George Real Estate Group Radio Broadcast

Home Truths: Navigating Real Estate in Changing Markets

• George Real Estate Group

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The Region Beta Paradox might be the most powerful concept you've never heard of when it comes to making life-changing decisions. What if staying in a situation that's "just fine" is actually worse for you than being in a terrible one?

After 20 years in real estate and helping over 1,500 families find their perfect homes, I've witnessed this paradox play out countless times. When discomfort is mild, we tolerate it indefinitely. When it's severe, we take immediate action. This creates the counterintuitive reality where people in slightly uncomfortable housing situations often stagnate longer than those forced to make changes due to truly problematic circumstances.

Think about your current home. Is it truly supporting your ideal lifestyle, or is it just "not bad enough" to motivate a change? Maybe it's a little too small, the layout isn't quite right, or the commute is less than ideal—but because none of these issues cross the threshold into "unbearable," you remain comfortably numb, missing opportunities for significant life improvement.

The Henderson County real estate market has transformed dramatically since I started this journey—from a challenging two-year inventory in 2011 to today's active seller's market. Through all these changes, one truth remains constant: life happens, therefore real estate happens. Regardless of economic conditions or interest rates, people continue to buy and sell homes because of life transitions like new jobs, growing families, retirement, or simply the desire for something better.

Whether you're considering buying, selling, investing, or just curious about what possibilities exist in today's market, I'd love to have that clarifying conversation with you. Sometimes the most valuable service we provide isn't just the transaction itself, but helping you recognize when "fine" might be the enemy of "great." Call us at 828-393-0134 to explore what's possible for your future.

Speaker 1:

Welcome to the George Real Estate Group podcast hosted by the George Real Estate Group. This is the George Real Estate Group radio, broadcast on WHKP Radio in Hendersonville, North Carolina. It's been heard for over 10 years on WHKP 107.7 FM, WHKP AM 1450, and WHKPcom each Thursday morning at 10.05. These radio programs reach the local population of beautiful Hendersonville and Henderson County, North Carolina. Each week. The show provides real estate news and trends in our region. Let's listen in on this week's show.

Speaker 2:

Good morning and welcome to the George Real Estate Group live radio broadcast here every Thursday morning sharing you positive news about your local real estate market community. We're so grateful to be here with you this Thursday morning. I mean time's flying. We're almost halfway through. Well, I guess we're a third of the way through April and, wow, there's a lot going on. Certainly a lot going on in the economy, certainly a lot going on in politics. There's a lot going on just with life, and it puts things into perspective and we'll dive into that conversation here shortly. If you're here for the first time ever, the George Real Estate Group welcomes you. We're here every Thursday morning.

Speaker 2:

I was doing some math. Not only do I do this radio show, I do a couple other radio shows. We're here also every Friday morning sponsoring the Hometown Heroes series. We podcast all of our radio shows. If my math is correct, I started this radio program in 2011. I got my real estate broker's license in 2005,. So 20 years with my real estate broker's license North Carolina real estate broker's license. We've helped some 1,500 plus clients in my 20 years. We have an incredible team in place. But also in regards to the radio, if my math is correct, I think we're passing 1,600 live radio programs. We do a number of radio programs every week. We've been doing them for quite some time.

Speaker 2:

Again, this show originally was starting in 2011 when, by the way, the market in Henderson County was very challenging. I mean, it felt like the sky was falling. We had, in some cases, a two-year supply of homes on the market, which was a buyer's market. I mean, we know that a six-month supply is considered a seller. Six months is a balanced market. Less than six months is a seller's market. More than six months is a buyer's market. Less than six months is a seller's market. More than six months is a buyer's market. But we had some two years, 24 months of inventory and only averaging some 75 homes a month selling here in Henderson County. And here we are. Really, the last two years, the last 24 months, we've been averaging some 124 single family homes a month.

Speaker 2:

But if you're looking at that in context to the national market, the market nationally I mean nationally it peaked out at some 6 million-plus homes sold. And here we are now in the 4 million range nationally. But that's what it was in 2011, some 4 million homes. The difference between the top, you know the peak of a market. When you look at the market versus the bottom of the market in regards to volume, there's this almost a 2 million range. 2 million home range. I mean from you know, 6 plus maybe getting close to 7 million homes sold in the United States in a 12 month period to the bottom of the market seems to be down around 4 million. I did hear in the eighties it dropped down to around 2 million homes, 2 million homes. And that was when interest rates were in the double digit numbers.

