When you are getting ready to list your home and you live in an area where there is a "Buyer's Market", make sure that your house is in great condition before showing it to potential buyers.  With more homes out there to choose from, buyers are not going to be hunting for homes in poor condition or in need of a lot of costly repairs.  In consultaion with your listing agent, select a qualified home inspector or contractor to inspect your house.  Make any necessary repairs before lisitng your house.  Your real estate agent can retain the documentation to show to potential buyers and their real estate agents.  If there are repairs you do not wish to make, then disclose them to buyers right up front so that they do not get the impression that you are hiding them.  Make the point that the re... 03/05/2008

Pinehurst, North Carolina is one of the best golf destinations in the US.  In addition to being a great golf resort area, it is also a wonderful place to live.  Best of all, it is still very affordable.  The easy going quality of life in the area, combined with wonderful restaurants, an abundance of cultural activities, a superb health care community, and easy access to the RDU International Airport - make Pinehurst a perfect place for a second home or investment property for international property seekers.  Homes and Condos, with Memberships to the famed Pinehurst Country Club, begin in the $100,000's USD.  Pinehurst has a sister town that is the center of Equestrian activity in North Carolina.  In Southern Pines, NC, hundreds of horse farms dot the landscape less than 5 miles from Pin... 03/05/2008

Pinehurst | From 02/01/08 through to 02/29/08 there were 23 Single Family Homes Sold, the Average Sales Price $258,595 and the Average Days on Market (DOM) was 26. During the same time frame there were 77 New Listings entering the market, at an Average Asking Price of $291,925. Visit our website to download a printable version of this report and more at PinehurstHomeTeam.comWith our highest regard,                                                            Wayne and Lynda Gomillion"The Pinehurst Home Team""The friendship and referrals of those we serve is the foundation of our success." Member of the Real Estate Intelligence Networkhttp://www.pinehurst-nc.us/ | http://www.pinehursthometeam.com/ | http://www.pinehurstrealestate.us/   03/01/2008

  Pinehurst As of February 2, 2008, a total of 295 Single Family homes in the Pinehurst area of Moore County were shown to be for sale in the Multiple Listing Service of the Pinehurst-Southern Pines Area Association of Realtors.  The price of these homes ranged from a low of $63,000 to a high of $2,750,000, with the average price equal to $513,479 and the median price equal to $414,900. The average number of days these listing were on the market ran 123, while the median number of days ran 117.To obtain more information about these statistics, and to search for these listings on line, please visit http://www.arearealestatepartners.comor call Betsy N. Robinson @ 910-639-0695.    02/05/2008

From 01/01/08 through to 02/31/08 there were 30 Single Family Homes Sold, the Average Sales Price $330,823 and the Average Days on Market (DOM) was 112. During the same time frame there were 17 New Listings entering the market, at an Average Asking Price of $224,806. Visit our website to download a printable version of this report and more at PinehurstHomeTeam.com. With our highest regard,                                                            Wayne and Lynda Gomillion"The Pinehurst Home Team""The friendship and referrals of those we serve is the foundation of our success." Member of the Real Estate Intelligence Networkhttp://www.pinehurst-nc.us/ | http://www.pinehursthometeam.com/ | http://www.pinehurstrealestate.us/   02/01/2008

The information below is from the Pinehurst-Southern Pines MLS, for the period of January 1st to December 27th 2007 and the same period for 2006. 2007 single family home sales statistics for Pinehurst show a slight increase in prices and a significant decline in number of units sold, compared to the same period in 2006.   In 2007, 381 homes sold with a median sales price of $259,900 and an average days on market of 100.  This compares to 483 homes in 2006 that sold for a median price of $250,000 with an average days on market of 106.  The statistics for condo and townhome sales for the same periods show very little change in units sold and a fairly significant increase in prices.  In 2007, 116 units sold with a median price of $154,000 and an average days on market of 84.  In 2006, ther... 12/28/2007

