Club Chaos Agents - All Things Hollish, Wacked, and Jacked

 If you're looking for a good deal on homes for sale in Columbia, SC, you're not alone. Anyone out there today that wants to buy a home is in search of deal and why not? They can be found and fortunately you don't have to look very far.

 The picture to the left was taken in Brookhaven in Northeast Columbia, SC. Brookhaven has been one of the best selling communities in Columbia for the past few couple of years and in the past several months they have unveiled a new product known as the Magnolia single. These wonderful 3 bedroom and 2 and a half bath homes start around $109,000 for a just over 1,300 square and around $120,000 for over 1,600 square feet.

 Even better than the price, which is great in itself, these are brand new homes. You don't have to worry about any problems that can come along with an older home. All you have to do is step right in and make yourself right at home.

Brookhaven is located off of Longreen Parkway in Northeast Columbia, SC. Homes for sale start around $100,000 and top out around $215,000.

 Looking for Columbia, SC homes for sale in Brookhaven, if not maybe you should be. Last month one builder, Mungo Homes, alone sold ten homes in the Brookhaven Community. So far this month, they have sold six. Brookhaven has homes for sale that range from from $99,900 for an 1,115 square foot, three bedroom two bath to $225,000  for a 3,200 square foot 5 bedroom three and a half bath. There's a wide variety of plans to choose from and certainly a wide variety of prices.

 The newest addition to homes for sale in Brookhaven are the detached townhomes known as Magnolia singles. They range in size from 1,398 square feet, to 1,620 square feet. They are all two stories with three bedrooms and two baths and an attached garage. Price range is $112,990 to $118,990 depending on the options you pick.

 The Brookhaven community is located just minutes off of I-77 allowing easy access to any part of Columbia. It's only 15 minutes away from Fort Jackson and 20 minutes from downtown making it an ideal spot to commute from. 5 minutes away from all the shopping and dinning you could want in the Village at Sandhill, Northeast Columbia's premiere outdoor shopping center. So if you're looking for homes for sale in Columbia, SC, you may want to take a look at Brookhaven. If you've already been out, take a second look at the new product line that is now under construction and selling fast.

www.jlboney.com

 Many of us have seen an increase in traffic from first time home buyers looking to cash in on the $8,000 tax credit. As time draws closer and closer for the credit to slip back into the abyss, we now have rumors of more credits, extending the current credit, and we have first time home buyers in a race to pick up their new home. This is of course an effort not to miss out on the tax credit, which at this time, will expire December 1st of this year.

 So, what about the buyers who are in that race to make it to the finish line with their new found home and their credit firmly in hand? If they are currently writing a contract on a build job, then they are dangerously close to running past the deadline, after all, it does take time to build a home. Some are still sitting on the fence and will likely take that leap of faith at the last minute hoping that all will work out well. However, we have all seen the significant increase in delays when it comes to closings.

 How many buyers are going to miss out on their opportunity to claim their credit because their closing was delayed? How many are going to attempt to build a new home and due to weather, miss out by a couple of days? And who are the buyers going to blame? The Government for not extending the time line. The builders for not building fast enough? Their Realtor because things didn't run as smoothly as they should have? The mortgage broker because the closing was delayed?

 I know of at least one builder in town who for the past two months has had all first time home buyers sign a form declaring that they are not responsible for delays in closing. This was done specifically because of the tax credit deadline and the amount of angry buyers that they see in the future due to delays in closings. The fact of the matter is that one way or another, is going to be an interesting time and I'm willing to bet that in this sue happy nation, it will be a really interesting time. That's why I have my own form discussing the fact that I am not responsible for delays in closing due to others.

 So, if you're a first time home buyer out there and you want to ensure you can claim your tax credit, I would advise that you get on the ball. The clock is ticking and if you wait until it's too late, you'll have no one to blame but yourself. If you are a member of the real estate industry and you have people who are going to cut it close, I would advise you to come up with a plan or a document to protect yourself from the possible future backlash. Maybe I'm just a worry wort, but no one ever got in trouble for being over prepared.

www.jlboney.com

 When my Mother was a young lady, not that she's old now but when she was a child, she was born in an old run down former chain gang house. What a concept, being born at the chain gang house. There have been many times that I have made fun of her for this very reason. All and all, you have to admit it makes for an interesting story.

