Featured Home Tour in Columbia (real estate, foreclosures, condos)

[davey123]

Does anyone know what NE subdivisions are having the featured home tours? I know that this is the last is the weekend for the tour. Thanks in advance.

[Brandon Hoffman]

If you're looking to purchase a home I think you'll be better served find a Realtor to be your buyers agent. They can show you any home on the market and it doesn't cost you anything. They can help make sure you get the right type of financing, a fair price, and help with meeting time frames for inspections, closing, etc. If you don't already know one there are 2 good ones that post on this board and are denoted by the little house next to their names.

To answer your original question, I am not sure the Tour of Homes schedule.

[davey123]

Originally Posted by Brandon Hoffman

If you're looking to purchase a home I think you'll be better served find a Realtor to be your buyers agent. They can show you any home on the market and it doesn't cost you anything. They can help make sure you get the right type of financing, a fair price, and help with meeting time frames for inspections, closing, etc. If you don't already know one there are 2 good ones that post on this board and are denoted by the little house next to their names.

To answer your original question, I am not sure the Tour of Homes schedule.

Thanks for your advice. I guess I consider myself a buyer for the future. I am still overly cautious about the housing market and the economy. For example, it is projected that several companies will go out of business by the end of the year (i.e., Eddie Bauer, Avis, Old Navy, etc). This could potentially mean higher unemployment rates and more foreclosures. So, although interest rates are at an all-time low and housing inventory is plentiful, I still have this unsettling feeling that now is not the most propitious time to buy (for me at least).

I moved from a state where the housing prices were significantly more expensive than those in SC. So, I am basically just "lightly" looking around Columbia, just to see what you can get for the money. I also like checking out the various subdivisions, especially since it's still quite new to me.

If I feel more comfortable about the market and the economy next year, then I anticipate beginning my search sometime at the end of next year. I suspect that the housing prices will be the same, if not slightly lower than they are now -- and the housing inventory will still probably be quite plentiful.

I will definitely use a real estate agent when I start to seriously look for housing. For a buyer, I think that it's the only way to go. Of course, I should tell you that I like to interview all potential agents Incidentally, how long have you been an agent?

As for the Featured Home Tour, I did find out that Lake Carolina and Peachgrove Villa Condos were listed. Lake Carolina is one of the best communities that I have seen in Columbia. And, Peachgrove Villa Condos are by far the best condos that I have seen. So, right now I definitely have a NE bias.

[Brandon Hoffman]

I can't tell that next year will or won't be a better time to buy. That would take a crystal ball and left mine in my other pants pocket but if I were to guess prices will be very similar to where they have been the last 2 years. However, I wouldn't bank on the $8000 tax credit next year if you currently qualify for it. That's a pretty significant amount for our median prices around here. You might get 8k and the same rates for you $$$ or you might not. Either way, best of luck.

Lake Carolina is a tough resale right now for sellers...still has new construction, some foreclosures popping up, lots of homes on the market in all price ranges. There are some deals to be had in there. Condo's in general can be difficult to get financing for right now.

It's smart to interview multiple candidates since you are hiring someone for a job. I have been a full time agent since 2005 but a better question is how many homes have you closed because it shows how much actual experience the Realtor has (roughly 100 for me). I know Realtors that have been licensed for 10 years that haven't closed 10 homes.

[davey123]

Originally Posted by Brandon Hoffman

I can't tell that next year will or won't be a better time to buy. That would take a crystal ball and left mine in my other pants pocket but if I were to guess prices will be very similar to where they have been the last 2 years. However, I wouldn't bank on the $8000 tax credit next year if you currently qualify for it. That's a pretty significant amount for our median prices around here. You might get 8k and the same rates for you $$$ or you might not. Either way, best of luck.

Lake Carolina is a tough resale right now for sellers...still has new construction, some foreclosures popping up, lots of homes on the market in all price ranges. There are some deals to be had in there. Condo's in general can be difficult to get financing for right now.

It's smart to interview multiple candidates since you are hiring someone for a job. I have been a full time agent since 2005 but a better question is how many homes have you closed because it shows how much actual experience the Realtor has (roughly 100 for me). I know Realtors that have been licensed for 10 years that haven't closed 10 homes.

Again, I appreciate your insight and I will take it to heart. I, unfortnately, do not qualify for the $8000 tax credit. So, that makes it that much easier for me to sit back and wait it out for a bit