CHARLOTTE, NC — Charlotte native Meredith Kyle says she became a real estate agent to show new people her hometown.
“One of the first things I do when I have someone new in Charlotte is show them, ‘Here’s what you can get in Uptown, here’s what you can get in Myers Park,’ all within their budget,” Kyle said.
She says she’s doing just that with her first Charlotte Brunch Bus Tour – a tour of homes for sale across the city.
Estate agents reported an average of 12 sales last year, down from 10 the previous year, according to a National Association of Realtors survey — but the pandemic-driven housing boom hasn’t lined Kyle’s pockets the way it has other real estate agents.
“My senior year was the slowest year I’ve had in the past five years,” she said.
Kyle says that instead of pushing her clients into the competitive market in 2020 and 2021, she told them to wait.
“I did something a little different than a lot of other agents did during, what I would say, the ‘big boom’ of the last two years,” she said. “I really taught buyers not to pay too much in the market. So I didn’t advise my clients to pay $20,000, $30,000 more than the list price.
Buyers who felt hesitant last year are now looking for a new home as competition from other buyers is comparatively weaker.
“I’m now reaping the rewards of being patient and being really honest with people,” Kyle said. “Because, like I said, people trust me more, because I tell them the honest truth about the market.”
She calls this an ideal place for buyers before interest rates rise again.
Forbes predicts the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates at its last meeting of the year on December 14.