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Sylva, NC Real Estate News

By Mona Gersky, GRI,IMSD-Taking the mystery out of real estate.
(MoonDancer Realty, Dillsboro,NC)
By now everyone should realize the trick to getting a home loan is to know there are NO tricks for getting a home loan!  Welcome to Part 4 of the Tips for Buying Real Estate in the NC Mountains (or anywhere).   If you've read Parts One, Two and Three - we have come to the part in the home buying process where we find out WHAT price range you are qualified for and comfortable in.  Equally important is to know IF now is the best time for you to purchase a home.  You want to take care of this step BEFORE we look at houses.  Time and hope is far too precious to waste without this critical bit of information.     It seems in years past the main criteria to qualifying for a loan was if evidence of breathing appeared on a mirror or if someone had a pulse.  Of course, that's part of what got us...
Comments 8
By Mona Gersky, GRI,IMSD-Taking the mystery out of real estate.
(MoonDancer Realty, Dillsboro,NC)
Okay, let me get this right...WE list this and YOU service it??? Say...what? and add a double dose of ...huh? Can't touch this!     This happened a few days ago and we still haven't gotten the hairs to lay down on the backs of our necks.  We received an email from a good real estate buddy four counties and 65-70 miles away.  "I've referred you to someone in our office for a co-list".  This was the sum total of the email.  I wrote back and thanked him for the volume of information and expressed our wishes that it be either a useless vacant lot, an over-priced house or a disagreeable seller.  "LOL" he responds.     In my heart I know this buddy did not know the terms of the referral.  A short time later we received an email from the co-listing wannabe.  "Give me a call when you have five ...
Comments 92
By Mona Gersky, GRI,IMSD-Taking the mystery out of real estate.
(MoonDancer Realty, Dillsboro,NC)
That's right, don't call the coroner yet - I think they're still breathing!   Are we the only agency who's felt like their contracts needed life support to get them to the closing table?   Now, more than ever, agents need Real Estate First Responders training added to the Continuing Ed curriculum.  If we survive this Buyers' Market - we will rule the world in the next Sellers' Market!   All of a sudden, everyday commonplace issues like shared roads, shared wells and propane heaters can sound a death knell for an otherwise healthy contract.  Heroic measures must be taken to save the patient uhhh contract.    Everything and anything can be a germ carrier.  Networking was never more important for an agent.  If you do not have a GREAT working relationship with the lender and the closing at...
Comments 60
By Mona Gersky, GRI,IMSD-Taking the mystery out of real estate.
(MoonDancer Realty, Dillsboro,NC)
Western North Carolina attracts a high number of out of state buyers who can't wait to move here. I like to think I will never take the magnificence of where I live for granted, but the buyer's eagerness to locate themselves and their families here keeps it all fresh in my mind to always be thankful for my surroundings.            Once the dog family is fed and walked, I am aware every morning of the blissful serenity of the mountains, woods and birds. As I sit here typing I can hear crows cawing, squirrels chattering, birds singing, our creeks gurgling and the wind rustling in the leaves. I often take early morning walks down my road and am delighted by the wildflowers, wild turkeys, ferns, mushrooms, trees and views.  All of it makes me happy - from the little dandelion to the long r...
Comments 6
By Mona Gersky, GRI,IMSD-Taking the mystery out of real estate.
(MoonDancer Realty, Dillsboro,NC)
Feature this? Me? Well, feature me head slappingly dumbfounded! By the way, as a brief side note - I typically can't stand Burger King commercials, but I love the term they've coined "head slappingly"...but I digress. Anyway, rewind to yesterday morning. I posted a brief tirade based on actual events which continue to move agonizingly slow and will no doubt prompt ANOTHER tirade outburst later.  After posting, I got up from the computer to check on the meowing Lazerkitty and returned to the computer 60 seconds later to check email and discovered three responses.   Wow! Already, I thought?  Then I started getting congratulatory messages from the AR crowd for a featured post.  I thought everyone was referring to my post about my father which ended up in the ActiveRain Daily Drop and I was...
