Sunday, July 22, 2012

THE RETREAT AT STORM BRANCH

LOT SIZES UP TO 3.56 ACRES!
Open House Daily! Homes priced from the $230s
3-6 Bedroom 2.5 5.5 Bath 2,366 4,577 square feet
$67 .4 0 PER SQ UA RE FO OT!

Lot 4-C , 189 Bellingham Drive

5 Bedroom, 4.5 Bath, 4,277 sq. ft.

Lot 3-B, 204 Bellingham Drive

4 Bedroom, 3 Bath, 3,200 sq. ft.

Lot 3-E, 339 Bellingham Drive

6 Bedroom, 5.5 Bath, 4,577 sq. ft.

Lot 19-E, 5129 Glastonbury Court

5 Bedrooms, 4.5 Baths, 3,678 sq. ft.

$421,900

$290,500

$384,900

$247,900

Independently Owned and Operated. Equal Housing Opportunity.

Mary E. May 706-373-5574 706-863-1775 www.PruBeazleyRealEstate.com

AS32-785375

South Carolina Realtors! Great Opportunity is waiting for Lot 31-E, 5142 Glastonbury Court you in The Retreat at Storm 4 Bedroom, 3.5 Bath, 3,678 sq. ft. Branch! Call Barbara Sanders $249,900 for details 706-306-2264

ATTENTION

Lot 20-F, 3029 Tarleton Court

4 Bedroom, 2.5 Bath, 2,532 sq. ft.

Lot 28-E, 5188 Glastonbury Court

3 Bedroom, 2.5 Bath, 2,366 sq. ft.

$252,900

$235,900

2 | Home Hunter Sunday, July 22, 2012

Aiken Standard

Aiken Standard

Home Hunter Sunday, July 22, 2012 | 3

4 | Home Hunter Sunday, July 22, 2012

Aiken Standard

Aiken Standard

Home Hunter Sunday, July 22, 2012 | 5

6 | Home Hunter Sunday, July 22, 2012

Aiken Standard

Aiken Standard

Home Hunter Sunday, July 22, 2012 | 7

Doug Haley Sr. Mortgage Loan Officer NMLS ID: 609887 803.644.3013 douglas.b.haley@bankofamerica.com

Angie Webber Mortgage Loan Officer NMLS ID: 628763 803.644.3012 angela.k.webber@bankofamerica.com
AS04-576268a

8 | Home Hunter Sunday, July 22, 2012

Aiken Standard

Walk-Through on a Rental Home: What Tenants Shouldnt Miss

by Shannon OBrien, realestate.com While the investment you make in a rental home is nowhere near the huge chunk of money you put down to purchase a home, the chances of losing at least a portion of that money are better. Unscrupulous landlords and everyday accidents may chip away at your security deposit and may even lead to you owing more money when you vacate the home. This is why the walk-through on a rental home is so important. Of the two types of walkthroughs performed in a rental home, the move-in inspection is more important than the moveout inspection. If done correctly, this inspection ensures that you wont be held accountable for damage left by previous tenants. The move-in walk-through should be thorough, ensuring you dont overlook anything. Whether the rental is a house or an apartment will determine how long and how thorough the inspection should be. As you enter each room, check it from the floor to the ceiling. Open windows and doors to make sure theyre operable and check all the locks. As you tour the rental home, keep an eye out for signs of pest infestations, such as dead roaches or rodent droppings. The easiest way to keep track of what you find during the walk-through is with our handy checklist below. Bring a camera, either still or video, to record any obvious damage. Make sure the landlord accompanies you on the walk-through and initials next to indications of damage.

Aiken Standard

Home Hunter Sunday, July 22, 2012 | 9

10 | Home Hunter Sunday, July 22, 2012

Aiken Standard

Is the Real Estate Market Recovery Slowing Down?

by Madhusmita Bora, realestate.com

Construction Sector Pulling Brakes on Recovery

Historic low mortgage rates and the Federal Reserves Operation Twist triggered a rise in demand for new homes, home prices and existing home sales. But, the construction industrys struggle with job creation continues to add speed bumps to a faster housing market recovery, says a report by mortgage giant Freddie Mac. While housing may not have played its traditional role coming out of the Great Recession, at the end of the day, it has turned a very large corner and now its time to get this sector back to work whether through construction jobs, remodeling, or home brokerage, said Frank Nothaft, Freddie Macs vice president and chief economist, according to a report. Builders broke ground on 719,000 homes in the first five months of this year. Thats a 26 percent jump compared to the previous year. A telling sign that the market is healing with increasing demand. New home sales also showed positive gains in the same time period with sales up 17 percent when compared to a year ago. Despite that, job creation continues to lag in the construction sector. In the last year, overall payroll jobs increased 1.8 million, but construction jobs were up only 13,000.

with inventory. But, investment firms have been anxious about funneling money into the foreclosed segment of the housing market because of the costs involved with refurbishing and managing those properties.

