I am happy to announce my move to Grande Dunes Properties, one of the top agencies in town and the top agency for highest average sales price on properties sold.  While my role will be as Broker-in-charge, I will continue serving clients all across the Grand Strand when looking to sell their property.  My website, email address and phone numbers all remain the same.  Contact me anytime you have real estate questions  or would like more information on Grande Dunes Properties.

The Herd Mentality in Real Estate

Here are a few interesting facts regarding how our real estate market adjusts for seasonality and how that changes for Property Sellers.  Most people feel that June is the best single month of the year for real estate sales.  If you are simply to browse the total number of properties selling in a given month you would probably be correct, however there is much more to it than the total number of sales.

As an example the total number of residential properties that close per day in June is about 40.  The total number of properties that close in December is 30, which represents a 25% decline in properties selling the last month of the year as compared to June.  When digging into the numbers you would also see that starting in about July fewer and fewer properties come on the market and by the time December gets here there are at least 25% fewer properties on the market than in June.  Less competition is always a good thing for property sellers.

In my experience, we also see a typically higher quality Buyers viewing properties after "beach season" is over and they have a primary focus of finding a quality property, not going to the beach.

Lastly, if your property is a second home that you rent out then accessibility is far greater after vacation season ends and it is easier to get those high-quality, qualified buyers in to see the property.

Don't be fooled by the Herd and 1980's thinking that real estate sales stop in September or October.  The Grand Strand has grown up and has a great population to support year-round real estate traffic, plus the popularity of consumer sites like realtor.com, Zillow and homes.com make searching for your next property easy to start no matter the month.

For an in depth discussion on this topic feel free to reach out to me anytime.

5 Things to do right after your closing

If you just bought a new property, you’re probably still celebrating and feeling the sense of pride and accomplishment that comes with home owners p. You’re shopping for furniture, drawing up plans for renovations … but wait! There are some important tasks to cross off your list before you
get to the fun stuff.    
 1. Change the locks: A lot of people came in possession of your keys during the home sale process, whether it was on the market for a year or a day. Protect yourself by changing all the locks, just in case a set of keys fell into the wrong hands.
 2. Make copies: It’s good to have copies of all your closing documents, if only for reference. But in the worst case, you’ll be thankful you have your own copies if something goes wrong.
 3. Make sure you get your mail: The post office won’t deliver your mail if the mailbox doesn’t have a name, and it’ll be difficult to sign for packages if UPS can’t get to your front door. If you’re in a multi-unit building, make sure to put your name on your mailbox and verify that the buzzer or call box is working.
 4. Meet your neighbors: It’s not just about being cordial. It’s good to exchange contact info with your neighbors in case there’s a problem in the building or someone is being noisy.
 5. Prepare for emergencies: Store the contact info for insurance agents and services like plumbers and locksmiths in your phone. You don’t want to waste time searching the internet when you’re locked out on a winter night or your home suffers fire damage.

Whether you've just closed on a first home, an investment property or a second home these tips should guide you well.  For more information please contact us anytime at ben@benguyton.com or visit www.benguyton.com

5 Myths About Homeowner’s Insurance

Few home owners fully understand their homeowner’s insurance. The policies are written in dense legalese…and many ­policyholders don’t even try to wade through them. As a result, many people are mistaken about their rights when dealing with insurers and are unaware of gaps in their coverage, some of which could cause financial ruin.

This problem is growing worse—insurers have made crucial changes to policies that have escaped notice of many customers. Five common and potentially costly insurance myths…

Myth: If my home is destroyed, my insurance will pay what it costs to rebuild.Prior to Hurricane Andrew, which devastated parts of coastal Florida in 1992, most policies provided “guaranteed replacement cost coverage” that financed reconstruction whatever it cost. But this guarantee is no longer included in the vast majority of policies. These days, most policies cover only up to the dollar figure specifically listed as the coverage amount or occasionally a bit more.

Example: State Farm policies typically cover up to 20% above this amount.

Even home owners who are aware of this change tend to assume that they are safe as long as the coverage amount listed in their policy is in line with the typical cost of rebuilding a home such as theirs. Unfortunately, because of a ­phenomenon called “demand surge,” that might not be sufficient if your home is destroyed in a major disaster. When many homes in an area require repairs, the cost of building supplies and labor tend to ­skyrocket—sometimes by more than 50%.

Insurers also have been eliminating “building code coverage” from ­policies. When a home is more than 50% ­destroyed, it must be rebuilt according to current building codes, not the codes that were in effect when that home was originally constructed. Without building code coverage, a policy will not pay any added costs involved with upgrading to stricter codes.

What to do: Ask your insurer whether it offers a “demand surge” rider, especially if your home is in an area where hurricanes or wildfires are common—these are the disasters that most often cause sharp spikes in building costs.

Ask at your town office whether any building code changes have taken effect since your home was built that would make it much pricier to rebuild the home today. If so, ask your insurer if it offers a code coverage rider.

Myth: Home owners must hire a contractor willing to do repairs for the amount the insurer says it will cover. Your insurer says a repair can be done for a certain amount, but the contractor you want to use says it will cost more. Policyholders often assume that their only option is to work with the ­low-cost contractor recommended by the ­insurer…or to hire a lawyer and take the insurer to court, an expensive and uncertain proposition that most people prefer to avoid. However, it sometimes is possible to convince an insurer to pay the amount a contractor wants without resorting to lawyers.

