I’m not your neighborhood Realtor®.
There are plenty of agents out there willing to be your neighborhood Realtor®, but I’m not one of them.
What I am is a consummate professional with experience and knowledge of the entire Metrolina area. To be effective, to make a difference, I am continually updating my education and broadening my knowledge base. That means learning about market trends in the area and studying the economy as a whole.
It means learning why the price of crude oil will impact the negotiations on your home.
Why? One of the base materials in asphalt shingles is the low grade extract from crude oil; any time the cost of oil goes up, the cost of shingles goes up. One of the most common selling points on a home is the age of the roof; if you’ve just had your roof replaced, that is a value to add to the list price. If the home you’re looking to buy hasn’t had a roof replacement in 25 years, then that’s a point of negotiation. The price of crude oil impacts the cost of shingles. The price of shingles impacts the cost of a roof. The cost of a roof impacts your home negotiations.
Does your Neighborhood Realtor® know that?
Maybe.
But do they know how the price of bank stock impacts the value of homes in “their” neighborhood?
Maybe
Do they know how the rate of foreclosure in the subdivision 2 miles away impact the home they are trying to market now?
Maybe.
Have they studied the market trends enough and do they have the hands-on experience where they can see the shift from buyer’s market to seller’s market in a matter of weeks, instead of the months it takes most analysts?
Maybe.
But that’s an awful lot of maybes.
There has been a movement in the real estate industry over the past twenty years calling for higher standards in educating the real estate professional. The requirements for getting a license have gotten much more stringent.
We all have to go to school. We all have to pass the test. We all have to take Continuing Education.
So, I’m not saying your Neighborhood Realtor® doesn’t have a basic knowledge of the rules and laws of North Carolina real estate. But do they have the experienced eye with the ability to see the big picture? When they see the big picture are they able to interpret that knowledge to what it means for our region? Our city? Your neighborhood? Your street? Your home?
Maybe.
Maybe not.
I know this may sound a little like I’m beating your poor Neighborhood Realtor® up a little bit. But I don’t mean for it to. What I’m trying to say is the education needed to get and keep a license is important, but so is experience in all facets of real estate, not just your neighborhood. It’s about Uptown and SouthPark and Matthews and University Area. It’s about Waxhaw and Huntersville and Mint Hill and Concord. It’s about Lake Wylie and Lake Norman and everything in between. It’s about split levels, split foyers and split bedroom plans. It’s about resales, short sales and bank owned properties.
It’s about all of us. Together.
That’s the big picture.
The fact is, I am passionately committed to homeownership, homeowners and private property rights. I am an advocate for the homeowner, owner-occupant or investor, and I know that buying a home is the biggest investment most of us will ever make. I don’t take that lightly and that’s why I believe in continually expanding my real estate horizons.
When it comes to real estate, I am an educator, a researcher, an analyst. I am a property owner, a landlord, an owner-occupant. I am a professional, a leader, an advocate.
But I am not your Neighborhood Realtor®.