If I manage to get it right, you should find a link to a wonderful virtual tour of our area, created by Lacey Conn of Virtual Tours Plus! in Pinehurst.http://www.realtourvision.com/tour.display.php?utl=SC-0390-EY8HWH-01This is really a pretty special part of the country and Lacey has incorporated some of the highlights of Pinehurst in this tour.  (I do have to note that she needs to correct the typo where she refers to Pinehurst #2 as Pinehurst #3.  All the serious golfers will notice!)  12/22/2007

I eat a lot. It's something I'm really good at. The best part about it is the fact that I have a very high metabolism, so it doesn't show. Below is a list of some of my favorite eating spots in Moore County. They are in no particular order. Please feel free to add to the list.BreakfastPanera Bread. When I tell people I'm at the office, they know I mean Panera. I don't buy coffee there; I rent space. Free wireless, nice staff and lots of potential clients walking around. Oh yeah, they also have great lattes and those cinammon crunch bagels with honey-walnut cream cheese.May St Market. Morris Pennington, the owner, will sit down and chat when he has a free second. I take my girls there on some Tuesdays before school as a reward for getting up and getting ready in time. I can eat a great b... 12/18/2007

The Sandhills Rotary Club has teamed up with the Town of Southern Pines to Stop Hunger Now. On Saturday, March 8, at the Douglass Community Center, we plan to package over 20,000 meals for hungry people all over the world.The Town of Southern Pines is a co-sponsor and will be promoting the event in their literature. For details, please contact Dan Askins.910-528-7003Dan@DanAskins.comWhen Dan Askins is not out saving the world, he is a Realtor with Fore Properties. 12/17/2007

The Sandhills Rotary Club, of which I am a member, will be coordinating an event to help alleviate worldwide hunger. Using a nutrient-rich mixture of dry goods, we plan to pack 10,000 meals in one day for hungry people around the world. Our club is part of a regional effort to pack 1,000,000 meals. On Packing Day, scheduled for Saturday, March 8, 2008, we will need many volunteers-parents, teachers, even children-to help with a variety of tasks, from bagging to labeling to loading the truck.The meals will cost about 20 cents each. Our club is raising the money to pay for all the meals. If you would like to support us with your donations, please make a check payable to Sandhills Rotary Club. We are a qualified charity and will be happy to give a tax receipt. Themailing address is:P.O. Bo... 12/12/2007

We know why we're here. Part 6 of our series covered the reasons for investing in real estate. We know whether the numbers work. Part 7 took care of that.We know this particular property meets the three basic criteria-curb appeal, fitness for use, and structural integrity-that we outlined in Part 8.Now all we need is a little money, and this Dollar bill printing press will be ours. But, oh, the woes of obtaining financing. How can I get my hands on some more money? I am assuming, of course, that everyone reading this series has purchased at least one investment property in the past. I am also assuming, since it is so prevalent in our country, that everyone reading this series has some level of credit card debt. A friend told me the other day that he is still paying for a TV he bought 7 ... 12/11/2007

Now that we have narrowed down the field somewhat, we can begin to look at the actual houses. Our financial analysis isn't bulletproof. Some houses might look good on paper, but when we see them, we realize they are total dogs that only need a good coat of firewood and gasoline to fix. Like one of my old girlfriends who looked good from afar, but far from good. Some houses are diamonds in the rough, that simply need to be polished and refined by a wily investor. Before you step foot into the first house, however, re-read "How to Safely Invest in Real Estate-Part 1". The first rule is, "Don't lie to yourself." Yes, you might be able to fix up this house, but can you do it within the budget numbers required to make it cash flow? Will the repairs add enough value for it to appreciate in th... 12/10/2007

Real Estate sales data from the Pinehurst ~ Southern Pines Area Association of Realtor's MLS indicates that the sales of homes in Moore County and the Pinehurst, NC area is still active.Comparing the same time periods, partial 4th quarter numbers of 10/01/2006 to 12/09/2006 compared to 10/01/2007 to 12/09/2007, shows sold single family homes impressive numbers considering the economic concerns affecting other areas of the country.The trial time period was chosen to take the worst of 2007 in normal seasonal slowdown and add the worst of the economic news and events and compare that with the same period of a strong market the prior year to try evaluate actual current market conditions in the Pinehurst, Southern Pines area by all reported homes sold for this period in Moore County and reco... 12/09/2007

