August 7, 2025 • 33 mins
The real estate landscape has transformed dramatically in Western North Carolina, creating a surprisingly favorable environment for buyers and sellers alike. Despite doom-and-gloom headlines, our local market has stabilized into something more balanced and opportunity-rich than we've seen in years.
Ari Munez, full-time agent with the George Real Estate Group, brings her frontline perspective to this eye-opening discussion. With 654 active single-family homes currently listed in Henderson County, buyers now have breathing room to make thoughtful decisions rather than rushed ones. Gone are the days of $50,000 over-asking bids just to secure a property – today's buyers have regained negotiating leverage while median home prices remain remarkably stable at $463,000.
We dive deep into one of the most misunderstood segments of our market: court-ordered sales. These unique opportunities follow specific protocols that differ from traditional transactions, operating on an as-is, cash-only basis with a fascinating 10-day upset bid process. Contrary to popular belief, these properties span the full spectrum from luxury turnkey homes to renovation projects.
Perhaps most revealing is our discussion of for-sale-by-owner outcomes. Recent data shows homes listed with real estate professionals sell for nearly 15% more than those sold without one – that's a $60,000 difference on a $400,000 home. We examine why 21% of FSBO attempts ultimately engage a real estate agent after struggling, and unpack the comprehensive value a skilled agent brings beyond just the final sale price.
Whether you're buying your first home, downsizing for retirement, or looking for investment opportunities, today's Western North Carolina market offers distinct advantages for those ready to move forward with the right guidance. Connect with us at 828-393-0134 or visit realestatebygregcom to discover how we can help make your next real estate move the right one.
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Episode Transcript
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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 theGeorgia Real Estate Group live
(00:45):
radio broadcast here on WHKPEvery Thursday morning, sharing
with you positive news aboutyour local real estate market
and community.
We're so grateful to be herewith you, sharing with you
what's going on in the market,also what's going on in the
community, and just so much tobe thankful for.
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 all our great
(01:08):
friends there on Rainbow Rowalso the Wrinkled Egg and.
Rent WNC.
If you're in the area, pleasestop by.
I mean it is.
I will say it is one of thebusier spots in the county.
Certainly during the summertimeis a lot of camp families come
in and out, but certainly for usregulars and locals, I mean
great spot to visit.
Stop by, stop by our office,say hello.
(01:29):
You can also call us directlyat 828-393-0134, 828-393-0134.
You can also find us online atrealestatebygregcom.
You can also follow us onsocial media Facebook and
Instagram and we podcast ourradio shows.
We podcast all of our radioshows.
You can find that on yourfavorite podcast platform.
I encourage you to subscribe,whether it's on Apple, amazon,
(01:53):
spotify, wherever you listen topodcasts.
And so this morning I'mactually so grateful to have Ari
Munez with us this morning, oneof our amazing uh and full-time
agents at the george will sitgroup.
Hi, good morning.
Oh, there we go.
The sound is uh working on themics there.
Oh, there we go.
(02:14):
It's much better.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
So sorry about that it's a live, perfectly okay.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
I'm 100 awake now you , you project really well, um,
but ari's so grateful to haveari here with us, uh, and we
have an incredible group ofagents and staff and serving the
community through real estateand, as we're going to talk
about the market, what's goingon, and we'll dive into that.
But I mean, ari, I know you'reso passionate about helping your
clients navigate through,whether it's buying or selling
(02:38):
or investing in real estate, andI mean your boots on the ground
right now.
I mean, and I mean your bootson the ground right now.
I mean what are you?
Speaker 2 (02:47):
experiencing right now with the market.
It's a really exciting time tobe working in real estate for a
number of reasons.
Like you said, I thrive fromhaving interactions with people.
That's really my bread andbutter.
I like interactions with peopleand I like helping people, and
so what I'm seeing right now isthat people feel especially
buyers feel a lot moreexcitement to enter the market,
(03:10):
and I love your choice of wordsfor this.
When you're talking about it, alot of people in the news and
other outlets are talking aboutoh my God, the sky is falling.
Real estate is so bad, but thetruth is so far from it.
Like you said right, it is whatyou make of it, and it's
becoming such a much morebalanced market, especially for
buyers.
Now they feel a lot moreenthusiasm and desire to look at
(03:35):
what's available becausethere's so many more properties
available now.
They have more choices thanthey ever have in a wider range
of value.
So from their perspective, itis, you know, an opportunity
that they didn't have untilrecently.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Right, it's like I mean pick your poison.
I mean interest rates were alot lower but in some cases
people were making $25,000 and$50,000 and sometimes $100,000
over bids just to get the thethe properties versus now.
I mean it's not uncommon forsellers to negotiate and come
off their prices, which buyersfeel like they have a little bit
(04:12):
more control.
You know interest rates are theinterest rates you can always
refinance later, but you knowthe the it again pick your
poison.
The market is is is more.
There's more advantages forbuyers right now.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Yeah, and the one thing I emphasize strongly when
I'm speaking with these buyersis don't wait until tomorrow.
Start today.
We can help them get lined upwith a lender or start looking
at properties or gettinginformation and getting educated
on how they want to proceed,but waiting tomorrow will not
help or work out for anybody.
(04:47):
Like you said, whether it'sinterest rates, I was talking
with Patrick from UFC and hetold me something amazing the
other day that he was able toget a 6.1 interest rate on an
FHA loan, and so there's alwaysroom for these percentages to
vary a little bit, and we'reprobably going to stay in those
(05:08):
six and sevens.
From what every loan mortgageofficer tells me.
That's here to stay, but thetruth is like people should buy
when they are ready to buy andwhen they need it, not in an
effort to plan.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Not because interest rates are down or because home
prices are low.
I mean it's when it's right foryou.
I mean, and like you said atthe very beginning, planning
ahead because you still can seemultiple offers and when homes
are priced right they're goingto move quickly.
And a lot of people are lookingat homes over the weekend,
which lenders?
They have banking hours andthey're not like real estate
(05:46):
agents that work 24-7.
It's just part of the nature ofthe business.
And so planning ahead, makingsure they're pre-approved,
pre-qualified and when the righthome comes along they're in a
position to make an offer.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Absolutely yeah.
We want to help them feel asconfident and as informed and
armed with every single possiblechoice and tool that they have
available to them.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
And you don't want to get disappointed as a buyer you
want to look at, make sureyou're shopping in the price
range that you can qualify forand feel comfortable with and
you're not.
You're not feeling a house poor.
I mean.
There's a lot of advantages toworking with and preparing ahead
of time.
By the way, if you're not goingto work with a lender and
you're paying cash which 30% ofour homes sold in Henderson
County are purchased with cashmaking sure you're talking to
your bankers about having yourproof of funds letter ready.
(06:31):
I mean, again, getting preparedand working with a real estate
agent, I mean, makes all thedifference.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Yeah, especially for.
So.
I've worked with somefirst-time homebuyers recently
and the scenario you're talkingabout just now falls into that
category.
A lot of these first-timehomebuyers up until this point
felt like they had no options,they were outbid, they didn't
have a home that they felt likethey could approach
realistically, and now that'schanging.
