Well, so much for making predictions!  At least when it comes to football.

Unless you were completely locked away from the world over the weekend you’ve probably seen that our hometown Carolina Panthers got absolutely destroyed on Saturday night at Bank of America Stadium.  And the saddest part of it all is that they really never had a chance to win.

That’s thanks mostly to the worste performance of QB Jake Delhomme’s career.  He threw 5 interceptions and lost a fumble to account for all 6 of the Panther’s turnovers.  Those 6 turnovers resulted in 23 points for the Cardinals and if you consider the final score was 33-13, it makes you wonder what could have been.

In addition to the heartache of Saturday night’s performance, the Philadelphia Eagles went in NY yesterday and beat the 1st seeded Giants, which means had the Panthers won, they would be hosting the NFC Championship game here in Charlotte next Sunday.

Unfortunately, we’re all left with the sting of Saturday’s loss, something we’ll have to live with until the Panthers hit the field again sometime in September.  I’m hoping that over time we’ll all remember more about what a great season the Panthers had instead of the disappointment of Saturday’s painful loss.

The magical season for the hometown Carolina Panthers will continue this Saturday at 8:15pm at Bank of America Stadium as the Arizona Cardinals roll into town on the heels of their defeat of the rival Atlanta Falcons on Saturday.  The Panthers secured a first round bye and home field advantage by virtue of their season ending victory over the New Orleans Saints in their last game of the regular season and now it’s onto the ‘second season’ as many people call it.

It’s pretty exciting to have the NFL Playoffs coming to town and the Panther’s have a pretty good track record in the post-season.  The team has previously hosted 2 playoff games at home here in Charlotte, NC and have come out on top in both of those contests.  Those were pretty sweet victories as well because they were over the much-hated (at least in my household) Dallas Cowboys.

Even though it won’t be the Cowboys coming to town, the Cardinals will still present a pretty tough match-up, but I think our Panthers are up to the task of showing these birds just how smash-mouth football is suppossed to be played.

My prediction for the game:  Panthers 28 – Cardinals 14

With tonight’s NFL game between our hometown Carolina Panthers and the rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the whole world will have their eyes on downtown Charlotte, NC.  As ESPN’s TV crews have rolled into town over the past few days, it’s been a fantastic opportunity to showcase what a great place Charlotte and the surrounding areas are to live.

For me personally, I’m very excited about the prospects of what tonight’s game means.  Not only is it a chance for the Panthers to clinch sole possession of the NFC South division, but it’s also an opportunity to highlight many of the features that make the Carolinas such a GREAT place to live.

If you can’t make it to the stadium tonight, or don’t have a ticket, don’t fret.  The game airs on ESPN starting at 8:30pm ET.

You probably don’t need me to tell you this, but just like Wall Street’s recent tumble, the real estate market has taken it’s own tumble.  Fortunately for those of us living here in the Rock Hill, Fort Mill, or Charlotte areas, that tumble hasn’t been as painful for other areas of the country.  Nevertheless, it has certainly made for an interesting ride the last year or so, and it looks to continue for some time.

As I’ve been saying though, this doesn’t mean it’s a bad time to get into the real estate game, either buying or selling your home, it just means you’ve got to be more savvy when it comes to how you handle your real estate transactions.  Home prices in the York County area have continually appreciated the past year and while it will be interesting to see how that trend continues, I suspect we’ll still see a healthy pace when it comes to the buying and selling of real estate here.

Again however, it’s important to be knowledgeable of what’s going on in a particular market and here are 5 real estate trends to keep in mind as you contemplate buying or selling a home in the Rock Hill, Fort Mill, or Charlotte areas:

1.  Homes in foreclosure have reached record numbers.

Thanks to the sub-prime lending market that’s got us into this current economic mess, there is a HUGE number of foreclosed properties.  Unfortunately, this is a problem we haven’t dodged.  I was looking at properties with a buyer the other day and was a bit suprised to see the number of foreclosed listings available in Charlotte. It was certainly more than what I’ve seen here in the Rock Hill or Fort Mill areas, so keep this in mind when considering your next home purchase.