Speaker 2:

But again, we know, life happens. Therefore real estate happens. Even with the economy, even with the interest rates, even with whatever's going on, there is just this baseline of people that it's essential having a place to live and, whether the economy or interest rates, there's just this certain baseline of number of homes that are selling just because life. I mean it could be the passing of a family member or it could be a divorce. There's challenges that people face that cause homes, that are catalysts for homes to sell. And then, of course, the really positive reasons it could be a new job, it could be a new family formation, it could be a growing family. There's a lot of reasons why people buy and sell that are positive um, getting closer to family members, or maybe upsizing or downsizing. I mean people have the uh, the ability to make changes in their life and a lot of times that revolves around real estate. And so it's just interesting.

Speaker 2:

We've walked through so many different markets, so many different economies and this is my 23rd my broker's license and, if we can help you in any way, we have an incredible group of agents at the Georgia Real Estate Group. We have an incredible staff. We are so excited about helping our community through real estate and this is a long perspective. I mean there's certainly an ebb and flow in the market again, from a buyer's market to seller's market, to the different interest rates. Again, there's so many things.

Speaker 2:

But I was just doing some math. Again, I've done over 1,600 live radio programs. We just started podcasting a couple years ago. We've passed over 10,000 podcast downloads. We just started podcasting a couple years ago. We've passed over 10,000 podcast downloads. We have combined at the Georgia Real Estate Group over 100 years of experience. We've served 1,500-plus clients again over the years.

Speaker 2:

And I was doing the math too, which is a little surprise. I was just surprised Again. We show up every day. We keep working hard. I joke that I'm an overnight success. That's taken 20 years of show up every day. We keep working hard. I joke that I'm an overnight success. That's taken 20 years of showing up every day. But we've, in my career and with my team and through our team you know my career we've had the privilege of selling over $380 million worth of real estate in my 20 years and so, again, it's a great, just grateful. So much to be grateful for.

Speaker 2:

And again, through the different ebb and flow of the real estate market and economies and we're still so thankful we see so much opportunity to help our clients navigate through the market, the markets, the market, the economies, the economy. But if we can help in any way, again, if you're curious what the market's doing, if you're curious what your home is worth, if it's curious, maybe you have investment properties and you're curious about doing a 1031 exchange, or maybe growing your rental portfolio, or maybe you're considering estate planning, what that might look like with charitable giving there's so many different scenarios that we can help walk you through. Maybe you have commercial property, maybe you have raw land. There's so many different things. We're not just we're just not a residential real estate brokerage. We can help you navigate through different scenarios. And do you buy before you sell? Do you sell before you buy? Do you do you buy that investment property?

Speaker 2:

I've heard it said you don't wait to buy real estate. You buy real estate and wait. And also, if you want to read a really good book about money, there's a book by Morgan Household called the Psychology of Money, which is so interesting, and then another book called the Simple Path to Wealth, and this is there's. I mean, I know that the volatility over the last week and again just the stock market and the crazy swings, but there is historical data that's so interesting. But those two books I'd highly recommend the Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel and the Simple Path to Wealth both great books to consider.

Speaker 2:

But again, if you're tuning in for the first time ever, the George Real Estate Group we're located in Flat Rock. We serve all of Western North Carolina and upstate South Carolina. We have agents that live in South Carolina that have their South Carolina real estate license. We are licensed in both states, our firm is, and so if you're curious in any way about real estate or even a career in real estate, we'd love to have the conversation. Call us 828-393-0134,. 828-393-0134. Find us online at realestatebygregcom. You can also follow our podcast. We podcast all of our radio shows and we can connect with you there. Social media Instagram, facebook Also.

Speaker 2:

There's a lot to cover today. We have an open house this morning happening right now at one of our incredible listings with one of our incredible agents and we have a number of open houses this weekend happening. But we have an open house happening right now. It's a public open house. They're serving it's a brunch open house. There's mimosas and coffee and some refreshments.

Speaker 2:

But 675 Foster Hill Drive 675 Foster Hill Drive, off Berea Church Road in the Blue Ridge Estates, on Foster Hill Drive, this home is at $569. This home is at $569. It has over five acres, built in 1966, three bedrooms, two baths, over 1,300 square feet. But it's the long-range views and the acreage and again, the description we have is million-dollar view for half the price. And this property is beautiful five acres. It has this incredible long-range, multi-layered, year-round view and it's worth checking out. Just 10 minutes from Flat Rock, 15 minutes from Hendersonville, it might even not be that much, but if you want to go out, if you're listening right now, the open house is from 10 am. It's already started from 10 am to 1 pm today, thursday. So 675 Foster Hill Drive in Hendersonville the price is $569.99, over five acres long-range year-round views and I would encourage you to check it out. It's a great property to consider.

