Sara D’Amico’s Real Estate Blog

Yes, I'm a Realtor, but these days it seems like I have been spending quite a bit of time finding homeless animals good homes.  I am quite alright with this because I am a true animal lover at heart.  Here is a story about a  little puppy that needs YOUR help!

I received a message from someone in the Hickory Grove area of North Carolina who is trying to help a neighbor find a FOREVER home for an adorable puppy.  The puppy was a Christmas gift, but her dander makes the child she lives with sick, and this child already has health problems.  So, Starr has been living outside at night, as a means to keep this child from getting sicker. A good neighbor has stepped in to help find Starr, the 10 week old puppy, a good home.  I will put you in contact with this helpful neighbor if you think you might be interested in adopting Starr. 

Starr is a very smart little girl.  She sits and shakes on command and she is house broken.

The pictures below are very cute, but apparently they do no justice to how adorable Starr is in person.  I am told she is not a fan of flash photography.

If you or anyone you know are considering adopting a puppy, please consider Starr.  She will love you forever!

Sara D'Amico

704-287-6488

SaraD@kw.com

As a Huntersville Realtor, I find it to be extremely important to know how well individual Huntersville neighborhoods are selling.  This is valuable information that I pass along to my buyers and sellers.

Gilead Village is a Huntersville neighborhood that has been building beautiful Saussy Burbank homes since 2001.  There are over 150 homes in Gilead Village.  The neighborhood offers a pool, clubhouse, and recreation area.

Currently there are 5 Gilead Village homes listed in the Multiple Listing Service.  These homes average 1,590 square feet and a list price of $179,878.  The homes that are on the market range between $168,590 and 194,900.

Within the past 6 months, 15 homes have sold in Gilead Village.  The average sales price was $181,368, which was nearly 100% of what the sellers had their homes listed for in the Multiple Listing Service!!!  That is amazingly good!  It's good to be a seller in Gilead Village, not to mention these homes were on the market for an average of only 53 days!

If you would like more information about Gilead Village, or any other Huntersville neighborhood, please contact me.

Sara D'Amico

SaraD@kw.com

www.BuyandSellwithSara.com

I believe that often people aren't aware of everything that is involved in completing a real estate transaction successfully.  Many consumers have no idea what it takes to get from start to finish in a real estate transaction.  Whose fault is it that people are unaware/uneducated in this particular area??  In my opinion, real estate agents are the ones to blame.  As a Broker/Realtor, I believe that it is my job to educate people as to exactly what I do throughout a transaction, and why it is imperative that a trained professional be hired to complete these duties. 

A real estate transaction deals with the largest investment that most people will make in their entire lives, so isn't it extremely important that a highly qualified professional perform these duties?  After all, that is the JOB of a real estate professional.  I certainly don't think that I am qualified to perform the duties of a doctor, lawyer, accountant, or any other trained professional that I entrust with very important aspects of my life and general well being.  That's why I value their knowledge and use it to my advantage when I hire them for their services. 

If you are considering purchasing or selling a home, I urge you to read over the list of 101 Reasons to Consider a Real Estate Agent.  If, after reading over the entire list, you cannot see the importance in using an agent to complete your transaction, I'll have to assume that you are either extremely knowledgeable about real estate yourself and are willing to put your entire life on hold until you complete your own transaction, or you simply didn't read over the list well enough.

If you are a real estate agent, I highly suggest that you read over this list to remind yourself and your clients of all the duties that you perform from contract to close of a real estate transaction. 

If you are thinking about buying or selling in the Charlotte/Lake Norman area of North Carolina, and understand the importance of utilizing a highly qualified real estate professional, please contact me.

Sara D'Amico

SaraD@kw.com

www.BuyandSellwithSara.com

Macaulay is a Huntersville neighborhood of more than 630 beautiful homes.  Construction began in 2000.  Macaualy's builders are Ryland, St. Lawrence, Shea, and D.R. Horton. 

Currently there are 25 Macaulay homes listed in the Multiple Listing Service.  These homes average 3,269 square feet and a list price of $369,531.  Homes that are on the market in Macaulay range in price from $249,000-$499,900.

Within the past 6 months, 16 homes have sold in Macaulay, with an average of 2,831 square feet and a sale price of $317,645, which is 97% of what the sellers had the homes listed for in the MLS!  These homes sold in an average of 58 days on the market!!

Macaulay offers a clubhouse, playground, pool, pond, tennis courts, and walking trails.

Directions to Macaulay:  I77North to Exit 25 (Sam Furr Road), turn left onto Sam Furr Road/Highway 73, turn left onto Northcross Drive, sharp left turn onto Stumptown, and right onto Bytham Castle.

If you would like more information about Macaulay or any other Lake Norman/Charlotte area neighborhood, please contact me.

Sara D'Amico

SaraD@kw.com

www.BuyandSellwithSara.com

I have just subscribed to my first form of print advertisment for listing purposes.  I know what you're thinking…waste of money, right?  Well, we'll see.  I'm optimistic.  I have been told that print advertisement is a huge waste of money for listing advertisement, but I need to subscribe at least once to know if it's worth it. 

I have advertised myself as a Realtor in local newspapers in the past, but didn't have much luck.  So, this is why I have been hesitant to subscribe to print ads.  I have never advertised my listings anywhere except for the internet, which I will continue to utilize extensively.  But, here goes… 

The Resale Home Guide is a new company, so I cannot ask anyone how it is working for them.  Here are the details.  I would appreciate it if you could give me an idea of how well it seems to compare to magazines that you have used to advertise listings.

