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I get asked the question everyday, “Hunter, Why do you do your blog”?  It’s not as easy to do this blog as you would think as it is, mostly do to the fact I have very limited ability in website programming.

A good chunk of my day is involves marketing your Columbia SC Real Estate Listings.  My job is to sell the houses my clients list with me, as well as find houses for the buyers who use me as their Buyers Agent.  This is the meat of my job.

My job on this blog is to provide you, my reader, with information to help you in your search for your home, to help you find deals on homes, explain how I market your Columbia SC Real Estate homes you list with me, and to provide you with insight into the current Columbia SC Real Estate Market.

These applications are all very important to me.  So I chose a blog platform to get the word out there.

I am very passionate about Real Estate.  Also, I am a ‘different’ type of Realtor.  I am young, innovative, technology driven, and I LOVE marketing.  Why?  THAT IS MY JOB.  I don’t just sell homes, houses, whatever you decide to call them, I MARKET homes.  I am an advertising specialist when it comes to Columbia SC Real Estate.  I use social media programs to broadcast out information to large amounts of people.  Whether Realtors, or consumers, people hear my message.

All of this takes a lot of time and money.  This blog platform is free (except for time).  Soon I will be moving over to a better platform, which also means a lot of money.  One that will automatically index my content, put your listings out there, etc.  I will be purchasing a blog soon from RssPieces.  Mary McKnight is the expert when it comes to Real Estate Blogging, and you will love the design of the site she comes up with.

One of my favorite things to do on this blog is to provide you, the reader, with the current Columbia SC Real Estate Market Conditions, important local information affecting real estate, and anything else that I think will benefit you pertaining to Columbia SC Real Estate.

One thing you may notice as well is that I use the term Columbia SC Real Estate a decent amount.  Why? Columbia is a large area.  The Columbia Metropolitan Area covers towns such as Irmo, Chapin, Lexington, and several other areas.   I use it as a general term, because all of those areas are considered part of the Columbia SC Real Estate Market.

From time to time I bring in Home Inspectors, Mortgage brokers, appraisers, lawyers, etc to write.  This is to give you extra knowledge for the entire experience of this Real Estate Market.

Thank you for reading this Columbia SC Real Estate blog.

Funeral services for Jerry Fowler are scheduled for Sunday at 3 p.m. at Saxe Gotha Presbyterian Church in Lexington.

The 61-year-old realtor, school board member and broadcaster died Thursday after fighting lung cancer for more than 15 months.

The family is requesting that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the South Carolina Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Jerry was a fixture on WVOC-AM for over 17 years with his daily Real Estate Tips, in addition to his weekly talk show, Real Estate Focus, which aired Saturdays at 11 a.m.

WVOC’s Gary David and Keven Cohen will present a special tribute this Saturday at 11 a.m.

You can e-mail comments in an .mp3 audio file for air during the tribute to garybarboza@clearchannel.com. Please limit the length to two minutes or less. 

Today, the Columbia SC Real Estate Markets great friend, Jerry Fowler, passed away after fighting Lung Cancer for 15 months.

Jerry was a great asset to this community, both as a Realtor, broadcaster, school board member, and a citizen.

Jerry understood what life was about, friends.  It’s not about how much money you make, how many listings you have, how many closings you have, but how many people’s life you make a positive impact on.

Though I never had the oppurtunity to meet Jerry, his teachings, ethics, and general caring has made a great impact me…not only as a Real Estate Agent, but as a human being.

I will update this as soon as arrangements are made for his funeral.

To view the information from WVOC where he broadcasted his Real Estate Show from for 17 years, click here.

What a great day. It was a beautiful warm day, and it seems that the Columbia SC Real Estate Market is about to get some much needed rain.

Today, a client called me up to list his beautiful house in the heart of Forest Acres. The property address is 5711 Ravenwood Drive. This house has it all, and priced to sell.

The house is 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, has a large family room with a great fireplace (never been used!). The house is solid brick, on a large lot with a fenced in backyard. Like I said, this house has it all. Also, this beautiful Columbia SC Real Estate property has solid hardwood floors throughout the majority of the house, a separate laundry room, plenty of storage space, and a huge back yard.

This home goes to the best schools around, including Satchel Ford Elementary School. Is there anything better? YES!

A home inspector is the owner of this house. Rest assured, this house is in great condition.

Listed at just $199,900, this house is priced below market value for a quick sale.

Forest Acres is the cream of the crop of the Columbia SC Real Estate Market. These are all older houses with great character, such as high baseboards, crown molding, brick exteriors, large lots, great landscaping, great schools, and great neighbors.

