The holidays are almost here, so we wanted to take a minute to wish you the happiest, safest, and most fun holiday season. The year went by so fast, but we couldn’t let it come to a close without making sure our clients, families, and friends knew we wanted them to have the best holiday season ever. We sincerely hope you have a wonderful end of the year and a fantastic 2017!
If you’re selling a house during the wintertime, you need to set it up to show a little bit differently than you would in the spring or summer. I have some tips for just that.
If you sell your home in the wintertime, there are a few things you need to do differently to make sure it shows well. The first thing you can't overlook is the home's exterior. Even though the grass may be dead and brown and things generally don't look good outside, it's still important to think about curb appeal. Driveways and walkways still need to be edged, the yard should stay raked, and flowerbeds still need fresh mulch or pine to look clean and sharp.
Even though it's winter, you can't overlook your home's exterior.
Just like the rest of the year, the interior needs to appeal to buyers. Go for fresh paint and clean all items from your countertops and vanities. When you go through Thanksgiving and Christmas, though, you may still want to decorate, and that's just fine. Decorating for the holidays doesn't hurt the house, but it needs to be tasteful. You don't need to make your house look like you're trying to win a Christmas decorating contest with a gazillion displays. This can make rooms look small and cluttered. It's easy to sell your house in the wintertime if you follow these rules. If you have any questions for us or you're thinking about selling, give us a call or send us an email. We'd love to help you!
Can you still sell a house during the holidays? You absolutely can. Allow me to explain why this time of year is actually a great time to sell your house.
Is it a good idea to list your home for sale during the holidays? We sell homes 12 months out of the year, so I can personally say that selling your home during November or December is a great idea. If now is the time for you to put your home on the market, we can absolutely sell it during these months.
Selling your home during November or December is a great idea.
Of course, the holidays bring many celebrations and visits from friends and family. These types of things can make selling a house difficult. If you want to sell your home, but you think it's difficult because of the guests and celebrations, we want to meet and get everything set up so that we can 'pre-list' your house. That means we'll get everything set up, signed, and agreed on. We want everything in the home ready for the photographer to shoot pictures; that way, we're ready to go live with your listing right after the first of the year. You have two choices: you can sell right away if you don't think your guests and family traditions will hinder the sale, or we can pre-list you and wait for the beginning of 2017. We just had a listing last year with a client who listed on December 1st, and the house went under contract by the middle of December. It really works! If you have any other questions about selling this time of year, don't hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have!
Pay attention to your property taxes. If you don’t, it could end up costing you thousands of dollars.
It’s that time of year again—you’re about to get your property taxes notice. Because most people’s property taxes are paid through their mortgage company, they don’t even really pay that much attention to them. You should pay attention to them, though. If you don’t, it could cost you a lot of money.
Only pay the taxes that you should.
How? Once the county sends your bill to the mortgage company, they don’t evaluate it to make sure it’s correct or not. That’s your responsibility. If your property is owner-occupied, your tax rate should be 4%. This is much lower than it would be if it was an investment property, which is taxed at a 6% rate. That margin doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it can add up quickly. If your property tax bill is $2,000 on your owner-occupied property, it would be $5,000 or $6,000 on an investment property. The county—in its infamous wisdom—has decided that any property that is transferred is transferred for investment purposes, even though less than 10% of them are actually transferred for investment purposes. When you get your tax bill, verify that your property is classified as owner-occupied and you’re being charged the proper tax rate. If it isn’t, make sure you notify the county so they can make the correction. If you have any questions about property taxes, please don’t hesitate to give us a call or shoot us an email. We would be happy to help you!
Now that the fall season is in full swing, we wanted to give you some maintenance tips to make sure your Columbia home is prepared for the coming winter. Your home is one of your biggest investments, so protecting it is important. The fall is a great time to do a once-over and make sure everything is functioning properly. Here are a few things you should check out:
1. Your roof. Take a look at your roof and make sure to note any leaks or damaged shingles. One damaged shingle can cause serious issues if left unchecked.
2. Wood trim and siding. If there is any deterioration here, the trim and siding may need to be repainted or replaced altogether.
3. Check windows and interior doors. If you have older windows or hollow doors, now might be the time to upgrade them. Not only do insulated doors and windows provide more security, but they will help you save on your energy bill as well.
