What happens during the due diligence period?

In North Carolina, buyers and sellers negotiate a due diligence period, which is the number of days that the buyer has to fully investigate the property. The buyer pays the seller to take the home off the market.

Typically, the due diligence period lasts about 15 to 21 days. As a buyer, this is your time to complete all of your inspections and get your lending in order. Make sure that your loan application has been submitted, goes through underwriting, and order the appraisal.

" During the due diligence period, the buyer will complete inspections and secure their financing.

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Once the inspections are completed, you and the seller will negotiate the necessary repairs.

Due diligence is an incredibly important part of your contract. We definitely recommend that you have a qualified professional to help you through all of this.

If you have any other questions about the due diligence process or about buying a home in general, just give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help you!

What really sells a home? What really matters to a potential buyer when they tour a home for sale?

Our team does so much more than stick a sign in the yard, put the home on the MLS, and pray that another agent brings a buyer. Our list of marketing, pricing, and timing strategies is quite lengthy, but first impressions are what ultimately sell a home.

Staging is not just decluttering or organizing in the traditional way that we use that word. It revolves around the complete first impression your home gives, from the online photos until a buyer actually walks through your home. A consultation with our professional stager is inclusive to our services and it’s absolutely invaluable to the marketing of your home.

Statistically, buyer decisions are made first at an emotional level and then at a logical one, which is why first impressions are so crucial. You need to make the buyer feel like your kitchen could be their kitchen and your backyard could be where they spend their future summer afternoons with their children.

" Let us help guide you through getting the selling process started.

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Most times, a can of paint, a little elbow grease, or moving some furniture around will do the trick and really highlight the strengths of your home while downplaying its weaknesses. The use of staging simply reveals value that’s already present and allows the buyer’s imagination to run freely throughout the house instead of them trying to look past the dated or time-stamped features of the home.

Our team has access to all the resources you’ll need to properly stage your home and prepare it for the market. Our professional staging partner is here, we have a handyman, a general contractor contact, and many other specialty contractor contacts readily available to act as your resource. First impressions are everything, so let us help you get the selling process started.

If you have any questions about the staging process or you’re looking to buy or sell a home in our market, don’t hesitate to give us a call. We’re happy to help.

I'm reaching out because I need your help.

We're looking for talented people to join our real estate team. We have various openings to fill, so if you or anyone you know can help make our team better, let us know! We're looking for individuals who can surpass expectations and create raving fans.

A real estate license isn't required—we just want to meet and talk about your professional goals to see if you'd be a good fit.

"We're looking for talented individuals who can exceed expectations."

If we select the person you recommend to us, we want to thank you in one of two ways. The first is an overnight stay at the Umstead Hotel and Spa in Raleigh, or we'll send you and three guests to Williamsburg, VA to go to Busch Gardens, including tickets and hotel costs.

If you know of anyone who might be interested, send them our way! We appreciate your help!

Why should you hire a buyer’s agent when buying a new construction home?

First, the onsite agent that is helping you with the contract is actually representing the builder, so you need someone representing you as well.

Second, a buyer’s agent is completely free to you. The builder already has a budget for a buyer’s agent built into the cost of the home.

Third, a buyer’s agent is there to help you negotiate. Unless you are familiar with construction contracts, most people don’t know they can negotiate. Most people pick out a lot and a floor plan and pay the sticker price. However, a buyer's agent can help you negotiate the upfront cost and add appliances, fences, and other things to be included with the home.

"A buyer’s agent is completely free to you."

Fourth, a buyer's agent will make sure that building is on track and all the milestones are being met. If you're only working with an onsite agent, you might not be as comfortable letting them know that you are uncomfortable with how long something is taking.

A buyer’s agent can also help you pick out all your features and explain what is a standard option and what is an additional cost. They will also help you schedule an inspection. Many people don’t know they can get an inspection on a new construction home, but if anything needs to be repaired before you close they can help you negotiate that.

Finally, a buyer’s agent will make sure the process goes as smoothly as possible. They will make sure any issues that come up get resolved before closing.

If you have any questions about this topic or are looking to buy or sell a home, please feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We are more than happy to help!

What's been going on here in the Triangle market in the first quarter?

From January 1st to the end of March, 7,630 homes have closed in the Triangle MLS. Just in Wake County, there have been 4,091 closings. During this same stretch in 2016, we saw 3,741 closings, so our market is up by about 300 closings this year.

We currently have 7,400 active properties in the MLS with 3,000 of them in Wake County. It might sound like a lot, but it's actually a historically low number for our market.

So what does this mean to you?

"You'll face very low competition as a seller."

Since there aren't many properties available, you'll face very low competition as a seller. We're seeing sellers get top dollar in short periods of time for their homes. As a buyer, there could be limited options for you since it's a little bit more competitive.

The average number of days listings stay on the market is 44, but our team's average is 22 days. We're able to do this thanks to a very strategic marketing system and models to get you top dollar.

If you're thinking about buying or selling a home in today's market, we'd love to help. Just give us a call or send us an email, we're here to help!

When you start the process of buying a home, a consultation with a buyer specialist is one of the most important steps. There are a few specific reasons why:

1. You want to make sure you can set your expectations. What are you looking for? Are your expectations realistic in this market? When can you start viewing homes? Does your availability align with your agent's availability?

