September 11, 2025 • 32 mins
The mountain air seems lighter this week as mortgage interest rates have taken their biggest single-day drop in over a year, falling to the lowest point since October 2023. This welcome news arrives as Western North Carolina's real estate market continues to demonstrate remarkable resilience nearly one year after Hurricane Helene swept through the region.
Noah and Ari from the George Real Estate Group dive into what this interest rate drop means for both buyers and sellers in the current market. For buyers who've been sitting on the sidelines, this shift creates immediate opportunities – your dollar stretches further, dream homes become more affordable, and first-time homebuyers have a more accessible entry point. Sellers benefit too, with a larger pool of qualified buyers now able to consider their properties.
Beyond market mechanics, the conversation explores the magnetic pull of Western North Carolina that continues to attract newcomers despite national economic fluctuations. It's not just about beautiful mountain views (though those ancient peaks and the third-oldest river in the world certainly help). It's about community connection, the pace of life, and that intangible feeling of belonging that residents cherish. As Ari notes, "This place is gorgeous. It makes you feel welcome. The community is amazing."
The team emphasizes the value of starting real estate conversations early, even if you're a year or more away from making a move. Whether you're relocating from another country, downsizing from a family home, or looking for an investment property, the planning process benefits from professional guidance. Market statistics reinforce this positive outlook – Henderson County has seen an 11% increase in new listings and a 3.1% increase in closed sales year-to-date, proving that Western North Carolina's real estate market remains vibrant and healthy.
Ready to explore your options in this unique mountain paradise? Visit realestatebygregcom or call 828-393-0134 to connect with the team that brings "intelligence and strategy to the table" for every real estate journey.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello friends, thank you so much for being here.
This is the George Real EstateGroup podcast, which is a
production of our live weeklyradio shows hosted on multiple
radio stations here inHendersonville, north Carolina.
The George Real Estate Groupserves Western North Carolina
and upstate South Carolina andit is a privilege to share
positive news about our localreal estate market and community
(00:23):
.
Thanks so much for subscribingand, of course, if you have any
real estate questions or if wecan help you in any way, be sure
to reach out.
Visit us atgeorgerrealestategroupradiocom
for more information.
Good morning and welcome to theGeorge Real Estate Group live
(00:45):
radio broadcast here on WHKPEvery Thursday morning, bringing
you positive news about yourlocal real estate marketing
community.
We're going to be jumping inthe conversation, having a lot
of fun this morning, which we doall the time.
Grateful to have Ari with usthis morning.
Good morning, ari.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Good morning.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Noah.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
It is always a pleasure to be here.
Thank you again for inviting me.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
Well, always great to have you.
We're going to talk aboutwhat's going on in the local
real estate market.
And here we are.
It's coming towards the middleof September.
We have some data to shareabout what's going on, and then
also just what's going on bootson the ground.
I mean, we're out there everyday talking with buyers and
sellers, and our investors andworking with our attorneys and
(01:25):
lenders, and there's beencertainly a lot of news to talk
about with the mortgage interestrates and we'll jump into that
too.
If you're tuning in, for thefirst time ever the George Real
Estate Group is located in FlatRock, right next to the Flat
Rock Bakery.
Hubba Hubba Barbecue, campfireGrill, hubba Lou I joke, it's a
dangerous place for an officewith all those incredible places
to enjoy and eat.
(01:45):
And yeah, I mean it's.
Stop by say hello, come get acup of coffee, come get some
barbecue, go get a scone at thebakery.
But we're there at 2720Greenville Highway.
There on Rainbow Row Now weserve all of Western North
Carolina and the upstate SouthCarolina.
We have agents that live in theupstate as well and, of course,
majority of us are here inWestern North Carolina and we're
(02:07):
so thankful.
We love helping our clientsnavigate through the buying and
selling process and solvingproblems and finding solutions.
And it could be are you buyingand then selling?
Are you selling and then buying?
Are we thinking through yourestate and your investment
properties?
Are we thinking through maybeyour commercial properties or
land or development?
I mean we are so thankful wehave an incredible group of
(02:28):
agents and staff, and we're hereto serve the community through
real estate.
Find us online atrealestatebygregcom.
You can also follow us onsocial media.
We have all of our new listingsand open houses.
And, speaking of open houses,we have some open houses this
weekend and you can certainly goto our, and we'll talk about
those here in a second too.
But now follow us on socialmedia.
Find out about our new listings, our open houses, meet our
(02:51):
agents, but find us onlinerealestatebygregcom.
We also podcast all of ourradio shows and you can follow
us on your favorite podcastplatform.
And then, ultimately, you canjust call us directly at
828-393-0134, 828-393-0134.
We're here every Thursdaymorning right after the 10
o'clock news and sharing withyou positive news about the real
(03:13):
estate market, and certainlythere's a lot of news saying the
sky is falling.
Something else that we do everyFriday morning before we get
into today's program is everyFriday morning, the George Real
Estate Group sponsors theHometown Heroes series, and this
week we're honoring Bat CaveDisaster Relief Group, and Lynn
and Mark State will be heretomorrow morning to talk about
this incredible group, andthey're just dedicated to
(03:34):
supporting the recovery andrebuilding efforts of Bat Cave.
They've provided immediateassistance and then also these
long-term resources, and it'shard to believe we're coming up
on a year, coming up on a yearsince Hurricane Helene.
But again, they operate adisaster relief supply hub in
Batcave and so we're grateful tohave them join us tomorrow
(03:54):
morning at 845.
So certainly mark your calendarand tune in tomorrow morning at
845.
Ari, you are.
I mean, I know you've been sobusy and I know that's something
we're all so grateful for, Imean between the buyers and the
sellers, and but there's a lotof conversations you're having,
consulting people every singleday.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
I wasn't ready.
So, yeah, you said a couple ofthings that really resonated
with me that I just wanted totouch on very quickly.
So you're right, it's almost ayear anniversary since we got
struck by Helene, and thequestion that I keep getting
asked with regularly by anybodythat I work with is well, has
(04:40):
real estate suffered?
And in the most succinct waypossible, it hasn't.
It's only gotten busier.
We have more inventory, we havemore people moving over here to
the area than we ever have, andwe've had a consistent number
of sales happening.
So I think it speaks to thevalue that the community has,
the strength of the community,how desirable this place is, and
(05:03):
it just you know this place isalways going to be amazing.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
Well, the resilience of our community, and certainly
we saw how everybody stepped up.
And, by the way, are thereareas that are still in recovery
?
Yes, and it's going to be along-term recovery effort.
And the market, to your point,has been so resilient.
People are still buying andselling, life is still happening
and again, and we certainly arecontinuing to support those in
(05:29):
recovery and there's so manypeople that are still moving
forward with their lives.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Yeah, and the other thing that's important to note
there is I think one of myfavorite quotes from Gail
Arberger, in charge, is that ifwe only work with people that
are ready to buy or sell rightnow, we would definitely be out
of business, and what I mean bythat is we are happy to adopt
anybody that's ready to go intobusiness right now, but that
(05:56):
doesn't mean that's the onlygroup of people we work with.
If you're thinking aboutselling or buying down the road,
we can help you plan for that.
We are a team that bringsintelligence and strategy to the
table, and so, whether you'reat the beginning stages of
planning for either side of thetransaction, loop us in, invite
us to sit down and talk with you, because if you don't know how
(06:17):
to start, or if you know how youwant to go about it and you
just want somebody that can helpyou implement solutions or
bring you more marketintelligence or help you look at
perspectives you haven'tconsidered, we are the people to
help you do that.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
Critically planning and critically thinking and
solving problems.