What to do: Contact your insurer’s claims department. Explain that your contractor is quoting a higher figure, and ask to have this amount covered. If the insurer refuses, ask to speak to a claims department manager and repeat the request. If the answer still is no, call your contractor and ask if he/she can contact your insurer on your behalf. ­Veteran contractors often have experience negotiating with insurers.

Meanwhile, keep careful notes whenever you speak to your insurer’s adjuster, other insurance company employees, your contractor and anyone else involved. If your contractor cannot work things out for you, mail a letter to the claims department manager explaining unemotionally why you don’t believe you are being treated fairly. Include a detailed record of what you believe to be missteps by the insurer, such as dramatically underestimating the cost of specific building supplies or even times the adjuster missed appointments. Insurance executives often back down when they receive letters showing that the policyholder is too savvy to be pushed around.

Myth: Homeowner’s insurance protects against losses from most types of disaster except for floods and earthquakes. Home owners who live in or near flood zones or earthquake-prone areas generally are aware that they are not financially protected against these types of disasters (unless they pay extra for flood insurance or an earthquake rider). And they may be aware that insurance doesn’t protect against such unlikely cataclysms as nuclear explosions or war. But many home owners are unaware that damage caused by other, more mundane types of disasters, such as mud slides, landslides, sinkholes and riots (germane to some urban areas), is excluded as well.

What to do: Many insurers offer sinkhole, landslide/mud slide and riot ­riders for an added charge, generally well under $1 per $100 of coverage.

Myth: My homeowner’s insurance will pay the bills if someone is injured on my property. Not always—there are some big gaps in the liability component of homeowner’s insurance. Your policy does not cover injuries to members of your household, for example. Policies generally do not cover injuries to people who visit your property for business purposes, either. And policies increasingly exclude injuries related to trampolines, tree houses and zip lines—some insurers won’t cover home ­owners who have these things at all. Other potential backyard hazards including swimming pools, hot tubs and climbing structures generally are covered—if they are disclosed to the insurance company and higher premiums are paid.

What to do: If you have a home business, purchase commercial liability coverage or add a home business rider to your homeowner’s insurance policy. This is particularly important if clients, employees or delivery people visit the property for business reasons. (Adding a rider to an existing homeowner’s insurance policy usually is the less expensive option, but these riders sometimes have low coverage limits.)

If you intend to rent out your home, contact your insurer to ask if your liability protection extends to paying guests. If not, you could rent out the property through a service such as Airbnb that provides liability protection to property owners…or purchase coverage specifically for rental properties from a company such as CBIZ or Peers Marketplace.

What to do: If you have extensive damage to your home, go through the digital snapshots and videos you have taken in your home and uploaded to social-media accounts, shared with family members or backed up to the cloud. Ask family and friends who have come to your house for parties to forward to you any pictures or videos they took.
Myth: Since I never bothered to make a record of my possessions, now that I’ve had a fire there’s no way for me to get compensated for all of the things I lost. It certainly is wise to document your possessions before you ever suffer a fire (or burglary or flood or other disaster). It is much less likely that you will obtain the full amount you are entitled to for your lost property if you cannot remember everything you lost…or you cannot prove what you lost to the insurance company, opening the door for it to question your claims. The easiest way to document your possessions is to simply walk through every room of your home with a digital camera, or even a smartphone, and record video. But all is not necessarily lost if you neglected to do this before suffering a big loss.

Source: J. Robert ­Hunter, director of insurance for the Consumer Federation of America, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization, Washington, DC.

What is the seasonality of Real Estate on the Grand Strand?

Selling yourself sounds good, huh? Are you aware of the road ahead...?

In today's market, with homes selling quickly and prices rising some homeowners might consider trying to sell their home on their own, known in the industry as a For Sale by Owner (FSBO). There are several reasons this might not be a good idea for the vast majority of sellers.

Here are five reasons:

1. There Are Too Many People to Negotiate With

Here is a list of some of the people with whom you must be prepared to negotiate if you decide to For Sale By Owner:

• The buyer who wants the best deal possible
• The buyer’s agent who solely represents the best interest of the buyer
• The buyer’s attorney (in some parts of the country)
• The home inspection companies which work for the buyer and will almost always find some problems with the house.
• The appraiser if there is a question of value

2. Exposure to Prospective Purchasers

Recent studies have shown that 88% of buyers search online for a home. That is in comparison to only 21% looking at print newspaper ads. Most real estate agents have an internet strategy to promote the sale of your home. Do you?

3. Results Come from the Internet

Where do buyers find the home they actually purchased?

• 43% on the internet
• 9% from a yard sign
• 1% from newspaper

The days of selling your house by just putting up a sign and putting it in the paper are long gone. Having a strong internet strategy is crucial.

4. FSBOing has Become More and More Difficult

The paperwork involved in selling and buying a home has increased dramatically as industry disclosures and regulations have become mandatory. This is one of the reasons that the percentage of people FSBOing has dropped from 19% to 9% over the last 20+ years.

5. You Net More Money when Using an Agent

Many homeowners believe that they will save the real estate commission by selling on their own. Realize that the main reason buyers look at FSBOs is because they also believe they can save the real estate agent’s commission. The seller and buyer can’t both save the commission.

Studies have shown that the typical house sold by the homeowner sells for $208,000 while the typical house sold by an agent sells for $235,000. This doesn’t mean that an agent can get $27,000 more for your home as studies have shown that people are more likely to FSBO in markets with lower price points. However, it does show that selling on your own might not make sense.

