You’ve decided it’s time for a new home. Maybe your family has outgrown your current home or it’s time to downgrade now that the kids are grown up and on their own. Whatever the reason, you need to buy a new home and sell your current home. This can be done in three basic ways:

1. Buy a new home first, then sell your current home.

Advantages:

• Move only once. There’s no need to move somewhere temporarily because your current house sold before you found a new one.

Disadvantages:

• Financial Burden. You will be paying two mortgage payments and utility bills for two houses at the same time until you sell your old home.
• This is the exception – not a lot of people can do this

2. Sell your current home first, then buy a new home.

Advantages:

• Financial Freedom. You go directly from making one monthly mortgage payment on your old house to making one monthly payment on the new house. No leftover bills from your old house to contend with.
• No rush. Take the time to get the best offer for your home. You won’t have to accept a lower offer because you are in a hurry to sell.

Disadvantages:

• Most families looking for a home will put their current home on the market. In the meantime, if they find a house they would purchase they make an offer contingent on their house selling.

3. Buy and Sell at the same time.

Advantages:

• Only move once. When the timing is right, you can close on your new home and move in before you have to vacate the old one.
• No financial burden. No need to pay two sets of bills for two houses for any length of time.
• This is probably the best situation but as stated above, timing is important. Most sellers will arrange their closing date to correlate with the date they move into their new home.

Disadvantages:

• Tricky timing. In order to pull this off, timing has to be impeccable. The scheduling of closing dates has to be just right to prevent you from having to vacate your current home before you can move into your new home and to avoid extra costs.

If simultaneous buying and selling of homes sounds like the best option to you, you need the right partner. Consider buying through and listing with Smith Marketing and Allen Tate Realtors. Smith Marketing’s expertise on Greensboro real estate means you will find the home you are looking for while your home is sold. Smith Marketing knows how to list your home to make sure it sells. And you will have all the help you need to find the best new home for you and your family. Browse the complete online listing of homes for sale in Greensboro, NC. Use the Advanced Search to narrow down the criteria until you find just what you’re looking for. Meet with a realtor to start touring homes. Find a great new home. Sell your old one. It’s that easy with Smith Marketing.

More on buying and selling real estate: http://www.realtor.com/advice/sell/how-to-sell-your-home-and-buy-another-at-the-same-time/

As you can see from the graph below, the Federal Funds Interest Rates peaked in 2006 to 2007 and crashed after the housing market collapse in 2008. Now, for the first eight years, the Feds are planning on raising the interest rates. How dramatically and how quickly they opt to raise the rates will not be known for a while. However, some policy makers are anticipating the rate could be high as 3%. If that happens, then it will create a dramatic increase in mortgage interest rates in the very near future.

For example, if the amount financed is $150,000 today at 3.8% interest rate, the monthly payment would be approximately $900. However, if the interest rate doubles in the next few years to 7.6%, then the monthly payment will skyrocket to almost $1,300 per month. That’s a $400 increase in the monthly payment.

Although home sales plummeted after the housing collapse in 2008, home sales have been increasing since 2011. An increase in demand means that homes prices will also increase in the coming years. You can see from the chart below, existing home sales have been steadily increasing month over month and is expected to continue. Now truly is the best time to buy your Greensboro home.

Greensboro offers quality homes for sale at affordable prices. The median home price in Greensboro is only $104,700. Plus, Greensboro is ranked as one of the top 100 places to live in the country, has an average commute time of only 20 minutes, an unemployment rate of only 5.8%, and a the cost of living is 12% lower than the national average.

Additionally, if purchasing one of the many homes for sale in Greensboro, NC that are available, you and your family have an abundance of higher education choices available within less than an hour’s drive that include top ranked schools like:

• University of North Carolina
• Elon University and Law School
• North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
• Duke University
• Wake Forest University
• North Carolina State University

If you are looking for a luxury home for sale in Greensboro, then now really is the time to buy. Smith Marketing, Inc., is your best resource for homes for sale in Greensboro. We can provide you with the best resources and facts for important home buying decisions. Call us at 336-215-7880 to begin your new home search.

