It’s THAT time of year again…

don’t know about the rest of you out there but this morning in Charlotte, North Carolina, we woke up to 50 degree weather.It was fantastic. I grabbed my cup of coffee and slipped out the the deck to enjoy a nice morning in my shorts and tank top (just like every other morning). It was frigid! I had to go back in for a sweatshirt.

This may not sound magical to most people but we have been HOT!!! Oh Lord, what can we do to save ourselves, HOT!!!!

Anyway, school is back in session and the kids are playing tennis, baseball, and gymnastics everyday. We got the application for the extracurricular activities today so we can sign them up for a club.

Cub scouts and Girl scouts are meeting each week, again.

Church is back to being a lllooonnnggg Sunday every Sunday with committees (we are good Presbyterian folk so we have to meet with our committees), youth club, and teen fellowship.

Sometimes I wonder if it just too much. I wonder if the kids are going to be maladjusted to life because they don’t get to stop and relax. I should know better than to worry. As you can tell by the picture below; kids know how to take care of themselves.

I may follow up myself with a good nap. This is how I found my son when I walked down from my home office just a few minutes ago.

It must have been a great day at school! Have a wonderful day you guys!!! Goodnight Micah!

technorati tags: family+time, NC+weather, Harrisburg+NC, Harrisburg+weather,

Somethings never cease to amaze me.

Let’s go back in time about five months. There is a home on the market listed for about $27,000 higher than comps could ever support. We all know how important pricing right is for a home! I know the home very well as it is in my town and close to my personal home. Unbelievably, the home sells pretty quickly. It stays under contract for a couple of weeks and falls out of contract.

HMMMMM………..what could have happened? Repair negotiations? Financing? Could it possibly be that it didn’t appraise? AND, indeed, people in this part of the country will not overpay for a home?

I spoke with some agents around town and found that it did not appraise by about $25,000.

You may be wondering why I still care about this situation. Well, I was driving down the road the other day and saw a sign in the yard again. I was fascinated!! I know the windows had just been replaced in the home. I thought they had decided to stay! Now, it is important to note that the home is now listed with a totally different REALTOR from last time.

AND, it is listed for $3000 more than last time. Heh?????

Buying a listing in this market we have today? With appraisers being watched with microscopes and magnifying glasses?

I don’t understand how the conversation would go. “Well, Mr and Mrs. Seller, I see that you tried to sell a couple of months ago. You were under contract and it went away. What happened?”

“Oh, it didn’t appraise.”

“Oh THAT!! Well, let’s list it higher than you did a couple of months ago. Those new windows should do the trick!”

“Great! List it! Sell it!”

It is a nice home, in a nice neighborhood. It is worth what it appraised for three months ago. The sellers want to move. I know this. This is a disservice to them.

Sellers, please understand that we, as REALTORS, want your home to sell for top dollar! When that happens, you make more money and so do we. Please, don’t make us lie to you for your business. Plenty of agents, I dare say, the majority of agents in the business will list your home for whatever you want, even if the agent KNOWS it won’t sell or appraise for that amount. Experienced REALTORS, will support their price ranges with comparable sales from around the neighborhood. We want you to pick the list price of your home. We want to educate you on where that number should come from because we want a successful sale.

technorati tags: pricing+right, seller+advice, listing+advice