Listening Needs to be a 2 way street

When you have made the decision to purchase a home the next decision should be who will help me to find my home.  Studies show that buyers and sellers spend several months researching where they want to go, and check out several websites for Real Estate Companies and Agents.  It’s really hard to make a decision based on what a person has on their website.  It may not even be something that the person actually manages or updates.   In any case that is where most people start their search.  When it gets right down to it you need some one that:  A) knows what they are doing and talking about.  B) you feel you can rely on.  & C) is responsive.  Finding the most visible person is not necessarily going to get you good service or feel like they even have a clue who you are when you actually speak to them.

I have found that word of mouth is the best way to find someone to work with.  Getting a recommendation from someone you know and trust is usually a good way to go.  Sometimes personalities will clash but that is rare.  Once you have found the REALTOR to help you buy your home, then you need to find a lender to help you get a mortgage for the home.  It’s usually best to ask the REALTOR that you are going to work with if they have any one they recommend, they should have at least 2 or 3 people that they work with regularly.  So, when you ask your trusted advisor who they recommend…..listen.

If searching for homes in the Camp Lejeune, New River Air Station, Jacksonville, Onslow County area please click here to search all active listings.

Ellen Hough, Jacksonville NC Real Estate , specializing in First time home buyers and sellers. Working with EXIT Independence Realty, 910-330-6103 (Cell)

Renting vs. Buying

It’s the long debated question.  Should I buy a home or just rent, after all we are not going to be here forever…..right?  Honestly, every one is different, some would really prefer to not be limited to what they can do in their “home”.  However when you are renting it is not your home, you are limited to what the owner will allow, you can not attach a satelite dish to the home, you need permission from the owner to have additional cable installed, if you want it in a room that doesn’t already have it.  If the owner doesn’t want pets, then you should not get one, etc.

If you purchase a home, you can paint all the rooms a different color if you want, you can change the flooring, put in a ceiling fan if you want, have pets if you want, have cable installed in every room if you want.  That also means that if the air conditioning stops working you don’t have a landlord to call.  If the roof starts leaking, it’s your responsibility to fix.  Most items are fairly easy to tackle as long as you have some basic knowledge about repairs, there is alot of information on-line to walk you through most anything you would need to take on.

So, you should really weigh out your options, if you feel ready to be a home owner and you will be here in the area for at least 3 years then it makes pretty good sense to purchase a home, you get the tax break on interest (unless congress eliminates it) when you file your taxes.  The property will appreciate as a rule, the economic issues have slowed the property values but they are still appreciating here.

If searching for homes in the CampLejeune, New River Air Station, Jacksonville, Onslow County area please clickhere to search all active listings.

Ellen Hough, Jacksonville NC Real Estate , specializing in First time home buyers and sellers.
Working with EXIT Independence Realty, 910-330-6103 (Cell)

REALTOR’S Help Habitat

Onslow County has struggled to have a successful Habitat for Humanity chapter for quite some time.  Currently Onslow County is paired up with Carteret County and the Crystal Coast Habitat for Humanity is working to improve our success. We have currently got 3 lots to build homes on, one of which is located at 272 Ford Street in Downtown Jacksonville NC.  It kicked off with a Woman’s Build Day on the 30th of April, then we had a general build day on the 4th of June, where we built the crawl space, putting in all the floor joists and blocking.  Saturday June 18th was our first REALTOR Build Day for this Habitat home.  We put up the sheathing for the first floor of the home.  Work on the second floor is progressing.

I really enjoy working for a company that contributes to Habitat for Humanity every year with a large donation presented at our Annual Convention.  Along with sponsoring several builds in the US and Canada every year.  As a corporation EXIT collects $5.00 from every single transaction, those funds are pooled to make our donation.  Habitat for Humanity is an awesome organization and I look forward to helping with many more builds.

If searching for homes in the CampLejeune, New River Air Station, Jacksonville, Onslow County area please click here to search all active listings.

Ellen Hough, Jacksonville NC Real Estate , specializing in First time home buyers and sellers. Working with EXIT Independence Realty,
910-330-6103 (Cell)

Short Sales, Not Quick Sales

Being a REALTOR in Jacksonville NC can be challenging. What we are experiencing right now is a lot of potential buyers that need to get their financial life in order, so that they can qualify to purchase a home. Once that happens though and a buyer has been pre-qualified to purchase a home then the active search begins.

