The Carr Report

Time for A Reality Check

Gina Carr, Advantage Team Leader

While I encourage all buyers to look for a good deal in a house, you must remember that this "good deal" is going to serve as the foundation for your family. First and foremost, you must find a home that meets your family's needs. Secondly, you must find a home that you really like. After all, you are probably going to be spending a good bit of time there.

Negotiations. Of course you should consider the price of the home. However, saving $5,000 - $10,000 on your home is really miniscule in the big scheme of things. For every additional $10,000 you pay for a home, most mortgage payments (30 year fixed) will only go up about $70. That's $70, seven zero. Don't let a few hundred or even a few thousand dollars keep you from getting a home you really love.

The bottom line. Sellers, you must be realistic. You must price your home right and you must get it into true "show condition." And Buyers, you can't expect sellers to "give their homes away." Make reasonable offers and realize that some homes are just going to be a lot better for your family than others.

As the number one seller of homes in the 30189 zip code, Gina's team is recognized as the experts in selling Towne Lake area homes. For help with real estate, please call Gina at (770) 516-5700 ext. 700.

Don't Miss

CENTURY 21 Advantge's
Special Events for March

Yu-Gi-Oh Tournament
Welcoming Players of All Levels
Saturday, March 8, 2 - 4 p.m.

Doggie University Information Session
Learn how to help shelter dogs become more adoptable. Sponsored by the Cherokee County Humane Society
Thursday, March 13, 6:30 p.m.
RSVP: (770) 517-9210 ext. 933

"Seven Secrets Every
Home Seller Should Know"
Home Seller Seminar
Thursday, March 20, 7 p.m.
Reservations Required:
(770) 517-8210 ext. 720

Each of these events will be held at
CENTURY 21 Advantage.
2360 Towne Lake Parkway
(next to Wendy's in Towne Lake)

How's the Market?

It depends...

"It depends" is a good answer to a lot of questions these days.

Here's the deal. There are a lot of buyers out there, and there are a lot of homes for sale. It seems to me though, that we are experiencing an "inequality" in expectations.

Home Sellers. If you have a home to sell, you are going to have to treat it like a product. What do you look for in anything that you buy? What is the nicest, best-of-its-kind you can buy at the lowest possible price?

Is your home in great condition? You must look at your home from the buyer's perspective. Is your home immaculate? Is your carpet fairly new or in extremely good shape? Are your walls freshly painted in neutral colors? Have you repaired your wood rot and taken care of any defective building products you might have? When was the last time you painted the exterior of your home. If your home is not a "10" compared to the others, you are going to be sitting on the market a long time.

Is it priced right? You must price your home realistically. This is not the time to be "testing the market" to see if you can get some price that even YOU think is high, unless you are prepared to be on the market for a year or two.

Are you competitive? If you really don't know what the competition is, ask your agent to show you. With the number of homes available in this market, you must be priced right and in show condition to even hope to get an offer.

Home Buyers. Similarly, home buyers need to do a reality check as well. We are seeing some really low offers these days.

While times are tough and some people absolutely have to sell, most people in our market are not desperate enough to take an offer at 80% of the asking price. Recent statistics show that homes are selling at around 95% of the original list price (versus 97% as it has been for years in this market).