Myrtle Beach Real Estate – Buyers now is the time

If you are thinking of buying real estate now is the time!  The Myrtle Beach real estate market has not seen Property pricing like we are experiencing now since late 2004.  If you wanted to buy Myrtle Beach real estate back then and thought you had missed your window it is NOT TOO LATE!  There are some outstanding properties with a lot of value and a ton of upside potential.
 
Condos – Tunrberry Park and Gleneagles at Legends Resort offer all the comforts of home and are the perfect home away from home.  There are Golf Course Condos, Condos with Lake Views, and Condo’s with private wooded views.  Legends Resort features 3 onsite Golf Courses, 30 acre lighted driving range, tennis courts, pool, restaurants, walking trials, and so much more.  If you would like Legends has an onsite Resort manager that can rent your property while it is not in use.

Single Family Homesite – Legends Resort and its sister community Sago Plantation have some awesome homesties.  You can buy the land now and build when you are ready!  The major benefit of this is that you get to enjoy today’s Prices not Tomorrow’s.  Legends & Sago have an outstanding list of Preferred Builders, Architecture Review Board, and Covenants/Restrictions in place to protect your property value.
 
Community Features – Gated, Master Planned, Golf Memberships, Amenity Centers, Underground utilities, and all you would expect from a Coastal Lifestyle!
Single Family Homes – With an outstanding inventory of resale homes and builder homes, now is the time to buy.  If you are looking to purchase in the next 6 to 9 months there is not going to be a better time, interest rates are still very low and contrary to the media reports financing is still readily available.

Please take a look at my websites and call me with any questions!

Legends Real Estate

Sago Plantation at Legends

Myrtle Beach Real Estate – Don’t miss the widow

There are several key factors that show the Real Estate Market is making a turn towards the positive.  More people back in the market looking for homes, sales improving, inventory down, intrest rates decreased last week are all great indicators.  With the Fall season approaching and the Presidental Election almost over now is a perfect time to jump into the market. If you are looking for Real Estate there is outstanding value in the Myrtle Beach Market.  Rememer the Coastal regions are the last to slow down and the first markets to pick back up.  Don’t miss your window of opportunity.

FACTS

Thirteen states registered price gains over the past year, and 33 states had increases in the second quarter, according to the CMHPI Purchase-Only Series.

Myrtle Beach recently made Realtor.com’s list of markets across the nation with the fastest-growing search activity, likely because people are readying to snag a deal when the market bottoms, and they’re looking in areas with the steepest price declines, experts said.

Of the 135 markets with the biggest uptick in Web traffic, Myrtle Beach was 42nd, with a 24.6 percent increase in search activity on the home selling site for the National Association of Realtors. The survey compared search activity in July to July 2007.

Freddie Mac released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 6.40 percent with an average 0.6 point for the week ending August 21, 2008, down from last week when it averaged 6.47 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.67 percent.
Sales of newly built single-family homes rose 2.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 515,000 units in July, the Commerce Department reported. The report also indicated continuing contraction in the number of new-homes for sale as builders keep a tight rein on inventories to help restore better balance between market supply and demand.
 
“With 15 consecutive months of reductions in the number of new homes for sale, builders are clearly doing a good job of chipping away at their inventories,” noted Sandy Dunn, president of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Point Pleasant, W.Va. “Now that the government has also done its part by passing a much-needed housing stimulus package, we are looking forward to positive effects on new-home sales in the near future.”

“With the passage of crucial housing legislation last month that created an attractive home buyer tax credit, there is a sense that home sales may soon be reaching a turning point,” noted Dunn.  “Builders are anticipating the stimulative effects of this legislation and are optimistic that the tax credit will give those buyers who’ve been sitting on the fence the reason they need to jump back into the market.”

