Interesting short story on a listing agent who did not do her/his job -- click here

To get Mama Liz's opinion on how this should be handled, click here.

Selling a First Right of Refusal --- click here for post

Is this a good time to purchase home?  See what most Americans think by clicking here

 

You probably will not be surprised, but the surveys are interesting.

This post was originally posted on  Mama Liz Blog.

Have you heard of the SC Safe Home Act?  Well, I feel like I have been hiding in a closet somewhere, because I had not heard of it until last week.

If your home meets certain criteria, you are eligible for up to 25% reduction on your homeowners insurance. I should mention here that not all insurance companies give discounts for this.  Allstate Wally Burbage & Assoc. does .

Also, in some cases, if your home does not meet the criteria, the state of SC will give, yes that is give, you a grant to bring the home up to the standard criteria for a SC Safe Home.

Kirk Bingenheimer is a certified SC Safe Home Inspector in the area and can fil...

 What is the American attitude about home ownership today?

According to a NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® survey of 3,793 adults conducted by Harris Interactive and released in January 2011, home owners and renters agree that home ownership benefits individuals and families, strengthens our communities, and is integral to our nation’s economy.

Here are some findings from the NAR's  "American Attitudes About Home Ownership" survey:

 

 

 

The vast majority of both home owners and renters say that owning a home is a smart decision over the long term. Even in today’s challenging economy, 95% of owners and 72% of renters believe that over a period of several years, it makes more se...

It seems that the housing market is finally showing signs of a recovery. We are not suggesting that it will come roaring back and we will see 2006 numbers again. However, the National Association

of Realtors released their December Existing Home Sales Report yesterday. The report showed a 12.3% increase in closed transactions over the month before. Earlier in the week, the Census Bureau  reported that:

Privately-owned housing units authorized by building permits in December were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 635,000. This is 16.7 percent above the revised November rate of 544,000.

Should we believe that real estate is starting to make a comeback? To some degree, we think yes...

With the slow down in the economy, many folks seem to be afraid of purchasing a home today.

Do you have friends telling you that the prices are still coming down, so you should wait?

Do you have friends telling you that real estate is no longer a good investment?

So, why should I buy now rather than waiting?

1) Interest rates are on the rise --

While the prices of homes may not have bottomed out, interest rates are on the rise. If you wait for the prices to go down, but the interest rate keeps going up, you are not making any progress.

Take a look at the charts here (obtained from the KCM blog). As you can see from the chart on the right, rates are on the rise --  and then you can...

When a homeowner decides they need or want to sell their home, they make the decision to hire a professional to market their home.  How does a seller go about making the decision about which agent is forthem.

Typically, a seller will consider 2 things --

1) which agent can get the most money for their home

2) which agent will charge the least amount

In my opinion, these are not the most important questions when selecting the right agent. While these are important, they should not be the only considerations.

 

There are several points that should be considered:

1) Do not select the agent based strictly on personality or a "connection"

2) You need an agent who will get results --- n...