The Boone office of CENTURY 21® Elliott Properties announced that Kay Donivant is joining the office and will serve as general sales manager. “Kay has a wealth of experience in sales and sales management,” said Martitia Mortimer, managing partner of the Boone office. “I am also very impressed by her... click here for more

QUESTION:  When a homebuyer uses a Realtor as a buyer’s agent, who pays that Realtor’s commission when a deal is closed?CHARLIE:  Asking who pays a Realtor’s commission is not really all that different from asking who pays the wages and salaries of employees at the supermarket. Obviously, supermarket officials write... click here for more

By Charlie Elliott The first time I heard the phrase, “To everything there is a season,” was in 1965 when the folk-rock group, The Byrds, released their No. 1 hit song entitled, “Turn, Turn, Turn.” The words and music to this song had been penned in 1959 by Pete Seeger, and... click here for more

QUESTION: I've had my house up for sale for six months, and it's been priced fairly for the area and still hasn't sold. Should I take it off the market for a while? If so, for how long? What's the rule of thumb on these matters? CHARLIE: It is not... click here for more

QUESTION: What is a short sale and how does it work? CHARLIE: Investors in stocks, probably have a different understanding of a short sale, than those in real estate. For those unfamiliar, a stock short sale means selling a stock that a seller does not own. This stock is... click here for more

QUESTION: When buying a home, what should the percentage of repair and maintenance cost be compared to the price of the home? CHARLIE: If you are considering purchasing a home and think that the house payment will be all of your cost of ownership, you may want to take another... click here for more

QUESTION.: Who pays the Realtor’s commission in a home sale? CHARLIE: As most of you who have sold a home through a Realtor know, typically the Realtor’s commission is deducted from the proceeds of the sale on the closing statement from the seller’s side of the ledger. This would appear... click here for more

QUESTION: Should the buyer and the seller use the same attorney on the sale of a house? CHARLIE: Should you trust the advice of an attorney representing other parties in the same real estate transaction with you? Can you assume that an attorney, whom you may not even know, is... click here for more

Question: I need to make a choice between a home in a new subdivision or an older home in an established neighborhood. They both have advantages and disadvantages. For instance, the new home has more modern design elements like larger closets and updated appliances, while the older house has a... click here for more

Question:  What are the benefits to getting your home inspected before you put it on the market? Answer:  Getting a home inspection prior to putting a house on the market is perhaps one of the best investments a homeowner can make in his or her home. The benefits of obtaining... click here for more

When there are more homes for sale than the market demands, the advantage in the real estate transaction shifts to the buyer. Often called a “buyer’s market,” it means the purchasing party holds most of the power. Add to that a softening economy, higher unemployment rates and escalating prices, and... click here for more

If you are a first-time homebuyer, or if you are a seasoned pro at the fine art of selecting the largest investment most of us will ever make, it’s never too late to re-examine the criteria for making that selection.Once I bought a home, Home A. I held it for... click here for more