Does Your BA Know The Area?
Show Me The Comps!
Are You Collateral Business?
MLS Zones Explained
Should You Pay for Seller Updates?
Can't Serve Two Masters
No Repairs!
Pick Your Attorney
Greed
Reedy River Run Photos 2010
Don't Do It!
O'Brother Are You Converted?
Sellers Disclosure
Tax Credit
Does It Snow?
Market Timing
Are You The Experiment?
864-335-8490
December 28:
December 27:
December 26:
Yep, it's still snowing! Sure is pretty!
Christmas!:
Merry Christmas!
Christmas Eve:
Merry Christmas Eve!
God Bless!
December 19:
Fun over Christmas Break!
December 17:
Good morning! Hey, how's the shopping going? One week till Christmas eve? Like you don't know that. Anywho got a story for you.
Every so often I'll get a call from someone just asking for advice and folks I'm glad to help when that happens. This one though sounds like a perfect case of someone being taken advantage of.
Got a call from a very nice young woman who used to live with her husband in the Upstate. They were first time home buyers with very good credit and they bought a home north of Greenville. Well, her husband lost his job and so they were in a bit of a bind. He got a job in another state but they had this home apparently they couldn't sell.
Well, there's these signs posted in various places and I've seen them to that states "We Buy Homes", and have a number for you to call. So they called and the people came out to appraise their home to make them an offer.
Well here's the catch folks, they aren't really buying your home, although they may be offering some sort of consideration to get you to sign over the deed to them. I suppose the consideration would be they will make your payments.
Well, I bet ya'll can see where this is going. So what this "company" does is make your payments. They rent the property to cover the payments and make YOUR MORTGAGE PAYMENTS. See here's the catch, they now are solely on title but guess who is still on the mortgage? Folks, if this is the way they are doing business well that is truly incredible. Maybe it's legal...but is it ethical?
So fast forward a year or two and the tenant is two months behind, the escrow has driven the payment beyond what they can rent it for and guess who get's a call and letter. Well, this poor woman and her husband. Imagine, they are responsible for a mortgage on a property they don't even have title to anymore! I feel terrible for them. I told her to call the BBB and go from there. I tell you, it never ceases to amaze me the type of scams like this that goes on.....
I'll say it again though, what comes around goes around.
December 16:
December 14:
13 degrees out On The Reedy River!!
December 12:
Brrrrr folks, she's gonna get chilly tonight, down to 14! Ya'll wrap up.....
December 8:
Baby, it's still cold outside.... 18 at 7:30 this morn!
December 7:
BRRRRRRRR, baby it's cold outside.... 18.5 right out my door! Ok it doesn't normally get that cold around here but hey, it probably makes all you northerners feel just like home! Anywho, I've got to run and open a home for inspection this morning so ya'll take care. By the way had a great time in Savannah GA this past weekend. I'll see if I can get a few pictures up for you!
Mercer Home...(Midnight in The Garden of Good and Evil)
December 3:
Happy Friday! Hey, I'm heading down to Savannah GA for the weekend for a little photography. Hopefully I'll have something good to share with you.
The boys hope you have a good weekend!
December 2:
Good morning, brrrrrr, it's chilly outside, currently about 27 degrees! Hey if you want a little run down on the weather in Greenville SC then click here. Got a busy day today so I'm posting early then gotta run. I hope you have a good one and stay warm!
December 1:
Hey, happy December to ya. Christmas is only 25 days away. Where did the year go. Doesn't it seem like the years get shorter the older we get? Hey, I wanted you to know the Poinsettia Christmas Parade will be this Saturday! Happens on main St. right in Downtown Greenville. Folks, there will be thousands and thousands of people there!
The St. Francis Festival of Trees is once again at the Downtown Hyatt. The Nutcracker will be playing at The Peace Center for The Performing Arts the 3rd through the 5th. By the way I noticed the Peace Center is going to be getting a major $25,000,000 face lift. Hey.... I though it was pretty nice like it was!
Our minor league hockey team will be playing end of month against The South Carolina Sting Rays at the Bi-Lo Center. The Best Christmas Pagent Ever is playing at the Gunter Theatre the 3rd through the 12th. Hey, just some of the stuff going on in Downtown Greenville SC!!
Hey, I almost forgot to answer the question I asked the other day...why doesn't a home sell? Price, price, price... price. There is always a buyer if the price is right.
Hey, here's a quickie from atop Paris Mountain from last week.
November 29:
Good morning! Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and I certainly hope your football team won. And congrats to the University of South Carolina Gamecocks for beating my Tigers. Good luck against Auburn in the SEC championship too.
