Sweet and Southern is what Bill Gallagher always says.  Bill owns Superior School of Real Estate in Charlotte NC but teaches Real Estate Classes throughout the state of North Carolina.  Bill’s school teaches preliscening and post licensing including the mandatory update and electives. To stay licensed in NC, the North Carolina Real Estate Commission requires that each licensee take a 4-hour mandatory class as well as a 4-hour elective.  Bill is one of the premier instructors for North Carolina real estate.  I have known Bill for over 12 years and have laughed and learned a lot from him.  I want to share with you some of Bill’s more notable stories that go along with the lesson so you too will get an idea of Bill’s method of laughing and learning.

I have to tell about the “wild animal.”  Bill was once the broker-in-charge of the Prudential South park office.  He had an agent that went to show a house that had two de-clawed kitties in it.  There was a sign on the door that read: Please don’t let out the two de-clawed kitties out.  The agent was careful not to let the two de-clawed kitties out but inadvertently let the neighborhood tomcat in. When the owners got home from the Hornets basketball game the house was shredded.  The people told Bill that they didn’t know kitties could fly!  Fortunately for everyone involved the insurance covered it by reporting that a “wild animal” got in the house.  Bill has several funny animal stories including “the seeing eye pony” and the invisible fencing collar for a Doberman that the people put on their poodle to try to save money and the dog has to see therapist now.  You’ll have to take Bill’s class to hear these and many more.

While Bill was at Prudential he had another agent Vonda Lee.  Oh my there are more Vonda Lee stories than I have space to tell about.  Vonda Lee game back from a listing appointment once and said, “That house has the worst case of Radon gas I have ever smelled” Bill told her “Vonda Lee you can’t smell Radon Gas”   “Well something stank,” replied Vonda Lee.  As it turns out it was the sewage treatment center off Park Rd that Vonda smelled.  From then on Bill didn’t have his agents bring people down Park when bringing them from the airport to the office.  He had them come down Wilkinson Blvd by the Paper Doll Lounge.  Wee welcome to Charlotte. Vonda drove a Jaguar and carried a pistol in her purse.  Everyone found this out one day when she came walking into the office with a gun hanging out of her purse.  A few agents came running to Bill “Bill, Voda’s got a gun, Bill Vonda’s got a gun” Bill had to talk to her “Vonda, is everything alright?  Is everything Ok?  You aren’t mad at anybody are you?” I used to think Bill was making this woman up but I actually meet her during one of Bill’s update classes at Birkdale.   She asked me to hold her shoes while she took of running bare foot to roll the windows up on her Jaguar, err uh Lexus now (she told me) as it was beginning to rain.

Now in NC if a broker receives any bonus or incentive from a builder or seller it has to be disclosed to the buyer.  Speaking of full disclosure Bill tells the story of a woman in Myers Park Presbyterian Church whose cell phone goes off in church.  “She bent over in the pew and talked on it,” says Bill.  He says after the sermon he told the preacher who it was “Full Disclosure” Tell it, tell it, tell it.  

Bill also tells a story about me inspecting the wrong house.  The woman came home while I was inspecting it and asked me what I was doing.  I told her that I was inspecting her house.  She said go right ahead and she got a free home inspection from me.  Bill is great.  I try to take his classes every year.  If you too would like to get you r require credits but at the same time laugh and learn contact Superior School of Real Estate at http://www.ssore.com or me Preston Sandlin at http://www.homeinspectioncarolina.com

Buying a home is a big-time real estate investment and has to be done with great prudence. Knowing where not to buy a home is as important as are the dos and don’ts of buying a home.

Of the many top ten lists on CNNMoney.com, there is listed the top ten overvalued cities in America where it is better not to buy a home for the next two years or so. The report states a variety of reasons for the unfavorable market conditions.

Five cities in California – Bakersfield, Fresno, Merced, Sacramento and Stockton, figure among the top ten cities that have the least possibility of home price appreciation. Home prices have reached a new high (by nearly 60%) in these areas over the past two years. With an economy driven by agriculture and relatively higher unemployment rates anticipated for that area, the real estate market is predicted to slump in the region.

Although three cities in Florida are recommended as good real estate buys, the report also cites four others in Southwest Florida that fall among the very bottom of the list. With home prices here expected to plummet very soon, cities like Fort Myers, Naples, Punta Gorda and Sarasota are those that one would do best to avoid for a year’s time or so, while buying a home or a condo.

Market prices are expected to decline in the Jersey Shore (New Jersey) area that saw a radical boom in the last two quarters. Although home prices in the third quarter have rebounded from the slight drop during the second quarter, the bubble is expected to burst soon and the overpriced market is likely to stabilize. The popular seaside cities of New Jersey, Atlantic City and Ocean city are anticipated to fall under the unfavorable list.

In Phoenix, Arizona, a hot favorite among investors last year, sliding home prices may to be an unavoidable occurrence in the next 12 months. With home prices dropping by more than $100,000 in some residential developments and investors trying to sell off their property, it is safer to wait for a year or longer before investing here.

Economists at Moody’s Economy.com also predict a sharp decline in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, California’s Inland Empire.

The bottom ten cities that are likely to see major drops in median home prices during the coming year are Stockton, (leading the list with a predicted fall of 9.7%), Merced, Reno/Sparks, Fresno, Vallejo/Fairfield, Las Vegas, Bakersfield, Sacramento, Washington, D.C and Tucson.

Given these fluctuating real estate market conditions, one should exercise a great deal of caution when investing in real estate. It makes sense to get the expert advice of a real estate agent to advise you about your next home purchase, since agents often have access to the most up-to-date real estate market data and neighborhood pricing trends.

Gurgaon—the most happening business destination in northern India—is also a dream location to reside.

As a subject of intense commercial development, companies operating their businesses from Gurgaon are on streak to expand their operations.

As we know that the IT and its related industries like ITeS and BPO have already set a strong foothold in this integral part of National Capital Region (NCR) region, other industries like banking, financial, automobiles and telecom have also strengthened its roots in the thriving economy.

The all around expansion activities in the city have paved way for a massive number of people to pursue a host of employment opportunities available here.

Now that you are employed, you need to have a home at top priority. Of course, you need to know the scenario of rental property in Gurgaon before arriving at any decisions.

A backgrounder

To your delight, Gurgaon offers you an enviable quality of life. The city with an area of about 2,100 sq. km. is comparatively smaller than the metropolitans but is never behind in terms of ongoing developments and growth potential.

As far as housing in Gurgaon is concerned, you can always choose among flats, independent floors and duplexes. Generally, renting apartment in Gurgaon is considered as the most feasible option.

Most of the apartments are equipped with facilities like power back-up, cupboards, etc along with the general ones like constant water supply, security system, spacious parking lots, gardens etc.

The rentals vary from Rs 7,000 to Rs 1-lakh a month, depending upon the location, area, quality of construction and associated facilities.

Don’t go astray

Moreover, a number of residential projects are underway all around and there is a regular addition of newly-built flats in Gurgaon. India’s most prestigious real estate developers like DLF, Unitech and Ansals have set their base in Gurgaon and have several successful residential projects in credit.

However, the issue comes in the form of getting the house of your choice and comfort within a strict timeframe. In order to rent a flat, you can seek professional assistance to avoid wastage of time, money and energy in searching a house at nooks and corners of the city.