Columbia, SC Real Estate & More!

I received this question today from a client that I was privileged to assist in purchasing a home not too long ago.  Here is his question:

"Charlie, I hope all is well with you. I had a real estate question that I am hoping that you or some of your colleagues can weigh in on. What I'd like to know is how much street lamps can improve the value of houses in a neighborhood. This is something my neighborhood is considering doing in the coming months and I'd like to get everyone on board."

So there it is colleagues, whaddya think?  Do street lamps or street lights improve property values?

 

HUD Secretary Announces Monetization of Tax Credit at NAR Real Estate Summit

WASHINGTON (May 12, 2009) -  Shaun Donovan, secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, said that the Federal Housing Administration is going to permit its lenders to allow homeowners to use the $8,000 tax credit as a downpaypment.

Donovan's remarks came in an address to several thousand Realtors® gathered this morning at The Real Estate Summit: Advancing the U.S. Economy, a special daylong session at the Realtors® Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo <http://www.realtor.org/meetings_and_expo/2009_midyear_live>  here.

Secretary Donovan said that important changes, which the National Association of Realtors® has been calling for, will help consumers purchase a home. "We all want to enable FHA consumers to access the home buyer tax credit funds when they close on their home loans so that the cash can be used as a downpayment," Donovan said. According to Donovan, the FHA's approved lenders will be permitted to "monetize" the tax credit through short-term bridge loans. This will allow eligible home buyers to access the funds immediately at the closing table.

Donovan said the Obama administration plans to further stabilize the housing market. "I do think we have some early signs that the market overall is stabilizing," said Donovan. "Since January we've seen both home sales moving up and down around a relatively stable number and we are seeing the first signs that the rapid decline in home prices is starting to abate."

NAR President Charles McMillan, a broker with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Dallas-Fort Worth, said, "As the leading advocate for housing issues and homeownership, NAR continues to take a leadership role in promoting ideas for improving our economy by stabilizing the housing and real estate markets. Today we have the best of the best to begin a dialogue, develop solutions and initiate action toward real estate and economic recovery."

The morning session included a panel discussion that was moderated by CNBC's Ron Insana. The 13 panelists and Realtors® in attendance examined cutting-edge solutions necessary to promote and preserve homeownership and real estate development, stimulate the economy, and protect the nation's taxpayers. They also shared their ideas on what the role and responsibility of the federal government is in the revitalization effort.

The list of distinguished panelists include Dr. Martin Feldstein, professor of Economics from Harvard University; Dr. Barry Bluestone, professor of Political Economy from Northeastern University; John Taylor, CEO of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition; Maria Kong, president of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers; and Sarah Rosen Wartell, executive vice president for the Center for American Progress.

"Right now the Federal Reserve is the market," said Jay Brinkman, chief economist for the Mortgage Bankers Association. "What will be the effect when the Fed stops buying?" Brinkman explained that an exit strategy must be planned for the long-term; the federal government cannot continue to support the mortgage markets indefinitely.

"We must make sure FHA and the GSEs are supported," added the Wharton School's Susan Wachter.
"We are thrilled that so many high-caliber individuals were able to join us today at this important meeting to promote stability in the housing market and the U.S. economy," McMillan said. "We look forward to an ongoing dialogue and action toward this goal, during our midyear meetings this week and beyond."

The real estate summit is part of the Realtors® Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo <http://www.realtor.org/meetings_and_expo/2009_midyear_live>  here through Saturday. During the week, more than 8,500 Realtors® will attend meetings, visit lawmakers and inspire action on Capitol Hill.

The National Association of Realtors®, "The Voice for Real Estate," is America's largest trade association, representing 1.2 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

SOURCE:  Coldwell Banker Mortgage

HOPKINS SC HOME

317 Greenlake Drive

I77 to Leesburg Rd. Travel beyond Ft Jackson Gate 5 to James Browder Rd. Turn Rt, James Browder becomes Greenlake Drive.