I think the market isdefinitely lending itself for a
(06:59):
lot of first-time homebuyersthat have maybe been waiting for
the right moment, and I know Ijust talked about like how
waiting for the right momentisn't necessarily the thing.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Well, right for them, they were actively looking
right.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
They just couldn't seize the day until now.
So for the ones that are ready,like they've locked down homes,
they've put them under contractand we've done that in the last
couple of months.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
So oh you, we were so thankful We've actually helped
more people this year than wedid year to date last year and
we continue to grow and continueto help people.
I mean here's some context.
I mean Henderson County.
There's 654 active singlefamily homes on the market.
You know we're averaging some126 homes a month selling over
the last 12 months the averageprice is at 543.
(07:38):
This is so interesting.
The median home price.
The median home price throughthe end of July this year is at
463.
The median home price throughthe end of July this year is at
$463,000.
The median home price throughthe end of July last year was at
$466,000.
I mean we're holding.
I mean it's not like if you'rewaiting as a buyer for the
prices to come plummeting down.
(07:59):
That's not happening right now.
And it won't, because unlessinventory levels dramatically
increase.
It's all about supply anddemand, correct, and we're still
technically in a seller'smarket because six months supply
is considered a balanced market.
Less than six months is aseller's market.
More than six months is thebuyer's market.
(08:20):
But the market's the market.
The interest rates are theinterest rates, and I know what
you're so crafted and skilled atdoing, ari.
Is advocating and facilitatingthe transaction and helping your
clients navigate through thenuances of finding the house,
making sure you're setting themup for success, locating,
negotiating and then, onceyou're under contract, is
(08:40):
advocating for them during thedue diligence period and then
getting them to the closingtable.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
It's all part of the fiduciary duties of working with
me.
I am committed to making surethat my clients are represented
to the best of my ability andmaking sure that I get them what
I promised I would get them.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Absolutely, and if that means making the hard
decision of walking away, that'spart of it too.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
I mean like Sometimes it becomes that, you know,
sometimes I've advised them towalk away from stuff that they
don't want to and I tell themlook, I will do what you order
me to do.
I will do what you ask me to do.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Lawfully obey is what the real estate documents say.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
But I will express whether I believe it is a
beneficial scenario for them ornot, and I'll let them make up
their mind on that.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Absolutely.
You're giving them the optionsthey can decide what's right for
them or not right for them.
I also want to talk about.
This is a common conversation.
It's for sale by owners, whicha lot of people try to do it on
their own.
I have some interestingstatistics on that.
But before we do that, Ithought it'd be good to have you
have some incredible inventorythat you're working with you.
(09:45):
Also, in addition to workingwith buyers, you work equally
with sellers as well, and so youhave some incredible inventory
you're working with right now.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
Yeah, I am very grateful to have the
opportunities and theconnections that I'm working
with right now, and so one ofthem is the exciting world of
court-ordered sales.
For any of you that areinterested in these and would
like to know more, please giveus a call at the office.
For any of you that areinterested in these and would
like to know more, please giveus a call at the office.
I'd be more than happy to walkyou through what these look like
.
We've done these for a numberof years now, but it's really
(10:14):
exciting because these are, youknow, as we've talked about
before right.
Real estate happens fordifferent reasons.
People get married, they needto downsize, life changes occur,
and so these court-orderedsales are wonderful
opportunities that range fromeverything like you would call a
handyman special, where, likeit could be a teardown home, it
could be just a light renovation.
(10:37):
Some of these are actuallyturnkey move-in ready, and we
have three of these that aregoing live pretty much this week
.
And we have three of these thatare going live pretty much this
week.
And so, if you're looking for athree-bedroom, two-bath in the
Flat Rock area, that will golive this week.
If you are looking for afour-bedroom, three-bathroom
(10:57):
home that is turnkey, that hassome luxury finishes in the
bathrooms and is in a reallywonderful neighborhood.
Give us a call.
I can tell you all about thisone.
I also have another one inZirconia.
That is a four-bedroom,two-bathroom, 2,200 square feet.
(11:19):
It's also a renovation project.
It's seven minutes away, maybeeight minutes away, from our
office.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
Super close.
It's a great location, theseare awesome, these are going to
be great properties and they aregreat properties and again, it
happens to be in the category ofwhat's called court-ordered.
Let's actually back up and talkabout court-ordered sales.
Let's put things into context.
Everybody people that own realestate can decide to hire a real
estate agent and sell theirproperty on their own accord,
for whatever reasons, and lifehappens.
Therefore, real estate happens.
(11:42):
It could be like you mentioned.
Maybe it's a new familyformation, Somebody gets married
and their family's growing,they need a bigger home, or
maybe they need the downsizer orthey're retiring, and then
there's some challengingsituations, like it could be a
death or a divorce, or it couldbe a lot of different reasons.
And there are situations whichis you're referring to
(12:06):
court-ordered sales in NorthCarolina and this involves the
judiciary compelling the sale ofa property under certain legal
circumstances, and there's anumber of circumstances, one
which a lot of people arefamiliar with, which there's not
that many available.
I think it's less than 1% ofthe sales in the United States
are foreclosures.
That is considered acourt-ordered sale.
(12:29):
It goes through the judicialprocess.
It's a power of sale.
North Carolina is a power ofsale state for foreclosures.
If the homeowner defaults, thelender follows the process to
get a court order permitting thesale of the property.
The clerk of court holds thehearing and determines that the
foreclosure may proceed.
Again, these are consequencesof not paying your mortgage,
which we hear from people allthe time.
(12:50):
Oh, I want to buy it becausethe perception is oh, I'm going
to get a great deal with aforeclosure.
Correct, that is 100% theperception.
And the current inventory, thecurrent market that we're in
here locally and also in theUnited States, there's less than
1% of foreclosures on themarket.
This is just not part of it.
And let me put things in thecontext.
(13:12):
In 2011, at the bottom of thereal estate market of that cycle
, we had almost 40% of our salesin the United States were
distressed.
It was a percentage wasforeclosures and a percentage
was short sales.
40% of our properties in theUnited States were distressed.
(13:33):
Here we are less than 1%, ifthat tells you anything.
By the way, side note and I'mgetting on my, I'm really
excited here If someone is infinancial trouble, if you're
listening and you know somebodyin financial trouble with their
home or maybe it's you or afamily member don't let it go to
the bank.
Most likely you have equity inyour home and we can help you
avoid a foreclosure.
(13:54):
Again, we would have to do ananalysis, but more likely than
not, you have equity in yourhome and you can avoid a
foreclosure.
And then there is in NorthCarolina what's called partition
sales, where multiple partiesown a property and they cannot
agree on it.
An owner can initiate what'scalled a partition sale where,
(14:16):
if North Carolina allows anactual partition where you can
actually divide the propertybased on value, but it has to be
equally based on ownership.
And then there's also partitionsale, which a judge, a court,
evaluates whether the partitionsale or actual sale again is
(14:37):
what's recommended.
But there's also a judicialsale and this is where a lot of
the ones that Ari and our teamare working with where a sale's
conducted under the authority ofa judge or clerk in a court
proceeding, a sales conductedunder the authority of a judge
or clerk in a court proceeding.
This could be part of a probateestate, could be a foreclosure
or other legal action.