There are lots of Foreclosed homes on the market ranging from VA Repo’s to Bank Repo’s and then there are the short sales. Short sale homes are properties that will need the banks approval (the current mortgage holder) for a potential sale and the “owner of record” in most cases has to sign the offer to purchase. That means any offer that is made on a short sale property could take a few days for an answer of acceptance or rejection. A short sale is almost certainly NOT going to be a quick sale. And there is a pretty high probability that it will be sold “as is”. No repairs to be made, so when you have a home inspection and find something major that should be fixed, the bank is already looking at losing money and the “owner of record” will be getting nothing from the sale you may be out that money for the home inspection. So, please ask questions when you are out there looking for “a deal” it might not be quite what you are hoping for.  You need to remember that short sales are basically controlled by the bank that currently holds the mortgage, they already know they are going to lose money, they just need to determine how much of a loss they are willing to accept.  While it may be listed with a REALTOR, and the “owner of record” may be cooperating the bank has the final say, regardless of what the other parties may say.

If searching for homes in the CampLejeune, New River Air Station,
Jacksonville, Onslow County area please click here to search all active listings.

Ellen Hough, Jacksonville NC Real Estate , specializing in First time home buyers and sellers. Working with EXIT Independence Realty, 910-330-6103 (Cell)

 

 

Where to Hang your License?

Choosing the right company to hang your license with is probably one of the biggest decisions in your career.  Do you choose a company that claims to provide lots of training and only 50% commission, plus your franchise fee, plus your desk fee, cost of copies, MLS fees and the list goes on.  How much of that 50% do you actually get to see???  I know it’s easy to go to a company that will “pay everything for you up front” and you just pay it back as you have transactions close, what if you have trouble getting that to happen?  What if you can never get your Broker In Charge to give you a few minutes of their time when you have some questions?  Do you need to pay a fellow agent a portion of your deal if they help you?  What if you started your Real Estate career in January and it was a slow start for you, you don’t get your first closing until April.  How much of that first check are you actually going to see if you have been building up that amount of money you owe the company?

The sad truth is that there are many licensed Real Estate persons out there that are just learning as they go.  Who ultimately pays for their training or lack there of?  Their clients and them.  Especially if you don’t have the support of the Broker In Charge or are shadowing a more experienced agent.  I believe that if you find the right office you can flourish in the Real Estate industry, but you need the right environment for that.  Bigger is not always better.  Some of the smaller companies have a wealth of knowledge and are usually a more cohesive unit, meaning that you have several people that are willing to offer advise, support and guidance.  I have chosen to follow the path less traveled and believe that is the right choice for me.  I don’t like to be in an environment that I can’t trust the people around me.

If searching for homes in the CampLejeune, New River Air Station, Jacksonville, Onslow County area please click here to search all active listings.

Ellen Hough, Jacksonville NC Real Estate , specializing in First time home buyers and sellers. Working with EXIT Independence Realty, 910-330-6103 (Cell)

You Passed the Test, Now What???

Of course everyone that is trying to get started in the Real Estate field, I would think, would like to present themselves as competent and professional.  I have found that sometimes it is merely “window dressing” or “a show”.  When you get right down to it some people just don’t have a clue what they are doing.  They have taken the required amount of class room hours, passed that class test and then managed to pass the state exam.  Then what?  Do they automatically know how to sell a house?  Work with buyers?  Find qualified service providers, i.e. Mortgage Brokers, Home Inspectors, Attorney’s or Title Companies, etc.. 

While it may seem as simple as googling what you are looking for it is really not that easy.  I have had dealings with some providers because my clients really thought that they were getting a deal and those transactions have rarely, if ever closed on time.  My clients get stressed and aggravated with the process and really wonder if this is what it’s like to buy a home then they will not do it again.

Newly licensed persons need to keep learning, building relationships, keeping themselves informed on the ever-changing real estate industry.  Real Estate is always evolving and if you don’t evolve with it you will be left in the proverbial dust.

If searching for homes in the CampLejeune, New River Air Station, Jacksonville, Onslow County area please click here to search all active listings.

