Debe Maxwell, Realtor® - Charlotte NC MLS - Charlotte NC Neighborhoods

Virtual Staging...What a Novel Idea!

What's in it for you? A quicker sale than listing/selling an unfurnished, vacant property!

Some sellers simply cannot afford to furnish their vacant properties and some buyers simply cannot 'mentally picture' furnishings in a vacant home. Innovative agents are now turning to virtual staging.

This process uses computer technology to add furniture and decoraor items to photos of vacant listings. The cost is approximately $250 for a few photos and the images are quite impressive. One company, Virtually Staging Properties, has nearly 1,000 photos of items which they strategically place, via computer, into YOUR photos of the vacant rooms!

The husband and wife team who own the business (located in Atlanta) are both professional stagers so, their finished 'product' is expertly presented. They also deliver 8 x 10 photos to you for use in the home to demonstrate what that specific room will look like with furnishings in that particular room.

There are other companies who do this--including www.VirualStagingSolutions.com and OBEO tours (www.OBEO.com) which offer such luxuries as textured walls, furnishings, countertops, etc. This affordable solution to those sellers who cannot or will not hire that recommended stager is a viable alternative to the traditional staging.

*NOTE: This is certainly NOT a replacement for a local, professional stager, just an option if you or your sellers can't or won't hire someone to physically provide this service.

**Also of note, when listing these properties, don't forget your COE rules--disclose that" the photos are representative of staging; the property is currently vacant." (Use your own wording but, be sure that you don't post the photos of the furnished property as this is deceptive practice).

Check out the virtual staging websites and see what new technology lies ahead for YOUR vacant listings!

Charlotte NC Real Estate Update, SEPT 2009

The salability of their home on the market seems to be at the forefront of Sellers' minds during in mid-October. There are thoughts that this may be a good time to take their home off the market until the springtime when the “market improves”, but, this year, there are several reasons not to this:

1. We believe that the market will continue to improve in terms of the number of sales, but that prices will continue to soften until the rate of employment increases.

2. More people with jobs means more people can afford to buy a home. Estimates by most local and national economists believe employment numbers may begin to improve in mid year.

3. Prices will soften if interest rates increase. There is no question that current mortgage rates are at historic lows and that sooner or later rates must increase. A higher rate of interest will mean less buying power for homebuyers and this too will have a negative impact on home prices.

4. Historically, more new listings are placed on the market in the springtime than at any other time of year. More listings equal more supply equals more listings trying to compete to attract the same buyer pool.

Devaluation of property occurs the longer a home remains unsold. If home prices are falling at 4% annually then a $400,000 home devalues at $16,000/year, why not agressively price your property and continue to 'ride out' the market while other sellers are removing their home from the market for the holidays? As springtime approaches, you'll have far more competition. By leaving your home on the market during the winter months, you'll surely captuer the buyer that loves to shop in during this time and have less competition than in the spring!

Here are the September statistics for Charlotte single family and condo/townhome sales only, 9/2008 vs. 9/2009:

The median sales & DOM statistics for Charlotte single family sales only, since April, 2009 are below.

Providence Springs Charlotte NC, once farmland, is a quaint neighborhood nestled between the Arboretum and Rea Road (the city-side of Highway 51). Gene Harrington & Ken Dowd (developers of other upscale neighborhoods as Berkley & Highgate), developed the sanctuary-style neighborhood, building custom homes on winding streets with flat lots, surrounded by mature trees. As you enter Providence Springs Charlotte NC, you will continue past a relatively new pre-fab development into the original neighborhood (which begins at Megington Drive) with 127 gorgeous custom and semi-custom homes.

Mere minutes from the Arboretum, just 9 miles from Uptown and minutes from I-485, Providence Springs Charlotte NC is in a prime location: shopping, recreation, and schools abound in this area. Centrally located to the major private schools and in one of the city’s best school districts, YOU will have your choice of schools for your children!

Located in beautiful South Charlotte, this prime property is tucked away just inside the Providence Road/Pineville-Matthews junction. Completed in 2002, renowned custom homebuilders, Harrington & Dowd took great pride in developing a quaint neighborly community with wide streets and gorgeous mature trees. As you tour this highly sought-after community, you will notice the immaculate attention to detail in architecture, style, landscaping, sidewalks & neighbor-friendly cul-de-sacs. Multiple honors and awards have been bestowed on the developer/builders, including Builder of the Year on several occasions.

Disclaimer: All information provided by this author is strictly an opinion, is not guaranteed, may be based on information collected from several sources, which may or may not be deemed reliable at the time of researching this article and may be time sensitive.

A Little Carolina Panthers History!

Charlotte was a-buzz with the news and we rallied to support our newest professional sport. A former player himself, Jerry Richardson has a true passion for football. He bacame only the second NFL owner to have been a former player. To Charlotte and the Carolinas, that was a huge bonus to us as we were going through a major upset with our, then, professional basketball team, the Hornets, and were looking for an owner with a 'heart!' We found a gem in Jerry Richardson and he has served our city with class and dignity for 15 years now.

On July 29, 1995, the Carolina Panthers put another note in the history books by winning their inaugural game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, becoming the very first NFL team to win it's inaugural game!

It's been a roller coaster ride since! In July of 1996, the Carolina Panthers home was completed (flanked by two bronze panthers at each of the three entrances) and the Panthers played their first game, against the Bears, winning their first game in their new home!

December 17, 2003, the Carolina Panthers defeated the Arizona Cardinals to win the NFC South Division title and earned their second playoff berth. They then beat Dallas to win the NFC Wild Card Playoff game, moving on to beat the Eagles on January 18th and facing the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVIII!

We've had a few rough patches along the way but, all-in-all, the Carolina Panthers in their Bank of America Stadium have given Charlotte and the Carolinas many exciting moments! Our passion, other than for the Carolina Panthers, is tailgating! OH, how we love to get up at the crack-of-dawn on game day, pack our tents, coolers, grills and FOOD galore and find our places in the sun to gear up for the game-gearing-up tailgating! Rarely do we miss the kick-off and rarely do we miss an opportunity to let the team know when they've done something we didn't like or when we're thrilled with them!

This year, we've had a bit of a slow start but, hey, we're not known as the Cardiac Cats for nothing; who knows what's in store for us the rest of the season? And our last 3 games--well, let's just say, the guys were doing a little re-grouping!

Below is our schedule for the year! Come support our team and if you can't get a ticket, come join us tailgating! There are plenty of folks that bring their TV's to watch the pre-game show and I'm sure they won't mind you watching the game, having a few drinks and eating the massive amount of left-overs from the pre-game tailgating!

DeAngelo Williams was the NFL player who was instrumental in challenging all NFL players to support breast cancer awareness by wearing pink during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. He petitioned the NFL to allow the equipment color variation for all team players and they approved his request and have been behind the cause 100% since. Thanks DeAngelo, we admire your tenacity in getting this to the forefront of more American's hearts and minds!