Honestly, I have never felt quite this good about not getting a listing…

This is a short post about a home I did NOT list for sale in Country Club North, one of the neighborhoods in Fayetteville, NC in which I specialize.  Country Club North is an established neighborhood of executive-style and single family homes in northwest Fayetteville, very near to Fort Bragg and very close to major shopping areas. Country Club North is a great neighborhood, featuring wide streets with bike lanes, gentle, rolling hills and lots of green spaces. Here is a Google map of the neighborhood.

For a few years, I marketed heavily to Country Club North, and had quite a bit of success there selling some wonderful homes. Recently, after a 2-3 year “sabbatical” in my business in which I had two very curly-headed baby girls, I resumed marketing and listing homes in Country Club North. Thankfully, sellers there remembered me, and I’ve been able to list a few homes.

The market in Country Club North has changed dramatically, however. While the homes there are still desirable, they can take some time to sell, with many remaining on the market for over a year. Competition is stiff among the homes for sale in Country Club North; The pricing and condition of the home must be excellent, and the marketing must be top-notch to generate the exposure that will get homes sold more quickly in the neighborhood.

And, I have been able to generate that kind of exposure for the homes I have listed for sale in Country Club North. My marketing is very heavily internet-based, although I also do direct mail marketing. My marketing has been effective–my listings have always sold more quickly than the absorption rates for the neighborhood.

So, toward the end of last week, I got a call from a seller in Country Club North who wanted to put his home on the market. “I’ve seen some of your stuff, and I thought I’d give you a call,” he explained. We made an appointment to meet on Friday evening, during which I would give him a listing presentation so that he could compare my marketing with other agents he was interviewing. I sent off a pre-listing packet to him, and started preparing for my listing presentation.

Unfortunately, trouble arose, and I had to meet to negotiate some repair issues on a listing that was scheduled to close. Of course, the only time that would work for my client and the buyer’s agent was Friday evening. I contacted the seller in Country Club North, explained the situation, and asked if we could reschedule.

“I definitely respect your priorities,” he said, “and would want the same from my agent.” I felt very good when he said that!

But, he had to leave town for a few days, and asked if I would send him some information, so that when we met on his return, he’d already be well-prepared. “I should be able to make a decision”, he said. “Again, I respect your priorities and work ethic.”

I love people who are so positive! They have a way of making you feel good, and professionally, they are a joy to work with. I was excited about the prospects for this listing, and was already formulating my marketing pieces!

Of course, as you’ve already guessed, the other shoe dropped!

Over the course of the weekend, I sent my clients and contacts in Country Club North some information about homes that were for sale in the neighborhood, and about a gorgeous home with a pool that had come back on the market after being under contract. As that particular home was just a few doors down from his, I sent the information to this seller, because the home would be stiff competition for his. I adjusted my listing presentation to account for this home, and asked the seller when we could meet after he got back into town.

Very kindly and professionally, the seller called me one day this week and explained. “You definitely have the best marketing of any agent I’ve interviewed,” he said. “But, we met with an agent and we just really liked her, and so we’ve decided to list our home with her. We feel very comfortable with her.”

That stung a little bit. I’m always a little disappointed when I don’t get a listing (I can be very competitive!) but I had hoped for this one, because I really like this seller! Still, you know, I feel pretty good about NOT getting it, because I know the agent he selected, I know he is in good hands with a capable agent and a company that has an excellent reputation.

I also know if I had been one of the agents he met with, I would have been the one he chose. But he would not have based his decision solely on my gee-whiz listing presentation.

Selling homes (or any other service business) is still about relationships, about connecting and trusting your agent, much more than it is about marketing.

I wish this seller the best in selling his home (and I’ll surely take any buyers I’m working with in that price range to see it); what a generous and kind person he was!

A very nicely updated 3 bedroom/1.5 bath home in Haymount!

Here is a Google map of the location.

Located in the much-desired neighborhood of Haymount, this home is convenient to downtown, the major shopping areas and Fort Bragg. Haymount is a very popular neighborhood in Fayetteville, NC. It is an established neighborhood near the heart of the city. It features mostly single family homes that were built in the first half of the last century, and which have been upgraded to meet today’s needs. Haymount is a pretty neighborhood, with lots of trees and green spaces. It is also located in the Terry Sanford School District, one of the most desired school districts in Fayetteville, NC.

Here is a video tour of this home:

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This home has been well updated. It has very large rooms, unusual for many homes in Haymount, with soaring 9 and 1/2 foot ceilings. The rooms feature gleaming hardwood floors, wide base molding, and crown moldings in the formal rooms. The formal living room has a large picture window overlooking the pretty front yard, a gas fireplace, and access to the screened porch. It opens to the formal dining room, which has enough room for the largest furniture. It features a bay window.

