Real Coastal Living, Realtor

To make the most of your time and increase your chances of finding your dream home at an open house, approach it with a game plan:
1. Research the property ahead of time�
2. Sort out your finances - if you can get pre-approved, that is a great start!
3. Be prepared to make an offer if you love the house�
4. Keep expectations realistic

Digital curb appeal is the first impression a potential homebuyer will have of a property when browsing for homes online. 97% of homebuyers start their search for a new home on the internet. That’s why it’s crucial for sellers to have great digital curb appeal to make their property stand out. There are several ways sellers and agents can use digital curb appeal to help sell a home faster and for top dollar. We would love to help you maximize your digital curb appeal as your agent!

Limewash is making a comeback as natural design continues to maintain popularity in the home trend space. While it looks organic and can even been done as a DIY project, you typically can't wipe it clean like you can with painted walls so it might not be ideal for high-traffic areas in your home. Do you love the limewash look or will you sit this one out?

Getting pre-approved gives you a solid understanding of what you can afford, what you’ll be able to borrow, and your overall budget.
You’ll gain a competitive advantage when making an offer - get a step ahead of other buyers by securing a mortgage pre-approval.
You’ll be alerted to potential financial problems that can all be taken care of before making an offer on a home.
Lastly, you’ll accelerate the home-buying process!

Today is the best day to decide to start saving for a house. Saving for a down payment can take time, depending on how much you’re able to save each month. If you’re not able to save as much, starting sooner will ensure you have enough time to save up for your down payment to buy a house when you want or need to.

May was another busy month! We are so excited for our clients who have decided to put down some roots (temporary or long term) here in NC and for our sellers who have moved on to their next real estate adventures.

If you are thinking of buying or selling in Coastal NC, I'd love to chat and see if I can make your real estate dreams become a reality!

Selling a house as-is can come with advantages. When you sell a home in its current condition, you don’t need to make any home improvements. Since you’re not making repairs, you can list your home sooner. An “as-is” property has a greater chance of receiving an all-cash offer. These offers let you skip the mortgage approval process and speed through a closing. Selling a home as-is can reduce contingencies and typically lowers closing costs. With that in mind, you can’t command market value for a home that needs work. You’ll have to reduce your price to compensate for necessary repairs. Not every buyer wants a project. Some want a move-in ready home, but your property may not fit the criteria.

Wondering what your home is worth? An agent can look at the current housing market and use a comparative market analysis to assess your home’s valuation. Having an agent assess your home’s value is less detailed than what you’d receive with a professional appraiser, but it’s still a good option to get an idea of what your home would sell for. Real estate agents can make recommendations, like ways to improve the aesthetic appeal of your house, in order to increase the value of your home.

While sometimes professional staging isn’t needed, it can often make the difference between a fast sale with competitive bids, and stale listings that force price reductions to stimulate action. Realtors and homeowners share a common goal: sell for the highest price, in the shortest time. Staging is one way to stack the odds in your favor, in both seller’s and buyer’s markets.

To calculate your equity at any given time, you’ll need to know the value of your home. Only a home appraisal can determine what your home is worth in today’s market. You can also estimate your home’s value by looking at comparable home sales in your area or by checking with online real estate listings that provide home value estimates.

If there is one thing that is consistent about the housing market, it is that it is constantly changing. If you’re a homeowner, we want to hear from you. When did you buy your home and what was the market like? Are you happy with your purchase?

Congratulations to the Marong family on the sale of their home here in the New Bern area. They purchased this home less than two years ago, and the unexpectedly received military orders to relocate to Hawaii! Luckily, with some staging and strong marketing, we were able to get this home under contract in just 4 days. Thankfully, the market is still strong, and they were able to walk away making a profit with less than 2 years of ownership!

Return on investment (ROI) is a performance measure used to evaluate the efficiency or profitability of an investment. Ask any real estate expert what the #1 upgrade with the greatest return is, and the answer will be the kitchen. The average recoup? 81-93%!

