If you are considering buying a home in Fayetteville, NC right now, you’re already pretty smart. Despite all the negative news from the news media about the national real estate market, homes for sale in Fayetteville, NC remain a good buy.

You’ve heard about homes losing value in many areas of the country, but at the end of the year when the numbers are totaled, home values in Fayetteville and the surrounding areas have increased every year over the last decade. This year looks to be similar, with home values increasing slightly or staying relatively even.  The effect of the military community on our neighborhood values is powerful as Fort Bragg continues to grow.

And, you’ve also undoubtedly seen that mortgage interest rates have fallen to new lows. Just this week, my preferred lender quoted us a rate of 3.75%. Now, that’s low by any standard!

Those are pretty good reasons to buy any home in Fayetteville, NC. But, if you are looking to purchase a modestly priced home in Fayetteville, I have some specific reasons you should include the home at 6222 Lansford Drive in your home buying search.

1. For the price, there are very few homes that are in the condition of this home. There are 155 homes for sale in Fayetteville today that are priced between $75,000 and $85,000. This home is priced at $84,000. It has been completely renovated. What’s new in this home? New heating and a/c unit, refinished hardwood floors, new tile, fresh paint throughout the interior, and brand new matching stainless steel appliances in the kitchen, including a refrigerator, range, microwave and dishwasher. And, for added protection, the homeowner is also offering a one-year home warranty with this home. You probably won’t find those features in too many other homes for sale in Fayetteville in this price range.

2. This home is in a very stable neighborhood and is close to post and shopping. The home at 6222 Lansford Drive is located in the Mayfair subdivision. Mayfair is a quiet neighborhood of modest homes. In the last 5 years, only 5 homes have sold in the neighborhood, and none have been sold since August of 2009. That’s low turn-over, and it’s a sign of a mature, stable neighborhood with homeowners who intend to keep their homes long-term. This location is also ideal for anyone who doesn’t like spending hours in their car driving back and forth. The neighborhood is located off Cliffdale Road, right across from the Cliffdale Post Office and Cliffdale Elementary School. It is only minutes to the Cross Creek Mall, restaurants and major shopping areas and it is a short drive to Fort Bragg, using either Reilly Road or the All American Expressway.

3. The mortgage payment on this home will be less than the rent at any similar home. According to Zillow, rental prices for homes in Fayetteville have increased an average of 10% over the last year. That’s not surprising; many people are choosing to rent right now.  Use this mortgage calculator and compute the payment of the loan and you’ll see that this home can be a very affordable purchase!  You will not find a home for rent in that price range that has the location and features of this one. For more detailed information about what mortgage terms are available and what the payment on a loan would be, contact your lender or send my preferred lender an email.

Right now, there are many homes for sale in Fayetteville, NC in the more modest price ranges. However, few of them will offer the location, features and value of this one. Here is a link to the photo gallery for this home and the video tour is available on our home page.

If you are looking to buy a modestly priced home that is close to post and shopping, call or text The Jumper Real Estate Team at (910) 644-0303 for more information or to schedule a showing.

There are an abundance of homes for sale in Fayetteville, NC. I have pointed out in my latest posts about the state of the real estate market that although Fayetteville home sales are improving over last year, there are still far more existing homes for sale in Fayetteville than the market can absorb, and new construction homes are selling far better than existing homes.

For existing homes to compete with new construction for buyers of homes in Fayetteville, they must appeal to buyers in some way that new construction does not. Existing homes for sale in Fayetteville must compete mostly in terms of location, price, upgrades or appreciation if they are to be considered by buyers who are making it clear that they prefer new construction.

A Modest Home With Multiple Offers

This week, I listed a bank-owned home for sale in Fayetteville, in the Haymount neighborhood. It is a cute little Cape Cod-style home, 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths, and it is in average condition.

One would not think this Fayetteville home would be a candidate for multiple offers, over the asking price.

By the time I had listed it in the MLS, drove to the home in a downpour (with warnings of more tornadoes!) and put up the yard sign, I had 3 agents calling me to tell me they were going to write an offer. In the space of an hour, this modest home was surely sold! Of course, more agents called and more offers came in within the day or so it took for the bank to accept an offer.

