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

 I do a lot of open houses and I do them to gain attention to my listings and myself. You never know what you will get when you open a door to the public, it could be a great thing or a complete waste of time, you never know what you're going to get.

 My favorite thing at any open house is the visitor that hates me the second they walk through the door. It's open to the public, but have to understand that in most cases it's still a home, and the owners have hired me in an attempt to sell the house. I'm hard to avoid at these things, because I'm right there and I'm the guy who opened the door for you to walk through in the first place.

 Now please allow me to explain that I am not there to harass so much as I am there to help if necessary. I'm also not going to let someone who just walked through the door wonder around alone in a house filled with my client's valuables. I'm not there to offend you, but let's face it, there are bad people out there and I need to make sure that nothing goes missing on my watch. Also, you walked into an open house, so how could you not expect me to at least say hello and introduce myself?

 Another thing you may notice is that we will ask questions. It's not a crazy, deceptive tactic on my part to trick you into something. It's an effort to see if I can help you or if you even want help. Let's say for example I ask " are you from around here? " It does neither of us any good for you to reply " I'm from up there ", which people have done. I usually reply to that answer with the fact that I live over there and I think it's close to up there, have you heard of it? The original question is only an effort to understand whether you are relocating or whether you are already familiar with the area.

 When I greet you and you look at me like I'm an idiot and say in a stern voice, "I'm just looking alright!", and then try to rush past me, I'm not impressed with your tough negotiation tactics. If you just want to look, then just say you popped in to have a look around, it's an open house and I don't mind the public being there. Believe it or not, that's even the point of the whole thing. There's no need to be rude to me, I'm not there to be rude to you.

 I have encountered many types of people in all my open houses, and I enjoy doing them. I actually like meeting people and having a little small talk while they browse the home. But I will tell you this, when you walk into an open house or a model home in a new home community, you're going to run into a Realtor. That's sort of our job. Most of us don't have sharp teeth or claws, we're just going to ask a few painless questions while you're there to find out whether or not we can help. After all, if you went to a restaurant and a waitress/waiter asked what you would like, would you freak out on them? You walked into the restaurant knowing they would be there, the same can be said for us at open houses or model homes.

  So remember, it's not likely that I'm going to bite you, you can even carry on a conversation. When I ask where you're from, sometimes it's just small talk, it's not because I think people from a certain area of the country taste better.

Columbia, SC Real Estate

Columbia, SC Homes For Sale

Lately with all the talk and buzz about foreclosures, that seems to be the major starting point for most buyers. With nervous anticipation of claiming the deal of the century as their very own, buyers jump into the mix by immediately searching out foreclosed homes for sale in an effort to save money. All and all, I can't say that I blame them one bit. If I were in their shoes I would likely do the same in this day and age.

 However, the major thing to consider is that all markets are local and this affects foreclosures as well as other homes for sale in every individual market. In the Columbia market, while there are foreclosures, they do not dominate the market. That's not to say that there are none out there, some are even half decent. However, if you are looking to run out and grab a $500,000 home for $500 like a lot of people believe they will at the start, I can promise you that it won't happen.

 The really good deals are being fought over soon after they hit the market and word gets out that they are available. And I can promise you that word travels fast. So, the nice homes for a good price are receiving multiple offers and some are selling for more than the listed price by the time the would be buyers are finished scrambling to ensure that they are the victor. Then where does that leave us, that leaves us trying to buy everything that's left over that no one really wanted in the first place. The homes that need a ton of work done to them before they are inhabitable.

 So take this into consideration, how much is the home really worth and how much are you willing to spend on your new home. If you see a foreclosure out there that's on the market for $80,000 and it's in a state of disrepair, then how good of a deal are you getting. Let's just say for the sake of argument that it needs $30,000 worth of repairs done. Using the simple math then, you have spent $110,000 on a home. Well in all honesty, if you are willing to spend that much for a home, then why not get one that's in good condition from the start that you do not need to repair?

 Do you really want to have to replace the roof, all the windows, all the appliances, all the flooring, the heat and air unit, the hot water heater, repair wall damage and water damage, and paint before you move in. The fact of the matter is that the vast majority of the Foreclosed homes that I have shown in the Columbia market need that much work and then some done to them. So, maybe you can do the work yourself and save money on labor by only buying the materials to do the job. Great! But are you going to have the time it takes to do all this work and work at your job so that you can pay for the home and all the materials as well.

 The numbers don't lie, and they never have. If you want to look for a good deal on a foreclosure, then by all means get to work. In certain markets across the country, they really are the way to go and there are some good deals to be had out there. However, if your market is like the one here in Columbia, then you seriously want to take a long look at the math before you make that decision. Chances are you would come out better buying a move in ready home or even a new home. Just make sure that you don't over look all your options just because of what you may have heard on the news about foreclosures being the very best way to go.

 www.jlboney.com