MLS - 241260

$64,000

 

 

 

Very nice home for 1st time buyer and investor.  Take advantage of the $8,000 first time buyers tax incentive!  Finished Garage. Ready to move in. Convenient to Fort Jackson, schools and shopping.

Call today to see!  Charlie 803-622-3084

Address:

317 GREENLAKE DRIVE

Schools

Subdivision:

GREENLAKES

District:

Richland One

City:

Hopkins

Elemen.:

Horrell Hill

Zip:

29061

Middle:

Southeast

County:

Richland

High:

Lower Richland

Parcel ID#:

25010-03-02

Well, I feel like crap. Slept til 10:15 this morning. This bug has worked it's way around the whole house now. I'm just letting you know that I'm taking the weekend off~! From work, honey-do's, and all social media and real estate. I'm going to drink Gatorade, take Tylenol Allergy Sinus and sleep.

Ok, Ok, Ok, I'm gonna get some chips and a six-pack and watch the NCAA Tournament, and I'll be drunk as a skunk by 4:30 in the afternoon. Are you happy?

See you next week, friends, twitterites, facebookers, and all you cool linkedin folks. If you're not on these sites, your children are and they asked me to tell you hello! Yes, it's your kids and 400,000 real estate agents all over the web. By the way, should you need to buy or sell real estate, call me and I'll be right out - after the game!

Joe Walsh sums it up for me, which lets you know I am in terrible trouble!

 

 MARCH MADNESS - THE MASTERS - LAKE MURRAY

The *Lakals are coming out of hibernation!  It's time to enjoy spring!

 1246 PUTNAM DRIVE

$687,000  

Lake Murray (Irmo, Chapin Side)

  

 

Move in ready! 4700 Sq Ft with walls of windows overlooking Lake Murray. Beautiful views from every room. Home located on a finger. Year round water. Additional off street parking. 3 screened porches & 1 unscreened porch. Extensive stone work, low maintenance landscaping. Abundance of decking! Custom 2 sided outdoor fireplace. Very open floor plan. Downstairs room could be 4th bedroom. Huge area downstairs for gameroom/pool table, etc... Laundry can be upstairs or downstairs. FROG for playroom or office! Too many features to list! NO HOA OR RESTRICTIONS!!

 

 

 

Address:

1246 PUTNAM DRIVE

Primary:

AWARD WINNING SCHOOLS

Subdivision

NONE

City:

Chapin

Elemen:

Lake Murray (Lex5)

Zip:

29036

Middle:

Chapin

County:

Lexington

High:

Chapin

Parcel ID#:

001627-02-052

District:

Lexington/Richland Five

 

Heated SF (+/-10%):

4700

Age (Yrs):

01 - 05

Bedrooms:

3

Stories:

2

Bathrooms:

3 / 1

Style:

Ranch

Garage:

Garage Attached

Constr:

Stone, Vinyl

Spaces / Level:

2 / M

# of FP:

1

/

Gas Log

 

Wonderful home for living, entertaining, boating, fishing, swimming - you name it!

CALL CHARLIE  TO ARRANGE FOR AN IMMEDIATE SHOWING!

*Lakal - Anybody living at and enjoying Lake Murray.

I must be one of the luckiest people in the world.  Yes, like you I have won the Nigerian Lottery!  But, today I also received this astounding piece of news.  WHAT A LUCKY DAY!

Hello Mr. Harden,

My name is Mrs. Maria Johnson.  I am a dying woman who has decided to donate what I have to you.  I am 59 years old and was diagnosed for cancer about 2 years ago.  Kindly contact my lawyer through this email address (johnwalteratlive.nl) if you are interested in carrying out this task, so that he can arrange the release of the funds ($10,500,000.00) to you. My lawyer's name is Barrister John Walter.  I know I have never met you but my mind tells me to do this, and I hope you act sincerely.

Thank you and God bless you.

Maria Johnson.

 

I have replied to Barrister John Walter:

Barrister Walter, 

I regret to inform you that I will not have time to "act sincerely" in arranging for the release of the 10 and 1/2 million dollars from Ms. Johnson, as I will be busy in my new job with AIG!  My sincere condolences to Ms. Johnson on her impending death.

