Is it the Right Time to Buy Real Estate in Asheville?

As November wraps up and December in Asheville gets underway I am reminded of winters when I first started real estate in 2000. There wasn't much activity on the buying side of things, but then again there wasn't much activity on the selling side either. Basically people stopped looking in the winter and most all sellers know it so they just waited to sale their homes until the spring.

It looks like we may have a winter of those in the past this year but I wanted to share with you three great reasons to consider purchasing in Asheville now if you have the ability and were thinking about it.

1) Interest rates aren't going to be any lower than they are right now. All indications are that rates will continue to rise through the winter and level of around 6% in the Spring. I just helped a young couple by their first home here utilizing the gov't backed USDA loan program and they closed with a 4.68% rate. Yes, that was a 30 yr. fixed rate loan!

2) Normally sellers will wait until the Spring to put their houses on the market if they haven't do so by now. If the house is on the market most sellers will opt to take it off and wait. Not this year! Sellers are bringing new inventory to the market in unprecedented numbers. What does this mean for a buyer. a) High inventory and low buyer market equals good deals. b)These sellers have to sell and again this equals good deals. Just to give you an idea, normally we might see 15-20 new homes a day coming to the market this time of year. Right now we are seeing on average 45-55 new homes a day. That's a lot of new inventory.

3) Don't forget the government is going to give first timers $8,000 to buy a new home and most step up buyers $6,500 to do the same. That's living room furniture or remodel money!

I'm still getting many inquiries into relocating to Asheville - "as soon as my houses sells here." I think the winter will be cold but the spring could be much more brisk. I'm not calling for a return to the markets of 2005-2007, but it will be much improved from today.

You can read over the entire November Market Report here:

November Market Report

If you need any specific information please don't hesitate to contact me:

Jason Ingle

The Buyer's Agent of Asheville

Jason@ashevillehomebuyer.com

(828)242-7616 Direct

http://www.viewashevillehomes.blogspot.com/

AskAsheville - Asheville Twitter - Asheville Blog -
Asheville Videos - Asheville Social Media

Asheville Home Building & Real Estate Newsletter Intro!

So, Asheville Realtors and Home Builders are finally trying to get hip onto the New Media ways of today. I know how hard it is! It is kinda like when the election campaign started, this whole transition of Social Media just kicked into gear, almost out nowhere. Suddenly newspapers are going out of business, radio listeners went online, and classifieds went to Craigslist. If you want to attempt to learn a little about the change, you should read "The Starfish and The Spider" a few times. It explains a lot of how this new world of communications works. It shows the power of Networking and how networks can destroy the powerful "Spider" organizations much like the ones many of us know or are a part of today.

I am going to have a few tips to show you about Twitter, Blogging, Social Networking, Videos, Photos... and how they can really help you. G Social Media (based in Asheville) also has put a lot of info to help people get started in Social Media on the Asheville Home Builders network site.

Of course, if you wanted someone to set up all of your main Social Media platforms, G Social Media is the way to go. He custom builds all of your sites according to your niche, whether you are a Home Builder, Realtor, Subcontrator or not even in the industry. Any business can profit from making and building relations. If you are looking for Fans, Friends, Followers, Leads, Connections, Suppliers, Clients... G Social is the connection you need!

Taken from the ABandRE Monthly Newsletter

Twitter Tips from Asheville Building & Real Estate

Everyone is talking about Twitter and how it is the Craze of Today. Some people who do not know much about it downplay the possibilites because it is "new" and different. I can say right now that everyone, including the "little guys" are exploding because they are "taking their chances" and putting these new tools to use.

If you already have a Twitter Account, here are some great Twitter Tips from G Social Media (of course)

1. Reach Out and Connect - Do not just make your account and wait for people to find and follow you. Start following as many people as you can. Everyone is a potential! Get out of that little box you have trapped yourself in. Network!

2. Follow Your Followers - Check daily, and if anyone has followed you, follow them back. Open up and give some reciprocal love!

3. Add a Photo - A Photo of you, your logo, or your organization goes a long way. Adding that personal touch makes connections so much easier.

