What Steve Harney Taught Us

December
17
2010

The holidays visit us only once a year (sad but true). This year we were fortunate to have Steve Harney visit us not once but several times across the footprint and this week he made a holiday travel stop at our offices.
For those who may not know, Steve Harney is the leading expert in negotiation [...]

Full Article

Allen Tate Agents in Greensboro: What a Week!

December
16
2010

This past week the Greensboro Regional Realtors Association (GRRA) had their Annual Realtor Awards Luncheon.  We are always thrilled to see an Allen Tate Realtor win a GRRA award, demonstrating valuable service to the Realtor Industry and to the Greensboro Community. This year our results were simply incredible!

Sandra O’Connor, who has been a Realtor for [...]

Full Article

If Frank Sinatra Was A Tarheel…

December
15
2010

The coolest cat ever would have turned 95 this past Sunday. And when Sinatra sang, it was clear that the man knew something about “home.” Consider his recorded repertoire:
“You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To,” “Baby Won’t You Please Come Home?,” even “Home On The Range” and “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.” So where [...]

Full Article

Mortgage Rates Increase

December
14
2010

Rates have been rising over the past few weeks and although they are still at very low levels (the mid to high 4 percent range) they have jumped ½ a percent.  This is the most significant consistent increase since the lows that we experienced in October.
Why has there been an increase you ask? Well, rates [...]

Full Article

Is the Home Building Industry Starting to Rebound?

December
13
2010

You’ve heard the saying, “liars figure and figures lie.” Well when it comes to the homebuilding industry, no one knows what to believe. It has been stated that we need 1.7 million new homes each year in the U.S. In the past two years we have built about 1.1 million homes which theoretically puts us [...]

Full Article

Rock & Roll Real Estate Observations

December
10
2010

I spent 20 years as a rock & roll DJ. I grew fat and deaf sitting on my butt and tethered to too-loud headphones. My last segue was not Beatles to Stones but rather radio to real estate. But my love for music and popular culture remains with me. Now, I try to bring a [...]

Full Article

Mortgage-Interest Deduction is Safe Once Again!

December
09
2010

A Congressional committee was recently tasked with developing ways to lower our National deficit. Similar to past actions, the proposal was to cut significantly into the mortgage-interest deduction in order to free up revenue that could help bring down the deficit. Many in Washington see mortgage-interest deduction as “low hanging fruit.”
The good news is that once again [...]

Full Article

Fixing Your Home with Ease

December
08
2010

In a few months, I will have lived in my home for 10 years. I bought it in an up-and-coming neighborhood with good schools. My kids are growing up here. Like many homeowners today, I have no plans to move anytime soon. I love my house and my neighbors, and I am content to stay [...]

Full Article

The President visits Winston-Salem

December
07
2010

Working in relocation, I’m always excited to hear all of the exciting news and updates that come from our offices across the footprint. Yesterday, Winston-Salem was visited by our nation’s president. Terri Massengale, our Sales/Relocation Manager for the Winston-Salem office, shared some great insights with me regarding his visit.
She asked a few agents what their [...]

Full Article

Prevent Energy Loss During the Winter

December
06
2010

We recently had a “green” builder do a presentation in our office and what I thought would be a dull topic actually ended up being incredibly informative.  With winter upon us, energy loss found in traditionally built homes became the focus.
It was amazing to learn how much energy actually seeps out of our homes. The [...]

Full Article