I mean for context.
I mean, you know, anytimesomeone's buying or selling, it
starts with that first littleidea in their head what if?
What if it's possible to sellour house?
What if it's possible?
And here's the beautiful thing,and we're so thankful where
we're located there in Flat Rock, we get so many people walking
(06:50):
through our doors.
Just yesterday alone we had acouple walk through our doors
yesterday and they're thinkingmaybe a year and a half out.
But guess what?
It starts with that firstconversation.
They actually are relocating tohere, to the western North
Carolina area, from anothercountry.
They were out of the countryand were business owners.
(07:14):
But this is where planning ahead, thinking through critically,
and again it starts with thatfirst conversation.
And to your point, of course,do we get the phone calls and
people like, well, we're ready,we need to do something today.
But it's more common where wehave these long.
These are normal processes,it's not just a no, one ever
(07:34):
just decides.
I mean, these are things, taketime and it's a beautiful part
of the process is you make adecision, you do your research,
you talk to a professional likeAri, you get information and,
especially if you're relocatinghere.
We work with so many peoplerelocating here to the area.
In addition to all the othertypes of clients, we work with
(07:56):
our sellers, our investors, ourdevelopers, our commercial
clients all these types ofclients we work with and with
our buyers that are planningahead.
And again, it was just one ofthe common experiences with our
group where people they'rewalking in the door they're
saying, hey, we love it here.
We've had an incredibleexperience here.
We love, we have friends here,we have family here.
(08:18):
We had a wonderful experienceat the different festivals they
have here.
I mean it's.
I mean even they were sayingyesterday they, their friend
they were with, was saying how,you know, they were biased to
the area and I'm like me too.
I mean like I think we live inone of the most amazing areas in
in the country.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Yeah, yeah, and I so I can think of one specific
example that I want to give somepraise to and somebody in our
team like amy team.
Right, like I know they've beenworking really, really hard,
and I know that some of theclients they've worked with also
like these are relationshipsthat have they started years ago
.
Right, and the planning forselling or buying a home began a
(08:58):
long time ago and specificallywith their listings, right, like
they've put a lot of time andattention to detail to helping
these clients prepare and hitthe market and educating the
clients and like, hey, this iswhat the market is going to look
like when you decide to go live, this is the playing field,
this is what you need to beprepared for, this is the
mindset, these are going to bethe strategies, and so I have to
(09:20):
say I'm really proud of howthey've been handling their
business and they're a primeexample of what those
relationship developments canlook like over time and how they
can be successful.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Well, absolutely, and you might, yes, 100%.
And what an example.
You're an example, they're anexample.
We have incredible agents and,again, you can see the support
and the enthusiasm we have foreach other's successes and
because when one of us wins, allof us wins and, ultimately,
when our clients win, then wewin.
But you know, someone might ask, might ask ourselves.
(09:49):
You know why.
Why do we?
Why are we?
Why are we biased?
Why do we love this area?
I mean, it's beyond, it's notjust me.
There's a lot of reasons, right,I mean like community.
It's this feeling of belonging,it's this connectedness to
(10:09):
neighbors and to friends and tolocal organizations.
That's just one example of whypeople love it here.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
I mean, it feels like home.
Noah, I moved here from 2018,and I can tell you that, or in
2018, I can tell you it feltlike home right away.
This place is gorgeous.
It makes you feel welcome.
The community is amazing.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Well, the community is so engaging, yeah, yeah, and
people show up and they'revolunteering and they're giving
back.
I mean, helene, in and ofitself, was an example, and this
isn't a pay-to-play area.
I mean, like people give out oftheir goodness and their
generosity and they want to bepart of something bigger than
(10:47):
themselves.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
Yeah, and I think we all saw that right and it was a
very humanizing, heartwarmingmoment when we all saw that the
community stepped up at everylevel, right At every
socioeconomic ring, at everygovernment organization,
everybody, like I saw, evenlittle kids, you know, trying to
do their part.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
It's powerful.
And then beyond, that is justour natural beauty and
environment that we live in, themountains, the outdoors, the
outdoor activities, the climatethat we have.
I mean, this is the place that,no matter whether you own this
wealthy portfolio, everybodylooks alike.
(11:26):
I mean, it's not aboutsomeone's socioeconomic stance,
it's not about again, you can'tbuy this.
People come here to give and towork and create a community
that just respects this amazinggift that we have as a small
town and so many people.
It's one of the oldestmountains in the world, in fact,
and the French Broad isactually the the oldest
mountains in the world, in fact,and the french broad is
actually the third oldest riverin the world.
(11:48):
So it's the community, thenatural beauty, the convenience.
How about the convenience?
You can?
you can buy, by the way, you canhop on a flight out of ashville
and there's so many directflights.
You can get new york city, youcan get to denver, you can get
to florida.
I mean that, that of itself,and then also just the personal
growth here as well.
And then there's spiritual tiesand the emotional again.
(12:09):
There's so many intrinsic,there's so many reasons why,
like we, you and I could go onand on about this.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
When I moved here, one of the first things I did
was buy a waterfall map and awaterfall book.
I that book is hundreds ofpages no, I still haven't made
it through all of them and I'vebeen here a while and there's so
much that there's so muchnatural beauty is what I'm
trying to say.
Like you, you can't find anexperience that's comparable to
this anywhere.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
It's unique it is the pace of life, and so we're
helping every.
We're literally helping peopleevery single day and so many
people you know wants and cravesthis connection.
People want this in this worldthat we're in, especially in
this world that we're in.
I'm not even going to get intoall the things going on in this
world.
I mean it's like, with allthat's going on, to feel
connected, to feel safe, to feel, um, you know, this lifestyle
(12:57):
that the mountains provide inthe community that we have again
, so it's so powerful.
I'm going to jump into theconversation.
We've been talking with none ofour lenders about the interest
rates.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
On Friday last Friday the average 30 year fixed
mortgage rate fell to the lowestpoint we've seen since October
2024.
And it was even moreeye-opening it was the biggest
single-day drop in over a year.
I mean these interest rates.
For so many people, this dropin interest rates is a chance to
(13:30):
get off the sideline and toseriously consider home
ownership.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
It seems like it was yesterday when we were talking
about 7.1 interest percent ratesas like the golden thing
available, and now look at wherewe are it's gotten better.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
To have a 6% interest rate.
I've heard lenders talking thisweek.
They've been walking in theirclients at a 6% interest rate.
Talk about security, talk aboutfeeling to have that 30-year
fixed rate in light of theinflation.
So we've got to talk reallyquickly, though, about why
interest rates, why they fall.
They don't just happen in avacuum.
(14:05):
It's part of the bigger,broader economy, and this is a
lot has to do with the Augustjobs report.
For a second month in a row,job growth came in weaker than
expected.
So, with the job market softens, fewer jobs are created.
It's a sign that the economymay be slowing.
Market reacts.
Investors see this as a signalthat inflation will keep cooling
(14:26):
down, and then the FederalReserve expectation shifts.
If inflation is less of athreat, the Fed may not need to
raise the interest rates asaggressively and could even
consider cuts down the road.
And so this is where themortgage rates responded.
As the uncertainty eases andinflation fears reside, these
(14:49):
mortgage rates often drift lower, and so it's this domino effect
.