Speaker 2:

We have some other open houses. We had a very successful open house this past Sunday at 19 Robert E Lee Drive in Flat Rock and a lot of activity there. We have a beautiful new listing in Rutherfordton, 130 Fairway Drive. In Rutherfordton. You can get a lot more home for the dollar. Let's just be candid. In Rutherfordton then you can get in Henderson County, 2,500 square feet for $395. Beautiful home, 1973, three-bedroom, three-bath at home, 130, fairway drive in Rutherfordton that I would encourage you to consider. We also did a price reduction at $873 Indian Hill Road in Hendersonville. That price is now $825.

Speaker 2:

Phenomenal home, completely updated, meticulously updated. I mean it has a high-end, luxury kitchen and pecan hardwood floors, custom cabinetry, designer fixtures. It's just a luxury finish and just beautiful. Natural light. Open floor plan. Gourmet kitchen, top-of-the-line appliances. Natural Light, open Floor Plan, gourmet Kitchen, top of the Line Appliances. Spacious Island. That address is 873 Indian Hill Road, now at 825. Again, just giving you a sample of just different inventory that we have on the market 73 Wisdom Cove Road and Flat Rock, 283 Wiltshire Circle in Fletcher. You can see all of this, by the way, at realestatebygregcom. You can see all of our listings that we have for sale.

Speaker 2:

We have a couple open houses, like I said this weekend, 78 Assembly Drive in Flat Rock. This is a custom designer, architect, architecturally designed home 2006. This is actually an eight-bedroom, six-bath home For only $949,000, it's over 5,000 square feet. It did have some repairs from Helene and huge upgrades to some very important systems you know the HVAC systems. I mean there were some incredible updates and upgrades that were just a result of the hurricane. And so beautiful home and it's in a very desirable neighborhood called Bon Clarkin in Flat Rock, 78 Assembly Drive. But that's going to be held open this Sunday from 2 to 4, and encourage you to come check out that property, 949-78 Assembly Drive in Flat Rock and it's going to be open this Sunday and we'd encourage you to check it out. We have a new listing hitting the market today on Blue House Road. That also is going to have an open house. It's going to be listed later today but that's another open house and we'll be posting all these on our social media. So if you want to go back and reference our social media, you can check that out.

Speaker 2:

We also have a. There's the Millhouse Lodge in Flat Rock converted their property to condominiums and that we have a unit there, 140 Old Mill Road in Flat Rock, and this is a great, currently an Airbnb. You could use this for yourself or continue to Airbnb. It's a it only $175,000, and it looks out over its own private lake. It's a great property. And again, these are just examples of some of the properties we have. We have a 13-acre track near DuPont State Forest on Bulling Creek Drive for only $392 for 13 acres, but the seller is willing to divide them up into smaller partials. Maybe you only want an acre or two. Again, there's multiple building sites, there's waterfalls, there's year-round views If you're curious about some land to build on Bowling Creek Drive near DuPont.

Speaker 2:

So so many things again that we're covering today. Just want to give you a snapshot of some of the inventory that we have and if you're just curious about what we have on the market, what we have coming up, In the last seven days in Henderson County there's been 46 new listings hit the market. This is interesting 57 price decreases. There's been 35 homes go under contract and in the last seven days which is this is on the low end, but it's also typical for the time of the month only 19 closed. But you know, we've been averaging some 124 single family homes a month selling over the last 12 months. The average single family home price over the last rolling 12 months is at $547 and change. There's currently 461 active single family homes in the market. One in three homes that sell in Henderson County single family homes are purchased with cash. And so, again, this is just a snapshot of the market. And again, your specific home, your specific situation, if you're curious about what your home is worth, if you're curious about what your home is worth, if you're curious about what to do with maybe an investment property or rental property.

Speaker 2:

But I heard an interesting concept recently that is just so fascinating to me and the way it was introduced to me. But it's the region beta paradox and it's a mind-bending and counterintuitive idea. But I heard about this the walking versus driving analogy. Imagine you live in a city where if something is within a mile, you walk, but if it's more than a mile you drive. So if you need to go nine-tenths of a mile, you walk, and it takes 18 minutes. But if it's two miles away, you drive it and it takes only 10 minutes. So, paradoxically, you get somewhere further away faster than somewhere closer. Let me say that again Paradoxically, you get somewhere further away faster than somewhere closer. So this becomes a metaphor for life.

