We’re only a short way into the new year, but I hope you’re having a great year so far! Today’s message is to inform you that you’re invited to join Hamilton & Co.’s VIP group on Facebook. Mind you, this isn’t our public Facebook Page—this is just for Hamilton & Co. insiders. So if you’d like to be included in our monthly giveaways and get insider information about what’s happening in the local real estate market, join our VIP page! In the meantime, if you have any questions about your real estate needs, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’re here to help.

Looking to buy a Greenville home?

Looking to sell your Greenville home?

Now that we’re into the second quarter of 2019, it’s a great time to look back at the first quarter of our market to see where things stand between buyers and sellers as we move through spring.

To really gauge our market, there are four numbers I like to track: inventory, home sales, the average sale price, and the average days on market. Here’s how each of these numbers stack up compared to the first quarter of last year:

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Just a few months ago, the U.S. News & World Report said that 2019 was going to be the best year for home sellers in recent memory.

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What these numbers mean is our market is very stable, and stability is good. Just a few months ago, the U.S. News & World Report said that 2019 was going to be the best year for home sellers in recent memory. Interest rates are still very low, and 20% of all millennials say they plan on buying a home within the year. 

If you want to sell your current home and buy another home, I recommend putting your home on the market first and getting it under contract before looking for your next home. Otherwise, you run the risk of owning (and paying for) two homes at the same time.

If you have any more questions about our Greenville market or you need help buying or selling a home, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d love to help you.

Looking to buy a Greenville home?

Looking to sell your Greenville home?

Winter may be the best time to put your home on the market. If you were waiting until spring, you may not have to. On my recent appearance on “Your Carolina with Jack & Megan,” I discussed why the winter is a fantastic opportunity for homeowners to get their properties on the market.

One of the biggest misconceptions in real estate is that the winter is a bad time to sell. However, lower inventory means less competition. If you wait until June or July, you’ll be competing against many other homebuyers. The more supply that’s out there, the more home prices get compressed.

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If you wait until June or July to list, your competition will increase exponentially.

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Secondly, this is the time of year where many companies are helping their employees out by giving them bonuses and year-end payouts. They are starting to collect those right now and will have a little bit of extra money in their pocket.

Finally, did you know that January is the No. 1 month for corporate relocations? With that being so, there will be a lot of people coming into the area, looking to pick a house quickly by January. You'll want to be on the market now to take advantage of those buyers.

Thanks again to Jack and Megan for having me. If you have any questions about why winter is a great time to sell or about real estate in general, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Looking to buy a Greenville home?

Looking to sell your Greenville home?

Whether you’re thinking about buying, selling, or wanting to preserve the investment you’ve already made in your home, we’re here to give you smart advice to be able to do that.

I was recently joined by Tyler Rehn from Pest Guard Solutions to talk about what his company does and how they can help you. He runs a termite, pest control, and moisture control company. He married into a family who had this type of business and recently went on his own in the last year.

The No. 1 question people have for Tyler is whether or not they have termites in their home. His team’s experience makes it easy to find an answer. Another common question Tyler hears is about mold and moisture control. Everyone thinks about termite control when it comes to getting rid of pests, but when Tyler and his team start to look at homes, the moisture and mold side is something that’s often forgotten about.

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Moisture and mold problems can be just as devastating as pest and termite problems.

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A lot of times, when you’re putting your home on the market, wood destroying mold can be just as big of an issue as termites. It could be mold, fungus, or termites that could rot wood away and even lead to health issues.

If you want to know more about what Tyler and his team do, you can visit them here or give him a call at (864) 616-6308. They’d be happy to answer any questions you have. They even have a special offer for those of are subscribers of ours.

If you have any other real estate-related questions, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Looking to buy a Greenville home?

Looking to sell your Greenville home?

I was recently on “Your Carolina with Jack & Megan” to talk about the market, and if you're thinking about buying or selling, you won't want to miss this episode—which you can follow along with above as we discuss the latest developments in our market.

The first statistic we should consider is inventory, also known as the supply. When the market slows down, supply typically rises. Currently, we're still seeing supply decrease with a 2.7% decrease compared to this time last year. This indicates that it is still a strong market.

