is "it will sit between now and then and I have a greater chance of getting it sold". The truth be told; is you probably have a better chance of selling it NOW rather than waiting until the spring season. First, living in Charlotte, NC. has some great advantages. One being the lack of snow we receive. Coming from the Northeast; this has been a welcome experience. I do not have to worry about a home not being able to be shown because of snow or of getting photos of a house because of the weather....So, for my friends and family in the North this may not apply to you as much. Second, people are out buying homes year round. There is such a notion that by waiting to after the winter to put a house on the market you have an increased chance of selling it. yes, there are historically more buyers out looking in the spring than the winter months. No one knows the exact numbers. But, your home is going to get a greater amount of showings in the spring and summer than in the winter. However; with less buyers out in the winter time you also have less homes for them to choose from. this leads to the buyers have less choices to make. less choices increases your chances of getting your home sold sooner rather than later. Third, with the holiday's and the time of the year as a seller you are well informed to know that the buyers coming out are actually interested and ready to buy. because, the chances are they have to buy. Who else would go out looking at homes in the winter months around the holiday's? Talking to sellers all the time I get the impression that now is not a good time to put it on the market...But I think the contrary is true. yes, your showings will not be as great as if it were the spring market....but you will have more serious buyers coming through now; rather than in the spring time. Dave diCecco Realtor/Broker www.davedicecco.com

What Is The House Charlotte Housing Program?

In Charlotte, NC. there is a popular program among first time home buyers with limited resources for a down payment. It is a program called House Charlotte. The program is desgined to help stabilize select neighborhoods throughout Charlotte while promoting home ownership. The House Charlotte program provides up to $10,000 assistance toward down payment and closing costs for "challenged " neighborhoods. In addition it provides up to $7500 assistance toward down payment and closing costs for "transitional" neighborhoods. This program is designed to help first time home buyers purchase a home. You still need to qualify for a mortgage as if you were applying without the program. the difference is with this program you do not need a down payment to to buy a home. In addition the money you receive from House Charlotte is forgiveable over a 10 year period. So, in essence if you stay in the house ten years you end up getting the money for free. If you move prior to the 10 year period you have to pay it back to the city. There are over 87 elgible neighborhoods in Charlotte that qualify. There are a lot of areas that qualify for the program. Not everywhere in Charlotte and becuase the city actually maps the areas out differently; you will need to do an address search to make sure the home you select is in a qualifying neighborhood. What other requriements are there for this? You are required to attend a home buying seminar at the local office in uptown. In addition the home price cannto be over $147,000 and your income cannot be over 110% fo the median income of Charlotte. The median income is based on the household size. (at the time of this a single person would have to make $51,750 or less a year and a family of four $73,900). if you are looking to buy a home and the only thing holding you back is down payment...Consider using the House Charlotte program. It is a great way to enjoy the benefits of home ownership while interest rates are at record lows. To see what area are avaialble you can visit http://www.cmhp.org/Homeownership-Program/HouseCharlotte-Program.cfm Dave diCecco Realtor/Broker www.davedicecco.com