Bottom Line

Before you decide to take on the challenges of selling your house on your own, sit with a real estate professional in your marketplace and see what they have to offer.

New Closing Process delayed until October from August

Update to a previous post - the new closing process planned to go into effect today has been postponed until October by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.  The new document replacing the HUD statement for financed real estate purchasdes will be known as 
TILA RESPA Integrated Disclosure.  The transition is expected to caused delays in closings of up to 30 days.  Stay tuned for more information.

New Closing Process coming in August - Be prepared!

New MORTGAGE Information - Important

On August 1st, there will be a new roadblock to closing on a house

New integrated disclosure forms will wreak havoc in the home closing process.

On Aug. 1, 2015, the new TRID (TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure) forms replace the HUD-1 Settlement and Good Faith Estimate. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s mission is to rebuild the mortgage banking landscape so that the industry will avoid the type of conditions that led to the Great Recession. The CFPB replaces the Department of Housing and Urban Development for oversight because HUD did not provide specific consumer protection.

Everyone agrees that increasing consumer protection is a desirable goal. Nevertheless, the unforeseen ripple effects from these changes could seriously disrupt how the closing process is conducted.

The new rules will require a new three-day waiting period when there are any changes in the TRID forms. The recommendation is to allow an extra 15 days to close your transactions. In other words, 30-day contracts will now require 45 days, and 60-day contracts will require 75 days.

Who will be hit the hardest?

The states that will be hardest-hit are those where the agents or principals must be physically present for the closing. “Escrow” states, like South Carolina,  where the documents and signatures are normally submitted a few days prior to closing, will be less likely to have issues.

In “closing table” states, clients, agents and attorneys are accustomed to routinely making changes at the closing table and still closing the sale on same day. The new three-day waiting period will severely limit this practice for items covered in the TRID documents.

The biggest headache: the moving van

When transactions don’t close on time, it’s common for one or more of the principals to be stuck with furniture on a moving van and nowhere to go. Any agent who has experienced an irate client in this situation knows how nasty this situation can be.

In most cases, these issues are resolved and the transaction closes the next day. Nevertheless, more than one agent has footed a hotel bill for their clients (especially those who are relocating). Moreover, if there are multiple properties involved, any delay on one home’s closing could delay others from closing, too.

Now imagine how much more complicated this could become if there is an error that retriggers the three-day TRID waiting period. Everyone will be scrambling to handle late closings — not just for one day, but for at least three days or more.

If this happens, can you allow the buyers to move in early? If so, you must enter into a separate lease agreement or Right-to-occupy prior to closing, then collect the first month’s rent plus a security deposit to protect both the buyer and the seller. Given how tight some buyers are on cash at closing time, this may not be an option.

Other potentially costly issues include situations where one of the principals must close by a certain date to take advantage of the tax breaks on the sale of their primary residence — or situations where one of the principals is involved in a 1031 tax-deferred exchange. The lost tax-benefit costs of a late closing could run into hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Interest rate games

If you have been in business for more than 10 years, you have probably experienced the shenanigans that some lenders pull when the interest rates increase. In fact, I have personally witnessed the scenario described below since the early 1980s. Here’s what happens:

Your buyer locks in an interest rate for 60 days. There is an increase in the interest rates. This means that the lender can no longer sell the buyer’s loan on the secondary market. As a result, the lender demands additional documentation. You submit the documents in a timely matter, but the underwriting department takes days to get to your changes. In the meantime, the buyers’ interest rate lock expires, and the property doesn’t close on time. At this point, the lender requires a higher interest rate in order to close the transaction.

It doesn’t take much imagination to see how easily this could play out with the new TRID three-day waiting period.

A tough transition

What will be particularly thorny are transactions closing in late July. If they fail to close by Aug. 1, 2015, how will they be handled? Does entirely new documentation have to be drawn? How long will the delays be?  Even lenders can’t answer these questions yet.

As we move closer to the Aug. 1 change date, clients need to know that there will be unexpected delays in obtaining loan approval, potential changes in the documentation during the transaction, and a host of problems I probably can’t even begin to imagine. When closing on a property with a mortgage you should always expect the unexpected, however these changes will impact all closings and will cause delays.  Set your mind to accept these changes, communicate often with your Realtor and Lender and you should still be able to enjoy the experience.  Better Start preparing now.

Market update for January

The Graphs below should tell you a story of a consistent market along the Grand Strand.  The Closed properties, in both segments, had a very flat final 5 months of 2014.  As you see, the start of 2015 didn't quite come in like a lion as many predicted.  The fall off in sales volume is consistent here with the national stats as existing home sales declined 4.9% in January.  The better news is that the price that properties are selling for has continued on a flat projection even with the selling volume decline.  The Average selling price of Condos & Homes along the Grand Strand has not varied by much over the past 2-3 years.  There has been some increase in single family pricing due to the high percent of New Homes selling over existing homes on the market.  New Homes on average sell for about 3% - 5% more than a similar home that is existing.  The most significant improvement in the real estate market over the past year has been the decline of Distressed properties available.  Right now there are 4300 single family homes on the market with only 191 of them in a distress state - less than 1%.  For condos and townhomes the number is equally low with 3386 available and only 99 distressed.  The Foreclosure & Short Sale impact on value is behind us now on the Grand Strand.  The reduction of these Foreclosures has aided in the improvement of the Median pricing, especially for homes.  

