c/charlotte-real-estate

Paid $500 for a home inspection that missed the big stuff

Hired a highly rated inspector off Google for a 1960s ranch in Plaza Midwood last month, and he walked through in 2 hours claiming everything was solid. Found out from my HVAC guy that the ductwork is completely disconnected in three spots and the panel has aluminum wiring mixed with copper, which is a fire hazard. Anyone else get burned by a lazy inspector, or is it just luck of the draw with these guys?

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ramirez.daniel•2d ago

My earnest money check sat for 3 weeks before I figured out escrow

First time buying a place in Charlotte, I sent my earnest money to the title company and figured that was that. Three weeks later I saw the check still was not cashed, so I called my agent in a panic. She laughed and told me the seller's attorney holds it until closing, not the title company. That whole time I thought my offer was falling apart because the money was just sitting there. Turns out the way escrow works here is different than what I assumed from reading national forums. Nobody explains this until you ask the right person. Did anyone else get tripped up by local closing norms on their first offer?

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ross.jason•3d ago

My listing photos from 2018 vs now, the difference is wild

Back in 2018 I shot every house with my old Canon and a kit lens, wide angle that made bedrooms look like bowling alleys. I'd show up at 11am on a sunny day, no staging, no thought about shadows or angles. The photos worked okay because buyers had less to compare, but I got a lot of 'the house looks bigger online' complaints. Last month I listed a 3-bed ranch in Plaza Midwood and hired a photographer who uses a tripod, brackets exposures, and shoots at golden hour. Same house, same square footage, but the listing got 40 showings in 5 days versus maybe 12 back then. The only catch is I had to schedule around the light and pay $150 extra, but the feedback from agents was all about how the photos matched the walkthrough perfectly. Has anyone else seen a big jump in showing numbers just from upgrading their photo game? I'm curious if it's the photos or the market that's changed more.

c/charlotte-real-estate

Paid $500 for a home inspection that missed the big stuff

My earnest money check sat for 3 weeks before I figured out escrow

My listing photos from 2018 vs now, the difference is wild

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Two year flip in NoDa looked like a different house entirely

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The County Tax Card Lied About My Sq Ft And It Cost Me An Appraisal

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Shoutout to the county tax records for clearing up my whole 'fair price' confusion

The open house where a raccoon stole the staging fruit

The 3D tour I laughed at sold my house in 11 days

My $52,000 lesson from comparing tax records on Mecklenburg's site

Client said my listing photos looked 'too perfect', here's what I changed

Buyer feedback flipped my whole staging approach last month

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The day the old timers at the Charlotte builder's supply set me straight on pricing

Hot take: Carpenter-built cabinets are way overpriced for most homes

I finally stopped chasing the HOA rules after a $350 mistake

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