 From there, she managed to move on up in life and her along with her siblings and my Grandparents moved into a former barn and slave quarters that had been remodeled into a home. This is actaually where I was raised for a while myself, but that's not the point of all of this. She worked and saved for years while raising two Sons and at some point in life she had the ability to buy her own home.

 Look around the world and listen closely as people talk and you may get the feeling that many out there are wondering where their white picket fence can be found. Where is my spouse and children? My high paying job that I drive my nice car to. Where is my two story home on the hill with a white picket fence? Where is the American dream that I was promised at birth? Did I somehow miss something, did that dream pass me by?

 The fact is that these days, most people feel they should have that huge house and nice car right off the bat. Unfortunately, I hate to be the one to break this to you, but it's a struggle to get there. Our Constitution makes the statement that everyone is entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Notice that the word used there is pursuit, happiness comes with no garentee, you have to run it down.

 You can't buy that mansion from the start, but you can't give up on it either. Instead you have to want it, earn it, and aspire to it. Few things in this world will ever be handed to you, and that American dream with the perfect yard and the white picket fence is no exception. You have to make your way through the ranks and make a start where you can. No one gets to chose whether they will be born into this world or not, you just have to make the best of it once you're thrust into existence.

 Somewhere out there, that white picket fence in waiting for you. You just have to be willing to work for it. Anything worth having in this life, is never really all that easy to achieve. But one thing's for sure, giving up too soon, will never get you to where you want to be.

www.jlboney.com

 I remember well the nervous first steps that my wife and I took in search of our first home. We first spoke with our family and argued with each other as to whether we were ready for such a responsibility. We began our search like most on the Internet and even turned to the State Paper hoping that the perfect property we reach out and grab us. My wife contacted a friend of her sister that was a Realtor and asked advice on what we should do.

 From there we were approved for a loan and then my wife started poking around with Ruth, the Realtor, in the hopes that she would find us that perfect place that we so desired. After coming to the stern realization that we really couldn't afford a mansion on a hill, we started actually looking at what we could afford. There were some decent houses out there in our range, and by decent I mean they were standing. At the time neither of us were really setting the world on fire as far as salary was concerned.

 After touring around several times, we happened upon a place that seemed to be what we were looking for in a home. Now understand that by that, I mean it was at a price we could afford and most of the problems were cosmetic. It wasn't exactly the greatest spot on the planet, but it had potential and we considered ourselves to be visionaries, so we figured what the hell. In the end, more than anything, we just wanted a place to call our own.

 Then came the first big awakening moment as we had to sit down, write an earnest money check, and put an offer in writing. Then we got to go back to our current living quarters and wait for a response. Two days seemed like an eternity as we tried anything we could to keep our minds off of the ordeal. Then the call came, what the hell is a counter offer? We then had to sit down again and see where we wanted to go from there. So, we countered back. The only thing we really wanted were the shingles replaced on the roof, because there were practically none there at the time.

 Then we got to send off that offer and once again wait around to see what would come from our latest efforts. Well, then we got the next phone call, and this one was the call we wanted. The offer was accepted and for a brief moment all the world was right. The we realized that we had no idea what to do next. Turns out that the rest of the transaction ran pretty smooth and we were able to roll right on into closing without much trouble in between. From there we signed our lives away at the closing table and were handed keys to our new home.

 It still makes me feel good to think about it and make that statement, our new home. Of course, the only thing that was new about it was the shingles on the roof, but that mattered little to us. We spent our first few nights there sleeping on just a mattress on the floor with boxes piled all over the place. Frankly, we didn't have much more than that mattress and all the crap packed away in the boxes, but we were young, happy, and we didn't care.

