Why Every Home Buyer Needs To Have A Survey

When you are purchasing a house, the Realtor and you probably have a good idea of where the property lines are based on lawns, fences and trees. But does that preclude you from having a survey done on a house? Just because a house has a six foot brick wall fence around the back yard should you not order a survey? I just went under contract on a house that much to the surprise of the home buyer, the seller and the neighbors had serious encroachment issues based on a survey. My buyer was willing to accept the lot as it was because the builder had put in a 7 foot high beautiful brick wall fence around the rear of the property. So the natural inclination was that was the property and maybe a few feet beyond it around the perimeter. However, a survey showed this to be a flawed assumption. Now most neighbors probably would not care if say the fence bordered both property lines. They are both getting the advantages of the builder’s brick wall. In this case though it was found and verified that the brick wall actually cut 18 feet of the neighbor’s property out. In fact, we found that even a corner of the driveway (it has a side load garage) was in the neighbor’s property. Now what are we to do? The home was built in the 1990's and after addressing it with the seller (who knew nothing of it since he bought the house with the wall already up) and the neighbors we had a dilemma on our hands. The attorney said we probably would win in court over the property since it was over ten years. But the buyer did not want to take that risk on such a high priced property. After a lot of negotiation going back and forth and attorney fees adding up we came to a mutual agreement for the wall and the use of land. But what if my buyer did not have a survey and the neighbor sold his house and that buyer had a survey done? Would the seller have gone to court to fight this? I do not know but am glad I do not have to find to either. The moral is not take anything for granted when it comes to property lines. Just because you are in an affluent area and in a high priced home with an original brick wall surrounding your property does not mean that the property lines are them....Always have a survey done. A few hundred dollars now can save you thousands of dollars down the road. Dave dicecco Realtor/Broker Coldwell Banker United Cell:704-519-7895 ddicecco@cbunited.com www.davedicecco.com

New Listing: 1143 Dreden Drive W Charlotte, NC. 28205

Looking for a first home? Looking for a place as an empty nester? Want to be close to uptown and have convenience to shopping and major highways? Want a home that needs no work or updating? Then 1143 Dreden Drive W Charlotte, NC. 28205 is the home for you. This is a beautiful renovated three bedroom one bath ranch home located in the highly desirable neighborhood of Eastway park. Close proximity to major highways and Independence Boulevard as well as uptown make this a great location. a tree lined family neighborhood where the neighbors know one another and look out for each other. When I first drove done the street to meet the sellers families were outside cutting their grass, planting flowers, kids were riding bikes and playing in the street....Most waved as I drove slowly by as to not hit anyone and gave me the feeling like I was in suburban America and not just outside the downtown area of Charlotte. When you pull up to 1143 Dresden Drive W; the work that these homeowners did to the house over the past few years shows instantly. They had a new roof installed in 2011 and the quality of the roof shows as you are pulling up. But I think it is the artistic paint job on the front brick and hardboard siding that stood out to me most. It made the home pop. Then again the great landscaping that the homeowners have done might have helped as well.... When you pull in and enter the front door you are instantly greeted by the nice open floor plan the house has. The living room is large and open and with the 1 inch floor planks that have a beautiful antique looking wood stain on them... The large bay window in the front of the house brings in a lot of great natural sunlight and the fireplace being converted over to a vent less gas fireplace is centrally positioned in the room to enjoy on those cool winter nights. The kitchen in the house has also seen a makeover. The cabinets have all been refinished and new marble looking countertops have been installed to bring out the beauty of the kitchen and showcase the storage space and countertop space. Walking in you instantly notice the newer tile flooring installed as well as the new stove. In addition they have replaced the garbage disposal as well... Closing off a doorway in there gave them a full wall to utilize as well for a bakers rack or a buffet. Come out of the kitchen and enter the spacious dining room where you can seat six comfortably at the table. Go down the hall to the opposite side of the house and there you will find the three bedrooms and the full bath all centrally located. The first bedroom is probably the smallest and is currently being used as a den/office area. The other two bedrooms are very spacious and have ample closet spaces in them. The rooms are well positioned and open and spacious to allow for a variety of different layouts. The full bathroom also has been remodeled with matching tile flooring to the kitchen, new vanity and sink. The tub has new tile tub surround just done as well as fresh paint this past weekend. Go out the back door and enter the spacious landscaped fenced in back yard. A great place for entertaining, or having the children hang out. The home has a newer deck that was built a few years ago and a spacious detached two car garage with workshop. A great place to store items and work shop to work on cars or do wood working.... This home has everything you could ask for and with a new A/C unit in the last three years as well....Come see a home that has everything you could ask for in a home and all the updates already done for you....A great house in a great neighborhood at a great price of only $144,900. Dave diCecco Realtor/Broker Coldwell Banker United Cell:704-519-7895 ddicecco@cbunited.com www.davedicecco.com

Charlotte, NC. Housing trends And Stats For April 2013

There is a lot of talk about the housing market in Charlotte, NC. and whether it is improving or if this is a smoke screen. Being one of the largest metro areas in the United States and one of the fastest growing this trend plays a vital impact on home sellers and home buyers alike. So I decided to do a monthly analysis versus the previous year and two years ago during the same month and see where the trends are and how they are impacting the housing market in Charlotte, NC. here are the stats for April 2013: First, let's look at inventory of available homes buyers have to choose from in the Charlotte, NC. region. In 2011 there were 24233 homes for sale in April. In 2012 there were 20127 homes for sale in April. Last month there were 14660 homes for sale. That is a decline of 44% in two years of available homes buyers have to choose from. Second, the average sale price of homes in the Charlotte, NC. region for April 2011 was $203,442. In 2012 the average sale price was $214,739 and last month the average sale price was $217088. That is an increase of 6.7% in the average sale price in the Charlotte, NC. market. Third, let’s look at days in inventory. How long are houses sitting on the market? In 2011 the average home sat on the market for 13.9 months before being sold. In 2012 the number improved to 9.9 months and last month it improved to 5.2 months. That is a dramatic drop in inventory of over 76.1% in two years. What the trends are showing is that the housing market is out of the recession and available homes for sale have decreased to the lowest levels we have seen in over 5 years coupled with prices slowly creeping back up and more buyers out there than homes available and you have signs of a robust market in Charlotte, NC. If all three factors were trending equally it could be the market fixing itself. But the fact that inventory has declined 25% less than average days on market means we are getting more buyers out there than homes right now and it is starting to cause prices to go up. This is a good thing for the housing industry and the economy. Coupled with the fact, home prices are not skyrocketing to adjust for decrease of inventory and interest rates continue to be at all time lows is keeping a stable growth in the Charlotte, NC. market. Dave diCecco Realtor/Broker Coldwell Banker United Cell: 704-519-7895 ddicecco@cbunited.com www.davedicecco.com