The average days on market (the amount of time it takes a home to sell) is another key indicator of overall market conditions. Currently, the average number of days on market is down about 3%, which means that we are still seeing a strong market, even though some people are saying it is slowing.

The numbers don't indicate a slowing. In fact, the average price of a home is still going up. We are up 8.4% from this time last year with a price of $245,000. It is still a seller's market below $250,000. If you put a home on the market that is $175,000 to $225,000, it sells very quickly.

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The great thing about selling now is that there's actually less competition because there are fewer homes on the market.

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Since it is fall, many people think that now isn't the time to sell because homes don't sell. However, this is a misconception. It is actually a very robust market here and we see a lot of homes sold. The great thing about selling now is that there's actually less competition because there are fewer homes on the market as you go into the winter months. The buyers that are out there are also more serious about finding a home and want to buy.

The entire Greenville area is still very popular. Specifically the Five Forks area as well as inside the city is becoming increasingly popular. In fact, we put a home on the market a few weeks ago in West Greenville that received 15 offers. People want to go into the village and fix homes up and make a nice community.

Days on market still does matter greatly. We try to price a home so that it sells in 30 to 45 days. If it does stay on the market longer than this, we don't want it to reach 60 days because then when buyers look at it they make lowball offers. You want to come onto the market and price to sell it quickly, or people may think that there is something wrong with the property.

If you have any questions about our current market, or if you're interested in talking about buying and selling, please feel free to reach out to me. I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Looking to buy a Greenville home?

Looking to sell your Greenville home?

What steps should you take and what factors do you need to consider when buying new construction? To help you, I will go over some of these points today. Of course, you can also speak with one of our buyer's agents who can go further in-depth with all of these areas.

You can start by looking at the pros and cons of buying new construction. You may want to consider that new homes are typically built farther from the city center, so you may have a longer commute depending on where you work. You may also have to coax a new lot into existence because it may not have a lawn or trees. Subdivisions can also be very cookie-cutter since they go up quickly. You'll have to decide if you're okay with your home looking similar to your neighbor's as well as if it is okay that you could be in close proximity to your neighbor.

The next thing you need to do is research the neighborhoods and builders. Our buyer's agents know a lot about the neighborhoods and builders because they have worked with them before. They’ve even been invited to get behind-the-scenes looks at what some of the builders can do for our clients. Although they come fully prepared, it doesn't hurt for you to do some research yourself so you know what you're getting into.

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Builder's have a standard floor plan and many times the one you see marketed isn't the standard floor plan with the standard options.

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It also is of great benefit to you to find out what comes standard from the builder and what costs extra. Builders have a standard floor plan and many times the one you see in marketing materials isn't the standard floor plan with the standard options. There could be many extra options that could end up costing a lot of extra money.

Our buyer agents always advise getting an inspection and home warranty. Most builders actually come with some sort of home warranty on them, so you want to know what that is and what it covers. This way you will know if you need an extra warranty on top of that. This can be negotiated with the builder as well. In fact, we negotiate this for our clients because we want them to be protected when they purchase a new construction home.

The final thing to consider is how to close the deal. This is actually what we specialize in; we write the contracts and negotiate price points and add-ins for you.

We are here to help you every step of the way through your home buying process. If you have any additional questions about new construction or buying or selling in general, please feel free to reach out to us. We look forward to speaking with you soon.

Looking to buy a Greenville home?

Looking to sell your Greenville home?

When it comes to remodeling your home, how do you know if you’re getting a good deal?

Because of the shortage of inventory, we’re finding that a lot of buyers are emulating HGTV and trying to remodel their current homes instead of buying a new one. With that in mind, here are five steps to consider when it comes to remodeling your home:

1. Vet your project. Put together a plan for how to complete your project, including blueprints, materials, and potential costs so that you’ll know how feasible your plan is.

2. Vet your contractors. Be sure to ask a potential contractor for their portfolio, ask past clients about their experiences working with them, and check online reviews to get a sense of people’s feelings about them.

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Since they’ll be your greatest ally in getting your remodeling project done, you’ll need to establish a relationship based on trust, regular communication, and reasonable flexibility.

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3. Compare your bids. Make sure that each of your bids have the same features—when comparing different contractors in terms of prices and time frames, you don’t want to compare apples to oranges.

