Confessions of a "REAL" Estate Agent

The Heat is On !!!

2010-07-30T19:24:00.001-07:00

I don't know about you but the humidity and the heat combined has caused a surge of maximum air conditioning in the car. I have been searching for lease purchases for commercial properties and well as residential. One would think that it would be easy; however, there has been a lot of leg work during this process. I feel like I have gone back 25 years when the internet wasn't invented and the real estate agent actually drove around the neighborhoods to find the homes available. Those times have come again especially with some TEMPO 5 difficulties that has hindered many of the real estate offices; and the fact that everything is not on the internet as we would once think.

At last, I have found a home for my new out of town clients. The heat was a deterrent for some of my clients children; I had to bribe with ice cream and snow cones to keep them cool. But it was all worth it because they have settled into a nice air conditioned home!!

NO MORE HEAT at least for now.

Snowed in with Nowhere to GO?

2010-02-01T08:47:00.000-08:00

With 6 inches of snow on the ground and school is out. Those parents may be getting a little
restless with the children being in the house all day. Yet, some of you may have been searching the websites with what to do with your kids this week. Yes, I said this week because you know we are in North Carolina with limited machinery.

Here are a few suggestions. The Charlotte Nature Museum has indoor and outdoor trails. You can see live animals like groundhogs, owls and even an insect alley. The hours are 9 to 5 and only $6 admission. Try something different this week.

The Light Factory is in Spirit Square and is dedicated to photography. I attended an Art Exhibit at Armstrong College this winter. I have never been to one and probably wouldn't have gone however my wonderful nephew, Jamal, was graduating. I was amazed of the talent. The art included photography and some film; just like The Light Factory. Maybe those Armstrong students could put their artwork here.

If you happen to be in Gastonia, The Schiele of Natural Museum displays flora, fossils and minerals and fauna which makes our environment eco friendly. This place has live animals, mounted specimens, birds, mammals and reptiles. It may be a great way to give your children a little history on nature.

Speaking of history. The Charlotte Museum of History is a great place to educate your kids as well as yourself about the growth of Charlotte; the "Community Grow" and you may also visit the 5,000 square Difoot rock house, Hezekiah Alexander House; the oldest house in Mecklenburg County.

The most popular museum of Charlotte is Discovery Place. If you a Charlottean and have never been here; then this is a must see. It is mostly hands-on, family-friendly science center. I have gone as a visitor of Charlotte and also as a resident. I can admit that I have gone without my children or nieces and nephews. How many of you have gone without kids??? Yes, I am kid inside. I am never growing up especially if I can go to the wonderful museums we have to offer in the Charlotte area.

So parents, check out the websites and visit one of these powerful museums. You have an excuse, the snow! No school. Why are you still reading this blog? Go Go Go.

COMMON GROUND

2010-01-17T14:21:00.000-08:00

Last night my brother treated me to a night out at the Belk Theater. The event was not a surprise, however the EVENT was a surprise. My brother, Lemar, was a DJ during the era of The Temptations. He has been a big fan of music for a long time. He could have gone on "Name That Tune" game show and would have become the national champion. He knows his music!

As we drove down Fifth Street we glanced at the number of people walking Uptown. Lemar is not a permanent resident of Charlotte and was amazed of how many people were walking the streets. We later concluded that there was a Bobcat game and it was Saturday night in a small metropolitan city with things to do from eateries to dance clubs.....to the Symphony!
We were a bit lost because it was raining and we couldn't see the names on the buildings. I knew where the Blumenthal Center was and had been there multiple times. However, I was always a passenger; but not tonight. I am driving and I have a non resident as a co-pilot. Ok, we are definitely lost but not really. We are here; the corner of College and Fifth; but we are confused because we are looking for the crowd of people going into the theater to see the Temptations!

We can't find people that look like us. The viewers are Senior Citizen Majorities walking into the theater.

My conclusion was to go park the car and we can figure out the rest on feet. "I know where I am going!" I am a Trusted Real Estate Advisor! Doggone it I am not LOST!!!
We park at the Hearst Towers. There is a crowd of people in the elevator. Black, white, old and young. This is Charlotte! What a wonderful diverse city. We all get off and 3/4 of the people do not know where they are going. We ALL decided to follow the couple with the mink coat who were walking like they knew where they were going.

