In the latest episode of Charlotte Today, Nancy Braun shares some tips on what to do when you’re thinking of downsizing.

It’s a common situation. As people get older and their children move out, their housing needs also change. It’s no surprise that many empty-nesters and baby boomers are deciding to downsize.

Selling a house to downsize has its own unique set of challenges. That’s why Nancy recommends decluttering and staging the home before putting it on the market. Over the years, people tend to accumulate so much stuff that when the time comes to sell the home, it can be daunting to manage everything.

Nancy talks about how she helps her clients in these situations by connecting them with different services to help them figure out what to do with their extra stuff.

She also discusses the different options available to buyers who want to sell their home but are hesitant because they haven't bought a new home. Nancy gives assurance that there are many creative solutions to seemingly insurmountable situations. Nancy also highlights the benefits that downsizing can bring like having the freedom and flexibility to do the things you always have wanted to do.

Looking for an experienced real estate team to help you determine what your home is worth? Nancy and her team at Showcase Realty know what it takes to get top dollar for your current home and negotiate the best deal on a new one. If you’re ready to downsize, call them today at (704) 997-3794. 

Coleen: It's a stage of life that some of us dread and others look forward to: becoming an empty nester and one of the first things to consider is whether to downsize your home.

Eugene: Well this morning we welcome Nancy Braun with Showcase Realty to the show. Hello how are you doing today.

Nancy: Great, Good morning.

Eugene: Good.

Coleen: This is something a lot of our viewers are facing you know when the kids are leaving the house they're going off to college or getting jobs that kind of thing. It might be time to consider downsizing.

Nancy: Actually people downsize quite a few times. They don't necessarily do it once, it's kind of in stages. So they might have bought the house with the children in mind and then they wanted to be in a certain school district or they wanted a big yard or they wanted a pool. And now the house might not fit their needs for their current situation.

Eugene: You know you said the very first thing you do is consider putting your house on the market.

Nancy: Yes. So it's declutter and get your homes in a staged condition. So you know we just live in our homes. We have pets and we have lots of stuff and especially when you're downsizing you’re accumulating a lot of stuff.

Eugene: So much junk.

Nancy: That's right. That's right. So that's one of the biggest challenges people kind of freeze and say “Well I have too much stuff what am I going to do with it?”

Coleen: And I think it's a daunting task for most people when they think “We've lived here for 20 years you want me to you know we have all this stuff” How do we manage that Nancy? I mean is it selling pieces of furniture? Is it donating?

Nancy: It's all above. It's all above. So there are, we can connect our clients with different services and help them figure out you know the three piles. Am I going to donate? Am I going to sell? Or am I going to keep? Or am I going to trash out? So we can do it and it's just one room at a time. And we work through that because people they don't want to necessarily move with their boxes that they moved with before that they never opened 10 years before.

Eugene: And what do you tell people who want to sell a home but they don't want to sell too quick because they don't know if they have another place to move to? That's a big fear among people.

Nancy: That is a big fear. So there are some financial situations where they might not have the cash to be able to buy. And it's a seller's market in this area. So there are some options they can do a home equity line and pull some money out of their home or they could even pull from their IRA. They have a 60 day grace period without the tax burden on them. And there's some other things that they can talk to their accountant about. And as far as pulling money out but I'm in a situation right now where I have a client that is buying a smaller home they're downsizing and the seller is downsizing another time and they're working it out together so one is getting access before they even close. So people work with each other. So it's not insurmountable. We can figure out a way to get from one step to the other without necessarily selling their house before they move into the other house. 

Coleen: Yes don't let that be a deterrent.

Nancy: Right. I have a lot of creative options.

Coleen: I know she's a smart cookie. Yeah I know you do and your team works to make that happen. And when people are downsizing there are a lot of options to those adult active communities. Maybe it's a townhouse, townhome maybe it's a condo.

