A Great Experience Working With The Poltrock Team

Posted by I Love Murphy on

The Poltrock Team helped us find a new home and sell our previous home. Working with The Poltrock Team has been a great experience for us. They are very knowledgeable about the surrounding area and sales statistics for properties bought and sold. They have a great video that is posted weekly which lists new and changes on existing properties. This is very helpful when following a particular listing or looking for just the right property. They were very helpful when it came to suggestions on buying and selling our properties. They listened to our requirements for a new home and made suggestions about selling our prior property.

Thank you to The Poltrock Team for all your help. We love our new home!

~~Rick & Kim Nelson, Blairsville, GA

 

Joe Hanlon Has Great Experience Buying Land from The Poltrock Team at REMAX in Murphy NC

Posted by I Love Murphy on

I have been a Certified Public Accountant and accountant for more than twenty four years. Before my career as an accountant, I was a licensed real estate sales person and qualified to become a real estate broker; the purpose of my letter is to provide a qualified testimonial about Mr. John Poltrock and The Poltrock Team at RE/MAX Realty in Murphy, North Carolina.

I have had the pleasure of working with The Poltrock Team, more specifically John, over the course of the last eighteen months. During this time, I have found John to be an exceptional Realtor. He has always expressed a sincere interest in working with me,  has always been patient (eighteen months) with me, and he has provided accurate information to me about the properties he represents. John is exceptional; I would recommend anyone to list a property with him or to allow him to find the right property for your needs and wants.

Joe Hanlon, CPA. CITP
Stuart, FL

Early April Murphy NC Real Estate Market Update

Posted by I Love Murphy on

Good afternoon! If you’re not in Murphy right now, you’re missing out on TONS of rain! It’s coming down by the bucket full!

March proved itself by being a great real estate month! 25 homes sold in March – surpassing every month so far this year. There’s lots of activity on the ground and lots of agents are showing. Many of our properties have been getting a great level of showings and we have quite a few of them under contract. The market has 44 homes pending sale – many of which will close this April.

I just finished publishing our Exclusive Market Absorption Report, and to get your copy, you have to be a subscriber to our Murphy NC Real Estate Update! Email me now to join! You can see trends, pricing tiers, and activity on each. Months supply indicates how many months it will take to sell the current inventory at the current selling volume. Generally, anything less than 12 months indicates a seller’s market and anything greater than 12 months is a buyer’s market.

You must be a subscriber of The POLTROCK TEAM’s
Murphy NC Bi-Weekly Real Estate Update to get the Link to
the sold properties for March 2010.
See sold prices, pictures, and descriptions of what’s sold!
Email John at JohnPoltrock@gmail.com and join our SOLD Update for Free!

We’re finding this to be a great time to sell – believe it or not! There’s been more activity this year – and we are surpassing 2008 & 2009’s second quarter results already! 2008 averaged only 18 homes per month and 2009 average 21 homes per quarter – that’s a 19% improved over ’09 and a staggering 39% improvement over 2008! Buyer confidence is up and people are itching to buy!

There are still a lot of foreclosures in the process that are “shadow inventory” which are scheduled to come on the market in the future. Foreclosures, short sales, and other economical drivers are pushing prices down as illustrated below:

Average Selling Price

  • Q1 2009 – $165,888
  • Q2 2009 – $157,442
  • Q3 2009 – $161,964
  • Q4 2009 – $147,195
  • Q1 2010 – $132,809

Likely over this year, we will continue to see a slight decline in prices unless volume of transactions increases tremendously, which is possible! I’m finding in many cases its far better to go ahead and sell properties while they are worth more. Land especially falls in this category with almost 2000 parcels of land for sale, we have a 400 month supply or a 33 YEAR SUPPLY of land for sale! Prices have no where to go with land but down. The large majority of those are lots, which are the most affected.

With that said, we’re working hard for you! We’re having a great year with tremendous buyer interest. We appreciate the opportunity to work for you and do so tirelessly. If there’s anything we can do to help you, get your property sold, or if you know someone looking to buy and find a great deal, let us know. THANK YOU and we hope you have a great Spring!

Looking for one of those great deals to buy or sell your property and get the most you can? Contact The Poltrock Team Today!