4. Description - Adding a good description goes a long way. Do not just say something like "Realtor" or "Builder". Add some spice to it like "I am Crazy about Real Estate" or "I am In Love... with Realty". Add your contact info here! Phone number is good. Your website can go on line for your website, and it is a live link.

5. @Replies - Pay attention to these! This is anywhere you Twitter page is mentioned publicly. You will find this on the right column on your Twitter page.

6. Direct Messages - DM's are many times "Thank You for Following me" etc. Once you start gaining ground on Twitter, the DM's will get better. You can also sign up on TweetLater.com to have a direct message automatically sent to your followers.

7. Communicate - What Are You Doing? Sounds simple, but you could say a lot. "Working with a John on some Asheville Real Estate options on the North Side of town". See the keywords I used? Use Them Too! Also mix business with personal and show the human side "Eating a big steak with Carol from Asheville Home Builders".

8. Communicate Some More - Write back to people and ReTweet other good sayings, news, and quotes. This will teach you to be open! You are not the only one with Great Ideas and News. Learn to Network!!!

Social Media extends your reach and exposure by 100's (Are you listening to me???, I SAID 100's) of percentages!!! It is definitely not something to overlook if you plan on staying in the game.

Some resources: Twitter www.Twitter.com, Twitpic www.Twitpic.com, Tweetvisor www.Tweetvisor.com

Asheville Custom Home Builders - North Asheville

Building a home in Asheville North Carolina is more than just picking out a floor plan and some colors. Many things need to be considered to make sure that your lifestyle, location, and desires are maximized. Some want a little seclusion with access to everything in a matter of minutes. Some want that mountaintop living experience around Asheville, but have downtown less than 20 minutes away. Asheville Custom Home Builders, LLC is a great builder in the Asheville area that has many options and also works with your every step of the way. You deal directly with the General Contractor himself, so there are no "salespeople" or middle men (people). Bruce takes you every step of the way to make sure that this is Your Home, and that you will love and enjoy it when it is complete & for many years to come. Have questions? Phone, email, blog, and Twitter accounts are all set up with ACHB... so access it what they want you to have. Asheville Custom Home Builders is a builder that is keeping up with the times and invites you to share your home building dreams with them. Here is a lot in North Asheville/Weaverville North Carolina that is about 5 minutes from the new Wal-Mart and Lowe's, in a nice secluded cul-de-sac, and in a great neighborhood with Lake Louise and a nice playground for the kids only minutes away. Beautiful Community! Get in touch with Asheville Custom Home Builders by clicking HERE.

February 2009 Newsletter from Asheville Building and Real Estate

Hello Everyone and thank you for writing and asking where the newsletter was! We are reconstructing a few things in the company and becoming more efficient in everything. Plus with all of this Web 2.0 that some of our team has been doing has made this new year really interesting. If you or your team of Realtors or Builders need any type of training on Websites or Social Networking in the business realm, you need to send me an email and at least request some more info. G Social Media is doing all of our work, and you get so much exposure and so many contacts for peanuts! Anyway... some of you know Gary and what he does, and you cannot find anyone in this field that could touch his expertise. The network team he has developed goes from San Diego, to Asheville, to NYC. Several huge deals in the works including a possible full-tech building in the mountains of WNC. If there is something new out on the market, they know about it, have tested it, and even have evaluation notes on the proper usage of it. Too deep for me, but so easy for them. They can set you and your team up with a social media package, allow easy daily/hourly/whenever live updating for everyone from your desktop, laptop, and even from a text message you send from your cell phone... online in moments, live links and everything. Realtors... do not be left behind or distracted by someone who thinks they know. G does! Let them show you a sample. They just finished a small package for Miss North Carolina and made her the 1st Miss North Carolina to be set up with high tech social media communications. Very nice job guys! See G Social: http://www.gsocialmedia.blogspot.com/

Asheville News - News Goes Tech ... Have you ever wanted a combination of news, blogs, ideas, recipes, small talk, notes... well kind of like a newspaper without paper? One of the biggest newest news sources in the Asheville area is on Twitter.com/AshevilleNews

