Well, spring is here and so is the selling season. Most of our buyers and sellers by now have heard about the national class action cases and settlements that will effect changes for all MLS organizations across the country.  As our industry adapts to change, standing out as a trusted professional in our community remains the key  for my business model as a Profession Realtor.

Each year when I carry my tax paperwork to the accountant, I see his jaw drop at the amount I spend on advertising for my seller clients.  I have to explain that this is my job.  My job is to find a buyer for my seller's property at the highest price and in the quickest timeframe.  We have a new secret weapon we have employed to help us do that in addition to the vast advertisements we use.  We are staging our properties with "Staging by Dee-Sign" (she makes them sparkle, shine, and gleam and then stages with superb design)  (DeeDee Williams).

One venue I use for advertising is a carefully crafted ad in Homes & Land Magazine, which offers unique advantages. It provides higher engagement and recall compared to digital channels, allowing me to differentiate myself and establish leadership in my field.  Visibility on your property doesn’t stop with print. Every month’s issue also appears in a clickable E-Magazine version, plus my listings are syndicated to Homes & Land 19 partner websites. You can usually pick up a Homes & Land Magazine at a local supermarket in the greater Metro Charlotte area.  If you need to see one and can't find it, just give me a call.  I will have one sent to you.  PS Homes & Land has professional ad designers on staff, who make my ads look even better.

I will share with you other methods of my vast reach for advertising your home for sale or land for sale in another blog.  I wanted to focus this blog on my work with Homes & Land.  They are an established company that, like the rest of us, has evolved with their marketing channels over the years to reach every buyer and every seller.  

If you want to take advantage of the upcoming selling season (which is fast approaching), contact me to help you sell your home and/or land.  I will also help you find your new home anywhere in the greater Metro Charlotte area including, Anson, Stanly, Cabarrus, Montgomery and Mecklenburg counties.  I am your Real Estate Professional, and (like the advertisement for the attorney on TV), "We'll Take Care of You!!! 

Thank you Allen Tate for this analysis.  I agree with the predictions.  If you are a buyer or seller, now is probably a great time to make the move that you have been putting off.  Contact me at Appleseed Realty to get the best customer service in the industry.

https://blog.allentate.com/buying-or-selling-this-year-here-are-the-biggest-challenges-youll-face-and-how-to-overcome-them/

Once again, we find ourselves faced with a significant request from the big insurance companies represented by the NC Rate Bureau.  They are asking for a massive 42.2 Percent increase in homeowners insurance rates.  In a time when homeowners are grappling with soaring property taxes, rising grocery costs, and other essential expenses, this additional burden is simply unacceptable.  What can you do to make a difference?

Please respond to the public CFA initiated by the NC Homeowners Alliance.  Click this link:

https://www.votervoice.net/NCRealtor/Campaigns/110324/Respond

This was sent to me by my friend at 5/3 Bank Loan Officer Tori Calhoun.  Click on it and open link for great information and tips on how to save for your down payment on your home.  First time homebuyer or not.  Also we will chat about some Down Payment assistance programs.  That will be a little later.

https://www.53.com/content/fifth-third/en/financial-insights/personal/home-ownership/saving-strategies-first-home-down-payment.html

https://blog.allentate.com/what-to-expect-in-2024/?utm_source=Allen+Tate+Realtors&utm_campaign=6e1f2147a7-MC_Blog_Sends&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d3e0573f54-6e1f2147a7-83806268

Started a New Journey this week!  I have always been selling residential and land along with all types of Real Estate (new homes, existing homes, single-wide on land, and doublewides), with experience in all types of lending (conventional, FHA, USDA, VA, plus more), but made the conscious decision to pursue a higher level of expertise with Land Sales.  This week I successfully completed the 2 day extensive training on Land 101, and am proud to announce I will be pursuing a designation as a specialist in Land Sales.  This is one more way for Appleseed Realty to provide the very best in customer service for our clients as we move forward!  I met some super nice people at this training and established contacts with experts in a number of fields, appraisal, investment, timber resources, farm resources, commercial and more.  I love the way this works for me and for you, clients and future clients of Appleseed Realty!! I will continue to offer my services on residential. That has been our bread and butter here at Appleseed, so you know who to call for those services. I am just adding to my services so I can extend my touch of helping others to a broader base. Appleseed Realty--Doing More in 2024--All for you!!!

It might have been on your mind for a while now, or it might be something that just dawned on you yesterday.  The idea of selling your home and purchasing a new one.  The reasons or motivations could cover a broad spectrum of wants and/or needs.  Each reason or each motivation has its own merits.  Appleseed Realty wants to honor each of those reasons or motivations.

Appleseed Realty has a long standing relationship with Homes & Land magazine.  Since 1973, Homes & Land has been an advocate for full service real estate professionals by offering a package of multi-media marketing platforms for the Real Estate professional to showcase their listings.

Homes & Land has established a strong local presence with distribution throughout the entire Metro Charlotte area including Charlotte, Cornelius, Huntersville, Matthews, Mint Hill, Pineville, Lake Norman, Lake Wylie and all the municipalities and areas of Union County.

