Devine Realty

Video: Single Lady Buyers!

Devine Realty — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:42:21 +0000

We came across this interesting video today produced by a Fox Charlotte 18, a locally owned TV Station based in the Charlotte area. They did a story about how the statistics have risen with regard to the number Single Women looking to purchase a home in today’s real estate market.

They say in the video that being a homeowner has a certain level of attractiveness to it? What do you think ladies, is it attractive for a future mate to own a home? I wonder what the men think…Is a lady more attractive if you know she is a homeowner?

Inspection Trouble: Foundation

Devine Realty — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:10:15 +0000

Sounds scary doesn’t it?

We recently represented a home buyer who decided to purchase a home in an older community on the south side of Charlotte. It was an all brick ranch home that was built in 1961, it had a basement that was only partially finished. They really loved the idea that they could take the basement space and customize it to a whole new living area that they could design on their own. So, we put in an offer to the seller which was accepted without any changes.

In our contract we negotiated a “Due Diligence” period to investigate the property. This Due Diligence period gives the Buyer the sole right to walk away for a specific period of time – for any reason or no reason at all & without penalty. Now, they have to pay for this right to walk away when presenting the contract to the seller but we negotiated those terms as well and always work to keep this fee as low as possible.

During our investigation period and based on our recommendation the buyer hired a Home Inspector to come visit the property to give them an idea on the current condition. Inspectors go through the home with a fine tooth comb to tell you the problems they see that could pose trouble. For the most part the home was in pretty good shape considering it’s structural age but as he started looking at the foundation walls in the basement he told us it was pretty apparent to him that the home had some foundation issues.

So, of course the buyer asks: “How bad is it”? The inspector’s reply “I am not sure, you will have to hire a structural engineer”. We all became a little concerned at that point. They really loved the home! We recommended that they seek a professional opinion for around $350.00. In most cases is better to pay a professional for their opinion of the problem before walking away if you really like the home that much. That way, you can ask questions to help you understand as well as ask them what would they do if they were in this situation? The biggest question being…can it be fixed so when we decide to sell it in the future there is no issue for us to deal with? He gave us his professional opinion and after some thought they decided that they wanted to ask the seller to pay for the repairs.

Well, I went to the seller’s broker and told them we had a problem. I also told them the buyer would still purchase the property if we could negotiate a repair agreement. Long story short, the seller agreed to pay $6800 in repairs to stablize the foundation. The company came out and corrected the issue within 3 days by digging up a portion of the foundation and installing 6 different helical peirs based on the recommendations of the buyer’s structural engineer.

All in all, things ended pretty well! The Engineer approved of the work that was done, the bank signed off on the work that was done and the buyer’s closed on the home. They love the home today and in the future when they go to sell the home they will have all the documentation needed to protect them from having to make the same type of repairs. Sometimes issues arise when you purchase a home. Most of the time it is pretty scary when these issues reveal themselves. If that happens to you remember this story and that things don’t always end for the worst, especially if you have hired a Buyer’s Agent to represent you!

Would you have just walked away then or would you have proceeded with caution?

Speak & Seek the answers!

Devine Realty — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:19:17 +0000

Bow chica wow wow

When you use the internet as a learning mechanism you find out pretty quickly that is there a whole lot of “junk info” out there to decphyer and…as a surfer you always have to keep your guard up – don’t you? Then when you find something worth retaining you wonder – when was the last time this site was updated? Are these even real people? Does this look like a site I can trust? What do you think, are these even fair assumptions?

Now, when I say “junk info” I am really referring to “whole lot of mess pages” but I am really not trying to dawg other websites right now. When we go out and study our competitor’s websites we mainly see too much cluttered information. Here at Devine Realty our goals are to provide you with relevant, organized & educational content. It is simple we want to help everyone get the answers they need fast!

See, as you are out there surfing along those other “whole lot of mess pages” you find that yes, the information is plentiful and for the most part it is usually solid info but you have to filter through so much. As a visitor you are constantly looking to dismiss the information you are intaking…unless it bears a slight resemblance to your topic or what is important to you.

So, Help Us – Help You!!!

We could rant and rave here all day about different topics in the real estate world that interest just a few. So, we would like to flip the tables a little bit today in honor of You! See, this whole process is not about us as Realtors it is just about You- the consumer! It should be anyway. So tell us, what would you like to read about here?

Just fill out the contact form below
or
give us a call now TOLL FREE @ 1-800-287-5533

“Here is your sign!”

Devine Realty — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:50:28 +0000

I remember that there used to be a comedian who used that line a lot in his routine. You got to love a little sarcasim every now and then or life would just be a drag wouldn’t it? Here is your sign! Ha!

For quite some time now the News Media has managed to report mainly the doom & gloom of the housing market, even thought the true picture has been changing right before our very eyes. Some of you may have noticed but for most the news is passing many people “right buy”.

Now, just in case you are wondering, that was not a typo – I said “right buy”. See most everyone has realized that RIGHT NOW is a lousy time to be a seller but a great time to be a buyer. That fact still holds true in my opinion but for how long? I talk to people everyday who are out there that know they can buy but they are waiting for that one sign that helps them take the next step.

Maybe this will help; Sellers once listed their homes in droves all based on the mindset “well, let’s just list it for what I want & if it doesn’t sell I am good with that – I am not in a hurry” well, they are changing their perspective. Those sellers have realized that you can’t compete with the almighty bank unless there is more of a level playing field. Banks are a home seller’s biggest competition because they have lots of unwanted inventory now.

So, Sellers are making a stand of their own taking their homes off the market. Go pick your favorite community in Charlotte and drive down the tree lined streets this weekend. How many “For Sale” signs do you see? How many where there this time a year ago?

Well, put it this way…if you have been on the fence about buying – you better jump off and go find you a place pretty soon. When there are fewer homes on the market Sellers can demand more in great locations. This is a convienence that they have not be able to see light of for a very long time. Yeah, overall prices may drop a little bit more over the next year but if the banks moderate their inventory into the marketplace then prices will begin to stabilze.

So, when is the right time to buy? “Here is your sign”!

Search Rentals By Price

Devine Realty — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:47:51 +0000

We are dedicated to providing you with a user friendly search! So, that being said, we would like to invite you to visit our newest page where you can Search Charlotte Rental Homes by price range. When you find one you like remember that you can click on the schedule an appointment button of your favorites to have one of our Brokers give you a private showing. Same Day showings can happen!

We got a new look!

Devine Realty — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:33:10 +0000

Hello and Thank You for Visiting!

We are humbled that you took your time to stop by and check out the information on our newly updated website! You should know that you now have UN-RESTRICTED ACCESS to thousands of homes available for sale and for rent in the Charlotte metro area. We update this site numerous times per day so you have the most current information.

You want to learn on your own, we get that!

But when you are ready we want to invite you to interact with us. Our goal is to provide content here that will educate you about working, living & playing in the communities that YOU LOVE! We aren’t going for “Corporate” here, we are shooting for “REAL”. We know it is hard to trust what you find on the internet so we want you to know that we are real people with real scenerios and we will share the fun with you.

This will be a site that you will be able to enjoy light hearted blog posts and we invite you to comment and share your experiences. There will be videos to watch too! Some will be professional footage and some will be raw footage. Either way, when you hang out with us, you are going to get a much different perspective of buying, selling and/or renting in the Charlotte Community!

Enjoy!

Chuck Denny
Broker-in-Charge