Beautiful FIELDSTONE CONDO

Offered by Chrystal Safari, The Safari Group
www.thesafarigroup.com

BUYER INCENTIVE: 52″ LCD HD Flat Screen Stays w/full price offer, PLUS some closing costs! Beautifully Updated & Priced below tax value for quick sale! Close in 30 days. Fireplace, arches, great room w/largekitchen open to dining & living, new ceramic tile flooring, large bedrooms, laundry upstairs, private fenced patio w/grassy area, just waiting for your personal touches! Fort Mill schools! Click here for more info.

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		Presented by: Chrystal Safari The Safari Group (704) 562-1030 www.thesafarigroup.com

We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal opportunity housing opportunity throughout the nation. We encourage and support an affirmative advertising and marketing program in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin. Equal Housing Opportunity Slogan: "Equal Housing Opportunity."

 

CONDO with 2 MASTER BEDROOMS

Offered by Chrystal Safari, The Safari Group
www.thesafarigroup.com

Two Master Bedrooms upstairs, and private patio are special features of this condo. Two dedicated parking spaces (#39) and a cozy front porch in a friendly cul-de-sac make this one feel like home! The kitchen overlooks the den with fireplace and dining area. It’s ready for your personal touches. Seller requires pre-qual and HUD, with additional bank docs to be submitted when homeowner accepts. Click here for more info.

 

		Presented by: Chrystal Safari The Safari Group (704) 562-1030 www.thesafarigroup.com

We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal opportunity housing opportunity throughout the nation. We encourage and support an affirmative advertising and marketing program in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin. Equal Housing Opportunity Slogan: "Equal Housing Opportunity."

 

6100 Mooresville Road, Kannapolis, NC

6100 Mooresville Road, Highway 3, Kannapolis, NC

Welcome to your secluded estate with beautiful 3800 heated sq ft custom home on gated 14 acres includes private pond, study, grand living room with stone fireplace, eat-in kitchen also with stone fireplace, granite countertops, DIVA Induction cooptop, veggie sink, wine rack, dining room, sunroom off the kitchen, large stone patio, master on the main, European style baths including bidet, sauna. Hardwoods and earth drive round out the well-appointed and green features of this property.

Make your way past the private pond and through the 2 story foyer entry with hardwoods and curved stair to find the sunny living room jut off the eat-in kitchen.

The warm living room floods with natural light as you cozy up to the stone fireplace.  The eat-in kitchen is a cozy country destination just off the sunroom with stone fireplace.

A trend setter with still classic features, the gourmet kitchen includes recent updates and the following elements: granite countertops, DIVA Induction cooktop, Dual ovens, veggie sink, custom cabinetry, Subzero refrigerator with ice maker and custom wood front.

Entertain friends and family in the spacious dining room with a fantastic view of natural areas. This chandelier not included.


 The master is on the main floor and has two walk in closets with built ins, skylight, European style bath and sauna.  The Master Bath boasts whirpool bath, bidet and sauna.  Enjoy a Spa Day with out ever leaving home!  


The two secondary Jack and Jill bedrooms are upstairs and are spacious and private.  The oversized bath with dual sinks, clawfoot tub, and shower are ready for your rubber duckie.  Just add bubbles!  This spacious bedroom is roomy enough for a king size bed and includes a walk-in closet, mirrored studio and additional storage.

The sunroom joins the kitchen and living room.  Outdoor Living awaits your cup o’ tea.  The circular earth drive that flows around the house is one of the many green features of this beautiful estate home.

CLICK FOR PHOTO TOUR

There’s over 1000 square feet of storage in this timeless home, including unfinished 3rd floor walk up with skylight.

 An additional, adjacent 110 acres of pasture and natural areas are also available to expand your privacy and seclusion.  You’ll love the lower taxes!  It’s taxed as farmland.  It maps as USDA Eligible, if development is a future goal.

 Call for your private showing appointment.  If this home isn’t exactly what you’re looking for, search for your dream home at TheSafariGroup.com.

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My listing was on Google, first page, number three position, ‘above the fold’ within minutes of my blog post featuring it!  Call me for all your real estate needs.

Chrystal is a REALTOR® and principal of The Safari Group, a local, homegrown  real estate firm, specializing in all phases of the residential and small business real estate market, including New Construction, Finance, Marketing, Objection Handling, Relocation, Technology, Foreclosures, Short Sales, and Luxury Homes and GREEN Features.  Contact her at 704.562.1030  TXT/PH or Chrystal@TheSafariGroup.com

Navigating a Charlotte Area Short Sale

Prior to listing a property for sale, the seller must document hardship and the inability to pay the promised mortgage to receive approval from the lending bank to allow a short sale. Those documents must be updated monthly. Once the property is listed, showings and offers begin.

