Boost Your Hendersonville Home’s Curb Appeal in a Single Weekend! It’s usually the curb appeal Hendersonville properties put out there that either plants a winning first impression…or a ho-hum (maybe it’s more interesting inside) reaction. This holds for casual passers-by as well as serious prospects who are pulling up for a scheduled house showing. It’s simply true: you never get a second chance to make a first impression.  If you will be listing your home this summer, adding a thoughtful extra touch or two to the outside can transform your Hendersonville property’s curb appeal into its first strong selling point. After all, what buyer won’t favor a home they’d be proud to have friends and co-workers visit? Here are some simple and affordable projects—each of which can be started and f... 05/18/2014

When is Prime Time to Sell Your Second/Vacation Home? Before April 15th came and went, perhaps you and your accountant had one of those occasional chats about your assets and liabilities. If owning your vacation home in Hendersonville has resulted in more taxes or less financial gain than you’d planned for—or if you and your family just don’t use the place as often as you used to–this spring or summer is a good time to consider selling. If you have lost some love for your extra house, but don’t want to go through the rigmarole of renting it out season-to-season, the selling alternative could be at hand.   USA Today recently featured an article headlined, “How to Sell Vacation Property.” In it, author Jennifer Eblin pointed out, “Your real estate agent should understand that selling a va... 05/12/2014

Hendersonville Keller Williams RED Day is here May 8, 2014 Introduced in 2009, RED Day, which stands for Renew, Energize and Donate, is Keller Williams Realty's annual day of service. Each year on the second Thursday of May, associates spend the day away from their businesses serving worthy organizations and causes in their communities. RED Day is just another example of our commitment to each other and to the cities and towns where we live and work. Join us in Hendersonville! We will be all over town, so just look for us in masses of red shirts as we Give Where We Live! 05/07/2014

Beverly-Hanks and Associates has a new Hendersonville office location! Stop by and see our elegant new building, located in the heart of Historic Downtown Hendersonville.  We are now located at 512 North Main Street in Hendersonville, NC 28792. Stop by and visit with me and see what we have to offer.  05/05/2014

The Quandary of Rental Property—When to Sell! The Market is picking up. Should I sell? It’s one of the skills a successful Hendersonville rental property investor needs to cultivate: if or when to sell. With property prices on the rise, some Hendersonville landlords may in fact be asking themselves whether now is the time to cash in. Especially for most everyone whose rental property investment was made during the last few years, it’s already been a profitable gambit. According to the Case Schiller Index, by last year’s close, property prices across the nation had risen at the fastest rate in the previous nine years.  But if—and then when—to sell a Hendersonville rental property can be a tough call. As a relatively non-liquid investment, it takes a great deal more commitment than the de... 04/29/2014

Hendersonville Offer Accepted? Now the Inspection Process Congrats! Your offer has been accepted and you are officially in Due Diligence. Now what?  Usually the first order of business is to arrange your Hendersonville home inspection. When you were house hunting, you were weighing so many factors it was next to impossible to thoroughly examination of every nook and corner of every one of the serious contenders…in fact, it wasn’t necessary. But now that you’re moving forward to a purchase, you want to do more than kick the tires. It’s time to get under the hood! Here is a taste of just some of the areas you and your inspector will be examining during your Hendersonville home inspection: Plumbing You will be taking a close look at the tiles around the handles on the bath tub or shower. I... 04/22/2014

Pardee Hospital Ranked Number 7 in The Nation for Safety The little town of Hendersonville got some great news this month. Their very own Pardee Hospital was ranked #7 in the nation for their Hospital Safety Score. They combined five safety categories into a score of 1-100, using Mortality, Re-admission, Scanning, Infections and Communication. Pardee came in with a 73 point score out of 100. Numbers were based on the latest records available to them, and for 2,591 hospitals all over the country. With more than 440,000 deaths a year around the country related to medical errors, it is nice to know we are in good hands here in Hendersonville. What makes the difference, according to this report, are things like making sure staff communicate clearly with patients about medications, preventin... 04/22/2014

