Walmart in Richlands, NC! Coming Soon!

For everyone in the western part of Onslow County who have been waiting with bated breath, Walmart in Richlands, NC really is coming soon!  In fact, they've all ready begun the hiring process!  

The Richlands Walmart is planned to have a full market section, as well as normal shopping items, optometry, banking accessibility, and a gas station.  Of course, with the opening of this giant center of commerce in our small, but mighty, town of Richlands, will also bring over 300 jobs!  According to Fortune's recently published article, Walmart is raising their pay scale to above minimum wage and introducing an initiative to help veterans, which will be heartily received in our veteran saturated area!

Many homeowners in the Richlands area will be happy about the increased traffic and commerce that Walmart will bring.  In fact, Walmart employees from other areas have all ready begun looking at real estate in our area.  

Typically, from what I've seen, whenever Walmart moves into an area, so do other stores and shops.  Which can only mean one thing- more growth!  Commercial growth always instigates residential growth.  Many of the 'big builders' have all ready moved their business out of Onslow County completely, and others are shifting their building in different directions.  The continued growth of Richlands, coupled with the slow down of new construction is a strong indicator that residential real estate in Richlands will begin to creep up and stabilize.  


With more jobs coming into the area, and more commerce, the housing market will eventually rebound.  Right now there are tons of great homes on the market in Richlands and interest rates are still relatively low, creating a great opportunity for home buyers who may be thinking of purchasing in the area.  Ever heard the term, "Buy low, sell high?"  This appears to be that opportunity.  Before Walmart is established in Richlands and the market is able to correct itself or skyrocket, buy homes in the Richlands area now.  Sell in the next few years when values are up.

Keep your eyes peeled, when driving down Hwy 24 in Richlands.  You'll see the great big building under construction that can only be a Walmart!  If you have any questions or would like more information, give me a call!  I'd love to chat about the growth and expansion in the Richlands area, and most especially, homes!  

2628 Idlebrook Circle, Jacksonville FOR SALE! Minutes to the gate, schools and shopping!

Did you hear?  2628 Idlebrook Circle is on the market, and it's move in ready!

This home has had lots of updates, and you really need to see it to believe it.  Homeowners in this neighborhood are only minutes to the Piney Green gate of Camp Lejeune and will be minutes from the new Walmart Neighborhood Market that's currently being built on Piney Green!

2628 Idlebrook Circle is a three bedroom, two bathroom home with a fenced yard and a shed.  The roomy living room has vaulted ceilings and flows easily into the dining room and kitchen.  Each bedroom is spacious and the owner's suite features double closets and a personal bathroom!
If you're looking for well maintained, tastefully updated, and move in ready, then 2628 Idlebrook Circle is the house for you.  Priced to sell, this home is more affordable than renting!

For more information on this home, or others like it in the area, please call us!  910.707.4636.  For a list of homes like 2628 Idlebrook Circle or other homes in the area, click here.

Best Homes In Jacksonville for $100,000 or less!

It's true!  You can own a home in Jacksonville, NC for $100,000 or less.  Many of these homes are move in ready, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and convenient to everything Jacksonville has to offer!

469 Hunting Green Drive is a PERFECT example and has been recently renovated and updated to offer a "LIKE NEW" home!  The roof, windows, heat pump, flooring, kitchen, appliances, and more have all been remodeled and replaced.

The benefits of purchasing this existing home that's been remodeled vice a new construction home are many, such as:

• Established community
• Tax Value is less than new construction, resulting in a lower monthly payment and lower insurance
• Included features all ready installed:  blinds, established yard, fence, warm neutral paint included, wood burning fireplace instead of propane, ceiling fans installed
• 10'x10' tiled sunroom with attached patio

469 Hunting Green Drive is just one of many homes on the market in Jacksonville, NC for $100,000 or less.  If you have been thinking of home ownership, now is the perfect opportunity while interest rates are still low and homes like these offer low monthly payments!  Call us or check out our website to discuss your options!

2015 BAH Rates in Jacksonville, NC

Here we are, at the end of 2014, and the question on everybody's minds is, "What's my BAH going to be in 2015??"

Well, good news, BAH rates have increased for 2015 across the board!  Some by as much as $40, some as much as $115!  And, by the way, BAH is the acronym most military personnel have become accustomed to using which simply stands for Basic Allowance for Housing. 

Military members who are assigned to a permanent duty station within the 50 United States, and are not furnished with government housing (whether due to availability or by choice) are eligible for BAH, based on rank, dependency status and permanent duty station zip code.  Some units have local rules about eligibility as well.
Another fun fact, BAH is tax free income.  Which means, for instance if your pay grade is E-4 or below and you're stationed aboard Camp Lejeune in 2015, you can receive $948 a month (unless you have dependents, then it's more!) to cover the cost of rent, tax free.  Sometimes you may incur out of pocket expenses if your bills are more than your allowance.  Budgeting can help alleviate that though!
So now, you're planning to live "out in town" or "off base" and you're receiving $948 every month (or  $11,376 a year!) to cover your living expenses.  What if you used this TAX FREE money to purchase a home, instead of renting?  Let's face it, you're going to be paying someone's mortgage, whether you're renting or buying, right?  So what would it look like, if you allowed the military to purchase your house for you?  It's the same amount of money every month, except by purchasing, you're making your money work for you by investing it in your own home.  With the current interest rates (as of today, December 22, 2014,) $948 a month will afford you about a $145,000 home, depending on taxes and insurance.

The reason I suggest this course of action, is mostly because I've done it, and I was able to invest, re-invest, and earn passive income (that's money I get every month without working, because someone is paying me to live in one of my houses!) ten years later, simply by buying a house using my BAH.  (True Story!!)

If this sounds like a sales pitch, I apologize.  It isn't.  It's only a word to the wise.  I have seen too many young service members in the last 15 years blow their money and have nothing to show for it by the time they're 30 years old.  And I want to help educate and help prepare for the future.  
If you are not living in the barracks or in base housing, you are getting at least $11,000 a year for living expenses.  Use it wisely or pay someone to live in their house.  
The choice is yours!
We'd love to help you, whether you decide to rent or buy and you can check out available homes here!  Give us a call for a free consultation to explore your options and talk about the home buying process, the Jacksonville real estate market, or investing in real estate!  910.545.0450  Click here to see the new BAH Rates for 2015!

**Just an update- had some questions about who will be receiving an increase in BAH and some discussion about certain service members not because of time in service.  According to this DOD bulletin, the BAH change is across the board.  Obviously the amount is dependent on location, rank, and whether the service member has dependents or not.

Williams Farm- Exclusive Living in Jacksonville, NC!

Welcome to the exclusive community of Williams Farm in Jacksonville, NC!  This community offers custom built homes that are sure to please with the finest amenities such as gourmet kitchens, home theaters, in ground swimming pools and more!




Homes in this neighborhood have been designed for the utmost grandeur and southern living.  The professional landscaping throughout the community perfectly compliments the architecture that defines Williams Farm.  I was showing homes to some lovely buyers this week from Virginia and they absolutely fell in love with the atmosphere and design of the neighborhood.  They complimented how clean and neat everything is and really liked how spaced out the homes are.

 They specifically wanted to find a home with at least 4,000 heated square feet, 5 bedrooms, large master bathroom, lots of garage space and kitchen to entertain.  We were lucky enough to find several homes that fit this bill and they found the perfect home, with the best spot for their Christmas tree!   

Residents enjoy the convenience of living in Jacksonville and short commutes, as well as privacy and open spaces.  The gated community offers homesites as big as two acres!  Horse lovers are welcome to the stables included in the home owners association.  
Homebuyers interested in building their own custom estate in Williams Farm have several homesites to choose from.  Make your dreams become a reality by designing your own home and enjoy the luxurious living Williams Farm has to offer.  For your personal tour of Williams Farm in Jacksonville, NC, give me a call!  910.545.0450 I'd love to show you around and find the perfect home for you in this exclusive neighborhood!

"We're closing on our house next week, let's go shopping!"

Congratulations!  You're closing on your new house!  But you haven't "closed" yet, so please, for the love of all that's neat and orderly in the world, DO NOT go shopping!

Here's why!
•If you've financed your home purchase, your lender is going to do a double check of your credit before closing.  You DO NOT want to make them redo anything, or make them mad! 
•If you're not financing your home purchase, and paying cash, the funds need to be verified before closing and any large transactions will look a little strange.  

For instance, if there is a washer/dryer set on sale, and you just have to have it!  Please wait.  That could be several hundred dollars (maybe even thousands....) that could make or break the transaction.

Here's what will happen.  If you finance the washer/dryer (say, using a Lowe's credit card,) that automatically creates more debt and changes your debt to income ratio, which can affect your interest rate, and quite possibly make your lender crazy.  They'll have to redo everything.  Is the new washer/dryer important enough to delay the closing, and sign more paperwork?  
Many lenders will require a certain amount of money "in reserves" when you're purchasing.  After all, you're asking them for hundreds of thousands of dollars, right?  They want to make sure you have at least the first mortgage payment in your bank account before they give you the money!  So if you pay cash for this washer/dryer, it could affect the amount of "assets" or "cash in reserve" that you have to bring to the closing table.

Additionally, don't expect to be able to paint, make repairs or changes, or move in furniture prior to closing.  Sometimes sellers will allow this under the right circumstances and it can be negotiated.  But standard practice is, whoever owns the house gets to make those decisions.  Turn the tables and look at it differently.  Would you allow someone to come in and paint your house, or replace your flooring, or move their stuff in, before you've officially sold it to them?  Probably not.  Better safe than sorry!

So the moral of the story is, please, please, wait until you've closed on your house until you go shopping, make changes or move in to your new home!  For a complete list of homes for sale in the Jacksonville, Richlands, Sneads Ferry, or Hubert areas of North Carolina, click here!  If you or anyone you know would like to chat about purchasing or selling a home, give me a call!  910.545.0450.  I'd love to help, and can explain more about why you should wait until after you've closed and where you can find the best deals to go shopping!!

TOP 5 Reasons Your Home Expired On The Market

This top 5 list will hopefully help those sellers out there whose home has expired on the market.  An "expired listing" is a home whose listing agreement has come to an end and the home is no longer being marketed for sale.

1.  Overpriced?
Sad, but true.  80% of marketing is pricing effectively.  Market price doesn't have any correlation to how much a person actually paid for their house a few years ago.  Ideally, market values go up and homeowners enjoy increased equity, sometimes though, that's just not the case!  Buying and Selling houses is the same as any other market.  For instance, if a gallon of milk cost 4.59 at Wal-Mart, and 2.39 at Food Lion, you'd probably buy your milk at Food Lion.  The same goes for pricing homes- you have to be priced in the market to be considered.

2.  Who was your REALTOR®?
Was your REALTOR® market savvy?  Did they understand the market trends?  Were they internet savvy?  Use social media?  Most homebuyers (92%, according to National Association of REALTORS®) begin their home search online.  So internet presence is a big deal!

3.  Competition?
What was your competition?  What was the speed of the market?  Did your REALTOR® share an absorption report with you?  An absorption report is a great tool to determine the level of competition and the tempo of the market.  This is helpful so that you know how to price your home and when to put it on the market.

4.  Showings
How available was your home for showings?  Did you decline or try to reschedule showings?  When a showing is declined or rescheduled, it almost never works out in the sellers' favor.  How did your home look when it was shown?  Was it clean, neat, decluttered and easy to show?  That's a key to selling your house.

5.  Feedback
From the showings you had, what was the feedback?  Did your REALTOR® discuss the feedback with you and suggest improvements to make it more appealing?  Or, did they negotiate with the buyer's agent to change the home to increase the chance of an offer?

It may be some, or all of these factors.  And sometimes, even the best homes don't sell the first time they're on the market.  I specialize in getting homes sold when they didn't sell before.  If you'd like a free consultation, click here, or give me a call!  910.545.0450.

I'd be happy to discuss with you how to sell your home and help you get a plan in place to get it SOLD.  Don't let your home be victim to any of these top 5 and become expired.  Let's get it SOLD.