Comments 17
By Mona Gersky, GRI,IMSD-Taking the mystery out of real estate.
(MoonDancer Realty, Dillsboro,NC)
  I've Seen Fire and I've Seen Rain in the last day and a half.  We had a couple of maple trees fall down during one of the ridiculously strong windstorms from a couple of weeks ago.  Every time the burning got going, we'd get a cloudburst!  Embers and coals stayed hot though and I kept on keeping on and finally got all the wood burnt. Since I've spent a lot of time burning wood, I've decided that burning wood is a lot like working real estate.    Let's just take buyers. First there is the monumental task of prequalifying for a loan...no wait, first there is the explanation of why it's important to prequalify for a loan BEFORE you get to ride around and look at houses. No wait, first there is reviewing agency and securing a Buyer's Agency agreement.   Buyers who are seriously wanting to...
Comments 13
By Mona Gersky, GRI,IMSD-Taking the mystery out of real estate.
(MoonDancer Realty, Dillsboro,NC)
I made a comment once to Leslie Rojohn that my activity with ActiveRain was like participating in a professional "dream city".  She suggested that the concept would make a great post and as usual, I think she's right. The ActiveRain community is made up of citizens of a perfect professional dream city.  All of the real estate agents I've traded comments with have a clear vision of agency and a strong moral compass with regards to their clients and fellow agents. There is no real estate issue that can pop up that can't be reasoned out by sharing with this group.  The home stagers give valuable insights into home presentation that most listing agents have never even thought about. For those of us who live in areas where there are no professional home stagers, sharing those insights with o...
Comments 16
By Mona Gersky, GRI,IMSD-Taking the mystery out of real estate.
(MoonDancer Realty, Dillsboro,NC)
SOWING THE SEEDS FOR TOMORROW When planning for this final post of the 31 Days of May Challenge, the photo came first...   I love this title "Sowing The Seeds for Tomorrow". Look at the photo and look at the title. It's perfect! I just wish I'd thought of it. Once Leslie knew which photo I wanted to use, the title came to her in a nano-second. ActiveRain is like the fertile field in the photo. Everyone generously plants their ideas, advice, humor, artistry and hopes for a more highly evolved real estate profession. The only thing asked of us in return is to help tend the field and cultivate the relationships. In exchange for our participation, we can freely utilize the knowledge that grows in the field and enrich ourselves and our businesses. Choices made today have direct bearing on to...
Comments 13
By Mona Gersky, GRI,IMSD-Taking the mystery out of real estate.
(MoonDancer Realty, Dillsboro,NC)
At the beginning of any real estate client relationship for us, it is important to discover some common ground.   Usually, during our first meeting with someone new, we can identify common "values" during the initial review of the agency disclosure document.    Since I entered real estate 8 years ago and Leslie around 4 years ago, we were lucky to be in real estate school when the curriculum regarding agency was hammered daily. We've observed many agents who've been at this a lot longer than us really struggle with this first step.  I've even seen some agents who wait until they are writing up a Listing Agreement or an Offer to Purchase BEFORE the agency disclosure is addressed as an afterthought or a non-important paper to sign. Reviewing the Working With Real Estate Agents brochure is...
Comments 12
By Mona Gersky, GRI,IMSD-Taking the mystery out of real estate.
(MoonDancer Realty, Dillsboro,NC)
Some days you might as well throw out the calendar.       I went to bed last night thinking I had the day all lined up today.  No appointments, no commitments, just the whole day wide open to get stuff done.  Important stuff, house stuff, yard stuff, laundry stuff...not real estate stuff.    The weather was perfect.   Cool, breezy - high 50s and low humidity. No gnats or other skin munching creatures.  I was going to take the little chain saw and finally cut up all the branches from the fallen maples and haul them up to the fire pit.  Then I was going to clean the basement, then vacuum, then pack away winter clothes, rearrange dresser drawers, try out a new recipe, shower and then collapse into a well deserved slumber.   Hah! Throw out the calendar!   I got a phone call at 8:45 from the...