And so there's so many reasonswhy this is so important,
especially for our buyers.
Your dollar goes further, andso your buyers, ari, if they
could afford a $3,000 payment,which got them a certain price
(15:10):
point.
Now that same $3,000 a monthpayment can buy them more home.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Agreed 100%.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
It allows buyers to have more options, and so we're
actually seeing more buyers comeback to the table to take
another look at getting outthere.
I mean, you've been workingwith buyers.
I know in some cases you'veworked with buyers for a couple
of years at a time.
Right now, you know as to.
You know they've been watchingwhat's going on in the market.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
Yeah, a lot of them and I think we talked about this
briefly in some of our lastshows together A lot of buyers
felt like just properties wereout of their reach and out of
their price point and theinterest rates weren't in a
place where they felt like theycould really make a competitive
offer.
And that has shifteddramatically.
Like you said, some buyers thatI've been working with for
(15:59):
years, with for years, and it'staken that time because, again,
they had a specific price pointthey could work with, they had
certain constraints and it wasreally hard to find something of
value and something that couldwork for them.
That is not the case anymore.
We've been finding a lot moreproperties that buyers feel are
(16:24):
quality.
I mean, we've always hadquality properties right, but
like things that they felt happywith Right, because there's a
difference between somebodysettling and then somebody
getting something that genuinelymakes them happy Right and they
feel it's worth their money.
And that's what we're seeingnow.
We're seeing a high degree ofbuyer satisfaction because they
have more options, interestrates are better and they feel
like they can be competitive.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
They can be competitive and sellers are
coming off their price a littlebit, depending on the situation
and circumstances.
Buyers feel like they havehomes that were felt impossible
are actually now within reach.
They're within reach.
Also, the lower interest ratesfrees up budgets for buyers,
maybe like their, their savingsor their travel.
(17:04):
It's not just going to be allput into a house and then also
it can help first-time homebuyers get their foot in the
door.
You know, sooner, sooner thanexpected.
So again, these dollars.
You know the difference thatthese interest rates could mean
a couple, two, three, four, fivehundred dollar difference in
their monthly payment For somebuyers.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
That's a make or break.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Which is significant.
So, again, we are having youknow.
This is important.
So, and also this is alsofascinating too with the lower
interest rates, it's good newsfor the sellers.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
Absolutely, yeah, I mean so.
It gives them more optionsright In the simplest of matters
like more loans available forbuyers means more potential
buyers competing for homes, sothat's great for sellers, you
know.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
Well, talk about the resources that we at the George
Real Estate Group have with ourlenders.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Man I mean.
So every time I talk aboutPatrick I get really excited.
So Patrick Hunt is theconsummate professional.
That guy knows his businessinside and out and anytime I've
asked him a question that he isnot unsure of or sure of, or
something that is outside of hisknowledge base, he will come
back like three or four dayslater, knowing it inside out.
So we've all worked veryclosely with Patrick and I've
(18:21):
seen him save deals that werecrumbling because of other
lenders.
I've seen him advocate forscenarios that were challenging
and make it work for buyersbecause it made sense.
So he has a lot of resources.
He's incredibly knowledgeable.
He is an incredible ally tohave in your corner as a buyer.
(18:42):
He is an incredible ally tohave in your corner as a buyer,
and now not just as a first-timebuyer, but if you're looking to
buy a second home, like aninvestment home or a rental home
.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
Oh, by the way, we've worked with Patrick on the
multi-million dollar clientsaying we've worked with him on
the first-time home buyer.
I mean it's across the board.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
And you will get the same level of ultra-high quality
attention with him.
It doesn't matter what we'reworking on.
You will feel right at homewith him.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
And what a resource that we have at the George Real
Estate Group, the relationshipsthat we have with our lenders,
relationships we have with ourattorneys and our home
inspectors and that's part ofwhat we offer to our clients is
not just that, it's not justwe're not out there just showing
you houses, it's the resourcesand the relationships that we
have with all the pieces of thepuzzle to help our clients.
And, again, it's the connectionthat we have as locals and in
(19:29):
the years of working here, andthe intelligence and the
resources that we have.
It's the connection that wehave that ultimately provide the
solution for our clients.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Yeah, and I feel honored to say that Patrick and
I will be.
We've scheduled an event at hisUFC branch on Jack Street on
October 21st and we are callingit the Blueprint to Home Buying.
And again, whether you are afirst-time home buyer, whether
this is an investment home, aretirement home, a vacation home
(20:00):
, we are going to haveinformation of value to
everybody.
We're also going to have anumber of different
professionals there.
We're going to have Noble PestSolutions, we're going to have
an encapsulation and a basementwork group.
Home inspections Homeinspections, quality home
consultants.
Jim Rawlings will be there.
We're going to have a number ofwhat I consider to be
(20:22):
invaluable professionals thatare part of the process of
either buying or selling there,that can give you advice and you
can talk to them about whateverquestions you may have or you
may not know of until you'rethere talking to them.
But mark it in your calendarsOctober 21st it will be at the
United Federal Credit Unionlocation on Jack Street.
I can't recall the time, it's530 to 7.
(20:45):
I'll confirm, but we'll sendout a social media post and it
will, and it will continue andand again.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
All these uh, these are just continued resources
that we provide for our clients.
I mean, it's every facet, facetof the process, you know, from
the beginning to the lending,the marketing, the photography,
the, the negotiations, working,the legal side and the showings,
all of it, the marketing thatwe provide.
Again, all these things set usapart as we ultimately serve our
(21:13):
clients and navigate throughthem.
We will.
It just takes you from not justa sign in the yard but to the
regional or national reach thatwe have.
But there's so many facets ofthis that we offer.
So I'm excited about Patrickand you doing this blueprint to
homeownership seminar coming upin October.
(21:35):
Watch our social media.
We'll have more informationabout that.
We do follow our social mediafor our open houses.
We have all these new listings.
You can go torealestatebygregcom, but here's
an interesting seven-daysnapshot Just to give you a
seven-day snapshot.
In Henderson County, there'sbeen 50 new listings.
There's been actually and youcan't make these numbers up
(21:57):
actually 50 homes have goneunder contract.
This is interesting Just asmany homes went on the market in
the last seven days as wentunder contract.
So this is where this inventorylevels are maintaining.
Demand is very sustainable and,in fact, actually, when we look
at the year to date, throughthe end of August, there's been
(22:20):
an 11% increase in new listings.
There's been a 2.5% increase inpending sales.
There's actually been a 3.1%increase in closed sales through
the end of August year to date.
And when we talk about the skyis not falling, the market is
incredibly healthy here.
(22:40):
You said it at the verybeginning.
Now is it softening a littlebit.
Yes, days on market, days onmarket's increasing I mean the
average days on the market's 60days now.
So that means buyers have alittle bit more time and effort.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
Yeah, and you know, the softening of the market the
evening out that's happeninglike this is not a surprise to
anybody.
This is part of the regular ebband flow.
Like anybody that's been doingreal estate for a while, anybody
that's been working in thiscareer for long enough, knows
that there are patterns to thesethings.
There's an ebb and flow.
Speaker 3 (23:14):
This is expected this is normal, this is normal.
Speaker 2 (23:18):
And anybody that's looking at this and saying, oh
my God, this is the worst thingthat's ever happened.
This is unbelievable, it'sunheard of.
No, that's inaccurate.
This is just part of the normalcycle of the business process.