Can PMI Help You Buy A Home? Many of Hendersonville’s would-be first time home buyers are stopped short when they come up against the need to raise the initial deposit. But just because you don’t have a hefty down payment, it needn’t mean you can’t own your own home. You can still purchase a house with less than a 20% down payment if you are otherwise qualified—that is, if you take advantage of something called private mortgage insurance (“PMI”). The reason there is a market for private mortgage insurance in Hendersonville is because lenders face an increased risk when they issue a loan with a low down payment. The simple fact is that the less money a home buyer invests in a property, the greater the possibility that he or she will choose to simply walk away. Someone with 5% equity in a... 04/13/2014

 Hendersonville Listing Photography is More Than a One-Shot Deal In advertising, they call the photo that glamorizes a product its ‘hero shot.’ In the case of a Hendersonville Real Estate Listing, the pictures that accompany the written description can all be hero shots, if enough care is taken. In one Auburn University study (The Relationship between Property Price, Time-on-Market, and Photo Depictions in a Multiple Listing Service), it was found that adding a single photograph to a listing could lift the final sale price by as much as 3.9%. That’s not surprising, but what is noteworthy is that each additional listing photograph added several hundred dollars to the final selling price. In other words, it’s not just the curbside photo at the top of an Hendersonville listing that should ... 04/02/2014

Why Hendersonville is a Great Place for Kids! Here are two great ideas for making your child's day a great one. Team Ecco Ocean Center and Aquarium Located at 511 North Main Street in the heart of Downtown Hendersonville is a fantastic learning place for kids and adults alike! Their mission is to promote Science through interactive events. Their focus is to teach children respect of water ecosystems, and they do it through an interactive museum, an aquarium and classes. Their education involves classes on the sea and respect for the ocean, reptiles, and travel to various waterways locally as well as out of state. The aquarium and reptile collections are extensive and educational, but they are also FUN!  Check their site and book a spot for your child. Hendersonville Skate Park Did you k... 03/23/2014

Market Report for Henderson County February 2014   The number of Homes Sold in February for Henderson County in February was 89. This number was down from 117 in January, but still up from last February’s 76 homes sold. The Days a Home was on the Market for February was 222. This number was up from January’s 187, but down from last February’s 241. The Median Price a home sold for in February was $189,900. This number was up from January’s $177,500, and up from $142,500. The List to Sell Ratio percentage was 94% of the last listing price. This was down from last month’s 95%, as well as last year’s 95%. Are you curious about how these numbers will affect your next real estate transaction? If so, call Rhonda. She is the local expert. 03/05/2014

Avoid the 6 Biggest Hendersonville Home Seller Mistakes You have decided to sell your house. What can seem like a purely business-like transaction can be an emotionally charged choice, and you must prepare yourself to walk the home-seller's path with wisdom, patience and flexibility. To avoid getting frustrated, first of all look at the real estate climate around you and realize that even if your price is reasonable and your house is very nice, your turnaround might not come quickly as you expect. But don't despair! If you avoid the most common house seller mistakes, you'll have the upper hand in today's competitive housing market and you'll achieve your sale without unnecessary fuss. According to a survey of 1,000 Realtors®, these are the six most common seller mistakes.   Overpriced H... 02/11/2014

Top Reasons a Hendersonville Area Home Does Not Sell Active Rain, a Real Estate blogging site, just did a survey with 1,000 Realtors®, asking what the top three mistakes were for home sellers, and this chart represents the results. Let's take a look at each of these six from a buyers perspective. Example One: An Over-priced home We all know that over 95% of buyers start their search on-line. And with today's technology buyers do their research. By the time they arrive at a home to see what it looks like in person, they have scoured the internet. They know what the value of your home is. Chances are they know the value of every home in your neighborhood, and community that falls in the price they can buy at. But just in case they don't know that, I can guarantee that their Realtor knows ... 02/06/2014

