When buying a home one of the most common questions we are asked is 'how do good or bad schools affect home values and what type of impact do they have?'

In fact, schools are so important to some of our buyers that we have given each school district it's own page on our website allowing buyers to search for homes by school district. Fortunately, the Raleigh area has some of the best schools in the state and that is why so many folks moving to North Carolina end up in Raleigh

There are countless factors that influence the decision to buy a home. The neighborhood, size of the home, outdoor space, upgrades, and location play a significant role in impacting ones’ decision making. Among those important factors, school districts have played an

There are hidden costs when buying a home, whether it's closing costs, insurance costs, or utility costs. When many buyers consider the cost of buying a home, the mortgage payment is typically the expense that immediately comes to mind. Whether you are a first time home buyer or an experienced buyer you will want to familiarize yourself with all the costs of buying a home!

Your Real Estate Agent is not a cost to you as a buyer. This is one thing many buyers don't realize. You do not pay your Realtor as a buyer. The seller pays the listing firm. The listing firm then pays the cooperating firm a percentage. The cooperating firm then pays the Real Estate Agent. This is how Realtors get paid.

While the mortgage payment is indeed an important

Pros and Cons of Using Opendoor to Sell Your Home

Selling your home to Opendoor is worth it for people who are looking for a more convenient sale rather than higher profits. The following pros and cons of using Opendoor will give you a great indication if working with Opendoor is the right decision for you.

iBuyer companies are popping up everywhere around the country with several here in the Raleigh area including Opendoor, Offerpad, Zillow and more. Fast-growing, affordable areas are targeted by companies like Opendoor because they can capitalize on all the folks who are moving to the area.

You may have heard of Opendoor and learned about their process on how they help homeowners sell their homes. As with any online transaction service,

Negotiating Repairs After a Home Inspection

Negotiating repairs after a home inspection doesn't have to be difficult, especially when you follow these 7 tips! When an offer is accepted on a home, it can be easy for both buyers and sellers to feel that they’re at the end of the finish line. Accepting an offer brings the deal much closer to the closing table, but there are several other important steps the transaction must go through before closing day. One of those steps is the home inspection and with the home inspection, major issues can arise.

A home inspection provides the buyer with a detailed report of the home’s structure, plumbing, electrical, foundation, roof etc. It helps the buyer know if certain repairs are needed so that they do not

What is Dual Agency in Real Estate and Should you Avoid it

Most buyers and sellers are familiar with how listing agents and buyer’s agents work which leads us to the question of what is dual agency in real estate? Dual agency isn’t particularly common, but it does tend to happen from time to time, so it is always best to be informed on the intricacies of this transaction type. My first transaction as a Real Estate Agent was as a dual agent representing both the buyer and the seller. Initially, the seller tried to sell his home by himself before soliciting my help and I was able to get it sold for him to one of my clients.

What is Dual Agency in Real Estate?

Dual agency is when a real estate agent works with the buyer and the seller on the

Before selling your home for sale by owner, it's important to understand the pros and cons, what's involved, and what to expect throughout the process. The question should I sell my home for sale by owner or without a Realtor® is likely one asked by every home seller with the thought of trying to save money. Do you really save money though?

We have over one hundred thousand people visiting our website each month looking at homes for sale in Raleigh and almost all of them want to work with a top local Realtor®. We would imagine it's the same in most real estate markets around the country as we have found the same to be true of homes for sale in Charlotte as well. Buyers want to work with the best local Realtors® to help them when buying a home

 7 Things to Consider Before You Overprice Your Home

Overpricing your home is a bad idea. It's one of the biggest mistakes sellers make and fail to realize it until it’s too late. The reason overpricing your home is such a big mistake is because when people overprice their home it loses value and there are a number of reasons why this happens which we will discuss in this article.

In our local market of Raleigh, NC the market is HOT. Homes sell fast. The ones that don't sell fast are in trouble. Chances are they overpriced their home and they will have to sell for less than it's true value. There are strategies to help overcome overpricing your home which we will discuss later in this article.

Naturally, a seller wants to make the most money

7 Things to Know BEFORE Holding an Open House in Real Estate

1. What is an Open House in Real Estate?

In real estate, an open house is an event where prospective buyers can tour a home that is listed for sale. Open houses are typically held on weekends (as that is when many buyers do not work and have time to tour homes), although they can be held during the week as well. Open houses are usually held by the seller’s listing agent, though successful Real Estate Agents typically have a team of folks and a member of the team usually will offer to hold the home open. The reason for this is it's a great way for the team member to build their book of business by interacting with prospective buyers. They are theoretically using your home as a

Mortgage Pre-Approval vs. Pre-Qualification

What are the main differences between mortgage pre-approval and mortgage pre-qualification? Whether you’re a buyer or a seller, it can be all too easy to confuse the terms “pre-approval” and “pre-qualification.” Although pre-qualification and pre-approval share some similarities, they are quite different. As a home buyer, it is important to understand the differences and how they may impact your chances to buy a home, especially in a competitive real estate market as we have here in Raleigh. In this article, we will define pre-approval and pre-qualification, explore how they differ, when they should be used, and the steps that should be taken to complete both processes.

What are the main differences

How to Know When NOT to Buy a Fixer-Upper 

Do you see past the flaws of a “fixer-upper” and imagine what is possible? Do you get that giddy feeling knowing you can turn a home's imperfections into something beautiful?

Home improvement certainly means something different to each of us. Some people like the idea of tearing down a house to its foundation and starting over. Some folks just want to spend a few weekends pounding nails and painting.

Nine out of 10 home buyers today use the internet as their primary source of research for properties, lenders, real estate agents, you name it. It’s never been this fast and easy to buy a home.

Not only is housing hunting faster, but you can also make it less risky, too. Whether you want to fix the