*Source for Graphs, www.forexfactory.com

Searching for luxury homes for sale in Greensboro can be a very different experience than your average house hunting. It requires a bit more research and effort to find a home that meets your requirements in the desired area. If this is your first time searching for a high-end home or even if you’ve done this before, these tips can help make the process a little easier.

1. Make a list of the features you want. If you start with some definite goals in mind, it can be easier to find a home that meets your requirements. You can save a lot of time by touring homes that have all or most of the features you are looking for and skipping the ones that are missing items you can’t live without or homes that have extra features you don’t need or want. Discuss this list with your realtor so that he or she will have a more accurate picture of the type of home you are looking for.
2. Don’t dismiss a house based on pictures alone. Sometimes pictures don’t do a home justice. There may be beauty there or features that go beyond what you can see from photographs. If it’s in your price range and has the basic requirements you are looking for, like number of bedrooms and bathrooms, consider viewing it in person. If you sit down with your realtor and discuss your likes and dislikes and the details you want in a home, he or she will be able to show you homes that are likely to meet your standards. Trust that your realtor has the experience to match homes to people.
3. Consider the future. Find out what other construction will be taking place around the home. Ask about the plans for the neighborhood and the lots nearby if the area is still being developed. Consider proximity to commercial development. If it would bother you to have a brand new shopping mall built almost in your backyard, you should know what the chances are of something like that happening. Be sure that the NC Department of Transportation is not planning to extend the interstate just beyond your neighborhood. These are things worth looking into. You don’t want to move into your dream home only to find that the community is not what you had in mind.

Smith Marketing will find you the home of your dreams

If you are searching for luxury homes for sale in Greensboro, Smith Marketing is a local real estate team with expertise in buying and selling high-end homes in the Triad. We partner with Allen Tate Realtors to show you the best luxury homes in the area that meet your requirements. We have access to high-end neighborhoods, newly listed homes, and we also have great relationships with local custom home builders. Call us today to get started: 336-539-2800.

For additional tips on luxury home buying: http://www.hgtv.com/design/real-estate/top-10-expert-tips-for-buying-a-luxury-home

An MLS listing in Greensboro allows real estate agents access to a multitude of information for homes and buildings available within a geographical region to help home buyers or sellers find the property of their dreams.

MLS listings, also known as a multiple listing service, enables real estate agents to find properties (including land and homes) within a geographical region. While most may assume that it is simply a database of homes or land for sale, it actually is a set of services that provide critical information for narrowing the search for a home or help in identifying the appropriate value of a home. Designed in the late 1800s, the MLS service combines all the different pieces of information that realtors need for assisting buyers and sellers in today’s markets.

MLS Listings Are Private and Help Your Realtor to Find Your Perfect Home

While some information from the MLS listing may be available on other sites, the MLS listing is a private database service that is only available to licensed realtors and combines all the pieces of information they need in one service. This helps your realtor to narrow down the choices that you are most interested in based on educational services, prices, neighborhoods, medical services, etcetera.

For example, a young couple may want to choose a neighborhood that is kid friendly and has excellent schools versus a senior couple that may be more interested in choosing a home in a neighborhood that offers more activities for seniors. The MLS listing service helps your realtor narrow down the locations based on these parameters. This means you save time by looking at the homes that fit your demands and stay within your budgetary restrictions.

Of course for homeowners that are trying to sell their homes, the MLS listing service is even more critical because it is a way for realtors to help sell your home. First, the MLS listing gives important information for composing the comparative market analysis. This analysis identifies what similar properties in your area sold for and allows you to set the best price possible for your home. Once you set the price, then you have to get the home information in front of the most buyers as possible.

In today’s markets, with so many homes on the market, the MLS listings can be extremely valuable. Instead of simply placing a “For Sale” on your lawn, your home is listed within the database that is accessed by thousands of other realtors and their clientele. By listing the home in the MLS, more potential buyers have access to your home’s information and price.

