Michael Johnson, REALTOR, ABR - Goose Creek SC

Goose Creek real estate has stabilized in the last few months of 2009. 52 Homes were sold in June 2009 only dropping slightly from May's numbers. The average homes sold per month through June of 2009 is nearly 49. In comparison, June of 2008 had a total of 61 homes and the average number of homes sold per month for the first 6 months of 2008 was 55.

The dominate subdivisions with homes sold in Goose Creek are the usual suspects for Goose Creek real estate. For the month of June 2009 Crowfield Plantation took home the gold with 13 homes sold. Liberty Hall Plantation took home the silver medal with 8 homes sold and Brickhope Plantation was a close 3rd with 7 homes sold. Note that all of the homes sold in Brickhope Plantation were new construction homes.

Michael. J. Johnson

843-817-5299

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Crowfield Plantation Real Estate, Goose Creek SC

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Finding a Good AC Tech - Part II

07-07-09

Part I Recap - My AC went out. Tech 1 came to fix but fix lasted less than 2 weeks. Tech 2 came out. He could not find the problem but refilled my freon. That lasted less than 2 days. Tech 3 came out and said the problem was the condenser coil and quoted me $1100 to fix for labor only. Now back to my story.....

Back to the Story: Needless to say I was not to happy. I attempted to contact tech 1 again but was unable to do so. I goggled his name to see if he had another number posted on-line, but instead found out that he has a criminal past that included voluntary manslaughter among other things. HUH? Well, I'm not calling him back.

Tech 2 to the rescue: I called tech 2 back and explained the situation to include the quote from tech 3. He said his truck was in the shop and should be out tonight or tomorrow. He told me he could possibly fix it if it was a coil problem and only charge me $425 to do so including the freon charge. He said if he could not fix it he would not charge me anything and would replace the coil for nearly the same price. It was a chance I was willing to take given the better price he quoted me. I went back to my friends last night hoping to hear from him on Tuesday (today).

Problem found: But, instead, he called me at 8pm last night. He got his truck out and said he would meet me at my house to fix the problem. When I asked how he would see this late at night, he said "Mr Edison invented the light bulb and we would utilize it." I liked his attitude. He got to my house around 8:30pm and starting diagnosing the problem. What he found amazed me and infuriated me at the same time. The problem was not the coil as tech 3 suggested. Two pipes in the condenser that should not be touching each other had somehow managed to press against one another and the heat coming from each seared each one so that a leak was made. Tech 2 removed the freon from the unit, utilized a soldering iron to mend the pipes, and then refilled it with freon.

The Bottom Line: To top it all off, he only charged me an additional $300 total. He added the $125 I had already gave him to make a total of $425. That is much better than the 1100 the other company quoted me and he actually fixed the problem. That is something I'm not sure the other company would have done by simply replacing the coil. The entire scenario has exhausted me but at least I now have someone I feel I can trust in the AC world. Anyone who would go above and beyond and not cheat me even when he had the chance to do so, speaks volumes to me. I later learned that we had a common thread. He is a retired military man (Army). His work ethic and integrity are still deeply rooted within him.

Our house is once again cool and my family is happy. Our Southern Gold has its luster once again.

If you are in the Charleston SC Area and need AC work don't hesitate to call "After Hours Service," owner Lonnie James at 843-991-1171 and tell I recommended him to you.

Michael. J. Johnson

843-817-5299

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Finding a Good AC Tech - Part I

07-07-09

Click here for Part II...."the rest of the story..."

Two weeks ago my piece of southern gold lost its shine and went kaput. You see, living in the South during the summer, nothing is more valuable that air conditioning. For proof, try living without if for a few days in 100+ heat and you will do just about anything to get the AC running again. Knowing who to trust can be a leap of faith when dealing with AC professionals. I am sure there are plenty of trustworthy individuals out there in the AC business, but they can be hard to find. It all began the day before Father's Day.

The Problem Emerges- Tech 1: I started the Saturday before Father's Day with eager anticipation of hanging out with my wife and two girls for an enjoyable weekend. That all started going down hill about 3pm. The 102 temperatures outside was quite unbearable and my house temp kept rising as well. Realizing that something was wrong with the AC, I scrambled to find someone on the holiday weekend. After many phone calls I located someone that a colleague referred to me. They came out and assessed the situation. He said that he recommended a product called super seal to fix the problem of any possible leak. Not knowing squat about AC repair I agreed to let him do it. He installed it and charged me nearly $500 for the super seal, service call, and added freon. I was not upset about the price because I was impressed he came out on Father's Day to fix it, and I thought, "Hey, at least it is fixed." I thought wrong!

Tech 2: A week and a half later I started noticing my AC not cooling again during the heat of the day. By Thursday of this past week the temperature was rising to 83 degrees in my house. I knew this was not right so I called the tech but because it was the 4th of July weekend he was running a skeleton crew and was all booked up. I understood his situation and decided to call someone else. I used someone another colleague suggested. He came to my house promptly. I was told that the freon leaked out but he could not find the leak (he used an electronic freon sniffer). He said he never recommends the super seal the other guy put in, but that the leak may have sealed itself with the super seal after the freon escaped. He said that honestly he did not know. He filled it with freon and gave me his cell number to let him know if it started not working again. Charge - $125 for service call and freon.

Tech 3: Well, sure enough two days later on Sunday (July 5th) the AC stopped cooling and pipes on the unit began to freeze. I called tech number 2 but could not get in touch with him. We retreated to a friends house who was out of town for the night. Monday morning came around and after not being able to contact tech 1 or tech 2, I called a 3rd company who use to do schedule maintenance on my AC (I began to distrust their level of service so I had stopped using them). They showed up early Monday morning. The did the inspection (which included the freon sniffer) and identified the problem (they also frowned at the super seal idea). They said they found the freon leak and it was in the coils. They told me the coil would be under manufacturer's warranty but that the labor would cost me $1100. What?? Is that American dollars? They then told me that would have to order the part and it may be the end of the week or early next week before it was fixed. I'm now feeling sick to my stomach. Then they gave me a bill of $165 which I got reduced to $90 quick fast and in a hurry by calling their office and complaining.

Let's see.... I am now out over $700 and my AC is still not fixed.

Michael. J. Johnson

843-817-5299

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Goose Creek Community Center Summer Fun for Kids

07-07-09

The Goose Creek Community Center has added some programs to give the area youth something to partake in during the summer. The activities are as follows:

1. Climbing Wall - Mon-Fri 9-11am; Wed 6-8pm: Open to public $2/hr

2. Jump Castle - Tuesdays 4-7pm; $1 w/free popcorn

3. Volleyball - Wed 5:30-8:30pm: Open Play Adults only. Thursday 6-8pm Family night.

4. Basketball Clinic - Mon-Fri July 13-17 9-12(noon). Ages 5-12; Residents $50, Non-Residents $55

5. Friday Evening Basketball - Fridays only 4:30-6:30; Ages 16 & up; free with membership, $10 non-members.

6. Kids Nite - Mondays 6-8pm; Ping Pong, Wii, and Board Games; Free to members and $2 non-members.

7. Kidzercise - Sat 8:45-9:45 am; Ages 5-10; starts July 18; $25 Residents, $30 Non-residents; Daily Fee $5.

For more information contact the Goose Creek Community Center at 843-569-4242

Michael J. Johnson

843-817-5299