By Trish Luzzi

Welcome to the first edition of SOFIA! I am very excited to be a part of this publication to share tips in Real Estate every month with you. This month’s topic is “Relocating to WNC.” Here are a few pointers to do prior to your trip here, and then what to do when you arrive to look at homes.

WNC has so much to offer for all ages and is a fantastic place to call home. When thinking about moving here you should reach out to a local Realtor prior to your arrival to have a consultation about why you are thinking about moving and what your “must have list” is. Each county in WNC has its own uniqueness and the towns within each county are also unique. Realtors ask for this time upfront as it is very important for us to understand your needs prior to showing you homes so we can best serve you. When I have folks coming in from out of town, I like to chat with them prior to their visit and send them some homes to look online so we can ensure that we are on the same page with house needs before they arrive.

Many customers ask, “Why do we have to meet you at your office?”. We do this for many reasons, one being safety for our agents. Many offices have a policy that agents must meet at the office and get a copy of the customers drivers license to keep on file. We also review with each customer the, Working with Realtors in NC brochure, to help explain how to work with an agent, so you can protect your confidential information. You are not a “client” until you are under contract with an agent, so ensure that you keep personal and confidential information to yourself until you are under contract. When I meet with folks from out of town, I spend either a morning or afternoon with them on the road, after our meeting, to review paperwork, then I give them some homework to do on their own. I ask them to tour downtown Asheville, Hendersonville, and Black Mountain (if that is their general area) and spend some time in each one. That way they can experience each town and provide really good feedback for our next venture out to see homes. Agents will encourage you to do a “drive by” on your own time as well, and that isn’t because we don’t wish to show you the home, it is because some areas may not be what you like or you may find by driving up to some of our homes in higher elevations, you may not wish to go inside after all. While the attraction of living on a mountain is appealing to most from out of state, the roads to get to your home may be challenging for some once they experience the drive up. This also assists us to focus in on what will really work for you and not disrupt sellers in leaving their homes for something that isn’t going to work anyways due to location. Also plan three-four days minimum in town if you can to see if you like the area and really invest the time to see all aspects of the town you wish to call your next home.

“Some who relocate choose to do a 6-12-month rental first and then spend the time to really look as they have a chance to live here at the same time as looking.”

We do find many times that visitors to the area will arrive and then call into Realtor to try to get into homes that day. While we are excited that you are wanting to see homes, many of us have our day planned out with clients and so we don’t wish to disappoint you, so preplanning works best for all. Also, in fairness to our sellers we do try to give them 24 hours notice for each showing. There are many excellent Real Estate agents in our area and so when you speak to one that you feel you will have a great connection with, stay with them and provide feedback to develop a fantastic working relationship. One final note, homes are still selling very well in our market so if you are serious about purchasing a home, ensure that you are pre-approved for a loan and any agent can help you with locating a great local lender here. You don’t want to miss out getting a home because you were not pre-qualified for a loan.

I hope you enjoy the first issue of SOFIA and if you are just visiting us and picked up a copy, we hope to see you back here real soon

Trish Luzzi lives in Asheville, NC and is a professional real estate broker.  [email protected]