About Columbia's Lake Carolina

According to Lake Carolina Consolidated Multiple Listing Services (MLS) Market Statistics, 42 homes were sold in this community during the first three months of 2010. (This would equate to a 20% Increase in Sales Activity in comparison to the same timeframe in 2009.) However, there are still 194 Lake Carolina Homes on the market. The Lake Carolina Absorption Rate as of April 2, 2010 is 11.64 Months and the Average Days on Market is 115.

Here is a PRICE RANGE BREAKDOWN for Lake Carolina HOME SALES in 1Q2010:

$165,001 - $200,000 ---------------------------- 9 Homes (21%)

$200,000 - $250,000 ----------------------------- 6 Homes (14%)

$250,000 - $300,000 ----------------------------- 4 Homes (10%)

$300,000 - $500,000 ----------------------------- 8 Homes (19%)

There were ZERO homes sold above $499,000 in Lake Carolina during the First Quarter for 2010.

18 Burgee Court in The Peninsula is the only home that has SOLD above $500,000 since July 2, 2009 ($680,000).

Do you want to live on the lake or in an affordable cul-de-sac? Look no further than The Community of the Year for eight consecutive years. Lake Carolina is one of the most popular neighborhoods for Columbia, SC Relocation Home Buyers and is nestled in the corner of Northeast Columbia.

Lake Carolina offers sidewalk cafes, walking trails, a Farmers’ Market, a modern YMCA, a blend of existing homes for sale and opportunities to build your custom dream home with convenient access to a multitude of restaurants, The Village at Sandhill Shopping and Movie Complex, The United States Army Training Facility at Fort Jackson, Interstate 77 and Interstate 20.

One visit to this community will convince anyone on its uniqueness in Southern Living.

LAKE CAROLINA SCHOOLS:

Lake Carolina Early Learning Center (young children ages 6 weeks to Five Years)

Lake Carolina Elementary

Kelly Middle School

Ridgeview High School

(All of the aforementioned schools are in the community or within 1.5 miles of the Community Clubhouse.)

The YMCA in Columbia, SC

We all know that the new year is a time for resolutions. One of the most popular has always been to get in better shape and drop a few pounds. Well, if that's one of your resolutions, then you should try out the YMCA in Columbia, SC.

The YMCA is located in the popular Lake Carolina community off of Hardscrabble Road in Northeast Columbia, SC. The gym boasts an indoor pool, tennis courts, an aerobics room, a yoga room, a spin room, a full indoor basketball court with walking and running track above, locker rooms, and of course a full workout room with weights and tons of cardio equipment like treadmills and ellipticals. It's a great place to spend some time focusing on fitness and staying in shape.

The friendly staff is always happy to lend a helping hand and there are a wide variety of conveniently scheduled classes to choose from. There's even a Master's Swimteam that meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays. First class is at 5 AM and the second starts at 6 AM, and I must say that I am partial to the coach as my wife Jamie is the instructor.

I myself lift weights and workout every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday morning in an effort to keep myself going for as long as I can. So if you feel like it's a good time to get in shape and start a new workout routine, then maybe the YMCA in Lake Carolina is the right place for you. So first chance you get, stop by and take a tour to see what you think.

A quick explanation- These pictures were taken at the lake in Lake Carolina. Lake Carolina is a beautiful community in Northeast Columbia, SC. Lake Carolina has many options to choose from in styles of homes as well as price range and lots of amenities. It's one of Columbia's most sought after destinations to call home.

Columbia, SC Real Estate

Looking for a home in a great community with tons of amenities, then maybe Lake Carolina in Columbia, SC is just the place you've been looking for. Lake Carolina is located off of Hardscrabble Road, just off of Clemson Road next to Blythewood.

This stunning community boasts lush green areas, a lake, playgrounds, green areas, a YMCA, walking trails, well manicured walkways and sidewalks, a pool, and even a dog park. Lake Carolina has it all and yet it's still close to I-77 and all that Northeast Columbia has to offer. Only minutes from shopping and dinning in the Village at Sandhill and about 20 minutes from Fort Jackson.

Lake Carolina in Columbia, SC even has an elementary school within the community. The community offers a large variety of homes for sale as well as a large variety neighborhoods within the community itself. Anything from the Peninsula which is a gated community on the lake to Woodliegh Park which is a smaller vinyl sided community near the YMCA and the dog park.

Not only are there some wonderful resales available, but there are quite a few new homes being built in all price ranges as well. Everything from costumeconstruction by Berry and Ziegler Builders to tract built homes by Essex Homes and Great Southern Homes. There are even condos in Harborside which is a Charleston style community located just inside the main entrance near the lake and the pool.

Just in case all the normal amenities are not enough to convince you that Lake Carolina in Columbia, SC is a great place to live, then check out the town center. Located partially in Harborside and across the street near the entrance, the town center itself has a little bit of everything as well. There are restaurants, shops, stores, and even a dentistry office.

Homes here can run from the low 100's up to a 1.5 million dollar mansion currently available on the lake in the Peninsula. So whether you are looking for a lot to build your dream home, looking to move up, move down, find your first home, or just make a move to Northeast Columbia I suggest you take a look at Lake Carolina. You may find just what you are looking for in a home. You can even buy a building in the town center and live in the loft above it. It could be a true live, work, and play atmosphere.

www.jlboney.com

There's a lot of buyers and sellers these days that do their research online. It's hard to say that I blame them, in fact, I think they should do just that. No matter what you intend to do research on, there is an abundance of information right at your fingertips and all you need is an Internet connection and the ability to type in Google. From there it's simply a matter of making a search and sifting through the results to find the best tips, advice, and information to aid you in the process of achieving your goal.

These days with so many Realtors out there writing their own blogs and maintaining websites, real estate is no different. It can be an invaluable source to aid buyers in finding the right property and sellers with what to expect out of the process. All you have to do is search and read away and you will find tons of information on any and all facets of the real estate industry.

Yes all the information you can possibly want. But how do you know what information is reliable and what information is a simple act of blowing smoke? How do you know that when an article is written about how the market works in California that it will work the same way in Columbia? How do you know that the advice is little more than just a theory and that it actually works out here in the real world?

Well, the best way to know all of this is to consult a professional. While having the ability to research a topic is a great thing, it doesn't exactly replace the experience of a professional that really knows what works and what just made good reading material. It can't replace the ability to negotiate and the knowledge of contracts. It doesn't replace the knowledge of how to dodge landmines like appraisal values, loan approvals, and home inspections just to name a few. It can't replace a strong working relationship with other professionals who can make a transaction run smoothly and work out the bumps in the road that inevitably arise.

Education in a phenomenal thing, and I would never stamp out anyones efforts to learn. However, reading up on how to do something and actually doing it are two different things. The Internet is by far the most powerful research and educational tool in existence, but it can't do the work for you. Who can though, your Realtor? And they can be quite an impressive educational tool themselves. So keep using the Internet and keep learning, but learn to use it as resource to improve a relationship with professionals rather than in an effort to replace them.

www.jlboney.com