Birkdale and Birkdale Village Real Estate;Have You Set Your 2009 Goals?

It is the time of year when we need to asses the past year and set goals for the next. I am spending this weekend setting some goals for 2009.


















So Here Goes with my 2009 Goals! (in no particular order)

1. Volunteer for one of the area or national children's Charity. This includes giving my time and having my company, Real Living In Style, contribute financially.
2. Grow Real Living In Style by doubling in size. Currently we have 16 agents any our goal is to add 16 quality people to our company during 2009.
3. Take a trip to somewhere my wife and I have never been to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary.
4. Continue to build the Property Management side of our business. We currently have someone in mind to take the reins and we have 4 homes under management and our inventory is growing.
5. Build this blog/website into the ultimate Birkdale and Birkdale at Lake Norman Real Estate Resource for all types of buyers and sellers of real estate.
6. Lose 15 lbs. ( My doctor told me he wanted me to lose 10 ).
7. Join one of the local gyms and attend regularly.
8. Find ways to save money by eliminating unnecessary spending.
9. Complete my blogging eBook to give to all our agents and possibly for later sale.
10. Guide my daughter in her choice of majors at Catawba College.
11. Enjoy the Lake More and take time each day in quiet thought.

Bring on another partner at Real Living In Style to help grow the business and continue to build on the fantastic Real Living Brand.

If you need assistance with any 0f your Birkdale, Birkdale Village and Huntersville Real Estate needs, please feel free to contact your Lake Norman Area Agent at 704 451 7051 or by email.

See Also:

Be The First To See Huntersville Hot New Listings as soon as they become available.

What would my Huntersville Area Home Sell For?

Why Lake Norman is such a great Destination

Happy Thanksgiving 2008 from your Birkdale Area Agent and Real Living In Style

We at Real Living In Style hope everyone is enjoying this special day with family and friends. Thanksgiving is a unique American tradition and these quotes embrace the true meaning of this joyous holiday – and they remind us of what we really have to be thankful for. Here are 10 Thanksgiving quotes to celebrate and ponder.

1. "The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving." ~ H.U. Westermayer

2. "Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow." ~ Edward Sandford Martin

3. "There is one day that is ours. There is one day when all we Americans who are not self-made go back to the old home to eat saleratus biscuits and marvel how much nearer to the porch the old pump looks than it used to. Thanksgiving Day is the one day that is purely American." ~ O. Henry

4. "You say, 'If I had a little more, I should be very satisfied.' You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled." ~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon

5. "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." ~ John Fitzgerald Kennedy

6. "We would worry less if we praised more. Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction." ~ Harry A. Ironside

7. "It must be an odd feeling to be thankful to nobody in particular. Christians in public institutions often see this odd thing happening on Thanksgiving Day. Everyone in the institution seems to be thankful 'in general.' It's very strange. It's a little like being married in general." ~ Cornelius Plantinga, Jr.

8. "It is literally true, as the thankless say, that they have nothing to be thankful for. He who sits by the fire, thankless for the fire, is just as if he had no fire. Nothing is possessed save in appreciation, of which thankfulness is the indispensable ingredient. But a thankful heart hath a continual feast." ~ W. J. Cameron

9. "Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others." ~ Cicero

10. "Thanksgiving Day is a jewel, to set in the hearts of honest men, but be careful that you do not take the day and leave out the gratitude." ~ E.P. Powell

This Thanksgiving Day, let's remember what we truly have to be thankful for. Let's take a good, hard look around us and realize that while we may not have everything we want, what we want is not always what we need. Let these ten Thanksgiving quotes remind us of the true meaning of this great American holiday as you celebrate with friends and family.

Birkdale Comparitive Market Analysis For Sold Homes in July

Birkdale Home Sales for the month of July

11 Homes have sold in July 2008. There are current 64 homes for sale in Birkdale and Birkdale Village.

Check out these Recently SOLD Homes!

Property Type: 2 Story
Address: 8425 Bridgestone DR
#Bedrooms: 4
#Bathrooms: 2/1
Sq. Footage: 2,461
List Price: 274,900
Sold Price: 274,900
%LP/SP: 100
Days on Market: 62


Property Type: 2 Story
Address: 16010 Grafham CIR
#Bedrooms: 4
#Bathrooms: 3
Sq. Footage: 2,535
List Price: 308,000
Sold Price: 301,000
%LP/SP: 96
Days on Market: 166


Property Type: 2 Story
Address: 15427 Britley Ridge DR
#Bedrooms: 5
#Bathrooms: 3/1
Sq. Footage: 3,251
List Price: 324,900
Sold Price: 323,200
%LP/SP: 99
Days on Market: 23