Eco Friendly Building – Myrtle Beach Real Estate

   Eco Friendly building in Myrtle Beach

With the rising cost of Energy, Oil, and other everyday items we use, I thought I would focus a post of some of the benefits of Eco Friendly Building.  What I have gathered from all of my reading not only is Eco Friendly Building good for the environment it is just as Friendly to your check book. Todays items are on Insulation and Hot Water Heating.

Insulation
Purpose – To retard the Flow of heat

By all accounts Insulating your home is the most important and cost effective investment you can make. The effectiveness of insulation is measured by its tested resistance to heat flow and is known by its “R” value. The greater the “R” value, the greater the effectiveness. One of the easiest and most effective places to install insulation is in the attic, since heat rises from the heated rooms below. Insulation comes in many different forms including the familiar fiberglass, Styrofoam, vermiculite, pouring wool, cellulose materials such as shredded newspaper, and numerous foamed-in-place types. Particularly within the fiberglass and rigid foamed board types, there are a variety of choices of heat-reflective coatings. Properly installed insulation always improves comfort and reduces heating and cooling costs.

If your home is already built don’t worry you can still add insulation and it will greatly reduce your utility bills.

Water Heating

Easy economic savings can accrue from instantaneous or the “on-demand” type of water heaters. In contrast to the traditional method of keeping 40 to 80 gallons of hot water at-the-ready in an insulated tank, “on-demand” heaters produce hot water only when it is needed. Since hot water is generally required for less than a few hours each day instead of 24, owners and occupants can easily benefit from high efficiency modern designs that provide hot water on demand. Less fuel is required for a given volume and temperature of water, with corresponding cost savings and pollution savings. Some manufacturers claim 50% savings when compared to conventional hot water tanks.  Tank-less hot water systems using clean natural gas is one of the biggest trends in Green Building.

Building Green Q&A – Myrtle Beach Real Estate

Going Green in Myrtle Beach

The Real Estate industry is ever changing and Myrtle Beach Real Estate is no different. In order to keep up with the newest trends in the Real Estate Industry I do a lot of research on the internet (web-surfing). I have been all over the net trying to find out the benefits of “Building Green” or “Going Green” and realized I had some basic questions that I need to know the answers to first. So I thought I would share my info and save you some time.

What materials are used in Green Building and what makes those materials Green?
General consensus is that materials and products as having at least one of the following characteristics: nontoxic; recycled content; resource efficient; long life cycle; or, environmentally conscious. Some materials and products have more of these characteristics than others and are, therefore, considered “greener”. Clean Natural Gas is a major component of the “Green” movement.

Are steel studs considered Green Building?
Yes, steel studs are considered to be a Green Material. Steel in construction has about a 70% recycled content. Its resource efficient because there is very little waste and it won’t rot or be susceptible to termite damage. Steel studs are also available with thermal breaks that allow less heat loss than wood. Also, steel is nontoxic because it will not off-gas and contaminate indoor air quality. Since steel screws together, steel members can be unscrewed and reused when a structure is demolished providing a structure for another residence. Steel structures have many environmental benefits and are considered very green.

Does it cost more to build Green?
There are many green products and materials that cost the same or even less than conventional ones. The true savings come in the forms of efficiency over the life of the home and in some areas Tax incentives are given for “Green Homes”.

Why Green and How?
Green products can not only create a healthier indoor air quality for people, but many products have recycled content that reduces waste and environmental pollution. Energy efficiency is without question is the number one reason people “Go Green”. Green building is “state of the art” construction; the first recommendation would be to hire an architect familiar with green building practices, details, and builders. Last and definitely not least research, research, and research always be looking ahead.

Where is Green Building headed?
I found this answer to be very interesting. The Green item coming to the forefront of the industry is use of intelligent, wireless controls and sensors to stop heating, cooling, and lighting “ghost rooms” i.e. rooms that are not in use. This technology is already in use in large corporations that have large office space.

Myrtle Beach Real Estate

Housing inquiries up as prices slip down

By Jessica Foster of The Sun News – www.MyrtleBeachOnline.com

People aren’t buying Myrtle Beach real estate at the rate they once did, but they are looking.