2.  Home prices are stable or falling.

In many areas around the country home prices are steadily falling.  I just saw something the other day talking about real estate prices in Florida and how they’ve been cut at least in half, by 2/3′s in some areas.

Fortunately again, we haven’t seen anything near that here in this area.  Yes, home prices are not soaring like they were just a few years ago, but for the most part, here in the Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Tega Cay areas home prices have remained pretty stable.  Of course, don’t expect to see the huge appreciations seen previously, but if you price your home correctly and competitively there’s no reason to not expect a good sale price for your home.

3.  Borrowers are having a tougher time getting loans.

This one is true anywhere you go.  Again, what got us into this mess is the sub-prime mortgage market where people that weren’t really qualified to own a home were given every opportunity to do so.  As a result, you had people that really couldn’t afford the home they were buying, quickly falling behind on their payments.

Where you could once get a loan with little money down or without having to document your income or employment,  those days are past.  At least for now.  Nowadays you’ll need to bring some money to the table, have a strong credit rating, and be able to prove your income.  Now, I’m sure we’ll see a day when some of these things might become a bit more lax, but it won’t be for a while.

4.   Bad real estate agents are being weeded out.

I can attest to the fact that this one is definitely true.  A few years ago if you were a real estate agent it was an easy game.  People were buying and selling houses like crazy and as an agent, all you had to do was sit back and count the money.  Okay, it wasn’t THAT easy, but it was significantly easier than it is now.

I haven’t been in the game very long and in fact, I got in right as things started going south.  So for me, this is the only kind of market I know.  As a result, I know how hard it is to sell a house and how much work it takes.  I know how challenging it can be to market not only myself, but my clients properties as well and let me tell you, it’s not easy.

In my short time in the real estate game I’ve seen my fair share of agents leave the business and I’ve even seen my share of good agents turned off by real estate.  I guess that’s just a result of the current market.

For you, that means you need to carefully evaluate the agent you do decide to work with.  Find out what their take on the current marketplace is and if sounds even the least bit negative, consider getting another agent.  If your agent doesn’t know how to harness the power of the internet, consider getting another real estate agent, because in today’s marketplace knowing how to utilize the internet to it’s fullest extent is critical.

5.  Mortgage rates are STILL at record lows.

After the recent government bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, rates for a 30 year fixed rate mortgage dropped from 6.35% down to 5.93%, the biggest drop in 28 years.  No matter what you’re trying to buy, 6.35% is still very cheap money.

While I don’t personally remember, I do know that during the early 80′s mortgage rates were in the double digits.  In most cases between 13-17%.  Could you imagine paying TWICE the interest rate of what’s currently available?

So yes, while the markets are a bit topsy-turvey right now, we’re still enjoying some of the lowest housing rates EVER. This, coupled with the still strong housing market in the Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Tega Cay areas should be enough to lift your spirits slightly.

So as you’re contemplating buying or selling your home, remember, it’s not all bad news.  In fact, now’s a great time to find some fantastic bargains if you’re willing to put in the time and effort to find them.

And when you’re ready to buy or sell that dream home of yours, if you’re not sure how to proceed, be sure to give me a call because I know how to be successful in this marketplace and I can help ensure you enjoy a successful real estate transaction!

I know this has absolutely NOTHING to do with buying or selling your dream home in the Rock Hill or Fort Mill area, but my husband’s a HUGE South Caroline Gamecock fan and I couldn’t help posting this.

One of Rock Hill’s brightest young stars, Stephon Gilmore, QB and DB for No. 2 ranked South Pointe High School announced today that he’s selected the University of South Carolina over other football powerhouses like Clemson, Alabama, Southern Cal, and Tennessee. He primarily plays QB in High School, but will move over the other side of the football next fall and play DB.

Stephon’s mom, Linda, works with me here at Keller Williams and I can say it’s a fantastic family, very close, and not only will Stephon be an asset on the football field next fall for the Gamecocks, but in the classroom as well.

Congratulations Stephon and we look forward to watching you work your magic in Columbia for the next few years!

Ahhhh, the impact just one play can have.  Did you watch the Panther’s game yesterday in which they suffered their first loss of the season?  If not, then let me fill you in.