Best regards,

Charlie

It's raining in Columbia, SC, and most of the Southeast, as I write.  For a while, I've been trying to come up with some kind of plan for "Social Networking," and how to make it work in creating and doing actual business.  To be honest, its REALLY easy for me to sit down at the computer, open up facebook, for example, and two hours later realize that all I've accomplished is to spend valuable time chatting with an old high school buddy or to watch YouTube videos.  Now, that's all GREAT!  And I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't really enjoy it, but... what's it got to do with business? 

This morning while watching the rain fall and while killing time before March Madness and Doral (golf), I made an org chart!  Whoooo, scary isn't it?  I'm posting for all to take a look and offer constructive criticism, because I know there are folks on ActiveRain who are already doing what I'm, in this primitive way, trying to do.  Which is... make sense of it all, and make it WORK!

So, as Barney Fife would say, "Now, this is the way we do it here at 'The Rock.'

 

We spare no expense in graphics, powerpoints, and technology here in beautiful downtown Ballentine!  Yes, we're leaving Mayberry in the dust now that we have been to the Social Networking auction and have all of these modern marvels and conveniences!

Seriously, maybe it's my personality, but I just have to have some kind of a method to the madness.  My observations, and in no real order (note the irony):

I start with an E-mail Signature that includes phone number, e-mail address, and links to my profiles on ActiveRain, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and our company website.  Surprise, any one of these when visited will offer links to our business, agents, listings, information, community, friends and fun stuff, too.

Now, what do do with this stuff?

I GET ActiveRain.  Wonderful place to post a listing, meet and learn from true professionals and, not least, make some really fine friends.  Also, I think it's fueled by Google Juice, not just electricity and the www.  Check out this web alert received on a COMMENT I had made on a blog:  (Note this is Loreena's post, but I get name and a tag line, "search all homes," and e-mail address.)  Thanks Ms. Yeo, and you're definitely in my 'Circle of Trust.'  (Tip:  Be deliberate in what you name your 'blog' and all descriptions of it!)

Real Estate Blog - Who do you let in your Circle of Trust? By Loreena Yeo - Broker|Realtor(R) of Frisco... Charlie HardenColumbia, SC - Search All Homes & Land! (Home Sales USA - home@charlieharden.com). 9:56pm · Name: Email: ...contributing Frisco Texas Real... - http://activerain.com/blogs/316teamrealty

And as you can see on the 'graphic,'  ActiveRain automatically feeds your blog posts to places where you set that up - in my case, so far, Facebook and LinkedIn.  AR also feeds a blog link to twitter.  Example - "Just posted on ActiveRain: Welcome Home to Lexington Woods! http://activerain.com/t/97587412:30 PM Mar 10th from ActiveRain"

I especially like this because you can set up twitter and twitter widgets a lot of places to receive and broadcast your "tweets."  The above blog link was automatically sent and available on  my ActiveRain Blog Pages, Facebook (as my status), an agent website, and MySpace.  All you have to do is post a blog on ActiveRain, and, presto, it is fed to a half dozen or more places. 

My big questions now are where are all the other sites and places where we should be and how do we go about setting up automatic feeding to them for Blogs and Links?

Sooooo, there it is... A University professor asked, "What is your elevator speech."  I said, "I sell real estate in Columbia, SC and cover all areas including Lake Murray. Otherwise just hanging out & having fun!"  And that's what I'm trying to do on all of these places.  We're here for business AND for entertainment, and hope to learn something along the way.

PLEASE share your thoughts.  We'll all learn more in the comments than from the post!  As I say, this is like the stone tablet.  Others, as Elizabeth Neives calls them, the techie boys and girls have the printing press and the feed burners, will know what we need to know and I'm thinking they'll share it if we ask.  So techies, we're asking!

One final tip:  Use the same login and password for all these different places.  It'll save what's left of your sanity after working in the real estate industry all day and then trying to make sense of the Social Networks. 