Situated close to downtown Columbia, you are a quick drive from all the great dining, shopping, and entertainment of the downtown Columbia area.

Below you will find a video with the owner of the property talking about the house, its history, the area, the schools, and everything great about the Forest Acres area of Columbia SC Real Estate.  He is very passionate, and hates to see his house go, but he is off to bigger and better things.

As I said, you can tell that he really loves this house and has enjoyed it.  Needless to say, with him being a home inspector in the Columbia SC Real Estate Market, this house is in tip top condition and ready for a new owner.

If you have any questions, would like to see this house, or more information about this house…please do let me know and contact me.

Here is a great interview with a first time home buyer who just closed on his first home in the Columbia SC Real Estate Market.

Daniel is a young guy, 23 to be exact, and just purchased his first home.  I spoke with Daniel about the buying process, specifically about how he first found his house, looked at houses, and everything like that online.

If you remember, I have a post a couple weeks back about how nearly all Buyers start their new home search online.

This is important to remember as Generation X, and now Generation Y are becoming a large driving force in the Columbia SC Real Estate Market.

Daniel reiterates some great points such as him using Realtor.com, my blog, and several other internet tools to find his house, along with the help of his buyers agent.

This time of year is the hot buying time.  Not only is the weather beautiful, warm, and sunny…but deals are out there to be bought!  Investors in Columbia SC Real Estate need to realize that now is the time to buy a great house that cash flows!

Despite what the news has been saying, there are plenty of loans out there and plenty of money to be given out.

If you have any questions, would like info on investments in the area, please feel free to contact me.

As most of you realize, mortgage brokers use your credit report to determine many of the factors that ‘price’ your loan. The credit report is also one of the factors that may Qualify you or Deny you on a loan.

There are 3 firms that mortgage brokers will judge your credit on. They typically take your middle score. The 3 credit bureaus are EXperian, TransUnion, and Equifax. Don’t work on just one, clean up all three.

The first thing to do is to run your credit. The government gives you one free credit report per year. I recommend you obtain it through here as it does not count as a hit on your credit.

Take a look at this, if you see anything wrong on there, contact the appropriate creditor as well as the appropriate bureau.

There are two things in which you should try to remove any negative facts on your credit report. First, contac the creditors reporting a negative item and ask them to remove the negative item. Ask in a nice pleasant voice and please do not worry when they tell you no. Simply repeat that you would like them to take it off. If you get nowhere, then ask to speak to a higher up. Keep notes on what and who you speak with. Repeat this procedure over and over. In high part of calls, it works.

When they agree to take it off, be sure to get it in writing. Email, fax, letter, anything. You need this in writing.

If you find a collection on your credit report, don’t just pay it off. Ask them to remove it, then you will pay it off. Once again, get the agreement in writing!

When the creditor decides not to remove any of the items, dispute the claim with the bureaus.

In Columbia SC Real Estate, credit is important. If possible, get your middle score over 680. That makes a huge difference to buyers in Columbia SC Real Estate.

I spoke yesterday of my desire to bring video to this blog.

I had the oppurtunity to speak with a client of mine today as we were putting in an offer on a great house. The house is a foreclosure in the Columbia SC Real Estate Market, needs some work, but she stands to have over $70,000 in equity! This is great. Did I mention that she is a single mother of 3 boys? The American dream folks, this is what it is all about!

I have her permission to post this here. There will be many more to come. This video encompasses the emotions of putting in a contract of your first house and I hope it will help other first time home buyers!

I hope eventually to add videos with sellers, attorneys, inspectors, mortgage brokers , etc who operate in the Columbia SC Real Estate market. I hope eventually that these videos will be a useful tool to everyone looking to learn more from a Real Estate Transaction.

Recently, I have been thinking hard on ways to improve this site for my clients who read this daily.  I have many, many people who come here to learn about Columbia SC Real Estate.  I want to take this blog to a new level.  After careful consideration, taking into account time away from my clients, marketing money, and several other factors…I have decided to include video to this site.

I have been listening, reading, and speaking to the best of the best within the Real Estate business.  People from Florida to Arizona and California have all been raving about video and how it helps their clients find the right houses, houses that soon will be their homes.

Tomorrow I will start experimenting some with video.  This will be nothing outstanding, Hollywood quality, or anything of the sorts, but it will be an eye into many of the properties, people, and steps within a transaction in Columbia SC Real Estate.

I hope that the turn out will be of quality and help you, my clients and readers, in your quest to find the perfect house, or sell your current house, within the Columbia SC Real Estate market.

