I suppose this is true in most industries.
There is a pulse. It is either in activity or inactivity, and the first ones to feel it, are on the ground level.
The phones stop ringing (or start ringing).
A small shuffle starts taking place (or not).
The Internet requests are up, down or non-existant.
I am on the ground level of Charlotte real estate. I sell it, I help people buy it.
In May of 2007, our 800 capture numbers dropped by 60%.
I gasped, we all did.
Charlotte finally was joining the rest of the U.S. housing market and got nailed. Sales spiraled. Again, we gasped; we warned our sellers, sell now, drop the price....mmmm....too few listened.
And then they sat, and sat, and sat.
And now they have reduced, and reduced and reduced. Some have sold at great losses.
SOOO......about six months after our dire warnings...in the fall of 2007... the news reports, starting coming in about the Charlotte housing market...we may be in trouble. (We were in trouble-who were they reporting to?)
Slow forward two and a half years later. November of 2009.
My phones are ringing again, my Internet requests are up, the shuffle has begun anew.
I am ready to dance...you see...I can shuffle with the best of them.
Surprisingly, or not at all surprisingly...today's news gave me these three headlines...today, Nov. 20, 2009.
"New Wave of Foreclosures lurks as defaults pile up" (as a Realtor, didn't we all hear this six months ago? I know I did.)
"Expert says prognosis is iffy for area real estate in 2010"....(strange, my business is on an upswing, phones are ringing, we're in!)
"Official: Charlotte faces slow recovery" ....Okay...well, don't we all.
All of you new agents, hurry up and throw in the towel, I will wipe up for you. I have been doing this long enough, to know, those are dated late breaking stories according to folks like me...
Now, if we could get the general public to understand, we are Realtors, we are on the ground floor, and we hear the pulse of our industry.
Moral of the story: You will have more success working with your Realtors advice, than you will with the headline news of the day. Sometimes, it just pays, to listen to your Realtor.
Jane Francis Cross 704-608-0228
Broker/Owner Homes by Cross
Serving Charlotte NC Real Estate , Charlotte Luxury Homes and Relocation Needs since 1994.
A full service brokerage covering South Charlotte real estate, Ardrey, Active Age, Ballantyne, Fort Mill, Golf Course Communities, Huntersville, Indian Land, Indian Trail, Lake Norman, Lake Wylie, Marvin, Matthews, Mint Hill, Pineville, Stallings, Uptown Charlotte, Waxhaw, Weddington, Wesley Chapel homes for sale.MLS Home Search
