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Katie Reuben Real Estate

Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson & Charlotte Real Estate - Call 704-792-8768

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/ Buying, Communities, Family Life

Helpful Tips for Successful Relocation: Finding a Home in Unfamiliar Territory

So you’re considering a move to somewhere you know nothing about, and you’re not sure where to start?

Moving somewhere new is super exciting…but also overwhelming, and it involves some serious research, some marathon home showing days with an agent, and asking the right questions to the right people. This photo of me and my exhausted, but excited & happy family shows us on our first day in our new house when we made our move almost 4 year ago!

Here are some “to do’s” for gathering the information you need and narrowing down your search area when exploring new territory.

  • Search and join helpful Facebook groups filled with people who already live in your target area. They know things! If you’re on the shy side, you can use the search feature within the group to find previous posts of members who may have asked the same questions you have. You can also post and ask about areas and neighborhoods that might be good fits for your family. If you’re looking in the Lake Norman area, I recommend Davidson Moms, Moms of Huntersville, and Lake Norman Moms! You’ll find many local moms willing to share their personal experiences with anything from neighborhoods to schools to pediatricians to contractors to restaurants to hair salons!

*Did you know??? Realtors are not ethically able to give you opinions about neighborhoods or schools they think are “best” or where your family “should” look or go. This is called steering. We can help you find factual information about areas, neighborhoods, and schools and connect you with the best resources for finding the information you need, but if you want honest opinions from people who live in a specific community or have children who attend a specific school, Facebook groups are a great resource!

  • Plan to visit the area multiple times. Contact your agent ahead of time to schedule time while you will be in the area to see homes. Planning ahead can ensure that your agent sets aside time to devote to you and your family and make appointments with ample notice to make sure you see everything you’d like. Ask your agent to plan your itinerary according to area. Depending on your schedule, you might also want to see different areas on different days to help you get a feel for each and really remember what you see. You initial visit’s goal will be to see a good sampling of homes in all areas you are considering. From there, you’ll rule out areas and start to hone in on favorites. This will help your agent adjust your property search, so that you can start getting more specific. Each subsequent visit will become more focused, until you find the perfect home for your family!
  • Make notes, take pictures, and be ruthless. If you don’t like something, toss it. If you favor one area over another, zero in. Make notes about properties you like, what you like about them, and questions you might still have. When you are seeing a laundry list of homes, it will be difficult to identify which was which later on, so you’ll thank yourself for those notes! Only hang on to flyers for properties you are still considering, so as not to confuse yourself with extra paperwork. I had clients who came up with a “corner folding code” for the printed sheets I gave them for our showings. There were a bunch, so they folded down a different corner of the paper for “favorites,” “maybes,” and “nos.” At lunch, we tossed the “nos” and made extra notes on the keepers, so that they would remember each property when they returned home.
  • Spend time without your agent getting a feel for daily life. Ask for recommendations for places to visit, restaurants to eat at, and things to do. Drive around neighborhoods you like at different times during the day. Want to know if there are a lot of families with kids in the ‘hood? Check out prime bus stop times or afterschool to see who’s out to play! If you’re feeling friendly, hop out and introduce yourself to neighbors! Ask questions you might have about schools, commutes, HOAs…whatever you’re wondering about! Those who live there know best! Try out the recommendations, take a walk, go to the local grocery store, test out your potential commutes, drive around aimlessly…get the lay of the land!
  • Schedule school tours for any schools in areas you are considering. Most schools offer tours, and many are guided by current parents of students who can speak to the school climate and their own personal experiences, which can be very helpful! Make sure you schedule these ahead of time, in order to maximize the time you spend in the area. You’ll have a lot to do, between seeing homes, touring schools, and experiencing daily life in the area, and you’ll want to make sure you have time to soak it all in!

 

As an agent, but also a mama of two who has done this very thing, I understand the overwhelm, questions, and concerns that surround relocating to a brand new area, and my favorite part of being an agent is helping your family navigate this process by connecting you with the resources that were invaluable to me or that I wish I had when in your shoes. My goal is to be a resource to you, not only as a Realtor, but as a parent, a fellow transplant, a local liver of general daily life here, and hopefully, also as a friend!

