Here are 3 Reason Why We Aren’t in a Housing Bubble

I’m often asked by home buyers and sellers if we are in a housing bubble here in the Charlotte market. In the 20 years I’ve been in business I’ve seen lots of market up’s and down’s and here’s my take on what’s happening now, here.

Home prices are being driven up with bidding wars and a lack of inventory, and that can be scary. So scary in fact that it may discourage some folks from looking to buy a home now, afraid that we are in a housing bubble.Here are 3 reason that this market is TOTALLY DIFFERENT than the housing bubble we experienced just over a decade ago…

𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 Inventory of homes for sale is currently running at less than 1 month, a historic low. A healthy inventory is about 6 months, and in 2008 we were actually up to as high as 11 months inventory.

𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗯𝘂𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝘆 In 2008, when the housing market crashed, mortgage standards were at an all time low for credit scores and down payment requirements, as well as proving income and assets to purchase. Current guidelines are much stricter, making the borrowers more financially secure.

𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘆 Homeowners were pulling out equity back in 2008, causing many to be upside down. This time around equity levels are extremely high, meaning that homeowners could see values decline slightly without concern.

I’m available to share with you how this is a great time to consider buying or selling a home, especially as values continue to increase. Reach out to me anytime!

Chrystal Safari Roy | Leading You Home

Chrystal Safari Roy Chrystal@TheSafariGroup.comText 704.562.1030

#CharlotteRealEstate#realestate#homebuyingtips#realestateadvice #TheSafariGroup.com#BuildYourWealthThroughRealEstate

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Closing Checklist for a Buyer

Buyer’s Closing Checklist

ADDRESS: _____________________________ DDD _____________

 Get copies of finalized contract to __ buyers, __ lender, __ attorney, and __ listing agent

 Enroll Home Warranty, if applicable

 Send HW invoice to closing attorney

 Send referral sheet, if applicable, to closing attorney

 DEPOSIT earnest money check (within 3 days of acceptance NC, 24 hrs SC)

 RECORD Due Diligence Date for future reference on calendar and file

 MARRIED OR NOT MARRIED – Will all buyers attend closing and sign? Y N If no, arrange for POA

 Complete Buyer info Sheet closing with attorney ___________________ _____Date:_______

 Clear any continued contingencies: ____________________________

 For Home and Termite Inspections – utilities on Y N Date: ____________

 INCLUDE RADON with independent home inspection? http://www.epa.gov/radon

 10 days from closing, transfer utilities in your name for date of closing

 10 days from closing request loan commitment letter

 Get update from lender – has loan package/funds been sent/wired to attorney

 Review HUD statement with buyers

 3 days before closing make sure sellers have Driver’s Licenses, Power of Attorney if not attending closing, and

 Send Wiring Instructions, if applicable for attorney

If my team and I may be of help to you in the sale or purchase of your home, please don’t hesitate to contact me.  All consultations are complimentary and confidential.

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Chrystal Safari Roy, Team Lead of The Safari Group and Broker in Charge of Real Estate Realty LLC, an Investor-Centric Real Estate Firm bringing you from Purchase to Portfolio located in SouthPark Towers, has over 22 years experience in investing, personal property management and residential real estate sales and is a licensed REALTOR® in North and South Carolina.  As a MASTERS Designation holder, she is a specialist in New Construction, Finance, Marketing, Objection Handling, Relocation, Technology, and is a multi-million dollar producer.  Chrystal is a Certified Military Residential Specialist, Luxury Home Specialist, and HUD Registered Agent.  View all our properties at RERCharlotte.com.  

How to Buy a Better House for Less Than Paying Rent + Reduce Your Taxes Every April 15

You can buy a better home than your current rental property and reduce your tax bill every April 15th.

Many renters who’ve never owned a home are unaware of the specific benefits of home ownership.  Not only will owning a well-chosen home help you grow an appreciating asset increasing your overall net worth, but it can also reduce your taxable income and reduce your tax liability every April 15.  The end result is that the home you purchase will cost LESS per month than the rental over the year, and you’ll have a better property with no chance of price increase, and control over what you do to make it home.

Here’s how it works:

In this example, the future home owner is paying rent perhaps between $1100 – $1300.  It’s possible to purchase a home for $265,000* and pay a mortgage payment equivalent of only $1316 with the Estimated Tax Benefit.  That includes:

Principal, Interest, Taxes Insurance and PMI.

What would you rather pay?

1. $1300 a month on a property that can never be yours or increase your net worth OR pay
2. $1316 a month for a beautiful property that’s yours?

You’ll be paying someone’s mortgage, why not pay your own and also reduce your taxes to Uncle Sam?!

For a private and confidential strategy session meeting, give me a call.  704.562.1030 Text for Faster Service

*This specific scenario figures a down payment amount of $9,276 and up front PMI Fee of $4,475 at an interest rate of 3.875%, dependent on the borrower’s personal credit scores.

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My first experience calling a REALTOR® ended in him hanging up the phone on me.  Turns out, I ‘didn’t make enough money’ as a college student to be worth his time.  I didn’t give up! I found a builder, built a brand new home, and never looked back.  Call me.  We’ll see what you need to put into place to move from renter to homeowner!  Late is not too late.