Existing Home Sales Drop

Sales of previously occupied homes dropped 5.4 percent in June when compared to the previous month, signalling yet again that the recovery road is besieged with hurdles. At a seasonally adjusted annual rate thats 4.37 million homes, far below the 6 million-mark, which analysts consider the sign of a healthy market. According to the National Association of Realtors, thats the fewest number of homes sold since October. According to the Associated Press, industry experts are hoping its just a small slip and in no way indicative of another market downturn. It is only one month and the rest of the housing indicators have all continued to show improvement, said Jennifer Lee, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets. Lets hope this June decline is a blip. The one hiccup is that the number of first-time buyers, a very important segment, declined in June, making up just 32 percent of all sales. On a positive note, median home prices climbed 5 percent to $189,400, and inventory of existing homes for sale dropped to 2.39 million.

Private Equity Company Buys Over 2,000 Foreclosed Homes

Private investment group Blackstone Group LP poured $300 million into the real estate market, buying up more than 2,000 foreclosed homes. Blackstones strategy is to buy homes at huge discounts, rent them out for a while and resell them once the market turns around. Our bet is over time, vacant homes will fill up and markets will begin to recover, Jonathan Gray, senior managing director and global head of real estate, told Reuters. Our exit will be to sell the individual homes to the renters themselves, or there could be a very large market for public housing units. If more companies such as Blackstone follow similar strategy, the housing market could have an accelerated recovery. Foreclosures have been one of the biggest curses for the market, dragging home values and flooding the market

Housing Starts Rise, but Building Permits Fall

Heres a mixed bag of news from the Commerce Department. Privately owned building companies broke ground on more new homes in June when compared to the prior month. Housing starts rose 6.9 percent to a seasonally adjusted rate of 760,000 thats the highest since October 2008. Economists were expecting numbers to be at 745,000, according to a news report. While this is good news, builders in June requested fewer permits to build new homes. Request for permits declined 3.7 percent to a seasonally adjusted rate of 755,000 compared to the previous month. Hopefully its just a anomaly. Building permits are indicative of the markets direction in the near future. A decline in requests for permits could mean a slowdown in construction activity in the coming months.

Aiken Standard

Home Hunter Sunday, July 22, 2012 | 11

12 | Home Hunter Sunday, July 22, 2012

Aiken Standard

Aiken Standard

Home Hunter Sunday, July 22, 2012 | 13

Top 10 Reasons to Hire a Real Estate Agent

1. Education & Experience
You dont need to know everything about buying and selling real estate if you hire a real estate professional who does. Henry Ford once said that when you hire people who are smarter than you are, it proves you are smarter than they are. The trick is to find the right person.2 For the most part, they all cost about the same. Why not hire a person with more education and experience than you? Were all looking for more precious time in our lives, and hiring pros gives us that time. Agents take the spam out of your property showings and visits. If youre a buyer of new homes, your agent will whip out her sword and keep the builders agents at bay, preventing them from biting or nipping at your heels. If youre a seller, your agent will filter all those phone calls that lead to nowhere from lookie loos3 and try to induce serious buyers to immediately write an offer. Agents either possess intimate knowledge or they know where to find the industry buzz about your neighborhood. They can identify comparable sales and hand these facts to you, in addition to pointing you in the direction where you can find more data on schools, crime or demographics. For example, you may know that a home down the street was on the market for $350,000, but an agent will know it had upgrades and sold at $285,000 after 65 days on the market and after twice falling out of escrow. Contrary to what some people believe, agents do not select prices for sellers or buyers. However, an agent will help to guide clients4 to make the right choices for themselves. If a listing is at 7%, for example, an agent has a 7% vested interest in the sale, but the client has a 93% interest. Selling agents will ask buyers to weigh all the data supplied to them and to choose a price. Then based on market supply, demand and the conditions, the agent will devise a negotiation strategy. Real estate agents can disclose market conditions, which will govern your selling or buying process. Many factors determine how you will proceed. Data such as the average per square foot cost of similar homes, median and average sales prices, average days on market5 and ratios of list-to-sold prices, among other criteria, will have a huge bearing on what you ultimately decide to do. Real estate agents network with other professionals, many of whom provide services that you will need to buy or sell. Due to legal liability, many agents will hesitate to recommend a certain individual or company over another, but they do know which vendors have a reputation for efficiency, competency and competitive pricing. Agents can, however, give you a list of references with whom they have worked and provide background information to help you make a wise selection.