From a buyer’s point of view, once he’s decided to make an offer, the homeowner accepts, rejects or negotiates the offer. If and when all terms are agreed upon, the home goes under contract with the homeowner. The Offer to Purchase and Contract package is sent to the lender’s loan liquidation department along with a proposed HUD or settlement statement.

From there, an asset manager, sometimes called a file manager, is assigned. That can take hours to days, depending upon the bank’s volume of sales in the short sale department. Once the asset manager is assigned, all paperwork is forwarded and reviewed. Back up offers from other interested sellers are also received and submitted for consideration.

If all goes well, within 30 days or so, the investor who purchased the loan from the bank reviews the Offers/Contracts and decides whether or not he also accepts the terms offered. The bank then communicates the decision back to the seller who lets all parties know the verdict.

Behind the scenes, the bank must also eliminate or settle any second mortgage or other liens to make way for a clear title to be transferred to the buyer. Title companies won’t issue a title policy assuring no one else can step forward to claim ownership with any money still owed.

It can take as many as long as 6 months to iron out all the details. At any time, until the day and time of closing when the documents are signed and recorded, the investor may accept any other offer and bump the buyer’s to a null position.

Because many buyers don’t stay in the game for the duration, and for other reasons, fewer than 40% of short sales close. The property then becomes a foreclosure owned outright by the bank. It’s negotiated simply and can close in 15 days for a cash buyer, 30 days for conventional loan, and 45 days for an FHA loan.

It takes a special kind of dedicated buyer to pass by all other listings and continue hammering through a short sale for weeks and months at a time with no update from the bank. It you think that’s you, let’s talk. There are many great deals out there. Call me to discuss your big picture. 704-562-1030

Relocating to MorningStar and Heritage International Ministries?

Whether you’re moving across town or around the world to join the church body or team at Morningstar or Heritage International Ministries, as your preferred Relocation^TM Specialist, I’m here to help.  There are many great real estate options available, whether you’ll have students at Comenius School of Creative Leadership, or be living on or off campus as a student of MorningStar University, a resident of Heritage Court, or a resident of the Refirement Center, Heritage Towers, the premiere, luxury high rise active adult community.

Whatever your need, short or long-term rental, or purchase at any price point, the Fort Mill, Lancaster, Tega Cay, and South Charlotte areas has much to offer.  

Local real estate values are great, and selection is high.  Call me and we’ll discuss your big picture.  I’ll begin sending properties that match your criteria to inform you of market values and arrange a discovery tour.

I recently toured the model at Heritage Court, a beautiful, upgraded private residence with well-appointed features and WOW! amenities.  From luxurious, sustainable products and green features such as granite countertops and floor-to-ceiling windows, the unit is top of the line.  Two floor plan choices are available: the Bethesda at 784 square feet, one bed and 1.5 bath, and the Bethany, 1170 square feet with 2 beds, 2 baths.  Both floor plans are available on the first and fourth floors.  Pre-construction pricing ends soon.

Reservations are now being taken for the Heritage Towers, the on-campus high rise adult community with luxury fit, finish and amenities that can’t be matched anywhere in the area.  The concept isn’t just a luxury home.  Whether it will be your primary home or your second home, the goal of Heritage Towers is to gather a like-spirited body of believers together to bond in fellowship to advance your calling and its fit with the goal of the Kingdom.  But the beautiful, upgraded, maintenance-free homes with more than 10 floor plan choices, located near shopping, dining, golfing, and the highway aren’t bad, either! 

Whether you’ll make either the Heritage Court or Towers your primary or second residence, you’ll be equally impressed and blessed with the value, both practical and spiritual, you’ll receive.

Please contact me and I’ll schedule a personal tour of the ministry campus and model home for you.  I look forward to meeting with you.  Ask me about special lodging rates when you schedule your tour and select to work with me as your expert buyer’s agent.

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Chrystal is a REALTOR® and principal of The Safari Group, a local, homegrown real estate firm, specializing in all phases of the residential and small business real estate market, including New Construction, Finance, Marketing, Objection Handling, Relocation, Technology, Foreclosures, Short Sales, and Luxury Homes and GREEN Features.  She is one of the fewer than 30 internationally recognized EcoBrokers® in the Charlotte Metro Market, offering guidelines to assist home buyers and sellers in evaluating true green features and their benefits to real property value, home ownership, tax savings and mortgage closing table capital contributions.  Chrystal is backed by certified and insured professionals to assess and protect your energy utilizing investments.  Contact her at 704.562.1030 TXT/PH or Chrystal@TheSafariGroup.com

Investment Properties

Experienced and green investors evaluate potential investment properties very differently.  Both should follow a few similar guidelines.

