Charlotte Homes for Sale

Fido may be everyone’s best friend and an important member of your family, but did you know that dog bites make up almost 33% of all homeowner insurance liability claims at an annual cost of over $350 million? The average dog bit claim runs close to $25,000 per claim! And these costs are rising every year.

A recent study from MIT and Harvard researchers indicates that a foreclosure reduces the value of a home by 27%! And if you own a home within only 250 yards of a foreclosed home, the value of your home drops by at least 1% on average as well (although, if you are in a neighborhood with lots of foreclosures, my experience shows that non-foreclosed home values drop by more than 1%). By comparison, if you file for bankruptcy, a home’s value drops only by about 3%. Currently, 1 in 12 homes valued at under $1 million, are in foreclosure.

 The first-time and move-up home buyer tax credits might be gone, but with interest rates at historical lows, it makes more sense than ever to buy a home now. You’ll save thousands!!!  For example, on a $200,000 mortgage at 4.5%, you could save over $43,000 in interest versus a 5.5% loan on a 30 year loan. And your monthly payments are about $122 per month lower at the 4.5% rate.

Carolinas Realty Partners are pleased to offer our special Real Estate CyberTips E-Newsletter, which in very concise form, provides you with monthly Cyber tips and tricks along with our pointers to Internet places of special interest to real estate owners, investors and related professionals. 

Please click here to access your copy of the August Issue of  “Real Estate CyberTips.”

 This month’s issue includes the following tips:

• SEE YOUR FACE IN 20 YEARS!
• ELEVATOR MUSIC WHILE YOU WAIT!
• GREAT STUFF IF YOU’RE MOVING!
• TRAVEL THE ENTIRE KNOWN UNIVERSE! 

We hope you enjoy the August edition of  “Real Estate CyberTips”. 

Here are some great tips to keep your Independence Day weekend fun, but safe!

If you are entertaining and planning to grill outdoors, follow these tips:

• Never grill indoors! And keep the grill away from trees, the house, campers and tents, and enclosed areas.
• Keep children and pets away from the grill. Don’t leave the grill unsupervised.
• Use long-handled tools.
• If coals are already ignited, don’t add starter fluid.
• Follow manufacturer’s instructions when using your grill.

Some fireworks safety tips:

• Keep water handy.
• Don’t let small children handle fireworks.

FannieMae instituted new credit rules on June 1st that many home buyers are not yet aware of, but which will have some serious impact on their ability to close on a mortgage. Essentially, what Fannie Mae has done is require lenders to verify that borrowers haven’t taken on any new debt during the mortgage application and underwriting process. Even after your loan may have been approved and is ready for closing, underwriters will be looking for the following information about your credit:

Turquoise is the hot, hot, hot color for 2010 if you are staging or decorating your home! It’s considerd the new “neutral;” a color that most people respond to positively and is universally flattering appealing to both men and women. When home buyers enter a room with turquoise, they instantly get a mood lift.  Color specialists claim that turquoise restores a sense of well-being. And most any color goes with turquoise, as well, including neutrals, browns, greens, etc. Plus, there are lots of different shades of turquoise, which can flatter any neutral and any room.

Carolinas Realty Partners are pleased to offer our special Real Estate CyberTips E-Newsletter, which in very concise form, provides you with monthly Cyber tips and tricks along with our pointers to Internet places of special interest to real estate owners, investors and related professionals. 

Please click here to access your copy of the June Issue of  “Real Estate CyberTips.”

 This month’s issue includes the following tips:

• REMODEL AND DECORATE YOUR HOME RIGHT HERE!
• THIS BUTLER WILL WAKE YOU UP!
• GET ANY SOUND YOU WANT!
• HERE’S YOUR 15 SECOND PITCH!

We hope you enjoy the June edition of  “Real Estate CyberTips”. 

Some great tips from the ASPCA about how to keep your pets safe this Memorial Day Weekend! Many of these tips are common sense, but as we celebrate the start of the summer season, they are certainly worth reviewing!

• Keep your pet indoors as much as possible during backyard parties and barbecue, which can be a minefield of potential problems for your pet–toxic food, alcoholic drinks, rowdy guests.
• Keep all alcoholic drinks out of reach for your pet.
• Don’t change your pet’s normal diet and keep in mind that onions, avocado, chocolate, grapes, raisins can be very toxic.

Even though most real estate purchase contracts include an inspection contigency to allow the home buyer to professionally inspect the house at their expense prior to purchase, it makes a lot of sense for home sellers to have their homes inspected before listing the home. Here’s why:

• If any significant problems are discovered in the home prior to a buyer’s inspection, you can have the repairs done in advance on your own terms and on your own schedule. For some reason, buyers always assume a repair will cost 2-3 times more than it actually does.