We enter the beautiful building that was wonderfully supported by people like Mr. and Mrs. Hugh McColl, The Spangler Family, the Leon Levine Foundation, Pat and B.D. Rogers, M.A. and James Rogers, Richard Osborne and many more. You can check out their website at www.charlottesymphony.org.

We look around to see so many types of people we did not expect to be at a contemporary American pop concert. This group was an original Motown group invented by "The" Berry Gordy. We go to our seats and the crowd is definitely a "Symphony" crowd. I asked my brother was this the crowd he expected. He chuckled and said, "no." I was thinking the same thing. It was a bit uncomfortable at first when the Temptations started singing. We were use to getting up, dancing, clapping and singing. We just sat there and enjoyed the first few songs. Finally Big Sexy (nickname) told the audience to stand up and get involved. To our surprise, everyone stood up in a cheer and danced a bit and even sang a few lyrics! Now we are jamming with the Symphony crowd. The crowd continued to be involved in the concert with the instruction of the group.

Common Ground is what I titled this blog because of our experience. What we thought would be an emotionless concert became a wonderful experience. Charlotte Symphony was to create and engage the community in extraordinary musical experiences.
The brilliance of bringing a classic rhythm and soul group to perform with a classical symphony was one of the best ways to exhibit our diverse city! This is Common Ground to those who have a love for music.

If you ever have a chance to experience this in the future. Please do so with the expectation of greatness. Bring your dancing shoes and your vocal chords because you will be in for a nice surprise, I know I was!!!

Thank you Charlotte for this experience!

Brett Favre is the Man

2009-12-30T18:45:00.000-08:00

Ok, yes I know this is a real estate website; however I have to keep up with what is going on in the NFL. Fortunately that includes a wonderful man, husband and teammate.
Brett Favre. Some of you may not like Brett because of his wobbleness (my word.. don't look it up in the dictionary). Some of you judged him because of his age! Some of the Green Bay Packer Backers were unforgiven to him and maybe the team too for allowing such a staple to leave the team. Whatever your reason is to follow the man, you have to admit that he has given us many surprises!!!

Brett has been playing professional ball longer than some of you have been alive or even married. He and his wife Deanna has been through cancer and back which helped them create a wonderful nonprofit organization for research. Yes, even athletes have normal life issues to overcome. My condolences to Chris Spielman and his children for the loss of his lovely bride of many years, Stefanie, who we lost to breast cancer. Have we ever wondered why the press focuses on the negative areas of these players lives and not the real life issues or the great things they do to help their community?!!!

Let the record speak for itself. Brett has had a great year. Although I as a common person can see that when Brett is able to call his plays; there is a huge difference in yardage. Just like the linebacker calls the defensive plays, the quarterback should have the right to call the offensive plays...isn't that what you hire him for??? We cannot expect the Vikings to win every game. We can't expect the offensive line to be great every single week and protect such a commodity. But hey, I am not the coach and I am sure he would have a different opinion. These players are human and they have aches and pains on Monday morning....heck Tuesday through Saturday too. For some reason Sunday or Monday comes and they forget the pain because of their adrenaline. Nevertheless, they have pain and they need time to heal; not just physically, but emotionally too. It's rough being booed or unfavorable reporting; matter of fact, false reporting is yet a better view in my eyes. So the next time you read the newspaper or a blog, remember that truths are only half told. Also remember the next time you decide to judge or be a Monday quarterback; that young man could be your son, husband or cousin....so be kind. One of many of my favorite quotes came from Douglas M. Lawson, "We exist temporarily through what we take, but we live forever through what we give." Give kindness and a Smile this 2010 year. It could be contagious.

Energy Tips Can Save Money !!

2009-12-30T17:39:00.000-08:00

I often wondered growing up why my parents would tell me, "turn off the light Sara."
Now that I am that parent and aunt, I am often repeating myself except I add, "and that TV." You may wonder what the big deal is? I too wonder until I got my first bill of my new home in 2000. It was a Duke Energy bill because we were on electric and not gas at that time. It was also for two months because of how the bill cycle fell. I opened the bill and gasped for air. I showed it to my husband and he nonchalantly continued a conversation he was having with our son. I was sure that there was an error with the bill. I called Duke Energy to inquire their procedures and if this was an estimate or did they REALLY read my meter. They determined that it was indeed an accurate read!
"Really, I blurted out, Really??? I came from the coldest of the north and my bill in 4 months was never this high.!!" I am sure she was thinking, then go back North. I paid the mortgage, I mean electric bill and decided to do some observing over the next month.