John Poltrock – The Poltrock Team – RE/MAX Mountain Properties in Murphy NC – www.MyMurphy.com – Call Toll Free 1-866-Murphy-NC or 1-866-687-7496 – JohnPoltrock@gmail.com

Bill and Cheryl Get and Excellent Real Estate Buy in Murphy NC

Posted by I Love Murphy on
It’s hard to believe we’re Murphy-onians as you call us! After we found you on your Internet site, we read all the Testimonials you have and decided to contact you. You went out of your way to make yourself available to show us real estate on such short notice. What amazed us most was how many properties you found that actually fit our description! You found us THE ONE. Thank you for being so friendly, courteous, and professional. There’s no doubt we’d refer you to our friends and family!
Bill and Cheryl Norris
Ball Ground, GA

High Mountain Elevation and Peaks of Cherokee County and Murphy, North Carolina NC

Posted by I Love Murphy on

Mountain View of the Appalachian Mountain RangeThe mountains of Murphy, North Carolina yield spectacular mountain views that can leave any mountain lover in sheer awe. In fact, I don’t think you can ever grow tired of the mountain views that God has blessed Western North Carolina with. We are asked a lot of questions about the elevations here, and here are some answers to the many questions we receive. If you have more, please be sure to email me at JohnPoltrock@gmail.com and we’ll help you any way we can.

Where is Murphy in relation to the North Carolina Mountains? Cherokee County is the westernmost county in North Carolina and has wide range of elevations. Murphy boasts the Appalachian Mountains and all the beauty they offer.

What’s the elevation of Murphy NC itself? Downtown Murphy is at one of the lowest elevations in the county at 1,600 feet. It is actually situated right by Hiwassee and Valley Rivers.

What’s the highest elevation? They highest part of the county is at two different points at 5,040 feet at the corners of Cherokee, Clay, and Macon counties and at the Cherokee, Graham, and Tennessee line. Many of the extremely high summits like these are part of US Forest Service Land.

At what elevation can I get great mountain views? This is a bit of a loaded question. There are SPECTACULAR mountain views at 2,000 feet. You can see for miles and in many cases see into Georgia and/or Tennessee at 2,000 feet. Anything above that is one of the greatest icings on the cake. Are you looking for properties that have great mountain views? Search our listings, the entire Murphy NC MLS System, or use our Dream Home Finder and we’ll send you the properties that fit your wishlist!

I don’t want to be at the top of the mountain – but I want views. What can I do? If you don’t want to be on a steep mountain, fear not! We can certainly find you a property that is lower elevation looking out at the mountains. That’s the beauty of Murphy – we’ve got views like this too!

Where can I find a map of the elevations in Murphy NC? We are blessed with a great mapping department. You can view and download the map of “Predominant Summits” in Cherokee County and Murphy NC by clicking the link. It’s a large PDF file at almost 20 MB, so please be patient during the download. I can assure you it’s worth the wait!

If you need help with real estate in the Mountains of Murphy, NC, get in touch with us! You can email JohnPoltrock@gmail.com or call toll free 1-866-687-7496.

John Poltrock, Certified Residential Specialist – The POLTROCK TEAM at REMAX of Murphy NC – www.MyMurphy.com – Murphy’s #1 Real Estate Team

The Poltrock Team’s Bi-Weekly SOLD Real Estate Update for Murphy NC – August 2009 Edition

Posted by I Love Murphy on

Back to school! Even my daughter is excited to be back to school at Murphy Elementary – which is a true blessing! Schools are starting all over the United States, and as a result, folks are busy. Parents and grandparents alike are busy getting their children back into the “grind.” Every year, we see a drop in new buyers coming in for 2-4 weeks during August when schools are starting back.

Even with the “Back to School” effect, the past two weeks in the real estate market have been HUGELY impressive in Murphy NC! In the past 14 days, an astronomical TWENTY-SIX properties went under contract and are currently pending totaling upwards of $4.1 million in potential real estate transactions. Coupled with the 19 properties that have sold and closed in the past 14 days, which makes for a great August when over $2.7 million is already closed in a two week period.

Over the past month, the average selling price of a home has been fluctuating from $130,253 to $148,068. July yielded the highest average selling price at $188,683. With all this being said, it makes sense that 61% of our market activity has been on properties priced $175,000 and under. With that said, we’re seeing two “holes” in the real estate inventory where supply is dwindling.

  • Properties priced at less than $100,000 are selling very well – so well in fact that supply has dropped more than 36% in the past 12 months.
  • Properties priced from $125,000 to $150,000 have benefited from a 38.3% reduction in inventory in the past year.

Interestingly enough, our new system also finds developing demand as well as price points that do not have active buyers. For example, the price range of $300,000 – $325,000 has had no demand in the past year, indicating a need for homes in those ranges to get under $300,000, which is a significantly more active price range.

Land is another category that needs attention. In the first quarter of 2009, there seemed to be no buyers searching for land. In fact, it was the lowest land sales ever since July of 2002! With that being said, we had nowhere to go but up! Sales volume in land has literally more than doubled since then and Realtors are experiencing more land buyers than we’ve had this entire year. Sales have largely been attributed to tracts less than three acres. In fact, they account for 70% of the transactions and 55% of total land dollar volume.

You must be a subscriber of The POLTROCK TEAM’s
Bi-Weekly Real Estate Update to get the Link to
the sold properties for the past 14 Days.
See sold prices, pictures, and descriptions of what’s sold!
Email John at JohnPoltrock@gmail.com and join our SOLD Update!