Looks like the reports I'm reading indicated shopping was pretty crazy around Greenville for black Friday. I'm sure the Haywood mall was packed and I heard Target opened at 4am! Geez..... You're not going to catch me out in that mess. So what's up in the wonderful world of real estate in Greenville SC this morning?
Well let's just go check the Greenville MLS and see! Over the past 5 days we had:
68 New Listings
81 Price Changes
81 Expired
28 Sold and
there are 547 pending transactions.
You know when I'm out showing one question that I get is "how long has it been on the market." Well, that's a good question. I don't usually have days on the market on the sheet I'm carrying but since I have the Greenville MLS open let's look at a new listing that was just listed on the 24th.
MLS 1214567 - 155 Riverplace # 409
Ok, if I look at the property history report I see that this was just listed 7 days ago for $365,000. But from this report I get much more valuable information. I'll give you the run down.
The first recorded entry was on 8-24 when it went under contract, probably pre constuction. Looks like it closed 2-16-06 for $293,210. Then it came back on the market on 3-24-06 for $369,900 and sold on 5-9-06 for $355,000. NOT A BAD PROFIT FOR 3 MONTHS!
Now it's back on the market for the above mentioned. So there ya go, that's what the property history report can tell you.
Let me see if I can find a crazy one for you. They can get wild.
K, here's one that's been on and off the market since Jan 08.
Active, Withdrawn, Active, Expired, Active, Expired, Withdrawn, I mean it just goes on and on.
I bet the poor listing agent is just about worn out with it. Which brings up another point. Question of the day.
Why doesn't a property sell? I'll answer that on tomorrow. Ya'll have a good one. And stay warm, man its been in the 30s around here!
Sausage Balls YUM!
November 25:
Happy Thanksgiving!
May your's be blessed, and best wishes to those who serve abroad and can't be with their families.
November 24:
Good morning folks. Hey, I had a some great questions from a buyer I am working with yesterday regarding the Greenville Buyer Agency Contract and since I haven't written about it in a while I though it would be great to go over a few things.
Why it's important to have a buyer agency agreement in place. First of all, from a common sense point of view. A buyers agent is going to be much more committed to helping you find some great Greenville SC Real Estate if they know you are committed to working with them. I mean, it's just that simple. Who do you think I'm going to spend more time on, someone I know is going to buy with me or someone who I know is contacting numerous realtors to find out the "best buy" or "best area" or "best home", etc. etc. etc.? Well, I think you know that answer.
But the other important reason to engage a buyers agent is that I don't think you want to pay my fee. And I sure want to get paid. You see, the majority of real estate companies in Greenville will only pay a commission to a buyer's agent, if that agent is not with their company. That's right, if I sell a home that is listed with Coldwell Banker Cain I have to have a buyer's agreement in place to be paid the commission. Why, well there's a few reasons but the main reason is liability.
If a realtor doesn't have a buyer's agreement with the buyer then legally that realtor must work in the seller's best interest and is considered a subagent of the listing company, even though they aren't directly with that company! So, if there is a problem with the sale the listing company can be held responsible, even though the selling agent is not with their company! So now a days, most real estate companies require the selling agent to have a written buyers agreement in place for the commission to be paid. The buyer's agreement puts the relationship with the selling company.
Finally, it's just good business folks, so there are no misunderstandings. I have expectations and you have expectations and they need to be spelled out. I address this here along with a few more buying tips for Greenville SC Real Estate if you would like to look.
So what's up for today? Well got one showing with a nice lady considering relocation to the Greenville area. A bit slow now with the holidays coming up. But that's ok cause it's been a busy year. Anywho, call me or email me if you need some help!
November 22:
Folks, well Thanksgiving is almost here again and I really want to wish you and your family the best! I normally go to Sunset Beach for Thanksgiving but this year I'll be sticking around Greenville, so if you'd like to view any of those beautiful homes for sale, just let me know.
Hey, I've got about an acre and a half and I always enjoy sitting out in the back yard early in the morning or late in the evening, (if I'm not showing) and I love the way the sun hits the beautiful fall leaves. I mentioned this below but caught another nice scene yesterday evening!
Enjoy and let's be thankful!
November 19:
Hey, am I excited? You betcha, I'm introducing a new way to search Wessel Real Estate for anything that has been written on here and a very easy for you to search for most anything else with the power of Google! Looking for a community, address, mls, writing, blog, take time to visit Google Wessel Real Estate and enjoy! Hey, I believe in the putting the information in my buyers hands and helping you make great decisions! Ya'll have a good one.