Speaker 2:

When discomfort or dissatisfaction is mild, you tolerate it, but when it's severe, you act. Maybe the person stays, and this is where mild pain is the enemy of growth. This is where it gets deep. In many cases, being in a mediocre situation is worse than being in a bad one, because it keeps you stuck. You know the friend who should leave his job but doesn't because his boss is only slightly annoying, so he stays year after year, never quite miserable enough to change. The person who should move because the apartment is damp and depressing but is not dangerous. So they never do. Or the person who stays in a relationship that's not bad but definitely not fulfilling, because at least quote it's, at least it's not toxic. You know, if it was worse in any of these situations, they'd leave Because it's tolerable. They stay. So, ironically, people stay. People in slightly uncomfortable situations often stagnate longer than those in awful ones often stagnate longer than those in awful ones.

Speaker 2:

The paradox, you know, the region beta paradox flips our assumptions about hardship. You know, sometimes the best thing that can happen to you is for things to get bad enough to force a response. You know, when the pain becomes unmistakable, action is inevitable. When it's dull and chronic, you can go years without changing. And that can be in your work, in health, in relationships, even location. For example, your health For a person who feels okay, but tired all the time won't change their diet, but a health scare. They might overhaul their life overnight. You know, in business, an entrepreneur whose sales are decent won't innovate, but when they almost go bankrupt they reinvent everything. And then how about your emotions? Someone who's mildly unfulfilled might never explore their purpose, but a midlife crisis that kicks off the journey. So maybe you're asking yourself what areas of my life are passable but not great? Where am I walking the mile when I should be driving the two, you know? And am I tolerating just enough discomfort to stay stuck? Because if things are great, that's awesome. If things are horrible, that's the catalyst, but if things are just fine, that might be the most dangerous place of all.

Speaker 2:

How about this in regards to real estate. You know where the mediocre home keeps people stuck longer than bad ones. You know the home, that's just fine, you know it's. It's a little too small. The, the layout isn't ideal. The commute, the commute's not great. There's no real yard for the kids or the dog, you know but. But the mortgage is manageable. The neighbors are friendly and nothing's. You know bad, so they stay. They stay not because it's good but because it's not quite bad enough to go through the effort of change, the hassle of selling the comfort, the discomfort of showings, the fear of the market. The energy is starting over, but guess what, if you had a black mold problem, a flooded basement, a nightmare HOA, you'd be calling tomorrow, you'd be calling today. This is interesting.

Speaker 2:

This is also true in regards to real estate agents. Maybe the agent doing just enough deals to scrape by, but not enough to thrive. You know, the team member, that with okay support but not true leadership or growth, the brokerage, that's not toxic but not inspiring either. When things are mildly unsatisfying, it can lead to years of stagnation because there's no clear pain point to fix. You know. But when an agent hits rock bottom, they take massive action, they switch firms, they hire coaches, join mastermind groups. They call the george real estate group. You know they rethink their brand, they build a new business.

Speaker 2:

This also could true for buyers. You know buyers, you know, might say we'd move if the perfect thing came along. But that means they're uncomfortable enough in their current situation. They're unwilling to enter the discomfort zone until the pain threshold is crossed. You know what are they actually missing out on? What life do they want to be living? What's the cost of waiting another five years?

Speaker 2:

Also for our sellers. You know some of our sellers overstay in homes that no longer serves their needs. You know they hesitate to list because it's not a seller's market anymore, which again, technically it is here. You know it's not the crazy what it was a couple of years ago, but the market is still moving. Also, a lot of sellers worry about short-term efforts for that long-term gain. You know something goes wrong job change, major life event, damage to their home that's usually the trigger in the decision that's been simmering becomes urgent. You know, again, the paradox the worse things get, the quicker they act. So again, if the situation got 10% worse, would you finally make a change? What would have to happen for you to say enough is enough. Are you staying here because it's great or just not bad? Again, there's a lot of things to be aware of.

Speaker 2:

This is also interesting. You know, if your home is just okay, maybe that's the problem. You know, sometimes a worse home gets you to a better life faster. You know, don't wait for it to get bad. Great starts when you get uncomfortable, or even fine is the enemy of freedom. So it's this conversation that we have with ourselves, the conversation we have with others.

Speaker 2:

Again, you can look at all the different aspects of your life and maybe you're asking yourself why am I staying where I'm at If things are bad? Great because the activation energy to go and make them good. And then, if things are just about passable, you end up being uncomfortably. This is so interesting. If things are just passable, you end up being comfortably numb. So that means that sometimes worse situations can be better than better situations. That means that sometimes worse situations can be better than better situations. What a paradox.