Property Type: Ranch
Address: 15913 Trenton Place RD
#Bedrooms: 3
#Bathrooms: 2
Sq. Footage: 1,871
List Price: 325,000
Sold Price: 312,000
%LP/SP: 96
Days on Market: 23


Property Type: 2 Story
Address: 8726 Brentfield RD
#Bedrooms: 4
#Bathrooms: 2/1
Sq. Footage: 2,914
List Price: 359,999
Sold Price: 350,000
%LP/SP: 97
Days on Market: 143


Property Type: 2 Story
Address: 17234 Pennington DR
#Bedrooms: 4
#Bathrooms: 2/1
Sq. Footage: 2,771
List Price: 389,900
Sold Price: 384,000
%LP/SP: 98
Days on Market: 16


Property Type: 2 Story
Address: 8508 Sandowne LN
#Bedrooms: 4
#Bathrooms: 2/1
Sq. Footage: 3,112
List Price: 399,500
Sold Price: 380,000
%LP/SP: 95
Days on Market: 10


Property Type: 2 Story
Address: 10033 Devonshire DR
#Bedrooms: 4
#Bathrooms: 3
Sq. Footage: 3,166
List Price: 427,900
Sold Price: 422,500
%LP/SP: 98
Days on Market: 13


Property Type: 2 Story
Address: 15903 Agincourt DR
#Bedrooms: 5
#Bathrooms: 2/1
Sq. Footage: 3,155
List Price: 449,000
Sold Price: 436,000
%LP/SP: 97
Days on Market: 142


Property Type: 3 Story
Address: 9442 Titus LN
#Bedrooms: 5
#Bathrooms: 4/1
Sq. Footage: 4804
List Price: 549,850
Sold Price: 510,000
%LP/SP: 93
Days on Market: 113


Property Type: 2 Story
Address: 15714 Polonius CT
#Bedrooms: 4
#Bathrooms: 3/1
Sq. Footage: 4804
List Price: 599,900
Sold Price: 567,000
%LP/SP: 95
Days on Market: 294


Average
Bedrooms: 4
Sq. Footage: 3,119
List Price: $400,804
Sold Price: $387,327
%LP/SP: 97
Days on Market: 91

Please feel free to call your Birkdale at Lake Norman Agent at 704 451 7051 for more information on these and other Lake Norman area communites.

Note: Don't forget you can always get the current active listings in Birkdale and Macauley on this site. Check for the link on the right!

Birkdale Golf League - You got to love it

Birkdale Golf League, Another Reason to Love Birkdale at Lake Norman

As an avid golfer, I am always looking for people to play golf with. Through a new contact I just made I learned about a golf league that plays during in the summer.



You can learn all about by visiting the Birkdale Golf League Website.

Please feel free to contact your Lake Norman Agent at 704 451 7051 if you have any questions about this or other Real Estate subjects.

See Also:

Be The First To See Birkdale and other Lake Norman Hot New Listings as soon as they become available.

What would my Home Sell For?

Birkdale and Lake Norman Buyers, SO much to choose from

Common Myths about Working with Lake Norman Real Estate Agents

Birkdale at Lake Norman Sellers, You May Not be Alone

Hey Lake Norman Sellers, Where do you fit in

I was checking some statistics today after going on a listing appointment this morning. Here are some interesting numbers.

From June 1, 2007 to June 5th 2008:

• 101 Homes were sold in Birkdale


• 41 Homes became expired Listings in Birkdale
  

From June 1, 2006 to June 5th 2007:

• 123 Homes were sold in Birkdale


• 9 Homes became expired Listings in Birkale

As you can see from the statistics, sold homes are down and expired listings are up. I realize this is very frustrating to all participants.

What made me think about this was my appointment this morning. The home I am getting ready to market is a referral. This older couple was recommended to me by their daughter after I sold her home. Interestingly it made me think about all these expired listings. Did the seller pick an agent from a book, a website or a friends recommendations. I guess, while I am glad to get repeat business, I wonder if people are taking to time to visit with multiple agents. I know I have had to go up against others. Sometimes I was asked to represent the seller and sometimes I wasn't. Each situation is different.

I do know that when I go on an appointment, I concentrate on being a good listener. My time to speak will come after I understand the sellers and let them tell me about the home etc. Agents that walk in and first thing out of the box try to justify price and/or commissions just don't get it. (in my humble opinion).

