Town warns of water-testing scam - Mooresville Tribune: Local News

Town warns of water-testing scam - Mooresville Tribune: Local News



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Mooresville NC Reverse Mortgage Candidates Cautioned to Seek Advice

Whenever the words “reverse mortgage” are uttered, any TV viewer immediately makes the connection with one of several celebrity spokesmen who blanket the airwaves with commercials touting the concept. If you listen carefully, those reverse mortgage ads do actually describe the product with legal accuracy. If you have the standard degree of sales resistence most of us have developed after years of exposure to Madison Avenue pitches, you probably guess that instead of relying solely upon the celebrity spokesman’s trustworthiness, you’d better investigate further before running out and applying. Most people do.

So it was surprising when the government’s Consumer Financial Protection Bureau found it necessary to issue a special advisory on the subject. Potential Mooresville NC reverse mortgage applicants—that is, MooresvilleNC homeowners who meet the minimum age requirement of 62 ½—were warned “not to be deceived” by the “late night TV ads that seem too good to be true.” Without quibbling with the CFPB about when those commercials appear (you can see them almost any time after about 3 p.m.), it is easy to see how they might create broadly mistaken impressions on at least two counts. And it’s too bad, because although a reverse mortgage can be a useful instrument, it really can have nightmarish consequences for someone who doesn’t fully understand the concept and its ramifications.

The warnings were the result of the consumer watchdog organization’s focus group study that showed many viewers coming away with misimpressions following screenings of the ads. Many did not understand that a reverse mortgage is a loan. Others got the impression that a reverse mortgage is a government benefit—and worse, some thought it guaranteed that consumers could stay in their homes for the rest of their lives.

The fact is, these loans are simply a specialized way seniors can tap into their home’s equity: the value that has built up over the years. It’s true that they are designed so that the homeowners do not have to repay the loan until he or she passes away, sells or moves out—but it’s no guarantee that other factors (like taxes, homeowner’s insurance, and maintenance expenses) might not still cause a default should the borrower run out of money.

There are other fine print details that are not mentioned in most of the ads…and they’re every bit as important as the terms of any loan. Among those that are barely touched upon are the fact that there are costs and interest provisions attached to reverse mortgages—and the CFPB finds them to be relatively expensive.

Most Mooresville NC homeowners are probably skeptical enough of any “too good to be true” pitch to automatically take a harder look—especially when it involves their Mooresville NC home’s equity. If you have questions about financial matters having to do with that equity, your best bet is to discuss the details with a trusted financial advisor or a federally-approved housing counselor. And for any other questions about Mooresville NC Real Estate, you needn’t hesitate to give me a call!

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About Ann:

Ann Stiles is a real estate broker for Wilkinson ERA Real Estate. She began by selling homes in New York and has over 29 years of experience in real estate. After relocating with her family to North Carolina in 2008 she continued her passion for real estate. She currently resides in the Trump National Golf Club community in Mooresville, NC with her husband and five children.

Mooresville NC Readers Benefit from Real Estate Information Best-Sellers  

When it comes to understanding the factors that come into play when buying or selling a home or any practical real estate information at all—Mooresville NC high school (or even college) graduates are on their own. If any real estate information has even been touched upon, it will have been in the most cursory manner: at best, one line item in a Home Economics budgeting discussion.

That’s one reason why everyone from first time MooresvilleNC homebuyers to itinerant real estate investors can benefit from the best of today’s how-to real estate books. Here are some of the popular oldies—as well as some valuable newcomers:

100 Questions Every First Time Home Buyer Should Ask is Ilyce Glink’s compilation of insights from top brokers across the country. Town first time buyers aren’t the only readers who will find this general reference valuable—Mooresville NC home sellers who want insight into the concerns of potential buyers will find it a useful resource. The “100 Questions” don’t address every local real estate information topic; but on the whole, this book is concise and informative.

Solid, practical information for homeowners readying their property for the local market can be found in Rhoney and Richard’s Smart Essentials for Selling Your Home. In the same way that 100 Questions book is also useful to sellers, this one would make excellent reading for prospective home buyers who recognize the importance of understanding sellers’ priorities. Smart Essentials is mercifully short: just 92 pages!

For more seasoned readers who might be considering an MooresvilleNC Real Estate residential investment, the bookshelves have plenty to offer:  

The second edition of Gallinelli’s What Every Real Estate Investor Needs to Know about Cashflow has been around for a while, but comes highly recommended for its textbook-level explanation of how economists digest real estate information for investment purposes. The formulas are all there, as well as examples that demonstrate how to apply them. Reading it won’t encourage prudent Mooresville NC non-CPAs to do their own business tax returns—but will acquaint them with valuable foreknowledge on how their tax advisor approaches maximizing their refund. Its description of four different ways to make money from real estate can be eye-opening.

