How We Work With Chapel Hill/Carrboro Area Buyers and Sellers

How We Work With Buyers 

The first and most important part of any transaction is determining what a buyer needs. 

This seems like an easy thing.  Someone comes to my office and says “I need a four bedroom home near UNC (the university) for less than $300K”.  It seems like all that would need to be done is check the multiple listing service for 4BR homes in within a 3 mile radius and then set up appointments to see any that are available. 

Our process begins by listening carefully and then asking questions.

Everyone begins every undertaking with some preconceived notions.  Sometimes they are out of alignment with reality.  For example, the buyer thinks they need the fourth bedroom for a home office, but, perhaps a three bedroom with a loft would suit their needs.  They may not have talked to a lender about their financial situation and have come up with the figure of 300K just because it “seemed reasonable” or they heard “there’s nothing in Chapel Hill for less than 250K”.  Until a buyer’s real needs and motivations are uncovered, their interests cannot be completely served. 

Once your real needs are determined, then I can review with you all the candidate properties.

With this site you can view every property in the Triangle MLS whether they are a Prudential listing or not.  There is no benefit or penalty, to helping you purchase a home listed by any agency.  Due to your ability to see hundreds of properties on the web, much of your home search can be done while sitting at your computer.  When we have your candidates narrowed down, we can determine which are worth getting more information about or visiting in person.  

I’m ready to make an offer - now what?

Once you’ve decided on a home we’ll talk about making an offer.  The North Carolina offer to purchase and contract has just been revised by the North Carolina Association of Realtors and is eight pages long.  We’ll review the contract and discuss how each of its provisions might affect your situation.  Once you’ve decided on the terms of your offer, I’ll present it on your behalf.  I’ll also help you negotiate the best possible terms should your offer be countered.  Once it’s accepted, I’ll assist you in finding an attorney and lender (if you don’t already have one) and help you arrange for a thorough inspection of the home. 

I am your advocate.

The time between contract and closing can be emotionally charged and potentially volatile.  Both buyer and seller are now emotionally and financially invested in the transaction coming to fruition.  You’ll be glad that you have an advocate working on your behalf that can remain dispassionate and forward thinking when bumps in the road are encountered.

I will be there when and if you need assistance.

I’m available by cell phone nearly all the time and during those rare occasions when I have my cell phone off for a meeting you can expect a prompt return call.  If I’m out of town, you’ll know before I leave and will have a way to contact me during my absence as well as a local associate who can help you if anything urgent arises.

I’m finally a homeowner, so now what?

Once you’ve completed the transaction, you’ll feel a sense of excitement and relief.  Most of your energies will be focused on moving in your things and making that new home your own.  You might even start to forget about your real estate agent.

I won’t forget about you.

I like to stay in touch with former clients on a regular basis.  In fact, many of my former clients are pleasantly surprised when they receive a package in the mail with some helpful piece of info about their home or when I drop by to deliver some 9 volt batteries because it’s time to change the ones in your smoke detector.  They are also relieved when, many months after closing, I can answer questions about their home or help them find contractors for a bit of work they need done.

My business is referral based.  That means the backbone of my business is the people I’ve served before and the people that they recommend me to.  Using this model frees me up to provide the kind of service that my clients deserve.  Many agents spend 80% or more of their time and money on acquiring new business.  How much time does that leave for helping people buy and sell houses?  Don’t hire 1/5^th of an agent.  Find one that spends the majority of his time helping his customers.

How We Work With Sellers

We do our homework

When I’m approached about helping someone sell their home and before we ever meet I’ve

• Looked up the tax record
• Investigated what schools serve that home,
• See what houses have sold in the neighborhood and for how much
• Find out which homes in the neighborhood are for sale now and may be competing with that home

I will drive around the neighborhood to get a feel for it if I haven’t had a transaction in it.  When I arrive I’ll probably be taking notes before I even ring your bell.  Once inside, I’ll let you show me around.

Listen carefully and then ask questions

I may have some questions for you, but, will likely postpone answering any questions about what your home is worth or what improvements I recommend until we’ve seen the whole house and are comfortably seated with everyone that has an ownership interest in the home.  Most often it’s you and your spouse, but, could mean two business partners or as many as half a dozen grown children, depending on the situation.  I’ll show you the data that I’ve uncovered and together we’ll establish a reasonable price for your home.  I’ll explain the listing agreement and go into detail about how I intend to market your property. 

For each house the marketing may be a little different.  At a minimum, you can expect that I will:

• Place a Prudential “for sale” sign in your yard, (unless prohibited).  The Prudential sign and logo are attractive, easy to see and read.
• Enter your property in the Triangle Multiple Listing Service which has over 6000 members. 
• Take several full color photos of your property or hire a professional photographer to take photos of your property. 
• Depending on the size and surroundings, I may order a virtual tour of your home so out of town buyers will “get a feel” for what it’s like to be inside. 
• Send postcards to area residents informing them that your home is for sale. 
• Place a flyer box with flyers highlighting your homes features in your yard. 
• Place an ad in local paper
• If appropriate, host an Open House or Broker Luncheon.
• Distribute flyers with your homes highlights to all the agents in my office
• Distribute flyers to all the real estate offices in your area.

Prepare a “to do” list

Perhaps the most important assistance that I give a homeowner is a “to do” list.  On this list may be some big projects, but, most likely, it will be little things that you may have been overlooking.  In going through your home, I will only advise you to make changes where they are necessary and when it is reasonable to expect that you will recoup the costs associated with the improvements.  I won’t advise you to make any changes that I wouldn’t.  I’ve talked my clients out of more work than I’ve ever recommended.  When I sold my own home back in 2006, I had a fellow REALTOR come over and do this for me.  Despite all my training and experience, there were a couple of things that I missed.  I took her advice about those things and with the little improvements that I made on the items I had already recognized our home sold in a month for about 99% of our asking price. 

All the World’s a Stage

As part of the “to do” list we’ll work together on “staging” your home.  Staging is arranging your home to highlight its best points and downplay its flaws.  Studies show that staged homes sell faster and for more money than homes that aren’t.  There’s no trickery - it’s just arranging things in a way that’s most pleasing to the eye.

Getting ready for an offer.

We’ll look over the Offer to Purchase and Contract.  The latest edition of the North Carolina Association of Realtors recommended contract is eight pages long.  We’ll look over its many provisions and how they may affect you.  I’ll explain what happens once you decide to accept an offer.

Once your home goes on the market I’ll stay in constant contact with you via phone, email, or in person.  I’ll keep you updated not just about your home sale, but, about market changes that may affect your home sale.  If I ever have to leave town, you’ll be informed in advance about how you can reach me as well as the contact info of an associate in the event that I’m unavailable.

Depending on the situation, waiting for a home to sell can make people feel anything from impatience to downright panic.  While there’s no way to relieve all your stress, I’ll have shown you how long it’s taken similar homes in your area to sell.  If your home has been on the market longer than that average, we’ll need to reassess our position, but, only after carefully examining the overall market. 

Once you receive an offer I’ll help you negotiate the best terms possible.  After we’ve reached an agreement, I’ll still be in close contact keeping you informed about inspections, appraisals and the buyer’s loan status.  Should you need to make any repairs to your home after the inspection, I can recommend contractors for most jobs.  If you have already moved on to your new home, I can arrange for the work you need done and oversee any projects.

If at all possible, I’ll attend your closing with you just in case there are any last minute details to work out.  After closing, I stay in touch with all my clients in case they have a question about their transaction.