Cindy Norton- ABR, CSP

I finished up a listing appointment this week and realized that some agents are not turning with the tide. As the market changes we MUST as professionals turn with it in order to service our clients. During my listing appointment I was told that another agent said not to put their home on the market until the spring. Wait until the spring? I thought. NO WAY!

I know in the past we would tell potential clients that it is ok to wait until the spring. I mean who wants to be bothered with showings during the holidays. In the past it was not unusual for clients to even pull their homes off of the market,and put them back on in January. However, NOT THIS YEAR! With the $8,000 Tax Credit to first time homebuyers, and the $6,500 Tax Credit to second time purchasers there are more buyers this time of year than ever before. They are on a strict time-table since the tax credits expire on April 30th. You have until June 30th to close, but you must have a ratified contract no later than April 30th. So December - April is going to be a time for purchasers to start looking and making decisions.

Another thought that I have is that foreclosures and short sales are going to be closing over the next few months, which in turn will affect the appraised market value. So why take a chance of your home's value being less in 3 months? It may actually be worth more TODAY than in February. I discussed this theory today with an appraiser that has been in the business for 19 years. She agreed and said if she had to sell a house she would definitely be putting it on the market ASAP.

Another piece of data that might be of interest to potential home sellers is November and December are predominately have the lowest inventory, while January - July having the highest. So why not have your home on the market when inventory is the lowest?

Summary

• December historically has the lowest inventory of the year
• Tax Credit expires on April 30th (buyers are on a strict time table)
• Continue low interest rates makes it a great time to buy (more buyers)
• October sales were the highest sales month in two years.

So, why would you recommend a seller to "wait until the spring?". Because you are not turning with the tide?

Last month I had the pleasure of helping my son find a home to purchase. He is a Major in the AF and is going to be an instructor at The Citadel. As a senior intelligence officer he is very good at research. As we were driving around looking at the properties he kept going to his Iphone and getting information from his Zillow app. I must admit I was very impressed. I am a new Blackberry fan, converted from a Treo. I got rid of the Treo because I did not like using the stylus.

Today is my birthday, and last night at my family birthday dinner I received an Iphone from my son! I tossed and turned last night wondering if I should really turn in my Blackberry Curve for the newest Tech craze of the Iphone! I admit the apps are appealing. However, I spend an awful lot of time TALKING on my phone and utilizing the text/email. What about the touch screen? Is it just as easy as the Blackberry type pad? I must admit as the eyes get weaker, the larger screen is appealing!

Any feedback from new Iphone agents out there?

There are some moments in life that stand out, as if time stood still. The birth of my 4 children is one of those times. I can remember each and every detail, and enjoy telling the story to them on each of their birthdays. The other is the day my sweet baby boy paddled out into the waves at Folly Beach, and surfed into the presence of God.

This past week I watched as a Broker of one of offices experienced the tragic loss of a child. Her sweet daughter went out for a swim into the ocean and never made it back. Sullivans Island has not been kind this year. As we have listened to the news of multiple missing swimmers and rescues of just as many.

Our company has experienced this once before. I know all to well what my friend has gone through this past week. Standing on the beach in horror. Hoping and praying that this precious child will be found. Wondering what happened? Feeling helpless and watching and listening, while constantly thinking in the back of your mind...how can this be happening? After a long, grueling night and day, thankfully my friends daughter was found. Her body washed up on the Morris Island side of the Wash Out. Near where my son would meet with all of his friends to surf. My heart ached for her.

I did not make it to the viewing. Knowing there would be a huge crowd to give their respects, I chose not to go. I was sure I would not be missed, and knew my time would come later. I heard that people actually stood in line for 2 hours. She is a much loved BIC of one of our offices. What a wonderful outpouring of love to her. I did attend the funeral on Monday morning.

As I came out of a restless night of sleep, I opened my eyes and remembered the day of my own personal experience with the tragic loss of a child. I remembered waking up and lying in the bed thinking that it was all a very bad dream. I even thought if I did not get up it would not be real. My body felt heavy and lifeless. I wept that morning knowing all too well what my friend was feeling. When I got into the shower the tears came. I remembered how I thought it seemed so trivial to be washing my hair. The shampoo bottle felt heavy. The water felt soothing to my heart and soul. Drying off I put the towel to my face and wept. I prayed for my friends breaking heart. No need for make-up today. Nothing could hide the agony and sorrow. It is a day that we are all without masks.

Before I left I went into my top drawer and found two handkerchiefs. One was given to me by my pastor that I used during my sons funeral. The other was a gift from a friend. It has "Friend" embroidered on it in pastel colors. I remembered how good the soft cotton fabric felt against my nose and eyes. The tissues were rough and at times would leave pieces of white tissue on my eyes. I decided my friend might need this today. I tucked it in my purse and hoped that I would have the opportunity to give it to her.

