A Carolina Plantation Update

Many of you may recall the first Saturday Night Live post 9/11, when Mayor Giuliani is asked by Lorne Michaels if it is OK to be funny, to which the Mayor replied, “Why start now?”

With that frame of reference, is it OK to Buy/Sell real estate now?

Since March 1, 2020:

• Our firm has received 221 real estate leads/inquiries
• Our fantastic team of Brokers has closed on 48 homes/condos/homesites for $10,615,162
• We have put 27 homes/condos/homesites under contract for a total of $6,403.132
• We are busy, even in this uncertain time. Our closings are up 32% YTD, and we have clients calling us daily to say that they will come down here as soon as it is safe to leave their home.

 

Each Broker with Carolina Plantations is armed with masks, disinfectant wipes, and gloves. We adhere to Social Distancing and respect the Sellers of each home we visit. We utilize electronic signatures, scanning, and faxing whenever and wherever possible. And, not just with our clients, but with our inspectors, closing attorneys, mortgage brokers, etc.

A trend that has become popular of late is utilizing Facetime and Virtual Tours of homes with prospective Buyers.

At Carolina Plantations, each year, 5-8% of our annual sales are done via Facetime, emailing of pictures and Virtual Tours – so this is far from new to our team members.

Here is how our team employs technology concerning buying & selling real estate:

• A client wants to move to our area. May have been here already, have friends here, visited here years ago or, just knows that Coastal North Carolina is where they want to be.
• They spend a fair amount of time on our company website, for there is no other website with MLS access that is more current and factual than our site. CarolinaPlantations.com
• A home of interest comes on the market in a community they like or think that they are going to want, and the pictures look good.
• They converse with one of our Brokers who agrees to visit the home that afternoon.
• The Carolina Plantations Broker uses Facetime to provide the clients with a full tour of the home, both inside and outside. (or, we make a video and email or text it to the client.)
• There is much dialog during the tour, and questions are fully answered, enough so that the client either feels the home is or is not the right home for them.
• If it is, and they have a trip, family, or work conflict during the next couple of weeks, an Offer to Purchase can be drawn up, signed, and presented to the Sellers, all electronically and without leaving the comforts of everyone’s home.
• The Offer to Purchase is successfully negotiated, and the clients are Under contract.
• In the North Carolina Offer to Purchase agreement, each Buyer has the right to exercise a Due Diligence period. Most are between 30-45 days, for this is the period where a loan is secured and/, or a home inspection carried out.
• If, for ANY reason, prior to the end of the Due Diligence period, a Buyer wants to cancel a contract, they can and will receive 100% of their Earnest Money Deposit.
• During this DD time, a client can also come and inspect the home. If they do not like it, they can cancel the Offer to Purchase and receive 100% of the EMD.
• Sellers may not be crazy about this; however, Buyers need to know and understand their rights and, if need be, exercise them. After 2008, our Offer to Purchase agreements was rewritten to favor the Buyer.

This past weekend, John O’Connor from our Leland office, welcomed Maria and Vinny to their new home in Brunswick Forest. Maria saw her new home in person for the first time, as John had utilized Facetime leading up to their Offer to Purchase.

Please watch this short video of how Team Carolina Plantations helps many people escape up north (the Bronx in this case) and find a new life here on the coast of North Carolina! And, feel free to contact John at john@carolinaplantations.com.

Rest assured, though, that with the exception of occasional grocery store visits and time in the field with or without clients, our team has been hunkered down in our respectful homes since mid-March. Like for everyone, it has been a challenging time, and hopefully, we are one day closer to getting our lives back to what will be a new normal.

One thing that Doug has discovered during this time is the absolutely hates his dishwasher. No kidding. He will fill it up, start it, empty it, and within 24 hours, he will be doing it again. Now that is just not right, for, before lockdown, the fill and empty happened twice a week at best. Doug has a better appreciation for his cat – who sleeps all day and keeps him up all night. Oh, and dogs? Yes, Doug now understands why they chew on furniture. What else is there to do in your home 24/7?

Experts, non-experts, locals, friends, and professional prognosticators are predicting that when this virus is close to being behind us that many, many people from up north are going retire, throw in the towel and migrate somewhere warmer and less congested. There is absolutely no better team on Planet earth to assist you with your exploration of Coastal North Carolina than the team at Carolina Plantations. We have over 120 years of real estate experience behind us and probably close to a billion dollars in cumulative sales. We are tall, tan, good looking, and will make sure that your visit here is not only informative but fun for all!