7 Reasons Why Now is a Great Time to Buy a Home!
Monday, September 27, 2010
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The Team New Bern Blog
Donna Harmatuk
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This Month in Real Estate for September 2010
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Please contact Team New Bern for more information on Distressed Properties in your area. 252.636.6595
Trent Woods Times Sept. 2010
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Hello Trent Woods neighbors!
Happy September! This transition from summer to fall in Trent Woods will be awesome to watch in the next couple of months with all our wonderful trees still intact. My husband often comments we need to protect these trees as they are why we are called "TRENT WOODS".
I was totally aware of this transformation while boating on the Trent with my family on Labor Day. The Trent River is the focus of my article this month to you. My objective is to help us all not take for granted this beautiful gem that lies in all of our backyards. The Trent is unique to the Neuse in that it is smaller, more peaceful, with deeper water. Its shores are lined with moss covered cypress, live oaks, and in some spots a dense tree canopy overhead (this is good on those hot summer days)!
I recently went by boat all the way up the Trent past Pollocksville to Simmons Bluff. What a beautiful trip and one worth taking if you have not done this. My husband is my guide and through his eyes I hear the stories about how oyster shells in the bank can tell an Indian story or how a particularly high ground may have been a look out spot for Civil War soldiers. At some points the reflections on the still water were almost dizzying they were so real. There were times the water reminded me of liquid mercury it was so silver. We stopped an ate persimmons (my first), on the river shore past Pollocksville as well. Now I know what the new restaurant downtown is named after!
So you are probably saying, how does this relate to real estate? Well, EVERYTHING..... That river has always been there, at least since I have lived in Trent Woods. I think we all take for granted its beauty and what impact it has on Trent Woods. What would New Bern Golf and Country Club be without the Trent River? The yacht club? Scenic Wilson Creek bridge is always a treat as I drive my potential buyers over it they always marvel and ask me to slow down. Simply put the Trent River is our "crown jewel".
Our "out of town" buyers constantly ask us, is it fresh water or salt water? What does brackish water mean? It simply means that our Trent River has more salinity (salt) than fresh water, but not as much as seawater. They ask us questions about the fishing, the depth, the color, the tides, etc. etc. the list goes on and on. So what this means to you is that your Realtor is first selling your neighborhood, then your house. I always tell my clients that you may find the perfect house but if it is not in the right location then that is the one thing we cannot change.
So now when a Realtor refers to "Location, Location, Location", you will know that this simply means that they too treasure the natural beauty that Trent Woods has to offer!
Happy Boating!
Donna Harmatuk
Keller Williams Realty
Keller Williams Realty #1 with Buyers
Sunday, August 01, 2010
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Keller Williams Realty Named Highest Ranked in Home Buyer Satisfaction by J.D. Power and Associates for Third Straight Year
AUSTIN, TEXAS (July 30, 2010) —According to the J.D. Power and Associates 2010 Home Buyer/Seller StudySM, Keller Williams Realty, Inc., the third largest real estate company in the United States, has received the highest overall satisfaction ratings from home buyers among the largest full-service real estate firms for the third year in a row. The company also ranked second among home sellers in the study for the second year in a row. “We are incredibly proud of our associates for earning this distinction and want to thank them for their commitment to their clients and communities," said Mark Willis, CEO of Keller Williams Realty. “We see this honor as demonstration of our company philosophy that it is the agent’s brand that matters most and no amount of money spent on advertising can replace the influence and reputations our agents have in their local communities. Our associates have earned this on their own, by building relationships in their communities."
The study was produced by J.D. Power and Associates to measure home buyers and sellers customer satisfaction. The results of the home-buying experience were determined by three factors including the buyer’s experience with their agent, the real estate office and a variety of additional services. Keller Williams Realty performed particularly well in the agent and office factors. And, overall satisfaction of buyers for the industry was up over last year.
Additionally, the study noted that the importance of real estate agents has increased substantially in the past year, with buyers and sellers relying on the negotiating skills of their chosen agent and help in navigating the market.
“It is thrilling to see our firm, once again, get public recognition for its incredible focus on customer satisfaction from such a prestigious group. Our associates continually demonstrate that it is possible to deliver the highest level of customer service in one of the toughest real estate markets on record," said Mary Tennant, president and COO of Keller Williams Realty. “We feel incredibly fortunate to be in business with them, and want to congratulate them on their hard work and dedication."
In the past year, Keller Williams Realty has continued to grow despite the well-publicized turmoil in the real estate industry. In addition to becoming the 3rd largest real estate company in the U.S., surpassing RE/MAX®, Keller Williams Realty was ranked as the No. 1 real estate franchise on the 31st Annual Franchise 500 list by Entrepreneur magazine and was voted the Most Recognizable Brand of Real Estate Franchises and the Trendsetter of the year for 2009 in an industry-wide survey for the Swanepoel TRENDS Report.
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This Month in Real Estate July 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Check out This Month in Real Estate:
2009 Extended and Expanded Tax Credit
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Breaking News!!! Click on the link below to view the highlights of the 2009 expanded and extended tax credit. Not only is the first time home buyer incentive extended, certain current home owners planning to buy in this optimal buyers market are now eligible to receive a tax credit. Contact Donna and Company today to hear the latest on this timely news!
Mortgage Bankers vs. Mortgage Brokers
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
One of the most critical first steps in the homebuying process is to select a lender. You want to find one that you feel comfortable with who can get you a great interest rate and see you through the mortgage process start to finish. Recently I had an experience where a client used a mortgage broker whom I had never dealt with. Let me back up a second here and explain the difference between a mortgage banker and a mortgage broker.
A mortgage banker is the local lender who would handle your entire loan start to finish. They are the ones pulling your credit report, issuing you a pre-approval letter, and handling the entire loan process start to finish. A mortgage broker does all of these duties except once they qualify you and gather all of your info they in a sense become the matchmaker between finding you a lender to handle the loan. They shop around for you and find the best deal out there which at the time may seem like a pretty good deal. The truth of the matter is even though they are finding you a great interest rate and saving you money they also need to get reimbursed in some fashion. My overall point is that although they may save you some money, in the long run it may be more beneficial to have someone local and easy to meet when you have questions or concerns. The savings in my opinion do not outweigh the ability to meet face to face with your mortgage banker.
This leads me to my case in point which was the basis for my opinion. My latest closing consisted of a client choosing a mortgage broker whom a relative had used in the past. Long story short our closing was postponed 2 weeks total and there was more confusion on the lenders part than I have ever encountered. From this point on I thought it valuable to educate my current and future buyers about these two different parties. Please feel free to contact me via email at matt@donnaandcompany.com or cell phone 252-571-9089 should you have any questions about getting started with a local preferred lender!
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