Are you a move-up buyer or a buyer who has bought and sold several times? Or are you making a career move by relocating to Charlotte? Over my years in real estate, I’ve helped many buyers like you find the home that fits their lifestyle, needs and budget. And I can help you.

Because most Americans today are re-thinking their cost of living, you may be interested to know that Ballantyne residents pay Charlotte taxes. But as soon as you roll outside its border into the Union County-Waxhaw-Weddington area, taxes drop to about 68% of those in Charlotte. And if you roll into South Carolina, taxes are half as much. As a result, many nice communities have sprung up there.

In fact, Fort Mill, South Carolina, which is only 18 miles from Charlotte, was named in Business Week magazine’s 2009 list of Best Affordable Suburbs in the U.S.

As your buyer’s agent, my goal is not to sell you on a particular home or location, but to provide you with the information you need to make the most informed decision possible.

My direct, no-nonsense approach to the business of real estate recently led one of my clients to tell her friend, who is using me as her buyer’s agent, that—when it comes to real estate—she can count on whatever I tell her. I consider that high praise, because it’s what I strive for with my clients—trust in my real estate advice.

While the Internet has been wonderful for the real estate industry, it also has a downside. Today’s buyers can do so much research for themselves, they often Read more...

It’s no secret that throughout the nation real estate values have declined. Charlotte real estate is no exception. I do believe, however, we’re nearing the bottom, if we haven’t already hit it. Sales are picking up, and as the demand for homes catches up with the supply of homes on the market, home values will begin to rise once again. But this takes time.

Meanwhile, you need to sell your home.

Just as the market dictates a home’s value, it also dictates the services a conscientious REALTOR® needs to provide. Therefore, I’ve added a property management division to my company. What does this mean for you?

It means you have alternatives to selling your home at $50,000 to $60,000 less than you could have gotten for it two years ago. In a buyer’s market such as we’re in, the following options can often protect your gain in home equity made over the past years until we’re in a market that’s more favorable for selling:

We turn your home into an investment property and rent it. I handle the property management details such as marketing your home to renters, screening tenant applications, handling maintenance issues, etc. You get to move on with your life, and you get a monthly check. Once home values are restored, you can sell.

We sell your home with seller financing, which means that you offer a competitive interest rate and “carry” the note, in essence becoming the bank for your buyer. The buyer pays you the down payment AND the monthly mortgage payments. Now, not only is Read more...

The five years I spent with the well-known technology company Lending Tree gave me an in-depth knowledge of Internet marketing. Unlike most other agents, I understand the power of the Internet to expand your home’s exposure to the worldwide market of buyers. And I know how to use the Internet to market your home to your best advantage.

Why is this important to you?

Today, a reported 93% of homebuyers begin their home search on the Internet. From my Lending Tree experience, I have the knowledge and capability to know where these buyers go to search, how to track them and how to “syndicate” your listing so that it appears on more than two dozen sites.

These sites provide statistics, which I access, interpret and report to you. This way, we both can see what marketing works and where visitors to your listing come from. I use this up-to-the-minute feedback from the Internet to stay on top of your marketing, and if something isn’t working, I change it.

Among traditional real estate agents, online marketing knowhow like mine is not the norm. So, when your listing gets this kind of exposure, your home’s chances of attracting the right buyer increase exponentially over comparable listings in your neighborhood, putting you way ahead of the competition.

In fact, my intensive Internet marketing puts you so far ahead of the competition that I am able to put my money where my mouth is, so to speak, and offer a Service Guarantee unlike anyone else.

Depending on your neighborhood, I guarantee to sell your home in less time than your Read more...