(14:57):
But in probate, where someonedies and an estate is settled if
personal negotiations fail, apersonal representative, like an
executor, can petition theclerk or court for authority to
sell but then, once approved inthe clerk of court for authority
to sell.
But then, once approved, acommissioner is appointed to
handle the marketing, sale andreporting and the sale may be
(15:18):
public or private and the clerkconfirms it.
But this is where we are at theGeorgia Real Estate Group work
with a number of commissionersthat have hired our group, have
hired Ari, to sell theseproperties on the open market
because of the current marketconditions, you're going to get
the most money if you list aproperty for sale, whether it's
(15:41):
a court-ordered sale or atraditional sale, and so Ari's
been working with a number ofthe court-ordered sales.
But there's some nuances to it,and, ari, I'll let you put you
on the spot.
But there are some conditions.
Because it's a court-orderedsale, there's a few nuances that
people don't realize.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
Yeah, there are some nuances, like you said, and so
amongst these, the mostimportant one is that these
sales are I know North Carolinais what we call an as-is state
right, but you know buyers andsellers do expect that there
will be some negotiation andsome concessions from sellers
from time to time OnDiscord-ordered sales.
(16:21):
They are a true-to-spirit as-issale.
Where they are cashtransactions, financing is not
allowed because contingencieswill not allow the offer to be
presented, so they have to becash and the seller will not
make repairs on these.
Now, as far as the process goesright, it's comparable to some.
(16:45):
We could loosely compare it toan auction process right where,
when the home is firstintroduced to the market, it
gets listed on MLS, there willbe a series of attorney approved
documents that I will makeavailable with this property and
there will be specificinstructions provided on how to
fill this out.
And ultimately, what thesedocuments show is that and
(17:05):
describe is that what I justexpressed a moment ago right
that these are as-is sales thatare cash only.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
There's certain conditions, yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
Now we process the first offer, we take it to the
commissioner of sale, we presentit Once that first offer is
accepted.
It is then taken by thecommissioner of sale which in
this case would be an attorneyand it is put in front of the
clerk of court.
Put in front of the clerk ofcourt.
(17:36):
If the clerk of court acceptsthat offer, then it is made
known to the world that thatoffer has been accepted and
anybody can go to the steps ofthe court and bid on this
property.
For the next 10 days.
There is what's called a 10-dayupset bid period and it's not
the classic scenario where youcan show up and say I bid $1
more.
There are rules you must showup and bid 5% more than the
existing offer and if you dothat, your bid will be accepted.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
And this process continues until Then.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
There's another 10-day upset period, yeah, it
resets every time a new bid hasbeen accepted.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
And it's an interesting process and it's
meant to ensure fair marketvalue, which is another.
That's a whole another.
You know rabbit trail you and Icould go down, but this is so
interesting compared to, youknow, traditional real estate,
where you know offers areconfidential and if a seller
chooses to accept an offerthey're under contract, correct.
And this is where you knowbuyers if they go under contract
(18:29):
with a traditional sale and aseller signs a contract, you can
be a backup offer.
Sellers consider backup offersbut in context of a
court-ordered sale, there's a10-day upset bid process where
others can outbid the higherbidder by a minimum of 5%.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
Correct, they can bid more if they want, but a
minimum of 5% is required.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
And then it starts the 10-day process all over
again until no further bidshappen after that 10-day process
, correct.
And then at that point thatbuyer's then now under contract
to buy that property.
That is correct.
It's so fascinating to me, it'san interesting process.
And there can be opportunitiesto get you know.
Again.
The goal obviously for thecommissioner of the sale is
(19:16):
still to get fair market valueof the property.
But there are some additionalhoops and again, in some cases,
like one of your properties isin an incredible condition, just
because it's a court-orderedsale doesn't mean the property's
in distress condition.
I mean these could be.
I mean and we've done all priceall types of price points.
(19:39):
It doesn't mean these are, youknow, teardowns or fixer uppers,
but in some cases there arefixer uppers and teardowns.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
I mean.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
So it's all types of properties that this might,
these, these court ordered salesmight facility.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
Yeah, and, and I think that's why it's important
to keep an eye out for these,right, because it's kind of like
the lottery you know, you neverknow what's going to come up in
that possibility.
And so, like you said, we haverepresented sales that were
complete teardowns, got jobs andwe're starting to see some now
that are on the side, that haveluxury renovations, and it's
(20:09):
exciting to see stuff like thatbe available in this unique
opportunity, especially becausethere's a number of.
I work with a number of buyersthat will, like you know, we
were talking about foreclosuresa moment ago and they'll come
ask hey, I want to get into theinvestment market of
foreclosures, and I tell themwell, that doesn't really exist
here.
Our market is too hot for that.
Like it doesn't.
Homes don't really foreclose,it just doesn't.
Homes don't really foreclose.
It just doesn't really happenhere Occasionally.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
But it's rare.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
Right now it's rare it does happen, but it's rare.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
It's less than 1% right.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
And this is as close as you can get to finding a
scenario like that, where it'snot a foreclosure but it's an
investment opportunity.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
Absolutely, because there is a level of risk,
because it's not a traditionalsense of where there's not going
to be any negotiations forrepairs, correct.
I mean that's where, with atraditional sale, a buyer goes
under contract it is under thecontract terms of as is but
(21:07):
buyers get what's called a duediligence period process.
Speaker 3 (21:10):
Correct.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
They can investigate the property.
Then the buyer and seller cannegotiate and the seller can
choose to do repairs.
In these cases, majority of thetime, there's no repairs.
Again, it's a true as isCorrect Versus it's as is in our
normal contracts.
But sellers can still choose tonegotiate repairs and the
(21:32):
buyers can too.
It's so interesting.
Again, the court-ordered saleswhether it's probate could be
foreclosures or guardianship orthe partition.
The point is it's designed toensure transparency, fairness
and protection for all partiesactually.
So it's interesting.
The judicial oversight Again,it's really interesting.
(21:54):
It's a fascinating world andwe've been handling this and
working with these scenarios ata high level.
So if you're a buyer andcurious about these, we
certainly can help navigatethrough these.
Whether it's our inventory orother court-ordered sales, we
can absolutely help you navigatethrough all that 100%.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
we have quite a bit of experience with these and all
the nuances and the steps alongthe way.
So if you've been interested inthese or you want to learn more
but you feel like maybe it's alittle murky or confusing, we
can demystify all that for you.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
We can.
Now you might say why are thesecommissioners, which in a lot
of cases are attorneys, whyaren't these attorneys just
selling these properties ontheir own?
Well, that brings up the factof the difference between
putting a property on the market, retail, and putting it
publicly for sale through a realestate broker, versus selling a
(22:46):
property privately.
There's a significant financialdifference and ultimately, for
sellers, your goal is, to mostsellers' goal, and it's always
time versus money, but in mostsellers' goals to maximize is to
sell the property for what themarket will bear.
What is the fair market valuewhich, ultimately, when you tell
the whole world about it.
So this is so interesting andthis ties together in why these
(23:11):
commissioners of sales are notselling these properties
privately.
Some people are like well, Iwant to sell my house on my own
to save a little money, and sothat for sale by owner sign
might seem like a smart move.