The reason is clear to anyone who knows much about homes for sale in Fayetteville–this home was located in the heart of Haymount, and it was priced aggressively. Proof of the importance of the location is that the agents called me as soon as it hit the MLS and they knew about it because they had set their alerts to be notified whenever a home was placed for sale in Haymount. (By the way, this is an excellent capability I can set up for you.  If you are interested, send me an email.)

Haymount is old Fayetteville, with many small, modest, out-dated homes that people love to buy and renovate. Why? Because it is only minutes to everything in Fayetteville–downtown, mall area, Fort Bragg, etc. And, the homes continue to appreciate even in a sluggish market.

There are so many lessons to be learned here for everybody:

• Sellers of existing homes in Fayetteville–you can compete to get your home sold if your agent can market its strengths, such as location, price, condition, or value.
• Buyers–you must surely consider whether new construction is the best choice if you know you will sell your home in the not-too-distant future. Will that home have appreciated, is it in a prime location, can it compete with all the other homes just like it that will also be for sale at that time?
• Investors–if you are not working with an agent who can let you know within minutes of great investment properties, you will miss out on some incredible values to add to your portfolio.

Fayetteville homes for sale–location is still of prime importance to consider when selling or buying a home in Fayetteville.

Huh?

Recently, I was contacted by some people who wanted to buy a home in Fayetteville, NC. This couple were renters and had decided to buy a home in Fayetteville instead of continuing to rent.

I asked them how they had found me, and they were very direct. They called me off the sign of a home I have for sale in Fayetteville that they were interested in seeing. Great!

I asked them if they were working with any agent, and they said they were not. In fact, they only wanted to work with me to see THIS home.

I was not sure I understood.

The couple explained to me their plan for buying a home in Fayetteville. They were going to look around the areas they liked, find the homes for sale in Fayetteville that they were interested in, and then call the agent on the sign to show it to them. When they found the home they wanted, they would offer less than the asking price, and tell the agent they would use them as their buyers representative if they took less commission.

Essentially, they expected the agent to absorb the loss, the seller to take less, and they would get a great deal.

They only wanted to sign buyer agency with an agent to represent them for that one home, so that if an offer was not accepted on that home, they could move on to the next and try their plan with that agent.

I asked them why they thought that was a good idea, and they told me an agent friend of theirs had told them most agents would do it because a smaller commission is better than no commission, and as the agent would be getting both the selling and the buying side, they would work for less. Agents are having a hard time because the real estate market is slow.

They also made it clear they didn’t care if the seller absorbed the loss and the agent got full commission, they were just going to put the pressure on the seller and agent to accept the loss.

I’m used to facing this kind of objection as a listing specialist. Some times when I am helping a seller list their home for sale in Fayetteville, sellers ask me to cut my commission, and my standard response is, “No” or, “What services are you willing for me to cut in exchange for the lower commission?”

This is the first time it has happened to me for someone looking to buy a home in Fayetteville. Of course, my first thought was similar–”Which of your interests that I am paid to protect are you willing for me to forego?” But immediately, I had another thought.

This couple were both in the military, stationed here in Fayetteville at Fort Bragg. Not too long ago, when the politicians were arguing about shutting down the government, we were very concerned that military families would go without pay during the shutdown, even though the pay would be made up later.

I wondered to myself how this couple felt when they were expected to work for no pay. Did they feel insulted? Were they a little ticked that they should be treated so?

My husband and I both served in the military. We sacrificed our time, careers and families to serve and know how difficult military life can be. And as such, we also have a lot of empathy for those we serve, their families, lives and careers, and try to treat our clients with the respect they deserve.

"Worth-less"

Everyone wants to get a great deal when they buy a home in Fayetteville. Everyone wants to make sure the process is made as easy and efficient as possible. But no one I know wants their efforts and work to be treated disrespectfully, nor do the clients I represent want anything less than my best effort.

If you are looking to buy a home in Fayetteville, NC, you will want a buyers representative who will do everything possible to protect your interests. It is not unreasonable to treat that agent as you would want to be treated, not as if they are, literally, “worth less.”

