Buckland Video

Priced at $950,000 - 114 CENTRAL RD, CENTRAL, SC 29630

See this YouTube video of this spectacular estate including a large luxury home, five outbuildings on 39.4 acres for sale for ONLY $950,000 near Clemson, Anderson, and Greenville!

Part 2 of Why it Makes Sense to Keep House Hunting During The Holidays!

Recently I started a blog about how traditionally real estate history has often advised buyers and sellers that once Thanksgiving comes around, they might as well pack it in, hunker down and wait till after the new year to get serious about getting their transactions closed. Today's blog further discusses some benefits to keeping up with the house hunt right now while the holiday season is in full swing:

Sellers are more motivated!

Though there are fewer buyers and sellers out there right now, those who are active tend to be highly, highly motivated.
The sellers who are willing to clear the whole family out of the house when everyone else is having holiday gatherings because they are very motivated to get their homes sold – and ready to entertain your offer to make that happen! This isn't just talk. I am very busy right now, and got two homes under contract so far this week and the week's not over get!

Serving Anderson SC Real Estate, Clemson Real Estate, Lake Hartwell Real Estate,
Nancy Lamar, REALTOR
Fine Home Specialist
www.CallNancyLamar.com

Part 1: Why It Makes Sense To Keep House Hunting Through the Holidays

Traditionally real estate history has often advised buyers and sellers that once Thanksgiving comes around, they might as well pack it in, hunker down and wait till after the new year to get serious about getting their transactions closed. But there are some benefits to keeping up with the house hunt right now while the holiday season is in full swing:

Lower dream home competition.

Conventional real estate wisdom says the spring and summer months as the best months of the year for real estate sales, because families with children prefer to move into their new homes before September and the bad weather and holiday festivities keep house hunting to a minimum, during the winter.
So, if you do kick your house hunt into high gear right now, you’ll face fewer competitors. And that means fewer multiple offers and a lower likelihood of being outbid and getting a better price.

Serving Anderson SC Real Estate, Clemson Real Estate, and Lake Hartwell Real Estate,
Nancy Lamar, REALTOR
Fine Home Specialist
www.CallNancyLamar.com

Part 4: Is the Housing Market Better Than 4 Years Ago?

Delinquencies have slowed, even though foreclosures remain high.

As the job market picks up, fewer people are falling behind on their mortgages.  7.40% of mortgages were delinquent in September 2012, which is down from 8.61% in January 2009. Although delinquencies have fallen, foreclosures have increased. This may be due to the foreclosure stage is the later part of a long process and therefore lags the improvement in home prices and the delinquency rate. The share of mortgages in the foreclosure process has risen to 3.87% in September 2012 from 2.43% in January 2009. Most of this increase is due to foreclosures backing up in “judicial” states such as Florida and New York, which have a much longer legal foreclosure process. The share of homes in foreclosure is now almost three times higher in “judicial” states than in “non-judicial” states.
 Even if the housing market is in better shape than it was four years ago, Obama can’t take much credit for it. Although mortgage rates are lower, credit for that goes to the weak economy and the Federal Reserve. The declines in inventories and vacancies are mostly because new construction plunged after 2007 and has remained far below normal levels – so few new homes have been built. It is also because there are fewer foreclosed and other distressed homes for sale. And the biggest hangover from the housing crisis – homes stuck in the foreclosure process – is governed more by states than by the feds.
Obama’s main contributions to the housing recovery were the 2009 stimulus, which prevented a worse recession which ultimately boosted housing demand, and the ongoing push to make refinancing more widely available, which has given the economy further modest stimulus. But there’s little that the Administration did – or could have done – to influence home prices and construction.
Even though the housing market may be in better shape than it was four years ago, it’s still far from normal. Trulia’s Housing Barometer shows that “normal” is still years away – and huge housing policy questions, like the future of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mae, are unanswered. Other big challenges remain: mortgage credit is still tight, and four million foreclosures since the start of the housing crisis have left families with wrecked credit, lost homes and personal suffering. Thus, the housing market is nothing to cheer loudly about. But overall, is it better off than four years ago? Surprisingly, yes.

 Serving Anderson SC Real Estate, Clemson Real Estate, and Lake Hartwell Real Estate,

Nancy Lamar, REALTOR
Fine Home Specialist
www.CallNancyLamar.com

Part 3: Is The Housing Market Better Off Than 4 Years Ago?

Vacancies and inventory are getting back to normal.

Four years ago there were too many vacant homes and too much inventory due to the surplus of new homes that were built but not sold during the bubble and the lack of buyers during the recession. Since 2009, this abundance of available, vacant homes has been absorbed, as fewer newly constructed homes have come onto the market in 2009-2012 and fewer bank owned are waiting to be sold. The inventory of homes for sale has fallen by 38% from January 2009 to October 2012, according to Housing Tracker, which is a return to normal levels. And the National Association of Realtors reports that the “months of supply” of existing homes fell from 9.5 in January 2009 to 5.9 in September 2012 – with 6 considered normal. Vacancies, too, are much closer to normal.

Serving Anderson SC Real Estate, Clemson Real Estate, Lake Hartwell Real Estate,

Nancy Lamar, REALTOR
Fine Home Specialist
www.CallNancyLamar.com

Part 2: Is The Housing Market Better Off Than 4 Years Ago?

Being able to afford a home has improved. Although prices are nearly back to their January 2009 level, affordability has improved because mortgage rates have fallen. The typical mortgage rate on a 30-year fixed-rate loan dropped from 5.05% in January 2009 to 3.38% in October 2012 (Freddie Mac). That drop in mortgage rates reduced the monthly mortgage payment on a $200,000 loan by 18%. For those who can afford the down payment and can qualify for a mortgage, homeownership is significantly more affordable today than 4 years ago.

Serving Anderson SC Real Estate, Clemson Real Estate, and Lake Hartwell Real Estate,
Nancy Lamar, REALTOR
Fine Home Specialist
www.CallNancyLamar.com