After all, who wouldn't want toavoid paying commissions?
Sure, but here's the kickerSkipping the real estate agent
(23:33):
might actually cost you a lotmore than you think.
Absolutely, the data last yearalone showed homes listed with
real estate agents sold fornearly 15% more than those sold
without one.
So on a $400,000 house.
That's a $60,000 difference.
So the question becomes is itworth it to try and sell your
(23:57):
biggest asset on your ownwithout the experience, the
marketing, the negotiatingskills that an agent like Ari?
Again, you're doing this, ari'sdoing this every single day,
you know.
Again, it's just it begs thequestion.
So you know, and, by the wayyou know, a few years back, at
the height of the selling market, you could get away with
putting a sign up and take a fewcalls and let the offers roll
(24:19):
in.
But fast forward to today.
It's a very different market.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
And it's interesting because I love that.
So this is a really goodexample to talk about how
realtors, brokers, bring valueto the table, because that's one
of the one of the if you wantto call it hurdles that we all
realtors face, right, whentalking with some clients, some
sellers, some buyers, they wehave to explain to them what we
(24:45):
bring to the table, what we'redoing for them, how we're
negotiating for them, how weadvocate for them, all the
things we do for them, becauseit's not and to their credit,
right, it's not always readilyapparent what our
responsibilities towards thementail.
And these attorneys workingwith us really instantly speaks
to the value of what we can doto represent these homes and
(25:07):
bring in a higher listing price,and actually close it on that
listing price, than what theywould have done on their own.
You're 100% right.
If the attorneys could do it ontheir own better, they would
Well, by the way, they come tous because they know what we can
do to help them and get themost value for the home.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
It's a perfect example.
Because this is so funny to me?
Because, for sale owners, whichit's, it's a, it's a, it's a
part of our market, which, again, you can choose to do this on
your own, but guess who you'rehaving to actually call to write
up.
I mean, you can literally sella house on a handshake, sure you
could write.
Speaker 2 (25:43):
You could write a deal on an app on a napkin,
that's legal, you could do thatand a lot of for sale owners.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
They ultimately call the attorneys and say hey, you
know, look this over can you?
Well, can you actually write mea contract?
Yeah they're then paying theattorney to write a contract on
it.
But it wasn't, because this isagain the function of the
attorney was the the legal sideof it, the the paperwork, but it
wasn't that.
Again, you attorneys themselvesare hiring real estate agents to
(26:11):
sell the property for the mostpossible yeah and to get the
exposure, to do the marketing,to facilitate the sale, and
we're even the ones drawing up.
We have attorney writtencontracts I mean attorney
approved contracts where we'reliterally just filling in the
blank.
I I mean price and dates andall these things.
So again, we have the ability.
(26:32):
And here's another interestingthing If we have to write 10
contracts before one closes,it's just part of the deal.
Most attorneys are going tocharge you every single contract
that they write, whether or notit closes.
Speaker 2 (26:48):
Whether it works out or not, correct, yeah, and
that's part of the value that webring as well.
Right we?
When you have an agreement withus, we're working with you
until we see this deal make itto the closing table, whether
it's 10 offers, 15 offers.
So I think, come talk to usrealtors.
We can do a lot for you.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
Absolutely, and so today, working with a real
estate professional like Ari andthe George Real Estate Group,
this market requires a sharppricing strategy, proper
preparation and staginghigh-quality professional
photography.
We have a broad strategicmarketing plan.
We have our contract andinspection skills that we work
(27:29):
through, our negotiating skillsthat protect your bottom line.
So, again, if you're not doingall this and, let's be honest,
most for sale owners aren'tyou're probably leaving money on
the table?
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Absolutely, the market intelligence that we
bring to the table is notsomething to you know like sure
anybody could learn this if theyreally spent their time doing
it.
But do you really have the timeto spend a year or a year and a
half learning all these thingsso you can prepare yourself to
list your home or sell it?
You know, sure you could.
But then the other thing to beargued is we also have the
experience of doing thismultiple times, over and over
(28:01):
and over, year after year afteryear.
Speaker 1 (28:03):
Well, it'd be like I mean, we've worked with.
We work with a lot ofprofessionals, uh, you know, and
that are experts in their field.
When I say we work with a lotof professionals the people that
are selling their home, and,and they might be an accountant
or they might be an engineerit'd be like me trying to say,
hey, I'm going to try to be anengineer for a day um and and
that's not what I do, and againan engineer.
(28:26):
We're not trying to do your job,it's just interesting.
And to continue to drive thepoint, according to the National
Association of Realtors, thepercentage of people who
successfully sell without anagent is at an all-time low, and
why it's no surprise 21% offor-sale owners last year ended
(28:47):
up hiring an agent afterstruggling to sell it on their
own, according to Zillow.
Again, the stress, theuncertainty, the tire kickers,
the lowball offers.
It's more than most homeownerswant to deal with, especially
when the reward just isn't there.
So again, call the Georgia RealEstate Group If you're thinking
about selling.
Don't go about it alone.
Contact us.
We know how to get it doneright in today's market.
(29:11):
We'll walk you through whatyour home could sell for, how to
position it and how we makesure you don't leave any money
behind.
I mean we'll handle theshowings, the contracts, the
negotiations.
We'll market it professionallyonline and across the country.
And then networking.
I mean we network with over5,000 brokers here locally, but
we'll help you get your homepriced correctly.
(29:33):
Again, there's so many things,there's nuances.
Bottom line is an agent isn'tjust nice to have, it's a
competitive advantage 100%.
Speaker 2 (29:41):
Don't do it alone.
We're in your corner.
Speaker 1 (29:43):
That's right.
So very, very grateful, ari,for you to join us on the radio
this morning.
I've enjoyed our conversation.
Anything else, I know you'reavailable, whether you're a
buyer, seller, an investor.
What's the best way for ourlisteners to get hold of you?
Me personally, absolutely.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
So you can call me at 828-216-6543.
My cell phone is always on andI will take your call.
If I don't answer, of course, Iwill text you immediately
afterwards, but I am available.
I would be happy to talk withyou.
I can connect you with anybody.
You need to get connected andwe will find what you're looking
for.
Speaker 1 (30:20):
Absolutely, and you'll help them sell their home
too.
It's both buying and selling.
And again, ari is incredible.
Give him a call.
I want to remind you.
Every Friday morning at 845, theGeorge Real Estate Group
sponsors the Hometown Heroesseries and tomorrow morning
we're honoring Frances Reese,and she was co-founder and
co-owner of Reese Insurance withher husband Ted.
Frances is an outstanding lady,having served Henderson County
(30:43):
for over 70 years.
She's a talented seamstress,having won several national
awards for her quilts in thefiber art contest and the
Daughters of American RevolutionNational Art Contest.
She's also a chamber localcharter member of the local
Daughters of the AmericanRevolution chapter and much more
.
So we're excited about having aconversation honoring Frances
(31:03):
Reese tomorrow morning.
If you know someone in thecommunity making a difference,
an unsung hero, we'd love tohonor them.
Reach out to WHKP.
We have our Hometown Heroesseries every Friday morning.