 

HIGH SCHOOL TRACK MEET – MARCH 10, 2009

 

CHAPIN (Home Team)

IRMO

DUTCH FORK

LEXINGTON

WHITE KNOLL

BEN LIPPEN

 

(These guys and gals are good!  Spring Sports are underway in the Midlands.)

 

 

The High Jump Area

 

 

Up and Over!

 

 

And, they're off!

 

 

Chariots of Fire!

 

 

You've got to make it to the finish line!

 

 

A nice way to spend the evening!

 

 

Is it shot put or shot putt!

 

 

Discus!  These boys can hurl it!

 

 

Right in the Sandtrap!

 

 

Football?  Here we call it Soccer!

 

 

Chapin's Field of Dreams  "It is kinda pretty, isn't it?"

 

 

Ah, Dad... Good pictures of daughers have to be 'candid shots.'  After this she took my camera!

 

Proudly offered by Home Sales USA – 118 S. Village Road

 

Directions -  N. Lake Drive/SC 6 Lexington to N. Church St., Continue on Elm St., Right at S. Village Rd., into Lexington Woods Subdivision - Home on left, #118.

 

4 Large bedrooms and 3 Full Baths! Beautiful home with pond access (and plenty of fish!). The sellers are moving after years of happy ownership. The TLC has already been done! There are upgrades galore, ceiling fans throughout, cozy living areas with a living room fireplace and peaceful water views! Large back deck. Plenty of storage and closet space. Take a look and get ready to move! This home is ready for you to live in and make it your own.

 

Call, e-mail or text Charlie at any time to set up your viewing!  If you’d like to fish a while, let me know and I’ll bring the poles!  803-622-3084

MLS LISTING 293866

 

"I love this place!"  (She comes with the house.  Artwork found in an upstairs bedroom!)

It's getting to be that time!  The weather has warmed up in Columbia, SC, and it has just brightened up everything!  Little golf, little cooking out, little fun in the sun!  Here's a couple of my little social networking updates and, as you can see, the mood is in the air here in the great state of South Carolina! 

And at the end, you have to watch the video!  It's a lesson in Bar-B-Que in the Southern United States!  I'm a born and bred southerner, have heard and read about BBQ all of my life, mustard based, vinegar based, ketchup based, and always thought, who really cares?  It's all good to me.  But in the fast, easy and free video below, I learned more about BBQ and the what and where of it all, and will now be knowledgeable enough at the next cookout to say, with some level of erudition, "Dang, this here is really good stuff!"

STATUS UPDATE SATURDAY 3/7/09  Charlie: Out & about Columbia. Growing like crazy, homes, condos, work/live spaces, apartments, restaurants, businesses. Our economy will be back!  (via Twitter)

   Cindy Hartpence I agree with you Charlie. I have had six prospects come into my open house today...people are looking again here on Edisto Island, SC.

(Cindy, you go girl!  Real Estate activity is picking up in the Midlands, too!)

 

paigecoop  I love your positive outlook. 

(Paige, I'm still waiting to show you that little chalet in Johnsonville for only $26,000,000.  Bring your checkbook!)

 

EmbassySuitesGv@CharlieHarden  The weather is calling you to Greenville for a round of golf @verdaegreens 

(Yes, It certainly is!  Verdae, great layout there!  Also, a sort of easy par 5 eagle opportunity, and a little par 3 that will drive you nuts!)

 

STATUS UPDATE SUNDAY 3/8/09  "Let the rat race run, roll around in the sun untilllllllll, License to Chill, and I believe I will." - Jimmy Buffett.  (via Twitter)

Karen Lindholm likes this.

(Thanks, Karen!  It's been that kind of a weekend, and it's been a long time coming!)

 

SarahWV@CharlieHarden All true. :)

(Sarah, Thx!  I know your context was something else, but why let facts get in the way of a good thing!)

 

STATUS UPDATE SATURDAY 3/7/09  Stopped in to the hardware store to pick up a florescent light bulb, and the check out folks said there had been a run on BBQ Grills this weekend!

So with that in mind, and to keep the positive, laid back, let's have fun, chill out, grill out mood going.  Here is a lesson in Bar-B-Que!