Nadine Deason

By NADINE DEASON

You’ve always heard “You get what you pay for.” When it comes to hiring a Realtor this saying is oh so true! The inexperienced, unskilled, and inept will always work for less. Our ever-changing market demands the most experienced, skilled experts to navigate these treacherous waters like navigating Class 4 rapids.

Would you trust your most valuable asset to anyone other than a seasoned captain who has weathered storms of this magnitude a thousand times? Or should you hire your next-door neighbor, who just graduated from real estate school and is a nice person?

After being a nurse for more than 20 years before going into real estate, it would be a no-brainer answer to recommend that you seek the most skilled expert in the industry to treat whatever illness may fall upon your loved one. I’ve heard the most wonderful stories from families over the years how they or their loved ones searched the entire country to hire the very best surgeon or oncologist to treat their loved one with amazing success. Those smart families did their homework and didn’t settle for second best. They know the difference between excellence and mediocrity. So true is this in the Real Estate industry too.

A seller once asked if I would agree to work for a reduced commission. The answer without question is no; why would I? When you offer the very best wouldn’t that be reflective of my inability to even negotiate my own salary? If I can’t even do that how would you expect me to negotiate on your behalf to get the highest dollar in negotiating your home? Do you want a wimp protecting your most valuable asset or do you want a Pit Bull to protect your money to get you the highest dollar?

Brokers who are willing to accept less for their services are actually offering less in value. They have to give their services away to practically work for free. That usually means they don’t have the funds to go nationwide to only the best training seminars, to learn from the top agent across the country, to acquire their “secrets to success.” Those secrets a well trained and seasoned expert possess will save you thousands of dollars if you are willing to listen to them.

Discount brokers will often tell you your house is worth more that it is worth. Most sellers hate to hear their home isn’t worth what they thought it was and frequently overestimate their home’s value. This method of manipulation plays off an individual’s ego. The fact is that a Realtor is virtually worthless if she or he can’t be 100 percent honest with you.

Discount brokers don’t advertise because they have no money. They tell sellers advertising doesn’t work. Well, if whatever they were doing worked wouldn’t it be reflected in some way? Success leaves clues. Discount brokers are usually lone riders … not part of a successful team. They are so busy being Jacks-of-all-Trades that they are masters of none.

The team environment in Real Estate sales supports expertise in whatever task is at hand, from Buyer Agent to Listing Agent, to Closing Coordinator, to Administrative Assistant, to Team Leader. They are experts at what they do, ever vigilant to watch that no detail falls through the cracks.

The lone rider can’t possibly keep track of everything. Years of experience beats the new kid on the block any day. Remember that US Airways flight that made an emergency landing on the Hudson River in 2009? It was masterfully landed by the seasoned airline veteran and flight instructor C.B. Sullenberger. His years of experience and skills saved hundreds of lives that cold January day.

Nadine Deason is a Realtor and broker with Team Nadine LLC/Keller Williams Realty. www.alakehome.com

RELATED LINKS

Find out why it is important to understand the different types of Realtors here in North Carolina, on the N.C. Real Estate Commission website. (“Working With Real Estate Agents” – PDF)

Lake Norman Realty welcomed Lance Armstrong and Summer Robinson to their Davidson office recently. From left: Lauren Hill, Joycelyn Armstrong, Lance Armstrong, Abigail Jennings, Michelle Giolitti, Jim Niemes, Dawn Lassiter, Jane Getsinger, and Summer Robinson.

Cornelius-based Lake Norman Realty has acquired Armstrong-Robinson Realtors, a small independent real estate firm in Mooresville. In a press release Tuesday, the company said Summer Robinson, Armstrong-Robinson’s president and broker in charge, would become broker in charge of Lake Norman Realty’s Davidson office, where she’ll be joined by associate Lance Armstrong.

Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

“Summer and Lance are true real estate professionals,” Lake Norman Realty president Abigail Jennings said in a press release. “They bring a wealth of knowledge of the Lake Norman area to our Davidson office, as well as over 30 combined years of real estate experience.”

Robinson has more than a dozen years’ real estate experience.  “I was absolutely thrilled when Lake Norman Realty approached us. Lake Norman Realty has such a wonderful reputation and I was truly honored to join the firm,” Robinson said in the press release.

Robinson and Armstrong opened Armstrong-Robinson in 2007. Robinson has lived in the Lake Norman area for 13 years, and currently lives in Mooresville with her husband, Chuck Tabor, and their two dogs. She’s a member of The Cove Church and has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Marshall University. She also attended the Mingle School of Real Estate for her real estate license.

Armstrong brings 18 years’ experience to the newly merged firm, and has worked in Mooresville, Huntersville, Cornelius, Denver, and other areas around Lake Norman. A Tennessee native who moved to Lake Norman as a child, he has a bachelor’s degree in English and Communications from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He lives in Mooresville with his wife, Joycelyn, and their two children, Ava (13) and Dallas (10). He’s also a Charter Member and Assistant to the Pastor of the West United Methodist Church.

More info about Lake Norman Realty: lakenormanrealty.com

Danny and Etheleen Jetton’s home received needed maintenance as part of the 5th Annual Realtors Care Day (Andrew Wilkins/DavidsonNews.net)

By ANDREW WILKINS
DavidsonNews.net

Members of the Charlotte Regional Realtor Association completed home improvement projects at 16 home sites across Mecklenburg and Iredell Counties Friday, including a home in Davidson, as part of the 5th Annual Realtors Care Day. Supplies are provided by the association’s Housing Opportunity Foundation and regional sponsors.

Realtors from Allen Tate Realtors’ Lake Norman office volunteered to repair doors, change locks, plant flowers, paint, and install an access ramp at the home of Danny and Etheleen Jetton as part of Realtors Care Day this year. The Jetton Residence was overdue for repair. “I thank God for these guys today,” said Rev. Jetton. “It’s already looking, to me, like a million bucks,” she said as work continued on Friday morning.

Rev. Jetton and her husband Danny have lived in Davidson since their home, a “Wildcat House,” was built in 1996 by Davidson students in a partnership with Habitat for Humanity.

Area Realtor and Davidson site captain Mike Carlin took part in his third Realtors Care Day home improvement project, and was pleased with the results Friday morning. “We’re going to do some good work in good time,” Carlin said, as he and another volunteer repaired a screen.

Doug Southerland, participating in his first Realtors Care Day, was enthusiastic about the project. “We have an interest in homes and the region, and we all enjoy helping others,” said Southerland. “It’s such a great community. We’re happy to give back.”

Doug Southerland repairs a screen as part of the 5th Annual Realtors Care Day in Davidson. (Andrew Wilkins/DavidsonNews.net)

Realtors Volunteer Across Region to Improve Homes, Barium Springs

In addition to home improvement projects, Realtors Care Day sent volunteers to the Barium Springs Home for Children. The Housing Opportunity Foundation reports improvements to Barium Springs facilities built in the 1960s, including carpet replacement, painting, installation of new gutters and eaves, and landscaping. Electricians donated their services to install numerous new lighting fixtures. The Housing Opportunity Foundation’s day of service coincides with National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Stephanie Gresham, the Davidson site’s volunteer captain who works at the Housing Opportunity Foundation, emphasized that Realtors Care Day is “truly a team effort every year.”

The Housing Opportunity Foundation purchases supplies for Realtors Care Day, and is funded by Care Day sponsors and in-kind donations. A contractor is on hand to help advise volunteers and homeowners with improvement projects, and each Realtors Care Day volunteer is a member of the Charlotte Regional Realtor Association. Since 2009, Realtors Care Day has helped more than 110 homeowners.

“We needed this – we couldn’t afford this work on our own, and we are just so blessed,” said Rev. Jetton before picking up her shovel and returning to work.