How to Hire a Contractor to do Work in Your Home

  An important aspect of hiring a contractor to do work in your home is to understand what permits, special requirements or licensure are required for each job.  Once that’s understood, you can know whether it’s best to hire a licensed contractor or a handyman.

REFERRALS
Be sure to ask for referrals and references and know the relationship of those referring parties to the contractor. Ask for pictures of installations on similar jobs that have been performed for others and give those referring parties a call or visit to ask how the work was performed, the attitude during the job, coming in on budget and wrapping up on time.  Discover if there are any negative remarks online or with the BBB.   Be sure he or she is qualified to handle the scope and type of work needed, especially with regard to special conditions such as lead based paint, asbestos, mold, etc.

IDENTITY
If the home is occupied, if personal items are stored there or is otherwise not vacant, be sure to qualify your contractor if he’s unknown to you through online services such as mysmartmove.com or others.  Get a copy of the contractors driver’s license and have him sign a w-9 to include his social security number.  If you’re an investor and renovations are common for you, you may want to investigate the Verify Photo ID app recommended by Inman News.

CONTRACT
Next, execute an Independent Contractor Agreement with your contractor. Be certain it has no verbiage or requirements to suggest the contractor is an employee of yours.

PHASES
Now is the time to outline and understand the three phases of the renovation. The initial Phase One is paid on day 1 of the job.  The subsequent draws for Phases Two and Three should be paid by the week, on a Monday or Tuesday. In constructing the phases, the contractor should budget for each item and any overages or misquote is the responsibility of the contractor, not the homeowner. Make sure your agreement covers things such as milestones, and outlines the scope and sequence of the work to be completed. The contract should include the description of all work, and condition of Customer Satisfaction such as all items completed in a workman like manner, job site left clean and tidy daily, and no items incomplete.

MATERIALS
Ideally the home owner should have chosen paint colors, sheens, types for each space, cabinets, granite and whatever materials will be used in the project at the source. Have your Independent Contractor pay for those materials and have that provider deliver the materials to the job site, then reimburse the contractor immediately – this strategy avoids any appearance of establishing an employee/employer relationship. Do not pay for routine tools and supplies the contractor uses in his everyday business such as paint brushes, ladders tarps , etc.

UPDATES
If you’re not the owner occupant at the job site, require the contractor to provide daily pictures and videos of each phase when complete before scheduling a personal inspection and before payment on that phase is released.  An investor can use this in the future or marketing.

COMPLETION
In exchange for the final payment the homeowner should sign off that he is satisfied with the job, and the independent contractor should sign that he is releasing all liens in exchange for final payment.

For a No Obligation Sample Copy of my Independent Contractor Agreement, email me.  I’ll be glad to help.  Chrystal.Roy@RERCharlotte.com | 980.355.9025

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Chrystal Safari Roy, Broker in Charge of RER Charlotte, an Investor-Centric Real Estate Firm bringing you from Purchase to Portfolio located in SouthPark Towers, has over 20 years experience in investing, personal property management and residential real estate sales and is a licensed REALTOR® in North and South Carolina.  As a MASTERS Designation holder, she is a specialist in New Construction, Finance, Marketing, Objection Handling, Relocation, Technology, and is a multi-million dollar producer.  Chrystal is a Certified Military Residential Specialist, Luxury Home Specialist, and HUD Registered Agent.  View all our properties at RERCharlotte.com.

What to Expect When You’re Expecting — To Buy Your First Home

From conception to delivery there are many steps and stages when purchasing your first home, whether it’s a resale or new construction.

Buyer or Dreamer?

Once you decide you no longer want to live with good old mom and dad, or pay rent, you must prepare yourself to become true buyer and future homeowner. The first step is to determine your financial position. If you live with mom and dad, take 6 months to pay yourself the amount you would be paying in a mortgage. It does two things: it helps you build up savings, and it helps you overcome the sticker shock of having to pay your own way.

Show Me the Money

Do you have enough money set aside for a down payment? The most common amount needed is 3.5% of your purchase price (for an FHA loan). There will also be what are called closing costs to complete your loan and home inspection processes, and to close the deal at the attorney’s office. Closing costs run about three and a half percent of the purchase price. Before you determine that this is too much for you, ask your home-buying experienced family, friends and coworkers about a savvy REALTOR® who can work with you in your area who will negotiate that the seller pay your closing costs.

Your TEAM

Your REALTOR® has preferred vendors and can recommend lenders to help you obtain your goal. My lending analogy is this: if you have some credit issues or are self-employed or earn commission with fewer than 24 months in that job and on a tax return, you may need a Big Mac and you can only get that from one place. But if your credit scores are high and you’ve been employed in the same field for over 6 months earning wages or a salary, a taco may be right for you.  You can get that anywhere from a fine restaurant with a real Mexican chef, or you could go to Jack in the Box and order that thing in a taco shell with meat and American cheese called a taco. Once you’ve discovered your lender needs and become pre-qualified by reputable, preferably local lender, you have become a potential home buyer.