The good news is Interest Rates remain very attractive, local lenders have great programs for properties here including condo-tel designated villas, and the selection of great properties keeps a high level of qualified Buyers in the market.  

The market is a good market for both sides of a transaction especially if you have successfully moved past 2006 & 2007 as being your benchmark of a good market.  In the world of Graphs if you were to track pricing here for the last 15-20 years the average pricing is currently the same as the Fall of 2003.  Bear in mind that pricing has been about the same since the Spring of 2012 when it stopped going down.

The reality is we are in a robust market with good demand and equally good supply.  The balance in the market, in addition to, great interest rates and a steady stream of transplants leaving the Northeastern US for warmer weather, will keep our market stable and consistent through the next several years.  We should continue to see New Construction of single family homes help support pricing in this segment, but Condo pricing won't have anything to help pull it up as New Construction in this segment remains years away.

If you enjoy detailed market information and would like to read some of the data that I consume daily just send me an email with the request.  We want you to be as informed about the market where you own property as you are about the balance in your 401k.  Whether you are looking to buy or sell a property soon or not for a very long time spending a few minutes a month to be better informed certainly is worth the investment.

Have a Wonderful Day!

ben@benguyton.com

Is it aggressive or UNethical?

In my line of work I have the opportunity to speak with a lot of property owners each day.  During the conversations I will typically hear about how many real estate agents have called and it seems a little overwhelming to them.  If a property has been on the market and it failed to sell the information is sent out to a multitude of agents in the market that have an interest in helping get it sold, hence the calls.

The problem I keep coming up against is the difference between being aggressive, as an agent must be in the market, or being unethical.  What is the difference you ask?  There is a huge difference -

As a Realtor in the real estate field we are under a code of ethics sworn by our membership into the National Association of Realtors.  There is very specific language in the code the prohibits any Realtor from contacting you while you are a CLIENT of another real estate agent.  This means that if your home is listed, under a listing agreement, with one real estate agent any other real estate agent cannot contact you to discuss listing your property.  As the owner of the property you obviously have the right to speak with whomever you want as ling as you make the call to the agent.  The reason Sellers receive so many calls in the days after a property goes off the market is because the agreement is over and the Seller is no longer a CLIENT of the agent.  Other agents now know that the Seller has an interest in selling and therefore makes the call.

The issue is the calls you receive BEFORE your listing expires.  These are the real estate agents that choose not to abide by the code of ethics and try to circumvent a relationship you have established with your current Realtor.

Beware of confusing aggression with an unethical behavior.  The agent that calls to talk with you about your listing when it is still listing should be the last person you would want to trust your property with to get it sold.

I would encourage you to reach out to the Coastal Carolina Association of Realtors to file a complaint if you receive a direct call from any agent when your property is listed and they continue to talk about your listing with you after you inform them that it is currently listed.

For the best process in identifying the best agents out there shoot me an email and I will gladly share a proven strategy you should use to eliminate the rest and pick from the best.

SOLD in 30 days or less!

Looking over the market information today one interesting number jumped out at me, especially given the fact that we are in the Holiday Season.  234.  That is the number of homes and condos that came on the market to sell on or after November 1st that are already under contract!  Of the 234 properties only 31 of them were distressed properties.  If you remove the Distressed properties that means that almost 7 properties of the 30 that sell everyday sell within 30 days of hitting the market.

203 property sellers that are not desperate to sell, but are motivated to price their properties correclty for the market will be celebrating the end of the year without another mortgage payment, or HOA payment or taxes for 2015!

It proves that when a property comes to market and is priced correctly it doesn't matter what month it is or what the temperature is outside - it will sell.

If you have been on the market for a long time take a god look at the ONLY three reasons properties don't sell and evaluate yours -  Price, Condition or exposure.  Something isn't working and needs to be changed.

Our market doesn't stop in November and December, so don't allow this to be an excuse for you or the agent you are working with.

If you would enjoy seeing any of the market information please let me know and I'll drop it in your inbox without question.

Thanks for reading!

Is Waiting For Spring Your Best Strategy To Sell?

This is an age-old question that continues to be asked even in the 21st Century.  I believe this question must have started back in the 1950's (or before) when potential buyer's had to drive around to see every property and they didn't want to do so when the weather was cold.  I have heard the question enough that it finally caused me to do the research to see if it is still better to wait until spring like it was a few decades ago.  The market facts for the Grand Strand show two very interesting things; First the spring quarter (1st quarter) is the slowest period for sales in our market.  Second, the difference between the worst quarter and the best quarter is almost insignificant.  When you look at the total number of properties sold broken down over the four quarters we see that our area is very consistent.  Probably most areas are now, unless you have to contend with 4-5 feet of snow on the ground.  I beolieve there are a couple good reasons for this and the best one is that the Grand Strand has a large enough population now that it isn't so seasonal anymore (have you been on Hwy 17 lately since September?).  We have a large enough buyer pool to support year-round real estate sales.  Sure, the market is still seasonal for bathing suits, restaurants and gold courses, but not real estate.  The second reason is due to the advancement in technology.  Shopping for real estate starts on a couch somewhere and grows into a visit to the property.  If a potential Buyer is sitting in Toms River, NJ thinking of buying in Myrtle Beach and sees a property of interest they won't wait until beach weather to come see it.  

So, is it better to wait?  Waiting or moving forward to sell a property should be decided by your desire to sell, financial information and the other properties you'll compete against - but not the weather.