When considering an income property, the first decision is to establish your targeted rental client.  The property you choose may limit the pool of prospective tenants, but not in the way you’d hoped.  If you’re targeting young professionals, location, features, amenities and potential rental rate will be very different than that for a future tenant who is just entering the market as a first-time renter still in school or just entering the workforce who needs to be located near public transportation.

Next is to determine, based on your targeted client, the location, features, amenities and rental rate for your likely renter.  A good rule of thumb is to purchase a property you wouldn’t mind living in yourself, and the closer to home the better.  Long-distance land lording is not advisable. 

Though some landlords feel it’s too close for comfort, a rental in your own neighborhood will allow you to keep an eye on your property, and to know first if anything begins to go wrong.  No matter where you purchase, always introduce yourself to the neighbors and give them your cell number and tell them to call you before they call the police, if the need arises.

Now that you’ve found the right property at what looks like the right price, it’s time to confirm that with a rental rate estimate based on the currently rented homes in the area before you make the purchase.  Your experienced REALTOR® can help with that.

If the rental rate estimate looks promising, consider the condition of the property.  Is it just dated or dilapidated?  Has it been updated in the last 5 years?  Or does it need a major overhaul?  Floor plan issues are best left to the pros.  For a positive return on your investment, kitchen updates shouldn’t cost more than 10% of the home’s value.  That’s true for any renovation. 

Determine your level of ability to make changes that would make your rental number one with interested consumers.  Choose materials and products that require less routine care and maintenance, and factor in the timeframe to complete and cost for each.  Add 20% to your budget for unexpected delays and overages.  Your REALTOR® can provide a list of licensed, preferred vendors to help with any repairs, maintenance, or renovations needed.

If the total cost of the project meets with your overall budget, it’s time to get the property under contract, begin advertising for a renter, and screen and hire your renovation team.

Next up, how to screen for good tenants.

Luxury Homes

Luxury. Elegance. Refinement. Many words come to mind when thinking of luxury. The same is true when thinking of Luxury Homes. Luxury Homes in our market are defined by their presence, spaces, materials, features, and locations.

So, what makes a home a luxury home? If luxury is something enjoyable or comfortable beyond life’s necessities, in many ways, we all live in some level of luxury.

I know Luxury Homes. In our market, luxury homes begin at about $700,000. Of course, at the moment, $1.5 million is the new $700,000.

A true luxury home is not just one of size, but of presence. It must look grand from the curb and include the look of comfort and pleasure from the lawn to the exterior building materials. In our market, most houses over $500,000 include hardcoat stucco as a building material, either as an accent or main feature. Other building materials included are stone, and brick. Special features such as a circular drive, fountain, or guard house add to the persona of the home.

There are large homes with upgrades that may approach $700,000, but in contrast, a Charlotte area luxury home is defined by its spaces. A paneled den or study is a must for true luxury homes in our area. So, too, is a media room. Some of the best I’ve seen rival high end hotel or private club media rooms. Other spaces typical of luxury homes include walk-in pantries, wine rooms, wine cellars and libraries. I personally don’t like to see Jack and Jill baths (two bedrooms joined by a common bathroom) in anything over $1,000,000.

In the good ole days, a true luxury home in the Charlotte market began at $180 per square foot and beyond. In this current climate, few are being built, but those that are still include custom floor plans and are still being up fitted with well-appointed features and materials.

Some unique materials included in luxury homes consist of on-site hand milled paneling, such as would be seen in a paneled den or study, or a custom handcrafted stained glass ceiling feature. Others feature award-winning hand hewn stone fireplaces carved from such exotic places as the Yucatan Peninsula, and fashioned on-site. Media rooms feature the highest resolution projectors available on the market, and some feature whole-house Smart House systems, integrating IT, Surveillance, and Energy Efficiency.

For a complete list of luxury homes available in the Charlotte Metro area, email your request with phone number. I’ll follow up after you’ve had a chance to review the offerings.

Building Your Investment Portfolio

With great rates, lots of inventory, and stricter lending guidelines, now’s an excellent time to increase or begin your rental property portfolio.  Many homeowners are afraid or reluctant to become landlords, but with a few proven strategies and processes in place, your rental properties can become a passive income stream that adds to your net worth.