The kitchen has been nicely updated, with modern appliances and plenty of cabinets for storage. The floor is tile.

The bedrooms are all situated of the main hallway, a quite dramatic space. Each room has the same soaring ceilings, wood floors, and plenty of windows. The middle bedroom features a bay window that mirrors the one in the dining room.

The home also has a screened porch, a great place to relax. It is on the front side of the home overlooking the front yard. The front of the home is very pretty, with a green yard and a white picket fence. The backyard is fully enclosed in a privacy fence.

For more photos, visit the photo gallery. Click here to see this Featured Home™ on REALTOR.com®.

Buying the right home in the Terry Sanford School District, or in the case of my clients, the Alma Easom Elementary School area means you have to move quickly. Terry Sanford is one of the most desired school districts in Fayetteville, NC and houses for sale in Terry Sanford can sell even before they hit the Multiple Listing Service. One of my latest listings in the Terry Sanford School District sold in just days, and I blogged about the beautiful home my sellers had for sale and the multiple offers my sellers received on their home!

The national media has recently painted a picture of a declining real estate market, and indeed, in many areas, that is an accurate portrait. But, real estate really is a very local market, and even in a sluggish market nationally, or state-wide, or even city-wide, there are areas that defy the trend and sell very well.

Fayetteville, NC - History , Heroes, and a Hometown Feeling

Real estate sales in Fayetteville, NC have certainly slowed down from the hectic days of a few years ago. Generally, however, Fayetteville seems to be a balanced market, and home values have not seen the decline that other areas of the nation have experienced. Still, sales in Fayetteville have slowed down considerably in upper price ranges, and some sellers are under pressure to price their homes to sell. Unless, of course, the home is in one of the most desired school districts.

The Terry Sanford School District is one such area in Fayetteville. Located near the heart of the city, the Terry Sanford School District ran out of room to grow long ago. Because of its central location, it is close to the most frequented places in Fayetteville. Downtown Fayetteville, with its shopping and parks is only minutes away. Fort Bragg, a major employer, is just a 10-15 minute drive. And the local mall and major shopping plazas are just up the street.

The area is typified by very well-established neighborhoods, charming homes, and old oak and magnolia trees galore! The neighborhoods have very recognizable names in this area: Haymont, VanStory Hills, Murray Hills. Many homes were built in the 1940′s, 50′s, and 60′s and have been renovated to meet modern needs. Often, buyers have to be willing to put money into the home to get the features or amenities they feel they need or to update dated rooms. Finding one that offers the amenities and space of a newly constructed home is very difficult.

In the case of the clients I am currently working with, that is especially true. They really want to be in the Terry Sanford School District because they want to be able to place their children in the Alma Easom Elementary School. They also want 4 bedrooms and 3 baths. And, like all of us, they want it to be affordable! Finding a home that meets all 3 of those needs in the Terry Sanford School District is a tall order!

Yesterday, a home that comes close to that description came on the market. I knew that my clients would want to see it, but they were on a vacation in California and wouldn’t be back until Sunday evening! They aren’t the only ones looking for a great home in this school district, so I scheduled an appointment to preview it, took along my video camera, and shot 20 minutes of video (!) that my husband compressed and loaded on my server so that I could email a link to my clients, and they could have a video tour of the home.

Evidence of how popular the Terry Sanford School District is–when I got to the home to film the tour, there were 6 other business cards on the counter of agents who had shown the home to prospective buyers. The home had only just been posted on the MLS and there weren’t even any pictures of it loaded!

I know my clients were excited to be able to see a tour of the home even though they were so far away, and I know they want to see it as soon as they get back.

But, the lesson in this for buyers is simple. Homes in the Terry Sanford School District, even in this market, can sell very quickly and if you want to get the right home, you may have to act fast!

If you want to see what homes are available in the Terry Sanford School District, visit my website and click on the link to Search the MLS. Be sure to bookmark the link, homes sell quickly and you’ll want to check frequently for updated information.

You could make a movie out of what happened here in Fayetteville and Fort Bragg, NC this Independence Day weekend, but no one would believe it!

Traditionally, we have a full slate of activities to celebrate the birthday of our nation here in America’s Hometown. We love to celebrate freedom, and we spend a long weekend doing just that. On Friday, I wrote about why There’s No Place Quite Like Fayetteville and Fort Bragg for the 4th of July. But, then some events occurred that threatened to derail the whole weekend.