Sold Home Statistics
(17 listings)

Low

High

Average

Median

Total

List Price

$69,900

$479,000

$205,666

$164,800

$3,496,325

Selling Price

$59,000

$475,000

$185,235

$160,000

$3,149,000

List/Sold(%)

79.81%

104.46%

90.21%

88.93%

–

Price/SqFt ($)

$0.00

$218.25

$91.10

$106.91

–

Days on Market

45

670

255

168

–

Sold Land Statistics
(6 listings)

Low

High

Average

Median

Total

List Price

$14,900

$218,020

$91,043

$48,525

$546,260

Selling Price

$11,100

$218,020

$108,337

$110,000

$650,020

List/Sold(%)

74.50%

318.69%

127.58%

91.47%

–

Days on Market

22

497

242

255

–

2009 is an exciting year for real estate and we look forward to a continually growing market. August has been a great month and we will continue to work for more to come! We appreciate your business very much, and if there’s anything we can do to help you or someone you know, please let us know! We’re in business because of you.

Written and researched by John Poltrock of The Poltrock Team at RE/MAX Mountain Properties can be reached at 877-837-3002 or by email at JohnPoltrock@gmail.com – You can read a summarized version of this article in the business section Murphy’s #1 Newspaper – The Cherokee Scout.

You can read previous editions of the Murphy NC Real Estate Market Solds and Update by Clicking Here

July’s SOLD Real Estate Market Update Report for Murphy NC

Posted by I Love Murphy on

Good afternoon! 2009 is proving to be a beautiful summer. Lake Hiwassee is full; the weather has been great here in Murphy. Its summer and a great one at that!

All that good weather is bringing lots and lots of travelers. Driving down 64/74 (the 4 Lane as we call it), there’s tons of traffic and lots of out-of-state license plates. Tourism is great this year! Our new cabin rental company, Mountain Country Cabin Rentals, is experiencing a very good volume of renters and has several spectacular homes for rent. This is great because it means FOLKS ARE IN MURPHY!

Real estate sales volume has been holding very level this year and continues to do so. In the past two weeks, there have been 13 properties to close and an amazing 26 to go under contract. Almost one a day! If you remember from our Sold Update before July 4th, we’re down 4 closings over the past two weeks. Even down a fuzz, the great thing is that you cannot believe the hear-say. Real estate is selling.

Showings have been amazing. There are a lot of our RE/MAX agents and agents in other real estate offices burning up the roads showing homes and land. Every time I check the volume of showings on our listings, I’m pleasantly surprised at the amount of times homes have been shown. If market confidence will continue to increase, the sheer amount of showings will turn into some serious closings.

With that said, summer is getting close to being over. This year, the first day of Fall is September 22nd. That means the highest volume time of real estate selling is coming close to a close. It is proving to be very important to have your home or land well presented, priced aggressively in the marketplace, and to have exceptional marketing of it in place. 

You must be a subscriber of The POLTROCK TEAM’s
Bi-Weekly Real Estate Update to get the Link to
the sold properties for the past 14 Days.
See sold prices, pictures, and descriptions of what’s sold!
Email John at JohnPoltrock@gmail.com and join our SOLD Update!

            Of the ten homes that sold, here are some interesting market averages you should know.

  • $185,957 – The average listing price of homes
  • $167,414 – The average SOLD price of homes
  • 92.61% – The list to sell ratio – in other words, what percentage the house sold for compared to the original listing price
  • 102 – Average days on market before selling – WOW! Now that’s good! 

            It is very important at this time of the year to make sure your property is presented properly and aggressively marketed for the buyers who are out there. Your property can be on the SOLD list, and you need professional advice and marketing to get it done. Give us a call and it is our privilege to help you sell your property. If you already have a Realtor you know and trust, call them! If you’re looking to sell your home, there’s no better time than right now to do it. A professional Realtor can take these statistics and sold properties and tell you what you can expect from your property in today’s real estate market.

Written By: John Poltrock with The POLTROCK TEAM at RE/MAX Mountain Properties. You can get the results you deserve by contacting him at JohnPoltrock@gmail.com or by calling toll free 1-866-687-7496

Chris & Tom Barnes Bought Real Estate with The POLTROCK TEAM at REMAX of Murphy NC

Posted by I Love Murphy on

Chris and Tom Barnes just purchased their “dream” parcel of land in Murphy, North Carolina. They were looking for the perfect place they could come camping with their RV, and wanted a piece of real estate that didn’t prevent them from doing that. We found it! Here’s what they had to say about their experience with The POLTROCK TEAM:

We found The Poltrock Team looking online for real estate. We decided to use them because they had properties in the area we wanted to purchase. Our overall experience was very pleasant, just like we had known them for years! They knew exactly where we needed to go and what we needed to do to get things done for the electricity and whatnot. They absolutely get a 10 for service!! We’ve given out your “calling card” to people just because they like the area. We would certainly refer you!