Regardless of whether you are looking to buy a home or wanting to sell your existing home, Allen Tate Realtors utilize the MLS listings for Greensboro, providing you the keys to helping achieve your dream. We have over 27 years of successful real estate experience in the Triad area. To plan your next home purchase or to sell your home, call us today at (336) 215-7880 and get started on this wonderful journey.

If you are in the market for a new home and also need to sell your current home, Allen Tate Realtors in Greensboro can help you with both. The Smith Marketing team of Allen Tate Realtors will work to get your home sold quickly at a good price. Together we also help you find the new home you’ve been looking for that meets your requirements and is within your price range. We work with you every step of the way from preparing your current home for sale to closing on the new home of your dreams.

Preparing to Sell

When you make the decision to sell your home, there are some steps you can take to make the process easier:

• Prepare yourself emotionally. Your home means a lot to you. People often develop deep emotional connections to the homes they live in. It can be difficult to get used to the idea of selling a place you love. Do your best to get yourself ready before the process begins.
• Spruce up the place. Some basic tidying, cleaning, painting, and improvements go a long way in terms of curb appeal. First impressions are everything. Be sure to put your best foot forward.
• Declutter. Put away knickknacks and collectables. Less is more; it makes your home look bigger when it is emptier. Put some things in storage during the selling process if necessary.
• Depersonalize. Put away family pictures and personal items. Potential buyers need to be able to picture themselves in the home.
• Lighten up. Be sure your home looks bright and airy. Lighter spaces look bigger. Add additional lighting if necessary or use brighter bulbs in light fixtures. Open up blinds, shades, and curtains before viewings.
• Thin out storage. Make your closets look bigger by removing a lot of clothing and other storage. Leave just the items you may need to use during the selling process.
• Keep your home show-ready. Potential buyers may want to come for tours at any time. Be flexible and keep the house in show-ready condition all the time. You don’t want to have to rush around to tidy up every time someone wants to tour your home.

Preparing to Buy

Before buying a home there are some important things to do:

• Check out the community. This includes looking into the school district if you have children. Make sure the schools are good and that the community around the home is an environment you want to live in.
• Look closely. Potential problems are easily covered up with paint and other superficial improvements. Keep an eye out for things that look amiss.
• Consider storage space. One of the most important aspects of a home is one of the most often overlooked: storage space. Everyone needs to have room to put their stuff, and everyone has different storage requirements. Make sure the house has sufficient closets and attic space to meet your needs.
• Insist on an inspection. This one is definitely worth it. You want to make sure that a professional inspects the structure, foundation, roof, plumbing, etc. so that you know the house is worth the asking price and that there are no major problems with the home.

Smith Marketing and Allen Tate Realtors are a winning combination

When it comes to selling homes, Smith Marketing has the expertise to list your home so that it sells in good time for a decent price. When it comes to buying homes, Smith Marketing and Allen Tate Realtors in Greensboro can help you find an existing home, new home, or lot that meets your distinct requirements. Together we make the process smooth and painless. Contact us online or call (336) 539-2800.

For more advise on buying and selling homes, visit: http://www.today.com/home/real-estate-advice-what-know-about-buying-or-selling-home-1D80406951

When selling your home, you hope to sell quickly and for a good price. Your house will get the most views in the first month it is on the market. So before you even consider listing your house for sale in Greensboro do your homework. There are 6 things you can do to improve the chances your house will sell in the Greensboro real estate market.

