Don Taber, CRS, GRI

Let's get that house sold! We put more than just a sign in the yard - check out our yard signs!

I happened to be on duty for our office over the Christmas weekend and on floor duty this past week. Let's just say that I can see hope on the near horizon for the real estate market in the Wilson area! I received several sign calls as well as internet inquiries in a traditionally "slow" time of year for real estate. Presently, I am preparing a prospective "show list" for folks that are considering the Wilson area for their next purchase that called me from one of our signs in front of a listed property. Several other sellers are in contact with us about using our personalized "TaberTeam" services to sell their home. One of our custom marketing strategies is included on our yard signs.

Our signs have vast additional information available to those who have internet access or a "smart" phone. We offer all of our listing clients a website for their property while it is listed with us. Prospective buyers can enter the web address, URL, into their computer, smart phone, laptop or netbook and be directed straight to a custom text description, many photos and pertinent specs or information about that particular home (this website also submits your property to other real estate "classified listing" style websites!) In addition to calling us directly, buyers can also email or text us with any questions that they have. And if they are already working with another agent, they will still have the additional information the property website provides that may not be available to their agent in the local MLS due to space constraints.

OR they can scan the QR code with their "smart" phone - this is a black and white box pattern of squares that is coded to direct the user to a website with information about an item or property. You see them in magazines, on store products, etc. We attach the QR code to the website rider on the yard sign to provide our sellers with extra custom marketing for their property.

Sometimes, we also use a QR code to direct the user to an interactive, full rotational 360 degree, High Def, custom virtual tour that we provide to our listed sellers on qualified properties. We'll touch on these fantastic virtual tours and our custom websites in a future blog!

In the past, we have used "Take One" boxes attached to the sign filled with flyers printed up with photos and a brief description of the property. We have found that in this market, the flyers are not even being picked up and if they are - they may have ended up in the trash without any buyer contact at all. The website riders and QR codes seem to have been more successful in getting quite a bit more exposure and buyer contact for our seller's properties.

This is not the same market it was even 5 years ago as far as how advertising and marketing real estate is handled. We strive to keep up with the new and advanced technology available to real estate professionals in order to serve our sellers to the best of our abilities and help them turn their houses into SOLD! We are the Taber Team - Wilson's Home Team!

2011 was a quite a year here in Wilson! Mine started off pretty rough with brutal challenges in the first 2 weeks of January. The year progressed with things improving as each day passed. We are moving forward to brighter tomorrows as we march triumphantly into the new year. We have the hope of an awesome future awaiting us. God is faithful!

We are looking forward to 2012 with eyes of hope - full of fresh ideas and new strategies for success on all levels of life as we gather information and encouragement to break the "new ground" of the year ahead. Blessings will come as we focus on the future and unwrap each day as a gift from God with joy for living, dreaming and scheming for a happy, healthy and prosperous new year!

Wishing you all the best of the very best this year!

Everybody knows how slow the market can be in December.....so we decided we needed to build a couple of houses. We set out to find the best looking plans we could find and then to get an architect to make some changes to match our client's “tastes”. Then we had to talk to a builder and some sub-contractors to be sure we could get everything done before Christmas. Once we were assured we could get it done we started gathering all the supplies.....and this is what we came up with!

Okay, okay, I know it was a play on words...but it was fun. Our nieces came over and we built gingerbread houses before Christmas. We all had fun and since we are in the business of selling houses it fits.

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that this coming New Year of 2012 will be filled with many new homes and home sales.

As always if you are looking to buy or sell a home in the Wilson, NC area, just give us a call! We are ready to help. Let us talk to you about Virtual Tours and QR codes and URL riders and staging! Marketing your property online is more important than it has ever been and having your home ready and priced right will make it sell! One of our closings today was on the market only 7 weeks when it went under contract. Get it ready and price it right!

Here is one method of how not to close on your new home...or Uh oh, it's too late now.

Many deals are out there right now in the Wilson real estate market! And there are lenders that are ready and able to make you the loan if you qualify to buy one. But there is one, very important thing you need to keep in mind about financing your home purchase in order to make sure your closing actually happens!

