What is a Reverse Mortgage?

Are you considering a reverse mortgage? Do you know what a reverse mortgage is? Is it the same as refinancing? In the past decade reverse mortgages have gained in popularity, but we have also witnessed a rise in fraudulent and predatory practices within this industry. It has been pushed to seniors as a catch-all financial retirement product. However, it is important to understand that in reality it's a loan and when used to cover living, medical or other expenses you must understand that you are reducing the equity in your home. Applied without careful consideration, it can put your finances in a much worse position than other options that may be available to you. Let's explore the reverse mortgage and see if this is an option that makes sense for…

1235 Views, 0 Comments

Are You Buying at the Top of the Market

Over the past 30 months My NC Homes clients are selling homes frequently within hours of listing. The supply of homes currently in the Triangle is well beyond constricted and as a buyer, you may find yourself without many options. Buyers are frustrated putting in offer after offer, only to be outbid, or to make concessions that would not be prudent in normal real estate transacting circumstances. We would rarely recommend buying a home without inspections, but this is the advice we are giving to some buyers to secure homes. Leading us to one of the questions we get all the time, “Am I buying at The Top of the Market? On the one hand, interest rates are low and favorable to buyers, on the other hand, home prices have skyrocketed. Let's take a look at…

584 Views, 0 Comments

Creating an Energy Efficient Home - Is it Worth the $$$

Understanding the Difference between Green and Energy Efficient Building

EnergyStar, ECOSelect, LiveGreen, EnergyPlus, GreenBuilding, Leeds, HERS score, these are just some of the many designations and terms homebuyers may see or hear when looking for a new home. It's easy to understand why many homeowners and homebuyers either lump them all together assuming they are one and the same or ignore them entirely. The truth is while there can be some overlap between "Green" home features and "Energy Efficient or Saving" features they are not one and the same.

Green Home Building 

In order to build green, contractors focus on four main areas, starting with materials. True "green" construction starts with materials that are natural, renewable,…

711 Views, 0 Comments

Downsizing Smarter; Leveraging Today’s Strong Seller’s Market

My NC Homes is selling homes quicker than we can find sellers and list them. By spending the time and money necessary to properly present and market our seller’s homes, they are being sold either sight unseen (buyers have the confidence necessary because we invest in proper staging, professional photography, virtual tours including 3D walkthrough floor plans, and video) or there are dozens of appointments made typically within hours of the homes hitting the market. Final contract prices are well above asking and we are getting the absolute best terms for sellers. The market is at present strongly favoring sellers and if you were thinking of downsizing to make a move towards retirement or looking for less maintenance and more liquidity, this is an…

1352 Views, 0 Comments

The 4 Top Predictions for the Housing Market in 2021

We all expected the unexpected when it came to the real estate market in 2020, it was anyone's guess how the housing market would fare. The effect of a global pandemic on markets in the digital age had consequences that are completely unforeseeable, and the boom in the housing market is one of them. Many of our contemporaries and housing economists predicted changes across the board, but few predicted the strength of the market, especially the demand for homes. We have not seen the demand of this magnitude since 2006.

As we are witnessing markets gain more stability with mass vaccines and the reopening of economies, the housing predictions are becoming more cohesive. The second half of 2020 witnessed a veritable boom in real estate, according to…

2340 Views, 0 Comments

April Showers bring May Flowers! Triangle Spring Planting Guide for Curb Appeal

We've all heard it many times, "April Showers Bring May Flowers." Here's some timely advice from the Farmer's Almanac for planting vegetables, how to start a garden this year, and some trends for curb appeal. With much more time at home in 2020 and into 2021, many of us renewed interest in beautifying our surroundings, and many more who already have a green thumb for landscaping tried their hands at some light farming. According to The Farmers Almanac, April is the time to plant seeds, and watch them grow! We have this complete guide with the latest for The Triangle Area. If you are considering moving to The Triangle or are interested in selling your home, we'd love to help you;. 

What is the Farmers Almanac?

The Farmers Almanac is a distinctly…

971 Views, 0 Comments

3D Printing Technology Hits the Real Estate Market, Is Raleigh Durham Next?

Do you think 3D Homes  are in the future?

A 3D printed home? How does that work? How is it built? Is it resilient? The answer to all of these is included below, we had a lot of questions too. 3D printing construction technology seems to have accelerated during the pandemic with the constricted labor market and the housing market in the US and the first 3D printed home was listed on the market in Long Island New York. This home had 1,500 square feet, 3 bedrooms, and 2 baths, and was listed at $299,000, well under half the cost of a pre-construction home in the area, and before it was even built, the foundations and plans got over 100 showings. These homes may well be a solution to housing shortages and affordability issues and this groundbreaking…

6316 Views, 3 Comments

2021 ULTIMATE FAQ FOR HOME INSPECTIONS

2021 ULTIMATE FAQ FOR HOME INSPECTIONS

In the course of our careers we have attended and reviewed thousands of home inspections. Home  inspections can take place prior to listing, as a preemptive measure by a seller to determine whether they will need to make reasonable repairs or correctly price a property for a quick sale, or home inspections will take place at the expense of the buyer to better assess a home's value and give them an understanding of issues they may need or wish to address after purchasing a property. To the uninitiated, a home inspection sounds routine, unemotional, and a formality in the transaction of a home sale, or it may also be dreaded. They can be anything but routine, as we wrote aboutherein detail, and it is very…

4388 Views, 0 Comments

2021 Home Buyer Guide to Water and Waste: Triangle Area Wells, Septic, and City Water

Which is better, Well and Septic or Municipal and Sewer? The importance of clean water and waste removal when buying a home is obvious, but the misconceptions about whether public or private systems are better, persist. Buyers may feel that the private system is less of a financial burden because it is a one-time expense, but that is not necessarily the case, and the quality of a water table is also a factor to be considered. We decided to update our comprehensive guide published in 2015, for 2021 Buyers in our 2021 Buyer Guide to Water and Waste.

Water

Municipal Water

Water quality varies dramatically depending on your municipal water table and the age, depth, and health of your well. Since we published our last blog, there has been…

1564 Views, 0 Comments

Top Real Estate Renovations with the Best ROI

Top Home Renovations/Improvements

With so much time indoors in 2020, we know many of our clients are looking for ways to get more enjoyment out of their home. As you prioritize your remodel plans or wishes, it is always a good idea to consider the potential resale value. With nearly 75 years of combined residential real estate experience, we have seen renovations that help sell a home and increase it's market value, as well as renovations that limit a home's broad market appeal in equal measure. While many sellers are under the false impression that renovation projects such as major kitchen and bath remodels, master suite additions, and swimming pools, will substantially increase the value of their home and this isn't always the case. Major…

1320 Views, 0 Comments