More information on Realtors Care Day can be found at the Housing Opportunity Foundation’s website, http://www.carolinahome.com/realtorscare/.

The projects will run from 8am to 4pm at 16 home sites in Mecklenburg and Iredell counties.

Partners that helped identify this year’s projects include Belmont Community Development Corp., City of Charlotte’s Neighborhood & Business Services Dept., Davidson Housing Coalition – HAMMERS Program, Habitat for Humanity of Charlotte, Habitat for Humanity of Iredell County, Habitat for Humanity of Matthews, Love In The Name Of Christ and Our Towns Habitat for Humanity

More info: carolinahome.com.

See past coverage of Realtors Care Day here.

The real estate firm’s recently redesigned website offers live chat seven days a week, 8am to 8pm. Users with questions after 8pm may leave a chat message, which will be answered the next morning. The firm’s website is www.prucarolinas.com.

Meanwhile, Prudential Carolinas also offers another service, the two-year-old My Home info 24-7. It’s a telephone service that provides information on any home, listed by any company.

To use it, call 704-409-4670, and enter the property’s street number.
You’ll get instant information over the phone on price, bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage, features, estimated mortgage payments and much more.

Callers may choose to receive automatic emails and text messages with detailed information and photos. And they can connect directly to an agent, to schedule an appointment to see the home.

Chart shows year-over-year growth in home sales in the Charlotte region. (CorneliusNews.net chart – SOURCE: Charlotte Regional Realtor Association)

Home sales across the Charlotte region were up more than 40 percent in January, according to data from the Carolina Multiple Listing Services Inc. (MLS). Prices continued to rise while the number of homes fell during the month.

The January report came from the Charlotte Regional Realtor Association, based on MLS data. A total of 2,163 closings were report in January, up 40.4 percent compared to January 2012, when there were 1,541.

Residential closings were down slightly from December, when 2,339 homes were sold. But January’s gain was the strongest year-over-year increase in years, another sign of the rebound in the Charlotte area’s real estate market.

“With inventory decreasing and new listings down, we are seeing continued upward pressure on prices,” Eric Locher, the 2013 president of the realtor association and CarolinaMLS, said in a press release Feb. 7.

“We are a couple of months ahead of the selling season and it’s a good time for sellers to prep homes for listing, keeping in mind that the property still needs to be realistically priced for what the market will bear,” he said.

After a year of gains in 2012, both the median and average sales prices continued to post increases in the first month of 2013, the association said. The average sales price in January 2013 ($189,007) was up 0.6 percent compared to January 2012 ($187,803), and the median price ($150,000) was up 2.6 percent over January 2012 ($146,200).

The average list price in January 2012 ($252,586) increased 2.6 percent over January 2012 ($246,197). That means homes were selling for an average of 92.6 percent of list price, compared to 90.2 percent last January.

The trend appears to be continuing. The association said demand across the region was “quite strong” in January, with pending sales totaling 2,925. That was up 62.3 percent over a year earlier, when contracts totaled 1,802.

New residential listings are nearly unchanged from last year at 3,838, a decrease of 1.3 percent over January 2012. Inventory continued to fall, decreasing 29.4 percent compared to January 2012, leaving the CarolinaMLS region with a 5-months’ supply of homes for sale.

The average number of days a property was on the market from the time it was listed until it closed (list to close) was 155 days, which is a decrease of 10 days compared to January 2012. Days on Market (DOM), the metric that accrues for “Active” and “Under Contract-Show” statuses only, totaled 108 days compared to 122 days for the same period last year.

Foreclosures and short sales within CarolinaMLS continued to fall. Distressed properties accounted for only 11.1 percent of new listings compared with 14.4 percent in January 2012. 18.1 percent of all closed sales in January 2013 were distressed, which is down from 21 percent in January 2012.

For more residential-housing market statistics, visit www.CarolinaHome.com and click on “Market Data.”