Nancy: Right. So their life has changed and they might want to be able to travel and not worry about keeping up with the landscaping and maintaining the home and being able to leave the home for a month and go on a cruise or a lot of my clients want to be in an amenities neighborhood so they can make friends. They might have bought a home with a huge lawn and they don't really know their neighbors and instead they want to be closer together so they can meet other people and have social activities and maybe go to the community pool and go do events and parties with their neighbors. So their life and their needs and their social world has changed and downsizing is a great opportunity rather being strangled by this big enormous house. 

Coleen: Yes it makes so much sense if you're looking to downsize and want to buy or sell your home. Call Nancy at Showcase Realty. The number is 704-488-3109. Again 704-488-3109. You can also visit experthomehelp.com. Again the Web site is experthomehelp.com. And that's where you'll receive a free copy of Nancy's book. It's The Ultimate No Holds Barred Guide to Selling and Buying a Home in the Carolinas. So go there to receive a free copy of Nancy Braun's book. Thank you so much you're excellent at what you do.

In the latest episode of Charlotte Today, Nancy Braun shares several thoughts on choosing the right Realtor®. Whether you’re buying or selling a home, having the right real estate professional is crucial to a smooth process.

With so many agents out there, how are you expected to find the right one for you?

Not all Realtors® are the same so it’s important to find out as much as you can about your potential agent. This can make a huge difference in your experience as buyer or seller. Asking the right questions can help you narrow down your options.

Nancy talks about the crucial questions to ask when choosing a Realtor® to work with. She shares how crucial it is to delve into the length and type of experience a Realtor® brings to the table with them. It’s also good to ask how many clients the Realtor® is working with currently. This will be a good gauge of how much time the representative will be able to dedicate to you.

She also highlights the value of working with the right team. As the marketing of real estate becomes more diverse, there is a greater need for people working together.

Nancy’s team at Showcase Realty is composed of individuals who have specialized duties and complete specific tasks, so that no details are over overlooked. With over 50 agents and staff, Showcase Realty provides efficient and best-in-class real estate client services in the Carolinas.

There’s only one team to call when you’re buying or selling a home in Charlotte NC-- it’s Showcase Realty! Nancy and the team have assisted thousands of real estate clients. 

If you want to experience the best and most effective real estate service imaginable, all you have to do is call Nancy Braun at (704) 997-3794.

Colleen: Whether you’re buying a home or getting ready to put yours on the market, choosing the right RealtorⓇ is a crucial part of the process.

Eugene: Well here to help us is Nancy Braun with Showcase Realty. Hello, Nancy how are you doing?

Nancy: I’m great, thank you.

Colleen: We’re glad you’re here. Alright, we mentioned choosing RealtorⓇ is really important. It’s a great first step when buying or selling a home, correct?

Nancy: That’s absolutely one of the top things that people concern themselves with. Who are they going to have represent them?

Eugene: Now you got 25 questions that are absolutely critical when buying a house.

Nancy: That’s right.

Eugene: Okay, and the very first one was “how many homes have you sold?”

Nancy: That’s right. Anyone can get a license with a minimal degree. It’s like six or eight weeks to train, to get a certification and be a licensed RealtorⓇ. The question is do you want to have someone that’s had very little experience in the past or someone who has sold thousands or hundreds of homes? Because each time you have a transaction, you have a tremendous learning experience and there are problems you have to solve throughout.

Colleen: You also said one of the questions you can ask a potential RealtorⓇ is “Where do you rank in Charlotte?” why is that a good question to ask?

Nancy: Well, just to give you more experience, you want to be with someone who’s out there that knows the neighborhood, that knows the product, that knows the concerns, knows issues that might be specific to a certain area. If Radon is an issue or if aluminum wiring is an issue. An experienced agent is going to have his or her own hands on the local area, know all those critical factors.

Colleen: Makes a lot of sense.

Eugene: And I know another thing is the list price to sell ratio, that has to be an issue that people have to bring up. Is that correct?

