Terry Edwards

Columbia SC "Can I really afford a home?" and then "How much home can I afford?" are two of the most asked questions I commonly hear.

The answer to both is simple: what is your debt to income ratio? Debt is considered an item that is owed that shows up on your credit report. Student loans, car loans and outstanding balances on credit cards are all debts.

Today's typical mortgage lender will top you out at 31% for housing costs and 43% total.

What if you have little or no credit? Lenders can use alternative types of history to serve as credit. These include rental payments, auto insurance and utility bills.

If you are interested in buying a home but just don't know if you qualify contact me today. I work with some of the best mortgage lenders in Columbia.

Terry Edwards http://www.featuredcolumbiahomes.com/First_20_Time_20_Buyers.html

Complete MLS listings for all of Columbia's great neighborhoods

Shandon Rosewood Forest Acres Cayce Wheeler Hill Hopkins

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Free Foreclosure Listings For Columbia SC Homes

Columbia SC Having to pay a fee to access foreclosure listings is like paying for window shopping: it doesn't make sense.

We have created a free, no-obligation Foreclosure Finder Service and in a matter of minutes I can generate a list of all the bank owned homes for sale and Short Sale Homes in the greater Columbia Metropolitan area. My Foreclosure Finder Service gives you access to inside information normally available only to real estate agents and industry insiders.

http://www.featuredcolumbiahomes.com/Foreclosures.html

Terry Edwards Russell & Jeffcoat Realtors

Columbia's largest home shopping network

Complete MLS listings for all of Columbia's great neighborhoods

Shandon Rosewood Forest Acres Cayce Wheeler Hill Hopkins

Columbia SC I have never written about a restaurant before but the food at FIVE GUYS BURGERS and FRIES was GREAT.

I met my wife and daughter at the Forest Dr. location today for lunch. We had all heard good things about it but the food was waaaaaaaaay better than we expected. I had a good feeling about the place when we walked through the door and there were all these sacks of potatoes stacked around. There's something you don't see everyday.

I ordered the bacon burger with grilled onions and A-1 sauce along with an order of fries and a drink.

We were handed this heavy duty brown paper bag full of food. It was full of fries and 3 burgers. If you are old enough to remember the heavy sacks that were used for bagging groceries then you know what I'm talking about. The fresh cut fries were piled way up over the paper cups they came in.

One bite into my burger and the surprise of TWO patties of real beef made my mouth say WOW.

Keep it up, FIVE GUYS. Your business should only grow in that location.

Terry Edwards www.FeaturedColumbiaHomes.com

Columbia SC

Wade Hampton played a major role in the economic and political development of South Carolina and became one of the wealthiest planters in the South.

Born in Virginia in 1751, Wade Hampton was a descendant of a Jamestown settler of 1630. Prior to the American Revolution, his parents decided to seek their fortune on the frontier of South Carolina. Here, except for Wade and three of his brothers, the family was massacred by Indians in 1776.

Wade Hampton went on to serve in the American Revolution as a South Carolina volunteer in the cavalry and was promoted to Brigadier General in 1809. In 1814 he resigned his commission and returned to South Carolina where he acquired a large fortune land speculating.

There are several neighborhoods in Columbia that bear the Hampton name, and many are located in the Garners Ferry Road area off Old Woodlands Road.

There are currently 19 homes listed for sale in the Hampton neighborhoods ranging in size from 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths with 1760 square feet up to a large home featuring 6 bedrooms and 4 baths with 4600 square feet.

These homes range in price from $219,900 to $549,900 and the area is zoned for some of the highest rated schools in town.

Here is a sampling of some of the homes currently for sale in the Hampton neighborhoods.

15 homes in the Hampton neighborhoods have sold so far this year. These homes don't normally stay on the market long because of the proximity to downtown, shopping and restaurants.

Terry Edwards www.FeaturedColumbiaHomes.com

Complete MLS listings for all of Columbia's great neighborhoods

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Columbia SC 2009 Mid Year Home Market Report

In 2009 home sellers are battling shrinking home values and a smaller pool of available buyers. Buyers are sensing opportunities on home prices and home mortgages -- if they have the credit, job security and ready cash to qualify.

Those in the best shape are homeowners who don't have to sell and homebuyers with good credit and a stash of cash.

You don't have to be a buyer or seller to realize that homes are sitting on the market longer. This spring the inventory of unsold Columbia area homes would have taken 8 months to clear at the current sales rate, also known as the absorption rate.

Some Homes Are Selling

It's not all doom and gloom. I recently listed and sold a graduate student's home in under 4 weeks. While she got $5,000 less than she'd hoped from the sale of her 2 bedroom house, she came out ahead when she bought another home.

Her new purchase was originally marketed at $169,000 and she only paid $150,000 for a completely remodeled home.

Opportunities for First-Time Buyers

While the total number of buyers is down, there is a larger slice of buyers who are shopping for homes for the first time.

Credit low interest rates, lowered home prices and an $8,000 tax credit for first-time buyers who become homeowners before the end of this year.

Buyers Can Be Choosy

Buyers have a lot of selection. Consequently, they can be choosier. A lot of people are interested in foreclosed properties until they actually see the condition of some of these homes. Repairing and cleaning them would take weeks and often a move-in condition home can be found for the same price.

Terry Edwards www.FeaturedColumbiaHomes.com

Complete MLS listings for all of Columbia's great neighborhoods