http://jpeterken.seacoastrealty.com/blog/categoryname_buyers/sort_entrydatetime-desc/ With the spring real estate selling season quickly approaching, and summer following right on its heels, many real estate investors start thinking about the prospect of owning vacation rental properties. While these investments can be a way to add income and offer a fun vacation option for your own family, there are a few things that you should consider before you take the leap. 1. In most cases, an income-producing property is an investment in the future. You may want to kiss the summer season goodbye. In our area, we see an influx of visitors in the late spring until the early fall months. Southeastern North Carolina offers up warm summer months and milder temperatures the rest of the year making it a popular vacation destination. One way to ensure that your vacation property succeeds in making money is to give up the summer months to renters. Summer is by far the most lucrative time in terms of rental income. If you had the idea that you and your family would relax seaside in June, watch the fireworks over the waterway in July, and spend August afternoons licking ice-cream cones on the boardwalk, you may want to re-evaluate. It is likely that in the future, after your rental home has paid for itself you will do these things. But keep in mind that a vacation rental investment is just that: an investment for the future. You will most likely spend the first years of ownership giving up summer vacations for those in the less busy months of fall and winter. Don’t worry though, the beach can be fun year-round!2. You have a few things to line up! When renters have saved their money and booked your property they expect that the house will be clean, in working order, and have most of the comforts of home. You will most certainly need to create a network of people from property managers to cleaning crews and maintenance workers to ensure that your renters have a fantastic time in a fantastic house. By doing so, you are helping your rental property succeed and securing return renters. Most property management companies will guide you in the right direction (for a fee), allowing you to enjoy your own summer vacations without constantly dealing with rental issues. If you live out of state or more than an hour drive, a property management company is a must! At Coldwell Banker Seacoast Advantage we can help you manage your rental property through Sea Coast Rentals. You can find more about our property management here http://www.seacoastrentals.com/3. One of the most important steps in finding the right rental property, and the one that a qualified real estate professional can help you the most with, is to research the area! What kind of renters can you expect? How many weeks of the year is the property vacant? Your real estate broker should be able to fill you in on the area’s popularity with vacationers. They will also be able to find out the previous rental history of a home. You will want to know if there are rental dates already scheduled for the coming year. Ask your questions! The last thing that you want to do is to buy a home with the hopes of it making money for you and finding out that it is in an undesirable rental area. Location, location, location has never been more relevant than with a vacation rental property. Find the right property by using our property search tools here http://www.seacoastrealty.com/listings4. Taxes and insurance are very different, and you will need to do your homework before you buy! Many buyers try to jump right into the market. They visit homes, fall in love with a particular place, and immediately begin envisioning all of the family cook-outs and shell-finding expeditions that a particular house will host. This is great, but before you get your hopes too high, you will need to be informed of the tax, mortgage, and insurance situations that arise when purchasing an investment property. Oftentimes, loans are harder to secure and tax and insurance rates are higher. A real estate professional can recommend to you the people that you can talk to make sure that financially you are prepared to enter the exciting world of investment properties! 5. The time to buy is now! Enjoy this first year, and make your mark on the house. Do all of the things that you feel need done before renting (unless you are buying turn-key with an established rental calendar), and get ready to earn a little extra income next summer!If you are ready to explore the idea of purchasing an income producing property, please visit us. Due to our unique location, we have inventory in every price range and on all of North Carolina’s amazing coastline. http://www.seacoastrealty.com/ http://jpeterken.seacoastrealty.com/blog/1874/5-things-to-know-about-owning-a-vacation-rental-property/ Tue, 23 Feb 2016 12:00:00 -0500 5 Ways Our New Website is Going to Make Your 2016 House Hunt Easier!The most successful companies are those that have the ability to change and adapt with the times. With 2016 fast approaching, we decided to give our website a major upgrade. Our hope is that these changes will make life a little easier for our clients, and a lot more fun! Finding the perfect home shouldn’t be stressful. It should be fun and exciting, and the realization of hard work and dreams come true.Easy to Use Home Search FeatureOur new website offers up tons of ways to search for homes in the Southeastern North Carolina area. Every homebuyer is different, and there search methods need to reflect this. The most obvious feature