If you are looking for a Realtor to help you navigate your move to the Lake Norman/Charlotte area, or you know someone who is, you can contact me at 704-792-8768 or [email protected].

/ Buying, Communities, Family Life, Selling

Why a former teacher makes the best Realtor!

Every agent sees “family of 4 looking for 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, at least 2500 sq.ft, move in ready.” It’s an easy search for listings that fit your criteria, and boom…in your inbox.

But do you have an agent who knows that you’ll be looking for a teaching job and aren’t sure where to begin? Or that your 12 year old who plays lacrosse is wondering where he’ll find a new league? Or that your 3 year old will need full time daycare? Or that you have a child with special needs and you aren’t sure how to navigate this school district to apply for special services?

I am SURE that you know at least 5 real estate agents…maybe more. Any one of us is licensed to draft and execute the paperwork necessary to buy or sell your home. We know how to run numbers and comps to make sure you get the best price, and we know how to market your home on all the trendy sites to get all the right eyes on your listing. And while some may be more skilled or experienced in one area or another, many of us talk the same game, so from there, it is relationship and trust that sets us apart from the pack. Real estate is a second career for me, and I ended up practicing real estate full time through circumstance, but I have since learned that the universe has a way of making sure I land where I belong, and I have found my previous career to give me insight into real estate that I would never have expected.

Before I entered the real estate world, I spent 14 years as a teacher. I taught every age of children from Kindergarten through 8th grade, and as much as my students learned from me, I can tell you I learned every bit as much from them, if not more. When I began teaching, I was all about following the rules. I followed the curriculum with rigor, I followed that pacing guide fastidiously to get in all the content, and I sent home nightly homework for every student to review the day’s lessons. I expected this “checking the boxes” approach to work and for my students to experience wild success because of my diligent work.

Wrong.

After just a couple of months of this, I was feeling frustrated. While some of students were successful, many were not, and it didn’t take me long to realize that this one-size-fits-all approach to teaching was not going to work. Each student is different. Each one begins each year at a different starting point, each one learns differently and at a different pace, each one is ready to move on at a different time, each one’s progress was exhibited in a different way, and each student went home with different experiences and a different amount of energy and focus left in their tank for homework. Being a great teacher wasn’t about cramming in all the content and sticking to the pacing schedule…being a great teacher was about taking the time to get to know each student, what they bring to the table, and how they learn, and then figuring out how to create an environment and teach in a way where every student’s needs are met and each one can learn and make progress. This would be a much more difficult task.

So how does this apply to my job as your Realtor?

Your family isn’t just an MLS ID number to me. I don’t just plug your home sale or purchase into a mathematical formula to give you answers. You aren’t cookie cutter. Your home isn’t cookie cutter. Your life isn’t cookie cutter, and it shouldn’t be. And after 14 years of getting to know countless students and families, it is my nature to get to know you as my client… to really listen to your needs, your wants, and your concerns, so that I can help you move on to the next chapter of your life in the best way possible.

During the time I’ve spent in real estate, I have found so many opportunities to apply everything I’ve learned as an educator and as a mom. Of course I help people buy and sell homes, but I have also helped navigate the process for finding school services for a 3 year old with autism, researched advanced placement classes and opportunities for gifted high school student, monitored changes in school district lines as our area continues to experience growth and change, and set up school tours for nervous families relocating from a much smaller school district who didn’t know where to start. I’ve also kept in touch with clients who have become friends to help them connect with other local families, find new doctors, coffee shops, and hairdressers, figure out where to take their kids to the park on a Sunday, and learn where to sign their kids up for summer camp or sports.

I loved my years as a teacher, and I love even more how my years as an educator have brought such value to my experience as a Realtor.  When you buy or sell a home, it’s about so much more than just numbers and paperwork and unlocking doors…it’s about the keys to the next chapter in your family’s life. If you are looking to make a move, I hope that you’ll call me and allow me to assist you with every step of the process, through closing day and beyond.

Contact me at 704-792-8768 or [email protected] for a free consultation.