Speaker 1 (23:27):
Well, and what you do , Ari and our agents do at the
George Real Estate Group.
Every situation is unique anddifferent, but if you have any
questions or hesitations orfears guess what we're really in
a great place for buyers andsellers, so it never hurts to
reach out to Ari and get theinformation.
It may or may not be your time,but we'll always do our best to
advise you.
For the current marketconditions, again, the cycles
(23:54):
that we have.
The market just is cyclical.
There's an ebb and flow andguess what?
Your unique situation, yourunique home, it's not about
timing the market or being theright time.
It's what's right for you andwhat's the right time for you.
And so, again, we prideourselves in helping our clients
navigate through that.
We are not afraid to even tellyou look, you probably shouldn't
buy or sell right now.
(24:15):
We'll tell you and give you ouropinion.
And so don't let the fear orlack of market knowledge stop
you.
That's where you get to use usto advise you.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
Yeah, but even more so, don't let the fear of that
stop you from initiating theconversation.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
Even the first conversation.
Speaker 2 (24:32):
Because I think something that can harm you as a
buyer or seller is if youchoose to just not even open the
dialogue and then you aremissing out on the entirety of
the conversation and theinformation.
And so you know whether youfind the conversation to not
unfavorable for you to make adecision, that's OK, but we
should still have theconversation, so you know what
(24:54):
the playing field looks like.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
Well, that's right.
One of my favorite quotes isthings are never as good or as
bad as we think they are.
Speaker 2 (24:59):
Right.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
And we get to have that, you know conversation
about.
You know you might think themarket's great, you might think
the market's bad.
The market, you know, this iswhere you get actual information
about this.
Speaker 2 (25:14):
Well, yes, there's one thing we can all agree on,
and there's an indisputablesource of data.
Right, we can have opinions onwhat we believe, opinions on the
facts, but the facts and thedata speak and the market will
always tell us the facts.
Right, but the facts and thedata speak and the market, you
know, will always tell us thetruth, right?
Speaker 1 (25:32):
The numbers always tell the truth.
Speaker 2 (25:33):
Exactly, we may not like what the market says.
Sometimes we may love it, butyou know that's a matter of
opinion.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
Well, and it's always .
It's never just about price,right, it's about the things
that some of our sellers, whichwe advocate for, is maybe you
want to control the exit of yoursale, maybe you want to
negotiate a possession afterclosing, maybe you want a long
closing, maybe you want again.
It's not just about the pricethat we're advocating for our
clients.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
Right, yeah, that's a really good point actually.
So there can often, like lifehappens right and everybody's
situation is different, andevery situation is going to
require a different set of termsor like uniquely negotiated
requirements for it to be for usto have what we like to call a
meeting of minds right, wherewe're in agreement and we can
move forward because bothparties feel satisfied.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
Yeah, now people just just let's just talk about the
elephant in the room people getconcerned about having to pay a
real estate agent and the thingis people might get scared of
even having the conversationabout percentages and
commissions.
But guess what?
We work and we work hard andwe're going to help accomplish
your goals and we actually wantand we genuinely advocate our
(26:44):
fiduciaries to help you getwhat's the best case for you.
And it's about and in a lot ofcases and this is proven
statistically for sale by ownersstatistically get 15% less than
if they'd have worked with areal estate professional.
So in trying to save money,people actually end up getting
(27:07):
less money on the bottom lineand in their pocket.
Speaker 2 (27:12):
Yeah, so I think the the phrase that I like a lot
that applies to.
That is sometimes like trippingover dollars to pick up pennies
.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
That's a better quote than what I was.
Speaker 2 (27:22):
I understand everybody's instinct to want to
save money.
We all want to save money, wedon't want to overspend, we all
want to save money, we don'twant to overspend, and the truth
of the matter is it is in yourbest interest to have
professionals that haveexperience and market knowledge
(27:43):
and are intimately familiar withthe documents and the processes
.
And I know that I've met somebuyers and sellers that were
adept negotiators and they knewhow to carry themselves very
well.
Adept negotiators and they, youknow, knew how to carry
themselves very well, but, um,and while they will, that will
carry them up into a to acertain point, um, unless you're
doing this all the time, everyday, you know, like the, the
number of ins and outs anddifferent scenarios there's a
(28:04):
lot more to it.
Nuance yeah, there's a lot ofnuances that you know we can
help with.
Speaker 1 (28:10):
We protect you, we advocate for you.
I mean it's.
Speaker 2 (28:14):
Yeah, we negotiate for you.
We walk you through what thepaperwork looks like, we can
give you advice on what you knowwhat it should look like, to
make sure that you are protectedand your interests are
protected.
And, again, like, the wholereason of having us advocate for
you is that we put yourinterests above our own when we
are helping you negotiate forthese scenarios.
So the goal here is for you tofeel satisfied and for you to
(28:36):
get what you are hoping out ofthis transaction.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
Yeah, we're as intrinsically as invested as you
are on this.
I mean we're here to you know,our success is ultimately on
your success.
We don't win unless you win.
I mean, and again, it'sultimately to advocate, and the
bottom line is we're fiduciariesfor you and we're flexible.
I mean we're here to navigatethrough, whatever nuances, your
unique situation, your uniquehome.
(29:00):
Use our resources, Use ourexperience, Use our advice, Use
our you know.
Otherwise, listen, if this waseasy, everybody could be doing
this on their own.
Speaker 2 (29:12):
Yeah, yeah.
And just a last closing quote,right, or like?
Thought is sometimes when I getasked like, if you ask me as a
broker, if I would just do thiswork for free, then I would
respond well, why would youtrust somebody to advocate and
negotiate for you when they'vealready failed the first taste
in negotiating for themselves?
(29:32):
You want somebody that youunderstand has the value to see
your assets as their own andwill protect them that way.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
Yeah Well, and then when you hear about trust
accounts and attorneys, I meanthat is the fiduciary
responsibility of someone that'sin trust on your behalf and
that's what you're referring toExactly.
It's amazing, ari, time flieswhen you're having fun.
30 minutes just flew by.
And I know, ari, you're busywith buyers and sellers, but
(30:02):
never too busy to have aconversation with anybody, like
we just talked about.
Reach out to Ari, reach out toour office, have the
conversation.
We're here to navigate throughwhatever beautiful, happy,
celebrating reason why you'rebuying or selling, and we've
walked alongside our clientsthrough just the reality of the
challenges.
It could be a hard reason whyyou're buying or selling.
It could be a beautiful reason,I mean, it could be both, I
(30:23):
mean, and again, ultimatelywe're there to advocate and
facilitate it.
So, ari, thank you so much forbeing here this morning.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
It's always a pleasure being here.
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (30:29):
We're here every Thursday at 10 am, right after
the 10 o'clock news with WHKP.
We've been actually doing thisradio program since 2011.
Also, we've also for years andthis is a privilege and an honor
we sponsor the Hometown HeroesSeries.
Georgia Real Estate Group.
Hometown Heroes Series 845tomorrow morning Tune in.
We'd love to connect with you.
(30:50):
Certainly, if you have peopleyou'd like to nominate and reach
out to WHKP, be sure to followus on social media.
Also, follow us on yourfavorite podcast platform.
Have a great day, have a greatweek.
We'll see you tomorrow morning.
See you then.
(31:11):
Maybe the house feels a littletoo big these days, the stairs a
little steeper, the pace oflife a little too fast.
But what if your next movewasn't about letting go?