on our new website is the Home Search feature/toolbar. Driving around and see a home that sparks your interest? Simply type in the address. Visiting the area and want to focus your search on a certain area? Use our Map feature! Is there something that your new home absolutely must have? Use our Advanced search to filter homes by price, type, size, or various keywords and amenities. By offering up an intuitive and simple way to search we guarantee that you will never see something that your aren’t interested in. Whatever your search style, our new website can cater to it!2. Agent PagesOne of the very first and quite possibly most important decisions that you will make in the quest for the perfect home is finding your perfect Agent. You will be in close communication with your Agent every step of the way, and their leadership and advice will help to shape your home buying experience. Just as you would research a lawyer or a contractor, you will want to research the person who will help you make possibly the largest purchase in your life.  By clicking on the “Agents” tab on our home screen, you will be able to view all of our agents along with their contact information. Most of our agents have personal websites which are a wealth of knowledge on the Southeastern NC real estate market. You will find Agent accreditations, listings, and in many cases a little background information to help you decide who is the right fit for you! 3. Resources for Buyers and Sellers, Live Support, and Relocation Specialists at Your FingertipsRelocating can be overwhelming. This is why we employ relocation specialists to answer your questions and get you started. Have a question while you are browsing our site? Simply type in your question to our live support! These are actual people sitting at an actual desk ready to help you. Every real estate situation is unique and nobody knows this better than our support staff. Go ahead and ask; like our teachers used to say, “there is no dumb question.” Do you simply want more information on our area and offices before making any location decisions? Are you interested in history, want to be in a cultural center, need to know what kind of medical facilities our area offers? Our Resources page makes it simple. Offering up tons of links to everything from local government pages to places of interest you are sure to get a pretty good sense of what Southeastern NC is all about. We are pretty confident that after you explore, you’ll agree that our area is a pretty great place to call home.4. New Homes and Communities FeatureWith new home communities popping up everyday it becomes quite a task to be informed on the key features of these neighborhoods. Our website gives you all of the pertinent information on some of the newest communities in our area. Pick the county that you are interested in and we will supply you with information such as starting prices, exact locations, current schools districted to the community (though due to an ever-changing district map, we recommend that you fact-check for yourself), and a general overview of what you can expect from each neighborhood.5. Open HousesMost Buyers don’t just jump right into the buying process without seeing a few homes first. Our Open House page allows for you to see all of the homes that have scheduled open houses, so that you don’t waste your time driving around in circles looking for Open signs. By being able to see dates and times, you are able to schedule your day around what you really want to see. Bonus, on the weekends Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage offers up a chance to enter our Coast In & Win contest for $500 at any of our Open Houses! Go look, figure out what it is you like, and possibly walk away $500 richer!We hope that as you wrap up 2015 and head into a new year, you find everything that you need to live a happy life in a place that you love! We would love the opportunity to help you do just that! Thank you to all of our clients both new and returning. We appreciate your trust in us.   http://jpeterken.seacoastrealty.com/blog/1808/5-ways-our-new-website-is-going-to-make-your-2016-house-hunt-easier!/ Sat, 26 Dec 2015 12:00:00 -0500 All of the spaces above were described as “cozy” or “efficient” in their real estate descriptions. Are they “cozy”? I hope so. Are they small? Nope, not for us!With our area settling into the autumn season, words like “cozy,” “warmth,” and “homey” become part of everyday conversation. I recently had a visitor to my home who described my den as “cozy.” I was beyond flattered, as this is just the way that I want my den to feel. However, when she left, as I was replaying our conversation in my mind, I realized that she must have meant...small. The room was in fact not that cozy. Having just moved in, this room only had 2 couches, 1 lamp, and 1 picture above the fireplace.....soooo not cozy. Did I mention that she is a real estate agent, and that I have a long past in the real estate industry? That realization sealed the deal...she meant small.Oftentimes when reading through real estate listings--and I do, because I love seeing houses--I notice words that are frequently used that mean one thing in real-life conversations, and another thing in listing language! Do I believe that these words are utilized to mislead buyers? No. I believe that these words are used to make the listings feel like “home” to prospective buyers.A prime example of how the word “character” did not mean old. Was there an original lighting fixture and doorbell (which I LOVE), yes. Was