Asheville Real Estate - Are we coming back? The Real Estate maket in Asheville North Carolina is yearning for a full recovery, but only small sparks of life so far. Several Realtors and Builders have contacted us and have mentioned a small influx of possibilities inquiring. While on the other side, superintendents and project managers from big local companies like Cooper Construction and Construction Logic are now looking for work and sending their resumes into everyone. News is that Coldwell Banker got caught with the bag in their hand in having too many spec projects to cover. Good and bad news comes and goes. What can you do to prepare for the good news and make it happen? If you are not focusing online, you are setting yourself up for failure. The Realtors who will rise are the ones who keep up with the tech times. Who will be the ones to step up?

Asheville Home Builder reaches out during crisis - Asheville Custom Home Builders has recently worked with New Life Options, the Eblen Foundation, and Kimmel to make sure the residential rehabilitation center in Downtown Asheville stayed open. With help from the Fire Marshal and from Harry Taylor; Life on Life's Terms kept its doors open and continue to reach out and help where needed. Thank you Bruce and Asheville Custom Home Builders! Oh, and they are the first Asheville Home Builders on Twitter! Nice Work ACHB. Need a high tech builder to network with? These are They. AshevilleCustomHomeBuilders.com

Please go to AshevilleHomeBuilding.com for a free, completely free, profile where you can put all of your info, live link to other sites, meet other businesses and people, and much more.
Thank you. http://www.abandre.com/

Asheville's Future Starts Here, simple development

The video is about construction going on below the Hillcrest Apartments in Asheville North Carolina. They are replacing a section of pipe... most likely a water line. But, I would like to talk a little on the area if you don't mind. This lower part of AVL, between Downtown, North, and West Asheville has several businesses including Grainger straight ahead, Southern States on the left here, several auto parts yards, several auto parts and repair places, and soon the Rivers Condos will be up less than a mile ahead from this point. The Richmond Hill Inn is also only one minute ahead and to the left. This is one section of real estate that will see a drastic improvement in 2009. All along the French Broad River is going to be beautiful and "Green". UNCA only 4 minutes from here. Such a great versatile central location.

Anyway... the market is the only thing that slowed Asheville down for a minute, but come Spring, people are going to start making some extra large moves. The whole economy may not pick up as quickly as here, but Investors and Planners are on the scene and Asheville is a great investment with so much future potential when you incorporate WNC. While others slept... lol. Asheville is creeping elegantly upon the National and Worldwide circuit, not too fast or slow, but kinda just right... if you know and see what I mean. Even McCafe and McDonalds plans in Asheville were not "officially" disclosed. They are staying low key in preparation for the new wave, and trying to sneak in ahead of the competition. They will be the bright new, new look, new feel restaurant on the circuit. Days Inn is using this down market time to re-invent their look and maybe some other things. People are planning and thinking... much of it is about Asheville North Carolina. What have you been thinking about lately?

Moving to Asheville North Carolina

When I first decided to move out of New York City, Asheville North Carolina was not my first choice. I actually looked at many other areas such as Florida (of course), Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Colorado, California, etc. All of these locations had my full consideration, but Asheville kept coming back to me. In the beginning it was the perfect middle ground between New York and Florida. So visiting my family in New York and vacationing in Florida were both about 10 hours away, or 14 for some of you slow drivers. One of the things that really got me was watching Asheville grow. For example, in a suburb of Asheville called Weaverville, there was a main road called Reems Creek. When I first moved here, Reems Creek was only a gravel / dirt road. I felt like the only thing missing was the horse and buggy. It was a step back in time for me coming from NYC. When my son moved down here, he kept a high-end alarm system on his car for several years because that is what he was used to. The crickets scared him as much as the gunshots on the streets of the NYC. It was serious culture shock.

We finally adjusted to the area, people, and culture, and we love it. It is a little slower paced living which is exactly what we were looking for. There is a quality of life that Asheville gave us that no other city in America has ever given us before. I guess it makes me feel as if I am really living and now have a lot more opportunity in life. The people of Asheville are very diversified, but that could mean that anyone, even you, can fit in! There are so many activities available for a single person, family, or group unit. This beautiful area is really growing and planning for a great future.