The next question I asked myself was I wondered if the expired listing was a result of bad pricing, bad luck or a home that just does not appeal to very many. My guess is that quite a few times it is pricing. There is a listing in the neighborhood I am soon to market a home, that has a listing, in my opinion, that is way overpriced. Ironically it has a conditional contract on it but the listing agent is appealing for agents to continue to show the property. My guess is that it is not a solid offer. To tell you truth, due to the recent solds, I fear the appraisal won't meet the price. After all this has become more of an issue recently. I have tried very hard to come up with comps to justify that price but I can't do it. If the home sells and appraises, then I stand corrected. However my comps come up quite a bit less. My clients and I have analyized the numbers and are going to sit an wait just a little while to see what happens. They are not in a hurry and I want to do the right thing.

Anyway, my point is that my guess is that sellers are dictating price based on net proceeds instead of actual statistics. My philosphy is that my sellers join with me to form a team and we must be on the same page. I also blog about my sellers homes this and other blogsites I maintain. I ask my sellers to tell the world about the home and area. I believe it helps bring a human element to things especially for those from out of town.

If your in the expired boat of just don't know a lot of people in the area, let me show what I do so you have something to compare to.

Also, be sure to check out the right side of my blog. I give you ways to see all the listings, all the time in Birkdale.

As always if you ever need real estate assistance please contact your Birkdale at Lake Norman Area Agent at 704 451 7051.

What would my Home Sell For?

Birkdale At Lake Norman Statistics - 6/1/2008

Your Birkdale at Lake Norman Housing Activity

Active - 57 Properties Found

Average Square Feet - 2200-2600
Average Bedrooms - 3
Average Bathrooms - 2
Average List Price - $347,877
Average DOM - 86

Sold - 36 Properties Found

Average Square Feet - 2459
Average Bedrooms - 3
Average Bathrooms - 2
Average List Price - $350,364
Average Sold Price - $338,931 96
Average DOM - 96

Contact Your Birkdale at Lake Norman Agent at 704 451 7051 to see any of these properties or get additional information

Be The First To See Birkdale at Lake Norman Hot New Listings.

What would my Home Sell For?

Experience Birkdale at Lake Norman

Join the Birkdale at Lake Norman online Community

Current Birkdale At Lake Norman Listings

Your Up To the Minute Birkdale at Lake Norman Listings

See the Latest Birkdale at Lake Norman Listings.


Contact Your Birkdale at Lake Norman Agent at 704 451 7051 for additional information.

See Also:

Experience Birkdale at Lake Norman

Join the Birkdale at Lake Norman online Community

Join The Birkdale Online Community

Your Lake Norman Agent has created a new online Community for residents and prospective residents of Birkdale at Lake Norman.

The community was created so residents could post information about events and information other residents, family members and prospective residents might want to know. It is also a place where questions be asked and answered by residents and your Lake Norman Agent.

Please feel free to comment, ask questions and visit as often as you like the new Birkdale Online Community.

Please contact your Lake Norman Agent at 704 451 7051 if you have any questions or would like more information about Birkdale at Lake Norman.


Be The First To See Birkdale at Lake Norman Hot New Listings.


What would my Home Sell For?

Birkdale At Lake Norman Current Market Conditions 5/20/08

Birkdale Village at Lake Norman Market Analysis on 5/20/08

28 Current Active Homes

Average List Price = $301,506

Average Days on the Market = 109

Average Sq. Footage = 1700-2000

Highest List Price = $375,000

Lowest List Price = $205,000

2 Current Contingent Homes

Average List Price = 268,388

Average Days on the Market = 62

Average Sq. Footage = 1600-1800

2 Current Pending Homes

Average List Price = 329,900

Average Days on the Market = 46

Average Sq. Footage = 2000-2500

SOLD HOMES IN BIRKDALE VILLAGE AS OF 5/2/2008

11 Homes Sold

Average List Price= $291,245

Average Sold Price = $280,038

Average Days on the Mark = 134

%Sold Price to List Price = 96%

Birkdale At Lake Norman Market Analysis on 5/20/2008

32 Current Active Homes

Average List Price = $387,622

Average Days on the Market = 99

Average Sq. Footage = 2600-3100

Highest List Price = $659,900

Lowest List Price = $250,000

2 Current Contingent Homes

Average List Price = 409,499,388

Average Days on the Market = 105

Average Sq. Footage = 2700-3200

10 Current Pending Homes

Average List Price = 449,873

Average Days on the Market = 69

Average Sq. Footage = 2900-3500

SOLD HOMES IN BIRKDALE AS OF 5/20/2008

22 Homes Sold

Average List Price= $390,676

Average Sold Price = $378,665

Average Days on the Mark = 89

%Sold Price to List Price = 97%

Contact Your Lake Norman Agent at 704 451 7051 to get additional information about Birkdale.

Be The First To See Birkdale Hot New Listings.

What would my Home Sell For?

Don't forget to check out the Experience Birkdale Video.