Spartanburg, SC

Second quarter statistics from the Spartanburg MLS continue to show that our local market has bottomed out and is starting to show improvement. A comparison by quarter reveals that there were 535 homes sold in the 1^st.qt and 738 homes sold in the 2^nd qt, an increase of 38%. The median home value increased from $104,000 to $117,250 and the days on market fell from 147 to 144. When you look at the 2^nd qt alone, the median price was $106,000 in April, $116,000 in May and $124,950 in June which shows an upward trend for the past 3 months.

Several factors, including stabilization in the foreclosure market and the impact of first time home buyers, have helped reduce inventory and increase the value of existing homes in our market.

Keller Williams Realty located in Spartanburg, at 245 East Blackstock Road, South Carolina 29306 is having their annual yard sale this Saturday, June 13th from 8:00 am until, and this year is donating proceeds to the Glenn Springs Boys Home, which is also located in Spartanburg. The yard sale features a good selection of goods to choose from including, baby items and toys, household goods including furniture, electronics and clothing.

This is a part of the KW Cares function of the Keller Williams Realty business, which chooses a project each year to give back to the local community.

I have long been an admirer of Jeffrey Gitomer. For those of you not familiar with Jeffery (www.gitomer.com) you might want to check him out. He is an outstanding sales trainer. He does not focus on real estate, just how to sell with customer loyalty and personal development.

In his latest newsletter he gives his prospective on "Law of Attraction" and I concur with his view. The Law of Attraction is not to focus on your dreams and believe they will just happen, it is about making it happen with action! He calls it the Law of Reciprocity. Put value first and the world pays you back.

His 2 and ½ rule is very simple:

"Position yourself as attractive with your valuable information that others can use and benefit from".

"Build a platform where people can easily find you and get the information or message you're trying to convey".

"Work your ass off!"

"Action is the difference between curious or create. Are you just curious, or are you willing to work to create attraction?"

Thanks Jeffery.

Let me know what you think and I hope this helps you to become a better sales person too.

Our business, as well as life is never a perfect path. There are always puddles along the way. These puddles slow you down, but never stop you from reaching your objectives. Sometimes you can go through them while other times you simply go around them, never changing course.

However, there are those times when the puddle becomes a river which cannot be crossed. In this case you are better served by changing course while never loosing focus on your destination. For some change is difficult. But for those whose vision is the destination it is only a distraction. The road to success is never a smooth paved surface. Expect changes in the course and don't let the puddles stop you.

The South Carolina Supreme Court has ordered a halt to foreclosure proceedings. The reason for this is to allow home owners additional time to qualify for the Mortgage Modification Program and potentially remain in their home and avoid foreclosure.

From a real estate point of view this is a positive step that should help stabilize the current market. Not all, but many home owners will be able to remain in their homes and make their mortgage payments if they qualify for the program. This should have an impact in two ways; reduce current inventories of homes for sale and increase the average price of homes that are sold therefore increasing property values.