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 Leave a comment »208 Upland Trail Road - Greenhill Parish Columbia SC Real Estate208 Upland Trail Road - GreenHill Parish New Listing Columbia SC Real EstateWhat can I say, I love homes. Rarely though do I see a property within the Columbia SC Real Estate market that I think to myself, “I have to have this house!” Well, 208 Upland Trail Road located in the Green Hill Parish Neighborhood just outside of NE Columbia SC Real Estate is the house. It is that house that stands above all others. It is the house that the most discernable buyer can call home. It has everything…and then more. Located just a few miles from The Village at Sandhills, off of Spears Creek Church Road, Green Hill Parish is a stunning neighborhood of high end Brick and Hardy Plank homes. With luscious green spaces, a community center with large pool, parks and common areas, this neighborhood provides a family atmosphere with all the amenities that high end Columbia SC Real Estate purchasers desire.
208 Upland Trail Road is that house. That house that people desire for! Sprawling 3350 Square Feet, with 4 bedrooms and 3.5 baths, this house is large enough for entertaining as well as enjoying family time with one another. Solid brick with hardiplank accents, this sturdy piece of Columbia SC Real Estate will last the times.
Beautifully decorated with designer paints and textures, this home truly sings and blows the competition out of the water. Inside the home you will find Hardwood floors throughout the downstairs. Walk into the living room and you will notice the extremely high cathedral ceilings with plenty of natural light. This large living room is a stunning place to entertain friends and famly.
Walk into the kitchen and you will notice the beautiful Granite counter tops along with the hardwood floors. With that, you have Stainless Steel GE Profile appliances. The amount of cabinet space and counter space is unparrallel to any house I have seen. With a large island in the center, with a solid surface cook top, you can both enjoy cooking while entertaining with this wide open floor plan.
The dining room, located off the kitchen, is stunning. With heavy moldings, this will quickly become where you want to eat each meal each day. The master bedroom is large…very large. With his and her closets with ample storage place, all your shoes and clothes are at arms reach.
The attached master bath has 2 separate vanities, with water closet, whirlpool tub, and stand up shower. It is truly a retreat that you can enjoy each and every morning.
Upstairs, the first bedroom has it’s own private bathroom as well as walk in closet. All the bedrooms have ample closet space and are larger than most. As well, you have a fully finished FROG with large closet (could be 5th bedroom). It is truly a great place to entertain, have a fun movie night, or a play room. In the rear of the house you have a large deck to enjoy the Columbia SC Real Estate Markets sun. In addition, you are fenced in with super high end aluminum fencing.
The front curb appeal is a landscapers dream. With palms, palmettos, great greenery, and not to mention the perfectly maintained grass, you will enjoy this each and every day as you walk past towards the park, or pull in to your spacious 2 car garage. This home is truly that, a home for the person who has the exquisite taste and can enjoy such a home. If you have any questions on 208 Upland Trail Road, please do not hesitate to contact your Columbia SC Real Estate Agent.
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Posted in Leave a comment »Columbia South Carolina Real Estate NeighborhoodsColumbia SC Real Estate Neighborhoods Columbia SC Real Estate neighborhoods are the bread and butter of any Columbia South Carolina Real Estate agent. Within the different communities, such as Irmo Real Estate, Lexington Real Estate, Chapin Real Estate and of course Lake Murray Real Estate, there are several great neighborhoods. I have written in the past on Quail Valley in Columbia, as well as Forty Love in Chapin and Ascot Irmo SC Real Estate. These are 2 prime examples of neighborhoods which have a staying power in this market. These homes sell well in any market, as well as they have a desire. These 2 neighborhoods are polar opposites of each other. These neighborhoods highlight differences for key different buyers and sellers. Of course, Forty Love is a higher end neighborhood located in the Chapin part of Lake Murray. This neighborhood has homes that can reach over $1 million. However, Quail Valley is a strong, central middle class neighborhood which has been around for decades. The prices of Quail Valley rarely reach above $230,000. What makes a great Columbia SC Real Estate neighborhood you ask? There are obviously a good couple of items I could point out. First and foremost, in my opinion, is staying power. Do people move every 2 years out of the neighborhood? Are there a lot of foreclosures or bank owned homes in the neighborhood? Does the Columbia South Carolina Real Estate neighborhood fee like a tight knit community. If you answered yes to all these, more than likely your neighborhood will always be at the top in sales with lower days on market. If you have a desirable neighborhood, ie: one that does not have a huge amount of inventory on the market, buyers are less likely to be able to get the price down on your home. If you have a tight knit neighborhood, such as Quail Valley, where people stay upwards 30 years and everyone knows everyone, your neighborhood will seem safe, secluded, and most importantly desirable. A realtor who I look at who knows about true neighborhoods, how they are valuable in the hyper local sense of Real Estate is Greg Swann of Phoenix, AZ Real Estate. He works key areas within Phoenix and makes it his business to know each person, home, and the history of each home.
If you have any questions on your neighborhood, please do let me know. I would be happy to help in anyway I can. |
1 comment »With Hurricane Hanna Coming, Does the Columbia SC Real Estate Market Need To WorryIf you are like me, you may have spent a part of your Labor Day watching Hurricane Gustav tear apart the Gulf of Mexico. I feel for those people. Luckily, this time, they were better prepared than they were for Hurricane Katrina. Hurricanes are a significant threat to Real Estate. Columbia SC Real Estate had felt the detriment during Hurricane Hugo back in 1989. This category storm reaked havoc on SC, making landfall at a Category 4. Currently, Columbia SC Real Estate needs to be bracing for Hurricane Hanna. It is on its way, but what do you need to do?
