Foreclosure Homes at the Beach!

Have you checked out the foreclosure homes at the beach lately?  Not too shabby!  I mean, if you're going to choose a home, why not a beach home.  And if you're going to choose a beach home, why not choose a foreclosure home?
The fact is, there are a ton of homes on the market in our area, and the reality is, a lot of them are foreclosures.  From a buyer's perspective, it's kind of a win-win!  A beach home + low monthly payment + possible equity + possible income producing property + (did I mention you'd be living at the beach???) = Awesome!

The home buying process doesn't change a whole lot from a conventional purchase to a foreclosure.  Buyers still have the opportunity to do their due diligence before purchasing, there may be some 'sweat equity' involved, and there is usually always the opportunity for equity in these situations.
If I told you, you could OWN a beach home for around $1500 out of pocket, would you call me crazy?  Probably, but maybe for different reasons!  But it's the truth.  And if I told you that there are some hot deals out there to keep your payment reasonable, would you believe me?  Maybe not.  And that's exactly why I'd love to show you!
If you have an afternoon in the next couple weeks, we'd love to sit and chat with you to show you that you can certainly purchase a foreclosure home at the beach and enjoy the sunrise and dolphins playing in less than two months.  True story.  Wanna know more about buying your beach house?  Call us today!

JacksonvilleNorthCarolinaHomes.com and all that jazz!

Hi!  I wanted to do a quick blog and let everyone know about our super cool new home search site:  www.JacksonvilleNorthCarolinaHomes.com!  We've put a ton of time into the creation of this website, and we're still adding stuff to make it super fly.  Our goal is for this to be the number one resource for our clients in the Jacksonville, North Carolina area.
Home buyers, renters, investors, and looky-loos can rest easy and search no more!  This site is stacked with homes of every size, shape, color and price.  What's even cooler is that you can customize your own search and set yourself up for automatic updates.
Wanna talk to a real live person from right here in the good 'ole U.S. of A.?  No worries, we're right here!  The phone number on our webpage will send you straight to either me or John.  Both of us are breathlessly awaiting your phone calls and questions!  We LOVE talking to home buyers who may be thinking about purchasing, just looking, or ready to buy today, as well as people ready to rent a home!
What's great about us is that we are not your average "pop-tart" REALTORS.  We actually care about you.  We want to know what you're looking for, how we can help your family, how we can save you money, and most importantly to us, we want to educate you on the process and the market in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

We have found that the best thing we can do for our clients is teach them what we know about the market, investing in real estate, and the smart way to buy and sell homes.  Consider our website a fancy storefront for an awesome team of REALTORs that are eager to help.
www.JacksonvilleNorthCarolina.com also features a lender we've partnered with, Troy Williamson with Towne Bank Mortgages.  Troy is very detailed and loves to educate his clients like we do, so it's a win-win.  
Here's the thing we've come to realize, buying a house and creating a home with your family is the most important thing you can do for your financial pictures.  We don't take that lightly and we're honored to be a part of it.  We're not satisfied just showing you houses.  We want you to understand what you're getting into, and make sure you're comfortable with it.
If there's any real estate needs that we can help you with, anywhere in the world, please just let us know.  Like I said, we're breathlessly awaiting your phone call.  Check our our snazzy website!  www.JacksonvilleNorthCarolinaHomes.com

Best place to buy ball gowns in Jacksonville, NC??

Military ball season is underway in the Jacksonville area and tons of ladies (myself included!!) are looking for great deals on gowns!  Having been in the military, and also attended Marine Corps balls as a civilian, I've seen my fair share of the good, the bad and the ugly!

I'm hoping to impart some of my experience to help others understand what the military ball is for, what to do and not to do, and even find some great deals!
In the past, I've usually tried to hit the gym and the tanning bed so that I look perfect next to my honey in uniform.  What I've found is, it's not as much about you, as it is about him.  So my biggest tips are spray tan, spanx, and have fun.
There aren't many venues in the Jacksonville area, so we've gone to balls in New Bern, Raleigh, Wilmington, and Greenville.  All within a couple hours, but it makes it much more enjoyable if you can stay the night of the ball.  If you end up driving to any of these locations, keep in mind you may have to park and walk to the ball- it may be a good idea to bring shoes to walk in and change later.  Or even change into your gown there!