 Now keep in mind that I said this wasn't the most lovely home on the block to start with. But, we managed to unpack and arrange and fix it up a little at a time. We weren't able to do all we wanted right from the start, but slowly and surely we were able to turn all that rough into a diamond. And in the end it was all the better that it was our diamond. It was a huge step in what would become the rest of our lives. Though we no longer reside there, because it was a starter home and we have since upgraded to a larger place, I still ride by from time to time while showing homes for sale or passing through. And I have to admit that to this day, it still makes me smile every time I lay eyes on it.

www.jlboney.com

 Lately it seems that everywhere I turn I am reading and hearing reports on the Swine Flu epidemic at hand. Tons of cases in Mexico and it has spread to Europe as well as the U.S. Though I haven't really seen a state of panic created just yet, I am sure that the media has people well on their way to being frightened half to death by the thought of this nasty bug running rampant throughout the world.

 Now what is that the Swine Flu is doing for the economy. Well with the media poised to frighten the day lights out of people because of this rapidly spreading virus, they haven't had much time to frighten consumers about the economy. I know that business in my area has been on the rise and buyers are taking a leap from that fence. Now without all the negative publicity constantly being shoved down their throats, maybe more will decide to do the same.

 It seems that in this country there must always be a media sensation. The economy and the housing crisis has added plenty of fuel to that fire over the past few years, giving many consumers something to be afraid of in their daily lives. However, this has now taken a back seat to the panic that will ensue after the constant reports of new cases of the Swine Flu start to pile on.

 After all, we live in a society that is geared towards embracing fear more than they are geared towards accepting certain inevitable truths. Things will always change, times are sometimes hard, and this too shall pass. Fear is the ultimate equalizer when you allow it to consume you, it can and will halt forward progress. However, when you learn to accept that what you fear is just one more stage in this existence, then usually calm heads prevail.

 One day, the Swine Flu will simply be another part of history, and so will the recession that struck fear into so many consumers. At present it would appear that the fear of the flu is starting to overtake the fear of the economy. And maybe when the next big "fear" is reported endlessly by the media, then we can finish putting this all behind us for good.

 Recently I wrote a posts for buyers on the 10 reasons they should wait to buy in today's market. Today I figured I would tackle a different topic and help out those sellers in the market that would like to have their home on the market, but not actually sell it. These are steps that if followed correctly, can certainly aid in the process of NOT selling your home.

10- Landscaping. It is imperative that you make no special effort to make the yard look nice. Allow the shrubs to grow out of control and make sure the grass is not cut on a regular basis. A nicely maintained yard is pleasing to the eye, and it may make people want to take a look at the inside. If we can just make them drive by, then we have nothing to worry about.

9- The outside of the home itself. Try to make sure there is some paint peeling and that there are leaves in the gutters. The outside condition of the home is just as important as the yard itself. Just like a well maintained yard, a well maintained home will draw attention and that is completely against our cause of not selling the house.

8- Floors- If for some reasons a curious buyer sees through our efforts to run them away and decides to walk inside, then we have to take things to the next level. Be sure that the floors throughout the house are not clean. If they are already older and worn out floors, then be sure you leave them like they are. You don't want nice new floors causing the place to seem appealing. If possible have stains and some cigarette burns in carpet.

7- Clutter- You can make a small room seem even smaller by simply staging it with too much crap. Be sure you put as much stuff as possible on your counter tops in the kitchen and on any flat surface where you can fit trinkets. This is a sure fire turn off for buyers, so don't over look it. A nice decluttered house can accentuate the positives, and that's not what we want.

6- Paint- The best thing you can do is slap some paint on the walls that offends the sense of anyone who sees it. I mean bright purples and reds and anything else you can think of that the average buyer doesn't want to see. Sometimes dark colors can be used to make a room look smaller as well. Between that and the clutter we should be able to send many prospective buyers running for the hills. The last thing you should do is put a fresh coat of neutral paint on the walls. That just makes a place look too good.

5- Poor lighting- The darker the better for us, so try to make sure we block windows to avoid natural light. If at all possible be sure that there are some burnt out light bulbs, that way the place will look even less inviting to touring agents and buyers. We don't want inviting.

4- A dirty house- This is a huge help for us in our effort to avoid an offer. If the place is clean and decluttered, then it shows better and we run the risk of selling. Instead, be sure that you leave the home trashed every chance you get. Dirty dishes in the sink and piles of cloths on the floor in bedrooms. These are two great ways to make a home look bad.