November 18:
Good morning! Gosh the weather has just been so nice here lately and the colors are wonderful! As a matter of fact I had a fellow in from out of state considering relocating to Greenville and he couldn't even get a room downtown! Now folks, we got plenty of new hotels and places to stay downtown, guess it was just a busy time! The Hyatt where I have an office was just sold! I hear the new owners are really going to update the Hyatt, it's going to be nice. Needs it, has been about the same since I came to Greenville about 30 years ago.
Hey, you know me, I was out and about looking at some beautiful Greenville SC Real Estate yesterday and caught this beauty, so I had to stop and take a picture for you! Hey, we've got plenty of space for you to stretch out!!!
November 11:
Good morning! Hey, got a busy day, meeting with two buyers and touring one nice fellow who is considering relocating to Greenville SC! You know every once in a while I will get an inquire about a "short" sale.
Folks if you browse through my writings, you'll see that I've written plenty about "short" sales and none of it is nice. Here's the problem, people, especially those from Florida think short sales are some kind of a deal.
Well, maybe in Florida, but folks, not here! Why, again, Greenville and the surrounding hare has fared pretty well. There is not the pressure to "short" sales in this market. The banks play it to the hilt too. Now, I'm not saying that every bank or short is difficult, but I'd say about 95% of them are.
I've heard of contracts sitting 6 months without the bank executing them. I've seen multiple offers go to a bank and the bank make no reply. Folks, I don't have time this morning to get into it but I'll try and make it quick.
At least around here, there's really no incentive to "short" a mortgage. I mean, why would there be. The owner hasn't gone into foreclosure yet, they still may be trying to make some kind of payments. Why would the bank "short" it? Maybe the seller will get in better financial shape, get another job, have a windfall, all sorts of reasons. I'll finish this up later when I have more time and I'm going to put a Google search on my site for you too to look up things like this but anyway, ya'll have a great day, I've got to get kickin!
I tell ya, there is so much pretty country around here. Below is a cabin a fellow and his son are building on his son's land. Gosh, what a getaway!
November 8:
Hey, good morning! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. I built a fire Saturday night! Man it was wonderful. Watched a little football and actually got some work done around the house!
Got to get back to work today, but first let's visit the Greenville MLS and see what happened over the last 5 days.
We had:
158 New Listings (or could be relisted)
159 Price Changes
84 Closed Sales
70 Listings Expired
Currently there are 500 pending sales
A cute little 3 bedroom two bath just came on the market in the Augusta Road Area.
A 4/2 that looks like it's in good shape just turned up in Chanticleer.
There is a new listing in Kilgore Farms, they's only held it a year, so ya'll better watch out. Folks, it's hard to get you money out is that short of a time holding period. Kilgore Farm has some pretty homes, but very small lots.
I see a new listing and one that has been relisted in Mahaffey Plantation, a nice eastside neighborhood.
Good looking home just came on the market in Middle Creek. And a new listing out in Neely Farm, a popular Simpsonville neighborhood, but uh oh, look out, have held it for less than a year and asking $10,000 more than they paid for it!
Couple of more in Riverwood Farm and Spaulding Farm that might be worth a look.
Call me and I'll keep an eye out for some Greenville SC Real Estate for you!
November 5:
Good morning and a happy Friday to ya! Hey, it turned a bit nippy last evening. It's about 38 degrees outside! Well that's ok and I'm certainly not complaining about the rain we've gotten. So....
Let's check and see if anything is going on in downtown Greenville this weekend, shall we?
Tomato Plant Girl is playing at the Gunter Theatre for Children at the Peace Center. The Woman In Black is playing at Greenville Little Theatre. Hot Club of San Francisco is at the Peace Center for The Performing Arts.
The Greenville Road Warriors vs The Gwinnett Gladiators at the Bi-Lo Center.
Orchestral Favorites at the Peace Center Concert Hall. And The Veterans' Weekend Celebration at te Upcountry History Museum.
And yes one of my favorites Irving Berlin's White Christmas starts on the 9th. Hey I'll be going, can't wait.
What's going on in real estate? Slow now, but hey that's the time of the year. Got a few buyers I'm working with but not really finding quite the right thing. I tell them though to be patient, it will happen. Just a matter of timing!
Ya'll have a good one, stay dry and .....warm. And don't forget to call your favorite buyers agent if you need some real estate questions answered.
D
November 3:
Good morning! Hey, I hope you got out and voted yesterday! We had pretty good turnout around here.