Like every other year, the community planned to cap off our days of celebration with a full day of activities hosted by Fort Bragg on the Main Post parade field. This year, the 82nd Division (Airborne) Band was set to play a program of music followed by an always awesome fireworks display.

Unfortunately, on Friday afternoon, the 82nd Band building caught fire and was completely destroyed! Everything was lost–instruments, uniforms, stands, and even all the sheet music the band would use to play their concert on Sunday evening. All lost, but thankfully all of the band members were accounted for.

According to the Fayetteville Observer, many of the band had only recently returned from a year-long deployment in Afghanistan. They’d been practicing for the last month or so for this evening’s performance. Clearly, there would not be a performance this year, although the other events on post would still go on.

But, no small thing like a fire would ever dominate the spirit of our community! The local media put out a notice, and the Band was flooded with offers to help. Over 200 local citizens lent instruments, music and any other help they could, as did the bands of the local high schools and universities! Within a few hours, the 82nd Division Band had all they needed to put on the show.

What a wonderful example of the closeness of the military and the local community of Fayetteville! It really is no surprise, you see, because our community is filled with veterans and their families and with those who have supported them for years. Fayetteville and Fort Bragg are one community, and we treasure our commitment to freedom here.

This evening, starting at about 8:45, the 82nd Division (Airborne) Band will play a wonderful concert featuring Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” and John Williams’ “Sound the Bells.” They’ll play from the bottom of their hearts and they’ll be applauded by 40-50,000 citizens from the local community.

Although they’ll be playing on borrowed instruments, ones they are certainly unfamiliar with, the music will sound more sweet than anyone could have imagined. It will be a community concert in the fullest sense of the words!

We have a saying here in Fayetteville and Fort Bragg, NC and around Pope Air Force Base.

When a piece of heavy equipment rumbles by, or the boom of artillery rattles some windows, or an A-10 “Warthog” or a C-130 fly by, we yell out over the noise, “That’s the sound of freedom!”

The 4th of July is an especially important holiday for us, and we love to celebrate it. Freedom is a very real and tangible concept to us in Fayetteville. Our community is filled with people who have served their country for many years, and in many dangerous and rough places.  World War II veterans, Korean War and Vietnam vets, and Panama and Gulf War veterans are now joined by a great number who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, some on their 3rd or 4th tours. Freedom isn’t just a noble sounding word here; it’s a commitment, and a trying one at that. It’s the thing that soldiers leave their families for, that many risk their lives for, and that we all believe in, no matter what our politics are.

And we also know how to celebrate it very well! Every year, we have a 4th of July celebration that lasts for days!

This year, our 4th of July celebration won’t be any different. Fayetteville and Fort Bragg have so many events scheduled this weekend to celebrate freedom, and they begin on Friday evening, the 2nd of July.  The North Carolina Symphony will perform in Festival Park. The program will include a full program with music from “Porgy and Bess”, “Moon River” and, of course, some marching music. Fireworks follow. The event begins at 8:00 and concludes after the fireworks display.

Saturday is for baseball! The Fayetteville SwampDogs play the Outer Banks Daredevils at J.P. Riddle Stadium, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Of course, fireworks follow! Earlier in the day, you can catch the activities in Hope Mills. A parade starts at 10:00 a.m. and it is followed by the Battle of the Bands (11-4 p.m), country and rock performances and FIREWORKS beginning at 9:15 p.m.

On Sunday, Fort Bragg plays host to the celebration. Events begin at 3:00 p.m. with the opening of Kiddie Land, and some fun events like the “Wife-Carrying” Competition in which male soldiers (civilians can participate, too!) carry their wives or partners through an obstacle course. AT 4:30, country singer Jamie Tate will perform, as well as my favorite, the 82nd Division All American Chorus.

Then, at 5:00 country singer Colt Ford performs. Following him, at 6:30 the Golden Knights will put on a free-fall demonstration.

And, in the evening, the 82nd Division All American Band will play and feature the “1812 Overture”. They’ll be followed at 9:45 with one of the best fireworks displays anywhere–a pure celebration of freedom.

I love being a part of this community! Fayetteville and Fort Bragg are a great place to be, to work and to live any time of the year. But, during our nation’s special holidays, especially the 4th of July, they are a GREAT place to be, because we are surrounded by those who can be counted among the true patriots.

The price of freedom is high, and many in our community have paid that price, and so have their families. That’s why we celebrate freedom and all it means to us.

Please come and join us this year, here in America’s Hometown–Fayetteville, NC!