7. Negotiation Skills & Confidentiality

Top producing agents negotiate well because, unlike most buyers and sellers, they can remove themselves from the emotional aspects of the transaction and because they are skilled. Its part of their job description. Good agents are not messengers, delivering buyers offers to sellers and vice versa. They are professionals who are trained to present their clients case in the best light and agree to hold client information confidential from competing interests.

2. Agents are Buffers

8. Handling Volumes of Paperwork

3. Neighborhood Knowledge

One-page deposit receipts were prevalent in the early 1970s. Todays purchase agreements6 run 10 pages or more. That does not include the federal- and statemandated disclosures nor disclosures dictated by local custom. Most real estate files average thicknesses from one to three inches of paper. One tiny mistake or omission could land you in court or cost you thousands. In some states, lawyers handle the disclosures, thank goodness!

9. Answer Questions After Closing

4. Price Guidance

Even the smoothest transactions that close without complications can come back to haunt. For example, taxing authorities that collect property tax assessments, doc stamps or transfer tax can fall months behind and mix up invoices, but one call to your agent can straighten out the confusion. Many questions can pop up that were overlooked in the excitement of closing. Good agents stand by ready to assist. Worthy and honest agents dont leave you in the dust to fend for yourself.

10. Develop Relationships for Future Business

5. Market Conditions Information

The basis for an agents success and continued career in real estate is referrals. Few agents would survive if their livelihood was dependent on consistently drumming up new business. This emphasis gives agents strong incentives to make certain clients are happy and satisfied. It also means that an agent who stays in the business will be there for you when you need to hire an agent again. Many will periodically mail market updates to you to keep you informed and to stay in touch.

6. Professional Networking

14 | Home Hunter Sunday, July 22, 2012

Aiken Standard

by Shannon OBrien, realestate.com

How to Prepare for Your Open House

Preparing your house for both types of open houses is the same, with the exception of offering food at the brokers open house. Real estate agents typically have a number of homes to view on their weekly tour so they tend to zoom through each one. Offering them food which they love slows them down long enough to take a closer look at your home. Ask your agent to plan and provide the food he or she knows what works best. The idea to keep in mind

Real estate agents hold two types of open houses: one for other agents sometimes called a brokers open and one for the public.

when preparing your home for an open house is that you want it to appear bigger, brighter and turnkey. Yes, it takes a lot of work, but the bonus is that the house will also be ready when it hits the market.

Aiken Standard

Home Hunter Sunday, July 22, 2012 | 15

I Want to Sell My Home: How do I get Started?

by Shannon OBrien, realestate.com The process of selling a home can be broken down into concrete steps. If taken in order, these steps lead to a successful conclusion. Skimping on any of the steps trying to take shortcuts may lead to problems when problems are the last thing you want to encounter during the escrow period. Your friends at RealEstate.com believe in the power of the checklist and have created one especially for the home seller. First, though, lets dig into each step and discuss its importance.

Consider Staging the Home

Studies have shown that staging a home allows it to sell quicker and for more money. While you dont need to go all out and hire the most expensive interior decorator in town, following some basic staging advice will go a long way toward a quick sale and big bucks.

Make Necessary Repairs

To avoid bumps in the home selling road, have your home professionally inspected before putting it on the market. Yes, the buyer will most likely have it inspected as well, but a pre-sale home inspection gives you knowledge of items in need of repair that may slow down or even halt the deal. At the very least, fix those items that you are aware of, such as dripping faucets, running toilets and holes in window screens.