From The Charlotte Observer:

The Panthers held a seven-point lead with less than two minutes remaining in the first half. They faced third-and-8 at their 29.

They could’ve played it safe and called a running play, hoping to maintain their lead at halftime.

They chose a more aggressive approach, throwing instead of running, but nothing too risky.

It came oh-so-close to working.

Instead, it backfired dramatically.

Minnesota cornerback Antoine Winfield blitzed from Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme’s right side and decked him full-force, causing a fumble. Winfield picked up the loose ball at the 19 and ran it in for a touchdown.

Suddenly, the score was tied and the Vikings were on their way to a 20-10 victory.

Needless to say, the whole momentum of the game changed on that one play and as a result, they Panther’s suffered their first loss of the year.  Fortunately, there’s still a long way to go and the Cats are tied atop their division with Atlanta and Tampa Bay, both at 2-1 as well.

In case you can’t tell, I’m a HUGE Panther’s fan and LOVE kicking back and watching them play on Sunday’s.  Even when the loss comes down to just one, momentum changing play!

After a long, but somewhat exciting off-season, my beloved Carolina Panthers are finally ready to kick things off again!  Sure, they’ve played 4 pre-season games, but let’s face it, they don’t hold a candle to the regular season.

The pundits and know-it-all talking heads are pretty mixed up when it comes to where the Panthers will finish this season as the predictions are all over the board.  I for one think they’ve underestimating them.  I’ll go out on a limb and say they win 10 games, win the division, and make it to the NFC Championship game.  Again.

Of course I could be totally wrong and they could fall flat on their faces, which of course would mean John Fox would probably get the boot.  I like him so I’m really hoping that doesn’t happen.

Anyway, the long, dreadful wait is finally over as the Panthers kick off on Sunday against the favored San Diego Chargers at 4:15pm ET.

Go Panthers!

After a long, painfully slow off-season the Carolina Panthers are finally ready to get back on the playing field as they’ll take on the Indianapolis Colts tomorrow night at Bank of America Stadium.  Kick-off is scheduled for 7:30pm.

If you can’t be at the stadium you’ll be able to watch the game on TV on the Panther’s TV Network.  It will also be on the radio on WBT.

For a breakdown of the game, visit the Panther’s website at www.Panthers.com.

Go Panthers!

The National Softball Association rolls into town this week for its Class B World Series.  There are 106 teams signed up for this year’s event, but that number’s down considerably from the 300 teams that participated last year.  Most attribute the low number on the struggling economy.

According to the tournament director and NSA Vice President, “This tournament should have at least 180 teams.  We feel like the economy is affecting vacation travel. A lot of families are rethinking their summer, not taking vacation time for softball. It’s a national trend, not only for us but for other softball and baseball organizations.”

In spite of the lower-than-expected numbers, the teams  coming to Rock Hill this week should offer some exciting softball action.  Games start today and run through Thursday when the championship games will be played.

For a complete schedule of games check on the Rock Hill Herald Online.

Well, if you follow NBA basketball in the Queen City then you’re probably familiar with one of the main stays of the team, Emeka Okafor.  Let’s just say I hope he’s still one of the main stays of the team at this time next year.

After months of both sides saying contract details would be worked out, Okafor unexpectedly turned down the Bobcats latest offer for an extension of his rookie contract.  That means he’ll become a restricted free agent next summer, giving other teams the opportunity to bid on the services of ‘meka. 

Fortunately for the Bobcats, because he is a restricted free agent, it means they’ll have an opportunity to match any offers that come his way.  With the progress the team has made the past few seasons, it would be a gigantic shame to see such a great player AND citizen of Charlotte move on.

And even though the situation is anything but precarious, at least Okafor’s come out and said he really does want to remain in Charlotte.

“I definitely want to be here long-term, and the Bobcats want me to be here long-term,” Okafor said after the workout. “It’s just the way things go sometimes. Everyone is in a great mood. Everybody is cool.”

-  via ESPN.com

Let’s just hope the Bobcats have enough sense to realize we’re better off with ‘Meka in the middle!