You can still pick up a Homes & Land magazine at your local Harris Teeter and Food Lion grocery store throughout Mecklenburg, Union, and surrounding areas.

Direct mail has been a staple for a number of years and this has not changed.  A rotating direct mail system has been set up to provide valuable home buyer/seller information to different professional groups such as attorneys, medical and tech professionals, CPAs and many others.

In addition to being distributed locally, 2,500+ magazines are inserted into the Mansion Edition of the Wall Street Journal for home delivery.  Every other issue, the magazine is rotated to Metro Charlotte, and to other top feeder metros along the East Coast.  

I know what your question is...what about digital.  Well, let's save that for another blog chat.  There are many home buyers and home sellers who would still like to look at the print magazine and be able to scroll (oh, No! I didn't do that) through the pages to see if they can identify the home that appeals to them or perhaps the region or area that appeals to them.  

Just to let you know, Appleseed Realty will promote your home by showcasing it in the Homes & Land magazine in order to attract home buyers from as large an area as possible.  Home buyers, we can flip through the magazine together and see what style of home you will be comfortable in and what price range suits you best.  You can trust Appleseed Realty and their partnership with Homes & Land magazine to do the best possible job of presenting your home and getting you the greatest return on investment.  Call today 704-219-3160

Congratulations to Village of Wesley Chapel on it's 25th birthday.  Celebrations will be held in Dogwood Park on Saturday, July 15 from 10:00 to 2:00.  Everyone is invited to help celebrate this occasion.  There will be food, fun, games, give-aways and more.  Dogwood Park is located on Lester Davis Road close to intersection of Weddington Road (Hwy 84).  Parking will be available across street at the church.

Wesley Chapel's existence as a community far exceeds the 25 year birthday/anniversary.  Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church is at the heart of the Wesley Chapel community and has been the hub for community activities down thru the decades and even centuries.  The church and school were/are located at the intersection of Hwy 84 (Weddington Road) and Potters Road South.  The church as been in existence 1832 so the church will be able to celebrate its 200th year in 2032.  The existence of the church predates the existence of the county in 1857.  

Many families from the Wesley Chapel area attended church at Wesley Chapel UMC.  You can be a part of this staple of the community!  All are invited and all are welcome!  Effective July 9, the church has a new Pastor, Rev. Russell Alexander from the Harrisburg area.  Come out on Sunday to experience a high energy service and be a part of a growing congregation.  Service time has been changed to 11:00-12:00 on each Sunday morning.  Come out this weekend on Saturday to celebrate the 25th Birthday of Village of Wesley Chapel and on Sunday at 11:00 for an exhilarating  religious experience (Methodist Style).

If you are among the  generation known as Baby Boomers, or older, or if you watch old movies, you are familiar with the concept of doing business on a hand shake.  When a man (or woman) would give their word and that was that!!  Do you call those "the Good Ole Days?"  There are still plenty of us who would be willing to do business in this fashion, but there are others in our society who just don't play by those rules.  Therefore we find ourselves in need of putting Everything in Writing.  Paperwork! Paperwork! Paperwork!  

In Real Estate, this is the reason we have so many forms.  And it seems every year the forms get longer and longer!!  Changes on the forms do occur every year and become effective July 1.  The astute Realtor will educate themselves on the forms changes early in the year in order to better represent their buyer or seller clients.  Appleseed Realty will be taking training this week to become updated on all for changes for the upcoming year.

So we talked about "Everything in Writing."  Did you know a verbal contract is only as good as the paper it is written on?  Did you get that?  You don't have a contract until you have it in writing, signed by both parties, and conveyed to all parties (in this case conveyance can be to the buyer or sellers agent).  At this point in time, you have a true contract between the parties.  You, as a consumer, may not know that.  You, as a consumer, might think (if you are representing yourself), that if you have a verbal contract, made on a hand shake, you have something binding with the other party.  If you are a buyer, then "Buyer Beware!"  Another buyer could come along and offer more for the property, and the only hand shake you see is the seller waving good bye to you, because he just got a better deal!  What can you do about this?  Nothing!  You do not have a written contract because you were not working with a qualified and knowledgeable Realtor who was protecting your rights.

So now you know!  You need a written contract!  How are you going to get your hands on a written contract for the two parties to sign?  Who has access to such documents?  The qualified Realtor!!!  Who will guide you thru them and thru the process?  The qualified Realtor!!!  I enjoy the funny commercials being presented by NAR to try to convince home buyers and sellers that they would benefit from using a Realtor.  I appreciate the commercials that say, that is who we R, Realtors because we give back to the community.  But at the end of the day, the reason you, as a home buyer or seller, need the services of a qualified Realtor is to help and guide you thru the process, making you aware of your rights, protecting you, representing you, finding qualified resources for you, using our expertise to put you in the best position possible.  Representing you, our Client, to the best of our ability.  That is why Home Buyers and Sellers need to be working with a Realtor!  Call Judy (Appleseed) Chapman at 704-219-3160