Hopefully, before you decided to even go look at homes, you got a loan prequalification from your preferred lender. That is always a good idea because it helps to give you a price range of how much buying power your income and credit scores will allow. You can then decide what payment range you are comfortable with. Then you can seek out that perfect place to call home! Bingo! You finally found it! Next, you go back to your lender after negotiating a successful contract on your new home and the loan process begins! You're excited and maybe a little nervous, especially if you are a first time home buyer but at any rate, you are sitting on pins and needles waiting to hear if everything will fall into place in order for your loan to go through.

The lender will pull all the necessary verifications of income, assets, liabilities, credit, etc. as well as order an appraisal. In the meantime, your duty is to check out the "bones" and overall condition of the home including negotiating any repairs, etc. But there is also another thing that you need to do....don't open that wallet!

Yes, there are a few "goodies" you want to get to "feather your nest"...but WAIT! Don't use that credit card! And hang onto your cash! Don't buy anything on credit! Your credit is often checked again before closing and we have seen several buyers over the years pull up in a new car or buy a house full of furniture 2 days before closing! And they held their breath after we told them what can happen. Doing this can jeopardize your ability to close because you are going into more debt! More debt than you initially had when you were prequalified or made an official application for your loan. And sometimes just a few thousand dollars or even a few hundred can make the difference between a loan approval or denial.

Careful management of your funds can help give you a successful home buying experience as well as a great investment in your financial future. I can help you navigate the waters of home selling and buying with over 12 years as a full-time Realtor. I am also a Graduate of the REALTOR Institute (GRI) and a Certified Residential Specialist (CRS). Please let my experience and knowledge help you with your next real estate venture. I have lived here in the Wilson area since 1979 and know the Wilson market. I also work with my wife, Lou Anne, as a team in order to serve you better. Trust the Taber Team - Wilson's Home Team!

Choosing us, the Taber Team, to market and sell your property could make all the difference in turning this sometimes difficult and stressful process into an informed and smooth success!

For most people, selling a home is a huge financial decision that greatly affects their future plans. The whole process can be confusing, with many important questions and issues that need to be addressed.

We analyze and determine property values in the Wilson real estate market every day. The market here has been slow for a while but we are starting to see a little more activity. As an experienced, professional real estate team, we can help you determine what your property is worth in the current market. Then we'll aggressively market your property to get it sold...we not only advertise locally, but on a national level. Through our professional contacts and affiliations, as well as our advanced technology tools, we will put your listing in many of the web locations where qualified buyers are looking.

We add many interior and exterior pictures of your property, with your permission, to all of our internet sites. We also provide interactive High Definition 360 degree full rotational virtual tours for qualified properties that give the viewer the impression that they are standing in the center of a room or area and turning in a circle in order to see it all! Several scenes can be included as well as a slide show - both with music! Zoom, pause, etc. are added features to this, along with a mapping feature that takes the viewer to an birds-eye view of your property (if available).

Your property will also have it's own website address - www.TaberTeam.com/0000 - the numbers will be your property's street address numbers, if possible. Your sign will also have a website rider with your property's individual website address. We are now including QR codes on the yard sign that take the user directly to your home's website. Your property will also be on REALTOR.com, Wilson MLS service, www.taberteam.com , www.wilsonboardofrealtors.com & many other real estate sites such as Trulia, Zillow, etc!

We will have Open Houses to get more eyes on your property at your request. We can also provide a "sales appeal analysis", after listing your home and at your request, that gives constructive staging and decor suggestions that may help make your home more appealing to buyers. Over the years, we have helped many sellers who have had their homes "listed" and "expired" with no sale yet, to get the sale they needed through taking advantage of this valuable service!

You can count on our years of experience as real estate professionals to answer your questions about every aspect of the selling and closing process.

You can search our local Wilson area MLS by going to http://www.taberteam.com/SearchLocalMLS .

As always, if you know anyone looking to buy or sell real estate anywhere give us a call or send us an email and we will help you. We appreciate your referrals.