Home buyers’ first impressions are visual, and a flawed exterior will turn them away faster than a two-hour wait time at a family restaurant. Myrtle Beach curb appeal is the same as it is anywhere: when ‘curb appeal’ becomes ‘curb repel,’ the outcome to expect is at best offer numbers lower than they should be. Since major exterior remodels can carry prohibitive price tags, keeping the asking price competitive involves finding ways to brighten up the outside of a home without breaking the bank. It’s doable (and affordably) when you tackle the issue keeping the bottom line in mind. Some ideas:

1. Go for the Deep Clean                                                            

Cleaning up is the first order of business—but creating true curb appeal may mean being prepared to go beyond the surface. Remove any weeds attacking walkways, then rent a power washer to clean both them and the home exterior (being careful that the power setting isn’t so strong it damages fragile areas). If the gutters look moldy or mildewed, use it on them, too—perhaps with a little mildew-killing solution to finish the job. Really important: wash the windows (once your local prospects get past the curb appeal hurdle, sparkling windows are guaranteed to brighten their impression of the inside).

2. Pick Pots

A mistake many homeowners make is to spend a bundle on landscaping at the last minute. If you’ve devoted years to fostering a well laid-out and cared-for garden, it’s a big plus—but just too expensive to try to create in a few weeks. A pretty yard can certainly help with curb appeal, but it’s also true that not every local buyer will be looking for a gardening experience that involves much upkeep. The budget-minded alternative that can be quite effective? Add the color and curb appeal of flowering plants—but put them in pots. This has the added value of providing local home buyers with green thumbs the general idea of what the yard could look like with their loving care, but without the permanence of established plants. If your home offers a pristine canvas, prospects are more likely to draw their own home ideal on it.

3. Numeral-ology

You’d be surprised at how difficult some people make it to just to find their home. You need only provide an address that’s clearly visible from the street, to obey the Curb Appeal First Commandment: Thou shalt not irritate thy buyers! Adding big, attractive house numbers in a font that matches the style of the property is a finishing touch whose value far outstrips the cost and effort involved.

Curb appeal predictably affects both the speed and bottom line of any sale. When you boost it with just a little bit of time and money, you expand the opportunity to show off the gracious interior of your Myrtle Beach home. Give me a call anytime—we’ll put our heads together to come up with more ideas to tweak your Myrtle Beach property in ways that are effective and cost-effective! Trust in your Local Myrtle Beach Real Estate Experts at Plantation Realty Group to help you today! (843)796-2111

For many decades, Hollywood has made box office gold creating comic films about the hilarious possibilities that nightmarish house remodels present: from Mr. Blandings Builds his Dream House to The Money Pit (and even Under the Tuscan Sun), audiences delight in the shifty tradesmen and rotting timbers that define the genre.

If you’re an energetic Do-it-Yourselfer without much remodeling experience, Job One is to gather professional opinions to minimize the likelihood of costly discoveries. But before you even get that far, there are some general concepts that veteran turnaround investors know. These are disqualifiers that make it much more likely that buying a home in Myrtle Beach will be a shrewd investment instead of dollar demolisher.

Bad house, bad neighborhood

Is it worth buying a fixer-upper in a rundown or otherwise somewhat undesirable neighborhood? It can be tempting—especially when the asking price makes buying such a home a seemingly unbelievable value. But ignoring the ‘location, location, location’ truism is risky business. In many cases, such an investment may yield a diamond in the mud—a renewed structure that will never rise in value until the whole neighborhood rises in value (which could be never). Safer choices will be found in neighborhoods that don’t need remodeling themselves.

Bad house, good intentions

Buying a home in Myrtle Beach—especially when the neighborhood is fine and the price is more than right—can give rise to overly emotional decision-making. It can be tempting, when a property is almost okay, to make an instantaneous decision…but if you find yourself making excuses for this or that drawback, or finding yourself indulging in a bit of wishful thinking here and there, take a breath! Hopeful eyes may easily transform to fixer-uppers into mansions, but that’s the only time ‘easily’ will apply. Buying a home that needs major renovation is a probable mistake for home buyers who are uncertain about the money, time, or construction expertise that lie before them. A realistic mindset is the first ‘tool’ you need as you transform a fixer-upper into a winning investment.

Bad house, bad budget

Sometimes, buying a Myrtle Beach home as a fixer-upper seems exciting not for the challenge of the remodel but simply because you can’t afford that much house in any other way. Sure, fixer-uppers offer the tantalizing prospect of more house for less money—but down-to-earth budgeting for big repairs such as a new roof, a cracked foundation, or all-new floors will produce a realistic bottom line. Sometimes less house (but good house) is the call that yields a lot more restful nights!