Comments 13
By Mona Gersky, GRI,IMSD-Taking the mystery out of real estate.
(MoonDancer Realty, Dillsboro,NC)
Friday ends with a dance.   There has really been no down time this week...well, except for taking pictures of the little colt in Savannah Township. That was relaxing.    We've shown houses, met new clients, had clients disappear into the wind (do you suppose there is an alternative realty reality where they all are?), negotiated a new contract, lunched with a lender, had a bonfire,  kept up with the 31 Day Challenge, blogged, blogged, blogged...   I have a score of topics to post about, but I think let's mellow out and celebrate Friday by ending this week with one of the coolest dance clips I've ever seen.  Enjoy and have a good weekend. 
Comments 11
By Mona Gersky, GRI,IMSD-Taking the mystery out of real estate.
(MoonDancer Realty, Dillsboro,NC)
Yes, I've had the opportunity to take Advice from A Tree.    We visited with a friend early yesterday evening at the Sylva Vista subdivision in Jackson County and left an hour later feeling like we had been on the most relaxing vacation.  We do see these views often in our travels, but rarely take the time to relax and simply just "be".      We soaked in the views and relished the gentle conversation with our good friend.  When you live in an area like ours, here in Sylva, North Carolina it is easy to be distracted from the realization that so many people would give anything to be in a place like this.  The beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains and the Blue Ridge Mountains refuse to be taken for granted.  The battery of the camera gave out long before I was ready to stop photographing.  K...
Comments 13
By Mona Gersky, GRI,IMSD-Taking the mystery out of real estate.
(MoonDancer Realty, Dillsboro,NC)
    Our local newspaper, The Sylva Herald, printed an article last week that proves we have progressive thinkers in Sylva, North Carolina. This was a good article with great photos.   Nick Breedlove's article covering the 100 Man March on April 16th in Sylva was a welcome sight.  Congratulations to Keith Delancey and his associates for spearheading this effort.  I know it was a long time in the making and it shows that some men are as concerned with domestic abuse and violence against women as women are.    The march reminded me of a Take Back The Night March I participated in 30 years ago. Of course, the city was larger but of the 2500 or more participants, only a handful were men.  One of the main expressions of frustration among the marchers was the knowledge that substantial progres...
Comments 6
By Mona Gersky, GRI,IMSD-Taking the mystery out of real estate.
(MoonDancer Realty, Dillsboro,NC)
      The Tomatoes, Green Onions, Feta,                 Pour Hot Penne into Tomato Mixture Olive Oil, Parsley and Dill       Toss to Coat                                               A Pretty Presentation!         We placed 5 signs to show the way!     Its A Beautiful House in East Fork Acres Our Open House at 1064 Middle Ridge Road in Sylva, NC was a success.  In spite of the distance from town, we had a good turnout of local brokers and some members of the public.  The weather was beautiful so we were able to just open the windows and the doors to the attached screened in porch.   This huge and well lit kitchen was a delight to prepare the food in.  Plenty of space to move around and right in the center of everything.  The agents were able to sit up at the spacious counter and in the...
Comments 6
By Rick Strohm, RickStrohm.com
(RickStrohm.com - Smoky Mountain Properties)
www.RickStrohm.com Rick & Rick Strohm, Jr. Ok so does this not seem like a GREAT time to be a homeowner? How about a 1st time home buyer?? Thought you might be interested in seeing some "National Homeownership" statictics: Nationally, the median existing-home price increase for all housing types from February to March was 4.2%, much higher than the typical 1.8% seasonal increase between those two months. The National Association of Home Builders recently announced that half of all U.S. households (55 million to be exact) can now afford to buy the median priced $200,000 new home. That's up 45% in the past 24 months! Home-builder confidence was in "double digits" in April for the first time in 6 months. First-time homebuyer activity has surged. In March, first-time homebuyers accounted fo...
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