Your date for the night will be in uniform, so anything black, blue or red will go great with their Marine Corps duds.  Silver and gold are also great choices to match with their medals and awards!  Typically, you can expect a cash bar, dinner and dancing after the ceremony.  

The Marine Corps is steeped in history and tradition so the ceremony consists of a message from the commandant, as well as a birthday message to the Marines.  Remember, the ball is about the Marine and the ceremony is to honor the tradition.  Don't bring your drama.  The distiguished guest will impart some of their experience and knowledge to the crowd and it's a very honor filled moment for all involved and typically includes several toasts.  The cake cutting is usually performed by the oldest and youngest Marine and cake is served!
This is generally the sequence of events, and remember, many people did a lot of work (mostly your FRO!!) so make sure you thank them.  It will go a long way!  Military balls are kind of the grown up version of prom.  
If you keep your dress simple and elegant you can't go wrong.  It's usually a good idea to go floor length and not expose too much of "the goods," as well as cover up tattoos, if possible.

I hope this helps clear up any questions or confusions as to what to wear, and what you can expect.  Let's talk about getting a great deal on a dress!!
I've reworn and recycled several of my dresses in the past, and have always gotten compliments.  Let's face it, you're going to wear the dress for a few hours, one night a year.  There's no reason to go crazy with it.  I always recommend for ladies to check out the thrift stores in the area as well as the dress events which your FRO can help you with.
If you're an active duty female, reading this blog for your male date, a tux is appropriate.
Classics and J. Nicholson are dress boutiques in Jacksonville that provide gorgeous options, just keep in mind what you're going to do with the dress after you've spent the money on the dress.  Lejeune Yard Sales has a lot of groups with ladies swapping dresses and reselling them as well.  So check those out!

Please post any comments or advice out there and share away!!  As always, if there is anything I can help with in the real estate world- whether you're looking to buy, sell, rent or invest in real estate, please just let me know!

Amanda Parmer
REALTOR
910.545.0450
www.JacksonvilleNorthCarolinaHomes.com

Wanna help homeless veterans, women and children in Jacksonville, NC?

Of course you do!  And you can!  Sign up for the Jacksonville Board of REALTORS® 3rd annual Run For a Reason 5K and all the proceeds will go toward helping homeless veterans, women and children in Jacksonville, NC!

The run starts promptly at 8am on October 18th at the Jacksonville Commons Middle School.  Recipients of the proceeds include Family Endeavors, Zing Zumm Childrens Museum, and Onslow County Ministries!  Your registration can make the difference!

Click here to register!

Top 5 Things To Consider When Selling Your Home

When you've decided to sell your home, the process can seem intimidating and your "honey-do" list starts to grow.  Keep it simple with this quick list of the top 5 things to consider when selling your home!

1.  Are you selling your home, or your house?
As simple as it seems, this is one of the very first things to wrap your head around.  For many people, selling your home stimulates an emotional tie to the home, and in a lot of homeowners minds that means an increase in value.  In reality, you're selling a house.  Buyers are buying a home.  So you need to eliminate as many emotional ties to your home as possible and as soon as possible.  This includes decluttering, taking down children's artwork, removing family pictures from the home and other staging techniques to make your home as show ready as possible.  It also means understanding the market trends and how your house stacks up to other relevant properties for sale.  For an updated market analysis, contact me.  I'd be happy to sit down with you and discuss the market and how it affects your house.

2.  What are buyers looking at?
The National Association of REALTORS® publishes an annual report chocked full of data and statistics based on buyer trends, what they like, what they don't like, what they want to change in homes they buy, their experience, demographics and more.  Using this tool, as well as local showing reports, I can better help you understand what buyers are looking for when shopping for a home and what they buy.

3.  Homebuyers are educated.
There are TONS of tools online for home buyers and they come to the table very educated about what is on the market, what they can ask for, and more importantly, what things cost.  Additionally, there are a host of classes in the Jacksonville area for buyers to take advantage of that discuss the home buying process, mortgages, and investments.  Tack on an experienced Buyer's Agent who professionally represents and negotiates for the homebuyer, and you've got a "professional home buyer" looking at your house.