Bad house, bad house

Finally, buying a house that seems like a fixer-upper—but would more accurately be called bulldozer fodder—is actually pretty easy to avoid. If your home inspector tells you about critical issues with a home’s bones (foundation, roof), infestations, or dangerous wiring issues, it’s most likely one of those.

Have faith: your home is out there! Remodels can be (in fact, often are) great investments. With a clear vision and a savvy team, you could be one renovation away from your dream home. Give us a call to check out the best of today’s Myrtle Beach prospects.

When it comes to home sales, looks do matter.

Once a home comes onto the market, how soon it moves can depend on its location, design, quality of construction—not to mention how well it’s been maintained, the neighborhood, school district…it’s the sum of at least a dozen contributing factors. But when it comes to Myrtle Beach home sales, looks now matter more than ever before. Making sure a home is camera-ready could well be the most important single thing a homeowner can do before listing a house for sale in Myrtle Beach this fall.

It’s in the Numbers

The 2013 National Association of Realtors® survey found that a decisive 92% of all home buyers use the web to search for a home. That’s more than just a coup for your computer, it also points to something vital for Myrtle Beach home sales—something sellers can’t afford to ignore. Unlike previous generations of home buyers, the attention span of today’s online audience is miniscule. With comps (comparable listings: the competition) just a mouse click away, the success of home sales in Myrtle Beach is directly influenced by how eye-catching its online presentation is…whether it has what the ad industry calls ‘pop!’

Accentuate the ‘Good Sides’

Successful film stars and fashion models leave nothing to chance when it comes to photography. They know which angles accentuate their good sides. Likewise, photos that spur home sales don’t just show living room, bedrooms, kitchen, etc.—they highlight the most interesting features in ways designed to draw the viewer’s eye. For example, if a splendid dining room has to compete with a blazing sun during the day, it’s bound to be better shot at night. Ditto, any room with a sparkling chandelier. As for the exterior, if the siding is unremarkable but the new roof is gorgeous, angling the picture to emphasize the positive makes visual sense.

Up Close & Impersonal

Buying a home may be an intensely personal affair, but when selling one, photos are not the place to showcase a favorite collection or kids’ sports trophies. Make an effort to remove very personal objects before photography begins. One key to Myrtle Beach home sales is to transform your space (not too appealing to potential buyers) into a place they can easily envision being their own.

Cleaning Counts

In this era of high-res photography and lickety-split download times, a sparkling clean house is the mandatory starting point. Double-check that the house is devoid of dirt, stains, and even dust that might pick up the light. Although most small blemishes can be removed in editing, the less retouching that’s needed, the more natural-looking the result will be.

It’s important, for sure; but there’s no need to freak out about the photography. With an experienced real estate agent as your Myrtle Beach home sales advisor, you’re sure to snap a series of appealing shots that makes your listing stand out from the crowd.

Thinking of selling in this fall? Call me today to discuss how to come up with your home’s glamour shots—as well as the entire marketing plan! Trust in your Local Myrtle Beach Real Estate Experts at Plantation Realty Group to help you today! (843) 796-2111

Local homeowners are among the keenest observers of Myrtle Beach mortgage rates because they are such a large factor in the long-term investment that is their house. It’s the factor that determines if and when refinancing makes sense; the factor that plays a large part in heating (or cooling) the overall Myrtle Beach real estate market.

For the most part, home buyers simply accept the mortgage rate in Myrtle Beach that happens to be currently offered when they decide buy a Myrtle Beach home. The timing of their purchase is generally triggered by their own financial fortunes, or when the right home comes along, or when some outside circumstance forces them to find new digs—or any of a dozen reasons other than the current Myrtle Beach mortgage rates.

If they even consider how Myrtle Beach mortgage rates come into play, they may look to financial experts—but only for guidance in how to land the lowest available rates (and that answer is always the same: “protect your credit score”). Few consider whether a mortgage rate dip should in itself be the determining factor for triggering their home purchase—but it wouldn’t be such a crazy idea.

So, why do I bring this up now? Let me quote the way Tim Logan, the housing and residential real estate columnist for the L.A. Times, led off his article at the end of last month:

“If you’re borrowing to buy a house, there’s
almost never been a better time to do it.”

