Localism: Berkeley County, SC

Listing Photos - More or Less?

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 10:39:14 -0600

In this age of digital and Internet technology the time for hoarding home information has gone by the wayside. This generation of home buyers simply will not put up with it. They want sit down at their laptops and browse through a wide variety of homes which includes a lot of information and photos, looking for something to catch their eye.

A picture is truly worth a thousand words to these technology savvy buyers. I am a strong proponent of including as many pictures as possible on a listing. But recently I've asked myself, "Can too many pictures hurt a seller's chances of selling a home?" I believe the answer is yes!

What I've learned is that although one should use many pictures, there are pictures that can be a detriment to the seller. These include pictures of unstaged rooms or empty rooms. Instead of taking photos immediately after signing the listing paperwork, have a professional home stager come into the house and give you advice on how to get the most beauty and flow of each room. Also, empty rooms (i.e. extra bedrooms) are the hardest to photograph especially if the walls are white. Consider either staging the room with a few pieces of furniture or simply leave out the picture.

http://www.fusiondesignconsulting.com/before_after_photos.html

The quality of the picture is of great importance as well. I can't tell you how many times I've walked into a house expecting the worse because of the pictures in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). But, when I get inside, it actually looks quite nice. The pictures did it no justice. Invest in a quality camera with great resolution for you listing photos. Don't rely on your camera phone. Most do not have the ability to produce quality photos.

Finally, if you have gotten into the habit of only posting one photo in hopes of getting people to come out to your listing to see the house for themselves, you are only hurting yourself and your seller. Most buyers and agents do not have the time nor inclination to drive out to a home which they have little idea of what it looks like on the inside. As a matter of fact most buyers I work with all say the same thing when there are no additional photos: "The inside must be pretty bad if they did not include photos of the interior."

As with most things in life there must be a balance. Knowing where this balance lies with your listings could lead to maximum positive exposure and ultimately more successful sales. See the following link to a website a ran across that has great examples of bad real estate photos: Bad Photos

IMPORTANT CONSUMER WARNING:

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:27:50 -0600

Gift cards have been around for a long time and many of us like giving them as gifts, especially around the holidays. BE CAREFUL with it this year! Many stores will be closing in 2009 and your gifts may become WORTHLESS pieces of plastic.

A technique called "Bankruptcy Planning" incorporates the selling of gift cards as a strategic business move for companies that are having financial issues. They sell the gift cards, yet later on, many of them will not honor the very gift cards they sold mere weeks prior.

It is all perfectly legal and the consumer has no recourse. The following stores MAY present this problem with their gift cards:

Circuit City (filed Chapter 11)

Ann Taylor 117 stores nationwide closing;

Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug, and Catherine's to close 150 stores nationwide;

Eddie Bauer to close stores27 stores and more after January;

Cache will close all stores;

Talbots closing down specialty stores;

J. Jill closing all stores (owned by Talbots);

Pacific Sunwear (also owned by Talbots);

GAP closing 85 stores;

Footlocker closing 140 stores, more to close after January;

Wickes Furniture closing down;

Levitz closing down remaining stores;

Bombay closing remaining stores;

Zales closing down 82 stores and 105 after January;

Whitehall closing all stores;

Piercing Pagoda closing all stores;

Disney closing 98 stores and will close more after January.

Home Depot closing 15 stores, 1 in NJ (New Brunswick);

Macys to close 9 stores after January;

Linens and Things closing all stores;

Movie Galley closing all stores;

Pep Boys Closing 33 stores;

Sprint/Nextel closing 133 stores;

JC Penney closing a number of stores after January;

Ethan Allen] closing down 12 stores.

Wilson Leather closing down all stores

Sharper Image closing down all stores

K B Toys closing 356 stores

Loews to close down some stores

Dillard's to close some stores

Myrtle Beach Real Estate by Mirela Monte Join The Optimist Group!

Foreclosure King Odell Barnes Knows The Best Thing for Distressed Neighborhoods

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:34:21 -0600

The last time that Odell Barnes was interviewed he had over 400 would-be homeowners from all over the United States send hime their contact info in hopes that he would finance a home for them.

When "Nightline" first met Odell Barnes, the man known to some as the Foreclosure King, he was on his cell phone constantly, buying foreclosed homes by the dozens from his front porch in South Carolina. (ABC News)A year later, he's still answering the phone, but he's off his porch and in Detroit.

"It's too big for me," he said of the current housing crisis. "One thousand houses a week? It outgrows you." Sitting on another front porch - this time at a burned-out house in Detroit - Barnes has plunged face first into the nation's housing crisis. He's always bought houses in bulk from banks, but what's changed is that, in the last year, mortgage insurer Fannie Mae has begun dumping foreclosed houses on him. The original owners are gone and Fannie Mae and the banks can't sell any other way.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=6249208&page=1

http://bestcelebscoop.com/foreclosure-king-odell-barnes-says-the-best-thing-for-distressed-neighborhoods

Gift Cards May Not Be the Best Gift

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:14:22 -0600

One of my favorite things to give at Christmas are gift cards. Most of my family lives halfway across the country and rather than spend a boat load of money on shipping, I send them a gift card to their favorite place to shop or eat. I recently read that the National Retail Federation ranked gift cards as the third most desirable catagory of gifts. But, I am rethinking my approach to this year's gifts.

With stores like Sharper Image and more recently Circuit City going out of business my concern during the next 6 months is who is next. Three is no guarantee that this bankrupt companies will honor the cards and the last thing I want to do is buy a loved one a gift card from Barnes and Nobles or Outback Steakhouse, and then watch the card become valueless when the store goes out of business in January or February.

My answer for this years gifts will most likely be online stores that offer free shipping. A good example is Amazon.com which offers free shipping on many of its products for orders over $25.

Any other suggestions!

Fence Issues in The Hamlets in Crowfield Plantation, Goose Creek SC

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:39:16 -0600

A recent lawsuit has brought to light the issue of fences in the the upscale neighborhood of The Hamlets in Crowfield Plantation located in Goose Creek South Carolina.

According to the covenants and restrictions for the Hamlets, no fences are to be erected on your lot if you are next to the golf course or on a pond. It is said that this rule was put in place to maintain the beauty of the entire neighborhood. Unfortunately over the last 10 or so years many people have either gotten special permission from the HOA to put up a fence on these type of lots or have just put up a fence without permission. Crowfield Plantation HOA management and leadership has changed a lot during this time and thus it is hard to point fingers over who is to blame. Regardless, the fact remains that the fences are in violation of the covenants and restrictions. The biggest problem seems to be for those who have pools in their yards and thus have a fence for insurance and liability reasons.

Recently a judge ordered that all of the home owners whose fences do not comply with the covenants and Restrictions should remove the fences. The case is on appeal. Perhaps the best fix for those who want to keep their fences is to drum up enough support to amend the covenants and restrictions to allow certain fences.

If you are interested in buying or selling in Crowfield Plantation, make sure you know what your restrictions are before you complete the transaction. Contact Michael Johnson at 843-817-5299 to get more information about Crowfield Plantation or any other neighborhood in Goose Creek.

Michael Johnson

843-817-5299

michaeljohnson@carolinaone.com