Right now, the residential real estate market is not lacking in sales activity. It is caused by fabulous interest rates, rock-bottom prices and an increase in demand. Thus far, the first two months of 2012 are 50-60 percent greater as compared to this time last year.  All indicators for the Carolinas look at a healthy [...]

Full Article

I enjoy working out on the elliptical machine at the gym every day. When I feel good, I try to go at a seven-minute mile pace for 40 minutes.  A few months ago, I started having leg problems.  Although I kept working out, I slowed my pace to an eight-minute mile.  Now that I’m feeling better, [...]

Full Article

What is playing out in the Carolinas is that October 2010 was the bottom based on closed unit sales. The Allen Tate Companies closed over 14,400 properties in 2011 which is 400 more than 2010 and more than 2009 and 2008.
That supports the theory that we’ve hit the bottom and it’s onward and upward from [...]

Full Article

It is the time of year when everyone feels compelled to either summarize the year that has past, make a top 10 list or even some combination of the two. We are no different.  When we decided to write this blog, we asked our Realtors what information they would include on our list. Here are [...]

Full Article

Earlier this month, there was more news that, for the fourth straight month, existing home sales were up nationally from the previous year’s levels. What is the reason? A lot of this uptick is due to the tax credit of the Spring of 2010 where sales were borrowed from the second half of 2010. This [...]

Full Article

In 2001 (when I was 19 and my boyfriend was 22), we decided to buy a home together. We were tired of paying rent on our small one-bedroom apartments and living across town. This was supposed to be a five-year starter home. Now 10 years, a marriage and one child later, we are bursting at [...]

Full Article

When I was younger, I never gave much thought to what my future home would look like. I never conjured up images or tore ideas out of magazines to store in a shoebox. I knew that I would own a home one day, so for the most part, I had a “think about it when [...]

Full Article

There has been an interesting phenomenon in the new homes market over the last few months…the luxury market for new homes seems to be gaining some momentum! Now every market defines “luxury” differently. For Charlotte it would be homes in excess of $500,000. We have seen a steady rise in sales over the last few [...]

Full Article

There is little question that foreclosures are a major part of the real estate market today.  One of the challenges that comes along with buying a foreclosure can be the condition of the property. If the property is damaged, neglected or just plain outdated, you may want to consider a renovation loan.  Here are some [...]

Full Article

It is not a secret that, due to the over-supply of homes for sale and the tightening of credit on borrowing, we have had a buyer’s market now for the past few years. While I believe that October was the bottom and the beginning of a slow, steady recovery in the Carolinas, there is [...]

Full Article