There are several ways to add to your rental inventory, including purchasing a resale property from the homeowner or bank, as in foreclosures or REO’s, purchasing new construction from the builder, bidding on the courthouse steps (I have the 5 – 6 attorneys who handle all these sales in my Favorites), and converting your current home or inherited property to a rental.

Develop your business plan first.  Determine how you’ll acquire the property and where you’d like the rental home or business property to be located (in the same city as you is best; long-distance land lording isn’t ideal) and the price you’d like to pay for it.  Next, evaluate the current rental market for rental rate estimates on similar properties currently rented in the area you’ve targeted – this will help you anticipate the type of renter who might apply: an executive, a first-time renter, etc., and your potential return on investment.

Ask your full-service REALTOR® what renters are looking for when touring.  If a garage is a must-have for most renters in your market, be sure the property you purchase has one.

Investor rates are a bit higher if you must get a loan to make an investment  purchase, but if you have enough equity built up in your personal home, you may be able to purchase a resale, foreclosure, REO or new construction house, condo or townhome with your equity line by simply getting a certified check from your bank the morning of closing.

Want to convert your current home to a rental and move up?  You can if you can provide your move-up lender a 12 month lease on your current property, using only 75% of rental income to help qualify for your new mortgage, IF you have at least 30% equity in your current property.

In servicing the rental, you have several options.  You can pay a management company to handle everything on your behalf, or you can be more hands on, screening the calls, meeting the potential clients, to negotiating the lease and managing all the details.  Whether you decide to hire it out or do it yourself, you must know what to do or what should be done for you, to protect your best interests.

For specific strategies on qualifying prospective tenants, from your first sentence when answering the inquiry call to eliminate riskier applicants, to what to include on the application and lease, consult your full service REALTOR®.  They’re there to help you navigate the strategies and processes that will make you a successful rental investor.

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I love what I do, I’m good at it, & I’d love to work with you! My personal best is 8th with foreclosure bid; we not only won (it was NOT more $), but listing agent complimented me on my complete package, & asked permission to use my secret weapon!

My listing was on Google, first page, number three position, ‘above the fold’ within minutes of my blog post featuring it!

Chrystal is a REALTOR® and principal of The Safari Group, a local, homegrown  real estate firm, specializing in all phases of the residential and small business real estate market, including New Construction, Finance, Marketing, Objection Handling, Relocation, Technology, Foreclosures, Short Sales, and Luxury Homes and GREEN Features.  Contact her at 704.562.1030   TXT/PH or Chrystal@TheSafariGroup.com

Why are Some Homes in Your Neighborhood Not Selling?

There are three reasons a home will not sell.

1.  PRICE

One reason a home fails to sell is price.  Right pricing is critical to a making the sale versus having a listing.  Though you and I didn’t create the market, the market controls price.  In every market, right pricing is important.  Pricing reflects the perceived and true values of a property and is based on many factors including location, condition, method of build, curb appeal, floor plan desirability, and materials used, to name a few.

Within a given neighborhood, prices range depending on all the factors mentioned above, including recent sales values established by buyers, supported by appraisers.  A property is only as valuable as what a buyer’s willing to pay for it.

 

2.  SHOWINGS

You have maximum control over showings, with the ability to prevent and counter all showing objections.  The greater limits you put on showings, the fewer buyers will be able to see your property to consider it for purchase.  Ideally, you’ll have no restrictions as to when and for how long a showing is scheduled, with no advance notice needed, but sometimes life doesn’t work that way.  If you do need to block off times or require advance notice, such as 24 Hours Notice, before approving a showing, be flexible when possible.  When an agent schedules a tour, you might have a problem with agents who have tight tour arranged for clients whose schedules might not permit revisiting your listing before a decision is made.

It’s always best to live by the 10 Minute Rule when listing a house for sale.  That means, if you can’t put it away in 10 minutes, don’t bring it out.  And while you’ll most likely still need to cook, eat, entertain, and well, live, while your property is listed, keep in mind that holidays bring in a lot of visitors who are interested in moving and who might find a holiday the perfect time to tour.   If you’ve decorated for the holidays, what better way to show off your property!  Flexibility and readiness are the keys to a successful showing.

3. Marketing

The National Association of REALTORS® study shows nearly 90% of buyers begin their home search online before they consult a REALTOR®.  37% found the actual house they purchased online.  It’s been nearly a decade since LA Times discontinued its real estate section of the newspaper.