(reprinted with authors permission) (may be applied to most markets) What is Positioning?  M-W.com says it is:  to put in a certain position   That is exactly what needs to be achieved either by accident or with existing attributes of a home or piece of real estate in the Pinehurst, NC market area ~ or practically anywhere else, but ‘positioning' can be accomplished deliberately as to affect and increase awareness and desirability of a particular home or other piece of real estate. (My definition) You might see or understand this clearer if you think about what ‘flipping' real estate is about. A house is acquired and changes to the house are made that either increases the value and or awareness of the h... 12/07/2007

I have been a licensed NC Realtor for about 10 years, and for all those years I have actively pursued real estate as an investment vehicle. In those 10 years, I have acquired quite an expensive education :-)As a result of that education, I have been able to help many others avoid some of the common pitfalls to real estate investing. Here are some things to start you off on the right track. These concepts work in any area, but I live, work and invest in Moore County, NC area. If I can help you to do the same, please let me know.Don't lie to yourself. You can talk yourself into anything, and every deal looks good, if you apply the wrong numbers to it. If the market says a house will rent for $450 and you use $650 for rent, it won't work. I have a lot of Section 8 rental houses. Putting in... 12/07/2007

Now that we're ready to start looking at houses, we need an objective method of eliminating the possibilities. I like to use Excel spreadsheets to evaluate properties before I even look at them. This eliminates a lot of properties and saves you time driving around. For the purposes of this blog, I will be writing about residential rental properties, but the same basic criteria apply for commercial and industrial properties as well. I have used these same methods in evaluating mini-storage, office and retail space. As we discussed in Part 6, investments generally create cash flow or appreciation. By using my Excel spreadsheet, I can evaluate both. I have been slowly building this spreadsheet over the past 10 years. Basically, I added formulas and pages to it as I made investment mistakes... 12/07/2007

Now that we have narrowed our search down to a specific neighborhood (Part 5), we need to start to look at specific properties. I will be using rental houses in my examples, but the same logic applies to mini-storage, office space, retail, etc.Finding properties that meet your general criteria is easy enough to do. Simply contact the Realtor in your Mastermind Group (Parts 2 & 3), or do the work yourself by cruising the neighborhoods, searching the local papers, surfing on Realtor.com, etc. The best, and in my opinion, easiest way to eliminate properties is using financial spreadsheets, which I'll cover in Part 7. This eliminates a lot of legwork and wasted time looking at properties that will never meet the criteria necessary to make a good investment property.That brings up something ... 12/06/2007

01-Nov-07 through 30-Nov-07 there were 39 Single Family Home Sales reported with a Average Sales Price $294,639; During the same time there were 62 New Listings entering the market at an Average Listing Price of $237,793; The Average Days On Market for properties sold was: 149. Click here to access a complete and printable version of this reportPlease contact us or visit PinehurstHomeTeam.com for additional information on this and other real estate related matters.  Thank you for your interest and the privilege of serving you!With our highest regard, Wayne and Lynda Gomillion"The Pinehurst Home Team""The friendship and referrals of those we serve is the foundation of our success."  12/06/2007

 December 7th--Pinehurst Village Tree Lighting.  Join FrontGate Properties at the Mystic Cottage (Lyne's Furniture Gallery) between 5-7pm for cookies, cocoa, and carols!105 Magnolia Road, Pinehurst, NC 28374 12/01/2007

01-Oct-07 through 31-Oct-07 there were 38 Single Family Home Sales reported with a Average Sales Price $259,569; During the same time there were 65 New Listings entering the market at an Average Listing Price of $449,986; The Average Days On Market for properties sold was: 117. Click here to access a complete and printable version of this reportPlease contact us or visit PinehurstHomeTeam.com for additional information on this and other real estate related matters.  Thank you for your interest and the privilege of serving you!With our highest regard, Wayne and Lynda Gomillion"The Pinehurst Home Team""The friendship and referrals of those we serve is the foundation of our success." 11/29/2007