Is a Career in Real Estate Right for You?

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With the new year approaching, it’s the best time to be thinking of resolutions and goals you may have and how you can tackle them in the months to come. If one of those aspirations just so happens to be a jumpstart to your professional life, why not consider a career in real estate?

Since 1976, Intracoastal Realty has served southeastern North Carolina and helped its newest residents find their place in our coastal community. As such, our agents are some of the best in the region, and make it their mission to go above and beyond in every sale so that everyone – buyer or seller – walks away happy and ready for the next chapter. Are you ready for such an important job? Check out a few of the qualities we think every stellar real estate agent should have!

Independent and Motivated

To be a successful real estate agent, you’re going to need an independent mindset. Not only will you be setting your own schedule for the most part, but often it’ll be your job to track down the types of homes that your buyers want to view, catch up on the latest market trends, and even your salary. The more you sell, and the better you are at working with your clients, the more you’ll earn. Basically, you have a lot of the same benefits as being your own boss, but you get to work with an agency that can lend you some credibility and a ready network of colleagues to consult with when needed.

Flexible and Forward-thinking

When you’re working with individuals looking to buy or sell a home, you’ll find yourself rearranging schedules and finding innovative ways to make things come together on a timeline that fits everyone’s schedule. To pull all of this off, it’s going to take some quick thinking and flexibility on your part! But for some, these qualities come easily, so if this sounds like you then it might be time to consider your potential in real estate sales.

Sociable

One of the more obvious qualities of a real estate agent is that he or she is social by nature, so if striking up conversations with people you don’t know very well isn’t one of your strengths, it may be time to peruse your other options. But if you’re fearless in a crowd, eager to help someone out, and always prepared with a conversation starter, then you’re probably real estate agent material! Now’s the time to think about putting those skills to use to help others find their ideal new homes.

Love Where You Live

Finally, we feel it’s pretty important for every real estate agent to already love the location in which he or she will mainly work. After all, your job will be to sell not just the house, but the neighborhood, the local culture, and the eventual memories that your clients will have in their new homes. Even if a move to a new place is out of necessity, it’s important that new residents feel a connection and can ingratiate themselves in the area from the very beginning, and that’s where you come in! As a real estate agent and a friendly local, you can fill them in on everything they need to know to get started building a happy, thriving life in the house that you help them buy.

2019 is headed our way, and if you’re ready to dive into a new career then it may just be your biggest year yet! Stay tuned to our website for professional opportunities and trends in the real estate game here in southeastern North Carolina, and you’ll be ready to dive right into a fresh, rewarding opportunity.

Benefits to Employing a Real Estate Agent to Sell Your Home

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Unless you’re an expert in the field, you would normally call a professional to fix any malfunctioning systems in your home, like plumbing or electrical work. Wouldn’t you want the same level of care and expertise when it came time to sell?

Whatever your reasons for wanting to sell your house, it never hurts to seek a professional opinion. After all, this is one of your greatest investments! When you move on to a new adventure, you’ll want an experienced real estate agent to help you close one chapter of your homeownership history and begin the next.

Getting a second opinion

Just like with any other aspect of homeownership and maintaining your property, you want to make sure you always have the most informed person on the case when you’re selling your home. Most often, that means hiring a seasoned real estate agent to give you feedback and to add a professional point-of-view during every major decision you’ll have to make. At the end of the day, you’ll be looking at the sale in terms of what works for you in the moment, but an agent will be able to see the bigger picture because he or she has seen similar situations time and again. With an informed second opinion to supplement your own, the sale of your house should go over as smoothly as possible, with everyone’s best interests at heart.

Using a middle-man 

Let’s face it – not all of us are meant to go head-to-head in a bidding war, or to negotiate with the best. Selling your house doesn’t always look like this, but it can come close! Having a trained real estate agent in your corner can only benefit you in this arena. When you hire the best, you don’t have to shoulder the responsibility of the back-and-forth that sometimes ensues; instead you get to share that task with someone who’s been educated in the best methods of resolving potential conflict.