The Dreamy Home
Next, clearly outlined the preferences you have in a home within your price range establish by your lender with your REALTOR®. Select the top 5 homes you prefer and enjoy shopping!
Once you’ve discovered your top pick, it’s time to develop an offer. Your Realtor should discuss with you the pros and cons of what you’re thinking. A strong offer is a high percentage of list price, has no contingencies, is offered by well qualified candidate working with a local lender with whom the realtor has great experience, and can close in a short period of time. There will be several documents that you will sign that authorized your broker to represent you and to direct the seller to pay the buyer agent fee. Additional documents include actual Offer to Purchase which becomes a contract when all parties agree on the terms. This document is accompanied by your pre-qualification letter and an earnest money deposit. The earnest money deposit is your ‘skin in the game’ in exchange for the seller taking his house off the market while you begin inspections and so on, and usually runs between $500 to $1000 dollars, depending upon the price of the house. There may also the negotiations to request a Due Diligence Fee from the buyer that is not refunded if you fail to close on your purchase. Once you and the seller agreed to all the terms, the offer becomes a contract.

Congratulations! You have just purchased your new home! Now your broker has 180 tasks to perform behind the scenes to get you to an on-time closing.

From Contract to Close
Your broker will begin ordering inspections such as the termite and home inspections and any others if indicated during those inspections. Focusing on the discovery of any major defects, you may prepare a request for repair proposal for the seller.
You’re also coordinating with your lender to get him several documents and other pieces of information. Be sure to respond to his requests as soon as possible to keep you on schedule to close on time
Your broker will recommend looking into homeowner’s insurance and provide any HOA documents, if indicated, for review.
7 to 10 days from closing you should have a loan commitment letter from your lender. Now is time to transfer utilities into your name and forward your mail beginning the day of closing!

Advice About Advice

Sure, the internet, the media, Uncle Herman, your coworkers, and dear old mom and dad have opinions about real estate, and your nearest and dearest have purchased homes and know about the process, but unless they are closing homes hundreds of times a year in your market, there’s no way that they are up to date on changing guidelines, trends and the latest market analysis. Hear what they have to say, but let your real estate professional be your guide.

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Chrystal is a REALTOR® and principal of The Safari Group, a local,homegrown real estate firm, specializing in all phases of the residential and small business real estate market, including First Time Home Buyer, New Construction, Finance, Marketing, Objection Handling, Relocation, Technology, Foreclosures, Short Sales, and Luxury Homes and GREEN Features.  Contact her at 704.562.1030   TXT/PH or Chrystal@TheSafariGroup.com

Don’t Low Ball That Offer!

Do you know the difference between cost, price and value?

When it comes to the real estate transaction, a low ball offer is probably one of the worst things that you can deliver when you come up to bat.

Facing the Consequences

Low balling an offer to the seller or landlord usually has grave consequences.  No matter the financial position of the seller or landlord, right off the bat, you risk insulting them.  The most common responses are to counter the offer at the original full price, refuse to counter, or for the transaction to become a series of balls and strikes with multiple counter offers, usually ending in someone fouling out. The buyer or tenant may eventually get the price that they want, but the cost will be the loss of goodwill in the transaction and more.

Setting the Stage for the Duration

Once woundedness occurs, it is very difficult for that change and for the wounded party to recover.  This is also true with bank committees representing short sales and foreclosures who have no emotional attachment to the home because they are managed by people with emotions whose work environment and nature of the transaction tends to create high stress situations.

Once ill will is established in the transaction, it can promote breakdown in other areas such as negotiation for repairs or lease renewal or extension.

Questions to Ask First

Before you make that low ball offer ask yourself a few questions:

1. Do I really understand the cost of my low ball offer?
2. Is my offer based on similar nearby homes that have recently sold or leased at the same condition, type, and price range?
3. Would I want a buyer or tenant to do the same thing to me if I were in his shoes?
4. What is my REALTOR recommending?
5. What is my plan B if this doesn’t work?

You Make the Market

After you have sincerely considered the questions and are comfortable with the possible outcomes, go ahead and make your best advised offer.  Until you make your offer, even if by necessity low due to property condition, market conditions, and recently appraised values, you never really know what might work for the other party.  However, be advised.  What you pay will become your very own comparable for your future appraised value certainly for the next 6 to 12 months establishing your own neighborhood market price. And you’re sure to become the talk of the next neighborhood bar-b-q, having established a downward trend for neighborhood values for everyone for months or even years to come!

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Chrystal is a REALTOR® and principal of The Safari Group, a local, homegrown real estate firm, specializing in all phases of the residential and small business real estate market.  Celebrating over 20 years in tenant procurement and rental portfolio development, and over 13 years in general residential brokerage in the Charlotte Metro Market, Chrystal offers guidelines to assist tenants, home buyers and sellers in evaluating today’s real estate market for maximum leverage.  In the TOP 5% Nationwide for closing the transaction with Estately, Inc, a national referral company, she can assist you with all your real estate related needs. Contact her today for more at 704.562.1030 TXT/PH or Chrystal@TheSafariGroup.com  Join the conversation on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheSafariGroupRealty