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January 18, 2018 by Carolina Real Estate Coalition Leave a Comment

Live, Work and Play in these Triangle Neighborhoods

What if you had everything you needed in walking distance from your home? Take a stroll with the family to dinner or a bike ride on one of the many trails surrounding your new home. More and more neighborhoods are being developed giving you the convenience to have everything you need right outside your front door. Here are some Triangle neighborhoods you should definitely take a look at before you buy.

Briar Chapel – Chapel Hill, NC

You’ll find everything you need within a short distance from your new home in Briar Chapel. The “Veranda” offers a variety of restaurants and stores to eat, shop and play. This award winning community offers plenty of green space for bike riding, running, even pickleball at the new Sport Court!

The Villages of Apex – Apex, NC

The Villages of Apex located in the “Peak of Good Living” this community has everything you need. Whether you are looking for a luxury home, townhome or apartment you’ll find the perfect living space with all the amenities you need. Enjoy the large clubhouse, dog park and ballpark right in your neighborhood. You’ll love small town living while still enjoying great local restaurants and retail stores you’d find in a city. The best part you are within walking distance to downtown Apex.

Meadowmont – Chapel Hill, NC

This beautiful community will take your breath away with its narrow streets lined with gorgeous green trees. You will feel as if you are walking the streets of Charleston. Nearby you’ll find Meadowmont Village a shopping center filled with the best retails stores and restaurants. You’ll never want to leave your neighborhood once you move in here.

December 3, 2017 by Lauryn Leave a Comment

Part 3: House Hunting? Things to Consider Rental or Purchase

Thanks for continuing to check us out! This month, we would like to talk about backyards. It may sound to some of our readers as a back-burner topic but there are always a few property considerations “we wish we had known.”

If you have children, outdoor animals or a passion for gardening, yard space is critical to fully enjoy your home. We suggest you find a yard that’s large enough for a pool and/or play area if that’s a priority for you or perhaps nice shade for the plants and trees you love the most. Be sure to ask the property manager, homeowner or homeowners’ association if there are any rules surrounding what type of items you can display in front of or behind your home – in some cases, pools are not allowed.

We’ve also heard a few stories about fencing regulations. If your neighbors already have fences surrounding their property, there may be times you need to ensure that any fencing you select doesn’t “clash” with the existing surroundings.

We’d also like to remind our readers that the amount of existing space, grass and trees should be top of mind. If you’re not into yard work and cannot afford a lawn care service, don’t bite off more than you can chew! We’ve also had a few people suggest to us that hiring college and high school students to help maintain their yards during semester breaks is a great way to help yourself as well as others!

Please keep reading and let us know of any topics you’d like us to address. More to come next month!

November 2, 2017 by Lauryn Leave a Comment

Part 2: House Hunting? Things to Consider – Rental or Purchase

This month we continue our considerations for house hunting, both rentals and forever homes. When we last left off, we discussed the kitchen and addressed a few items that most of us wish we’d considered “had we only known.”

Countertops and appliances, as well as cabinets and floors, are what most folks notice when they walk into a kitchen. If you have kids, pets or any kind of equipment (medical, work-related, etc.), look for floors that are easy to clean. Hardwoods and tile will require mopping but are more prone to scratches. Carpets will require vacuuming and, if stained, some elbow grease!

As we discussed last month, cabinet space is important but how the cabinets appear on the outside is also a solid consideration, particularly when you’re purchasing rather than renting. As many of us can attest, children will leave fingerprints, crayon marks and all kinds of messes on any surface they can find (as will the favorite family pet) so think about the height, color and accessibility of each cabinet. In some cases, you’ll want high cabinets and in other instances, you’ll want them in an easy-to-reach location but safe for the family. From a decorative standpoint, high cabinets that don’t quite meet the ceiling also allow us the space to decorate and add a few personal touches around the kitchen.

For those of us purchasing new builds, we suggest selecting a color that goes well with your existing furniture. If you’re in the market for new accessories or a new theme, the world is your oyster.

Happy house hunting!

September 27, 2017 by Carolina Real Estate Coalition Leave a Comment

House Hunting? Things to Consider While Searching for a Rental or Purchase

Ever had one of those “If I’d Only Known” experiences, especially when it comes to a home purchase or rental? Perhaps the square footage sounded right but the layout turned out to be “wrong” for your needs. Or perhaps something that looked beautiful to the eye turned out to be completely nonfunctional or full of hassle. We’ve been there and thought we’d share a few of our key learnings over the course of the next few months. We hope this will be helpful for you house hunters out there as well as your real estate agents!

Let’s start with closets and countertops…

If you’ve ever had a walk-in closet that sits within your master bathroom, you know how inconvenient it can be to get dressed and ready for work while your significant other or roommate is showering. Personal space is important so keep that in mind when looking at closet locations.

The amount of shelving and hanging racks can also be critical depending on the size of the property and your personal needs. Some folks have to ensure they have enough room for the children’s clothes. Others shoes and business wear, sports equipment or maybe office supplies. In most cases – they need all of the above. Not to mention the his-and-her component plus considerations for family and friends who want to visit. Make sure everyone feels they have ample space for their belongings if budget allows. Nobody wants to feel cramped. Make sure you think through how things will unfold and if you need to consider an additional storage unit based on the available space within the unit rather than using that second bedroom for storage.

Another area that requires space considerations is the countertop. This includes both bathrooms and kitchens. For the bathroom, if you prefer to leave your electric razor, electric toothbrush, hair dryer, hair straightener or curlers on the counter in the bathroom, MAKE SURE there are enough electrical outlets and countertop space to support those items. If you don’t need much countertop space, we recommend you consider how much drawer space is available in the bathrooms for storage purposes and to ensure you have ample room for the essentials. That could include ensuring there’s enough room under the sink for cleaning supplies depending on how you like to set up your bathroom.

The same applies for the kitchen. Depending on the set up, you may have room under the sink for cleaning supplies or you may not. It depends on your personal preferences, priorities and the layout of the home. Countertop space seems to come up a lot in our day to day conversations when it comes to cooking. If you love cooking, you’ll want to ensure you have ample countertop space for prep. If that’s not a major priority for your needs or your family’s needs, we encourage you to check on the number of drawers and cabinets to hold your pots, pans, utensils and silverware. (Don’t forget about a spot for those delivery menus!).

Also keep an eye out for the placement of the refrigerator versus stovetop versus oven(s) versus sink versus dishwasher. It can get a bit tight if they’re directly across from another.

We will spend more time on kitchen considerations next month. Until then, happy house hunting!

September 1, 2017 by Carolina Real Estate Coalition Leave a Comment

Video Marketing Tips for Realtors

If you aren’t using video in your online strategy, you should be. By 2019 video is expected to claim more than 80 percent of all web traffic, according to this article from Hubspot.

It’s important to invest in quality videos to showcase yourself on your website and through social media. You are a professional and this might be someone’s first impression of you, you want to impress them right? Buyers are online researching realtors, how are you going to stand out from the crowd? This doesn’t mean you have to spend thousands and thousands of dollars each time you create a video. There are plenty of free apps and tools you can use that can make the process easy and can save you a lot of time.

What types of videos should you make?

New listings – Have a new listing you want to show off? There is no better way than through video. Take potential buyers on a tour of your newest listing!

Testimonial’s – Have your clients record a short testimonial for you on camera.

About Me – Tell everyone about your interests, hobbies, and what you love most about being a Realtor. What makes you stand out from the crowd.

Questions and Answers – What are some of the most common questions your clients ask you? Make a short video answering these questions to reach other potential clients.

Neighborhoods – Tell new residents about the neighborhoods in your area. It’s more than just a house you are selling, tell them why a neighborhood is a great place to live.

DIY and How-To Videos – Share your tips for staging a house, decorating a small space and more.

Market Updates – Keep people informed about the local housing market.

Team Videos – If you work with a team of realtors like we do, make a video to introduce your team and show off your team culture.

Bloopers – Show off that personality, people love a good sense of humor.

Events – Get out into your community and explore local events and festivals. Combine video clips from these events to show off your city.

Best Practices

If you are filming on your phone always film horizontally not in portrait mode.

Film outside in natural light when possible. If you are shooting inside make sure you are in a well-lit room to film in.

Use a tripod or make sure you have a friend with a steady hand to help you.

Set your auto focus and auto exposure built into your camera phone.

If filming on your phone, tablet or iPad make sure you keep an eye on your battery. Filming for an extended period of time will drain your battery. Keep your device plugged in when possible.

If you plan on posting your video on Instagram you may want to consider recording in a square format. These apps make it simple to do just that.

Use a mic for the best sound. You can find a mic to plug into your smartphone for under $15. If you don’t have a mic pick a room or area with little to no background noise.

For more tips and tools click here.

Live Streaming

There is a reason you see more and more live videos on your Facebook and Instagram feeds and if you are not doing it you should start. Let people get to know you, tell them about an open house you are hosting, show them your newest listings. Go live! If you are unsure how to start a live stream, Gadgets 360 explains how step by step in this article.

Apps

Horizon

Never make the mistake of shooting in portrait mode again. This app will shoot horizontally no matter how you hold your phone.

Imovie (iOS device only)

This video editing tool is great to easily cut together multiple video clips and photos.

Adobe Spark Video (iOS device only)

Use this app to make quick animated videos and add your favorite photos and video clips. You can record voice over right in the app and publish to your social media channels or download to your photo library to use later.

Vine Camera (iOS device only)

Make quick 6 second looping videos to post directly to Twitter or download to your photo library and post to your other social media channels.

Magesto

Upload your photos and videos, choose from a wide variety of built in themes and pick your music. You’ll have a video ready to go in just a few minutes.

Animoto

Make quick slideshow videos by uploading your photos and videos. The app has built in themes and a variety of songs to choose from.

SlideStory

Create 32 second slideshows from your photos or record your own video right from the app.

Vont (iOS device only)

Add text to your photos and videos by choosing one of the pre-made templates or creating your own. You can even animate your text.

Title Master (iOS device only)

Add animated text and graphics to your photos and videos and choose your own custom music.

Cameo (iOS device only)

This app is made by the popular video hosting site Vimeo. You can choose a theme with one of the built in font options and just simply add your photos and videos.

Quik

From the makers of GoPro comes this great video editing app. With just a few clicks you can edit one or multiple video clips and photos to the beat of the song.

What do you do with your video after it’s completed?

Upload to YouTube – YouTube is the second largest search engine on the internet.

Post on your website – It’s obvious enough but drive traffic to your website with your videos.

Post on your Facebook page – Grab your audiences attention by posting your videos directly to Facebook. Set up a video campaign or boost a post that includes a video.

Post on Twitter – You can post a 2 minute 20 second video directly to Twitter. Tease a longer video or make a short video just for Twitter.

Post on Instagram – Post a short video up to 60 seconds to your Instagram page. Instagram is a visual platform and a perfect place to distribute your videos.

Leave a comment with your favorite video editing app or tip?