No surprise, it’s still a mixed market.

Mixed in this regard–yes, home sales are up year-over-year, but the growth and strength in the market is in newly constructed home sales. Take a look at these 2 charts:

The first chart shows that newly constructed homes are increasing in sales as a percentage of the overall market over the last 3 to 4 years. Currently, almost 40% of the local real estate market in Fayetteville consists of new home sales.

The next chart explains why that is significant to people who want to sell their existing home in Fayetteville. There is absolutely no shortage of homes for sale in the Fayetteville real estate market, and sales of existing homes are lagging behind in the popular price ranges in both number of homes sold and percentage of the market.

Many real estate agents and market observers are singing the praises of a real estate market that is showing improvement from last year. While I also am happy about an increase in home sales, I want to offer a caution to people who need to sell their existing home in Fayetteville, NC. Buyers are clearly demonstrating their preference for new homes over existing ones.

Any seller of an existing home must be certain to market, maintain and price their home at the front of the real estate market if they want to compete for the buyers coming into the market. We are entering the busy season for real estate sales in Fayetteville. Historically, the late-spring and summer months (2d and 3d quarter) are the best months for home sales in this area, and many sellers are also anticipating an increase in buyers as a result of the BRAC move slated for this year. If a person selling their home in Fayetteville wants to compete for those buyers, they will need the services of an agent who understands how tough the competition really is.

Take a few minutes and read through the executive summary of the Fayetteville, NC Real Estate Market, 1st Quarter 2011. It addresses how the market has performed over the last quarter and how market absorption rates have an impact on sellers (and buyers) of new and existing homes in Fayetteville, NC.

Fayetteville, NC Real Estate Market Report – January 2011

And then, visit my website to see more.

Posted via email from JuliGrace

Front View

Looking for a 4 bedroom home for sale in Fayetteville, NC? Here is my latest listing–a 4 bedroom/3.5 bath home located close to Fort Bragg and major shopping areas, with two master bedrooms, one of them upstairs and one of them down. At $145,000, this home has so many wonderful features, it is surely one of the best 4 bedroom homes available for sale in Fayetteville, NC.

This wonderful 4 bedroom home is located in Harris Place, a quiet neighborhood that is convenient to post and to major shopping areas like the Fayetteville Cross Creek mall, Lowes, and Super WalMart. This home was built in 2002 and is between 1900 and 2000 sq.ft. It is a tri-level home. Here is a Google map of the location:

This home features formal living and dining rooms, as well as a family room and an eat-in kitchen. It has new carpet and fresh paint throughout.

Check out this short video tour of the home:

The formal living and dining room are on the main level, right off the foyer with it’s sunny, natural light and hardwood floor. The formals are both carpeted. Also on the main level is the kitchen. It is very large, with ample cabinet space for storage, modern appliances including a smooth-top range, and a spacious eat-in area with large window that overlooks the backyard. The floor in the kitchen is tile.

Family Room w/Gas Fireplace

Take 4 short steps down to the lower level and you’ll find a large family room with a gas fireplace and access to the backyard. There is a half-bath off this room for convenience for family and guests. Also on this floor is a large master bedroom that has a full bath with double vanity and garden-style tub with shower. It is a large room with space enough for queen-sized furniture. The family room and downstairs master bedroom are carpeted.

On the upper level, there is an additional master bedroom with another full bath. This room is slightly smaller, but still has space for queen-sized furniture, and the full bath has a single vanity and tub with shower. On this level are two other bedrooms that are roomy and spacious with lots of closet space and an additional full bath for the 2 bedrooms to share.

The backyard of this home is large and fully enclosed in a privacy fence. Additionally, the home has a double garage with extra space for storage.

This is a great 4 bedroom home home, and it is listed at a great price! It is ideal for anyone who is looking for a 4 bedroom home that has the convenience of a master bedroom down and another one upstairs, and that wants the additional space afforded by formal living and dining rooms and a family room. The 3.5 baths are also an impressive feature–no waiting for a bathroom in the morning!

The possibilities are many for this home. The two master bedrooms are ideal for anyone that needs space for parents or in-laws, teenagers, or just additional adults in the same home. If you are looking for a 4 bedroom home in Fayetteville, NC then this home is one you should see.

