Extraordinary times two - in Eastover Neighborhood.  Neighboring homes offer top quality craftmanship, custom finishes in one of Charlotte’s crown jewel neighborhoods.  Spacious, high-end estate homes priced competitively in the 1M+ range.

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Contact Dave for additional information.

Unique condos in Third Ward, Uptown Charlotte.  Priced in the $300k range, these units are priced right for the quality, location and complex size.  When the complex is fully built out, there will be 10 units - currently there are 6 units built with 2 (or 3) available for purchase.  Walk to the park, gateway and stadium - a must see for sure.

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Lots of calls with questions regarding the First Time Home Buyer’s Tax Credit.  Here is a list of the most common questions and answers with links to the IRS web site for detailed information.  Let us know where you want to live!

Who Qualifies?

First-time home buyers who purchase homes between January 1, 2009 and December 1, 2009.

To qualify as a “first-time home buyer” the purchaser or his/her spouse may not have owned a residence during the three years prior to the purchase.

Which Properties Are Eligible?

The 2009 First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit may be applied to primary residences, including: single-family homes, condos, townhomes, and co-ops.

How Much Will the Credit Be?

The maximum allowable credit for home buyers is $8,000. Each home buyer’s tax credit is determined by two factors:

The price of the home—the credit is equal to 10% of the purchase price of the home, up to $8,000.

The buyer’s income—single buyers with incomes up to $75,000 and married couples with incomes up to $150,000—may receive the maximum tax credit.

If the Buyer(s)’ Income Exceeds These Limits, Can He/She Still Get a Credit?

Yes, some buyers may still be eligible for the credit.

The credit decreases for buyers who earn between $75,000 and $95,000 for single buyers and between $150,000 and $170,000 for home buyers filing jointly. The amount of the tax credit decreases as his/her income approaches the maximum limit. Home buyers earning more than the maximum qualifying income—over $95,000 for singles and over $170,000 for couples are not eligible for the credit.

Will the Tax Credit Need to Be Repaid?

No. The buyer does not need to repay the tax credit, if he/she occupies the home for three years or more. However, if the property is sold during the three-year period, the credit will be recouped on the sale.

For more information , please visit the Internal Revenue Service Web Site or call Dave Willis at 704-968-7871.

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Follow me on Twitter.  If you are a buyer, seller, investor or simply a Charlotte business owner - heck, if you have anything to do with Charlotte, you’ll want the latest tweets from MarketCharlotte.

Featuring fun tweets, funny tweets, serious tweets, investor alerts, buying tips, selling tips, mortgage rates, staging tips - special notices about Charlotte events or just things I see around town.  Can’t wait to hear from you.

Literally 100’s of opportunities abound to get the word out to your prospective buyers using the latest real estate portals, video portals, social networks - the list goes on and on. We constantly scour the net for new opportunities to get more eye balls on your home’s marketing message - high exposure rates means getting to SOLD quicker.

Review your marketing options and call Dave at 704.968.7871.

The next evolution of dynamic media is moving from ‘virtual tours’ to full motion video.  With the enormous influence of YouTube.com and other dominant video portals, no longer can video be ignored as a vital element in your home’s marketing strategy.

The benefits of video are many and Dave cites a couple of obvious points.  1.  Video makes your listing stand out above the rest - it’s a real experience of your home and often influences ‘warmer’ prospects to experience the home in person.  2. From an internet perspective, many times video content gets higher rankings in search engines sooner than other content - this means your home’s video has a high likelihood of being found by prospective buyers.  3.  While high definition photography and other more traditional methods of marketing (brochures, postcards) have their place, video is the perfect vehicle for viral marketing through email, craigslist and other means.

Video is here to stay - and we’re not only using it as a central part of a home’s marketing strategy, we are continuing to research new ways to get your home’s video message in front of more and more buyers.

Get started today!

If you are a buyer looking for your next home or an investor looking for rental property, consider looking at a bank-owned property or a property in foreclosure.  You might expect to find lower end properties in need of a complete renovation, but on the contrary, there are homes in all price ranges and condition.  You may just find a gem.  Contact Dave at 704-968-7871 or email:

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Home buyers and sellers – the relationship may seem like it should be more adversarial than ever, given the current market. Coming at the real estate equation from opposite sides, buyers and sellers may feel they have little in common. The truth is, however, that both groups share a common path to real estate success – the Internet.

The Internet has been revolutionizing real estate for years now; more than 80 percent of buyers look at homes on the Internet, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). “More homes than ever before are being marketed on the Internet,” says Kendra Todd, of HGTV’s “My House is Worth What?” and season three winner of “The Apprentice.” “Whether you’re buying or selling, it’s essential to work with a real estate expert who is on the cusp of the latest trends, especially the Internet.”

Even the most techno-savvy among us may feel overwhelmed by the volume of real estate information – and listings – available on the Internet. How do you sort through it if you’re a buyer? And how do you find the right agent who will know how to maximize Internet marketing value, if you’re a seller? Here are tips from real estate experts – Todd, Saul Klein, CEO of Point2 Technologies, the company behind a leading real estate Web site, Point2 Homes, and Brady Pevehouse of Lynk Mortgage and Perrone Realty in central Florida.