If you would like to see the quarterly report for selling volume email us at info@benguyton.com with Quarterly Report in your subject line.

What you should demand from any real estate agent you consider

Are you thinking of selling your house? Are you dreading having to deal with strangers walking through the house? Are you concerned about getting the paperwork correct? Hiring a professional real estate agent can take away most of the challenges of selling. A great agent is always worth more than the commission they charge just like a great doctor or great accountant.

You want to deal with one of the best agents in your marketplace. To do this, you must be able to distinguish the average agent from the great one.

Here are the top 5 demands to make of your Real Estate Agent when selling your house:

1. Tell the truth about the price

Too many agents just take the listing at any price and then try to the ‘work the seller’ for a price correction later. Demand that the agent prove to you that they have a belief in the price they are suggesting. Make them show you their plan to sell the house at that price – TWICE! Every house in today’s market must be sold two times – first to a buyer and then to the bank.

Every house in today’s market must be sold twice: 1st to the buyer, then to the bank.

The second sale may be more difficult than the first. The residential appraisal process has gotten tougher. A recent survey showed that there was a challenge with the appraisal on 24% of all residential real estate transactions. It has become more difficult to get the banks to agree on the contract price. A red flag should be raised if your agent is not discussing this with you at the time of the listing.

2. Understand the timetable with which your family is dealing

You will be moving your family to a new home. Whether the move revolves around the start of a new school year or the start of a new job, you will be trying to put the move to a plan.

This can be very emotionally draining. Demand from your agent an appreciation for the timetables you are setting. You agent cannot pick the exact date of your move, but they should exert any influence they can, to make it work.

3. Remove as many of the challenges as possible

It is imperative that your agent knows how to handle the challenges that will arise. An agent’s ability to negotiate is critical in this market.

Remember: If you have an agent who was weak negotiating with you on the parts of the listing contract that were most important to them and their family  (commission, length, etc.), don’t expect them to turn into Super hero when they are negotiating for you and your family with your buyer.

4. Help with the relocation

If you haven’t yet picked your new home, make sure the agent is capable and willing to help you. The coordination of the move is crucial. You don’t want to be without a roof over your head the night of the closing. Likewise, you don’t want to end up paying two housing expenses (whether it is rent or mortgage). You should, in most cases, be able to close on your current home and immediately move into your new residence.

5. Get the house SOLD!

There is a reason you are putting yourself and your family through the process of moving.

You are moving on with your life in some way. The reason is important or you wouldn’t be dealing with the headaches and challenges that come along with selling. Do not allow your agent to forget these motivations. Constantly remind them that selling the house is why you hired them. Make sure that they don’t worry about your feelings more than they worry about your family. If they discover something needs to be done to attain your goal (i.e. price correction, repair, removing clutter), insist they have the courage to inform you.

Single Family Home Sales up 30% in 2014. Is it really? Read on to truly understand what is happening in the market.

We all yearn for good news and the real estate market is no different.  After a 5 years slide to the bottom of pricing we all started getting really excited in 2012 when the reports stated that prices had "bottomed out".  As we look back a couple years now to 2012 we see that those reports were true; prices did bottom in 2012, then they got stuck there!  Sure, there has been a few bright sub-markets that have seen anywhere from 2% - 4% appreciation over the last couple years, but most areas along the Grand Strand are the same prices as the spring of 2012.  Another absolute bright spot for the single family market here has been demand.  Demand jumped up last year from a pretty slow 2011 & 2012, Then 2014 came in like a lion! Looking at the comparison of number quarter to quarter the selling pace has increased a whopping 30% this year in single family homes.  That alone is great news, whether you are a Buyer or Seller, and usually enough information for us to start posting the news on every social site available...but let's dig a little deeper.  You see, with the increase in demand last year and the slight increase in prices it was enough to send the builders in our market into a frenzy.  You can see the trusses flying in a lot of neighborhoods around the beach.  This observation was enough to cause a more in depth look at the demand side of our market.  What I found, after eliminating the sold homes that are new, or never lived in, is that for existing homes along the Grand Strand the market has improved exactly 3%.  Not 30%.  There has been a 27% increase in New Home Sales in 2014 over 2013.  What does this mean to you if you are a Buyer or Seller of real estate right now?  As a Buyer it means you better get your act in gear and find your motivation to buy the house you want.  The New Home market is just now heating up and the builders are willing to do things to get you to buy that they won't do next year.  It also means that when you look at the market median pricing that we should see small increases as the next 12 months goes on.  While this can be an unimportant number, the Builders will use it to justify their pricing and reduced incentives.  These figures will also drive the existing home market causing many sellers to ask too much for their homes and remain fixed on that price, thereby reducing the selection of correctly priced homes available.  

If you are a home seller right now - beware.  There is a new competitor in town.  The last 5 years your competition has been distressed homes for sale.  Today, as I write this there are 3203 homes on the market and 216 of them are distressed.  They don't effect your pricing anymore.  In the past a Buyer may be willing to pay more for your home because of condition over a foreclosure.  Today, your competition is NEW.  Shiny, bright, pick-what-I-want, NEW.  Your competition is more fierce now.  As an existing home seller you need to know the truth about the market and understand what you are competing against.  Sure, not all Buyers want New and not all New Homes are in desirable areas.  Many builders are having to build under "value engineering" strategy in order to make a profit, so you lose some of the bells and whistles.  I encourage you to dig deeper than the surface of information you typically receive about the market to be fully informed on how to price your home.  Don;t be misled to believe the housing market is up 30%, because it is not.  The market for your type of house is up 3%.  Three percent higher demand against an 8.5 month supply of homes doesn't typically make headlines.  