The true and complete City of Asheville North Carolina goes from Weaverville (North) to Arden (South), and also from Black Mountain (East) to Candler (West). This is just in case you view a map. Some places only show Downtown Asheville. Of course there are so many little towns, communities, and developments in between, that Asheville sometimes fades away when labeling areas, but believe me, it is all Asheville! There is a lot of room and potential in Asheville. There is so much real estate and areas for expansion. When I recently talked to some investors, they kept saying "I wish I would have come to Asheville about 10 years ago to pick up some of the property that was available then...", and "If I had known that Asheville was going to be the city that it is today...". It was a whole bunch of unprofitable regret. I know that in 10 more years, people will be saying the same thing about today. Don't waste time living in an uncomfortable, overextended place you used to call home. I invite you to make that move today and come to Asheville North Carolina; the "Next Greatest City in America".

Taken from an article on http://www.abandre.com/.

Visit Asheville's Business & Resource Hub by going to http://www.askasheville.com/.

Asheville Real Estate 2008

1) We're bullish on the local market as WNC continues to buck national trends with prices sustained and an actual average increase of 10.5 percent for the region last year. Beverly-Hanks just had the third best year in the history of the company; we believe the opportunity is there for us, and we have to do something with it. With interest rates near record lows, an abundant inventory of great properties, I would consider this one of the best times to buy real estate in WNC.

For Sellers - due to the large inventory of properties (competition), make sure your property is priced right, in showroom condition and possibly offer an incentive, i.e. seller will pay up to $4,000 in closing costs with acceptable offer etc. In addition, if you are lucky enough to have a home with mountain views, a great location, or unique in character... you're already on top of the list!

By: Tim Bosonetto of Beverly-Hanks in Asheville North Carolina. You can visit Tim @ http://www.ashevillerealestate.com/.

2) This is one of the wildest real estate markets that I have seen since I started selling real estate in 1979. We have come from a record high in real estate in 2005 to a almost as good 2006. Our local board states the sales for 2007 decreased by 17%, but yet the average increase in value rose by 7%. Although the interest rates thus far in 2007 have been up and down a little they are still incredibly attractive to most home buyers. In conclusion it is truly a buyers market with rates still quite good, real estate still increasing, and the overall sales down. Now is the time to buy!

By: Jim Buff, CRS Keller Williams Realty 86 Asheland Ave Asheville NC 28801. http://www.jimbuff.com/.

*These posts came from the http://www.ashevillebuildingandrealestate.com/ newsletter.

For complete information on Asheville North Carolina, please visit www.AskAsheville.com. Thank you.

Browne Properties Asheville North Carolina Realty

OUR MISSION: To carefully, honestly and professionally assist our clients through the process of buying and selling real estate and to be the best source of information about the Asheville area real estate market while providing the highest level of personalized customer service.

OUR COMPANY: Browne Properties, Inc. has evolved over the years. With the full time addition of Carol Browne in 2008 as business partner and Broker Associate, Browne Properties, Inc. has expanded its capacity and conscience to a new era in business. Scott continues to specialize in investment real estate properties, real estate development and construction consulting as well as general real estate while Carol works hard serving the general real estate needs of both Buyers and Sellers. Scott and Carol together focus on real estate services for our growing senior population. As Senior Real Estate Specialists (SRES®), Scott and Carol guide their senior clients through real estate transactions and draws on the expertise of a network of senior specialists, such as CPA's, estate planners and lawyers, as well as community resources and services. With hard work, commitment, Scott's 30 years of management experience, and Carol's personality, enthusiasm and integrity, Browne Properties, Inc. offers its clients, staff and friends the most enjoyable real estate experience.

OUR GOAL: Through our team of professional staff and associates, it is our goal to exceed our client's expectations while we operate with integrity, improvement, and constant education. We shall always give back to our community and fellow humanity sharing our good fortune and blessings with others.

Please visit http://www.browneproperties.net/ for more information.

*Article first posted in the http://www.abandre.com/ newsletter.