J. Scotts’ The Book on Flipping Houses (how to buy, rehab, and resell residential properties) is a roadmap from start to finish on how to go about a lucrative house flip. There are many books on the subject, but this one is the leader of the pack. First published in paperback in 2013, it’s been a real estate information best seller ever since. Part of its wide appeal is the author’s (he’s a veteran flipper) candid step-by-step descriptions of how he executes his own projects. The author’s other book (with co-author Brandon Turner) is:

The Book on Estimating Rehabs. This is a book local real estate information-seekers should find well worth its hefty paperback price tag ($22.49 on Amazon). It details a variety of different approaches to projecting a rehab budget, including a breakdown of the 25 components that need evaluating.

Books can provide invaluable background information for real estate newcomers and veterans alike. Another essential is the assistance of a knowledgeable agent: good reason to give me a call!

  For more information visit: http://www.annstilesrealestate.com

Become a fan at: http://www.facebook.com/AnnStilesRealEstate

About Ann:

Ann Stiles is a real estate broker for Wilkinson ERA Real Estate. She began by selling homes in New York and has over 29 years of experience in real estate. After relocating with her family to North Carolina in 2008 she continued her passion for real estate. She currently resides in the Trump National Golf Club community in Mooresville, NC with her husband and five children.  

Knowledge is Power when it comes to Selling Your Mooresville NC Home  

When you read up on the dos and don’ts for selling your home, there is one piece of advice that’s universal when it comes to negotiating a successful deal: don’t let emotions get in the way. It does seem peculiar that something that is so obvious about any negotiation would have to be stated at all—much less repeated so often. You have to conclude that it happens a lot.

It does, and there are deep-seated reasons. Although selling your Mooresville NC home is primarily a business venture, it’s one with some of the emotional overtones usually associated with creative endeavors. When an artist or sculptor, jewelry designer or photographer—any creative professional—decides to offer works for sale to the public, it’s nearly impossible for him or her to remain completely objective about how it is received. Or to avoid forming feelings about those who accept or reject the creation.

Selling your Mooresville NC home only seems to be all business. True, it’s a single-transaction enterprise. It begins with preparing the property, and concludes with negotiating to close the deal. Every step of the process may seem to be all business. But in reality, it’s almost unavoidable for emotional cross currents to seep in from the very first step.

Consider preparing the property. If there were such a thing as a perfect home, this would be a cut-and-dried affair: all it would involve would be to eliminate every flaw. But since perfection exists only in some alternate universe, deciding which of a home’s features need to be enhanced, replaced, or done away with altogether involves making subjective judgments. Some of these can require paying significant amounts of money; others, significant amounts of elbow grease.

When the work is done and the results are first put on display, it’s like Opening Night. It is only human to feel personally connected with how prospective buyers react. Not only is the ‘product’ that’s being evaluated one that reflects your tastes and efforts—it’s also where you live! Your home, for goodness’ sake! It deserves to be appreciated at the very least…

Especially when it comes to the negotiations phase of selling your Mooresville NC home, this is one business venture wherein it’s nearly impossible to avoid the personal element. Acknowledging it is simple. And knowledge is power—if you expect that you might experience an emotional reaction at some point, you’ll recognize it for what it is. If it’s an overreaction, you will be much more likely to be able to simply take a deep breath, put it into perspective—and come up with an appropriate response.

 “A lot of times buyers and sellers will argue tooth and nail over things that aren’t really that important,” New York City closing attorney Sandor Krauss blogged recently; “and sometimes it blows deals.”

One of the great advantages to having a local agent by your side when selling your MooresvilleNC home is to have an experienced intermediary working on your behalf. It can put you at a great advantage when negotiating with buyers—and their emotions! If you will be selling your home in Mooresville NC this winter or fall, I hope you’ll give me a call!

For more information visit: http://astiles.wilkinsonandassociates.com/

Become a fan at: http://www.facebook.com/AnnStilesRealEstate

About Ann:

Ann Stiles is a real estate broker for Wilkinson ERA Real Estate. She began by selling homes in New York and has over 29 years of experience in real estate. After relocating with her family to North Carolina in 2008 she continued her passion for real estate. She currently resides in the Trump National Golf Club community in Mooresville, NC with her husband and five children.

Mooresville NC Real Estate Open Houses Remain Useful Real Estate Artifacts

More than one Mooresville NC Real Estate home sale has resulted from a couple’s chance encounter with a local open house. It still happens that they just drop in on the spur of the moment.