Nancy:  That’s right, there are those who we call in the industry as limited service brokers or discount brokers and they might promote that they might be less of a commission and you might be so focused on what kind of commission they are going to charge but the end result is what are you going to net.

So if you’re putting your home on the market, it doesn’t really matter so much what you’re paying to get your home marketed as long as you net more. If I take my home on the market and I engage a RealtorⓇ that maybe isn’t going to market the property or isn’t going to use all the tools that they should be using to blast it on the internet or get great photography, and then they put the house on the market and they get 85% the list price; well, I’ve really lost my money even though I  think I’m saving it on the front end by paying less commission beacause if you went with someone like myself, you get a 100% on average of list price.

Colleen: That’s good to know. Another question that folks should ask when they’re choosing a RealtorⓇ is asking the agent “How many buyers they’re working with?” Why is that an important question to ask?

Nancy: Well the typical real estate agent is most often working with 2 or 3 buyers at any one time. I’ve created a system in our office so we actually have 5 people answering the phones and we are heavy marketers so we have over 50,000 buyers in our database. So I tell my sellers, “I probably already have your home sold.”

Eugene: So with those 50,000 people in your database, what is the marketing plan because it would be the next thing I’d want to know “What is the marketing plan as you’re going to sell my home?”

Nancy: We have a tremendous marketing team so I have people on my staff, they are experts on social media, in digital marketing, and SEO. We also have a very, very sophisticated CRM so we can market the properties to our database right away. So they immediately get access to our new listings, open houses, price reductions and any new back on the market, they will be notified right away.  

Colleen: Another thing you can ask a RealtorⓇthat you might be considering working with is “How many homes they sold last year?”

Nancy: That’s right. That way you know, are they up and coming, are they engaged in the business or are they just part-time. The person that’s out there, that’s marketing, that’s selling a lot of homes is going to be very knowledgeable.

Colleen: I think a lot of times people don’t ask these questions, they just think, “Oh my friend said his cousin just got his license and now he’s going to be my guide” but this makes so much sense to me, Nancy.

You mentioned you have a large staff at Showcase Realty so another question you can ask a RealtorⓇ that you might be thinking about working with, “what is the size of your staff?”

Nancy: So I was an individual agent before general brokerage, my first twelve years in my career. Then in 2008, I spun off and created my own company and the reason was I felt that I couldn’t service my sellers in particular unless I had a big team behind me.

The internet was exploding, and even though I’m good on social media, I’m good at technology, I can’t possibly market the properties all by myself. I don’t have enough hands or fingers to type and create that.

So my team behind me is marketing and blasting the properties that we have for the market all over the internet and if you don’t have that kind of expertise, and the people that can back you up and really properly market your property, you might not be getting the exposure that you need to sell your house.

Colleen: You’re good, Nancy. If you would like a free copy of Nancy’s 25 Critical questions you must ask your agent before hiring them, visit ncbestagent.com, ncbestagent.com. Nancy Braun from Showcase Realty, thank you for your time.

Are you looking for tried and tested tips to sell your property quickly and for the highest possible price?

Nancy Braun, on her third guesting at Charlotte Today at WCNC NBC, talked about the essential marketing strategies that will help sell your home for top dollar. 

First on her list is the use of professional photography. With many buyers today beginning their home search online, it’s imperative to showcase your home with stunning professional photography in order to capture the buyers’ attention and to create a positive first impression.

Next, Nancy shared how important the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is and how it allows sellers the widest exposure in advertising their home for sale. She also discussed why marketing a home with online video makes so much sense. Aside from professional photos, a video tour is a very powerful way to showcase the unique features of the home while giving a much more detailed look at the property.

Another strategy is fast follow up and the importance of having the right agent who will efficiently and effectively move through the process. Your agent should be proactively calling potential buyers, communicating with existing customers, and constantly following up on new leads.

If you’d like to know more information on buying and selling Charlotte NC real estate, call Nancy Braun at (704) 997-3794.