1. Create curb appeal. Make sure your yard is manicured. Plant flowers, add fresh mulch to flower beds. Spiff up or get a new mailbox. These are all things that contribute to the first impression prospective buyers will have of your house. And first impressions matter.
2. Make inside and outside improvements. Outside improvements, especially to the front of your home also influence curb appeal. Repaint your front door or porch railings. Repair any loose or broken items anywhere on the outside of your home. Give the inside a fresh coat of paint to cover up any marks or bumps on the walls. Use neutral colors that will appeal to a larger population of prospective buyers.
3. Clean inside and out. Be sure every inch of your home is clean. Clean cobwebs out of corners you never think to look at, wash windows, dust ceiling fan blades and the top of the fridge. Consider renting a carpet cleaner or even hire a professional carpet cleaning service. You could even hire a professional house cleaning service to give the inside of your home a thorough scouring. Outside, pressure wash the exterior of your home, especially if you have vinyl siding.
4. Declutter your home. Put things in storage if need be to minimize the amount of stuff in each room. Rooms look bigger with less clutter and furniture. Remove all personal items such as family photos and religious or political paraphernalia. Prospective buyers need to be able to picture themselves and their family in the house.
5. Remove all pets. Either arrange for them to stay somewhere else during the selling process or be ready to take them with you whenever someone is coming to view your home. Also take their things with you, including food and water bowls, litter box, and toys. There should be no evidence whatsoever that pets live in your home.
6. Arrange furniture in rooms to be logical. Make sure the kitchen looks like a typical kitchen, even if you normally use part of the room for something else. Set up empty rooms with furniture to give them a purpose even if you didn’t use them that way. Selling a home is all about appearances.

List your house for Sale in Greensboro with Smith Marketing

After you have done these things, you are ready to list your house for sale in Greensboro. And when you are ready to list, contact Smith Marketing. Smith Marketing with Allen Tate Realtors are experts in Greensboro real estate. We will list your home and actively market it to get it sold in a timely manner for the desired asking price. Smith Marketing will take professional photos of your home for online listing and make sure to get your house out there on listing sites and social media. You do your homework, and we’ll do ours. Contact Smith Marketing online or call 336-663-1320.

The housing market is considered stable in most US cities and is expected to stay that way into the next year. It is not a buyer’s or a seller’s market right now. What does this mean? That it’s as easy to sell a home as it is to buy a home. With luxury homes in Greensboro listed online complete with photos, it is easy for house hunters to find a home and easy for sellers to showcase homes for sale. Allen Tate Greensboro has extensive listings of homes in Greensboro and the surrounding area. Once you have narrowed down your search online with Smith Marketing, an Allen Tate Realtor can take you on actual tours of the homes you are interested in.

Shopping Online for Luxury Homes in Greensboro

It’s easy to find luxury homes in Greensboro when searching online. You can narrow your search using a series of criteria such as number of bedrooms and bathrooms, square footage, school district, zip code, lot size, etc. You can find a home that meets your needs without leaving your desk, or, if you are interested in having a custom home built you can search by lot and builder. You can view photographs of homes and lots and in some cases take a virtual tour from the comfort of your home.

Listing Online

It’s also easy to sell your home by listing it online. When you list your home online with Allen Tate, you are getting it out there in front of thousands of people. Smith Marketing specializes in showcasing homes in Greensboro and surrounding areas to get them sold. Allen Tate Realtors with Smith Marketing bring buyers and sellers together so that everyone wins.

Neighborhoods

After the home itself, probably the next most important criteria when looking for a new home is the neighborhood. Proximity to businesses and schools is key. Allen Tate Greensboro has luxury homes available in a long list of great neighborhoods. With so many neighborhoods to choose from, it’s easy to find a home that fits your needs and in the right location.

Two Companies in One

When Allen Tate Realtors and Smith Marketing came together, the best of both companies combined to become a tour de force in the housing market. When you list your home with the Allen Tate Smith Marketing Team, you are guaranteeing that it will sell. When you buy a home through Allen Tate Smith Marketing, you will know you are choosing from a huge variety of the very best homes on the market. Buying and selling homes has never been easier. Start the buying or selling process today.

For more information about the stability of the current housing market visit http://www.cnbc.com/2015/05/29/.