The POLTROCK TEAM at RE/MAX Mountain Properties – www.MyMurphy.com – Call Toll-Free at 1-866-Murphy-NC or 1-866-867-7496

Murphy NC SOLD Real Estate Update – Homes and Land

Posted by I Love Murphy on

Happy (upcoming) Memorial Day! We certainly thank God and everyone who is a veteran and have supported our great country. Be certain to thank them and their families this Memorial Day as they have sacrificed as much, and in some cases more, than our soldiers have. Our country is full of heroes, and even though we are still in a struggling economy, we need to thank those heroes. We live in the greatest nation in the world, and they are the ones who have made it that way.

Real estate has been extremely busy here in Murphy NC. All of us at RE/MAX feel a surge, and I must admit that because of that, I am a bit disappointed in the numbers for the past two weeks. I am surprised to find only 13 properties have closed in the past two weeks. Based on the folks I have spoken with, I suspect our next update will be much higher. There are a lot of homes and land pending that is scheduled to close at the end of the month.

You must be a subscriber of The POLTROCK TEAM’s
Bi-Weekly Real Estate Update to get the Link to
the sold properties for the past 14 Days.
See sold prices, pictures, and descriptions of what’s sold!
Email John at JohnPoltrock@gmail.com and join our SOLD Update!

Here are some interesting factoids that you should know about what real estate is doing:

  • 16 Homes have went pending in the past 14 days (accepted contracts awaiting sale)
  • 4 Pieces of Land went pending in the past 14 days
  • 872 – The number of homes actively for sale in Cherokee County
  • 2,347 – The number of land parcels actively for sale in Cherokee County
  • 83 – Commercial properties for sale
  • 238 – The average number of days it took to sell the homes (616 days is the longest!)
  • $216,000 is the average sales price for homes (that sold in the past 14 days)
  • 89.84% – The average list/sale ratio of the homes (Think $100,000 home sold for $89,840 on average)
  • 359 – Days it took to sell land on average (913 is the longest!)
  • 78.33% is the average list/sale ration for land

Real estate is seemingly re-invigorated with interest and people shopping – and it should be.  There’s still a hard road ahead of us, and it is very important that you have your property properly positioned in the market. The best property in the world is not selling if it’s price too high. You’ve got to be competitive right now because those that are are selling.

If you would like for us to review your property and give you an update on how you are positioned, let us know! We’re here to work for you and get your property SOLD. We greatly appreciate your business and are working tirelessly for you. You can call us toll free at the office 1-877-837-3002 or email me at JohnPoltrock@gmail.com.

Have a wonderful and safe Memorial Day weekend!!

Sincerely,

John Poltrock
The POLTROCK TEAM
www.MyMurphy.com
1-877-837-3002

Understanding the 2009 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit in Murphy NC

Posted by I Love Murphy on

Why is the Government doing this?

            It is a pretty simple concept to understand.  If the Government can pass legislation that grants a tax credit to first time home buyers…it just might stimulate people to buy houses! When people start buying houses it starts a trickle effect on the economy and in the end helps everyone! 

Who is a First-Time home buyer?

            To be deemed as a First-time home buyer the purchaser or his/her spouse may NOT have owned a home during the passed 3 years from the date of purchase of your new home. 

           

How is eligible for the Tax Credit?

            If you are a first time home buyer that purchases a home between January 1, 2009 and December 1, 2009.

Are all properties eligible?

            NOL This is for primary residences only. This includes single-family homes (example stick built or manufactured), condos, town homes and co-ops.

How much is the Tax Credit?

          The maximum Tax Credit is $8,000. There are 2 factors that determine the amount First-Time Home buyers will get.  

  • 1) The purchase price of your home. The Tax Credit is 10% of the purchase price of the home, up to $8,000.
  • 2) Buyers Income- Single men and women with income up to $75,000 and married couples up to $150,000 can qualify for the maximum tax credit of $8,000.

What if we make to much money?

          If you are single and make between $75,000 and $95,000 or married and make between $150,000 and $170,000 your tax credit decreases but you still may qualify for a reduced tax credit.  If you make over the amounts stated you do not qualify for any credit.

Do I have to pay back the Tax Credit? 

No!!! J As long as you occupy the home or at least 3 years you do not have to pay it back.  However, if you sell with-in the first 3 years the credit will be recouped on the sale of the home.  

Since laws change every 27 seconds it seems like, if you are interested in the First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit, please call us or contact your local Certified Public Accountant to see how this affects your personal situation. Visit our Murphy NC list of local Recommended Certified Public Accountants.

 

-Written by Jessica Poltrock of The POLTROCK TEAM – Call us toll free at 1-866-687-7496 today!