Accessing insider information

If real estate isn’t your area of expertise, selling your home by yourself can seem daunting. There’s a learning curve involved, and while you’re fielding property questions, buyers’ requests, and legal documents, you can’t always accommodate without missing out on the best deal for you and your house. Luckily, your real estate agent is a wealth of information, and just waiting to answer your questions and lend you a hand! When you have all the insider information at your disposal, it just makes sense to let the real estate agent do what he or she does best, so you can focus on your own to-do list along the way.

Whether you’re ready to begin the selling process, or need a bit longer to consider, the highly qualified Intracoastal Realty team is here to help! Contact us to find out what our real estate agents can do for you.

Breaking Down the Zestimate

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When it comes to purchasing a new home, or selling the one in which you currently reside, the initial process can be confusing and overwhelming until you get the assistance of a good real estate professional.  So, it stands to reason that when beginning the process, buyers and sellers might do some preliminary research using a third-party site like Zillow.

Zillow is known for price estimates, both for buyers and renters, as well as providing limited community information for those who have never visited the neighborhood. On the outside, it seems like a handy resource when dipping a toe into the waters of real estate.  However, the property information and price estimates are often inaccurate, which can create major issues for buyers and sellers.  In other words, if you decide to use these big third-party websites, proceed with caution or forgo them altogether and get accurate data from a trusted, local real estate website and resource.

When you need assistance in your pursuit of the perfect home, there are several reasons to turn to an established agency with local knowledge and experienced real estate agents on its side. Otherwise, you may find yourself relying on the Zestimate, a computer-generated estimate that is not always the best measure of a home’s value.  Zillow knows this, and discloses this in small print on their site.

How is the Zestimate made?

As Zillow states, the Zestimate is meant only as an expression of the estimated market value, not an actual appraisal. The site is actually a computer program that automatically generates its report based on what is available to anyone: data and statistics that can be accessed with relative ease by the general public. As such, the program doesn’t take into account the additions you or its previous owner might have added while in residence. This can affect the Zestimate, putting the home at a lower or higher value depending on the extent of repairs or damage.

In Southeastern NC, we’ve seen Zestimates on some properties be off by as much as 45%.  For illustration purposes, evan a 15% margin of error on a $400,000 home results in a difference of $60,000 in value!  Further, the same algorithm to estimate the value of a home in a Detroit suburb is used to estimate the value of a home on the water in our region.  That’s pretty telling, isn’t it?

Even more telling is this article, which features information about the home of Zillow’s founder and CEO.  The day before his home sold for $1.05 million, the Zestimate for his property showed $1.75 million.  Need we say more?

How can your agency help clear the air?

When it comes time to sell or buy a home, don’t always trust that the Zestimate has given your house enough credit for what it’s worth.  Instead, broach the subject with a trusted real estate agent.  He or she can walk you through the criteria in further detail, help you get a professional appraisal and, for sellers, pull a list of comparable properties that have recently sold.  And while Zillow does have access to area information to prep you and your family for relocation, a local real estate agent has the insider knowledge that can never be replaced by statistics alone.

When it comes to your home, whether you’re buying or selling one, it’s important to have all the information available to you. With the help of well-established agencies like Intracoastal Realty, you can be sure you’ll have all you need to get settled. Contact us today to help you with the process!

Honoring Intracoastal Realty Veterans

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To those in uniform currently serving, and to those who have served in the past, we honor you today and every day.  Thank you for your service to our country so that we can enjoy our freedoms.

Intracoastal Realty is a special “family” with people of many backgrounds and interests.  As we honor all Veterans on November 11th (federal holiday this year is November 10th), we would like to recognize agents and staff at Intracoastal Realty who have served our country.

Tracel Wilt, U.S. Army.  Sales Agent at the Wilmington Lumina 1 office.  Tracel is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point.

 

Bob Caulder, U.S. Army. Sales Agent at the Ocean Isle Beach office.  Bob served 8 years (4 active and 4 inactive) and was stationed at Fort Dix, NJ for basic training; Fort Gordon, GA for AIT training; Fort Bragg, NC for compassionate reassignment; and Berlin, Germany, which earned him the Berlin Occupation Medal.  Bob was E-5 promotable who served in the Vietnam era.

 

Tom Adam, U.S. Army.  Manager at the Wilmington Lumina 1 office.  Tom served 3 years at various bases in the USA and also served in Korea.