4. Have your home inspected by a professional. You should do this at least once a year, and now is a great time to have that done. Serious issues in your home that are left undetected will wind up costing much more than they will if you catch them early with an inspector.
5. Heating and air systems. It’s also a good time to have some winter maintenance done on your heating and air systems and have them inspected. Have the person who inspects them check your ductwork as well. We have seen ducts come unconnected in some houses, which leads to you paying to heat your crawl spaces rather than your home itself.
6. Check to see if the railings are secure. You don’t want to create a situation where an accident may occur.
These are just a few things for you to look at in your home this fall. Regular inspection and maintenance will help you protect your home. If you have any questions, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you.
Successfully navigating the due diligence clause time period involves working with your agent so they can help you determine what’s fair and favorable.
When you get a contract on your house, there is a clause in the contract called the “due diligence clause” that gives the buyer the right to do any inspections on your house that they feel are necessary. They are usually given 10 business days to complete them. In this period of time, your house is almost held ransom, and there’s no way to get around it.
Buyers have the right to do any inspections they feel necessary. Some of the more common inspections include:
The home inspection. This is where an inspector comes in and checks everything out. Afterward, they'll give you a report.
The heating and air inspection. Here, the heating and air company will come out and inspect the heating and air systems to make sure that everything is working properly.
The CL-100 inspection. This is just a termite inspection to check that there are no issues that would promote termite growth.
When these inspections are complete, the buyer has the right to ask you to fix anything they feel needs to be done, but since this is a negotiable item, you don’t have to do everything. What you need is a good agent to help you navigate these waters and determine what’s fair and favorable. If a buyer, for instance, is asking for something that is excessive or something that we do not agree with, what we would do is have our own inspector give a second opinion.
You don’t have to do everything the buyers asks.
The bottom line is that this is nothing to really worry about. 99% of the time we get through the inspection phase of the contract, the contract stays intact, and we proceed to a closing. My recommendation to most sellers is to expect to pay a couple hundred dollars on doing little things that come up on the report just to make the buyer happy and get through this period of time.
Again, the main thing a seller needs throughout the contract is an agent that is knowledgeable about the process so they can help you come out on the other end with a successful closing.
If you have any questions, give us a call or send us an email and we’d be glad to answer them. We look forward to hearing from you.
I wanted to take a look at the Columbia market and what happened in the first six months of 2016. Great news - things are going up! Compared to the last six months of 2015, we had just about the same (within 20) properties listed for sale, but this year, we had about 600 more homes sell. The average list price was a little more than $203,000, whereas last year the average list price was just a little more than $189,000. When comparing achievable home prices in this same timeframe, we see that there has been a 5% increase in price, and that is great. There has been almost a 10% increase in volume of sales, as well. Between list price and sales price, there has been about an 11% difference. We call this the negotiable index.
Our team beats the market average in price and time.
When we look at the Lance Woodley Team, we see numbers that are different, and that's good news for you. Our houses have sold for a 7.5% higher margin than the average home on the market. The difference between list price and close price on our listings has only been 3.7% on average, instead of 11%. In terms of numbers, on a $200,000 house, that would equate to $15,000 more in your pocket! You'll also sell your home 12.6% quicker with the Lance Woodley Team. If you'd like any additional information about these figures and how our system beats the average, give us a call or send us an email. We'd love to show you what sets our team apart and makes you more money!
Our business model at South Carolina Homes & Land Realty has three main focuses that we would like to share with you today. Of course, the main part of our business is our ability to help you buy and sell homes. For sellers, we have a consistently applied marketing system that is effective and allows our sellers to sell their homes fast for top dollar. On the other hand, we help buyers through each step of the process from financing to home inspections so you can get into your dream home in no time. The second focus of our business is property management. We help investors accumulate rental properties to create cash flow and appreciation. We also work to take the worry and stress out of property management for sellers who might not have as much equity as they would like but have to move. We will get a tenant in the property right away so the seller has time to move without losing money. The tenant will generate revenue for you until the time is right to sell the house.
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We can help you buy, sell, and invest in property.