“Oh look! They’re having an open house down the street!” turns into curiosity, then interest, excitement—and ultimately, a life-altering change in where they call home.

Today that still happens, but a good deal less frequently than in the past. Part of the reason is the demotion of the open house in the pecking order of local real estate strategies. At this point, an area open house is simply never the central element in a home’s marketing blitz. The web has seen to that.

Let’s face it: if you can visit any listed home via its online virtual tour, the whole idea is that it requires a fraction of the time and effort an in-person visit takes. A home’s virtual tour is where you’ll head first. If you are aware of a Mooresville NC Real Estate open house scheduled for the weekend, chances are you may also check it out online first. If you like what you see there, you might even be tempted to call your agent or email the selling agent to schedule a private showing. Getting there ahead of the masses can give you an edge if the property draws a crowd.

If the online media (including the rapidly-expanding mobile universe) weren’t so ubiquitous, it’s a cinch we’d be seeing a whole lot more ‘Open House’ signs just driving around Mooresville NC. But it’s not a completely extinct phenomenon.

For the house hunter who is just initiating the effort—anyone who suspects that a less virtual, more three-dimensional excursion is the best way to get a feel for what’s out there—look for notices in the newspaper classifieds, and even check the old-fashioned places—like grocery store bulletin boards. And Sunday is still the day you’ll find the most “Open House” signs in Mooresville NC front yards—as well as their cooperative neighbors’ corner lot lawns.

Open houses can offer a leisurely weekend way to wade into this fall’s residential offerings, but for those who have advanced to a stage where a more concentrated and efficient effort is called for, there’s no substitute for the assistance of an experienced town real estate agent. And there is also no need for such a substitute—I’m right here, ready for your call!

For more information visit: http://astiles.wilkinsonandassociates.com/

Become a fan at: http://www.facebook.com/AnnStilesRealEstate

About Ann:

Ann Stiles is a real estate broker for Wilkinson ERA Real Estate. She began by selling homes in New York and has over 29 years of experience in real estate. After relocating with her family to North Carolina in 2008 she continued her passion for real estate. She currently resides in the Trump National Golf Club community in Mooresville, NC with her husband and five children.

DISCREET PATH TO MARKETING MOORESVILLE NC REAL ESTATE LUXURY HOMES

DISCREET PATH TO MARKETING Mooresville NC Real Estate LUXURY HOMES

    According to the Reuters news service, the home market for those with high net worth incomes (HNWI) has remained surprisingly strong -- even when there were dips in other sectors. Luxury homes are hot on the radar of those with the means to swing multi-million dollar purchases.

    One listing tactic for the marketing of luxury homes -- whether in Beverly Hills, Palm Beach, or here in Mooresville NC -- is the "pocket listing." Pocket listings give the owners of luxury homes the ability to conduct a discreet, private sale by keeping it off the Multiple Listing Service. The most common reason my sellers opt to steer clear of the MLS is to give maximum leeway concerning general public knowledge of the offering.

    I recall seeing one notable recent example (I believe it was reported by TMZ): the simultaneous pocket listings of both of their high-end homes by celebrity pair Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. For public personalities whose careers are dependent on careful nurturing of their images, maintaining control of public access to their domestic doings can be viewed as a business necessity. Instead of being exposed on the usual multiple-listing services, it's marketed directly by their agent.

    Selling Mooresville NC Real Estate luxury homes through pocket listings can also provide the homeowner and agent the maximum ability to vet potential buyers. Too, business people wishing to avoid upsetting customers or employees can avoid speculation that they may be leaving the area. And for those who are wary of listing their luxury homes during a less than roaring market, a pocket listing leaves the door open to selling to the right buyer for an ideal price.

    However (and its a big however), the same qualities that make pocket listings an attractive path to a discreet sale also carry a notable drawback. By their very nature, pocket listings severely cut down the number of potential buyers -- considerably cutting down the chances of reaching the best possible sale price. If you are an adherent of the axiom any publicity is good publicity, a pocket listings word-of-mouth technique (the first cousin of no publicity) probably isnt an attractive alternative.

    If you are looking to sell your home in Mooresville NC with little fanfare, call me to discuss your options and the pros and cons of each. Local luxury homes can sometimes be well served when they stay in the pocket!

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For more information visit: http://annstilesrealestate.com/

Become a fan at: http://www.facebook.com/AnnStilesRealEstate

About Ann:

Ann Stiles is a real estate broker for WilkinsonERA Real Estate. She began by selling homes in New York and has over 30 years of experience in real estate. After relocating with her family to North Carolina in 2008 she continued her passion for real estate. She currently resides in the Trump National Golf Club community in Mooresville, NC with her husband and five children.