According to The Wall Street Journal, the home ownership rate has stopped falling and Freddie Mac reports that mortgage interest rates are dropping more and more. These are both signs of an upturn in the real estate market. This means there are more deals being made and more chances for a real estate agent to be blamed for a sale falling through. An agent’s reputation could be damaged if a client thinks they are at fault for an unsuccessful sale, and a claim could be financially burdensome to the agent.

To get a good price for your property and a quick sale, it’s best to be prepared on all fronts.

Work with your agent to get as many buyers vying for your house. Competition will drive the price up as well as keep you in control.

You should try and find out as much as possible about your buyers. They might be motivated by a need to move in quickly, in which case they might be willing to pay more, rather than wait and negotiate. Also, you need to be sure that they have enough money to pay for the house and that they are not wasting your time.

Many people believe that spring is an auspicious season for selling your home. It has nothing to do with the symbolic “birth of nature”. It is a known fact that more people search for a house to purchase in the spring. This should do the trick, don’t your think?

Well, no as a matter of fact, because many think as you do. Therefore, there are more listings in spring, and the competition is much fiercer. Basically, it turns into a buyer’s market.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a high-profile superstar athlete and have all the fame and glory that goes with it? Think of all the things you could buy with that kind of money! For most people, it would be a dream come true to be earning millions of dollars! What could possibly go wrong? How should a financial advisor handle these clients with such astronomically high net-worth?

With Hurricane Preparedness Week long passed us (May 27th through June 2nd) and Hurricane Sandy on the horizon, it’s never a bad idea to revisit great ideas. One great idea to remember while NC hurricane season rages on: ALWAYS BE PREPARED!

Four items to remember when trying to stay ahead of the curve:

North Carolina homeowners could see their first rate increase in four years as the state’s rating bureau demanded an average 17.7 percent increase in loss cost rates across the state. The North Carolina Rate Bureau filed for the rate increase on behalf of all property insurers. It would increase loss cost rates by 17.7 percent if approved. That figure includes a homeowners’ rate hike of 17.4 percent, a rental rate increase of 30 percent and a 29.5 percent increase in condominium coverage.

As a business owner in NC it makes more sense to develop a preventative maintenance schedule for your business than to constantly have to deal with random problems as they arise. A maintenance schedule need not be overly-complex and it should form part of your business’s risk management program.

You could start by developing a written plan for matters to be attended to daily, weekly, monthly half-yearly or annually. Some suggestions include:

As a resident of NC you may or may not have heard about the Institute for Business and Home Safety’s FORTIFIED for existing homes program. In a nutshell, this is a hazard mitigation program aimed at improving the resistance of single-family detached dwellings to local disasters and perils.