It was about making space Forpeace, for freedom, for what
(31:33):
matters most.
At the George Real Estate Group, we understand that real estate
isn't just about the house.
It's about transitions, timingand trust.
We've helped thousands offamilies in Western North
Carolina make smart, thoughtfulmoves closer to nature, closer
to family, closer to home.
So when you're ready to rightsize, simplify or start fresh,
(31:54):
we'll be here.
The George Real Estate Grouplocal, trusted, proven.
Call us today 828-393-0134.
Find us online atrealestatebygregcom, because
your next chapter deserves tofeel just right.
Speaker 3 (32:10):
Thank you for listening to the george real
estate group podcast.
Tune in next time for moreindustry news updates and real
estate tips.
You can reach greg the georgereal estate group at
828-393-0134.
Hello friends, thank you so much for being here.
This is the George Real EstateGroup podcast, which is a
production of our live weeklyradio shows hosted on multiple
radio stations here inHendersonville, north Carolina.
The George Real Estate Groupserves Western North Carolina
and upstate South Carolina andit is a privilege to share
positive news about our localreal estate market and community
(00:23):
.
Thanks so much for subscribingand, of course, if you have any
real estate questions or if wecan help you in any way, be sure
to reach out.
Visit us atgeorgerrealestategroupradiocom
for more information.
Good morning and welcome to theGeorge Real Estate Group live
(00:45):
radio broadcast here on WHKPEvery Thursday morning, bringing
you positive news about yourlocal real estate marketing
community.
We're going to be jumping inthe conversation, having a lot
of fun this morning, which we doall the time.
Grateful to have Ari with usthis morning.
Good morning, ari.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Good morning.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Noah.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
It is always a pleasure to be here.
Thank you again for inviting me.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
Well, always great to have you.
We're going to talk aboutwhat's going on in the local
real estate market.
And here we are.
It's coming towards the middleof September.
We have some data to shareabout what's going on, and then
also just what's going on bootson the ground.
I mean, we're out there everyday talking with buyers and
sellers, and our investors andworking with our attorneys and
(01:25):
lenders, and there's beencertainly a lot of news to talk
about with the mortgage interestrates and we'll jump into that
too.
If you're tuning in, for thefirst time ever the George Real
Estate Group is located in FlatRock, right next to the Flat
Rock Bakery.
Hubba Hubba Barbecue, campfireGrill, hubba Lou I joke, it's a
dangerous place for an officewith all those incredible places
to enjoy and eat.
(01:45):
And yeah, I mean it's.
Stop by say hello, come get acup of coffee, come get some
barbecue, go get a scone at thebakery.
But we're there at 2720Greenville Highway.
There on Rainbow Row Now weserve all of Western North
Carolina and the upstate SouthCarolina.
We have agents that live in theupstate as well and, of course,
majority of us are here inWestern North Carolina and we're
(02:07):
so thankful.
We love helping our clientsnavigate through the buying and
selling process and solvingproblems and finding solutions.
And it could be are you buyingand then selling?
Are you selling and then buying?
Are we thinking through yourestate and your investment
properties?
Are we thinking through maybeyour commercial properties or
land or development?
I mean we are so thankful wehave an incredible group of
(02:28):
agents and staff, and we're hereto serve the community through
real estate.
Find us online atrealestatebygregcom.
You can also follow us onsocial media.
We have all of our new listingsand open houses.
And, speaking of open houses,we have some open houses this
weekend and you can certainly goto our, and we'll talk about
those here in a second too.
But now follow us on socialmedia.
Find out about our new listings, our open houses, meet our
(02:51):
agents, but find us onlinerealestatebygregcom.
We also podcast all of ourradio shows and you can follow
us on your favorite podcastplatform.
And then, ultimately, you canjust call us directly at
828-393-0134, 828-393-0134.
We're here every Thursdaymorning right after the 10
o'clock news and sharing withyou positive news about the real
(03:13):
estate market, and certainlythere's a lot of news saying the
sky is falling.
Something else that we do everyFriday morning before we get
into today's program is everyFriday morning, the George Real
Estate Group sponsors theHometown Heroes series, and this
week we're honoring Bat CaveDisaster Relief Group, and Lynn
and Mark State will be heretomorrow morning to talk about
this incredible group, andthey're just dedicated to
(03:34):
supporting the recovery andrebuilding efforts of Bat Cave.
They've provided immediateassistance and then also these
long-term resources, and it'shard to believe we're coming up
on a year, coming up on a yearsince Hurricane Helene.
But again, they operate adisaster relief supply hub in
Batcave and so we're grateful tohave them join us tomorrow
(03:54):
morning at 845.
So certainly mark your calendarand tune in tomorrow morning at
845.
Ari, you are.
I mean, I know you've been sobusy and I know that's something
we're all so grateful for, Imean between the buyers and the
sellers, and but there's a lotof conversations you're having,
consulting people every singleday.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
I wasn't ready.
So, yeah, you said a couple ofthings that really resonated
with me that I just wanted totouch on very quickly.
So you're right, it's almost ayear anniversary since we got
struck by Helene, and thequestion that I keep getting
asked with regularly by anybodythat I work with is well, has
(04:40):
real estate suffered?
And in the most succinct waypossible, it hasn't.
It's only gotten busier.
We have more inventory, we havemore people moving over here to
the area than we ever have, andwe've had a consistent number
of sales happening.
So I think it speaks to thevalue that the community has,
the strength of the community,how desirable this place is, and
(05:03):
it just you know this place isalways going to be amazing.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
Well, the resilience of our community, and certainly
we saw how everybody stepped up.
And, by the way, are thereareas that are still in recovery
?
Yes, and it's going to be along-term recovery effort.
And the market, to your point,has been so resilient.
People are still buying andselling, life is still happening
and again, and we certainly arecontinuing to support those in
(05:29):
recovery and there's so manypeople that are still moving
forward with their lives.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Yeah, and the other thing that's important to note
there is I think one of myfavorite quotes from Gail
Arberger, in charge, is that ifwe only work with people that
are ready to buy or sell rightnow, we would definitely be out
of business, and what I mean bythat is we are happy to adopt
anybody that's ready to go intobusiness right now, but that
(05:56):
doesn't mean that's the onlygroup of people we work with.
If you're thinking aboutselling or buying down the road,
we can help you plan for that.
We are a team that bringsintelligence and strategy to the
table, and so, whether you'reat the beginning stages of
planning for either side of thetransaction, loop us in, invite
us to sit down and talk with you, because if you don't know how
(06:17):
to start, or if you know how youwant to go about it and you
just want somebody that can helpyou implement solutions or
bring you more marketintelligence or help you look at
perspectives you haven'tconsidered, we are the people to
help you do that.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
Critically planning and critically thinking and
solving problems.
I mean for context.
I mean, you know, anytimesomeone's buying or selling, it
starts with that first littleidea in their head what if?
What if it's possible to sellour house?
What if it's possible?
And here's the beautiful thing,and we're so thankful where
we're located there in Flat Rock, we get so many people walking
(06:50):
through our doors.
Just yesterday alone we had acouple walk through our doors
yesterday and they're thinkingmaybe a year and a half out.
But guess what?
It starts with that firstconversation.
They actually are relocating tohere, to the western North
Carolina area, from anothercountry.
They were out of the countryand were business owners.
(07:14):
But this is where planning ahead, thinking through critically,
and again it starts with thatfirst conversation.
