The answer is yes to all buyers. I have included this in the articles for sellers also for good reason. I am a true believer unless you are a experienced home inspector or a general contractor licensed in electrical, heating, air and plumbing you need someone familiar with all of these systems to look at your home you are getting ready to buy. You never want to buy something with out all of the information. Buyer beware or Caveat emptor allot of us have heard this term in cars and Real Estate and it still rings true. The problem could be something that the seller had no idea about, something they were not trying to hide.

The purchase of a home, be it for personal use or investment, is a major purchase and expense so it is best to take all the precautions you can. When you first get ready to buy go ahead and start interviewing home inspectors. They will be an important part of your team. Research the area for them, talk to your agent, ask friends that have just made a home purchase and then interview them in person. Find out their qualifications and experience, get references of past clients. Check and make sure they are licensed. Never use someone who is not licensed. Make sure you understand their policies and limitations don’t just go for the cheapest - make sure you feel comfortable with them.

I would like to point out now that the sellers will not repair all the items found on a home inspection report, but any operating system and safety problems should be taken care of. Make sure you understand the paragraphs that cover home inspections in your offer to purchase. The 2-4 hundred dollars you spend now could save you 2-4 thousand and up down the road. Most foreclosure, bank and VA owned homes are bought as-is where is (make sure you understand all the forms you sign) I still recommend doing a home inspection to get an accurate picture of the condition.

Why would I recommend a seller do a Home Inspection? So they are aware of any operational or safety issues. A lot of items I have seen are loose screws or items easily repaired by the seller. When I am the seller I want to know if there is anything that needs to be taken care of.

I want to start a new post for Fridays. Something short that talks about our Real Estate market here in Fayetteville, Hope Mills, Raeford and surrounding areas, that sums up rates and sales and tips on New Construction, Existing and Investment properties. Homes below $150,000.00 continue to move well. I received a call from a gentleman today who stated “It’s a buyers market”. I let him know that it depended on the price range. I listed a house for a family member last Friday and by Wednesday had 2 offers one that was full priced.

Don’t believe all thats in the news. We have 3 new construction neighborhoods we are currently working on to get developed and start construction. My advise has always been I want to be one of the first homes built in a new area, and it has paid off well for my clients from 3 and 4 years ago as we sell their homes because of orders.

Buyers have seen some deals in the upper price ranges - take your time looking around plenty of choices and options. The investment property remained the same. The good ones got offers quickly and the bad ones got price reductions. Please add any comments or questions to the posts, or contact me if I can help you in anyway.

I arose early this morning as normal; put the coffee on went out and grabbed the paper to see what was happening. I was hit with the normal onslaught of murder, crime and wrecks, and then in the Business Section I was hit again with the news of layoffs in the Mortgage industry, Real estate sales tumble. Real estate sales at all time low, Sub-prime loans going into foreclosure. I thought, “Man this looks terrible for everyone. Should I even go to work today?” But knowing what I do about our market I am going to dig in and find out how it really is here in Fayetteville.

So I looked for the areas our MLS covers Fayetteville, Fort Bragg, Hope Mills, Spring Lake, and Raeford. Along with Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, and a few other counties and small towns. Keep in mind the MLS is not a know all, it is only as good as the information we as brokers and agents enter into it. I looked at sales data from September 13-September 13 for the years of 03-04, 04-05, 05-06, and 06-07. These are the numbers I found:

• 03-04 there were 6192 Residential properties closed
• 04-05 there were 7341 Residential properties closed
• 05-06 there were 8275 Residential properties closed
• 06-07 there were 7566 Residential properties closed

To me that shows steady growth except for this year, which is not that far behind considering everyone is deployed with the troop surge we have had and this years numbers are still above ‘03 and ‘04.

I don’t think we should be concerned with the home sales in Orlando or California because I think our glass is half full with BRAC (Base Re-Alignment Commission) and the hopefully soon safe return of our Troop/Hero’s home. Remember these are my opinions please feel free to add your own.