4. Motivate contractors with money. Contractors need an incentive and a budget to be able to create your project, so be sure to be fair to them. Withholding funds from a contractor could make your project take longer than expected and possibly cost more, too.

5. Build trust with your contractor. Since they’ll be your greatest ally in getting your remodeling project done, you’ll need to establish a relationship based on trust, regular communication, and reasonable flexibility. 

Hamilton & Co. has a number of contractors we work with on a regular basis. If you would like a referral to get a bid on a project you’re planning for your home or have any questions for us, please reach out. We’d love to connect you and help you on your way to accomplishing your goals.

Looking to buy a Greenville home?

Looking to sell your Greenville home?

On my latest appearance on “Your Carolina With Jack & Megan,” I talked about the keys to getting your home sold right now during the back-to-school season. 

A lot of sellers with school-age children tend to rush to get their homes sold so they can move into their kids’ school district before the school session starts. Is it hard to sell your home right now, though? 

It’s not hard, but it is a different season. The summer market was our peak-selling season, and now things have slowed down a bit, so you have to make your home stand out. Here are a few tips to do that. 

First, make sure your home’s priced correctly. The market will tell you what your home should be priced at, so it’s important to be realistic in this regard. If you’re determined to sell your home for a certain amount because of how much time and money you put into it, you might be setting yourself up to fail. The market doesn’t care about what you put into your home. Buyers are out there looking, so you have to be competitive. 

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Make your home show-ready by decluttering and depersonalizing it.

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Next, you need to make your home show-ready, which means decluttering and depersonalizing it. Remove any personal items and make the interior as wide-open as possible. Buyers want to be able to visualize themselves living in your home when they walk through it. Think of it as merchandising your home. On our team, we have a professional stager work with our sellers to do this. 

Lastly, remember that buyers tend to make a snap decision when walking through your entryway. As soon as they walk through your front door, they’ve either eliminated your house from consideration or decided they’re interested in it. Since you only have a few seconds to make a great first impression, fix up your entryway.

As always, if you have any other questions about our market or you’re thinking of buying or selling a home soon, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d be happy to help you. 

Looking to buy a Greenville home?

Looking to sell your Greenville home?

Today I want to talk to you about smart homes. They are becoming very popular nowadays and people are under the impression that making their home “smart” is really expensive. However, there are two easy ways that you can turn your home into a smart home and still save some money:

1. Smart thermostats. The Nest brand is one of the most popular options on the market and they cost around $249. However, customers are saving an average of $173 per year on their energy bills, so the thermostat will pay for itself within two years.

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A smart thermostat will pay for itself within a few years.

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2. Video doorbell. Ring is the most popular option here. It has a camera right on it and whenever someone rings the bell, it will show you who is there. These doorbells can sync directly to your phone, tablet, or computer, and are wifi-enabled. These cost around $200 and they’re a great way to integrate smart home technology into your current home.

If you have any more questions about smart home technology or want to know how you can integrate it into your home, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Looking to buy a Greenville home?

Looking to sell your Greenville home?

On my latest appearance on “Your Carolina With Jack & Megan,” I provided a quick mid-year market update by looking at a few key year-over-year statistics that I’d like to share with you.

The first is the inventory available for sale, which is down 3% compared to this time last year. At that point, we had low inventory as well, so this goes to show you how few homes are on the market. 

Next up was the number of homes sold year to date, which has increased 9% compared to last year. This increase, coupled with our low-inventory environment, means demand for homes is sky-high right now, and this demand is driving up prices. 

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If you’re looking at a house that just came on the market, be prepared to offer full price or more for it.

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If you’re a homeowner who’s trying to build equity in your home, this is good news. If you’re a buyer, however, the situation is tougher and affordability is becoming an issue. The average price for a Greenville home is currently $243,000. About four or five years ago, it was $186,000. 

As I mentioned on the show, my advice to those who’re looking at a house that just came on the market is to be prepared to offer full price or more for it. Odds are, there are many more people looking at that house. Also, remember that the highest offer isn’t always the one that gets the house. If you find yourself in a multiple offer situation, try including a letter to the seller in your offer that tells them a little bit about you and why you want the house. 

As always, if you have any questions about our Greenville market or you’re thinking of buying or selling a house, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d be happy to help you.