We're here every Thursdaymorning at 10 am right after the
news, sharing with you positivenews about your local real
estate market community.
So grateful to have Ari with usthis morning.
Ari, thank you so much for allthat you do and grateful to have
(31:24):
you.
Speaker 2 (31:29):
Thank and grateful to have you.
Thank you to be here.
Awesome.
Sorry, grateful to be here.
Coffee is not kicked in here.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
Thank you to be here.
Awesome, we're having a lot offun.
We love helping our clients, welove working and we're
enthusiastic about helping ourclients and our community.
Have a great day, have a greatweek.
Call us at 828-393-0134.
We'll see you tomorrow morning.
(31:54):
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
matters most.
At the George Real Estate Group, we understand that real estate
(32:15):
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,
(32:36):
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 (32:52):
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 or atrealestatebygregcom.
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 theGeorgia Real Estate Group live
(00:45):
radio broadcast here on WHKPEvery Thursday morning, sharing
with you positive news aboutyour local real estate market
and community.
We're so grateful to be herewith you, sharing with you
what's going on in the market,also what's going on in the
community, and just so much tobe thankful for.
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 all our great
(01:08):
friends there on Rainbow Rowalso the Wrinkled Egg and.
Rent WNC.
If you're in the area, pleasestop by.
I mean it is.
I will say it is one of thebusier spots in the county.
Certainly during the summertimeis a lot of camp families come
in and out, but certainly for usregulars and locals, I mean
great spot to visit.
Stop by, stop by our office,say hello.
(01:29):
You can also call us directlyat 828-393-0134, 828-393-0134.
You can also find us online atrealestatebygregcom.
You can also follow us onsocial media Facebook and
Instagram and we podcast ourradio shows.
We podcast all of our radioshows.
You can find that on yourfavorite podcast platform.
I encourage you to subscribe,whether it's on Apple, amazon,
(01:53):
spotify, wherever you listen topodcasts.
And so this morning I'mactually so grateful to have Ari
Munez with us this morning, oneof our amazing uh and full-time
agents at the george will sitgroup.
Hi, good morning.
Oh, there we go.
The sound is uh working on themics there.
Oh, there we go.
(02:14):
It's much better.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
So sorry about that it's a live, perfectly okay.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
I'm 100 awake now you , you project really well, um,
but ari's so grateful to haveari here with us, uh, and we
have an incredible group ofagents and staff and serving the
community through real estateand, as we're going to talk
about the market, what's goingon, and we'll dive into that.
But I mean, ari, I know you'reso passionate about helping your
clients navigate through,whether it's buying or selling
(02:38):
or investing in real estate, andI mean your boots on the ground
right now.
I mean, and I mean your bootson the ground right now.
I mean what are you?
Speaker 2 (02:47):
experiencing right now with the market.
It's a really exciting time tobe working in real estate for a
number of reasons.
Like you said, I thrive fromhaving interactions with people.
That's really my bread andbutter.
I like interactions with peopleand I like helping people, and
so what I'm seeing right now isthat people feel especially
buyers feel a lot moreexcitement to enter the market,
(03:10):
and I love your choice of wordsfor this.
When you're talking about it, alot of people in the news and
other outlets are talking aboutoh my God, the sky is falling.
Real estate is so bad, but thetruth is so far from it.
Like you said right, it is whatyou make of it, and it's
becoming such a much morebalanced market, especially for
buyers.
Now they feel a lot moreenthusiasm and desire to look at
(03:35):
what's available becausethere's so many more properties
available now.
They have more choices thanthey ever have in a wider range
of value.
So from their perspective, itis, you know, an opportunity
that they didn't have untilrecently.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Right, it's like I mean pick your poison.
I mean interest rates were alot lower but in some cases
people were making $25,000 and$50,000 and sometimes $100,000
over bids just to get the thethe properties versus now.
I mean it's not uncommon forsellers to negotiate and come
off their prices, which buyersfeel like they have a little bit
(04:12):
more control.
You know interest rates are theinterest rates you can always
refinance later, but you knowthe the it again pick your
poison.
The market is is is more.
There's more advantages forbuyers right now.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Yeah, and the one thing I emphasize strongly when
I'm speaking with these buyersis don't wait until tomorrow.
Start today.
We can help them get lined upwith a lender or start looking
at properties or gettinginformation and getting educated
on how they want to proceed,but waiting tomorrow will not
help or work out for anybody.
(04:47):
Like you said, whether it'sinterest rates, I was talking
with Patrick from UFC and hetold me something amazing the
other day that he was able toget a 6.1 interest rate on an
FHA loan, and so there's alwaysroom for these percentages to
vary a little bit, and we'reprobably going to stay in those
(05:08):
six and sevens.
From what every loan mortgageofficer tells me.
That's here to stay, but thetruth is like people should buy
when they are ready to buy andwhen they need it, not in an
effort to plan.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Not because interest rates are down or because home
prices are low.
I mean it's when it's right foryou.
I mean, and like you said atthe very beginning, planning
ahead because you still can seemultiple offers and when homes
are priced right they're goingto move quickly.
And a lot of people are lookingat homes over the weekend,
which lenders?
They have banking hours andthey're not like real estate
(05:46):
agents that work 24-7.
It's just part of the nature ofthe business.
And so planning ahead, makingsure they're pre-approved,
pre-qualified and when the righthome comes along they're in a
position to make an offer.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Absolutely yeah.
We want to help them feel asconfident and as informed and
armed with every single possiblechoice and tool that they have
available to them.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
And you don't want to get disappointed as a buyer you
want to look at, make sureyou're shopping in the price
range that you can qualify forand feel comfortable with and
you're not.
You're not feeling a house poor.
I mean.
There's a lot of advantages toworking with and preparing ahead
of time.
By the way, if you're not goingto work with a lender and
you're paying cash which 30% ofour homes sold in Henderson
County are purchased with cashmaking sure you're talking to
your bankers about having yourproof of funds letter ready.
(06:31):
I mean, again, getting preparedand working with a real estate
agent, I mean, makes all thedifference.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Yeah, especially for.
So.
I've worked with somefirst-time homebuyers recently
and the scenario you're talkingabout just now falls into that
category.
A lot of these first-timehomebuyers up until this point
felt like they had no options,they were outbid, they didn't
have a home that they felt likethey could approach
realistically, and now that'schanging.
I think the market isdefinitely lending itself for a
(06:59):
lot of first-time homebuyersthat have maybe been waiting for
the right moment, and I know Ijust talked about like how
waiting for the right momentisn't necessarily the thing.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Well, right for them, they were actively looking
right.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
They just couldn't seize the day until now.
So for the ones that are ready,like they've locked down homes,
they've put them under contractand we've done that in the last
couple of months.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
So oh you, we were so thankful We've actually helped
more people this year than wedid year to date last year and
we continue to grow and continueto help people.
I mean here's some context.
I mean Henderson County.
There's 654 active singlefamily homes on the market.
You know we're averaging some126 homes a month selling over
the last 12 months the averageprice is at 543.
(07:38):
This is so interesting.
The median home price.
The median home price throughthe end of July this year is at
463.
The median home price throughthe end of July this year is at
$463,000.
The median home price throughthe end of July last year was at
$466,000.
I mean we're holding.
I mean it's not like if you'rewaiting as a buyer for the
prices to come plummeting down.
(07:59):
That's not happening right now.
And it won't, because unlessinventory levels dramatically
increase.
It's all about supply anddemand, correct, and we're still
technically in a seller'smarket because six months supply
is considered a balanced market.
Less than six months is aseller's market.
More than six months is thebuyer's market.
(08:20):
But the market's the market.
The interest rates are theinterest rates, and I know what
you're so crafted and skilled atdoing, ari.
Is advocating and facilitatingthe transaction and helping your
clients navigate through thenuances of finding the house,
making sure you're setting themup for success, locating,
negotiating and then, onceyou're under contract, is
(08:40):
advocating for them during thedue diligence period and then
getting them to the closingtable.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
It's all part of the fiduciary duties of working with
me.
I am committed to making surethat my clients are represented
to the best of my ability andmaking sure that I get them what
I promised I would get them.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Absolutely, and if that means making the hard
decision of walking away, that'spart of it too.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
I mean like Sometimes it becomes that, you know,
sometimes I've advised them towalk away from stuff that they
don't want to and I tell themlook, I will do what you order
me to do.
I will do what you ask me to do.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Lawfully obey is what the real estate documents say.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
But I will express whether I believe it is a
beneficial scenario for them ornot, and I'll let them make up
their mind on that.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Absolutely.
You're giving them the optionsthey can decide what's right for
them or not right for them.
I also want to talk about.
This is a common conversation.
It's for sale by owners, whicha lot of people try to do it on
their own.
I have some interestingstatistics on that.
But before we do that, Ithought it'd be good to have you
have some incredible inventorythat you're working with you.
(09:45):
Also, in addition to workingwith buyers, you work equally
with sellers as well, and so youhave some incredible inventory
you're working with right now.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
Yeah, I am very grateful to have the
opportunities and theconnections that I'm working
with right now, and so one ofthem is the exciting world of
court-ordered sales.
For any of you that areinterested in these and would
like to know more, please giveus a call at the office.
For any of you that areinterested in these and would
like to know more, please giveus a call at the office.
I'd be more than happy to walkyou through what these look like
.
We've done these for a numberof years now, but it's really
(10:14):
exciting because these are, youknow, as we've talked about
before right.
Real estate happens fordifferent reasons.
People get married, they needto downsize, life changes occur,
and so these court-orderedsales are wonderful
opportunities that range fromeverything like you would call a
handyman special, where, likeit could be a teardown home, it
could be just a light renovation.
(10:37):
Some of these are actuallyturnkey move-in ready, and we
have three of these that aregoing live pretty much this week
.
And we have three of these thatare going live pretty much this
week.
And so, if you're looking for athree-bedroom, two-bath in the
Flat Rock area, that will golive this week.
If you are looking for afour-bedroom, three-bathroom
(10:57):
home that is turnkey, that hassome luxury finishes in the
bathrooms and is in a reallywonderful neighborhood.
Give us a call.
I can tell you all about thisone.
I also have another one inZirconia.
That is a four-bedroom,two-bathroom, 2,200 square feet.
(11:19):
It's also a renovation project.
It's seven minutes away, maybeeight minutes away, from our
office.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
Super close.
It's a great location, theseare awesome, these are going to
be great properties and they aregreat properties and again, it
happens to be in the category ofwhat's called court-ordered.
Let's actually back up and talkabout court-ordered sales.
Let's put things into context.
Everybody people that own realestate can decide to hire a real
estate agent and sell theirproperty on their own accord,
for whatever reasons, and lifehappens.
Therefore, real estate happens.
(11:42):
It could be like you mentioned.
Maybe it's a new familyformation, Somebody gets married
and their family's growing,they need a bigger home, or
maybe they need the downsizer orthey're retiring, and then
there's some challengingsituations, like it could be a
death or a divorce, or it couldbe a lot of different reasons.
And there are situations whichis you're referring to
(12:06):
court-ordered sales in NorthCarolina and this involves the
judiciary compelling the sale ofa property under certain legal
circumstances, and there's anumber of circumstances, one
which a lot of people arefamiliar with, which there's not
that many available.
I think it's less than 1% ofthe sales in the United States
are foreclosures.
That is considered acourt-ordered sale.
(12:29):
It goes through the judicialprocess.
It's a power of sale.
North Carolina is a power ofsale state for foreclosures.
If the homeowner defaults, thelender follows the process to
get a court order permitting thesale of the property.
The clerk of court holds thehearing and determines that the
foreclosure may proceed.
Again, these are consequencesof not paying your mortgage,
which we hear from people allthe time.
(12:50):
Oh, I want to buy it becausethe perception is oh, I'm going
to get a great deal with aforeclosure.
Correct, that is 100% theperception.
And the current inventory, thecurrent market that we're in
here locally and also in theUnited States, there's less than
1% of foreclosures on themarket.
This is just not part of it.
And let me put things in thecontext.
(13:12):
In 2011, at the bottom of thereal estate market of that cycle
, we had almost 40% of our salesin the United States were
distressed.
It was a percentage wasforeclosures and a percentage
was short sales.
40% of our properties in theUnited States were distressed.
(13:33):
Here we are less than 1%, ifthat tells you anything.
By the way, side note and I'mgetting on my, I'm really
excited here If someone is infinancial trouble, if you're
listening and you know somebodyin financial trouble with their
home or maybe it's you or afamily member don't let it go to
the bank.
Most likely you have equity inyour home and we can help you
avoid a foreclosure.
(13:54):
Again, we would have to do ananalysis, but more likely than
not, you have equity in yourhome and you can avoid a
foreclosure.
And then there is in NorthCarolina what's called partition
sales, where multiple partiesown a property and they cannot
agree on it.
An owner can initiate what'scalled a partition sale where,
(14:16):
if North Carolina allows anactual partition where you can
actually divide the propertybased on value, but it has to be
equally based on ownership.
And then there's also partitionsale, which a judge, a court,
evaluates whether the partitionsale or actual sale again is
(14:37):
what's recommended.
But there's also a judicialsale and this is where a lot of
the ones that Ari and our teamare working with where a sale's
conducted under the authority ofa judge or clerk in a court
proceeding, a sales conductedunder the authority of a judge
or clerk in a court proceeding.
This could be part of a probateestate, could be a foreclosure
or other legal action.
(14:57):
But in probate, where someonedies and an estate is settled if
personal negotiations fail, apersonal representative, like an
executor, can petition theclerk or court for authority to
sell but then, once approved inthe clerk of court for authority
to sell.
But then, once approved, acommissioner is appointed to
handle the marketing, sale andreporting and the sale may be
(15:18):
public or private and the clerkconfirms it.
But this is where we are at theGeorgia Real Estate Group work
with a number of commissionersthat have hired our group, have
hired Ari, to sell theseproperties on the open market
because of the current marketconditions, you're going to get
the most money if you list aproperty for sale, whether it's
(15:41):
a court-ordered sale or atraditional sale, and so Ari's
been working with a number ofthe court-ordered sales.
But there's some nuances to it,and, ari, I'll let you put you
on the spot.