The funeral was held at a large church just like my sons service. The ride there seem to take a very long time, almost as if we were in slow motion. My tears continued and I was trying to muffle the sobs. As we entered the church I saw my Broker and another agent from our office and headed to the comfort of familiarity. As I made my way down the pew the realization hit me. Here we are again. A tragedy of monumental proportion. I sat down and once again sobbed into the soft fabric of my handkerchief.

The service started and the Pastor talked for a while about if one sheep was missing that the shepard would go find them. It was comforting words to hear. There was a time of testimonials from friends and family. I enjoyed hearing from the men and woman who lead our great company. They are strong, smart and caring. All of them where at the beach with me. Most of them where out on boats during the 4 day search. I knew how much they cared and it made the tears flow. One of ou principals talked about how my friend will get through this. He had talked to others who had lost children at the viewing, and shared some good insight from them.

One of my favorite parts of the testimonials was two young girls who got up and shared fun stories about growing up with the one we had lost. They told sweet loving stories that I know brought joy to my friends aching heart.

I thought about going up and sharing. I glanced at both sides of the pew and tried to decide which side had the least amount of people to crawl over. But something in side me said "Be Still, you will be able to tell her one on one". I am a chosen one. Someone who knows, who cares and who will be there along with many others.

If I had gone up to give a testimony it would have been to tell my friend that the horror you have felt these last few days will ease soon, and will be replaced with a numb feeling. It will be there for quite a while. Time is the medicine for grief. Each person's dose is different. I believe the first year is hard because of all of the" firsts". However, the second year the Novocain seems to wear off and the pain is more severe, but your life is finally beginning to have some sense of normalcy. It is a trade off.

I wish I could have told the two girls who spoke to tell their stories often. This is a mega dose of grieving medication. I loved hearing stories about my sweet boy and I loved being with his friends. The first Christmas they came over and brought me a christmas tree and hung lights on the house. We ate pizza and ended up in my sons room laughing and talking about old times. Some of them left that night with a few of my son's treasures. It was the first time I had even thought about what to do with his belongings. It was a joyous occasion and I prayed for these moments to come often for my friend.

The last thing I would have said is to be good to yourself. To allow yourself time to grieve. Don't put any time restraints on healing. The prescription for healing is different for each one of us. The good news is that it does come. Healing. But it is like a wound that can break open at any time. Some days you will experience more pain, some days hardly any at all. I remember after a while I would realize that I had not been sad at all for most of the day. Sometimes I would feel guilty. But then I would realize that I was experiencing healing. The strangest thing of all is that some times when you least expect it, and for no reason at all, the grief will return and flood your soul with all of the raw emotions that you had thought were healed!

You will change over the coming years. Grace and mercy became my friend. I have more compassion now than ever before. I am a better person because of what happened to me that day at the beach. I heard a very good teaching once that stuck with me. You can get bitter or better. I chose to get better and I know you will too.

Good luck my friend and God bless. You will be blessed by the memories as time goes by.

According to the most recent data, it appears we may have hit bottom in the housing crisis! After one of the worst housing recessions anyone can remember since the great depression, things appear to be improving!

What does this mean to consumers? To sellers it may be the beginning of the end of stagnant sales, declining prices and maybe, just maybe the ability to get more for their homes than the previous year. However, the experts are saying that we may be bouncing around the bottom through the end of the year.

What does it mean to buyers? In my opinion it means they better get their buns in gear and BUY A HOUSE! It is the beginning of the end for this strong Buyers Market. With the housing market improving it could also be one of the first signs that our economy is starting to rebound out of the recession. What happens after a recession? Inflation and interest rates go up! Basic economics!

All in all it is good news. After what we have experienced over the last two years, it shows how important the housing industry is to our economy.

For those of us who have weathered the storm we will be able to look back and say, "I remember the worst housing disaster in our history"! Looks like we made it!

On Saturday, April 18^th, Carolina One Real Estate's Goose Creek office, located at 567 Crowfield Blvd. will be holding "Crowfield Appreciation Day". Vendors participating will be food, moon bounce, local radio station, face painting and the Shred-It company will be doing "FREE" Shredding (with donation of non-perishable food item) for the community. Mini-seminars (15 Minutes) on Short Sales, Foreclosures and the Stimulus Plan for First Time Buyers will also be presented. Any proceeds will be donated to God's Ladle (local soup kitchen) and Helping Hands (local food bank).

Approximately 20 vendor booths, which will be renting for $100 each, will be available to community businesses. If you know of a local business, that would like to have great community exposure on this day please let us know. All vendors must sign up no later than March 23rd. Please contact Gene Coon with any questions at gcoon@carolinaone.com.

Mark your calendars for April 18^th for a fun filled day at Carolina One Real Estate!