Myrtle Beach recently made Realtor.com’s list of markets across the nation with the fastest-growing search activity, likely because people are readying to snag a deal when the market bottoms, and they’re looking in areas with the steepest price declines, experts said.

Of the 135 markets with the biggest uptick in Web traffic, Myrtle Beach was 42nd, with a 24.6 percent increase in search activity on the home selling site for the National Association of Realtors. The survey compared search activity in July to July 2007.

Topping the list was Stockton-Lodi, Calif., with a 140.9 percent increase, and at the bottom was Roanoke, Va., with a 1 percent increase.

Other markets in the Carolinas that made the cut include the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson area (up 12.2 percent), Columbia (up 2.2 percent) and Wilmington, N.C. (up 1.1 percent).

Many markets on the list, and all of the top 10 markets, are in the states hardest hit by the housing slump, such as California, Florida and Nevada.

“As prices are adjusting down, interest is adjusting up,” said Realtor.com spokeswoman Julie Reynolds.

The Grand Strand has also seen price declines in recent months, more so than most areas of the state.

The median price of homes sold on the Grand Strand dropped 7 percent for single-family houses to $202,497 and 20 percent for condos to $165,000 during the first half of 2008 compared with the same period last year, according to the Coastal Carolinas Association of Realtors. The median price is where half sell for more and half sell for less.

Statewide, the median-price decline for all homes was 3.4 percent to $154,000, according to the S.C. Association of Realtors.

“We’ve got some units here that are back to their original selling prices,” said CCAR’s market analyst Tom Maeser. “In some cases with new homes, they’re below what it was selling for when it was built new.”

Skyrocketing prices during the housing boom that started in 2004 and tapered off in 2006 spurred the correction.

“Annual average appreciation, it was just going out of control,” Maeser said. “We couldn’t have kept that pace by any stretch. Now, there is some settling down and some lowering of prices.”

Late this spring, local Realtors really started to see foot traffic, inquiries and Web searches pick up for the first time since 2006, Maeser said.

Experts are confident that the pent-up demand will translate into sales, it’s just a matter of when. Despite the falling prices, Grand Strand home sales this year have been down from 2007 levels every month.

There are still hurdles to overcome, including tight credit markets that have made financing a home more difficult, and some potential buyers could be holding off to see the results of the upcoming presidential election, Maeser said.

Still, the uptick in interest is encouraging, Reynolds said.

“There are some markets where interest is picking up, whether it’s for investment opportunities or perhaps for families looking to trade up,” she said.

“We hope that leads to sales sooner than later.”

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Feel free to search Legends Real Estate Homes HERE

The Fall Buying Season Approcahes

With the Fall Season approaching, now is the perfect time to buy Myrtle Beach real estate. Not only is it a Buyer’s market, but a purchase before the end of the calendar year allows you to declare your new home as your primary residence (for those moving to the beach full time) and enjoy the benefits of a lower Real Estate Tax Bill.

Legends Real Estate has some awesome existing homes and some beautiful new construction home almost complete. Click HERE for a list of available homes.

Legends and Sago Plantation have some GREAT homesites available… Call or e-mail for a list of available inventory. Remember you can always Buy Now and Build Later… There are also some very attractive Model Lease Back opportunities available.

For those of you not familiar with a Model Lease Back here is how it works – First find a Builders home you like, Second purchase it from the Builder, Third the Builder then leases back from you for a set period of time, Fourth once lease is over you move in your home. It is that simple… This is a perfect situation for those planning to move in the next 2 to 5 years. You enjoy today’s prices not tomorrows – You have the Builder helping pay for the home (Lease payments) – You know the home will be taken care of – These are also great for a 1031 Tax Deferred Exchange (the selling of one piece of investment property and rolling the monetary gain, Tax Deferred, into the new home)…

As always please call or e-mail with any questions about how to start your Coastal Living Experience – 843-222-2672 jason@jasontellis.com