Helpful Tips for Charlotte NC First-time Home Buyers

Helpful Tips for Charlotte NC First-time Home Buyers

June 27, 2010 by Victoria Stankard · Leave a Comment 

If you’re think about getting off the rental treadmill and buying a home in Charlotte, NC, there are a few things you should know.  First and foremost, if you can’t commit to staying in the home for at least a few years, now is probably not the best time to buy.  In a buyers market like Charlotte, [...]

  • Share/Bookmark

2010 Home Buyer Must-haves, Turn-offs and Deal Breakers According to a Recent Survey

2010 Home Buyer Must-haves, Turn-offs and Deal Breakers According to a Recent Survey

June 20, 2010 by Victoria Stankard · Leave a Comment 

In May of 2010, online real estate brokerage firm ZipRealty asked approximately 1000 site registered house hunters what they considered as the most important home features and what the “biggest turn-offs” were. Zip’s survey revealed changes in what respondents consider as high priority compared to a survey done two years ago. A home with energy-efficient, eco-friendly [...]

  • Share/Bookmark

Staging Your Charlotte NC Home For Sale

Staging Your Charlotte NC Home For Sale

May 16, 2010 by Victoria Stankard · Leave a Comment 

If you want to sell your Charlotte home faster or for more money in today’s market, how you present your home to potential buyers is key! Overzealous home staging attempts with too many cutesy, contrived decorative touches can turn off potential buyers just as a messy house can with too many personal items on display.  The goal of staging is to make your Charlotte [...]

  • Share/Bookmark

FHA Upfront Mortgage Insurance Premium Increase April 5th, 2010

FHA Upfront Mortgage Insurance Premium Increase April 5th, 2010

March 8, 2010 by Victoria Stankard · Leave a Comment 

It has never been a better time to buy a home with so many exceptional values on the market, government tax credits and historically low interest rates. However, there are some changes headed our way that will have an affect on these favorable conditions. Top heavy home inventory is shrinking more and more each day as buyers [...]

  • Share/Bookmark

First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit – Only Two Months Left

First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit – Only Two Months Left

March 3, 2010 by Victoria Stankard · 1 Comment 

With home prices and interest rates at all time lows and only two months left before the First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit expires, many folks are taking action and looking to buy a home. The $8,000 tax credit, extended and expanded to include current homeowners in 2009, expires on April 30th, 2010. Qualifying for the Tax [...]

  • Share/Bookmark

The Oracle of Omaha’s U.S. Housing Market Predictions

The Oracle of Omaha’s U.S. Housing Market Predictions

March 1, 2010 by Victoria Stankard · Leave a Comment 

Warren Buffett, known as the ‘Oracle of Omaha’ - billionaire, businessman, philanthropist and one of the most successful investors in the world – predicts that the U.S. residential real estate market down-slide will show signs of recovery by 2011.  Over the last ten years Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. has steadily built up the nation’s second-largest real [...]

  • Share/Bookmark

This Week’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS) Results

This Week’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS) Results

January 15, 2010 by Victoria Stankard · Leave a Comment 

Freddie Mac released its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS) results yesterday. Every week, Freddie Mac surveys approximately 125 lenders on rates and points they are quoting for their most popular mortgages, including 30-year fixed rate, 5/1 hybrid amortizing adjustable rate, 15-year fixed rate and 1-year amortizing adjustable rate mortgages. The PMMS is based on prime [...]

  • Share/Bookmark