And to your point, of course,do we get the phone calls and
people like, well, we're ready,we need to do something today.
But it's more common where wehave these long.
These are normal processes,it's not just a no, one ever
(07:34):
just decides.
I mean, these are things, taketime and it's a beautiful part
of the process is you make adecision, you do your research,
you talk to a professional likeAri, you get information and,
especially if you're relocatinghere.
We work with so many peoplerelocating here to the area.
In addition to all the othertypes of clients, we work with
(07:56):
our sellers, our investors, ourdevelopers, our commercial
clients all these types ofclients we work with and with
our buyers that are planningahead.
And again, it was just one ofthe common experiences with our
group where people they'rewalking in the door they're
saying, hey, we love it here.
We've had an incredibleexperience here.
We love, we have friends here,we have family here.
(08:18):
We had a wonderful experienceat the different festivals they
have here.
I mean it's.
I mean even they were sayingyesterday they, their friend
they were with, was saying how,you know, they were biased to
the area and I'm like me too.
I mean like I think we live inone of the most amazing areas in
in the country.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Yeah, yeah, and I so I can think of one specific
example that I want to give somepraise to and somebody in our
team like amy team.
Right, like I know they've beenworking really, really hard,
and I know that some of theclients they've worked with also
like these are relationshipsthat have they started years ago
.
Right, and the planning forselling or buying a home began a
(08:58):
long time ago and specificallywith their listings, right, like
they've put a lot of time andattention to detail to helping
these clients prepare and hitthe market and educating the
clients and like, hey, this iswhat the market is going to look
like when you decide to go live, this is the playing field,
this is what you need to beprepared for, this is the
mindset, these are going to bethe strategies, and so I have to
(09:20):
say I'm really proud of howthey've been handling their
business and they're a primeexample of what those
relationship developments canlook like over time and how they
can be successful.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Well, absolutely, and you might, yes, 100%.
And what an example.
You're an example, they're anexample.
We have incredible agents and,again, you can see the support
and the enthusiasm we have foreach other's successes and
because when one of us wins, allof us wins and, ultimately,
when our clients win, then wewin.
But you know, someone might ask, might ask ourselves.
(09:49):
You know why.
Why do we?
Why are we?
Why are we biased?
Why do we love this area?
I mean, it's beyond, it's notjust me.
There's a lot of reasons, right,I mean like community.
It's this feeling of belonging,it's this connectedness to
(10:09):
neighbors and to friends and tolocal organizations.
That's just one example of whypeople love it here.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
I mean, it feels like home.
Noah, I moved here from 2018,and I can tell you that, or in
2018, I can tell you it feltlike home right away.
This place is gorgeous.
It makes you feel welcome.
The community is amazing.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Well, the community is so engaging, yeah, yeah, and
people show up and they'revolunteering and they're giving
back.
I mean, helene, in and ofitself, was an example, and this
isn't a pay-to-play area.
I mean, like people give out oftheir goodness and their
generosity and they want to bepart of something bigger than
(10:47):
themselves.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
Yeah, and I think we all saw that right and it was a
very humanizing, heartwarmingmoment when we all saw that the
community stepped up at everylevel, right At every
socioeconomic ring, at everygovernment organization,
everybody, like I saw, evenlittle kids, you know, trying to
do their part.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
It's powerful.
And then beyond, that is justour natural beauty and
environment that we live in, themountains, the outdoors, the
outdoor activities, the climatethat we have.
I mean, this is the place that,no matter whether you own this
wealthy portfolio, everybodylooks alike.
(11:26):
I mean, it's not aboutsomeone's socioeconomic stance,
it's not about again, you can'tbuy this.
People come here to give and towork and create a community
that just respects this amazinggift that we have as a small
town and so many people.
It's one of the oldestmountains in the world, in fact,
and the French Broad isactually the the oldest
mountains in the world, in fact,and the french broad is
actually the third oldest riverin the world.
(11:48):
So it's the community, thenatural beauty, the convenience.
How about the convenience?
You can?
you can buy, by the way, you canhop on a flight out of ashville
and there's so many directflights.
You can get new york city, youcan get to denver, you can get
to florida.
I mean that, that of itself,and then also just the personal
growth here as well.
And then there's spiritual tiesand the emotional again.
(12:09):
There's so many intrinsic,there's so many reasons why,
like we, you and I could go onand on about this.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
When I moved here, one of the first things I did
was buy a waterfall map and awaterfall book.
I that book is hundreds ofpages no, I still haven't made
it through all of them and I'vebeen here a while and there's so
much that there's so muchnatural beauty is what I'm
trying to say.
Like you, you can't find anexperience that's comparable to
this anywhere.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
It's unique it is the pace of life, and so we're
helping every.
We're literally helping peopleevery single day and so many
people you know wants and cravesthis connection.
People want this in this worldthat we're in, especially in
this world that we're in.
I'm not even going to get intoall the things going on in this
world.
I mean it's like, with allthat's going on, to feel
connected, to feel safe, to feel, um, you know, this lifestyle
(12:57):
that the mountains provide inthe community that we have again
, so it's so powerful.
I'm going to jump into theconversation.
We've been talking with none ofour lenders about the interest
rates.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
On Friday last Friday the average 30 year fixed
mortgage rate fell to the lowestpoint we've seen since October
2024.
And it was even moreeye-opening it was the biggest
single-day drop in over a year.
I mean these interest rates.
For so many people, this dropin interest rates is a chance to
(13:30):
get off the sideline and toseriously consider home
ownership.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
It seems like it was yesterday when we were talking
about 7.1 interest percent ratesas like the golden thing
available, and now look at wherewe are it's gotten better.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
To have a 6% interest rate.
I've heard lenders talking thisweek.
They've been walking in theirclients at a 6% interest rate.
Talk about security, talk aboutfeeling to have that 30-year
fixed rate in light of theinflation.
So we've got to talk reallyquickly, though, about why
interest rates, why they fall.
They don't just happen in avacuum.
(14:05):
It's part of the bigger,broader economy, and this is a
lot has to do with the Augustjobs report.
For a second month in a row,job growth came in weaker than
expected.
So, with the job market softens, fewer jobs are created.
It's a sign that the economymay be slowing.
Market reacts.
Investors see this as a signalthat inflation will keep cooling
(14:26):
down, and then the FederalReserve expectation shifts.
If inflation is less of athreat, the Fed may not need to
raise the interest rates asaggressively and could even
consider cuts down the road.
And so this is where themortgage rates responded.
As the uncertainty eases andinflation fears reside, these
(14:49):
mortgage rates often drift lower, and so it's this domino effect
.
And so there's so many reasonswhy this is so important,
especially for our buyers.
Your dollar goes further, andso your buyers, ari, if they
could afford a $3,000 payment,which got them a certain price
(15:10):
point.
Now that same $3,000 a monthpayment can buy them more home.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Agreed 100%.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
It allows buyers to have more options, and so we're
actually seeing more buyers comeback to the table to take
another look at getting outthere.
I mean, you've been workingwith buyers.
I know in some cases you'veworked with buyers for a couple
of years at a time.
Right now, you know as to.
You know they've been watchingwhat's going on in the market.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
Yeah, a lot of them and I think we talked about this
briefly in some of our lastshows together A lot of buyers
felt like just properties wereout of their reach and out of
their price point and theinterest rates weren't in a
place where they felt like theycould really make a competitive
offer.
And that has shifteddramatically.
