Short Sales in Crowfield Plantation

The big buzz words in real estate right now are “short sale.” Everyone knows someone who’s bought one and gotten a great deal. So lots of folks are coming in and wanting to get in on the action. Unfortunately, most people don’t understand what they’re really getting into when they choose to pursue a short sale transaction.

There are plenty of naysayers out there who will deny, deny, and discourage you from ever attempting to buy (or sell) a short sale. However, while they’re certainly not for everyone, there are some great deals out there for the right buyers and the sellers who can convince their lenders to let them sell. If you have questions on the short sale process, I know how to get to closing. Call me, I’m happy to help.

Now here’s some current market info on Crowfield Plantation in Goose Creek, SC, along with a list of today’s short sale opportunities…

YouTube Channel Offers Homes for Sale

Lately I’ve been working toward earning the GRI designation for real estate. (GRI stands for Graduate, Realtor Institute.) A few weeks ago I completed a class on real estate technology, where I was introduced to the Flip video camcorder.

Sellers Should Sell, Buyers Should Buy… NOW!

Last night’s presentation by Steve Harney here in Goose Creek urged anyone thinking about buying or selling real estate to do so NOW.

These are the points he made to sellers:

• While the market has shown signs of improvement (see yesterday’s post about Crowfield Plantation), forecasters predict home prices will not reach bottom nationally until May of 2010… and then it will take TWO YEARS for prices to climb back up to where they are TODAY.

Has Crowfield Hit Bottom?

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Lately the news media has indicated we may be at or near the bottom of the housing market crisis nationally. Since all real estate is local, why don’t we take a look at what’s happening in Crowfield Plantation, Goose Creek, SC, as we head into the fall of 2009.

OVERVIEW
Most agree that the height of the market was at the end of 2005 (I bought my first house in December 0f 2005, how’s that for timing?). We saw a leveling off in 2006, and 2007 marked the beginning of what we now know as a spike in inventory and drop off in prices.

Carolina One Offers Mortgage Protection Program

One way to make your listing stand out from the crowd in this market is to offer incentives to prospective buyers. It’s become standard here in the Lowcountry for sellers to give buyers a free home warranty at closing or pay their closing costs. Always the market leader, Carolina One Real Estate has unveiled a new program to help its sellers up the ante in buyer incentives and stand out even more: six months of paid mortgage payments for buyers in the event of job loss.

New Truth-in-Lending Law May Help Borrowers

Of the four closings I had last week, I felt my buyer client was taken advantage of at the last minute in two of them. A new law may prevent some of what happened from happening again in the future.

The first one had a slew of issues from the moment we wrote the contract and took three months to close. In the end, after my buyer had done everything in her power to adhere to the contract (there were many third parties involved that slowed the process considerably), the bank (the seller) charged my buyer $100 per day

CTAR Says Market Shows Improvement

The Charleston Trident Association of Realtors® (CTAR) published a report this week that suggests market conditions are improving – or at least stabilizing, citing three months of growth in the number of sales and median pricing from April to June. Keep reading for the report in its entirety… Call me with questions.

Today’s Real Estate: Longer Contracts, More Work. Better Hire a Pro.

Used to be – and I say that with all my two years of real estate experience – use to be that once a buyer and seller agreed on price and terms, closing would follow about 30 days later. However, now that short sales, foreclosures, government assistance programs, and bad credit have become more the norm than the exception, closing dates are getting pushed further and further out. In my own business, for example, three closings scheduled for early June have all been postponed to later in the month.

Real Estate Stimulus Seminar

Confused about the stimulus package and what it means to you? We’ve got answers for home buyers. Find out how you can take advantage of the $8000 first-time home buyer tax credit at our Real Estate Stimulus Seminar this Thursday, February 26, at 6 p.m.

Topics will include an overview of the provisions in the stimulus signed by President Obama last week that benefit first-time home buyers; an explanation of the home buying process; information about loan products and processes; and a look at new construction communities in and around Goose Creek.

Agent in the Creek Named Rookie of the Year

The Charleston Trident Association of Realtors® (CTAR) presented awards of distinction for 2008 to the top 3% of its membership Tuesday morning. The Association honored members who demonstrated exceptional sales achievement, involvement in the Association, dedication to continued education, and adherence to the Realtor® Code of Ethics.

Members were recognized in groups that included Rookie Realtor®, Director’s Circle, President’s Circle, Executive Circle, and Commercial. There was also an award given to the Realtor® of the Year.

Stephanie Davis of Carolina One Real Estate in Goose Creek was the only Rookie Realtor® award recipient. She earned the distinction with 14 homes sold