Above is the projected path as of September 1st.
At the NOAA, you can find a family preparedness plan. This is important. Even though we rarely feel the wrath of a hurricane in the Columbia SC Real Estate market, it is possible. Concerning your house, you need to make sure your Homeowners Insurance is paid up. Also, go over your policy and make sure you are covered for the correct amounts. More than likely, you do not have flood insurance. This is a good coverage to purchase. You may not be in the 50 or 100 year flood zone, as most of the Columbia SC Real Estate Market is not, however, it is always better safe than sorry. If need be, board up the windows on your home. We rarely (not in my lifetime) have had to do this. If you have to leave the area, have a plan in place. Where are you going? Do you have food and water in case you are stranded. Most importantly, have a plan for your pets! Fido and fluffy need to be taken care of too. I have 3 dogs and 5 cats. Have a plan so these animals do not end up hurt, stranded, or worse. I hope these tips will definitely help you in securing your home and person in case of a Hurricane in Columbia SC Real Estate.
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Leave a comment »Columbia SC Real Estate Mortgage Market Week In ReviewHappy Labor Day weekend! I hope that you take some time to enjoy a very relaxing weekend on the last long weekend of the summer. Due to the fact that its the Holiday Weekend, Im not going to make this as long as some of the others have been. So heres whats been going on in the mortgage world:
1. Fannie and Freddie - while nothing has changed substantially, the immediate market fears over Fannie and Freddie have diminished somewhat in the Columbia SC Real Estate Market. I guess you could describe it as a situation where its still cloudy and rainy, but the worst of the storm has passed for now.
2. Credit Markets - there is continuing fear and questions regarding the status of the credit markets. How big of a problem is there floating under the water yet? Ive heard rumblings that as Fannie and Freddies shares have fallen in value and as its rumored that when (not if) the Fed does bail out Fannie and Freddie, the shares will go to zero. Many banks own substantial shares in those two companies and a reduction in their holdings to zero will require additional writedowns and additional belt tightening on their parts. That doesnt bode well for the health of the banks. Speaking of banks, theres some questions about a certain bank out in California (Washington Mutual) because they are currently offering CD rates that are approximately 25% higher than the going rates most banks are paying. The thinking is that they are paying higher rates because they need cash and need it desperately.
3. Economic reports - the Gross Domestic Product report came in much stronger than expected. Does that mean that the economy is going well? Lets put it this way, the aircraft industry had a very good quarter. The vast majority of the increase came because of the aircraft industry. Apparently some airlines are upgrading their fleets to improve fuel efficiency. Consumer Confidence came in higher than expected as well. The market consensus seemed to be that it was because the drop in oil prices is making people feel better because they arent paying as much at the pump. Personal incomes fell in July (not good). Inflation numbers came in higher than anticipated and that put some pressure on the bond markets.
4. Home Sales - Im
starting to see and hear some anecdotal evidence of certain parts of
the housing market showing some signs of life. What parts?
Distressed portions of certain markets, like the foreclosure and short
sale markets in some areas, are starting to move faster. Is this a
sign of a bottom? Its too early to tell. I really think
that before we see a bottom in the housing market, were going to need
a couple of things: 1) A stabilization in house prices (so far the
house price indexes are showing that the rate of decrease is slowing,
but it hasnt stopped yet). 2) A reduction in inventory levels.
So could some of the signs that were seeing lead us to say 6 months
from now that this was the beginning of the bottom? Very well could
be, but its too early to tell for sure. Oh, and will some of these
things happen sooner in some areas than others? Absolutely.
5. Oil and the guy named Gustav - theres a lot of nervousness on what the pending Hurricane could do to the oil production in the Gulf. I can imagine that the Weather Channels ratings are going to be pretty high this weekend. How does that effect mortgages? If oil production takes a major hit, we could be looking at higher gas prices which will be a drain on the economy.
With all of that, rates have actually drifted down a bit this week. Until next week….. Thanks!
Cell (616) 292-7559 |
Leave a comment »Does Cash Matter in Columbia SC Real Estate?Often I get the question, “How much money should I put down when purchasing a Columbia SC Real Estate Property?" My response is purely this, “How much can you?” We have all heard the phrase “Cash is King". It is, especially during these days that financing is not a guarantee. First, I’ll cover an all cash transaction. Purchasing in an all cash transaction definately puts you at the top of the list as far as qualification goes. Qualification plays largely in what offer to take. People are plain old tired of pulling their house off the market for 30 days, then the closing does not happen. This costs the seller not only 30 days off the market, but typically a mortgage payment, their time, and their emotional well being. Agents hate for a deal to fall through, not only for the obvious, but it also takes up their time, then they have to re-brand the house. Therefor, making a full cash offer definately makes you more desirable. Will it get you a lower price? Maybe. The reason I say “Maybe” is that most people have a number they want. They may go down to that number, however, I doubt you will get below that.
On to a financed offer… In these shaky days of Columbia SC Real Estate lending, financed offers are shaky. They are. However, the amount of money you put down directly effects the ’shakiness’ of your deal. If you have a good credit score (720+) and 20% down, more than likely you will be approved, baring unforeseen circumstances in your Columbia SC Real Estate purchase. Below a 720, and 20% down, it is a bit tougher. More than likely a mortgage broker can get it done, as long as you are qualified, but it still may not happen. For example, the FHA requires 3% down, however you have PMI mandatory for 5 years. If you have any questions on down payments, or paying cash for a house, please contact me, your Columbia SC Real Estate Agent. |