Here is the photo gallery for this home.

Call or text Julissa at (910) 644-0303 to schedule a showing or for more information.

Overall, the market was 31% off its high of 2006. A total of 3,576 existing homes were sold. New construction homes added another 2,156 sold.

Sales of existing homes were below the average of the last 10 years by about 10%. In new construction, however, sales were above the average of the last 10 years by over 17%.

The rate at which existing and new construction homes sold is also a mixed story. Existing home absorption rates were very high, clearly indicating a buyers market. For new construction, absorption rates were balanced in most price ranges.

Take a minute to look through this executive summary. Click on the image below to read this report in full screen:

Fayetteville, NC Real Estate Market Report – January 2011

Buyers are purchasing new homes faster than existing homes. New construction offers many of the features and amenities that existing homes in the area may lack. New construction in some price ranges is selling better than existing homes–more new construction homes are sold than existing homes.  It is not because there is a shortage of existing homes–many existing homes currently on the market will not sell.

So, what does all this mean? Sellers of existing homes have a tough job to get their home sold; not only must their home compete with other existing homes, it must compete with new construction.  Effective marketing will be needed to get the buyer’s attention, but more-so, price and condition will have to be carefully set by home sellers if they hope to actually get a buyer to write an offer.

On the other hand, buyers have a lot of homes from which to choose, so finding the best one should not be too difficult. Mortgage rates are still very low, leaving interested buyers with good credit in a very strong position.

I have worked with some strong mortgage companies over the years, and they have been very supportive for me and my team.  But now, my preferred lender in Fayetteville, NC is Jason Brooks at New American Mortgage.  In the video, Dana explains why we think the world of Jason:

» Powered by XHTML Video Embed

If you’re a broker or agent that wants to have this kind of support for your clients, give Jason a call.  His phone number is (910) 920-7283.  His email is jason.brooks@newamerican.com.  If you’re looking to buy a home or refinance your home, call him. He really does offer incredible support getting home loans in Fayetteville, NC.

Posted via email from JuliGrace

Christmas is Wonderful!

One of the best parts of helping people buy and sell houses in Fayetteville, NC is that I have made so many new friends as a result of my business!

I’ll confess that by nature, I’m a pretty shy person. That creates a problem because I’m also very social–I love to be with my friends. Being a real estate agent in Fayetteville has gone a long way towards helping me solve my problem. I’ve made so many new friends and I’m thankful for each one!

Christmas is such a great opportunity to spend time and connect with the people in our lives. I love the get-togethers, phone calls, or even emails and Facebook messages from all my family and friends, as we catch up with each other and pray for God’s favor over the next year. And, I really enjoy getting Christmas cards and putting them all around my house during the holidays! They end up everywhere–on the fireplace mantle, on the secretary, on the island, etc–and they become part of my decorations. I’m sure it’s the same with you.

But, I love to send out beautiful Christmas cards, too. In the past, I’ve usually ordered my cards from Joni Eareckson Tada; I love her work, her ministry and her messages.

This year, though, I had the opportunity to order some handmade cards to send to my friends, and at the same time, re-connect with someone from earlier in my life. The story is pretty simple, but it’s one that I view as a real blessing in my life in the past year.

Tweet the Mistletoe!

I friended Cazzie on Facebook some time over the last year or two. We’d known each other during our college days, but not had any contact since then (quite a few years ago!) On Facebook, we had routine contact, the kind you would expect from acquaintances who hadn’t been involved in each others’ lives in the last 15 years or so. But at some point, Cazzie posted that she had developed a real interest in scrapbooking and graphic art work. At about the same time, I had helped a couple of my clients sell their homes in Fayetteville, homes they were pretty attached to after having lived in them for so many years.

I thought that giving my clients scrapbooks of their homes would be a great idea; scrapbooks would help them keep the many memories of their homes and their time in Fayetteville as lasting ones. So, I asked Cazzie  if she could do them, and she did.

They were beautiful! My clients were so pleased with them, and I was very impressed at how creative and artistic Cazzie was. I thought these were some of the best gifts I could ever have given.