But there are some conditions.
Because it's a court-orderedsale, there's a few nuances that
people don't realize.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
Yeah, there are some nuances, like you said, and so
amongst these, the mostimportant one is that these
sales are I know North Carolinais what we call an as-is state
right, but you know buyers andsellers do expect that there
will be some negotiation andsome concessions from sellers
from time to time OnDiscord-ordered sales.
(16:21):
They are a true-to-spirit as-issale.
Where they are cashtransactions, financing is not
allowed because contingencieswill not allow the offer to be
presented, so they have to becash and the seller will not
make repairs on these.
Now, as far as the process goesright, it's comparable to some.
(16:45):
We could loosely compare it toan auction process right where,
when the home is firstintroduced to the market, it
gets listed on MLS, there willbe a series of attorney approved
documents that I will makeavailable with this property and
there will be specificinstructions provided on how to
fill this out.
And ultimately, what thesedocuments show is that and
(17:05):
describe is that what I justexpressed a moment ago right
that these are as-is sales thatare cash only.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
There's certain conditions, yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
Now we process the first offer, we take it to the
commissioner of sale, we presentit Once that first offer is
accepted.
It is then taken by thecommissioner of sale which in
this case would be an attorneyand it is put in front of the
clerk of court.
Put in front of the clerk ofcourt.
(17:36):
If the clerk of court acceptsthat offer, then it is made
known to the world that thatoffer has been accepted and
anybody can go to the steps ofthe court and bid on this
property.
For the next 10 days.
There is what's called a 10-dayupset bid period and it's not
the classic scenario where youcan show up and say I bid $1
more.
There are rules you must showup and bid 5% more than the
existing offer and if you dothat, your bid will be accepted.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
And this process continues until Then.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
There's another 10-day upset period, yeah, it
resets every time a new bid hasbeen accepted.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
And it's an interesting process and it's
meant to ensure fair marketvalue, which is another.
That's a whole another.
You know rabbit trail you and Icould go down, but this is so
interesting compared to, youknow, traditional real estate,
where you know offers areconfidential and if a seller
chooses to accept an offerthey're under contract, correct.
And this is where you knowbuyers if they go under contract
(18:29):
with a traditional sale and aseller signs a contract, you can
be a backup offer.
Sellers consider backup offersbut in context of a
court-ordered sale, there's a10-day upset bid process where
others can outbid the higherbidder by a minimum of 5%.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
Correct, they can bid more if they want, but a
minimum of 5% is required.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
And then it starts the 10-day process all over
again until no further bidshappen after that 10-day process
, correct.
And then at that point thatbuyer's then now under contract
to buy that property.
That is correct.
It's so fascinating to me, it'san interesting process.
And there can be opportunitiesto get you know.
Again.
The goal obviously for thecommissioner of the sale is
(19:16):
still to get fair market valueof the property.
But there are some additionalhoops and again, in some cases,
like one of your properties isin an incredible condition, just
because it's a court-orderedsale doesn't mean the property's
in distress condition.
I mean these could be.
I mean and we've done all priceall types of price points.
(19:39):
It doesn't mean these are, youknow, teardowns or fixer uppers,
but in some cases there arefixer uppers and teardowns.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
I mean.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
So it's all types of properties that this might,
these, these court ordered salesmight facility.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
Yeah, and, and I think that's why it's important
to keep an eye out for these,right, because it's kind of like
the lottery you know, you neverknow what's going to come up in
that possibility.
And so, like you said, we haverepresented sales that were
complete teardowns, got jobs andwe're starting to see some now
that are on the side, that haveluxury renovations, and it's
(20:09):
exciting to see stuff like thatbe available in this unique
opportunity, especially becausethere's a number of.
I work with a number of buyersthat will, like you know, we
were talking about foreclosuresa moment ago and they'll come
ask hey, I want to get into theinvestment market of
foreclosures, and I tell themwell, that doesn't really exist
here.
Our market is too hot for that.
Like it doesn't.
Homes don't really foreclose,it just doesn't.
Homes don't really foreclose.
It just doesn't really happenhere Occasionally.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
But it's rare.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
Right now it's rare it does happen, but it's rare.
Speaker 1 (20:35):
It's less than 1% right.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
And this is as close as you can get to finding a
scenario like that, where it'snot a foreclosure but it's an
investment opportunity.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
Absolutely, because there is a level of risk,
because it's not a traditionalsense of where there's not going
to be any negotiations forrepairs, correct.
I mean that's where, with atraditional sale, a buyer goes
under contract it is under thecontract terms of as is but
(21:07):
buyers get what's called a duediligence period process.
Speaker 3 (21:10):
Correct.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
They can investigate the property.
Then the buyer and seller cannegotiate and the seller can
choose to do repairs.
In these cases, majority of thetime, there's no repairs.
Again, it's a true as isCorrect Versus it's as is in our
normal contracts.
But sellers can still choose tonegotiate repairs and the
(21:32):
buyers can too.
It's so interesting.
Again, the court-ordered saleswhether it's probate could be
foreclosures or guardianship orthe partition.
The point is it's designed toensure transparency, fairness
and protection for all partiesactually.
So it's interesting.
The judicial oversight Again,it's really interesting.
(21:54):
It's a fascinating world andwe've been handling this and
working with these scenarios ata high level.
So if you're a buyer andcurious about these, we
certainly can help navigatethrough these.
Whether it's our inventory orother court-ordered sales, we
can absolutely help you navigatethrough all that 100%.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
we have quite a bit of experience with these and all
the nuances and the steps alongthe way.
So if you've been interested inthese or you want to learn more
but you feel like maybe it's alittle murky or confusing, we
can demystify all that for you.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
We can.
Now you might say why are thesecommissioners, which in a lot
of cases are attorneys, whyaren't these attorneys just
selling these properties ontheir own?
Well, that brings up the factof the difference between
putting a property on the market, retail, and putting it
publicly for sale through a realestate broker, versus selling a
(22:46):
property privately.
There's a significant financialdifference and ultimately, for
sellers, your goal is, to mostsellers' goal, and it's always
time versus money, but in mostsellers' goals to maximize is to
sell the property for what themarket will bear.
What is the fair market valuewhich, ultimately, when you tell
the whole world about it.
So this is so interesting andthis ties together in why these
(23:11):
commissioners of sales are notselling these properties
privately.
Some people are like well, Iwant to sell my house on my own
to save a little money, and sothat for sale by owner sign
might seem like a smart move.
After all, who wouldn't want toavoid paying commissions?
Sure, but here's the kickerSkipping the real estate agent
(23:33):
might actually cost you a lotmore than you think.
Absolutely, the data last yearalone showed homes listed with
real estate agents sold fornearly 15% more than those sold
without one.
So on a $400,000 house.
That's a $60,000 difference.
So the question becomes is itworth it to try and sell your
(23:57):
biggest asset on your ownwithout the experience, the
marketing, the negotiatingskills that an agent like Ari?
Again, you're doing this, ari'sdoing this every single day,
you know.
Again, it's just it begs thequestion.
So you know, and, by the wayyou know, a few years back, at
the height of the selling market, you could get away with
putting a sign up and take a fewcalls and let the offers roll
(24:19):
in.