Everyone, I mean all 3 kids, husband and dog left the lights on. The thermostat was moved again and again; I would adjust it to 71 and somehow, an invisible person would move it again and again.

Because our kids did not have Televisions in their room, fortunately I didn't have to monitor that power button. However, I would have to shout up the stairs, "did you turn your lights off?" "Yes mam" would echo in the foyer synchronized as if they were singing the hook to a song.

The next month's bill came. I ripped it open to see if my diligence paid off. Yes, I replied, 30% less. I knew we could do better the next month. It would be the last cold month for Charlotte. Again, the next month's bill came and we were down 50%. The experts say that it takes 30 days to create a habit. It may have been sixty days, but I was elated with the progress. Today my kids have homes of their own and when I visit, I am proud to say that they are very energy efficient!

The great thing is that we are working as a society to become more green. Duke Energy has great information on how to save on your home bills. Their research shows that 43% of residential energy consumption is heating and cooling, 12% is water heating and lighting is 11%. Just the three categories above is over 67% of our total bill. We can really decrease our budget by carefully creating new habits.

I received a wonderful surprise today in the mail. It was a duke energy efficiency starter kit. It included wonderful information and 6 Compact Fluorescent Bulbs, (CFL). I posted this blog because of this surprise and the great information in this kit.

I want to leave you with one fact from the U.S. Department of Energy; "In the average home, up to 75% of the electricity used to power home electronics occurs when the devices are turned off." I suggest unplugging those toasters, car chargers and night lights when they are not in use. It will make a difference.

Can I get a loan???

2009-03-29T16:06:00.000-07:00

I have been working with some great clients that have paid their bills on time for over 10 years plus. They are hard working people that cannot obtain a mortgage loan today. If they would have found the home they wanted 2 years ago, no problem; Today is a different story. I speak often to lenders, brokers, bankers and investors....they all tell me the same thing. The banks that made bad loans messed the typical borrower up in today's market. Being in finance for many years, I totally agree with qualifying the loan; the person; the character of the borrower. However, lenders are just look at the bottom line with no compassion. Some of the clients I have served may have been unemployed for 6 to 9 months which put them behind on some bills. They made every effort to pay what they could; however, even after finding employment and catching upon their bills, the banks will not lend to them. I have been listening alot to CNN on the XM radio. (I do alot of driving so I catch up on the news with CNN) there is information that conveys to us that while US track our wealth through the DOW Jones. We are also tracking the median prices for home prices. The DOW was 14,164 in October 2007 and around January 2009 it was around 9,000. Good news is that we are on the climb. I feel that everything is relative and volatile.... so who knows and how can we really predict the outcome.

The moral to this blog is don't wait for the rates to plumb any further. If you want to buy a home, then by George go buy one. If you want to try a new career while you are one of the 8% unemployed....then go do your passion. You don't have to get permission to succeed. You may fail along the way, but at least you tried. Along those failures you will discover success!!!

Super Bowl Sunday

2009-02-01T13:56:00.000-08:00

I Can't believe it is Super Bowl Sunday again. I was just figuring out who was in the 2008 game. I had a discussion today with Brian and he couldn't remember who won last year Superbowl; so why do we make such a big deal of it??? Unless of course your "baby" is playing in it or you have relatives playing or I can even see a fan who thought their team never had a chance. I always say, "Any given Sunday," any team can win.

I thought about the Superbowl games I attended the past 15 years and each one seem to be the same except for the teams, and city. Each one consisted of expensive airfare, ridiculous room rates with a minimum stay; expense of eating has doubled because the restaurants know we need to get our grub on.