The Format:

• Full size, glossy heavy stock cover (good quality)
• Design with consumer information and monthly installments of recurring features, tips and recipes
• Special sections and geographic sections assigned to listings
• Listings are sorted by price
• Exclusive to resale property listings by agents and brokers.  NO For Sale By Owner, or New Construction

Coverage/Distribution:

• 10 County Coverage…My listing listings will be published across the entire market, including South Carolina, 25,000 copies
• Out of state:  Included in Relocation Packages…including the Charlotte Chamber Visitor Center Packets
• Delivered monthly to over 190 Realtor Offices in North and South Carolina

Plus…

• Daily reporting capability from callers, ability to download and track my prospects
• Direct Mail of magazine to my seller's home each and every month that their listing is advertised
• Daily reporting on web traffic to my site from http://www.theresalehomeguide.com/

I think all of this sounds pretty good for the cost.  Rates are per listing and are monthly.  You can choose from a 6 issue rate or a 12 issue rate.  Listings can be changed or replaced montly.  Notification of changes or replacement must be submitted by the deadline or the current listing will automatically run, which is convenient if the information doesn't change.  Our office agreed to advertise a certain amount of listings, which results in me paying $75 per month, per listing, but this could differ based upon your agreement.  If you think you might be interested in advertising in The Resale Home Guide you can go to http://www.theresalehomeguide.com/ for more information. 

Sara D'Amico

SaraD@kw.com

www.BuyandSellwithSara.com

In Huntersville, there are three distinctly separate neighborhoods known as Wynfield Creek, Wynfield Forest, and Wynfield.  Often, they are all referred to as Wynfield, but they are three different neighborhoods nonetheless.  All three are very desirable neighborhoods with mature trees, oodles of lush landscaping, and breathtaking homes.

In Wynfield Creek there is currently 1, 2600 square foot home listed in the Multiple Listing Service for $274,900.  Within the past 6 months, 4 homes have sold in Wynfield Creek with an average list price of $273,375.  The sellers received an average of 99% of their list prices!  These four homes were on the market for an average of ONLY 31 days.

In Wynfield Forest there are currently 5 homes listed in the Multiple Listing Service with an average list price of $289,980 and 2,664 square feet on average.  Within the past 6 months, 14 homes have sold in Wynfield Forest with an average list price of $289,535.  The sellers received an average of 97% of their list prices!  These 14 homes were on the market for an average of ONLY 41 days.  Wynfield Forest offers a clubhouse, playground, pool, tennis courts, walking trails, and a recreation area.

In Wynfield there are currently 3 homees listed in the Multiple Listing Service with an average list price of $345,766 and 2,925 square feet on average.  Within the past 6 months, 7 homes have sold in Wynfield with an average list price of $275,985.  The sellers received an average of 98% of their list prices!  These 7 homes were on the market for an average of ONLY 61 days.  Wynfield offers a clubhouse, playground, pool, tennis courts, walking trails, and a recreation area.

If you would like more information about Wynfield Creek, Wynfield Forest, Wynfield, or any other Huntersville neighborhood, please contact me.

Sara D'Amico

SaraD@kw.com

http://www.buyandsellwithsara.com/

Allen Norwood did a great piece in the Charlotte Observer on how to keep your home in shape by doing a little bit of maintenance each month.  This way, the work load is manageable and doesn't take the entire Summer to complete.  He gives great reminders about all of the little things that we might forget or try not to remember.  I love it that he starts the year with making a list of projects that will need completed throughout the year.  You need a plan for success!

As a Realtor, I see firsthand how important it is to keep your home in good condition while you live in it, so that when it comes time to sell, maintenance is not an issue.  Most homeowners will have some repairs that they will need to complete in order to market and sell their homes, but you certainly don't want to be handed a mile long repair list in the middle of a real estate transaction.  Believe me, I have seen some long lists!

Keep up with your home and it will benefit you in the long run!  Check out what you should be doing in your home during the month of January by looking at the full story from the Charlotte Observer at http://www.charlotte.com/452/story/432263.html

I will remind you in February to continue with your home's maintenance!

Sara D'Amico

SaraD@kw.com

www.BuyandSellwithSara.com

Hello and Happy New Year!

Here is a great list that I just found on Charlotte.com. It is a good summary of what is open and closed on New Years Day. This list could be a great e-mail blast to your sphere of influence.

• Mecklenburg ABC stores: Closed

• S.C. ABC stores: Open

• Banks: Closed

• CPCC: Reopens Jan. 10

• Charlotte buses and light rail: Sunday-schedule

• Charlotte city offices: Closed

• Mecklenburg County offices: Closed

• FedEx: Closed

• Federal offices: Closed

• Charlotte garbage: Regular pickup

• Charlotte libraries: Close 4 p.m. Monday, closed Tuesday

• Post offices: Closed

• Charlotte schools: Closed. Reopen Wednesday.

• State offices: Closed

• Stock market: Closed

• UNCC: Reopens Jan. 9

• United Parcel Service: Closed Monday, Tuesday

Hope this helps!

Sara D'Amico

SaraD@kw.com

www.BuyandSellwithSara.com

Hello,

 Here is a great article for any of you that have friends, family, and clients in Lincoln County, NC. Property values in Eastern Lincoln county could go up as much as 53% when the country's reevaluations begin in January.

Here is a link to the article from the Charlotte Observer:

http://www.charlotte.com/breaking_news/story/420346.html

Hope this helps!

Sara D'Amico

SaraD@kw.com

www.BuyandSellwithSara.com

Hello,

 Here is some great info to share with your clients.  Charlotte, NC is just one of three areas in the United States where home values are up. Charlotte, Portland, Oregon, and Seattle posted year over year price increases in October. Charlotte lead the US with the largest gain at 4.3% according to the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller home price index released Wednesday.

Here is a link to the article from the Charlotte Observer:

http://www.charlotte.com/109/story/420456.html

 Hope this helps!

Sara D'Amico

SaraD@kw.com

www.BuyandSellwithSara.com