You’ve decided it’s time for a new home. Maybe your family has outgrown your current home or it’s time to downgrade now that the kids are grown up and on their own. Whatever the reason, you need to buy a new home and sell your current home. This can be done in three basic ways

1. Buy a new home first, then sell your current home.

Advantages:

• Move only once. There’s no need to move somewhere temporarily because your current house sold before you found a new one.
• No rush. There’s no hurry to find a new home because you have to vacate your current home due to closing.

Disadvantages:

• Financial Burden. You will be paying two mortgage payments and utility bills for two houses at the same time until you sell your old home.

2. Sell your current home first, then buy a new home.

Advantages:

• Financial Freedom. You go directly from making one monthly mortgage payment on your old house to making one monthly payment on the new house. No leftover bills from your old house to contend with.
• No rush. Take the time to get the best offer for your home. You won’t have to accept a lower offer because you are in a hurry to sell.

Disadvantages:

• You will most likely have to move out of your current home into some kind of temporary place until you find a new home. This most likely means putting a lot of your belongings into temporary storage.

3. Buy and Sell at the same time.

Advantages:

• Only move once. When the timing is right, you can close on your new home and move in before you have to vacate the old one.
• No financial burden. No need to pay two sets of bills for two houses for any length of time.

Disadvantages:

• Tricky timing. In order to pull this off, timing has to be impeccable. The scheduling of closing dates has to be just right to prevent you from having to vacate your current home before you can move into your new home and to avoid extra costs.

If simultaneous buying and selling of homes sounds like the best option to you, you need the right partner. Consider buying through and listing with Smith Marketing and Allen Tate Realtors. Smith Marketing’s expertise on Greensboro real estate means you will find the home you are looking for while your home is sold. Smith Marketing knows how to list your home to make sure it sells. And you will have all the help you need to find the best new home for you and your family. Browse the complete online listing of homes for sale in Greensboro, NC here. Use the Advanced Search to narrow down the criteria until you find just what you’re looking for. Meet with a realtor to start touring homes. Find a great new home. Sell your old one. It’s that easy with Smith Marketing.

More on buying and selling real estate: http://www.realtor.com/advice/sell/how-to-sell-your-home-and-buy-another-at-the-same-time/

With prices and interest rates at all-time lows, now is the time to look at homes for sale in Greensboro, NC.

A home purchase is typically considered to be a long-term investment. Yet, few homeowners approach the purchase of a home as an investor approaches an investment. Investors are always studying charts to determine when a market low has been reached so they can buy, and then follow the charts to determine when a market high has been achieved. Once the high has been established they sell their stock – resulting in substantial profits. By applying these same techniques, homeowners can achieve higher returns on their home purchases, as well. Let’s begin with a review of what has occurred in the housing market.

The housing market collapse of 2007 is one that very few can forget. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, both publicly traded companies designed to provide federal money to finance home mortgages, needed to be bailed out by the US government. Their stock prices plummeted to under a dollar per share. By September 2008, Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc., a global financial services leader, filed for Chapter 11^th bankruptcy protection, causing stock markets around the world to collapse. Foreclosures soared creating a financial tidal wave of bankruptcy filings and bailouts. Few, if any, markets were not affected by the market collapse.

The good news for buyers is that the 2007 housing collapse has caused mortgage interest rates and home prices to plummet. Thirty year fixed mortgage rates have fallen from a high of 8.5% in 2000, down to low of 3.75%. This equates to a significant decrease in monthly payments. For example, a $200,000 mortgage at an 8.5% interest rate resulted in a monthly payment of $1,537.83, resulting in a total interest payment of $353,614 over the course of the 30 year mortgage. Yet, the same mortgage at the lower rate of 3.75% results in a monthly payment of only $926.23 and only $133,444 in total interest. That’s a savings of over $200,000 just in interest alone and it gets better.

Because of the mass foreclosures that occurred in 2007 and 2008, home prices also fell. Homes that once sold for millions of dollars, were being sold for a less than a million. Statistics show that the market bottom for home prices was reached in 2011 and, since then home prices have started a slow, steady growth indicating that now really is the time to buy. This is also supported by recent reports showing a steady increase of existing home sales and new homes sales plus a significant decline in mortgage delinquencies.

