Jane Cross

I suppose this is true in most industries.

There is a pulse. It is either in activity or inactivity, and the first ones to feel it, are on the ground level.

The phones stop ringing (or start ringing).

A small shuffle starts taking place (or not).

The Internet requests are up, down or non-existant.

I am on the ground level of Charlotte real estate. I sell it, I help people buy it.

In May of 2007, our 800 capture numbers dropped by 60%.

I gasped, we all did.

Charlotte finally was joining the rest of the U.S. housing market and got nailed. Sales spiraled. Again, we gasped; we warned our sellers, sell now, drop the price....mmmm....too few listened.

And then they sat, and sat, and sat.

And now they have reduced, and reduced and reduced. Some have sold at great losses.

SOOO......about six months after our dire warnings...in the fall of 2007... the news reports, starting coming in about the Charlotte housing market...we may be in trouble. (We were in trouble-who were they reporting to?)

Slow forward two and a half years later. November of 2009.

My phones are ringing again, my Internet requests are up, the shuffle has begun anew.

I am ready to dance...you see...I can shuffle with the best of them.

Surprisingly, or not at all surprisingly...today's news gave me these three headlines...today, Nov. 20, 2009.

"New Wave of Foreclosures lurks as defaults pile up" (as a Realtor, didn't we all hear this six months ago? I know I did.)

"Expert says prognosis is iffy for area real estate in 2010"....(strange, my business is on an upswing, phones are ringing, we're in!)

"Official: Charlotte faces slow recovery" ....Okay...well, don't we all.

All of you new agents, hurry up and throw in the towel, I will wipe up for you. I have been doing this long enough, to know, those are dated late breaking stories according to folks like me...

Now, if we could get the general public to understand, we are Realtors, we are on the ground floor, and we hear the pulse of our industry.

Moral of the story: You will have more success working with your Realtors advice, than you will with the headline news of the day. Sometimes, it just pays, to listen to your Realtor.

This handy, dandy little chart came out today from HomeGain. I always like these charts, as they give us a good guide to what those large surveys produce...I believe this one was from 2000 agents.

As a real estate professionals, we're all pretty good about knowing good and well what the 'best things' our various clients can do, to get their home in good shape to compete with fellow home sellers.

Still, it's nice to have a honest to goodness bona-fide chart...here it is:

(The projected return on investment is my favorite part.)

One of Charlotte's own has been awarded the TOP honor for National Housing Quality Gold Award again!

And, the winner is (drumroll, please) Simonini Builders!

Their clients represent the top 4% in our market-usually spending over $800,000 per home.

The award is considered the most coveted award in the home building industry. The featured article is in Professional Builder Magazine-October 2009.

Simonini is known for building some of our most gorgeous homes, they have been creating some of our finest custom homes since 1973...just when Charlotte was started to get some wind under its sails!

A Simonini signature home, has always been viewed to be strictly in the luxury market...back when luxury homes in Charlotte were $500,000 to now, when luxury homes are rarely less than a million. Their detailing is exceptional and although large, these properties have a unique quality of exuding the warmth of a well loved home.

The NEW Market Plan for 2010:

Simonini is exuding a bit of confidence with our executive housing market and is getting ready to put 11 spec model homes up, starting at just $650,000. Lenders have been reluctant to put any money out for the spec builder, but they believe that the plan Simonini has set forth, is workable...and, they're in!

These homes will be smaller, less pricey, but still, top of the line luxury. And, no doubt, they will be scooped up!

This is excellent news for the Charlotte real estate market. A little movement in the home building business will create a ripple effect-a small one-nonetheless-a ripple.

With this new plan of action, Simonini builders sets themselves up to capture the top 8% of Charlotte's top housing market. So far, this year, they have sold 18 homes over $750,000 and three over a million dollars. It's a great marketing plan for a less than zealous economy.

As noted, in a previous post, the Charlotte luxury real estate market had been hit the hardest, and perhaps this shines a much needed light at the end of the tunnel. It sure looks that way to me!

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