Let's be clear.  Factoring in all areas and all categories of the market along the Grand Strand we have seen improved demand and that is great news.  Single family homes sales are outpacing condo sales by a wide margin and mainly due to the New stuff.  There is less than 3% New Condo sales volume here right now, so condo owners aren't competing with New...yet.  

I hope you've found this information helpful and if it raised a few questions let me hear about it.  If I'm not meeting with you about your property, or showing your property to a Buyer my head is usually buried in the figures.

Living in a terrible real estate market

Most days I have the pleasure of talking about real estate to dozens and dozens of people which gives me the opportunity to ask a lot of questions.  When you talk with enough people and ask enough questions you start to see patterns form with the answers you receive.  One of the Mysteries of the Real Estate industry is the answer to the question; Why hasn't your property sold?  The consistent answer we hear is "The Market".

First, you must understand that the market has never been responsible for any real estate owner to sell or not sell a property.  The market with real estate, like anything else offered for sale, is dependent upon the demand for the product and the amount of the product available to meet that demand.  I do get the excuse that the reason a property won't sell is "The Market", but let's look truthfully at the real reason before moving on to the numbers -  It is a Seller's willingness or unwillingness to accept a price for a property that will cause  it to sell or keep it from selling, not the market.  As a seller, you always want to evaluate the hold & see approach against the costs associated with doing so and what likelihood there is that prices will improve.  You can do it in the back room, so no one sees you do it and make the decision yourself without telling anyone, so don't be afraid.  You actually should be afraid to NOT do it, but make sure you're using facts and not HOPE as your driver.

Let's pretend for a moment that "The Market" is the cause of a property not selling.  This exercise got me thinking about the past and reflecting on the "Great" market we were in back in 2006.  You'll remember 2006 because it is the year every property owner thinks is returning next year...well next year...or next year.  I went back in time (via MLS system) to see what was going on back in the single best year of real estate sales in the history of our nation and it is interesting what I saw.

Since we are a seasonal area, many people also believe July is the best sales month of the year, so I pulled the selling numbers for July in both 2006 and 2014.  I also pulled the year-to-date numbers from January to August 21st for both of the same years.  You think we are in a bad real estate market?  Read the numbers below -

July 2006 had 512 homes sale.  July 2014 had 593 home sale.  That's right - Better in 2014 than 2006!

2006 Jan - Aug had 3958 total homes sale.  2014 Jan - Aug had 3893 homes sale - 8 less homes per month sell in 2014 to date as there were in the best market ever!   A Bad market??

But let's look at Condo & Townhome sales -

July 2006 had 396 condos sale.  July 2014 had 382 condos sale.

2006 Jan - Aug had 4488 condos sale.  2014 Jan - Aug had 2613 condos sale.

You can see that where July wasn't far apart in the different years the annualized number is WAY off.  Over 550 fewer condos are selling per month in 2014 than in 2006, but there are still an average of 326 condos selling every single month right now.

Land sales are roughly half right now than what they were in 2006, except in 2006 there were large tracts selling to developers where the current sales are driven by individual lot sales.  Land is a super challenged segment of our local market and will remain that way for many more years.

So, when you truly examine the numbers of properties selling you cannot deny that the market today is not drastically different than the best market ever.  Of course this relates only to selling volume and not pricing...which is kind of the point.  It is always about the price and no matter how much we, as homeowners, don't want to hear it that doesn't change the fact. 

"The Market" is never the culprit for you not selling your property.  It is all about you making the decision to sell or not sell as it relates to today's market. As an example, if the true market pricing is on a property is $250,000, but you won't sell for less than $290,000 why would you put it on the market? (see previous post about the dumb buyer).  If you don't put it on the market because you feel it will get better down the road, then look at the potential and probable appreciation that needs to happen.  Let's assume that the market returns to 3% appreciation year over year for the next 5 years.  You would arrive at your target $290,000 price at the end of the 5th year and again assuming an average cost of $2,000 per month to carry the property, you only invested $120,000 to get your $40,000!  The only thing more wrong than investing $120,000 to get a $40,000 return is expecting the real estate market to guarantee a 3% annualized return for the next 5 years.  Do you really want to put your life on hold for this hope?

If selling is you goal, then make the decision on the facts and if you just can't do it then stop thinking about selling all together.

Get out of 2006 and understand that today's market is 2014 - 8 years removed from what you may still be waiting to return.

