Housing Market Shifting In Favor Of Sellers In Charlotte, NC.?

The housing market seems to be finally shifting upward. it looks like the pendulum is moving away from the buyers and back toward the sellers. not that the sellers can now demand a higher price or sit back and wait for multiple offers....But it had sung so far in favor of the buyers in the past few years that it is showing a sign of going back to the seller. How do I evaluate what the market is doing? Each area of the country is different. You have to look at where you want to buy and see how the numbers are changing for the buyer or the seller. Some guidelines to use in whether the area is showing signs of improvement are the average sale price of all homes that sold in the area. is that number higher or lower than it was last year and the years before? In the Charlotte, NC. market the average sale price is up 1.8% from last year to $206,416. That number is 3.6% higher than two years ago as well. So it is showing a trend where the average price is rising in the area. Another guideline that is one of the most agreed upon barometer of the market is the inventory of homes for sale. In an ideal balanced market there should be six months’ worth of inventory. Basically based on sales if nothing new went on the market all the homes would sell in 6 months. At the peak of the recession that number was as high as 18 to 20 months’ worth of inventory. Currently we are sitting at a 8.9 month supply of homes. That is a dramatic decrease of over 30% from last year and 45% from two years ago. Third, I like to look at closed sales transactions. Inventory can be argued is down because sellers get frustrated with the market and pull their homes off the market waiting for it to get better. Closed sales are a good indication of what is selling. Closed transactions are up 15% this year over last year and over 23% from 2 years ago. A strong indicator that more people are out buying homes in the Charlotte, NC. market right now. last is to look at foreclosures and short sales. these are the distressed properties and their numbers can give a good indication of where the market is headed. if they are steady or going up we could be in trouble....Foreclosure sales are down for the second consecutive year right now. Two years ago they dropped 6.5% and last year to now they are down 7% that is almost a 14% drop in foreclosure sales in the charlotte market over the past two years..... Short sales are on the rise and banks are getting better at handling them. They are up 28%. But those numbers tend to be closer to actual fair market value than a foreclosure..... When you look at all the scenarios involved and the trend is pointing one way across the board you have to know that the market is heading in that direction. We all know it could stay low forever; and noone just knew when the bottom was going to hit. Well it looks like we hit it a few months ago and are starting the climb back to a balanced market again. Dave diCecco Realtor/Broker Coldwell Banker United www.davedicecco.com

What Stays And What Does Not When Selling A House In North Carolina?

The question of what has to stay and what the seller does not have to leave always comes up in North Carolina. The North Carolina Real Estate commission describes it as personal property things you can take with you as a seller. Real property has to stay with the house upon transfer (unless other arrangements have been made) So what is real property? Real property is the land and all structures that are permantely fixed on the property. Now, certain variations of things constitute real property in North Carolina. They consider a stove, dishwasher and blinds to be real property. Those items were affixed to the house and are part of the natural flow of the house. Meaning that the countertops and cabinets were specially removed so as to fit a stove and dishwashers thus making them part of the house....Anything that is built in can and usually is considered real property. The same goes true for light fixtures in the house. Personal property is considered items you brought into the house and thus are yours and can be removed with you. Some items that come up in discussions on whether they are real or not are refrigerators, washer and dryers, curtains and curtain rods.... These items are considered to be personal property and the seller is not under any obligation to leave them with the sale of the house.. Now, as Realtors in North Carolina we input listings into the Multiple Listing Service and thus we put in the fixtures and items that are staying with the house. So if the seller said I will include the refrigerator with the sale of the house then a realtor will include it in the listing so the prospective buyer knows it is included in the house. But the Buyer's agent will still have to make note of it on the offer to purchase contract since it is personal property and otherwise can be argued it was negotiated out of the contract. Just because a seller has not included an item in the sale price of the house does not mean it is not for sale or negotiable into the contract...As a Buyer's agent I have asked for items in the offer that the seller was not including; but the buyer wanted. You never know what the seller will part with or will not part with until you ask. On the seller side I have used items the seller said he/she did not care if they stayed with the house or not as a negotiating tool when trying to sell a house as well.. There is fine line in terms of what stays and what does not stay....Make sure you ask your Realtor if you are thinking something is staying or not if it is personal property or not and then ask them to negotiate it into the contract if it is personal property. Dave diCecco Realtor/Broker Coldwell Banker United www.davedicecco.com

Selling Your Charlotte, NC. Home--Does It Feel Warm And Like Home?

All the time sellers ask the question on what can I do to help get my house sold in Charlotte, NC? I receive a lot of showings and the feedback is good but I am not receiving any offers on my home.. One thing I have noticed lately with both buyers that I have shown homes to and sellers whose homes I have listed is that the feeling you get when you walk into the home sets the tone for the whole house and the showing. How does the house feel when you walk into it? Does the home give a feeling of warmth or like home feeling? Or does it give a dark and cold feeling or one that is distant? I have been thinking about this post for a few weeks to write it and I decided that every time I walked into a house for a listing presentation or with a buyer I was going to make a conscious effort to see what I felt. i was not passing that information on to anyone; just collecting the data of the different charlotte area homes I viewed to see what; if anything the perception does for me. I was a little surprised that walking into some homes that from the outside had nice curb appeal and met the buyers criteria for their wants and needs in the house; felt different when we actually got through the front door. That feeling tended to carry on throughout the house and it felt like the house was fighting an uphill battle after that. The home did not present the wow factor when they walked in. How do you change it and what can you do to give your home that warm feeling as prospective buyers enter your house depends on the layout of your house. But one thing is certain, first impressions are crucial. When they enter the house if they are turned off you are fighting to keep them interested. I am telling everyone that i list a house for to take a picture standing in the front doorway and take it on different angles and views. Then sit down with your realtor and some friends and ask for honest answers on how you can make the entrance into your home feel a little more comfortable or warm for the buyers when they walk in. I viewed a house the other day with a buyer that had that feeling. it was nothing special that they did; it was the neutral colors and the scented candle on the table at the entrance way to put your keys on with the bright light shining in and the cleanliness of the house that instantly grabbed my buyers. Every house we have looked at since has been compared to that one. Even to the fact that we all could not remember some of the features that distinguished that house form the rest anymore that we have to venture back to look a second time before we put an offer in. As sellers you are competing against a tough buyer market right now and the pendulum is beginning to swing back in your favor. A lot of buyers know that the market is beginning to swing and are looking for that right house still. It seems to be that they want certain things in a house and do not want to settle for something that they are not going to be completely happy with. so, as sellers you need to appeal to all of their senses when they are looking at your house and the easiest way to engage a buyer is through the first impression they receive when they walk into your house.... Dave diCecco Realtor/Broker Coldwell Banker United www.davedicecco.com