Tips for Sellers

* With home prices still falling in many areas of the country, it’s probably tempting to try to sell on your own and avoid paying a commission to an agent. “But homes represented by agents historically sell faster and for a better price than those sold by owners,” Klein points out. “It’s harder and riskier to try selling on your own.”

* Select an Internet-savvy real estate agent to represent you. Questions to ask any agent you’re considering include: Do you plan to use syndication to publish my listing widely? Do you cover Craigslist, Yahoo!, Google, etc.? How many sites will my home be on? What kind of traffic do those sites receive? Will you purchase ad space on the Internet?

* Use the Internet to find a tech-savvy agent. At Point2Homes.com, sellers can find local agents with sophisticated Internet marketing skills. These agents use Point2 Technologies’ Web marketing software, Point2 Agent to syndicate listings and to create and maintain user-friendly, informative Web sites designed to help their clients sell their homes.

Tips for Buyers

* Take full advantage of the Internet’s research power. “The Internet can give you more relevant real estate information than just listings,” Todd says. “You can use it to evaluate price trends in areas of interest, access city hall records on development plans for your area, check out crime statistics, school facilities and noise issues.”

* “Begin with a clear vision of why you’re buying and how long you intend to be in the house,” Pevehouse advises. “This will help you determine what kind of home you’re looking for and what mortgage product is right for you.”

* Working with an Internet-savvy agent is as important for buyers as it is for sellers, Todd says. “Does the realtor provide dynamic info? Is he or she comfortable communicating with e-mail, text messaging and other technology tools?”

* While you’re researching online, keep in mind the difference between blogs and information, Todd advises. “Blogs are just opinions.” Look for fact-based sites and be sure the information you find is not outdated.

* “Real estate is intensely regional,” Todd says. Be sure to learn about the market in your area, because it may not necessarily be following national-level trends.

* Don’t be afraid to negotiate terms with the seller. “With inventory levels high, sellers can be very accommodating,” Pevehouse says. “Many are willing to contribute towards closing costs as an incentive for buyers.”

* If you’re even thinking about buying, do it now. “Jump on it now,” Todd advises. “It’s a buyer’s market, perhaps the best in years,” Klein agrees.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

When your house is on the market, it can certainly be a trying time and test your patience to no end.  But what happens when you go through the motions, the inconvenience of having people go through your house for 6 months AND your house doesn’t actually sell!  Then what?

By this time, many homeowners are frustrated and their dreams of moving on are deflated beyond belief.  At this point more than ever it’s time to really examine what went right and what went wrong during the marketing effort.  The first step is to make a list of ‘the good’ and ‘the bad’.  Examine the results, look for new ideas and jump back on the marketing bandwagon with a new sense of direction.

Why do you feel your home didn’t sell?

With the economy reeling and home loan rates at a nine-month high, lenders are scrutinizing everyone’s credit history like never before. Yet, many Americans don’t realize the impact of late payments on their credit score and their finances.

In fact, mortgage loan delinquency reached a national average high of 3.23 percent for the first three months of 2008, according to Trend Data from TransUnion.

“Being knowledgeable about your credit standing is becoming increasingly more important by the day,” says Lucy Duni, vice president of TrueCredit.com. “Businesses, ranging from insurance companies to wireless providers and some employers, are now reviewing consumer credit information as a routine part of their application processes.”

When it comes to credit, knowing fact from fiction and understanding how to act is critical. Here are some common credit myths that may be preventing you from engaging in effective credit management:

Myth: My score will drop if I check my credit.

Fact: Checking your own reports and scores is considered a “soft inquiry” and has no negative impact on your credit score.

Myth: Reviewing any one of my three credit reports occasionally will tell me everything I need to know about my credit standing.

Fact: Occasional monitoring will give an incomplete snapshot of your credit standing. You should, instead, check all three of your credit reports and scores frequently throughout the year because the information and scores contained in each of those reports can vary at any given point in time.  

Myth: There’s only one score that all lenders use to determine my credit-worthiness.

Fact: There are literally hundreds of different scoring models used by lenders in the marketplace today.

Myth: Closing old credit card accounts will clean up your credit reports.

Fact: Some people advocate closing old and inactive accounts as a way to manage their credit. In most cases, closing your older accounts will make your credit history appear shorter, which can negatively impact your overall credit standing.

Myth: Once you pay off a delinquent loan or credit card balance, the item is removed from your credit report.

Fact: Negative information such as late payments, collection accounts and bankruptcies will remain on your credit reports for up to seven years. Certain types of bankruptcies stick around for up to 10 years. Paying off the delinquent account won’t remove it from your credit report, but it will update the account to indicate it as “paid.”

Myth: If I don’t pay a medical bill on time because I believe it is incorrect, I can’t be held accountable.

Fact: If you fail to pay a medical bill in a timely manner, the delinquent payment may be reported as late to a credit bureau. If you believe a medical bill you have received is wrong or was sent to you in error, it’s best to contact the provider to resolve or discuss the matter prior to the bill becoming past due.  

Myth: The “credit bureaus” report people as having either good or bad credit.

Fact: Credit reporting companies compile information that is provided directly and voluntarily by consumer lenders. If you have a credit card, home or auto loan, or make other monthly payments, details of your payment track record on these are likely being reported by those parties.

For more details about credit myths, visit:

Courtesy of ARAcontent