Triangle Real Estate Blog

5 Reasons to Hire a Real Estate Professional

Whether you are buying or selling a home, you need an experienced Real Estate Professional to lead you toward your ultimate goal. In this world of instant gratification and Internet searches, many sellers think that they can For Sale by Owner or FSBO.

The 5 Reasons You NEED a Real Estate Professional in your corner haven’t changed, but rather have been strengthened in recent months due to rising interest rates & home pricesas the market recovers.

1. What do you do with all this paperwork?

Each state has different regulations regarding the contracts required for a successful sale, and these regulations are constantly changing. A true Real Estate Professional is an expert in their market and can guide you through the stacks of paperwork…

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41% of Americans Would Prefer to Build Their Home

A recent study by Harris Poll revealed that, for the same price, forty one percent of Americans would prefer to buy a newly built home instead of an existing home. Twenty one percent prefer an existing home while thirty eight percent didn’t have a preference.

However, those desiring a new home may not be prepared to ante-up the difference in price. Only forty six percent of those who strongly prefer a new home are willing to pay at least 20 percent extra* to purchase a new home versus a comparable existing home.

*Trulia estimates “that new homes built in 2013 or 2014 are typically priced 20 percent higher than older homes of a similar size and location.”

Why People Prefer a New Home?

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Difference Between a ‘White Lie’ and Lying

Growing up it seemed ‘white lies’ were okay while lying was a sin. As children, we sometimes had difficulty understanding where the line was. As we matured, we realized there most definitely was a difference.

If a husband or wife asks if it is okay to invite their parents over for dinner, the spouse would probably say ‘sure’ even if it wasn’t 100% the truth. That was a ‘white lie’. If a young boy dresses up as a monster on Halloween and asks his father if he looks ‘really scary’, it was okay for his dad to say ‘YES’! That was a ‘white lie’.

In both cases, the person telling the ‘white lie’ was saying what the other person wanted to hear. In both cases, there was no harm in not telling the 100% truth. In both cases, it was a ‘white lie’.…

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Rethinking the 55+ Market

Someone said to me recently, “Sixty-five is the new forty-five.” We chuckled, but the more I thought about it, the more I found myself in full agreement.

With more and more people working beyond traditional retirement age and the advances in modern medicine, the lines between middle and late adulthood are becoming a bit blurred.

What makes this relevant in the world of real estate?

As our population ages, we will see more and more organizations dedicating their marketing efforts toward the “senior” demographic. You have read previous KCM blogs about the various designations agents can earn for this specific purpose, and undoubtedly you have already seen real estate professionals in your market professing to “specialize”.

Reality check —…

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Gallup Poll: Real Estate Best Long Term Investment

The Gallup organization just released their April Economy and Personal Finances Poll which asked Americans to choose the best option for long term investment. It was no surprise to us that real estate returned to the top position over other investment categories (gold, stocks/mutual funds, savings accounts/CDs and bonds).

Back in 2011, gold was the most popular long-term investment among Americans. However, with the housing market improving across the U.S. and home prices rising, more Americans now consider real estate the best option for long-term investments.

The poll also revealed that real estate was considered to be the best long term investment by all four subgroups by age and two out of three by income:

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With Rates & Prices on the Rise, Do You Know the True Cost of Waiting?

There is a great opportunity that exists now for Millennials who are willing and able to purchase a home NOW... Here are a couple other ways to look at the cost of waiting.

Let’s say you're 30 and your dream house costs $250,000 today, at 4.41% your monthly Mortgage Payment with Interest would be $1,253.38.

But you’re busy, you like your apartment, moving is such a hassle...You decide to wait till the end of next year to buy and all of a sudden, you’re 31, that same house is $270,000, at 5.7%. Your new payment per month is $1,567.08.

The difference in payment is $313.70 PER MONTH!

That’s like taking a $10 bill and tossing it out the window EVERY DAY!

Or you could look at it this way:

• That’s your morning coffee everyday on the…

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Either Way, You’re Still Paying a Mortgage

There are some people that have not purchased a home because they are uncomfortable taking on the obligation of a mortgage. Everyone should realize that, unless you are living with our parents rent free, you are paying a mortgage - either your mortgage or your landlord’s.

As a recent paper from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University explains:

“Households must consume housing whether they own or rent. Not even accounting for more favorable tax treatment of owning, homeowners pay debt service to pay down their own principal while households that rent pay down the principal of a landlord plus a rate of return. That’s yet another reason owning often does—as Americans intuit—end up making more financial sense than renting.”

…

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Want to Sell Your House? Price it Right!

The housing market is recovering nicely. Prices have increased nationally by double digits over the last twelve months. Competition from the shadow inventory of lower priced distressed properties (foreclosures and short sales) is diminishing rapidly. Now may be the perfect time to sell your home and move to the dream house or beautiful location your family has always talked about.

The one suggestion we would definitely offer: DON’T OVERPRICE IT!!

Even though prices have increased by more than 10% over the last year, the acceleration of appreciation has slowed dramatically over the last few months. As an example, in their April Home Price Index Report, CoreLogic revealed that home prices actually depreciated by .08% this month as compared to…

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Millennials & Income

Millennials have become an important topic of discussion for media outlets and blogs throughout the Country. While some argue that my generation is blossoming later than our predecessors, optimists such as myself believe that with our rebounding economy will help Millennials finally arrive in the economic arena that allows them the growth potential generations before us were afforded.

While I truly believe Millennials are positioned to become an important force in the new economy, the widening economic policy that minimizes retirement accounts and creates underemployment of Millennials threatens what is now America’s largest demographic.

In his post for MSN, Austin Thompson points out that Millennials are now in peak childbearing age, and…

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Who Says Millennials Are Not Buying Houses?

We have often gone against the grain to promote the fact that Millennials have a stronger belief in homeownership than previous generations. Some have strongly disagreed. Well, a new study from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) found Millennials now account for the greatest market share of recent home purchases.

NAR’s Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends Study for 2014, revealed that Millennials comprised 31 percent of recent purchases, leading all other age groups. Here are the percentages for other generations:

• 30% - Generation X
• 30% - Boomer Generation
• 9% - Silent Generation

NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun explained:

“Given that Millennials are the largest generation in history after the baby boomers, it…

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