Speaker 2:

Again, whether it's your health, your relationships, your home you're in your relationships, your home, you're in your work you do. What are you just being comfortably numb with? I mean so many life lessons here to think about. And again. You know, we're rethinking things, looking at things honestly, and sometimes it's those significant challenges that we face that finally cause a significant change in your life. Again, just an interesting concept to consider. Whatever, again, it could be your business, it could be your relationships, it could be your finances, it could be your health. I mean, what aspect are things just fine which you're not making changes to? I love these type conversations and if you want to have another, if you want to talk more about it, you certainly can reach out to us, 828-393-0134. Maybe you want to take a look at your home.

Speaker 2:

I hear frequently from our retired clients that they are so thankful they did the move while they were able to, rather than before they were forced to do it or they weren't in a position to do it for themselves. These are these just really hard conversations and hard decisions people have to make, or you don't have to make it at all, but then again, how does that play out? So there's absolutely no pressure, there's no cost, there's no obligation and it's a confidential consultation. You can give us a call at 828-393-0134. We are so grateful for the opportunity to serve our community through real estate. We love our community. We tell people all the time. We are so biased to where we live. We think we live in one of the most amazing places in the world and we're honored to live here, raise our families here, help our clients here, and we'd be honored to have the conversation with you.

Speaker 2:

Whatever the situation is, just because you're having the conversation with us doesn't mean you're going to. You're not obligated to do anything. You don't have to sell, you don't have to buy, but it can be helpful to get these clarifying conversations, and it could be about your real estate investment portfolio. It could be about maybe you don't want to sell because you're concerned about the capital gains, but we have solutions for that. We can talk about 1031 exchanges. There's passive real estate investment options that we have available. You don't have to be the one managing it. There's so many scenarios that we can talk through. Maybe you want to consider what your estate looks like and maybe, with your charitable giving. I mean so many scenarios to think about and to play through. In regards to all that, give us a call. 828-393-0134.

Speaker 2:

We're here every Thursday morning sharing with you positive news about the real estate market. There's conversations about life. We're growing, we're hiring more agents. We serve all of Western North Carolina and upstate South Carolina. We're so grateful to serve the community through real estate. There's so many wonderful relationships we've built throughout the years. This is my 20th year with my broker's license. We've helped over 1,500 families and, again, so grateful for so many things. So we'd love to have the conversation.

Speaker 2:

We're here, by the way, also every Friday morning sharing with you positive news about the local real estate market, about the local community in regards to people doing amazing things and people giving back. And we have the Hometown Hero series that we sponsor every Friday morning. And tomorrow morning we have the Mills River Fire Department. They're still recovering from the loss of their substation to the to the fire back in january. Interim fire chief scott burnett will be here to update this, update us on their project. But the mills river fire department you know we're going to have them here tomorrow morning at 8 45 and we have a number of uh nominee nominations in the pipeline for our friday morning hometown hero series. So tune in every friday morning at 8, heroes series. So tune in every Friday morning at 845. We also podcast those in addition to our regular radio shows that we podcast. But we'd love to have the conversation.

Speaker 2:

Real estate is such a powerful place in all of our lives, from the wealth that it builds to the security that it provides or the emotional meanings behind real estate. And, again, there's so many layers to it and we take all that into consideration. But if you're thinking of buying or selling, or investing or a career in real estate, give us a call 828-393-0134,. 828-393-0134. Thank you so much for tuning in this Thursday morning there's the music. That just means the show's coming to an end. But thank you so much. We hope you have a wonderful day, we hope you have a wonderful week and we'll see you tomorrow morning.

Speaker 2:

If the story I shared with you stopped you in your tracks, you're not alone. People have been asking what happened next. Dr Robbins' car had plunged into a freezing river and as a teenager, underwater and disoriented, she remembered her survival. Tip Blow bubbles and follow them they will rise to the surface. Tip blow bubbles and follow them they will rise to the surface. She did, but when she reached the top, expecting air, she slammed into solid ice, out of breath and nearly out of strength. She kept moving desperately, searching for a break, and just when she thought she couldn't go on, a stranger appeared and pulled her to safety. It's a powerful reminder we can do hard things, but we don't have to do them alone. At the George Real Estate Group, we're here to help you through life's transitions, whether you're buying, selling or just trying to figure out your next move. The George Real Estate Group, because the right guide makes all the difference.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for listening to the George Real Estate Group podcast. Tune in next time for more industry news updates and real estate tips. You can reach Greg, the George Real Estate Group, at 828-393-0134 or at realestatebygregcom.