Monday, December 10, 2007

Rails to Trails

There is an article in the Times-News today talking about turning the Norfolk and Southern track that runs from Hendersonville to Brevard into a trail instead of being used for train transportation. Full article: http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20071210/NEWS/712100327/1151/NEWS/Railroad_tracks_could_be_converted_into_path_for_people
The article talks about other tracks that were converted and the steps it will take to do this with this track. I have heard of this effort for the last couple of years almost ever since Ecusta Plant closed, ending the need for the active line. This track basically runs along US 64. What a great asset this would make to both Brevard and Hendersonville. There is no safe way to bike from one city to the other; and since part of this would be along the French Broad River the views would be great. According to the article some adjacent property owners have fears that bringing people to your back yard could be dangerous. They fear that with the people traffic there could be property theft. According to the article, other trails where personal property owners are adjacent they talk about this issue and the fact is there was no substantial increase in theft. Click on the link above to read the full article and let me know what you think. As always feel free to go to www.RoryMolnar.com to view and search listing for the entire Western North Carolina Real Estate area.

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

As the year winds down I thought I would share some thoughts about Western North Carolina Real Estate. In particular Henderson County. The land transfer tax was soundly beaten by a 3-1 margin. The County Commissioners are placing the results at the Realtor community because there was a campaign to to have this tax voted down which was in part financed with Realtor donations among many other opponents.

The market as a whole this year is declining. Not like the national averages but it has slowed down. The last I heard was that we were down about 5% over the last year. The predictions are it is going to stay slow for another year. I tend to agree. With a large portion of our buyers coming from other areas, (most of the areas are far worse off then us), until these buyers are able to sell their homes they can't buy here. So, sellers the trick is to price your home less then what a market analysis shows. Since the market is slow you want to give yourself the best opportunity to sell.

As always feel free to use my website www.RoryMolnar.com as your local Hendersonville, Henderson County, Western North Carolina Real Estate Connection!

Friday, September 21, 2007

Another County Land Transfer Tax

The County Commissioners are asking the Henderson County Voters to OK a new land transfer tax of .4% which equals $400 per $100,000. There is already a $1 per $500 tax on land transfers which would equal $200per $100,000 . The housing industry is in a little trouble right now and adding another tax will make it difficult on sellers. With the average sale price in Henderson County 0f $252,000 would mean that the seller of a home would net $1008 less in their pocket at closing. I am not sure how this Tax is fair when only a portion of the residents will pay. A lot of these folks are selling to move closer to relatives and to Assisted Living Centers. To most of these folks the proceeds of the sale of their homes has to sustain them through the rest of their lives and they need that $1008. You already have property taxes, you can't target one part of the population unfairly. Only 3.8 percent of the land parcels sell in any given year. How is this not a discriminatory tax? With the amount of Foreclosures going on right now if a seller had to make up another $1,000 this might be the straw that breaks the seller's back. I am for equal taxation. County Manager Steve Wyatt is quoted as saying the majority of revenue comes from property taxes and this is a way to tap another source. How is that? He is still trying to tap property owners! I think the County Commissioners need to go back to the drawing board. What do you think!

Monday, June 04, 2007

Henderson County Growth

With all the talk about the real estate market slowing and drying up Henderson County NC has continued to grow. According to a series of recent articles in the "Hendersonville Times-News" in the past 6 years over 9,800 new dwellings have been built in Henderson County. For full article click: http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20070603/NEWS/706040319&SearchID=73283084935016
There are at least 45 different subdivisions in various stages of development going on right now. Some will take years to build out. The consequences for all this new development and the big topic of discussions are what does this mean for the area schools? Roads? Water and Septic/sewer systems. The series of articles in the Times-News started on Sundy June 3 to see all the articals go to http://www.hendersonvillenews.com . Share your thoughts here.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

The State of NC now owns Chimney Rock Park

On Monday the 21st of May the State of North Carolina completed the $24 million purchase of Chimney Rock Park.

Click here to see the Hendersonville Times News Story:
http://hendersonvillenews.com/article/20070522/NEWS/705220342/1042/NEWS/NEWS/Chimney_Rock_now_belongs_to_N_C_

This transfer of the 996 acre park will be added to master plan of the state to develop a larger State Park which is now more then 3200 acres.

Tell me what you think about this!

Monday, May 21, 2007

Sellers

Real Estate in Hendersonville, Henderson County, NC has been steady. We have recently had more properties for sale then in years past. That leads into a longer days on the market for listings. A good strategy to employ in a slowing market is to find out what the value of your home is based on the recent sold comparables. Once you know this figure I would recommend 3 main strategies.

#1 Do a home inspection on your home with a qualified and licenced home inspector. This will tell you if you have any problems that a potential buyer would want fixed. It will take away the anxiety of waiting for the inspection by the buyer after you have already negotiated a purchase price. Plus it shows the buyer that you have negotiated in good faith by showing them the inspection and showing them the repairs that you have completed or telling them this is an updated representation of my house.

#2 Offer a Home Warranty. This will give the buyer a year of peace of mind and should remove any buyer fears over what might break in the house.

#3 and this is the most painful of the three but may save you the most money in the long run. Price your home 5%-10% below what the currant market analysis shows. The reason being with more houses on the market it will price yours below the competition. That might result in more then one buyer wanting to buy your home which leads to a possibility that the multiple buyers will bid up the price to get your bargain.

In a declining market if you price according to the recent comps instead of the market your home will sit on the market and force you into price reductions along the way, reacting to the market. So be pro-active and give yourself the best chance to get your home sold!