Like you said, some buyers thatI've been working with for
(15:59):
years, with for years, and it'staken that time because, again,
they had a specific price pointthey could work with, they had
certain constraints and it wasreally hard to find something of
value and something that couldwork for them.
That is not the case anymore.
We've been finding a lot moreproperties that buyers feel are
(16:24):
quality.
I mean, we've always hadquality properties right, but
like things that they felt happywith Right, because there's a
difference between somebodysettling and then somebody
getting something that genuinelymakes them happy Right and they
feel it's worth their money.
And that's what we're seeingnow.
We're seeing a high degree ofbuyer satisfaction because they
have more options, interestrates are better and they feel
like they can be competitive.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
They can be competitive and sellers are
coming off their price a littlebit, depending on the situation
and circumstances.
Buyers feel like they havehomes that were felt impossible
are actually now within reach.
They're within reach.
Also, the lower interest ratesfrees up budgets for buyers,
maybe like their, their savingsor their travel.
(17:04):
It's not just going to be allput into a house and then also
it can help first-time homebuyers get their foot in the
door.
You know, sooner, sooner thanexpected.
So again, these dollars.
You know the difference thatthese interest rates could mean
a couple, two, three, four, fivehundred dollar difference in
their monthly payment For somebuyers.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
That's a make or break.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
Which is significant.
So, again, we are having youknow.
This is important.
So, and also this is alsofascinating too with the lower
interest rates, it's good newsfor the sellers.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
Absolutely, yeah, I mean so.
It gives them more optionsright In the simplest of matters
like more loans available forbuyers means more potential
buyers competing for homes, sothat's great for sellers, you
know.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
Well, talk about the resources that we at the George
Real Estate Group have with ourlenders.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Man I mean.
So every time I talk aboutPatrick I get really excited.
So Patrick Hunt is theconsummate professional.
That guy knows his businessinside and out and anytime I've
asked him a question that he isnot unsure of or sure of, or
something that is outside of hisknowledge base, he will come
back like three or four dayslater, knowing it inside out.
So we've all worked veryclosely with Patrick and I've
(18:21):
seen him save deals that werecrumbling because of other
lenders.
I've seen him advocate forscenarios that were challenging
and make it work for buyersbecause it made sense.
So he has a lot of resources.
He's incredibly knowledgeable.
He is an incredible ally tohave in your corner as a buyer.
(18:42):
He is an incredible ally tohave in your corner as a buyer,
and now not just as a first-timebuyer, but if you're looking to
buy a second home, like aninvestment home or a rental home
.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
Oh, by the way, we've worked with Patrick on the
multi-million dollar clientsaying we've worked with him on
the first-time home buyer.
I mean it's across the board.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
And you will get the same level of ultra-high quality
attention with him.
It doesn't matter what we'reworking on.
You will feel right at homewith him.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
And what a resource that we have at the George Real
Estate Group, the relationshipsthat we have with our lenders,
relationships we have with ourattorneys and our home
inspectors and that's part ofwhat we offer to our clients is
not just that, it's not justwe're not out there just showing
you houses, it's the resourcesand the relationships that we
have with all the pieces of thepuzzle to help our clients.
And, again, it's the connectionthat we have as locals and in
(19:29):
the years of working here, andthe intelligence and the
resources that we have.
It's the connection that wehave that ultimately provide the
solution for our clients.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Yeah, and I feel honored to say that Patrick and
I will be.
We've scheduled an event at hisUFC branch on Jack Street on
October 21st and we are callingit the Blueprint to Home Buying.
And again, whether you are afirst-time home buyer, whether
this is an investment home, aretirement home, a vacation home
(20:00):
, we are going to haveinformation of value to
everybody.
We're also going to have anumber of different
professionals there.
We're going to have Noble PestSolutions, we're going to have
an encapsulation and a basementwork group.
Home inspections Homeinspections, quality home
consultants.
Jim Rawlings will be there.
We're going to have a number ofwhat I consider to be
(20:22):
invaluable professionals thatare part of the process of
either buying or selling there,that can give you advice and you
can talk to them about whateverquestions you may have or you
may not know of until you'rethere talking to them.
But mark it in your calendarsOctober 21st it will be at the
United Federal Credit Unionlocation on Jack Street.
I can't recall the time, it's530 to 7.
(20:45):
I'll confirm, but we'll sendout a social media post and it
will, and it will continue andand again.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
All these uh, these are just continued resources
that we provide for our clients.
I mean, it's every facet, facetof the process, you know, from
the beginning to the lending,the marketing, the photography,
the, the negotiations, working,the legal side and the showings,
all of it, the marketing thatwe provide.
Again, all these things set usapart as we ultimately serve our
(21:13):
clients and navigate throughthem.
We will.
It just takes you from not justa sign in the yard but to the
regional or national reach thatwe have.
But there's so many facets ofthis that we offer.
So I'm excited about Patrickand you doing this blueprint to
homeownership seminar coming upin October.
(21:35):
Watch our social media.
We'll have more informationabout that.
We do follow our social mediafor our open houses.
We have all these new listings.
You can go torealestatebygregcom, but here's
an interesting seven-daysnapshot Just to give you a
seven-day snapshot.
In Henderson County, there'sbeen 50 new listings.
There's been actually and youcan't make these numbers up
(21:57):
actually 50 homes have goneunder contract.
This is interesting Just asmany homes went on the market in
the last seven days as wentunder contract.
So this is where this inventorylevels are maintaining.
Demand is very sustainable and,in fact, actually, when we look
at the year to date, throughthe end of August, there's been
(22:20):
an 11% increase in new listings.
There's been a 2.5% increase inpending sales.
There's actually been a 3.1%increase in closed sales through
the end of August year to date.
And when we talk about the skyis not falling, the market is
incredibly healthy here.
(22:40):
You said it at the verybeginning.
Now is it softening a littlebit.
Yes, days on market, days onmarket's increasing I mean the
average days on the market's 60days now.
So that means buyers have alittle bit more time and effort.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
Yeah, and you know, the softening of the market the
evening out that's happeninglike this is not a surprise to
anybody.
This is part of the regular ebband flow.
Like anybody that's been doingreal estate for a while, anybody
that's been working in thiscareer for long enough, knows
that there are patterns to thesethings.
There's an ebb and flow.
Speaker 3 (23:14):
This is expected this is normal, this is normal.
Speaker 2 (23:18):
And anybody that's looking at this and saying, oh
my God, this is the worst thingthat's ever happened.
This is unbelievable, it'sunheard of.
No, that's inaccurate.
This is just part of the normalcycle of the business process.
Speaker 1 (23:27):
Well, and what you do , Ari and our agents do at the
George Real Estate Group.
Every situation is unique anddifferent, but if you have any
questions or hesitations orfears guess what we're really in
a great place for buyers andsellers, so it never hurts to
reach out to Ari and get theinformation.
It may or may not be your time,but we'll always do our best to
advise you.
For the current marketconditions, again, the cycles
(23:54):
that we have.
The market just is cyclical.
There's an ebb and flow andguess what?
Your unique situation, yourunique home, it's not about
timing the market or being theright time.
It's what's right for you andwhat's the right time for you.
And so, again, we prideourselves in helping our clients
navigate through that.
We are not afraid to even tellyou look, you probably shouldn't
buy or sell right now.
(24:15):
We'll tell you and give you ouropinion.
And so don't let the fear orlack of market knowledge stop
you.