I am not being negative about the Super Bowl.....but where the heck are these people getting money from to pay for the scalped tickets of at least $1200 apiece; hotel is $1,000 and transportation can run from $500 to $2000 a person. We are at a high for unemployment; a low for interest rates and our funds are decreasing as I type because of the NYSE and others. So the point that I am making is... folks don't have enough money to pay their bills but they can go to Florida for pure entertainment. Oh and let's not forget all of the $5 beer and stadium food that should be budgeted in to the equation! And if you are a real fan, you will be tailgating.

So, I guess you know that I am in the comfort of my home with store bought wings and chips.
I actually got a cold housing call today that I will work on today; I guess everyone doesn't watch the Super Bowl.

May the team wins that plays their best today.

Nascar Sponsors vs NFL strike

2009-01-04T16:27:00.000-08:00

For Richard Petty and many employees over the past 60 years; an end of an era is ending. With a great amount of respect as well as sorrow, I am in awe that a company that started in Charlotte is actually ending in Charlotte. The job loss alone was a challenging turn. Will those Nascar employee be able to merge in the merger? Will the other Nascar drivers blend together?

This may be a part of Nascar that continues to fall like the national market. It appears that lack of sponsors is causing a downward spiral; yet the support of the fans are alive. Like the last NFL strike, the uncertainties for players each week are a constant sign of those times and yet the fans were favorable. The NFL strike gave some young men the opportunity to play on a professional level..... what a dream come true. For other NFL families, it only allowed more frustration because of the lack of communication between the NFLPA and the owners. However, after 3 games and many hours of negotiations; the league came back as a whole and it is more powerful than ever because the players stuck together. With Richard Petty racing ending its stellar 60 year career, one only hope that the economy will jilt back into place and continue the race. Although it may give younger drivers a chance to more quickly because their dollar demand is lower than the proven drivers. Which brings up another story at another time..... "why does a guy out of college in sports make more money than players that have
gone to the Pro Bowl, the All Star games etc..." stay tuned for my take on it!

I would hope that we could stick together through this hard economic times; whether we are stay at home moms, engineers, professional athletes or owners of fortune 500 companies, we should continue to suppport the businesses as much as our budget allows. Dealing with the unknown is very stressful. The owners of many small companies are closing shop. The larger companies are cutting back on advertisement and the liquidity that we once felt as a family is gone. We now buy only necessities. I am sorry but the $300 rebate didn't do much for me.

They Need some Help!

2008-12-17T15:34:00.001-08:00

After much consideration and many many days following this bailout and that bailout; I have come to the conclusion that the bailouts need to be bailed out.

I am not sure, they know what they are doing. Point in fact, my client called the bank to try and do a modification so that his interest rate wouldn't go up 3% and then he would be able to continue to pay his mortgage on time. You would think the bank would jump all over that; however, they responded that they haven't heard about how their bank will handle the money from the government. My client proceeds to ask, "has your bank received its TARP money." She exclaims, tarp, what are you talking about. I don't know tarp.

They need our help!!! I think they are realizing they need our help because in a cnbc statement about the $700 billion TARP money, Cohn states, "You can only stabilize prices by stemming the foreclosure rate." It also states that the systematic Foreclosure Prevention and Mortgage Modification Act of 2008, to be paid for with TARP money, would commit 24.4 million to modify half of the 4.4 million non GSE loans expected to become problems in 2009.

If this is not a cry for our help, then what is. I can help them; it is a simple formula. If the owner of the house can afford to pay $1000 per month and be on time for the next 20 years instead of the $1200 per month for the next 20 years; then I would as a bank representative would choose to make a little less on a current mortgage or I could choose to backload the minute loss. Unfortunately for the banks, they are allowing the owner of the home to not pay for up to 12 months at $1000 per month. So when an offer to purchase finally comes in, they decline it because it isn't enough to cover the principal of the loan; oh so lets just let it sit another 12 months at $1000 plus upkeep, until it is vandalized or until it becomes unlivable...... I on the other hand; (not a professional, just my opinion) as a bank rep would take the offer since my bank is loosing $1000 per month and the upkeep on a vacant home. I am not sure, but my dad always taught me that a little bit of something is better than NOTHING.

They need some help.
There are over 55 million mortgages in foreclosures. I guess there won't be any lay offs in that department. Hey, maybe if you are looking for a job.... apply at the mortgage dept and become a loss mit person or just answer the phone, and maybe you CAN HELP.... PLEASE!