2. You want to familiarize yourself with the process. Even if you've bought a house here before, the process is ever-changing. In the consultation, we'll also discuss the initial cost of buying a home. You need to know about the due diligence period, earnest money, and the associated costs. We'll also inform you about how long the process of buying a home actually takes. Another key factor many people don't realize is how many home loan options are available to you.

You want to make sure you like your Realtor.

3. We will educate you on local market conditions. Are you willing to do what it takes to buy a home in this market?

4. Make sure you like your Realtor! You'll rely on them heavily to show you properties and negotiate the terms for you, so you want to make sure your personalities align and that they're qualified for the job.

If you have any questions we can help with or you're interested in a buyer consultation, just give us a call or send us an email soon. We'd love to help!

What were we doing in Las Vegas this month? We were at the annual Keller Williams Family Reunion real estate conference.

You probably know us as Ginger & Co., but we’re also part of the larger KW parent company. We were in Las Vegas with more than 18,000 other KW agents who came from across the world in the spirit of continuing and improving our own education and training. KW is the No. 1 training company in the world across all industries—not just real estate.

At KW Family Reunion, what happens in Vegas will help you find your dream home.

KW Family Reunion was all about growing our team’s knowledge, expertise, and systems, and bringing all of that back home to share with you. We are truly committed to the client experience and we would love the opportunity to help you with any and all of your real estate needs.

Be sure to check out the video above to see what we were up to during our fantastic trip!

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us by phone or email. We’d be happy to help.

When it comes to 'For Sale by Owner' homes (or FSBO), there's perception and then there's reality.

Why would anyone consider putting their home up for sale on their own in today's market? The number one reason is to save on the commission cost they would pay to a real estate agent. However, saving that commission cost will actually cost you more on your net price. There are some facts and figures to prove this. In 2015, only 8% of all homes sold were FSBO. Of that 8%, 21% of these homes were sold to family members, relatives, or neighbors.

Over the last decade or so, there has been a trend of decreasing FSBO home sales. Why is everyone catching on to the idea of hiring an agent? On average, when you hire an agent, you'll net 20% to 25% more money. Saving on a commission costs doesn't sound so good now, does it?

Hiring an agent will take care of five essential aspects of a real estate transaction for you.

So what does an agent do for you? There are five essential things agents take care of when you sell your home:

Understanding and performing paperwork: This includes all parts of the contract and the negotiating that happens during the due diligence period.

Getting the right price for your home: This is done through a market analysis, understanding the market and state overall, and knowing the right price at the right time.

Preparing your home for sale: This is done by a team of professionals and includes everything from taking photos and staging to anything that needs to be done ahead of time to get more money in the end. Many times, your home needs less work than you think!

Proper marketing: This can include signs, open houses, social media, professional networking, and any other creative things agents can come up with to sell your house.

Time and energy saved: Think about all the stress and time you save from the very beginning to the time they hand you a big check for your house. Everything is taken care of for you, so there's no headache or emotional drain.

Another important figure to mention is that 88% of buyers coming to look at your home will have professional representation of their own. That means they'll have someone on their side looking out for their best interests, not yours.

If you have any other questions for us or you're thinking of selling your home, give us a call or send us an email. We'd be glad to help!

Buyer specialist Katie Lewis is here today to talk about how you can find the right lender. This is a key step when buying a home, and you want to be prepared before going through the process. Consider these things when shopping around for a lender:

1. Loan program. This is the most important factor. Lenders should be able to offer different products based on your situation and also make recommendations. There are several factors that go into the type of loan you have. Those include your down payment, terms, interest rates, and closing costs. It’s not just the interest rate, there are so many factors that come into play.

2. Is it a good fit? You want to work well with your lender. This is is an in-depth and intimate process, so you want to work with someone who matches your personality.

Consider all four of these aspects.

3. Communication. There are a lot of time-sensitive steps to take when buying a home. Make sure you’re confident your lender will be able to keep up with those steps and is very responsive.

4. Shop your lender. Don’t just talk to one lender. Interview a few different companies and make sure they will be able to meet your ideal timeline.

We want you to be confident as you go through the home buying process. That starts with your Realtor and your lender. If you have any questions for us or would like a recommendation for a good lender, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you.

I wanted to take a moment to tell you about one of the amazing organizations that we're proud to partner with—The First Tee of the Triangle. I'm joined by Lindsay Robertson of The First Tee to talk about their cause.

The First Tee is a youth development organization that teaches life skills, character education, and healthy habits to kids ages five to 18 years old here in the Triangle Area. The First Tee aims to use golf to integrate core values and life skills into their programs, as Lindsey says. They create a fun environment for kids to learn not only how to become better golfers, but better people as well.

The First Tee aims to make better people through the game of golf.

In fact, 84% of participants say that they do better in school because of The First Tee and their involvement. Lindsey says that they've served more than 1,200 kids this year, 62% of which were provided with a full or partial scholarship thanks to help from the community. They're always looking for people to get more involved, whether that's as a volunteer, a sponsor, or as a scholarship provider for a kid who wouldn't otherwise have a chance to participate in the program.

If you're interested in learning more, you can visit their website.

If you have any questions for me, you can always reach me by phone or email. We look forward to hearing from you!