When applying for a mortgage, the down payment is your contribution toward the purchase and represents your initial ownership stake in the home. The mortgage lender provides the rest of the money to buy the property. Lenders require a down payment for most mortgages. However, some types of loans backed by the federal government, like VA loans, may not require down payments.

Wondering why getting pre-approved is important? You’ll put yourself ahead of the curve by getting pre-approved for a mortgage. Being pre-approved before you step into the housing market not only makes you a better-informed shopper, you’ll also be a more attractive buyer to potential sellers.

If there ever was a before and after, this is it! Congratulations to my sellers for closing on 8 Cornell Dr in Jacksonville! You guys did an amazing job renovating this home and I think it turned out better than any of us ever imagined. Now, let's find the next project!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the Mommas out there. I hope you were spoiled all day! 💐

Wondering what to avoid when selling your home? Here’s a quick list of 7 common mistakes:
- Not expecting home-selling costs
- Selling without an agent�
- Pricing it wrong�
- Skimping on staging�
- Using bad listing photos�
- Taking a low offer personally
- Limiting showings

Your down payment isn’t all you need to bring to the closing table when you buy a home. Closing costs are expenses beyond the down payment, such as appraisal fees, attorney fees, and escrow funds that you pay on closing day.

There is a reason that a great majority of home sellers choose to use an agent. Having a licensed agent on your side simplifies the buying and selling process. We set up showings and help you with all the minute details of negotiation. Don’t spend any more time than you need to trying to sell your home - leave that to us!

The perks of homeownership are endless. From stable monthly payments provided by a fixed rate mortgage, to the opportunity to build equity, to the freedom to remodel and make changes to your property. If you’re ready to reap the benefits, let’s chat.

Shout out to our awesome clients for keeping us busy in April!

Whether you are looking for land, investments, or relocating to/from the area, we would love to help you with your real estate needs!

It's been a busy first quarter! #49 in the state of NC is something we are so proud of!

We can't thank our clients enough for trusting us to walk them through some of the biggest financial decisions in life. We wouldn't be here without all of you!

Funds or assets held in escrow are temporarily transferred to and held by a third party, usually on behalf of a buyer and seller to facilitate a transaction. It’s used in real estate transactions to protect both the buyer and the seller during the home buying process. Throughout the term of the mortgage, an escrow account can hold funds for taxes and homeowners insurance.

Curb appeal, at its core, is what your home looks like from the outside. That initial glimpse of its exterior is a big deal - it can either catch the eye of potential buyers or immediately stop them from considering your home as an option in their journey. Improving your home’s curb appeal can help you bring in buyers and get top dollar for your sale.

Don’t add another full-time job to your plate when it comes to buying and selling a home. Agents train and invest their time to be a major asset in the home buying and selling processes. With our experience, we know how to find a home you love, how to negotiate for the best deal, and how to make the process seamless. If you’re ready to buy or sell, let’s talk.

In most cases, sellers will ask for a good faith deposit which is also called earnest money. This safeguards the interests of both the seller and the buyer. Earnest money shows the seller you’re serious about buying the home, which can be reassuring to them if they agree to take the house off of the market while awaiting the appraisal and inspection results.

Fair market value is usually determined by taking the average of three or more comparable homes in the area. The FMV helps both buyers and sellers get a sense of how much a home is worth. Real estate agents typically use this number to figure out a price or price range in which a home will sell. Are you interested in the fair market value of your home? Let’s talk today!

We have 2 years until this guy retires from the military and can do real estate with me full time. For now, he's tagging along as often as possible to learn all the things! Yesterday, we got to celebrate with the rest of at their annual awards ceremony to recognize 2023 achievements.

A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to my buyers who just closed on their new home here in Maysville. We looked at this property a little over 3 months ago, and with a little negotiation we were able to get it under contract with a 90 day close to allow them time to sell their home in New York.

A big THANK YOU to for the referral and for trusting me to find them the perfect place. You were able to get their home on the market and sold in perfect timing to allow them a seamless transition to North Carolina. Thank you again, friend!