I believe my first task will be to show a transaction from the buyers point of view from start to finish.  This will be taken from several steps.  From the pre-approval to the closing, you will see each step in a short video.  I have the perfect client in mind, I do hope she will agree to go along with this.

In addition to the above, I plan to show sellers what to do, and what not to do when they are selling their houses in the Columbia SC Real Estate Market.

I also have some other nifty ideas in place such as brief overviews of the different areas ( Lexington, Irmo, Chapin, NE, etc) that Columbia SC Real Estate has to offer.

In the mean time, if you have any ‘requests’ or thoughts as to what you would like to see, please let me know.

Everyone has seen the hit fashion show “What Not to Wear” on TLC.  If you havn’t, check it out.  It is a great show.

The premise of the show is that they find someone who dresses horribly.  Whether in their job they do not dress professional, in their daily life they dress for a different age group than they are a member of, or just in general, they do not dress to flatter themselves.  The 2 hosts help them out, show them how to dress in clothes they feel comfortable in, and help them lead a better, more productive life.

I would love to do this for a homeowner in the Columbia SC Real Estate Market.  Not on their clothes, but on what they are doing to deter sales.

The largest problem I see, and do not take this personally, is that the sellers want to be home when their agent, or another agent, is showing their home.  Why would you want to be home?  Are you not paying a Realtor in part for the convenience of this…that is why there is a lock box there.

People are great in the general Columbia SC Real Estate Market.  We are blessed with great people.  Be honest though, most people have very different tastes.  When you, the owner, is home…the potential buyers are unable to make honest comments, tell their true feelings, or interact how they would like in your house.  We want them to be at ease and dead honest.  Otherwise, we do not know their fears and problems.

Along the same lines is having your kids at home when the house is being shown.  Sometimes this is unable to be helped, but most of the times, you can get them out for 30 minutes.  Kids do not understand.  Whether it is the 13 year old just getting home from school, throwing his book bag on the floor, eating some cereal, then playing video games….all the way to the toddlers who mess their diaper and you are sitting there, in all your babies’ glory, changing their dirty diaper in front of a potential buyer.  Neither are good.

The next most important thing is staging.  I care about you and your family…but the potential buyer doesn’t.  Take down the baby pictures of the children, the huge portrait of Grandma on the wall above the oversized piano (which isn’t in tune…yes I have had buyers check this before).  No offense, but I do not want to know your religious persuasion.  Take down anything which might deter a buyer.

Do not play music.  There is a Realtor in town famous for putting on Christmas music…in the middle of the summer.  I wish it was cooler here, but it isn’t.  And I am not in the Christmas spirit…neither are my buyers.  Quiet is great.  A little white noise is even better (perhaps an air purifier on low).

I love dogs and cats.  I have several…and multiple other animals.  I do not want to know you have them.  Change that litter box, clean up those paw prints.

Do not take an offer personally.  Realize, no matter how hard it is, this is a business transaction.  These people want to get the best price, so do you.  Understand you must meet in the middle.  On the same note:

PRICE YOUR HOUSE CORRECTLY!  If the Realtor shows comparable properties are selling at $150,000, list at $139,000.  Get to the bottom of the market, and whatever you do, don’t you dare list for $151,000.  You do want your house to sell…right?

If all of the above seems a bit on the rough side…that is because it is.  I am being dead honest because I want what is best for you: TO SELL YOUR HOUSE!

Homes in the Columbia SC Real Estate Market are taking longer to sell.  Armed with some of these tips might help you sell sooner and for MORE MONEY.  That is what everyone wants.

I had one of those rare occasions today. I got to take some time off from selling Columbia SC Real Estate.

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE MY JOB! I adore my clients and my co-workers. But even your favorite things in life need a break sometime.

Today, my fiance Carolynne was ‘pinned‘ today. She graduates from Lander University tomorrow, Magna Cum Laude. This evening (Friday) she had her pinning ceremony. As ceremonies go, it was a very nice ceremony with a great speaker. I enjoy seeing different speakers as I improve my public speaking abilities.

Needless to say, I am very…very…very proud of her. Seeing as I attended USC, I never had the drive to succeed in school, which is an upsetting part of my life…as I have succeeded in everything which I have done, except school. It wasn’t that I didn’t crave to learn. I love learning! It is just that my mind does not work with the traditional school approach. I am hands on, talking and conversing. Call me ADD, or whatever you want.

I will resume normal hours on Monday, and I am looking forward to it!

Thanks to all of you for all that yall do.