Buyers / Sellers

Buyers

Buying your new home is a serious venture.  Your house is not just your home, it is a serious investment in the dwelling, the area and your future. 

As your buyer's agent, I will guide you through this exhilarating adventure.  Full of excitement and emotion, this process is also fraught with a long list of items to take care of to ensure a smooth and successful purchase.   Taking care of details, large and small, is my specialty.  Please see below for a listing of the services I provide to all of my buyer clients:

• As a long-time resident of the Triangle and Past President of the Chapel Hill Board of Realtors, I have extensive knowledge of our marketplace. I have the expertise and connections to make sure you are informed about all of the options available to you and to guide you to the area or neighborhood that best suits your needs. Having marketed and sold all of the homes in Southern Village in Chapel Hill, when they were sold as new construction, I am a proven success at selling homes in this neighborhood. I have also resided in Southern Village since 1996. Having listed and sold over 500 new homes, I continue to thoroughly enjoy listing and selling new construction in Chapel Hill and Durham.
• Your smartest first step (after choosing me as your realtor!) is to talk with a lender so you have an accurate picture of your comfortable price point. I am happy to provide contact information for local lenders with whom I have had good experiences.
• I strive to save you time by listening to your requirements and desires and narrowing your search to those homes and areas that would be of real consideration. Information gathering, whether it be about schools, community organizations, services and activities to utilities, houses of worship and medical care, is my pleasure. Happy to provide personal resources such as dry cleaners, veterinarians and hair salons, I want to make sure your transition is wrinkle-free.
• While looking at property together, you will find I am knowledgeable about construction, layout, and design. I have a razor sharp eye for detail. Having helped create blueprints, provided interior and exterior design consultation while selling over 500 new homes, I am adept at providing insight and suggestions toward livability, updating and ways to add value for resale.
• If you are an out of town client, I email you listings, preview property on your behalf and send you photographs of potential homes and areas. If circumstances dictate, I have helped clients purchase homes without their physically being at the residence until just prior to closing.
• When we find your new home, answer questions and resolve any concerns, I counsel you on structuring your offer and deposit, prepare the paperwork, present and negotiate on your behalf. I am focused on securing the best possible terms for you.
• Upon acceptance of your offer, I help you coordinate information flow between you and your lender.
• I will also handle any communication between you and the sellers through their agent. Being an integral part of our local real estate community for years, I personally know many of the real estate agents in our marketplace. These relationships greatly facilitate positive transactions.
• At this time, we will discuss having inspections such as home, termite and radon. Again, I am happy to supply names of reputable tradesmen with whom I have had good experiences. I set-up these appointments and will attend with you or on your behalf. After we have results, I communicate with the seller's agent and handle any further negotiations.
• If any surprises arise during the process, I am your advocate and expert. It is my goal to resolve issues to your satisfaction.
• I communicate with your lender from acceptance of your offer to closing to make sure loan acceptance is on track.
• Upon selection of a closing attorney (Once again, I can provide you with names of attorneys I have had positive experiences with.), I give them the necessary information and schedule our closing.
• I present you with utility contact information for your new residence so you can arrange for service prior to your moving date.
• At the closing table and beyond I make every effort to serve your best interests. As a sounding board, a resource, a confidant and a real estate expert, I endeavor to earn and keep your trust and respect.

When selling your home, it is unlikely that a buyer will simply find your front door. In most cases, you have to bring your home to the buyer. Effective marketing and on-target pricing ensure that your property receives maximum exposure to attract a ready, willing and able buyer. The appearance of your home, a buyer's first impression and home prices in your neighborhood all affect the sale of your home. As your listing agent, I will help you present your home for sale with an optimum position in the marketplace.

As a long-time realtor and resident of the Triangle, including being Past President of the Chapel Hill Board of Realtors, I have extensive knowledge of our marketplace. Having marketed and sold all of the homes in Southern Village in Chapel Hill, when they were sold as new, I have considerable expertise selling homes in the neighborhood. I have built two custom homes in Southern Village and resided in the Village since 1996. Listing and selling over 500 new homes, I also continue to adeptly list and sell new construction throughout Chapel Hill and Durham.

Please see below for a listing of services I provide to all of my seller clients:

On our initial meeting:

• I tour your home and ask you questions about the property.
• Armed with that information, I conduct a search of comparable properties and take a current snapshot of the market.

During our second visit:

• I present you with my comparative market analysis along with a proposed selling price for your home.
• What you do to prepare your home for sale is crucially important. I am an experienced interior designer. I really enjoy utilizing my eye for design to maximize your return on the sale of your home. My personal residence has been featured in both national and local periodicals. Prior to listing your home, I will share my thoughts on readying your home for the market. My suggestions will range from painting and carpet cleaning to yard work. I will be happy to provide you with the names of tradesman to complete the tasks for you and will schedule and oversee their work. Partnering with you, I will set a date to personally work in your home to de-clutter and stage your residence. Builders use model homes for a reason. It is easier for buyers to envision themselves in a well-taken-care-of home where furniture and accessories are placed to their best advantage.
• How we are going to announce your home to the marketplace is our next step. We will also go over how I plan to market your home.

Marketing Your Home:

• Your home will be listed in the Triangle Multiple Listing Service, only available to real estate agents, and on realtor.com.
• Your home, with photographs and detailed information, will also be prominently featured on my website: chapelhillsales.com and erikaproperties.com
• A For Sale Sign will be placed in your front garden.
• A professional flyer will be created for your residence that details all of your homes selling features. Flyers will be available adjacent to the for sale sign and inside your home.
• With your permission, I will arrange a broker open house for area agents to tour your residence.
• I will personally present your home at our weekly Prudential Carolinas Realty sales meeting.
• With your agreement, I will hold open house(s) on targeted Sundays.
• Prudential Carolinas Realty places a weekly ad in the Chapel Hill News and your home will be featured.
• Your home will be advertised by me in local publications. Depending on the location of your property, local publications normally utilized are The Chapel Hill News and Southern Neighbor.
• I will personally follow-up to obtain feedback from all real estate agents who show your home so we can use that information to gauge the impressions of the marketplace and, if necessary, brainstorm changes in our sales approach.
• Since the market is ever-changing, I keep you abreast of changing market conditions, such as other competing homes on the market, so we can proactively adapt as necessary.

We Have a Buyer:

• Once an offer is presented, I counsel you on the terms of the offer. After formulating our response, I will communicate and negotiate with the buyer's agent on your behalf until we come to agreement. Being an integral part of our local real estate community for years, I personally know many of the real estate agents in our marketplace. These relationships greatly facilitate positive transactions.
• Once we have an executed purchase agreement, we wait until various inspection reports are submitted per the terms of the contract. Upon receiving the reports, we will discuss our response and I relay the information to the buyer's agent.
• If any repairs are needed/agreed to, I would be happy to supply contact information for reputable tradesman. I will also schedule the work and be present while it is conducted.
• From time of contract to closing, I will handle any communication between you and the buyers through their agent. I will also ensure that all terms of the contract are adhered to such as the date specified for loan approval.
• I will coordinate with the closing attorney to ensure all documentation is in order prior to settlement.
• If any surprises rear their head throughout the process, I am your advocate and expert. It is my goal to resolve issues to your satisfaction.
• At the closing table and beyond I make every effort to serve your best interests. As a sounding board, a resource, a confidant and a real estate expert, I endeavor to earn and keep your trust and respect.