Clean and Declutter

Before you even think of having real estate agents tour the home, get the heavy lifting out of the way. If youre confused about what to remove from your home and what should stay, keep in mind that your aim is to make rooms look larger and brighter. Oversized furniture typically make a room look smaller, so store the big stuff and rearrange the smaller furniture to make the room look open and airy. Go through each room and remove anything that doesnt fit the rooms purpose. For instance, exercise equipment doesnt advertise that your office is a place to get work done, so move the treadmill into storage. Do the same with baby paraphernalia in the living room: Either move baby items to the nursery or store them while the house is on the market. When you clean the house, clean everything, from the drapes to the rugs and carpet.

Hire an Agent
Sure, folks sell their houses on their own all the time. Unless you have a lot of spare time to devote to the process, however, the marketing of your biggest lifetime investment should be left to a professional real estate agent. Finding the right real estate agent for your situation is the biggest challenge, but we have a checklist for finding an agent to help you out.

Create a Brag Book

The brag book is something you can leave on the kitchen counter for buyers to look through as they tour your home. In it you can place your homes flyer, a page that includes the neighborhoods comparable sales, and a listing of the areas schools, parks and other amenities. Add a sheet that highlights any of the homes custom features and, finally, a list of all repairs or replacements made with copies of invoices. Use the checklist below to remain organized during the initial phase of getting your home ready for the market.

Curb Appeal
One of the more familiar real estate buzzwords, curb appeal simply describes how appealing your home is from the curb. This is the buyers initial vantage point and typically determines whether she wants to see the inside of the home. At the very least, give the landscaping a good cleaning and pruning, green up the lawn and keep it mowed. A fresh coat of paint on the front door creates a focal point for the buyer when she lands at the curb in front of your home.

The Aiken Standard is pledged to the letter and spirit of the U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the nation. We encourage and support an affirmative advertising and marketing program in which there are no barriers to obtain housing. All real estate advertising in the Aiken Standard is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or intention to make any such preferences, limitations or discriminations. We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate that is in violation of the law.

Publishers Notice

AS14-708282

ASbackpage7-22-12.qxd 16 | Home Hunter

7/20/2012 July PM Page 1 Sunday, 4:52 22, 2012

Aiken Standard
Courtney Conger Lisa Hosang 803.645.3308 803.270.8020 Mike Hosang 803.270.6358 Randy Wolcott Lee Hedlund 803.507.1142 803.221.6831

Well find a home for you too!

803.648.8660 . www.CarolinaHorseProperties.com . 800.880.0108

Frank Starcher Jack Roth Samantha Grove Alex Tyrteos Suzan McHugh 803.270.6623 803.341.8787 803.443.1513 203.249.3071 803.292.8525

LE SADING EN
P
Spacious traditional residence has 2,800 square feet with new flooring, custom kitchen with new appliances, large master with fireplace, office space and bonus room. Separate 3-bay garage with apartment above, 4-stall stable on over 5 board fenced acres. Call Courtney Conger $575,000

LAND for SALE

OLD HOME PLACE
48 acres ONLY $2,850 per acre

COURTNEY CONGER 645-3308 RANDY WOLCOTT 507-1142

Braeloch

residence with 15 rooms including library, den, dining room, state-of-the-art kitchen, game room, exercise room, craft room, study, office, 5 bedrooms, 5 full and 2 half baths. Overlooks terrace, pool, patio, lush lawn and 7 acre lake, on 70.51 acres of woods & fields with 5-stall barn. Call Courtney Conger or Randy Wolcott. As much as 116 additional acres available. $1,750,000

A Celebrated

Place . Incredible

combine in this newly renovated cottage just steps from Hitchcock Woods. Once a carriage house, the shingled residence features marvelous master suite, hardwood floors, updated kitchen and fireplaces inside and on outside terrace. Includes Hardiplank garage and 2-stall stable with paddocks on 1.63 acres. Call Courtney Conger or Lisa Hosang $698,500

Dolan Cottage . History & horses

Stunning stacked stone and Hardiplank home features split bedroom floor plan, soaring ceilings, plentiful windows, 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths and many upgrades. Located across from the community 20-stall barn and miles of riding trails. Call Lisa Hosang $259,000

Ridge at Chukker Creek .