Looks like we've got some rain moving in. Good! I need some more on the grass I'm trying to get going!
So what's up today. I uploaded photos from the Reedy River Run to my Picasa Web albums for free download. Check them out, you might just see somebody you know!
Just got my monthly newsletter from GGAR, that's Greater Greenville Association of Realtors with the market watch. Basically what it says is that things continue to improve, which I agree with. Southwest airlines coming to Greenville next year is certainly good news! And I think GSP, that's Greenville Spartanburg Airport is considering a major upgrade.
Folks, if you've never been to GSP, I tell ya, it's quite the quaint airport, easy to get into and out of. It's already nice, I can't imagine what they are considering upgrading. Anywho, I'm for improvement!
So, what's happening with me, well I've got 4 buyers I'm currently working with and hope to find them something soon. It's funny how many people still don't know about buyer agency, and having someone on your side. After I explain it, well, they thinks it's a pretty good idea!!
Ya'll have a good one and please let me know if I can help you find some great Greenville SC Real Estate!
Home on The Lake!
November 2:
Hey folks, get out and vote! Don't like the way things are, get out and vote! Like the way things are, get out and vote!
Hey, you know I had read some commentary by Ben Stein a while back and came across the actual interview a few days ago and wanted to post it here because I love it and am in total agreement with it and here come the holidays! All I can say is "well said Ben!"
From CBS transcripts
Charles Osgood: We all have our own thoughts about the holidays. Here's Ben Stein with his.
Ben Stein: Here at this happy time of the year, a few confessions from my beating heart. I have no freaking clue who Nick and Jessica are.
(Footage of People magazine; Us magazine)
Stein: I see them on the cover of People and Us constantly when I'm buying my dog biscuits. I still don't know. I often ask the checkers at the grocery stores who they are. They don't know who Nick and Jessica are, either. Who are they? Will it change my life if I know who they are and why they've broken up? Why are they so darned important?
(Footage of People Magazine)
Stein: I don't know who Lindsay Lohan is either, and I don't care at all about Tom Cruise's baby.
(Vintage footage of congressional hearing)
Stein: Am I going to be called before a Senate committee and asked if I'm a subversive? Maybe. But I just have no clue who Nick and Jessica are. Is this what it means to be no longer young? Hmm, not so bad.
Next confession: I am a Jew and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish, and it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautifully lit-up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees.
(Footage of Christmas Tree)
Stein: I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are - Christmas Trees. It doesn't bother me a bit when people say "Merry Christmas" to me. I don't think they're slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we're all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year.
It doesn't bother me one bit that there's a manger scene on display at a key intersection at my beach house in Malibu.
(Footage of manger scene; menorah)
Stein: If people want a creche, fine. The menorah a few hundred yards away is fine, too. I do not like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around , period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat. Or maybe I can put it another way. Where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and aren't allowed to worship God as we understand him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we used to know went to.
Wessel: Well said Ben, well said!
November 1:
Wow, did you hear me? November 1! I went ahead and combined September and October's Greenville SC Real Estate Blog here because I didn't have a lot of writings. Anyway, can you believe it's November 1?
I'm excited! Why, well it's so pretty here in the fall, and yes we are having a late color season! Every morning I usually just sit out back and watch the sun come up and hit the colors of the trees! I am truly blessed! The colors are so beautiful and the sun rises. The yellows are particularly nice now.
So, the other reason I like this time of the year is that we are heading to the holidays! Yeah, I love this time of year. And I just picked up tickets to White Christmas and Manheim Steamroller at The Peace Center for The Performing Arts. My wife and I so enjoy the theatre there. Hey, we may just grab a room downtown at the new Downtown Greenville Marriott! It's right across the street from the Peace Center!
Ya'll have a good one, I've got to update some other pages!
Greenville SC Real Estate Updates and Blogs for September, October 2010
Greenville SC Real Estate and Blog Updates for August 2010
Greenville SC Real Estate and Blog Updates for July 2010
Greenville SC Real Estate and Blog Updates for June 2010
Greenville SC Blog and Real Estate Updates for May 2010
April 2010 Blog and Real Estate Updates
March 2010 Greenville South Carolina Blog Updates
February 10 Blog January 10 Blog December 09 Blog November 09 Blog
October 09 Blog Updates September 09 Blog Updates
August 09 Blog Updates July 09 Blog Updates
June 09 Blog Updates May09Blog Updates April 09 Blog Updates
March 09 Blog Updates February 09 Blog Updates
Jan 09 Blog Updates December 08 Updates Past Real Estate Blog Updates