The CHANGE

2008-12-15T15:52:00.001-08:00

...... and I thought the "change" only happened in women. Now days everything is changing..... the leaves, the weather constantly, the moods of our peers, the gas prices, the market, the dow, and yes even MEN.

I know we all want change to happen fast. At least I know women want to zip through the "change." But through the storms are when we really learn how to survive and conquer. We change our perspective on life, we look at the leaves as they turn color; we appreciate those warm sunny days in the winter months, we miss those first steps our child made because now they are making large footprints out of the home.

Just going through life is not WORTH living. Our forefathers went through trauma. For some of our "grands," they lived through slavery and for some the holocaust. For many, they survived the recession; and if we want to dig deep in our past generations; Joseph helped save his 6 brothers (who sold him into Egyptian slavery) get through the famine that was affecting everyone.

What we must do during these times of change is learn from them. Start a new budget.... stick by it. Change your spending habits; only get what you need and cut out the wants. Don't give your kids "everything." Lets not look at this time of slumber as a totally bad thing because I know what doesn't kill us will make us stronger. I become stronger through each adversity whether it is personal, financial or physical. I say become and not became because I know that I am still alive and I will have more to overcome.

This is the time to start a new thang. Don Ward stated, "if you are going to doubt something, doubt your limits." Now go start!

Nascar Fans

2008-12-10T19:47:00.000-08:00

Being from the North, I was not aware of the Nascar sport until I moved to Charlotte almost 10 years ago.
Like so many transplants, I did not have a clue that Nascar was just as big as the NFL or even NBA. I thought
it was a bunch of cars going around in a circle.

Now for the budget crunch; Brian France says that they will continue to work with its partners. The article is interesting; check it out for yourself. We know the economy is scaling back a tad. The necessary things are becoming essentials and the entertainment companies are feeling the heat.

Drivers are almost like the free agents in the NFL and are changing teams more than they did in the past.
Petty http://www.nascar.com/2008/news/headlines/cup/12/10/blabonte.rpetty.announcement/index.htmlSponsorship has hit the elite and the players that just want to play.

Sara W.

Spend the Money

2008-12-07T06:58:00.001-08:00

We continue to hear that we are in the worst of the worst recession in over 30 years. So why is it I still see folks shopping everyday at retail stores. I go to a chain store and can't find a parking space. So I have to park 20 cars away with crutches and everything. I notice the items in the carts and it doesn't look like all of it is "need." We are still spending money.

Being in Charlotte, I have been blessed as a realtor because we have not seen the slump in the market like California, Florida, Ohio etc. We are actually in a good place according to the wall street journal. Charlotte along with some other cities that I won't advertise are among the strong elite. So if you are looking for a city that is fast growing and apparently the people here are still showing the money.....then welcome to Charlotte.

Will the Real listing please stand up

2008-12-06T13:03:00.001-08:00

I spent dozens of hours preparing for a buyer who was in need of an acre or more, a master down, all brick and some tranquility to go home to after a very long day at work. As I search the homes and read every detail of the hundreds of homes in their price range, I then looked at photos hoping to capture the peace and stillness of the nature through the photography. A few grabbed my attention; so off we go in search for the perfect home; almost like the perfect mate ( that no one can seem to find). I was determined that we would be successful.

About 25 + houses later, we narrowed it to two. I am saddened by the fact that some agents are misrepresenting their homes via virtual tour or still photos. Yes, we want our listing to look great; but by no means should we do a "switch and bait." Do we really think that if we got the buyers to our listings and give them less than expected, that they will be happy? Or should we give them more when they view our property and they are overjoyed.... matter of fact they will probably keep us in mind for their next transaction because of our honesty.

Lets get real. We know the market is horrible. Heck I am sitting on alot of listings that I would love to sell next week; but I know the economy is down. However, no matter how hard times get, I refuse to misrepresent my clients.

Sara

Welcome and Why??

2008-12-06T12:59:00.000-08:00

Welcome to a new thing I decided to do after viewing my son's blogging for gaming magazines. I figured "I raised this intelligent young man." Heck I too can blog.

As you notice, I will be using large fonts for those of us that can use reading glasses occasionally.

Please feel free to add to my opinions.