Buyers
People don't talk about it a lot. But finding the right real estate agent can be the difference between a happy, stress-free home buying experience, and an unhappy, stressful experience.
First, you'll want an agent ready and able to make a full-time commitment to you. All of our agents work full time in real estate and love what they do. When you have a passion for your profession, you work harder and do your job better than agents who only “play” with real estate.
Second, you'll want an agent with the experience needed to know the local neighborhoods and their amenities, market conditions, local ordinances, etc. Unlike buying a home or piece of land in the city, buying in the mountains presents a whole new set of challenges and questions which need to be addressed. With our years of experience in the local market, we have the expertise and track record of success you need to experience “mountain living with a Carolina style.”
Third, you'll want an agent who embraces the convenience of technology without losing the personal touch. You'll love the resources available on our website, but these will never replace the time we spend with you, serving as your personal guide through this exciting process.
We hope you will come for a visit, but stay for a lifetime. We can help you find your way HOME.
Sellers
The real estate market in Highlands and Cashiers has not only been remarkable over the years, it has also been recession proof. While many economists talk about the bursting of the “real estate bubble”, Highlands and Cashiers real estate continues to escalate at a consistent, almost predictable rate.
Selling homes doesn't happen by magic, routine, or accident. It happens because of a comprehensive marketing plan. Creating a complete, well-thought-out plan to market your property and then carrying out that plan in a timely way are the keys to successful property marketing.
Multiple Listing Service: Our Highlands-Cashiers Multiple Listing Service is the first place agents go when researching potential properties for their Buyer Clients. Our MLS service not only gives the agent the facts about the property, but includes directions, days on the market and usually includes photographs of the home or a plat of the home site.
Internet Marketing:Today's buyer is internet savvy and has already done a lot of research into our market before they ever visit our area. With over 75 percent of buyers now starting their home search on the Web, having a great Internet presence is clearly important, but that's not to say all websites are created equal.
Having a website is one thing, but having your website found by Buyers is another. We position our websites weekly to ensure that it is listed as one of the first three hits on the 10 top search engines. We have also linked our website to the Highlands and Cashiers Chamber of Commerce websites, to www.realtor.com website and the North Carolina Living Network website.
We also create each Visual Tour for each of our listed properties, which can be seen on our web sites and at www.visualtour.com. A Visual Tour allows prospective buyers to "walk through" the home or view a property from their own computer. Visual tours aren't taking the work out of real estate sales, most customers still expect to see a property in person before they sign a contract, but online tours have emerged as more than just high-tech gimmickry. Consumers enjoy the tours, and they help buyers come into the market with a better understanding of the product, which can shorten transaction time. Simple instructions to access the each property tour are included in each of our advertisements.
Local Advertising: We will advertise your home in the Real Estate Buyer's Guide and will send you a copy of each new ad. We also advertise in The Highlands Newspaper, Laurel Magazine, and Views Magazine and participate in the special spring and fall editions of the Highlands Newspaper "The Best of Highlands" and "The Leaf Lookers Guide".
A description and photo of your property will be included in each of our brochures that are given to walk-in visitors and mailed to customers who inquire about property. We will also prepare professional brochures and flyers which will be distributed to all real estate offices and mailed to prospective buyers to promote your property. Although we do a tremendous amount of in-house design of brochures and flyers and have the ability to print “print shop” quality as well, we have found that our best advertisement is our satisfied customers, who are repeat customers and our best source of buyer referrals. See “Our Friends”.
One of the most important parts of our marketing is to have other agents preview your property. Agents are more likely to show a property that they are familiar with rather than one they have not seen, so we will host an Open House for the local Realtors. Our goal is to ensure that all agents are familiar with your property and have all the pertinent information.
Each and every Friday we will call, fax or email you to let you know if your property was shown and if so, what feedback we have received from the showing agent.
Time on the Market: The time to sell a property depends on many variables. Buyers are looking for value for the price. The time to sell depends on how competitive your property is versus the competition. Pricing to sell initially reduces the days on the market, time and hassle. To maximize the value of your home and to shorten the length of time on the market, it is important to improve the quality, color, smell and feel of each area of the property. In other words, you need to outperform your competition.
The Real Estate Transaction: The next step is the Offer to Purchase and Contract which will not only have an offering price, but will also include terms and timing. There may be contingencies such as inspections, repairs, appraisals, mortgage approvals, changes of dates and addendums. We are here to explain and help you through the contract maze with our expertise and advice. We work as a team with consistent communication to ensure that all aspects of selling your property go effortlessly. |