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The third thing we focus on is investment, which has a lot to do with flipping properties. Some of our investors prefer to accumulate properties in order to create cash flow. We also help investors flip properties. This is a passive investment, because many people who flip these properties don’t even see the property in person. We identify a property that has profit potential and we do the redesign of the property for our investor. We then put the property back on the market to make our clients a profit. Flipping properties has put us in touch with great contractors, painters, and other vendors. If you are just looking to own a home and find a property that needs a little TLC, we have all the resources to make that property move-in ready for you. Whether you are looking for an investment or to own a home, our turnaround time is 30 to 60 days from the day we find the property to the day you can close on it. We can even include the renovation financing in your purchase agreement to make everything easier for you. If you have any questions, please give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help you buy, sell, renovate, or invest in a property!
A lot of people mistakenly believe that they can save money when they sell their home by themselves. Some people are certainly capable of this, but a large majority of people are not. In fact, the National Association of Realtors did a study that concluded a Realtor could sell a home for 18-20% more money (on average) than a FSBO seller.
"We managed to put an extra $10-12,000 in this seller’s pocket."
When you list with us, we can put more money in your pocket. A recent client of ours had been trying to sell her home for $140,000, but when we took over the sale the home ended up going for $158,000 within 30 days. This is because we spend so much money on marketing and advertising. Your home is broadcast to thousands of qualified buyers that are willing to pay top dollar for your home.
Even with our commission fee, we managed to put an extra $10-12,000 in this seller’s pocket. We understand the ins and outs of the market in Columbia. We can sell your home for the most amount of money and the least amount of hassle.
We would love the opportunity to sell your home - you won’t regret it!
Today, I want to talk about a program we’ve had for years that’s not as well known as our Guaranteed Sale program. Through this program, we help buyers find their home and investors profit.
In the surrounding Columbia area, we identify properties that are deficient. We help investors identify properties that can be successfully flipped. We have the talent to examine a property and adjust the home, such as the wall colors or the floor plan. Depending on what needs to be done, we can make tiny or large adjustments as necessary. After we’ve renovated the home, we list it back on the market and they profit from the sale later on.
If you’re a buyer, this is a great way to purchase a home. Perhaps you view a home but you want to make some changes, such as opening up the kitchen, adding counter tops, or taking down a wall. This program allows you to make these adjustments according to your needs! With your one-time purchase, you buy new designs and other services to renovate the home.
If you’re thinking about buying or selling a home, especially interested in this program, give me a call or send me an email. We’d be happy to serve your local real estate needs! We can bring you one step closer towards your dream home or the investment property of your dreams.
We have ten major tips to share with you if you’re selling your home in Columbia this year. We will countdown from number 10, but we will only cover numbers 10-6 in this video.
10. Buyers want to see empty closets and storage spaces. If these places are full of your stuff, try to remove at least half of everything before showing your home. It can make your closets seem much bigger.
9. Show your home light and bright. Turn on the lights, open the windows, draw the blinds, and possibly even clean your windows. Buyers will not purchase a dimly-lit home.
8. Get your pet out of the house for a while. Some buyers may have allergies, or some people may simply detect a pet odor. Not everyone loves pets, and you need to remember this while selling your home.
7. Depersonalize your home. Remove family photos, awards, collections of photos, or artwork. You like your belongings, but a potential buyer will not. Remove your personal items from the home so that the buyer can focus on the property and not your stuff.
6. Always be ready to show your home. Keep your home clean and show-ready when you’re selling, because you never know when someone will be coming to see it.
Stay tuned next time for the rest of our selling tips. You won’t want to miss them if you’re selling your home this spring!
Today we are going to take a moment to discuss property taxes and how they affect you as a homeowner here in South Carolina. Very soon, property tax bills are going to come out. It’s important that in your primary residence, you are only taxed at a 4% rate.
In South Carolina, when a property transfers from one owner to another, the tax rate will automatically jump to 6% like it is an investment property. You may think increasing your tax bill by a third isn’t that big of a deal, but it will actually double or triple your tax bill. You do not want that.
When you get the property tax bill for your primary residence, check it and make sure you are getting taxed at a 4% rate. If you aren’t, you can always give us a call and we will help you get everything sorted out. We look forward to talking with you again soon!