Homes for Heroes Hendersonville NC What is Homes for Heroes? Homes for Heroes is a community-minded company whose purpose is to provide real rebates and real discounts for heroes who are buying or selling a home. Our founders looked around and saw that many of the important people who made it possible for us to live in our communities could not afford to buy homes in our communities. So, instead of talking about it, they decided to do something about it. Mission Statement Our mission is to provide extraordinary savings to local heroes who provide extraordinary services to our community every day. Who qualifies as a hero? Heroes include but are not limited to: military personnel, teachers, firefighters, peace officers, health care workers. How much will you save? Savings vary due to the ... 01/22/2014

For Hendersonville NC Sellers: Seasonal Tips for Selling Your Home If you are selling your Hendersonville area home, winter has hit, the trees are bare and your home may be in need of some seasonal sprucing up. Here are some winter tips for you. Tip #1 The leaves are off the trees. Your gutters may need a second cleaning (or even a first!). Buyers see overflowing gutters as deferred maintenance and may shy away based on these kinds of things. Make sure the last of the leaves are not only cleaned out of gutters, but also from the landscaping, patio's and driveways. This is a first impression, and they are lasting for buyers as well as agents. Tip #2 If your flower beds are looking dull and brown, spruce them up with winter flowers like mums, or even potted winter plants. Check with your ... 12/15/2013

Hendersonville NC Local Food Guide Are you a foodie? If so, the Hendersonville area is a great place for good local buys. Here are all of the places to find what you need. Tailgate Markets We have an incredible amount of local produce, from early spring until late fall. You can find local stands all over, but here are a few in town that are a great start. The Hendersonville Curb Market has produce as well as crafts and baked goods. Located at 221 North Church Street, they are open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 8am to 2pm (closed on Thursday's from January to March). In the spring they have a great collection of plants on sale, from veggie starters to flowers and shrubs. Henderson County Tailgate Market is located at 100 North King Street, in the City Water Department parking lot, ... 12/12/2013

Rich Cooke has a new Mobile App for Buyers  If you are a buyer looking for Homes for Sale in the Hendersonville and Laurel Park area, this app is for you! Click the image and get directions for setting up my new app on any mobile device. From then on, you can see the closest 25 homes for sale anywhere you stand. You can locate Open Houses, find Rentals and much more. Search by drawing a circle or shape on your device screen and you can find all of the homes for sale in a particular area.  The possibilities are endless, and this app is so easy to put on your device and use. If you are looking for a new Hendersonville or Laurel Park Home, this is the app for you. It will show all homes for sale in Western North Carolina's four area (Henderson, Buncombe, Transylvania and Polk Counties). Ri... 08/21/2013

Where is the best place to retire?   According to USA Today, it's right here in our little town of Hendersonville NC. Living in the mountains of small town Hendersonville with all of the advantages of a cultural big city makes this a great place! But don't take our word for it. Read the article for yourself and see why we are #1! 06/07/2013

Hendersonville NC Market Report: May 2013 The numbers are in for the Month of May, and you can see them all by going to Rich's Western North Carolina Real Estate Website. But the numbers look good, with homes moving fast. If you are thinking about selling your Hendersonville area home, feel free to call Rich and see how understanding the market will assist you in better selling your Hendersonville home. See all of the numbers now. 06/07/2013

Henderson County saw 135 Homes close during the month of April, keeping a close pace with March's 139 closings. Last year April saw only 96 homes close. This year has seen a significant rise in sales. Days on Market has fallen for the sixth month in a row, with April showing 170 days from Listing to an offer. The Median Sales Price has risen to $175,000, up $3000 from last month and up from $165,450 from last April. These numbers have slowly but steadily been on the rise as well. The List to Sell ratio, dropped to 93%, after seeing a four month steady climb. The ratio represents the amount of percentage of money the seller get from the sale of the home, compared to the last listing price. Numbers have shown that pricing correctly from the start will yield significantly more in a sales p... 05/14/2013