Barb Hawk

I would suggest they meet with a lender first. Once they know how much house they qualify for. Then decide what neighborhoods appeal to you, school, commute, shopping all are important when searching for a new home. Finally choose an agent that you feel comfortable with. Interview a couple before deciding. Most people don’t realize, interviewing agents is not just for sellers.

First I would say to be realistic in pricing the home, know your market. There is a lot of great information out there and any good agent worth their weight in salt can get you in the ballpark. Next as the seller, you should go through your house room by room with a buyer's eye. If you are having trouble with that then go to some open houses in your area and compare their staging to yours. Declutter and spruce up. Choose a good agent, interview them ask for referrals and above all feel comfortable with them. Discuss expectations yours and your agents. Be flexible.

Well, When I first started in real estate I sold a lot of doublewides on acre lots. It was the 90's in Cabarrus County and that's what everyone wanted. Either that or land. Now I work with every type of buyers and sellers. First time home buyers to lake front homes and everything in between.

I listed a lakefront, older 2-bedroom ranch home for a couple with very eclectic tastes. It was on the smaller side 1700 sq. ft. but wide open lake views! As soon as I walked in the front door I could see out the back wall of windows and new this was a great house. The only issue that I could see was that the house had a lot of very large furniture and nick knack that needed addressing. It needed to be staged...my clients loved their home as is so I needed to convince them that removing some things will allow their home to really shine. So, they agreed (not to happily) to having it staged. It looked amazing! Sold in 3 weeks multiple offers, full price, cash.

I always felt that home is where the heart is...that's just me. I think the first time I considered it as a career we had just recently moved to NC from NY and I had the job of finding some acreage for our new build. The agent and the agency I worked with were so great to work with and made me feel so comfortable I started thinking that I can help people realize their dreams too it was just a natural fit for me.

To be licensed in NC every agent is required to take 8 hours of CE yearly. Realtors, which I am also have mandatory by-yearly ethics training. I am also certified Strategic Listing Specialist. The Agency I work under also has training classes throughout the year available to all its agents, so I take advantage of those when possible.