Call LISA HOSANG 270-8020 or MIKE HOSANG 270-6358

20 acres Coastal Bermuda $300,000

50 acres ONLY $125,000

BOGEYVILLE ACREAGE

LEWIS LANE GRASS

COURTNEY CONGER 645-3308

CHIME BELL CHASE

Call MIKE HOSANG 270-6358
2 lots, 5.98 acres $53,400 RANDY WOLCOTT 507-1142 217.93 acres $2 ,500 per acre Call MIKE HOSANG 270-6358 52.53 acres $462 ,500

MORGAN LAKE LOTS

from Hitchcock Woods ~ everything is new! 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, bonus room, all new downstairs master suite, new appliances and hardwood floors throughout. Call Randy Wolcott $459,500

Westcliff . Spectacular renovation across

Exceptional Georgian residence offers 6500 elegant square feet on 4 acres which borders Hitchcock Woods with miles of trails. Three-bay garage with apartment above, salt water pool and gazebo with pool bath, 7-stall brick center aisle stable and board fenced paddocks. Call Randy Wolcott or Courtney Conger $1,995,000

The Gamekeepers Lodge . Festival Trail Farm

Custom designed residence on 70 acres with 5.5 acre stocked pond features 4 bedrooms, 3 full baths, open great room/kitchen/breakfast area with custom warm wood paneling and large wood-burning fireplace. Call Mike Hosang $675,000

with 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, ground floor master suite with walk-in closet & garden tub, laundry, 2nd floor office, 2-car garage in convenient south side community. Call Mike Hosang $149,900

Laurel Oaks . Over 1800 square feet

INDIAN TRAIL ACREAGE

COLBERT BRIDGE ACREAGE

COURTNEY CONGER 645-3308
52 acres $5,500 per acre

ASHTON HEAD EQUESTRIAN

Baughman Lake . Stunning 50 Houndslake . Classic Southern
RANDY WOLCOTT 507-1142
35 acres ONLY $125,000 5 acre building lot $65,000

acre property, very private setting overlooking a 12 acre spring fed lake. Many home sites under mature oaks and pines with beautiful lake views. Very close to town and east side horse venus. Call Randy Wolcott $450,000

on 31 acres of well established pastures in equestrian corridor. Main barn has 14 stalls and comfortable 1 bedroom, 1,275 sq. ft. owner's apartment. There are 8 paddocks and 5 large pastures, all with extensive 3-board fencing. Second barn has 4 stalls. Call Suzan McHugh $495,000

Equus Farm

. Turn key horse farm

equestrian estate includes charming brick home with oak floors, open kitchen, 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, screened porch and deck overlooking fenced pastures, barn and pond. Call Jack Roth $319,000

Red Gate Farm

. 7.63 acre

charm, refreshed and updated, and located in popular and convenient neighborhood! 4 bedrooms, 3 full baths, new sinks & fixtures, paneled library, gleaming hardwoods in every room. Call Samantha Grove $259,900

CAMP RAWLS ACREAGE

Call LISA HOSANG 270-8020 or MIKE HOSANG 270-6358

HATCHAWAY BRIDGE FARMS

COURTNEY CONGER 645-3308
Beautiful large lot with 19.37 acres Offered at $18,500 per acre

OVERBROOK FARMS
Goodsprings Plantation

Affordable building lots in protected community near proposed Bridgestone LRT facility just minutes from downtown. Community building and paved roads. Call Courtney Conger or Randy Wolcott. Lots now offered at $10,000 per acre

Hopeland Cottage Adorable cottage, completely updated, has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, chefs kitchen with granite counters, screened porch, patio, fenced yard, in Hopeland Farms. Call Courtney Conger or Randy Wolcott $210,000

and secluded acres! Total of 98.22 acres with about 10 acres cleared. Panoramic views from gorgeous home site overlooking 2-acre spring fed pond. Mobile home on site makes ideal hunting retreat. Call Suzan McHugh $299,900

Spring Acres . Nearly 100 private

Colonial Woods Classic, sunny brick ranch in established neighborhood convenient to hospital and shopping. Large, grassy lot with fenced back yard, gardening shed. Pleasant floor plan with large, eat-in kitchen, formal living room, 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths. Call Mike Hosang $128,000

Call MIKE HOSANG 270-6358

11.16 acre lot ONLY $60,000

HORSE COUNTRY PASTURE

20 acres grass $250,000 COURTNEY CONGER 645-3308