 

Eddie Lawler, U.S. Navy.  Sales Agent at the Wilmington Lumina 1 office.  Eddie served for 4 years (1966-1969) on NAS Oceana VA85 in Virginia Beach; USS Kitty Hawk – VA85; USS America – VA85; and USS Constellation – VA85.  Eddie was AE2 Vietnam.

 

Chet Sechrest, U.S. Army.  Sales Agent at the Leland office.  Chet served for 27 years and 9 months at Hunter Army Airfield 1/75 Ranger Battalion; Ft. Devens, MA 10th Special Forces Group; Panzer Kaserne Germany; Ft Bragg 3rd Special Forces Group; and Ft Meade, MD Asymmetric Warfare Group.  Chet retired as Sergeant Major, has been to Iraq three times, and has been to 30 other countries around the world.

 

Hamilton Hicks, U.S. Marines.  Sales Agent at the Lumina 1 office.  “Ham” is a former mayor or Wilmington who served in USA, Japan, Okinawa, Taiwan, Philippines, and Vietnam waters.  Ham is a Retired Senior Officer.

 

Larry Sims, U.S. Marines.  Sales Agent at the Ocean Isle Beach office.  Larry served 5 years (1964-1968) and was stationed at Parris Island, Camp LeJeune, Norfolk, and Southeast Asia (Vietnam).  Larry was an E5 Sergeant.

 

Gus Franklin, U.S. Navy.  Sales Agent at the Wrightsville Beach office.  Gus served 5 years (1970-1974) and was stationed at Norfolk and Newport.  Gus ranked as a Lieutenant.

 

Seth Parmelee, U.S. Army.  Sales Agent at the Leland office.  Seth was stationed at Vilseck, Germany, FOB Scunion in Iraq, and Fort Hood.  Seth was a Specialist, Iraq OIF 2 04-05.

 

Ed Sullivan, U.S. Navy.  Sales Agent at the Wilmington Lumina 2 office.  Ed attended the US Naval Academy and served for 14 years (1982-1995).  He was stationed in Pensacola FL, Norfolk VA, and in Washington DC at the Pentagon – Bureau of Naval Personnel.  Ed was a Lieutenant, Navy Pilot in Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

 

Tim Knapp, U.S. Navy.  Maintenance and Housekeeping Manager at the Vacation Rentals division of Intracoastal Realty.

 

Jim O’Daniell, Sr, U.S. Air Force.  Sales Agent at the Porters Neck office.  Jim served 22 years (1954-1975) and was stationed in Iceland, India, Vietnam, Georgia, Florida, Colorado, New York, and North Carolina.  Jim’s rank was Chief Master Sergeant E-9, Vietnam, 1965-1966, Hq. First Air Force: 1966-1969, Hq. Air Defense Command: 1970-1973.  He was the youngest Tech Sergeant E-6 in the United States Air Force 1959. Retired USAF 1975 at Ft. Fisher AFS NC.

 

Jeff Whitfield, U.S. Navy.  Sales Agent at the Wilmington Lumina 2 office.  Jeff was stationed in Virginia, Maine, Portugal, Spain, and Iceland and was attached to Patrol Squadron 44.

 

Jeff Broos, U.S. Air Force.  Sales Agent at the Wilmington Lumina 1 office.  Jeff served 7 years (1969-1975) and was stationed in Southern California and Southeast Asia.  Jeff was a pilot and Captain in the Vietnam War.

 

Debbi Snyder, U.S. Army.  Sales Agent in the Wilmington Lumina 2 office.  Debbi served 15 years (1986-2000) and was stationed at Fort Indiantown Gap PA, Fort Dix NJ, Fort Bragg NC, and Ashley PA Reserve Unit.   Debbi was a member of the University of Scranton ROTC, Military Police, and the US Army Corps of Engineers.

 

Harold Parker, U.S. Army.  Sales Agent in the WIlmington Lumina 1 office.  Harold was stationed at Fort Jackson SC (Basic Training) and Fort Meade MD (HDQ Detachment 68th Medical Group).  Harold was a Specialist 4th Class and attended Personnel Management School at Fort Benjamin in Indiana.  He also served as Administrative Support for training National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap, PA and for the Army Reserve.

 

Throwback Photos

Chet Sechrest

 

Chet Sechrest (right) in fatigues

 

Tracel Wilt at West Point