Let's talk about it -

Pretty Real Estate Ads Don't Make Buyer's Dumber

I came across an interesting article recently that was written by a respected organization followed by thousands of consumers and real estate agents that caught my attention.  As I read the article it seemed to have been written from the thoughts in my head over the last 7 years and I was happy to see someone put it out there.  The basis of the article was that running a lot of ads in magazines or newspapers for a property will not cause a real estate Buyer to abandon logic and market research to buy a property.  In fact, the article stated, as I agree, that advertising real estate in today's world is a waste.  In many ways, the real estate industry is a mixed bag of being stuck in the past and rushing to the "future" at the same time.  In the past, there was no consumer sites that were syndicated from local Multiple Listing Services.  In the past, the only way to know about what was actually available for sale was a newspaper ad, a yard sign, or maybe a flyer mailed to you, or even a direct phone call.  The ease by which all Buyer's find properties today wasn't around a couple decades ago.  From the main sites such as Zillow, Realtor.com and Trulia to the secondary sites like agent IDX sites with property triggers and google alerts there are hundreds of ways that the buying consumer searches for real estate today other than the way they had to 20+ years ago.  When the MLS became a web-based application it started a different way for agents to work.  When a property is now listed in the MLS it is instantly broadcast to the entire agent population of our association, which is 2700 agents!  In addition to the initial notice of a new listing, all consumer sites, agent sites and alerts have the ability to set triggers to email a Buyer of when a property that matches their criteria hits the market.  There is generally no doubt that a property is being seen, or can be seen when listed.  The future that so many agents get caught up in is the "Social Media" trend that is sweeping across our industry.  Could buying a home on Facebook be the wave of the future?  Probably not, but it certainly won't be the trend for a long, long, long, long time if ever, so why waste time here?

So why isn't your property selling?

Look at your price -
You may think there simply are no buyer's in the market.  That would be untrue.  In August 2007, widely considered one of the best markets in history, there were 30 properties per day that closed.  In August 2011, widely considered one of the slowest markets on the Grand Strand, there were 26 properties per day that closed.  4 properties per day difference between the best and worst markets seems crazy, but it is true.  Buyer's are in the market buying everyday, no matter the market.  Look at it this way, would someone buy your property for $150.00?  Would they buy it for $2,000.00?  How about $10,000.00?  Of course they would and that proves the point.  Every property has a price that will cause it to sell.  No exception.  You have to decide if you are willing to accept what the current market value is for your property.  That is a decision that only you can make, but your decision doesn't make the market.  The market is the exact range for which a Buyer is willing to Buy and a Seller is willing to sell a property, product, or gallon of gas...and not a penny more.  Don't be fooled into thinking that your year-old air conditioner that cost you $4,500.00 to install adds $10,000.00 to the value of your property over the others that have SOLD.  Does this mean that you can just liquidate a property without the help of a real estate agent?  It is an option, for sure, but not one that has a high success rate.  The process of getting your property sold absolutely requires a strong professional that is willing to guide you to market, or guide you away from the market.  When you look at market statistics where your property is located there isn't a huge curve for interpretation.  What you see and what a Buyer sees, is what every agent should also see for value.  The right, well-informed agent won't bend on their estimation of value, but will be able to exhibit to you why it is the price and exactly what they will do to expose the home and sell it.  If your price doesn't match with the market, don't put it on the market, period.  There are already too many sellers searching for that ONE, Dumb Buyer that will abandon market facts, fall in love with their property instantly and pay cash so an appraiser won't come look at it.  He or she may be out there, but boy do they have a big selection of overprice properties to consider.

A recent NAR survey revealed that the NUMBER ONE benefit a Seller wants from their agent is assistance in setting a competitive price.  It is truly one of, if not the most important things an agent can do for you as a seller.  Remember, big, bright and beautiful ads don't cause Buyer's to become dumber.  Get a Great agent, price your property correctly and don;t believe advertising more will create a group of Buyers that don't understand value!

Besides, when was the last time you paid $10.00 for a gallon of milk because of the "Got Milk" ad?

Think about it -

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The negative impact of sharing your thoughts...

Do you believe that what you say about your community, neighborhood, home or neighbor can impact the value of your property?  Allow this factual case-in-point -

Recently we received two offers on a property and ultimately decided on one with the other becoming a back-up contract.  During the day or two after the contract was verbally accepted the Buyers returned to the property, excited and ready to take some measurements.  During their visit they encountered a couple of homeowners and a renter that all lived in the community.  As would be normal, they struck up a conversation and asked questions about their experience in the community.  Based entirely on those conversations the Buyer's excitement turned to remorse and they pulled the contract.  Fortunately, there was a backup contract on the property, but at a 5% less price than the first contract.

Now, obviously this property selling for 5% less than a previous accepted contract means this specific seller received less for their property, but doesn't their value effect yours if you live in the same community?  Certainly it does.

It seems to be our nature to vent and enthusiastically share the negative things that cause us to dislike something; in this case a real estate community.  I do not propose to hide things or paint a glamorous picture in a situation that doesn't deserve it, but if there was nothing good to share why do you live there?

Understand that when you are asked about a community people are looking for validation of their feelings they already have for the community, they aren't just out seeking to learn of your bad experience.  I would imagine that in every single neighborhood in our great country the owners there, if they look hard enough, would find something they would change or dislike.  Does that have to be the very first, and sometimes only, thing you share?

I encourage you to think through your advice to someone asking about the very place you invested your money.  Only sharing the "horrible" things or your take on what the builder "should have done" is taking money out of your pocket and only makes your decision to buy there look pretty bad.  Find the good in your community or call me and I'll find a buyer for your property that will appreciate the good things the community offers.  Move on!

Enjoy your day!

Market Leader - BY FAR!

Numbers Never Lie!

Here is a very interesting record that I thought was worthwhile sharing -

Over the last 20 year period The Hoffman Group has out performed every Real Estate Agency in the Myrtle Beach market by a huge margin.

The Facts of the market show over $709,000,000.00 in more sales volume than the number two agency in town.  Roughly, $2.8 Billion in real estate sales v. $2.1 Billion by the distant #2 agency.