4.  Exposure.Top 5 things to consider when selling your home
How is your house getting seen?  What is it saying when it's getting marketed?  How available are you to show your house?  Are you measuring your results for marketing?  Who are you showing your house to?  What feedback are you getting with your marketing and showings?  Many homeowners I talk to that choose to sell by themselves rather than hire a REALTOR® to sell their home ask me about marketing strategies.  Our marketing exposes our listings to millions of people worldwide through over 900 websites and we can measure the clicks and inquiries on almost all of them.  We can see what's working and what's not to adjust our strategy to reach the most qualified home buyers in the quickest amount of time, which ultimately leads to SOLD.  We only show homes to qualified home buyers and recently, security is a higher priority, so we have a plan in place to protect ourselves, as well has our homeowners.  Our feedback system prompts for immediate feedback from showings so we know how well the showings went and so do our homeowners.

5.  Time.
Selling a home can be a time consuming task, but it doesn't have to be.  From staging, to marketing, to showing, negotiating, pre qualifying buyers and transaction management, you can have weeks invested in selling your home.  How much time do you have to carry out all of these jobs?  Our team has systems in place or people to manage them.  

If you're considering selling your home, talk with me. 910.545.0450  Let's discuss the process, the market trends and let me help you become as educated as you can be to sell your home!

Homes for sale in Swansboro, NC!

Take a peek at this home for sale in the area, and, welcome to Swansboro!  Known as "The Friendly City by the Sea," this historic little town is located right on the Intracoastal Waterway and the White Oak River, 15 minutes from Camp Lejeune.  Swansboro has something for everyone, whether you're a water sports enthusiast, hunter, fisher, or just love historic towns with eclectic shops and fantastic restaurants!

Homeowners in Swansboro are able to enjoy living close to the water without being "oceanfront" or in a "tourist town."  The Swansboro school district is rated among the highest in the area and residents are able to enjoy the lower property taxes!

 

This home for sale in Swansboro features three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms, as well as a bonus room, loft, two car garage, and an irrigation/sprinkler system!


The kitchen boasts granite countertops, tons of cabinet space and is perfectly set up for entertaining!

 

The downstairs owners suite is perfect for the growing family or the ones that are retiring.  The bathroom features a gorgeous custom shower and tons of closet space!

Currently, there are new construction homes for sale in Swansboro, as well as foreclosure homes and home buyers can take advantage of how many options there are to find the home that is perfect for them!  If waterfront homes are more up your alley, we have several of those to choose from as well!  Call Amanda 910.545.0450 for more information on homes for sale in The Friendly City by the Sea, Swansboro, NC!

Buying a home in Jacksonville, NC? Use a Buyers Agent!

If you're considering buying a home in Jacksonville, NC, I'm sure you've been looking at homes online, shopping Pinterest, making your wish list and checking your budget!  But have you considered who you're going to work with?  Or more importantly, who is going to work for you?

In North Carolina, real estate agents can wear many hats, including but not limited to, marketing specialist, area concierge, babysitter, selling agent, market analyst, buyer agent, marriage counselor, and taxi driver.  If you're considering buying a home in the Jacksonville area, making one of the biggest purchases of your life, investing hundreds of thousands of dollars, wouldn't it be worth it to talk to a Buyers Agent?

A buyers agent commits to working solely on your behalf, protecting your best interests, and sharing all the material information about properties with you.  Unless you've signed a Buyer Agency Agreement with your agent, the agent you're working with, isn't necessarily working for you.

The benefits of working with a Buyers Agent are that typically they save you time because they all ready know the inventory and have been showing homes to other homebuyers, so they'll show you the best of the best homes that fit your criteria.  Buyers Agents also negotiate contracts regular for their buyers so they know what to ask for it and how.  And since they're experienced with working with buyers instead of homeowners, they're more apt to know what you will want and protect those interests!

If you're considering buying a home in Jacksonville, NC, contact John Sharek 910.707.4636!  He's an experienced buyers agent and enjoys educating his homebuyers about the home buying process and finding the best home for his clients.  John has raving fans that he's worked with in the past.  Call John, the only buyers agent you'll need,  for all of your home buying needs in Jacksonville, NC.