In July, the Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller home price index of 20 major cities rose 1.2 percent from June’s number to a reading of 143.05. Although home prices are still 13.3 percent below last July’s figures a year ago, the study also shows that the annual declines have slowed in all 20 cities for the sixth straight month.
Now, although this is certainly some encouraging news, home prices overall are still down roughly 33% from the numbers from mid-July 2006. So while we are starting to see some improvements in the housing market overall, there’s still a very long way to go before things are completely back.
The report shows that with the exception of the Las Vegas, Detroit, and Seattle areas home prices are rising across the country and I would say that that’s the trend I’m seeing here in the Fort Mill SC and Rock Hill SC area.
Yes, it’s still very much a buyer’s market, but you can slowly see home prices starting to increase ever so slightly. We’ve been very fortunate in that home prices never really took the nose dive experienced by other markets, but home buyer confidence is certainly returning which in turn means homes are selling closer to asking price than previously.
Hopefully this trend will continue, not just in the Fort Mill SC area, but nationwide as well. Home sales has always been a bit of a barometer of how well the economy is doing so the better the home market is, the better off our economy is!
Filed under Home Buyers, Home Sellers, Market Trends, News Reports by 
Given the turbulent housing market this past year or so has led to an obvious increase in the number of foreclosures across the country, and even here in our backyard in Fort Mill SC and Rock Hill SC. This means an increased inventory of homes available for purchase, which in turn means lower home prices for both those buying and selling real estate.
Well, while a foreclosure is the worst possible scenario for someone that has fallen behind on their mortgage payments and it’s something you want to avoid if all possible, there are other options. One of those options is something called a ‘short sale’.
As it relates to real estate, a short sale essentially means the lender has agreed to allow the home to be sold for LESS than what is actually owed. Now, not all homes qualify for a short sale simply because not all lenders will allow the home to be sold for less than what is owed on it.
If you’re in a situation where you feel like you’re about to lose your home, investigating the possibility of selling it via a short sale might be a good option, but as with everything in life you MUST do your own due diligence.
You certainly want to consult with your accountant and an attorney familiar with real estate short sales. You’ll find a great list of steps you could expect to have to take in order to sell your home via short sale right HERE.
On the buying side, purchasing a home via a short sale is much, much less certain a process than buying an average home listed for sale. You’d be wise to consult with a qualified real estate agent that has some experience working with real estate short sales.
If you have any questions about either selling your home via a short sale or purchasing a home via a short sale, I have experience in both so please don’t hesitate to CONTACT ME.
Filed under Buy Your Dream House, Home Buyers, Home Sellers, Sell Your Home by
If you’ve been sitting on the real estate fence waiting to see where the housing market heads, believe it or not, right now might just be the PERFECT time to buy a new Fort Mill SC home.
Here are 5 reasons why:
1. The governments $8,000 first time home buyers tax credit is set to expire on Dec. 1st. That means you’ve got to actually close on your new home. And because it typically takes at least 30 days to go from contract to close, you need to start taking action RIGHT NOW.
2. Believe it or not, there is some 100% financing programs still available. Now, these programs come with many more requirements and restrictions than similar programs that were available previously, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find them anymore. Just be sure to shop around with lenders as some may offer different programs than others.
3. Everything is on clearance. Home sellers know this is a buyers market because many homes are selling at or below the original purchase price. There are many short sales and foreclosures available in the Fort Mill SC area, which means you can now get twice the home for half the price. There really are some amazing deals available IF you have time on your side and a knowledgeable agent.
4. Interest rates may never be this low again. As the economy improves, interest rates will undoubtedly rise and if you don’t act soon you may miss the opportunity. Don’t be one that says “if I had only…”! The best thing to do is to find one of the many free mortgage calculators on the web and play with the numbers. You will find your mortgage monthly payment goes up much quicker with interest rates than if the house price drops a few thousand
5. Local builder incentives are growing. Because the inventory of homes available is growing, builders are willing to customize new homes for a fraction of what was available in the past. If you can’t find what you’re looking for in the inventory of pre-built home, look at local builders for the many build-to-suit options available.
If you’re looking to purchase a new home in the Fort Mill SC in spite of the current economy, this really is a great time to take action. These five reasons are just a few of the many why right now might be your best time to take action!
Filed under Carolina Real Estate, Fort Mill SC, Home Buyers, Interest Rates by
Yesterday, Rock Hill SC city leaders made a huge step towards making the Riverwalk development a reality.
“City leaders approved a public financing package for Riverwalk, the 1,000-acre project that could bring new life to the old Celanese textile site at Cherry Road and Interstate 77. Plans call for an industrial park, retail shops and hundreds of home sites — which developers say could represent a $600 million redevelopment.”
While the entire project isn’t scheduled to be completed until 2028, construction could begin as early as next summer on some key components of the project. One interesting piece of the project will be the east coast’s only velodrome, which is an oval bicycle race track. It’s one of the projects slated to begin next summer and could be completed by as early as 2012.
Overall, the project is expected to attract around 4,000 new jobs which is certainly good news for both Rock Hill SC and Fort Mill SC. With the real estate activity already picking up, knowing this project is coming along with all of the associated benefits I can only expect it will continue to help the housing market.
Filed under Carolina Business News, Carolina Real Estate, Fort Mill SC, Fun Stuff, Rock Hill SC by
It appears as if the nationwide housing slide that we’ve experienced for the past 2 years may be coming to an end. Finally.
According to Bloomberg,
“Sales of existing U.S. homes jumped more than forecast in July to the highest level in almost two years. Purchases climbed 7.2 percent to a 5.24 million annual rate, the most since August 2007, the National Association of Realtors said today in Washington. The gain was the biggest since records began in 1999. The median price fell 15 percent.”
As I’ve said all along, the Rock Hill SC and Fort Mill SC housing markets haven’t been hit as badly as other areas of the country, but we’ve certainly felt the reprocutions. Now with the national housing market appearing to rebound, I would expect that we’ll continue to see an increase in existing home sales.
There’s still quite a lot of homes for sale, but the pace at which homes are selling has slowly picked up the past few months. And now with the $8K tax credit coming to it’s end on November 1st many home buyers are scrambling around, trying to find their dream home in order to take advantage of this credit.
So, if you’ve been thinking about selling your home, now’s a GREAT time to put it on the market!
Filed under Buy Your Dream House, Carolina Real Estate, Fort Mill SC, Home Buyers, Home Sellers, Market Trends, News Reports, Rock Hill SC by