Well, sometime after that, I asked Cazzie if she could make Christmas cards for me–I love the thought of handmade cards and thought they were a way to show my friends they are special to me. She said “yes” and then she created some of the most beautiful cards I could have hoped for!

Christmas Lasts All Year

It truly is amazing! Each one of these cards is different–no two are alike–and she made 225 of them for me! They are gorgeous, and when I opened the box and sat down on the living room floor to address them, it took me two evenings to get it done! I was so impressed I had to stop and look at each one, read it, and check out the colors, the ribbons and the little trinkets she put on each of them. It’s funny, as I was addressing them, I thought to myself, “I wish I could send this one to me!”

I really am happy that my friends and clients are getting a special card this year. I hope they are as impressed with them as I am, and that the cards get put all around my friends’ houses and become part of the decorations. And, I’m so happy I got to establish a friendship this year with Cazzie.

Here’s a slideshow of some of the cards, if you’d like to check out her work. By the way, if you haven’t gotten one from me, it’s probably because I don’t have an address for you, so just shoot me an email and I’d love to add you to my Christmas card list!

Merry Christmas, and enjoy the cards!

New American Mortgage has become my mortgage lender of choice in Fayetteville, NC. I use them for my clients and recommend them first to anyone who asks me for a referral. The reasons are simple:

1. They are very responsive–Jason Brooks is on top of my referrals and always contacts my clients or referrals the same day. That’s important to me, because that’s the standard I set for myself and my team and Jason always meets the standard.
2. They are convenient–New American has set up office space in the Keller Williams offices, so meeting clients, coordinating information, and checking up on the latest status is easy and routine. I just walk down the hallway. There’s no loan officer who ducks phone calls or hides from clients here!
3. They are knowledgeable, accurate and thorough–Jason has saved my clients thousands of dollars by suggesting ways to get a lower rate or use a different loan. Their loan packages are complete and their experience with VA, FHA and USDA mortgages makes a real difference in the Fayetteville, NC real estate market.  This year, New American Mortgage Fayetteville has only missed 1 deadline that I know of, and that due to a VA error, not their own.
4. They are fast. New American is able to complete a loan, get it through underwriting and have a loan package to the attorney for closing in less than two weeks!  Quite simply, given all the changes in the mortgage industry and the new rules imposed on lenders as a result of the recent sub-prime mortgage mess, meeting that timeline is AMAZING! Other lenders I have used are taking at least 30 days to complete a loan and many, up to 45 or 60 days! New American can do it faster, and that is important to my clients!

I love that Jason takes such good care of my clients! I’ve worked with many mortgage lenders through the years, and largely, they have done a very good job. But, none of them have risen to the standard that New American Mortgage has for me and my clients, and it is for that reason that New American and Jason Brooks has become my mortgage lender of choice in Fayetteville!

If you are looking to buy a home or refinance your current home, call  Jason Brooks at (910) 920-7283 or send him an email. Tell him Julissa sent you; he always takes great care with my referrals.

There are so many great reasons they do:

• Location, location, location – Haymount is ideally situated. Commute times are short and Fayetteville’s most popular activities are very close-by.
• The Terry Sanford School District is popular with folks with school-aged children, and Terry Sanford is the school district that services the Haymount, VanStory and Murray Hills neighborhoods.
• Home values continue to appreciate over time, even in today’s market.
• These are Fayetteville’s “established” neighborhoods with many homes built in the mid-1900′s and later, and they have all the charm (and sometimes the challenges!) of older homes.

And, finally, did I mention LOCATION?

There are plenty of great neighborhoods in which to live in the Fayetteville area, but one of the charms for me and my family (we chose to buy a home in VanStory Hills) is that on a lazy weekend, when you just want to enjoy each other’s company, it’s a short 5 minute drive to Downtown Fayetteville.

We love to stroll thru Downtown, sit by a fountain, look in the windows of the shops and restaurants, and watch people enjoying their day. And, we always start at one of our favorite digs, The Cupcake Gallery! After a couple of the best cupcakes around, we visit the rest of Downtown. Enjoy the photos: