Raine's Blog

For the Ballantyne area of Charlotte, here are November numbers for year over year. 28 Homes sold! The average house was 4 bedrooms, 3 baths; 3,059 square feet.  $346,025 was the average sold price, and an average of 104 days on market. The median was 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, 3,031 square feet, with ...

So here we go, again, on another roller coaster ride with the status of our economy.  The big question is, What should we do when it comes to giving advice to customers thinking about purchasing a home? As a licensed Realtor since the early part of this decade, I find it challenging to know what ...

Which ever happens first folks, now is the time to Buy or Rent this townhome in Ballantyne for $129k (for sale) or $900 (for rent)! PRICE NEGOTIABLE!!! If you have credit issues, and still want to rent this unit before you decide to buy, that is fine.  Owner says "Do what it takes" so they are wi...

Its that time again.  My monthly report on areas of Charlotte that I specialize.  Here is the market update for the month of May for the Ballantyne area: 64 Properties SOLD! Average Square Feet = 2710 Average # of Bedrooms = 3 Average # of Bathrooms = 2 Full Average List Price = $303,981 Average ...

So you've found that perfect house for you and your family, and negotiated great terms with the seller (whom, by the way, is also excited to finally have a buyer, and is ready to move on).  But wait, this is not an ordinary sale.  This is a dreaded "short sale" deal, which again, the homeowner's ...

This Internal Revenue Code 1031 is an awesome thing to think about utilizing when selling your investment property.  Whether it is a business, rental property, or raw land, the 1031 Tax Exchange is something to seriously consider.  It allows the seller to defer paying taxes on the sale proceeds, ...

Well guess what?  As a licensed Realtor, it is not good practice to assume responsibility of what constitutes "good" to any buyer!  Believe it or not, It is not the Realtor's job to find a home in a "good neighborhood" with "good schools," it is the buyer's job!  What you are doing by asking your...

Sure, anyone can buy real estate, but there is an art to buying real estate, besides just looking in the classifieds, Craig's list and other internet websites, or driving around town.  Don't find out the hard way that you could have avoided some mistakes had you hired a Realtor that knows what sh...

So you thought about buying a new home, but have had some credit issues in the past like late payments on your credit cards and car loan, have had a foreclosure, or even filed bankruptcy.  How does these things affect your score and by how much? Well, according to FICO (Fair Isaac Corporation), y...

"Short Sales" have become a common theme to homeowners, and some Realtos, in the real estate industry since the recent mortgage crisis.  Many homeowners found their mortgage payments close to double the amount from when they first purchased their home when their interest rates increased because o...