The total number of properties sold is also a landslide difference -

The Hoffman Group has outsold all other agencies during the period of 1994 - 2014 (April) by a minimum of 3,650 total properties.  

Based on the annual selling rate of the top agencies in town - If The Hoffman Group stopped selling today it would take the number two agency 8 years to catch up!

If your looking for Real Estate guidance why wouldn't you choose the Market Leader?

Frozen Day at the beach!

Mark January 29, 2014 as the day that time stood still!  Not much snow from the winter storm at the beach, but plenty of ICE!  It was a tricky ride to the office today, but no accidents or issues.  Looking forward to warmer temps in the days ahead!  Stay Tuned!

2013 appeared to be an amazing year for the Real Estate market nationally, but how did it fare where your property is located?  You've heard that Real Estate is Hyper-local and that proved to be very true along the Grand Strand in 2013.

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Welcome to 2014; the year of the Amazing Real Estate market, right?  If you are a believer that past performance is an indication of future results you are taking the 2013 results and increasing them for this year, right?  Well, I have the good fortune to speak with dozens of people daily that have learned a lesson in Real Estate over the past 5 years and most are not on the bandwagon.  Before we look ahead to what may be in 2014, let's look back to 2013 and see how it fared against the previous year of 2012.  We have to see where we have come from, annualized, to see where we may go this year.  In its entirety, 2013 did prove to be a good year for housing.  Selling volume and sales prices were broadly higher in 2013 while inventory levels and days on market were lower.  The Grand Strand's inventory started the year with 9.5 month supply of homes and 10.5 month supply of condos (including Town homes) and ended the year down 15.7% & 5.6% respectively.  The tightening of the supply side aided in homes that sold getting slightly better selling prices with homes up 5.5% and condos up 2.5% for the year.  Been a while since any increase in pricing has been discussed, right?  Good News!  As for the demand side; single family homes had a whopping 19.2 annual increase and condos saw a 5.4% increase!  Remember these numbers.  The amount of time it took to get a property sold decreased slightly over the year with homes being down 6 days and condos down 9 days.  In review, the market had good positive numbers for the year along the Grand Strand with a gradual. slow climb out of the low levels it reached and has remained since 2010.  How can you use this information to look ahead?  Well, there are a few important numbers I believe can give us a general idea of what may happen.  As with any market you need to look at the supply vs.demand and the outcome.  Take a look at the previous numbers of single family home demand - UP 19.2% from the previous year, which effected pricing by 5.5%.  Would it be safe to think that another 19% increase would net us another 5.5% increase?  Sure, but there are other factors too; mainly the supply.  The Supply of homes did continue to decrease throughout 2013 and the decrease had a positive effect on pricing too.  I don't believe it will be the same in 2014.  There are two important things happening in the market right now that will effect supply in 2014; First, builders are building again.  Ride through any of the neighborhoods that have sat quiet that last few years and you'll see it happening.  The trucks are back and the cranes are flying trusses.  New Home construction will be a player in the supply side of the market this year.  Second, the holders-on are moving forward now.  The homeowners that haven't been able to swallow the market pricing over the past few years are going on the market now.  Many of these sellers are priced way out of the market, but they are on the market.  Some never left!  I actually came across a listing the other day that had been on the market for over 2,000 days!  It is an injustice!  Anyway, these homeowners will supply the market with homes at least for the first part of the year in hopes that the market has come up to meet their selling price.  In many cases, it won't.  There are also two important things that will happen in mortgage lending that will impact home sales in 2014.  First, rates will be higher.  Many estimate rates to jump to 5.5% range in the first quarter.  While it is still an amazing rate the threshold has been set and most Buyer's will be disappointed that 4.5% is not available any longer.  Others that can still afford to buy will hold back for a few months hoping for a rate decline before coming back in the market.  The second thing is the QM Rule.  The Qualified Mortgage rule is part of the Dodd-Frank act and will eliminate more Buyer's from qualifying for a mortgage.  There are industry-wide restrictions that cannot be broken by lenders in an effort to reduce high-risk loans.  This is another of the safety nets put into place after the real estate meltdown that will prevent 2006/2007 real estate markets from ever happening again.

Looking into the future (and making some assumptions), I see a market very similar to last year ahead of us.  I believe both single family homes and condos will see low single digit appreciation with higher than expected demand.  We will continue to see pockets of distressed (primarily Foreclosure) properties in the market, but the saturation levels should remain below 8% overall.  Short Sales have simply become so difficult for approval due to lender valuation many sellers aren't even trying any longer.  I do believe interest rates will rise, but our Buyers along the Grand Strand are generally smart to understand the small impact 1% can make.  Investors will remain in the market, but won't be the driving force this segment was in 2012 or 2013.  Certain sub-markets will see very high demand and the great properties in these markets will get multiple offers before selling, but only at what the market will bear.  Many Buyer's still know there is selection out there and won't get caught up in fighting over a market price.  The balance of pricing will be somewhat controlled by New Home supply, at least in single family homes.  There won't be any volume in condo New Construction until 2015 or 2016.  

I am very excited about the market ahead for both Buyer's and Seller's.  We won't be back in a market that sees 20% appreciation in a year, but given where we've been I think 3% - 5% appreciation is something to get thrilled about!

If you would like a full 13 page detail of the market in review emailed to you just let me know.  Email me at ben@benguyton.com with 2013 Market Report in the subject line.

I look forward to our next conversation!