Monthly Archives: March 2011

Approach the Sale of Your Carolina Real Estate Like a Business

When it’s time to sell a home – even if you’re moving on to bigger and better things – it can be hard to remind yourself that the sale is a business transaction. By keeping that in mind, it will be easier to detach yourself from the sale and approach it with a clear and level head.

On the

Equifax Personal Finance Blog, real estate expert Ilyce Glink offers tips on preparing your home for sale in the spring market.

Number one in Glink’s article,

Spring Real Estate Market: Preparing Your House for Sale? Be realistic! Forget about what could have been, and price your home for today’s market. How would you react if you favorite retailers didn’t respond to supply and demand – if DVD players, for example, still sold for the same amount they did when first introduced? You would not go back to that store, and home lookers won’t come back to you, either.

Stores go to a lot of trouble to arrange merchandise so that you will see it and want to buy it. Similarly, you should present your home in the best possible light. Glink provides a link to a video on staging your home – which is what you’ll want to do after you’ve cleared out the clutter.

Glink offers many more tips in the article, but she ends with what she calls the real estate brokers axiom – “The first offer is always the best offer.” She says it’s not always true, but she also says to keep in mind that you might be better off with the first offer you get than with waiting six more months for the second one. With that in mind, she says to be fair as you negotiate early in the process.

Have you sold your home? Let us know in the comments if you were able to approach it like a business transaction or if it was hard to emotionally remove yourself.

Want to Move to a “Green” Location? Consider Charlotte

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Investing in energy-efficient products and green building not only protects the environment, but it protects your family as well. Buyers looking for a healthy, “green” location for their families should consider the purchase of Carolina real estate in Charlotte, N.C.

Recently, Charlotte was named as one of the top 25 cities with the most energy-efficient buildings that received the EPA’s ENERGY STAR certification in 2010. Among the facilities that are eligible to earn the ENERGY STAR label are K-12 schools, supermarkets, bank branches, financial centers, places of worship, hospitals, offices and retailers to name a few. Your family probably frequents these types of locations often, if not on a daily basis.

So, why is this important for your family? Did you know that nearly 20 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions come from energy use in commercial buildings? However, ENERGY STAR certified buildings emit 35 percent less carbon dioxide and use 35 percent less energy than average buildings.

To qualify for the ENERGY STAR rating, a building must perform better than at least 75 percent of similar buildings nationwide, and be verified by a licensed professional engineer or a registered architect.

Tell us what you think: How important is energy efficiency to you?

For more information about Charlotte’s ENERGY STAR certified buildings, visit the ENERGY STAR website.

Home Builders Univeristy Offers Flexible Classes

Builders in the Carolina real estate market know that their industry is fluid and constantly changing. What works today may be obsolete in a year or even months. Because of this, it is important to stay on top of the latest trends and developments. That’s why Home Builders University (HBU) is a great resource for continuing your online education.

Worried about fitting classes into your busy schedule? Stop and resume courses as necessary and learn at your own pace. HBU offers flexible courses that are available whenever you need them.

The University is currently offering a class called Building Exterior Shell Training (BEST).

This course takes students through real-world experiences and teaches them how to prevent common construction errors. Mark LaLiberte, an expert in the building industry, will provide insight into things that are often overlooked by professionals. And for builders who want to continue learning outside the class, downloadable checklists and guidelines are available.

HBU is focused on keeping builders up-to-date with what’s happening in the industry. Anyone interested in learning more should follow HBU on Twitter, Facebook or visit the blog. Builders should check these sites frequently to learn about upcoming classes on topics like social media and green building. For information about how HBU works or to register, visit the Home Builders University website.