Roxanna Morey

The Charleston Trident Association of REALTORS® (CTAR) has named David Kent the 2008 REALTOR® of the Year. He is a 14-year veteran of the real estate industry and the Broker in Charge / Co-Owner of The Real Buyer's Agent, Charleston's first exclusive buyer's agent brokerage.

David Kent Recieves Realtor of the year award

The staff of The Real Buyer's Agent

The award recognizes Kent's contributions to the local, state and national real estate industries and associations, as well as his commitment to bettering the community.

Kent is a valued member of the Charleston community. He serves as a student mentor for the "Reading with REALTORS®" program at James Simons Elementary and volunteers his time at the Crisis Ministries Homeless Shelter. He is also a member of the Mt. Pleasant Rotary Club. He resides in Mt. Pleasant with his wife Minou and their two children.

Most recently, Kent was named to the 2009 National Association of REALTORS^Ò (NAR) Leadership Academy, which was formed to identify, inspire and mentor emerging leaders for the organization. He was also appointed to the REBAC (Real Estate Buyer's Agent Council) Advisory Panel.

"David consistently provides his clients with fervent representation and superior service. The company's slogan "Buy Smart - Know For Sure" can attest to the absence of buyer remorse. He doesn't sell homes; he helps people buy homes. The dedication and trust he shares with his clients is best demonstrated by the company's repeat business and regular client referrals." said Roxanna Morey, Marketing Manager for The Real Buyer's Agent.

After earning a degree in Building Science and Construction Management from Clemson University, Kent worked for several land development companies, helping manage projects on Kiawah Island, Mt. Pleasant, Wild Dunes, Isle of Palms and North Charleston, SC.

In 2007, Kent served as a Director for the National Association of REALTORS® as well as President of CTAR's Board of Directors. Kent was also 2004 President of the CTAR Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and has held a Board of Directors position with the South Carolina Realtors Association (SCR) since 2003.

The most obvious way not to lose your home to foreclosure is by always making your payment on time. That's a given, but sometimes, things happen. As a growing number of borrowers fall behind on their mortgage payments more people are seeking help on how to avoid losing their homes. If you fall into this ever-growing category of homeowners, the smartest move you can make is to contact your lender and contact a HUD approved housing cousling agency.

These days, there's more incentive for companies to work with borrowers to avoid foreclosure: Regulators and lawmakers, prompted by troubles in the mortgage market, are encouraging companies to assist troubled borrowers.

Major lenders in the sub-prime mortgage market have agreed to a set of principles calling for services to try to modify loans before the interest-rate reset if borrowers will be unable to afford the new payments, among other actions. Lenders also have a financial incentive to keep you in your home: They can lose tens of thousands of dollars for each loan that goes into foreclosure.

Contacting your lender before your situation seriously deteriorates will improve the chances that you keep your home. Consider this: Half of borrowers whose homes go into foreclosure never talk to their servicer. How crazy is that?

Call your loan servicing company: By doing so, you can try to arrange workout options that will keep you in your home. A lender may be able to modify the loan to make it more affordable in the long term.

The very LAST THING you should do is just not contact anyone and continue to get further and further behind on your mortgage payments. Ignoring this problem is not going to make it go away. By being proactive the chances of you saving your home go up!

HUD (US Department of Housing and Urban Developement) puts alot of really helpful information if you think that you maybe facing Foreclosure. HUD's Foreclosure Site

HUD's: Tips for Avoiding Foreclosure

HUD's: Foreclosure Time Line

If you have any experience in this category, or advice for any other readers at this site, I would love your comments!

Housing Upgrades That Don't Pay

Before you getting started on a major renovation project to give a house your special signature, consider how long you're likely to stay in the house. A lot of people get into trouble by going into a home they're only going to be in for a relatively short period of time, and they start doing renovations and additions that are sort of on their fantasy list, but they're not going to be there long enough to really enjoy.

When the time is right and you do decide to go ahead with upgrades, it is important to consider is how best to spend money that maximize your chances of a profitable resale later on.

3 Reasons to Proceed with Caution:

1. High maintenance - If your upgrade requires too much upkeep, buyers may view it as more of a nuisance than an asset. A prime example is an in-ground swimming pool, which can cost a small fortune to install, secure, heat and clean.

2. Overdressed - Luxurious amenities can be a good selling point, but only if they blend in with rather than outshine what the neighbors have. Having the nicest home in the neighborhood can be a bad thing when it's time to sell. A prime example would be upgrading the kitchen in an entry level home to reflect remodeling from high-end home magazines.

3. Unpopular - If no one else on the block has a room like the one you're adding, or all the other houses boast the very feature you're getting rid of, watch out. For example, although converting your garage into an office, bedroom or playroom can be a less expensive way to add square footage and create more living space, it can have drawbacks. Potential homebuyers might miss the sheltered parking more than they welcome the additional room, especially if other homes in the neighborhood have garages. I've seen cases where sellers have to put up $10,000+ to convert garages back to their intended purpose to attract a buyer.

When you are shoping for a house your buyer's agent can help you look out for things that will be smart upgrades when it comes to future resale. For example, hardwood floors almost always add value.

The real estate market is cyclical, and for most parts of the country we are in a buyer's market. This is usually indicated when there are a a lot of homes (inventory) on the market. Buyers sometimes wait to see if prices will drop further since this doesn't always happen they may miss out on what might have been a great deal. Here are three reasons it might be a great time to consider buying a home despite financial fears.

1. Better Prices: when there are more homes for sale on the market the competition to sell a home is greater. Some sellers even drop their price below the market value to attract a buyer to speed up the sale of their home in order to meet a moving deadline. Bidding wars are also less likely when there are a lot of homes in inventory.
2. More Choices: with a greater inventory of homes on the market there is a greater variety of properties to choose from for the buyer. You don't simply have to take what you can get. This increased inventory also gives you a stronger negotiating position. If one deal doesn't work out there are more houses for you to use as a back up.
3. Extra Incentives: with more competition for the seller, new construction and private sellers alike may offer extra incentives to entice the buyer. It can be everything from seller paid closing costs, to home warranties, to an allowance for fix up items in the homes. A Buyer's Agent can really help you determine which incentives add the most value to your purchase now and when it comes time for you to sell.

Even the government is getting involved with special tax credits for first time home buyers to encourage home buying.

I read an article on MSN this morning and thought that it was not only well written but also made understanding some of today's housing situation easier for a person not in the real estate business.

The article was: The housing Mess: 5 'Dumb' Questions, by Marilyn Lewis. It basically said that not understanding the financial market and housing mess isn't really so dumb at all since there are are a lot of factors that lead us to our current situation.

The questions addressed were:

1. Why on earth are we still building?
2. Do we simply have too many houses?
3. Where do those foreclosed families go?
4. Why not offer foreclosures to poor people?
5. How long can a house sit before it's not salable?

I thought that it was particularly interesting that she noted that the Carolina's were one of the few places that demand for new construction was still relatively high.

If you are a buyer who is considering buying a distressed property make sure that you get the expertise of a buyer's agent. Even if you have purchased property in the past distressed property sales can be more challenging and more risky despite what may seem to be the obvious reward: a great deal. When Lewis answered the last question she touched on some of the structural things that can go wrong with a home that sits empty. Having someone who is there to guide you through the process can end up saving you a lot of heartache and money in the long run.