No Time Like Now for Buying Myrtle Beach Real Estate

 

Despite what you've heard and read and despite what others are telling you, now is one of the best times in history to be in the market for a home, especially if you're interested in moving on up, or getting a more expensive home.  The other two purchase scenarios offering the best buys in recent history are for first-time home buyers and investment buyers.

 

Let's start with first-time home buyers.

First-time home buyers are in the best possible situation because they don't have to worry about selling a house in a down market.  They just need to buy one, which is a very good thing.

 

With prices down, deals are available that would have seemed impossible just a few year ago.  Really good deals, including substantially reduced prices and a bevy of incentives being offered by sellers and builders alike.

 

It's pretty obvious to understand how those moving to a more expensive home can take advantage of today's market.  Some simple math can show how, even if you take a loss on selling your home, you can actually make a net gain in equity if you buy a more expensive home.

 

Suppose you have a $100,000 house in an area that has, on average, lost 15% of value.  Your house is now worth about $85,000.  Now, suppose you are interested in a home that was worth $300,000 and now priced around $255,000 (assuming it's also depreciated the same 15%).  On paper, you may lose $15,000 on your home when you sell, but you make $45,000 on the home you buy, so you actually net $30,000 in equity.  Not a bad deal!

 

Finally, real estate investors are in a good place today to spend less and get more than anytime in recent history.  If you have the cash reserves or resources to invest, now is the time to consider doing it.  Lower prices mean more property for the buck and those that can buy now and have renters to help them weather the storm until the market improves can do very well.  If you're considering investing, do your homework on the area you're interested in and you'll have a good chance to get a great return on your investment dollars.

 

Opportunities to do well in today's real estate market abound, especially for many purchase scenarios.  If you are a first-time home buyer, thinking about moving to a more expensive home, or interested in real estate investments, as the idiom goes "there is no time like the present."  Contact us to see how well you might fare in the Myrtle Beach real estate market right now.

 

 

 

Opportunities Abound to Profit in 2008

 

Tumbling home values.  Soaring energy prices.  A topsy-turvy stock market and a gazillion other financial worries, not the least of which is whether we'll spend the coming year mired in recession.

 

Considering all the black clouds hanging over the economy, you probably think there's no way you can really expect to prosper in 2008.  It will be all you can do just to hang in there, right?  WRONG!

 

We firmly believe there will be plenty of opportunities to make money this year - yes, even in real estate - as well as ways to insulate your finances from the most serious economic challenges ahead.

 

The real estate slump isn't going away soon, so whether you're buying, selling or staying put, deal with it.

 

For sellers:

Forget what the ugly house next door sold for last year or even what comparable homes are listed for today.  Instead, use the going price of houses that have recently sold as a guide - then price your home even lower so it looks like a great deal.

Best case: Your aggressive pricing attracts more than one bid, pitting buyers against one another and ultimately lifting the final sale price.

 

For buyers:

If ever there was a time to drive a hard bargain, this is it.  Don't be distracted by small stuff like whether the current owners will leave behind their appliances and window treatments.

 

Focus instead on what's really important: getting the lowest price.  Do a little homework and find out what comparable houses have sold for lately.  Then start the bidding at 10% to 15% below that recent sale price.

 

Note: This strategy works best if there are several homes on the market in your area around the same price.

 

There are many other tips throughout this weblog for buyers and sellers.  We encourage you to spend a few minutes and look through them.  It could be worth a minor fortune if you pick up a tip here or there that could add dollars to your home buying or home selling strategy.

 

 

 

Real Estate Investing Tips

 

There are at least four key issues you need to consider regarding investing in rental real estate.  And while there are several ways to invest in Real Estate, this particular list offers just some of the advantages of owning rental property.

 

1. "The Buy"- As is the case with any investment, the goal is to buy low and sell high.  Today's Real Estate market offers plenty of opportunities for a savvy consumer to purchase a home for 80 to 85 cents on the dollar.  Remember the old saying, "You don't make money when you sell a house, you make money when you buy it!"

 

2. Cash Flow - If the rental income on your property is greater than your mortgage, which is often the goal, then you are making additional income.  It is important to note that this income has not yet been taxed.

 

3. Principal Reduction - Allowing someone else to make the payments on your house is a beautiful thing.  Just like the mortgage on your personal residence… your investment mortgage is going to be amortized with most of the interest on the front end of the loan.  Time is very powerful in this regard.  You can keep your money in other investments, earning you interest over the long run.

 

4. Tax Savings - Your mortgage interest as well as all operating expenses and improvements to your property are tax deductible.  This is also a great savings over time.

 

Hopefully these tips will help you when trying to decide whether to own rental real estate or not.

 

 

 

An End to the Housing Slump?

 

After a year of falling house prices in numerous parts of the country and a meltdown in the mortgage market that affected borrowers regardless of their ZIP code, many hope that housing markets will finally start to get better this year.

 

But if there's any improvement in 2008, it may be relatively modest.

 

It's difficult to get a consensus on exactly when housing will turn the corner.  Local markets will certainly vary, but at the least it's likely that some of the same problems that plagued 2007 will carry over into this new year.

 

At best, market conditions could start to stabilize, with home sales regaining strength.  If more buyers get back into the market, some of the huge inventories of new and existing homes for sale can begin to be worked off.

 

Home price drops encouraged a number of people to put home buying decisions on hold.  In some of the most sluggish markets, sellers who don't absolutely need to sell aren't attempting to do so; those who do are offering price cuts and concessions to make the deal.

 

Our advice to bargain hunters: Don't wait too long.  If we start to see demand go up and supply go down, prices will go (up) with it.

 

 

 

Timing the Myrtle Beach SC Housing Market

 

You want to buy a home but are scared to take the plunge in a crumbling market?

 

Trying to time the housing market is about as risky as trying to time the stock market.  So if your aim by holding off is to try to get the best deal by buying just as prices have hit their low, that may be unrealistic.

 
Even assuming you can figure out the ideal time to buy - that is, when prices have hit not only hit a trough but are on the verge of rebounding - by the time you find the house you want, line up the financing and close the deal, the "best" time may have already passed.

 

And given the huge inventory of homes already for sale plus the ones likely to come into the market as more homeowners default on their mortgages and go into foreclosure, prices are forecast to tumble another 6 percent or so in 2008.

 

Just remember one key thing… the national housing market is really a collection of many local markets, and the prospects can vary considerably from one locale to the next, depending on such factors as how hot the market got, the local employment picture and the volume of inventory and potential foreclosures.

 

The kind of opportunity for buying a home at a good price doesn't come around very often in the housing market.  So now may be your best shot.  Do your research and make the most of it.  Contact us if you want to know more about specifics of the Myrtle Beach SC real estate market.