But fast forward to today.
It's a very different market.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
And it's interesting because I love that.
So this is a really goodexample to talk about how
realtors, brokers, bring valueto the table, because that's one
of the one of the if you wantto call it hurdles that we all
realtors face, right, whentalking with some clients, some
sellers, some buyers, they wehave to explain to them what we
(24:45):
bring to the table, what we'redoing for them, how we're
negotiating for them, how weadvocate for them, all the
things we do for them, becauseit's not and to their credit,
right, it's not always readilyapparent what our
responsibilities towards thementail.
And these attorneys workingwith us really instantly speaks
to the value of what we can doto represent these homes and
(25:07):
bring in a higher listing price,and actually close it on that
listing price, than what theywould have done on their own.
You're 100% right.
If the attorneys could do it ontheir own better, they would
Well, by the way, they come tous because they know what we can
do to help them and get themost value for the home.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
It's a perfect example.
Because this is so funny to me?
Because, for sale owners, whichit's, it's a, it's a, it's a
part of our market, which, again, you can choose to do this on
your own, but guess who you'rehaving to actually call to write
up.
I mean, you can literally sella house on a handshake, sure you
could write.
Speaker 2 (25:43):
You could write a deal on an app on a napkin,
that's legal, you could do thatand a lot of for sale owners.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
They ultimately call the attorneys and say hey, you
know, look this over can you?
Well, can you actually write mea contract?
Yeah they're then paying theattorney to write a contract on
it.
But it wasn't, because this isagain the function of the
attorney was the the legal sideof it, the the paperwork, but it
wasn't that.
Again, you attorneys themselvesare hiring real estate agents to
(26:11):
sell the property for the mostpossible yeah and to get the
exposure, to do the marketing,to facilitate the sale, and
we're even the ones drawing up.
We have attorney writtencontracts I mean attorney
approved contracts where we'reliterally just filling in the
blank.
I I mean price and dates andall these things.
So again, we have the ability.
(26:32):
And here's another interestingthing If we have to write 10
contracts before one closes,it's just part of the deal.
Most attorneys are going tocharge you every single contract
that they write, whether or notit closes.
Speaker 2 (26:48):
Whether it works out or not, correct, yeah, and
that's part of the value that webring as well.
Right we?
When you have an agreement withus, we're working with you
until we see this deal make itto the closing table, whether
it's 10 offers, 15 offers.
So I think, come talk to usrealtors.
We can do a lot for you.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
Absolutely, and so today, working with a real
estate professional like Ari andthe George Real Estate Group,
this market requires a sharppricing strategy, proper
preparation and staginghigh-quality professional
photography.
We have a broad strategicmarketing plan.
We have our contract andinspection skills that we work
(27:29):
through, our negotiating skillsthat protect your bottom line.
So, again, if you're not doingall this and, let's be honest,
most for sale owners aren'tyou're probably leaving money on
the table?
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Absolutely, the market intelligence that we
bring to the table is notsomething to you know like sure
anybody could learn this if theyreally spent their time doing
it.
But do you really have the timeto spend a year or a year and a
half learning all these thingsso you can prepare yourself to
list your home or sell it?
You know, sure you could.
But then the other thing to beargued is we also have the
experience of doing thismultiple times, over and over
(28:01):
and over, year after year afteryear.
Speaker 1 (28:03):
Well, it'd be like I mean, we've worked with.
We work with a lot ofprofessionals, uh, you know, and
that are experts in their field.
When I say we work with a lotof professionals the people that
are selling their home, and,and they might be an accountant
or they might be an engineerit'd be like me trying to say,
hey, I'm going to try to be anengineer for a day um and and
that's not what I do, and againan engineer.
(28:26):
We're not trying to do your job,it's just interesting.
And to continue to drive thepoint, according to the National
Association of Realtors, thepercentage of people who
successfully sell without anagent is at an all-time low, and
why it's no surprise 21% offor-sale owners last year ended
(28:47):
up hiring an agent afterstruggling to sell it on their
own, according to Zillow.
Again, the stress, theuncertainty, the tire kickers,
the lowball offers.
It's more than most homeownerswant to deal with, especially
when the reward just isn't there.
So again, call the Georgia RealEstate Group If you're thinking
about selling.
Don't go about it alone.
Contact us.
We know how to get it doneright in today's market.
(29:11):
We'll walk you through whatyour home could sell for, how to
position it and how we makesure you don't leave any money
behind.
I mean we'll handle theshowings, the contracts, the
negotiations.
We'll market it professionallyonline and across the country.
And then networking.
I mean we network with over5,000 brokers here locally, but
we'll help you get your homepriced correctly.
(29:33):
Again, there's so many things,there's nuances.
Bottom line is an agent isn'tjust nice to have, it's a
competitive advantage 100%.
Speaker 2 (29:41):
Don't do it alone.
We're in your corner.
Speaker 1 (29:43):
That's right.
So very, very grateful, ari,for you to join us on the radio
this morning.
I've enjoyed our conversation.
Anything else, I know you'reavailable, whether you're a
buyer, seller, an investor.
What's the best way for ourlisteners to get hold of you?
Me personally, absolutely.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
So you can call me at 828-216-6543.
My cell phone is always on andI will take your call.
If I don't answer, of course, Iwill text you immediately
afterwards, but I am available.
I would be happy to talk withyou.
I can connect you with anybody.
You need to get connected andwe will find what you're looking
for.
Speaker 1 (30:20):
Absolutely, and you'll help them sell their home
too.
It's both buying and selling.
And again, ari is incredible.
Give him a call.
I want to remind you.
Every Friday morning at 845, theGeorge Real Estate Group
sponsors the Hometown Heroesseries and tomorrow morning
we're honoring Frances Reese,and she was co-founder and
co-owner of Reese Insurance withher husband Ted.
Frances is an outstanding lady,having served Henderson County
(30:43):
for over 70 years.
She's a talented seamstress,having won several national
awards for her quilts in thefiber art contest and the
Daughters of American RevolutionNational Art Contest.
She's also a chamber localcharter member of the local
Daughters of the AmericanRevolution chapter and much more
.
So we're excited about having aconversation honoring Frances
(31:03):
Reese tomorrow morning.
If you know someone in thecommunity making a difference,
an unsung hero, we'd love tohonor them.
Reach out to WHKP.
We have our Hometown Heroesseries every Friday morning.
We're here every Thursdaymorning at 10 am right after the
news, sharing with you positivenews about your local real
estate market community.
So grateful to have Ari with usthis morning.
Ari, thank you so much for allthat you do and grateful to have
(31:24):
you.
Speaker 2 (31:29):
Thank and grateful to have you.
Thank you to be here.
Awesome.
Sorry, grateful to be here.
Coffee is not kicked in here.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
Thank you to be here.
Awesome, we're having a lot offun.
We love helping our clients, welove working and we're
enthusiastic about helping ourclients and our community.
Have a great day, have a greatweek.
Call us at 828-393-0134.
We'll see you tomorrow morning.
(31:54):
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
matters most.
At the George Real Estate Group, we understand that real estate
(32:15):
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,
(32:36):
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 (32:52):
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 or atrealestatebygregcom.
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