That's where you get to use usto advise you.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
Yeah, but even more so, don't let the fear of that
stop you from initiating theconversation.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
Even the first conversation.
Speaker 2 (24:32):
Because I think something that can harm you as a
buyer or seller is if youchoose to just not even open the
dialogue and then you aremissing out on the entirety of
the conversation and theinformation.
And so you know whether youfind the conversation to not
unfavorable for you to make adecision, that's OK, but we
should still have theconversation, so you know what
(24:54):
the playing field looks like.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
Well, that's right.
One of my favorite quotes isthings are never as good or as
bad as we think they are.
Speaker 2 (24:59):
Right.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
And we get to have that, you know conversation
about.
You know you might think themarket's great, you might think
the market's bad.
The market, you know, this iswhere you get actual information
about this.
Speaker 2 (25:14):
Well, yes, there's one thing we can all agree on,
and there's an indisputablesource of data.
Right, we can have opinions onwhat we believe, opinions on the
facts, but the facts and thedata speak and the market will
always tell us the facts.
Right, but the facts and thedata speak and the market, you
know, will always tell us thetruth, right?
Speaker 1 (25:32):
The numbers always tell the truth.
Speaker 2 (25:33):
Exactly, we may not like what the market says.
Sometimes we may love it, butyou know that's a matter of
opinion.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
Well, and it's always .
It's never just about price,right, it's about the things
that some of our sellers, whichwe advocate for, is maybe you
want to control the exit of yoursale, maybe you want to
negotiate a possession afterclosing, maybe you want a long
closing, maybe you want again.
It's not just about the pricethat we're advocating for our
clients.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
Right, yeah, that's a really good point actually.
So there can often, like lifehappens right and everybody's
situation is different, andevery situation is going to
require a different set of termsor like uniquely negotiated
requirements for it to be for usto have what we like to call a
meeting of minds right, wherewe're in agreement and we can
move forward because bothparties feel satisfied.
Speaker 1 (26:21):
Yeah, now people just just let's just talk about the
elephant in the room people getconcerned about having to pay a
real estate agent and the thingis people might get scared of
even having the conversationabout percentages and
commissions.
But guess what?
We work and we work hard andwe're going to help accomplish
your goals and we actually wantand we genuinely advocate our
(26:44):
fiduciaries to help you getwhat's the best case for you.
And it's about and in a lot ofcases and this is proven
statistically for sale by ownersstatistically get 15% less than
if they'd have worked with areal estate professional.
So in trying to save money,people actually end up getting
(27:07):
less money on the bottom lineand in their pocket.
Speaker 2 (27:12):
Yeah, so I think the the phrase that I like a lot
that applies to.
That is sometimes like trippingover dollars to pick up pennies
.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
That's a better quote than what I was.
Speaker 2 (27:22):
I understand everybody's instinct to want to
save money.
We all want to save money, wedon't want to overspend, we all
want to save money, we don'twant to overspend, and the truth
of the matter is it is in yourbest interest to have
professionals that haveexperience and market knowledge
(27:43):
and are intimately familiar withthe documents and the processes
.
And I know that I've met somebuyers and sellers that were
adept negotiators and they knewhow to carry themselves very
well.
Adept negotiators and they, youknow, knew how to carry
themselves very well, but, um,and while they will, that will
carry them up into a to acertain point, um, unless you're
doing this all the time, everyday, you know, like the, the
number of ins and outs anddifferent scenarios there's a
(28:04):
lot more to it.
Nuance yeah, there's a lot ofnuances that you know we can
help with.
Speaker 1 (28:10):
We protect you, we advocate for you.
I mean it's.
Speaker 2 (28:14):
Yeah, we negotiate for you.
We walk you through what thepaperwork looks like, we can
give you advice on what you knowwhat it should look like, to
make sure that you are protectedand your interests are
protected.
And, again, like, the wholereason of having us advocate for
you is that we put yourinterests above our own when we
are helping you negotiate forthese scenarios.
So the goal here is for you tofeel satisfied and for you to
(28:36):
get what you are hoping out ofthis transaction.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
Yeah, we're as intrinsically as invested as you
are on this.
I mean we're here to you know,our success is ultimately on
your success.
We don't win unless you win.
I mean, and again, it'sultimately to advocate, and the
bottom line is we're fiduciariesfor you and we're flexible.
I mean we're here to navigatethrough, whatever nuances, your
unique situation, your uniquehome.
(29:00):
Use our resources, Use ourexperience, Use our advice, Use
our you know.
Otherwise, listen, if this waseasy, everybody could be doing
this on their own.
Speaker 2 (29:12):
Yeah, yeah.
And just a last closing quote,right, or like?
Thought is sometimes when I getasked like, if you ask me as a
broker, if I would just do thiswork for free, then I would
respond well, why would youtrust somebody to advocate and
negotiate for you when they'vealready failed the first taste
in negotiating for themselves?
(29:32):
You want somebody that youunderstand has the value to see
your assets as their own andwill protect them that way.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
Yeah Well, and then when you hear about trust
accounts and attorneys, I meanthat is the fiduciary
responsibility of someone that'sin trust on your behalf and
that's what you're referring toExactly.
It's amazing, ari, time flieswhen you're having fun.
30 minutes just flew by.
And I know, ari, you're busywith buyers and sellers, but
(30:02):
never too busy to have aconversation with anybody, like
we just talked about.
Reach out to Ari, reach out toour office, have the
conversation.
We're here to navigate throughwhatever beautiful, happy,
celebrating reason why you'rebuying or selling, and we've
walked alongside our clientsthrough just the reality of the
challenges.
It could be a hard reason whyyou're buying or selling.
It could be a beautiful reason,I mean, it could be both, I
(30:23):
mean, and again, ultimatelywe're there to advocate and
facilitate it.
So, ari, thank you so much forbeing here this morning.
Speaker 2 (30:28):
It's always a pleasure being here.
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (30:29):
We're here every Thursday at 10 am, right after
the 10 o'clock news with WHKP.
We've been actually doing thisradio program since 2011.
Also, we've also for years andthis is a privilege and an honor
we sponsor the Hometown HeroesSeries.
Georgia Real Estate Group.
Hometown Heroes Series 845tomorrow morning Tune in.
We'd love to connect with you.
(30:50):
Certainly, if you have peopleyou'd like to nominate and reach
out to WHKP, be sure to followus on social media.
Also, follow us on yourfavorite podcast platform.
Have a great day, have a greatweek.
We'll see you tomorrow morning.
See you then.
(31:11):
Maybe the house feels a littletoo big these days, the stairs a
little steeper, the pace oflife a little too fast.
But what if your next movewasn't about letting go?
It was about making space Forpeace, for freedom, for what
(31:33):
matters most.
At the George Real Estate Group, we understand that real estate
isn't just about the house.
It's about transitions, timingand trust.
We've helped thousands offamilies in Western North
Carolina make smart, thoughtfulmoves closer to nature, closer
to family, closer to home.
So when you're ready to rightsize, simplify or start fresh,
(31:54):
we'll be here.
The George Real Estate Grouplocal, trusted, proven.
Call us today 828-393-0134.
Find us online atrealestatebygregcom, because
your next chapter deserves tofeel just right.
Speaker 3 (32:10):
Thank you for listening to the george real
estate group podcast.
Tune in next time for moreindustry news updates and real
estate tips.
You can reach greg the georgereal estate group at
828-393-0134.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.