3- Show by appointment only- And don't be reasonable about it when you do. Don't even allow a Realtor to put a lockbox on the home. The last thing we want is for buyers and agents to have availability to the property. When someone does call to show the house stick around and make the buyer feel uncomfortable by following them around. If they start to picture themselves living there, they may get that warm and fuzzy feeling that could lead to sell. They don't live there, it's your home, make sure they know that.

2- Smoke in your home- This will cause another huge turn off to buyers. The smell will work it's way into every part of the home. If possible leave full ashtrays throughout to drive the point home.

1- Price- I should say over price to be more specific. Price has become a crucial factor in the sell of many homes, so the last thing you want is to put a fair market price on your home. You need to price it above market value and stand firm with the willingness to negotiate.

 You really shouldn't need to take all of these steps, if you just pick a few you can greatly increase the chances that your home will not sell. So decide which ones are right for you, and stick to the plan. Your success should be easy on this one.

www.jlboney.com

 With all the posts out there about how now is the best time in history to run out and buy a home, I thought it only fair to show you the reasons that you should not do so. The last thing this economy needs is for consumers to start spending money, that would actually cause the great deals to go away. Mainly due to the fact that it would cause the economy and the real estate market to recover, and at this point that's the last thing we need.

10-  Rent is fun to pay. I mean it's not at all like having to pay your own mortgage, why do that when you can pay a mortgage for someone else. If you went out and bought a home, there would be one less investor out there getting a free house with your money.

9- The amount of homes for sale on the market. There is no need to running out there when you have a ton of homes for sale at your disposal. You should certainly wait for the numbers to dwindle so you will have less of a choice you decide to buy. This will keep you from having to be so picky.

8- The great deals will be the first to go. This will be your indicator that you are getting close to time to start looking. All the good homes will be taken and then you can go sift through the left overs for what you can salvage.

7- Low Interest rates. Low interest rates will cause your mortgage payments to be lower, and this may make you feel like you are not doing your fair share. You should definitely wait around for those rates to rise so you can make a higher monthly payment. Then you won't have to deal with the guilt of saving money.

6- The price of homes for sale. Currently many homes for sale are on the market at very competitive lower prices. If you can manage to hang in there a little longer without buying a home, then you can catch market during or after a recovery. This means that you will get to pay more for the home than you would today.

5- With today's rates and prices, mortgages on many homes for sale are actually cheaper than rent on the same homes. Again this would possibly save you money, and that's not what you want to do. You need to wait for the prices to rise so you're not getting as good of a deal.

4- A 10% of the sales price tax credit up to $8,000. If you were to buy a home now,and you are a first time home buyer, then you would receive this tax credit. If you can hold out until next year, then you will be able to avoid this tax credit all together. This will save you the aggravation of trying to decide what to do with the extra money on next year's tax return.

3-Builder incentives. At present, in addition to the competitive prices, many builders are offering other incentives on new homes. Incentives like a percentage of of the home for sale depending on your employment and reduced pricing on upgrades. Some are even offering free upgrades and tossing in little extras that they normally do not offer in order to sweeten the pot. This would mean that you could get a great deal on a brand new home in your area, and that's the last thing you want. Wait for these deals to be snatched up other buyers before you even consider looking for your new home.

2- Lack of competition for you. Right now with many would be buyers sitting on the fence trying to make a decision, you would have your pick of the litter as far as the homes currently available are concerned. You need to wait until many more buyers are on the search, that way you can possibly end up in multiple offer situations and have to fight another buyer over the home you really want.

1- The pride of home ownership. There is no reason to come home to a home that actually belongs to you. Why not constantly come home to a house that you are buying for someone else.

 I hope that in some way this has helped anyone reading to figure out why you should stay on that fence. There are really too many great deals and incentives out there to subject yourself to making a decision as to which one you want. So hang in there and stay on those sidelines. With a little discipline and a little luck you'll be able to avoid all the great deals that this current market has to offer. Best of luck to you.

www.jlboney.com