Ellen Hough, Jacksonville NC Real Estate , specializing in First time home buyers and sellers. Working with EXIT Independence Realty, 910-330-6103 (Cell)

Jacksonville NC Realtor, Ellen Hough, Never Stops Learning

As a licensed REALTOR in North Carolina the training never really stops. The market is ever changing and evolving. So, in order to keep current with the ever changing Real Estate world there is always some training going on. There are classes on Insurance, Home Warranties, Septic Systems, Home Inspections, Short Sales and so on. I believe in education and staying current on what is going on in the market. My job as a REALTOR is to keep informed so that I can advise my clients on their Real Estate concerns & needs. I am active with the Jacksonville Board of REALTORS serving as a Treasurer and then as the Secretary, currently I am serving on a couple committees and always try to take advantage of the classes that our Board sponsors. I also take advantage of most of the training sponsored by EXIT, they are a very pro-active company that knows their success or failure is tied to the training afforded to their Broker/Owners and Agents. So, when looking for an agent, bear in mind that they are required to have 8 hours of Continuing Education every year, but the better agents will have put in far more then that, in order to keep their edge in the market.

If searching for homes in the CampLejeune, New River Air Station, Jacksonville, Onslow County area please click here to search all active listings.

Ellen Hough, Jacksonville NC Real Estate , specializing in First time home buyers and sellers. Working with EXIT Independence Realty, 910-330-6103 (Cell)

Jacksonville NC, Home Inspections Are a Must.

I can not stress the importance of a Qualified Home Inspector and Detailed Inspection.  It can make or break a deal.  It can save you lots of money and headaches.  The cost may be something that you don’t want to deal with but it can certainly pay for itself in a short amount of time.  Seller’s may be reluctant to make many repairs, but at that point you can make an educated decision whether to continue with the purchase or not.  A qualified Home Inspector is licensed by the state.  So, ask if they are licensed.  Also, a reputable home inspector will not offer to make repairs on a home that they inspected.  That is a clear conflict of interest.

Do not look at the cost of a home inspection as an extra expense, it’s an investment in one of the largest things you will ever buy in your life.  In the long run it’s just a small part of buying a home and a necessary expense.

If searching for homes in the CampLejeune, New River Air Station, Jacksonville, Onslow County area please click here to search all active listings. 

Ellen Hough, Jacksonville NC Real Estate , specializing in First time home buyers and sellers. Working with EXIT Independence Realty, 910-330-6103 (Cell)

Onslow County NC, Public Sewer vs. Private Septic

Public sewer is certainly the easier solution, but private septic systems (tanks) when properly maintained can be fine too.  Public sewer includes community and city systems, and is maintained by the city or county, depending on where it is.  Private septic systems require some care.  If you do a lot of laundry in one day or take mulitple showers/baths in a day it can stress the system.  Just try to be mindful of how much water you are using in a day and it should be fine.  Of course you should always have the septic system inspected when you are buying a home with a septic system.  You will want to make sure it’s in good working order and request that the seller make any needed repairs.

If searching for homes in the CampLejeune, New River Air Station, Jacksonville, Onslow County area please click here to search all active listings.

Ellen Hough, Jacksonville NC Real Estate , specializing in First time home buyers and sellers. Working with EXIT Independence Realty, 910-330-6103 (Cell)

VA Appraisals

VA Appraisals are not as strict or stringent as they once were.  Now we are lucky if the appraiser actually spends more then 20 minutes at a property, that includes from the time they pull in the driveway.  They used to look out for the veterans and active duty personel.  Can’t really say that much anymore. 

Here in Jacksonville NC I have seen the appraisers go from calling fogged windows, bad roofs, bad siding, flooring.  Anything that would not be in “working order” for the veteran was supposed to be corrected by a seller.  Now it seems that as long as the place is not falling in it’s good to go.  Their mission is to let the mortgage company know their opinion on what the house is worth.

So, if you are buying a home using your VA eligibility make sure you have a home inspection done, along with any other inspections that might be needed.  i.e. septic, fireplace.  The VA appraisers are not protecting the Veterans as well as they used to.

If searching for homes in the CampLejeune, New River Air Station, Jacksonville, Onslow County area please click here to search all active listings.

Ellen Hough, Jacksonville NC Real Estate , specializing in First time home buyers and sellers. Working with EXIT Independence Realty, 910-330-6103 (Cell)