Existing Home Sales, 2001 to 2015

New Home Sales, 2001 to 2015

Mortgage Home Delinquencies, 2006 to 2015

While home prices vary by area, the charts above indicate that overall the housing market has reached a low point. In other words, when comparing the home delinquencies with existing home sales, from 2007 to 2010, mortgage delinquencies increased and a spike in existing home sales, during this same period, is shown as investors were snatching up homes that were in default. Since the spike in 2011, there has been a fairly steady increase in both existing home sales and new home sales, yet mortgage delinquencies have fallen. The significance of this combination is that the demand for existing home sales will increase and, since delinquencies has fallen, the “supply” of existing homes sales will be dependent on homeowners wanting to sale their homes versus homes that were put on the market because of foreclosures.

If you are looking for a property for sale in Greensboro or a home for sale in Greensboro, then now really is the time to buy. Smith Marketing, Inc., is your best resource for homes for sale in Greensboro. We can provide you with the best resources and facts for important home buying decisions. Call us at 336-663-1320 to begin your new home search.

*Source for Graphs, www.forexfactory.com

Do you want your new home search to go from tedious and frustrating to smooth and phenomenal? It’s all in choosing the right team, tools, and experts to guide you step by step through the process. Choosing an Allen Tate Greensboro Team that is known for customer service and results will ensure that your experience is not only smooth and satisfying but will result in the right home for your family. Smith Marketing, Inc., one of Allen Tate’s principal teams in selling and listing homes, was recently ranked as one of the top 25% real estate teams in the nation, according to 2015 Real Trends the Thousand on Allen Tate’s website, www.newsroom.allentate.com:

“The agents and teams were ranked nationally and by state in six categories: individual agent by transaction sides, individual agent by sales volume, individual agent by average sales price, agent team by transaction sides, agent team by sales volume and agent team by average sales price.

Other Tate teams ranked in the top 25 percent nationally were Team Honeycutt in the Allen Tate Concord office, at No. 194 and Smith Marketing in the Allen Tate Greensboro-Green Valley office, at No. 203 in the category of agent team by transaction sides.”

Honest Communication and Trusted Service from an Allen Tate Team

Instead of starting on a journey of home searching on your own, find a reputable real estate team that you can trust. A top Allen Tate Greensboro team, like Smith Marketing, will deliver honest communication about the properties that you are considering, and educate you on the various features, warranties and aspects of the homes so you will be fully prepared to make a smart decision. When you have an established expert team to work with, the process of purchasing your home will go much smoother. From neighborhood features, school districts, nearby businesses and any other critical information you need to feel secure about your next home purchase, Allen Tate REALTORS of Greensboro is committed to providing up to date, accurate and detailed data, not only about the house, but about the surrounding area as well.

Buyer’s Agent and Relocation Services in Greensboro

If you are moving from outside of the area in a short amount of time, there is a lot of information to learn quickly regarding the various neighborhoods, quality of life, communities and more. With an Allen Tate Greensboro expert team, such as Smith Marketing, Inc., this information is readily available to you. Schools, available health care, grocery store proximity, parks, restaurants and other activity centers are some of the most important factors that go into a buying decision. Whether you need a 3 bedroom or 4 bedroom home, a 2 car or 3 car garage, or a large, gourmet kitchen, are some of the home features that will be reviewed to help you narrow your search to the type of home that meets or exceeds your needs.

It can be a guessing game if you try to search through all of the available properties in the Greensboro area alone. Smith Marketing, Inc., will partner with you to provide you with the best resources and facts that will help you with your important buying decision. Our in-depth knowledge of the area builders, neighborhoods and amenities will help you find the right home for you. Call our office today to begin your new home search and we look forward to helping you as a Buyer’s Agent or Relocation Specialist: 336-663-1320.

(Source: Top Performers Ranked on 2015 REAL Trends the Thousand, newsroom.allentate.com, July 15, 2015)