Charlotte North Carolina has been a desirable relocation destination for many, and our little city has blossomed into a booming metropolis in the last 15 years. Charlotte now even sprawls into South Carolina having spawned the growth of Fort Mill and Indian Land South Carolina as well as growth north, east and southward.

Charlotte is a banking and energy center and those industries employ many of the newcomers, but strong technology and retail industries are also the impetus for many to move to Charlotte. Our new neighbors are welcomed by people from all over the country, and the world. Charlotte truly is an international city with culture and entertainment options, some of the finest restaurants and year-long special events.

There is certainly plenty of opportunity in Charlotte to find people with similar interests--be it watching your "home team" play on the weekends, parent groups, churches, book clubs, concerts--or just about anything else. Charlotte is a welcoming and diverse city of people seeking new friends.

Charlotte is located in the southern part of North Carolina and is very close to the South Carolina border. Just hours from the beach or the mountains, Charlotte is and ideal location for those who like to be able to be a short day-trip away from skiing or the ocean. Our temperatures are moderate with hot sunny summers, we have beautiful fall foliage, a rare snowfall, (lasting just hours usually), and early warm flower-filled springs.

Charlotte is a wonderful place to live. Welcome home!

As Realtors, we have seen a lot of houses. A lot. And everyone seems to have a different style when it comes to shopping for real estate. Finding your dream home does not need to be a painful process, but for some, this can be tedious and difficult.

We have put together a few tips for homebuyers to help find the best home for them--without running your Realtor around in circles!

1. Know What You Want & Need. Do you NEED 3 bedrooms or do you just want 3 bedrooms? Are granite countertops a deal-breaker? Sometimes we focus on the "wants" and forget about the needs. By outlining what you require and what you might like, your Realtor will be able to present you with the appropriate options.
2. Know What You Don't Want. When making one of, (if not THE) biggest purchases of your life it is important to identify what you do NOT want. If you cannot live in a house that is more than 5 years old or you just cannot own a home in a neighborhood with an HOA, now is the time to make that clear.
3. Know Where You Want to Live. The more specific you can be on location the better. If there are certain neighborhoods, proximity to a school, or other geographical needs that you have, make that known.
4. Do Your Research Ahead Online. Check out the for-sale homes in the area you are looking for and keep a list of possibilities for your agent to review. Note the best features.
5. Know Your Price Range. All too often, buyers do not fully understand their budget, and just because you qualify for a mortgage, does not mean you should take that full amount out. Be smart, and know what you can afford for a monthly payment with plenty of "buffer" for those unexpected expenses. You can always pay more on your mortgage, but they never appreciate it when you send less.
6. Refine Your Requirements. As you are going through the process of looking for a home, you should be updating your list. Have you decided against a neighborhood completely? Are you open to a home without a basement if they have enough storage in the attic? Are you completely against vinyl siding? Update your needs and wants and you will get to that dream home faster.

Unless you have sold a home in the last 5 years, you may not know what a Home Stager is. Home Staging as an industry is relatively new although the concepts of Staging have been around for quite a while. Essentially, homes sell faster and at a higher price when the details, big and small, are attended to.

If you choose to hire a Home Stager, you can expect several things. First, they will go through your home and if you are still living at the property, they will likely ask you to "declutter." This is another word for "take out the majority of your stuff"! When a home is showing, the buyers will want to see more space, they won't want to be distracted by the post-its on the refrigerator, and they do not need to see the piles of paperwork on your desk. The first step in Staging a home for sale is always to edit, remove extra furniture and the collage of framed photos that adorn your stairway.

Next, a Stager will focus on cleanliness. Sometimes when we live in a house for a while, we stop noticing the scrape in the wall, or the big stain on the bedroom carpet. While these are seemingly minor details to you, this may seem like you are the kind of homeowners who aren't detail oriented--and that "type" of person may forget to change the furnace filters, or ignore the leaky faucet. Not "taking care" of a home may indicate that there will be problems for the next owner and buyers rarely like to buy a house that they know--or think--will be a project.
Disclaimer: Knicks in the walls, a broken door handle, or that cracked window pane, probably doesn't mean you are a bad homeowner--it probably means you are busy, that you have a family, a job and a life... but now is the time to fix these things so that it does not reflect on you or the house in an unfavorable way.

Your Stager may suggest things that make you uncomfortable or you feel are out of your budget. Be honest with you Stager, since even though you are selling this house, it still may be your home for several months, and you may need to live here! Starting with the basics may get buyers through the door, and more extreme measures can be taken down the road if you have time to wait it out--but consider that the investment now could save your time and money later.

Finally, the best advice when working with a Stager is to remember that they are on your team. They want to help you sell the home and they know what that will take. If the suggestion about removing your babies' pictures and preschool art from the walls stings a little, it should. But selling a home to a new owner will require a little sacrifice and a lot of de-personalization. Take your treasures and gently tuck them away in a safe, (and out-of the way) storage space to be proudly displayed in your brand new home later.

The housing market in Charlotte is still recovering, but we see signs of positive movement in the new builds of both homes and commercial space. In Indian Land, SC, ground was broken this past month for a new shopping center with a Publix grocery store and the Edenmoor development was bought and will resume its build-out soon. Additional building from Ballantyne to Fort Mill is sprouting up and things look very positive for the spring.

What that does mean for sellers is that the market is more competitive than ever. New builds combined with a saturated inventory including short-sells and foreclosures make selling a home in the Charlotte area more difficult than in recent years.

There are several things that you can do as a seller to make your home more attractive to potential buyers. The first is to make sure it is properly priced. Work with your Realtor to determine where your house should be priced. The biggest mistake we see is sellers making is wanting to "get their money out" of their homes. The sad truth is that many people in Charlotte bought at the height of the market and financed their homes. Today, those same properties are worth considerably less. Depending on your situation, you may have to take a loss if you are selling. The good news here is if you are buying, you will essentially recover that loss.

Secondly, remember that homebuyers have a lot of choices right now, and that means that they have the luxury of being picky. So remember that home presentation is important. This may mean having the siding pressure-washed and some fresh paint on the inside, or it may mean a full-on home staging by a professional stager. Consult your Realtor for their advice on this subject as all markets, price-ranges, and situations will vary. However, for the competitive advantage, remember that doing more to completely un-clutter and spruce up a home will give you a leg-up on the competition and speed up your time on the market.