Taking the Stress Out of Relocation - Relocation Tips

A new career opportunity, or retirement, sometimes means that your family will need, or want to relocate to another town. The decision to move is often arrived after careful consideration of various factors including the other partner’s career, the effects on the children’s educational and recreational activities; and financial issues. In addition, it often means leaving behind family and friends.

If you are the “trailing” partner, it may fall to you to get your new home up and running, the kids in school and possibly finding a new position for yourself. This can be overwhelming. Here are some tips to help relieve the stress of relocation.

Besides helping you to find a new home, our Real Estate Professionals can also be a great resource in your relocation. Our real estate agents have insights on our area’s job market, finding a doctor, schools/colleges, recreational activities, and much, much more. They can also connect you to new people in your new community from local places of worship, continuing education classes and volunteerism.

Don’t try and accomplish everything at once. Make a list and divide it into three categories: Immediate, Secondary and Down the Road. Set your own timetable. Most importantly, don’t push yourself by setting unrealistic goals. Moving is a process and it will take time for you to get acclimated to your new home and community.

Our Real Estate Professionals can be your complete newcomer source in the Western North Carolina area. Call us now and buy with knowledge and confidence.

Making Sense Out of Real Estate Lingo

As with all industries, Real Estate Professionals have developed a lingo and acronyms to help them communicate with each other more easily. For the first-time homebuyer (and some veterans) making sense of property listings can sometimes leave you feeling like you’re deciphering the DaVinci Code.

What is the MLS? When you list with Prudential Great Smokys Realty, your property will be listed in our MLS (Multiple Listing Service). MLS’s are comprised of a group of real estate brokers who have agreed to share their property listings. Those listings are then provided to the group through a database or directory. If you are buying, this is the service that your agent will use to search for potential homes for you to purchase. If selling, your agent will list your home through the MLS.

What is a CMA? A Comparative Marketing Analysis is an informal assessment of a property’s market value. This is one of the tools your real estate professional can use to help you determine a reasonable listing price. Usually, the CMA compares your property with similar properties that have sold in your area within a certain time frame.

Now, let’s take a look at a sample real estate listing: 2,500 sf on a C-D.S, 2BR/2BA, CA, spac grt rm w/wbfp, grmt kit & det gar. This sample looks a lot like alphabet soup, but using this type of abbreviation property descriptions saves valuable advertising space.

Some abbreviations you’ll probably encounter are:

AC or A/C: air conditioning
BR: bedroom
BA: bathroom
CA: central air
C-D-S: cul-de sac
DET: detached
DK: deck
EIK: eat in kitchen
FDR: formal dining room
FP: fireplace
GAR: garage
KIT: kitchen
GRMT KIT: gourmet kitchen
GRT RM: great room
LR: living room
OFC: office
PVT: private
SF: square feet
SPAC: spacious
VW or VU: view
WBFP: wood-burning fireplace

During your real estate process, you’ll more than likely come across more acronyms and lingo. Make sure you ask your Real Estate Professional to explain any terms you are unfamiliar with so that you are not in for any surprises.

By the way, the listing acronyms above means: a 2,500 square-foot home on a cul-de-sac, with two bedrooms and two and a half baths, central air, a spacious Great Room with a wood-burning fireplace, and a gourmet kitchen and detached garage.