My job is to expose your listing with the best possible photos and copy to the agents and buyers who are ready, willing, and able to make the purchase.

Great exposure includes Agent to Agent marketing, including electronic and paper flyers, virtual tours, REALTOR and office meetings, and constant communication.  Once your property is shown, follow up is essential.  If not on the buyer’s top 3, I ask this question:  “Is there a price at which your clients would buy this house?”

My Buyer-Targeted online marketing includes my brokerage website, the local MLS Board members-only website, and over 320 local, national and international portals such as Zillow.com, Craigslist.org, etc., and social media outlets such as twitter, linkedin, facebook, blogs such as wordpress, ActiveRain and others, signs and flyers, Open Houses, and neighbor-to-neighbor advertising, and other networking, in addition to strategic print advertising.   The goal is to get your listing in the top of google and other search engine searches.  I’m specially trained to do just that.

I know you’re thinking that because of everything that I do, much more than what other agents do, that it would be more expensive.  It doesn’t cost you anything more to list with me than with an agent who only puts the listing in the computer.

If you’re in my market and are seriously considering hiring a real estate agent who specializes in getting homes sold quickly and for a high price, give me a call.  You’ll be glad you did.

 

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I love what I do, I’m good at it, & I’d love to work with you! My personal best is 8th with foreclosure bid; we not only won (it was NOT more $), but listing agent complimented me on my complete package, & asked permission to use my secret weapon!

My listing was on Google, first page, number three position, ‘above the fold’ within minutes of my blog post featuring it!

Chrystal is a REALTOR® and principal of The Safari Group, a local, homegrown real estate firm, specializing in all phases of the residential and small business real estate market, including New Construction, Finance, Marketing, Objection Handling, Relocation, Technology, Foreclosures, Short Sales, and Luxury Homes and GREEN Features.  Contact her at 704.562.1030  TXT/PH or Chrystal@TheSafariGroup.com

Seller Tip: Don’t Try This at Home

Or What a Seller Did to Infuriate Me and cut off his own nose to spite his face.  My investor buyers, who already had a renter lined up, wanted to see a cute house set atop a hill near their home.  The house was newer, had a 2 car garage, large yard, larger bedrooms and walk-in closet in the master and looked like a great potential investment.  We submitted a complete package, made a cash offer to close in 10 days, and hoped for the best. 

We were overjoyed when the listing agent called with a counter offer that was reasonable and my clients accepted.  Before the paperwork could exchange hands, the listing agent called back to say there were now multiple offers on the table and that my clients should come back with their highest and best, after our verbal offer had been accepted!  Well imagine my surprise when the listing agent argued there was no contract to honor!  She had not gotten the counter offer signed by her seller before presenting it, and in fact, it was true – there was no contract to honor. 

The North Carolina Real Estate Commission states a broker can only give Notice of Acceptance; the broker can’t bind a client to a contract that the client hasn’t signed.  A Broker will create a binding contract by notifying the party making the offer/counter-offer, or that party’s Broker, that the Broker has in their possession the offer signed & accepted by their client as written;  A call to the Legal Department that day revealed that although what the agent did was not illegal, it was, however, unethical.  

Much of real estate is transacted in good faith, and it’s common practice and legally binding to communicate acceptance by phone, email, fax, and mail.  In this case, the agent communicated acceptance of the counter offer without having the seller signed docs in hand.  The greedy seller then violated his word, and lured by the smell of money, accepted another offer described by the listing agent as ‘WAY WAY over the list price’ instead of signing what he’d agreed to.  The agent said the offer was so ridiculous that it probably wouldn’t work out, and that she’d call me if and when it went back on the market.  

My clients and I were angry and frustrated.    They went on the get another great property under contract.

Then, you guessed it.  The email arrived.  The buyers, who had their contract accepted on the basis of a cash purchase, couldn’t get a loan.  Poor buyer.  Poor seller.  My offer had gone in with a proof of funds letter; apparently, theirs did not.

My buyers are very happy with their new purchase, and we close Friday. 

There’s no way they’d have gone back to negotiate with the previous seller after what they’d experienced.  There was just too much risk with all the behind the scenes chain of events that must come together smoothly to close that the seller and listing agent couldn’t be trusted to perform. 

And the seller’s property is still on the market… and that smell of cold hard cash has long wafted away.

For an agent who does things the right way, and protects your best interests from contact to close, contact me by phone or text at 704.562.1030 For a property search to get you on your way to building your investor portfolio, visit TheSafariGroup.com and SEARCH Properties.