there a beautifully crafted staircase? Yes. Did it mean the house was full of “old”? No.The actual definition of cozy is “comfort, warmth, & relaxation.” I suspect that as the seasons change, even a buyer seeking 5,000 square feet will be attracted by a home that is actually “cozy.” With the holidays fast approaching, some might also seek a “charming” house. “Charming” is another word that pops up in many listing descriptions that is often associated with “old.” I sought out a home that was both cozy and charming. Did I want a 600 square foot home built in the 1800’s? No. Did I want something that would evoke a strong sense of safety and warmth for my family? Absolutely. There are some real estate keywords and phrases that are undeniable. “Needs TLC” is one of them. If you are wanting a brand new move-in ready home, you might shy away from this phrase. A home “needing TLC” will be just that, a home that needs some work. After speaking with my aforementioned visitor (we laugh and speak honestly and easily), I asked her if she thought that the den was too small for a family of five and if I should take down a wall. She was flabbergasted! “No, no, no!” she said. “That room makes me want to put on my pj’s and read a good book or watch a movie with the kids. I meant that the fireplace made the room feel warm and that your paint color felt relaxing. It is the perfect room for a Christmas tree!”So the point, my friends, is that you can’t always assume that a listing description is just trying to dupe you. Real estate agents rely strongly on their “feeling” for a space. They want you to see the potential for a home suited to your wants and needs. Find a good one, one that you trust, and don’t be scared to view the house that is deemed “cozy”. Never shy away from a house with “character.” Their descriptions of homes are to be aids in your visualization of your life there. By all means never write-off a home based on one or two words!  http://jpeterken.seacoastrealty.com/blog/1769/does-“cozy”-always-mean-“small”-in-real-estate-listings?/ Thu, 22 Oct 2015 12:00:00 -0500 Listing Your Home in the Fall!I’m not sure how many times I have heard a friend or family member bemoan that they would have to wait until spring to put their homes on the market. Sure, spring is the most popular time to buy and sell real estate, but did you know that the fall selling season comes in a close second? Sometimes, depending on your situation, it might be the best time for you to sell you home. There is nothing more cozy and memory provoking than a fire in the fireplace, the smell of cinnamon and spice in the kitchen, and a jack-o-lantern perched on the front porch. Fall is a great time for sellers to capitalize on this feeling of home that buyers often respond to on an emotional level. It is a lot easier for a buyer to “fall in love” with a home when that home evokes good memories. The colors of fall create an amazing natural background as well. Step into a yard that is crisp and clean and ablaze in the vibrant colors of fall and it is hard to not feel optimistic and inspired. We are lucky, that our area has mild weather. Fall at the beach is actually my favorite time of year! The crowds have thinned, the humidity is low, and neighbors are reconnecting after summers away. One big motivation for buyers in the fall is the upcoming holiday season. Most buyers prefer to be in their new home in time to host family and friends over the following months. Often times this drive can lead to a quicker than usual sale. The holidays aren’t the only reason fall is on the buyer radar. Many buyers are seeking the tax deductions and breaks that come with buying a home, and need to be closed by the end of the year to benefit quickly. Not only has the market changed over time, but the kind of Buyers entering the market have changed as well. Many people are choosing to enter the real estate market later in life as first time home-buyers and baby boomers are moving into the homes that they are retiring in. Because school selection is less important to these kinds of Buyers, the thinking that once the school year starts buyers don’t buy, just doesn’t hold true in these cases.  The buyers entering the market in the fall that are concerned with school districts are often moving as the result of new employment, and are laser focused.Possibly one of the biggest benefits to selling in the fall is the lower inventory that one would find in the spring months. Less inventory means less competition for the seller. Because of the rapidly growing online tools and apps available to buyers, many buyers are starting their searches online. When they make the appointment to view your home they have most likely already seen the house online and are aware of the basics. The use of these technologies have resulted in a more serious buyer.If you have been waiting for spring to come, you might want to give listing in the fall another look. I encourage you to speak with a real estate professional to determine if fall might be your best bet for selling your home quickly. The most important part of a smooth and successful real estate transaction is having an agent that can help you price appropriately and has a deep knowledge of the market in your area. We have hundreds of agents that fit this bill. Let our agents show you the benefit of listing in the fall!To speak with one of our many talented agents please visit  http://www.seacoastrealty.com/ http://jpeterken.seacoastrealty.com/blog/1299/listing-your-home-in-the-fall!/ Fri, 09 Oct 2015 12:00:00 -0500