He and other residential market observers are not just pointing to the surprisingly low national interest rates reported by Freddie Mac—although that’s certainly the case. Per the Times: “Interest rates on an average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage hit 4.1% this week, a low for the year.” Only last year, the basement-level interest rate phenomenon was widely predicted to come to an end (and rates did begin to rise). But as Logan described it, rates have “been bouncing in the low 4% range for months, not quite record territory, but not far from it.” (I’ll echo that: at this point, they’re close to as low as they ever get.)

But perhaps the most compelling reason for the urgency in that “never been a better time” statement is this prediction (also from the L.A. Times):

“…fairly soon, forecasters say—interest rates
will rise, posing housing-market hurdles.”

The “hurdles” would be a natural consequence of any upward spike in mortgage rates. In that scenario, homeowners will become reluctant to part with their own home since a new mortgage would carry higher interest rates. Not just that: if that causes the supply of homes on the market to tighten, prices will do what supply shortages always cause—higher prices.

Such a scenario is far from certain. But what isn’t in doubt is today’s decidedly low Myrtle Beach interest rates. If all this has you thinking of buying or selling this fall, as the Times says, your timing couldn’t be better…an excellent reason to give us a call today! Trust in your Local Myrtle Beach Real Estate Experts at Plantation Realty Group! (843) 796-2111

Once you’ve made the decision to move—whether headed across the country or across town—you might think the automatic next step is to prepare to sell your current house. True, that has to get underway without delay…but there should be one intervening step—one which all too frequently gets short shrift.

The key decision to be made before you put your house on the market is just this: should you sell at all? The fact is, you may be in an opportune position to hang onto the property. To become a landlord. In case you have never considered the advantages and drawbacks to owning a Myrtle Beach rental home, you may be overlooking a worthwhile opportunity.

Before you decide whether the right sign to plant outside your home should read “For Sale” or “For Rent,” pause to consider some of the major Pros and Cons----

Pro: Long-term ownership

If you aren’t quite ready to say goodbye to your home, renting it allows you to make the decision at a later date. Managing your local rental home gives you the opportunity to watch its value appreciate before selling, or even to return to it yourself.

Pro: Potential savings

The housing market’s recent fluctuations aren’t typical, but for anyone who bought when housing prices were soaring and would now have to sell for less, the prospect would be disappointing. In those circumstances, turning your residential investment into a Myrtle Beach rental home can help avert a financial loss….

…AND…

Pro: Investment income

By way of taking that basket of lemons and turning it into a lemonade stand, RealtyTrac’s most recent study (July) of residential property rentals revealed a 9.97% annual return for residential property investors in the second quarter of 2014. In other words, in addition to covering your mortgage, monthly rent might bring in a profit…turning what looked for so long like a real estate loss into a money-maker.

Con: Landlord responsibility

When you don the landlord’s hat, you have to respond to any maintenance issues with your local rental home. In addition to incurring the expenses of maintaining your rental home, you also have to be on top of the problems that every homeowner knows about. If your move is to another city or state, that might require local assistance, which comes at a cost.

Con: Tenant wear and tear

If you plan to sell the home eventually, it’s probably in better shape now than it will be after your tenants move out. Some wear and tear is expected, but you can’t ensure that your tenants will leave the home in pristine condition. The security deposit doesn’t always cover all fixes.

Con: Management work

In addition to responding to maintenance issues with your rental home, you also have to attract and select appropriate tenants. You might opt to outsource this work to a property management company specializing in managing Myrtle Beach rental homes. Again, such a service takes a bite out of the monthly rental income.

Weighing the pros and cons as you evaluate your personal and financial situations will aid your decision on whether selling or renting best meets your long-term goals. In the meantime, call me anytime for a sales vs. rental pricing evaluation! Trust in your Local Myrtle Beach Real Estate Experts at Plantation Realty Group for all your Questions! (843) 796-2111

For just about everyone who will soon be preparing to list their home in Myrtle Beach, selling price is a principal focus. What price will this fall’s market support? How will that number affect the time it takes to attract serious buyers? Are there ways to maximize the ultimate selling price without squandering a lot of time and capital?

While there certainly are broad market factors that contribute to a Myrtle Beach home’s final selling price, there are others that can be controlled by the seller—and which do maximize the odds of bringing in top dollar. Some of the less-frequently used low-risk ways to add to a Myrtle Beach home’s selling price—

Additions without Adding

Room additions may be certain to increase value—but not necessarily without costing more (sometimes much more) than they add. While adding a second story or extending the ground floor of a home will add substantial value, the cost in time and budget (and frequently permitting hassles) can also be substantial. Where it’s possible, “adding without adding”— re-purposing existing space—is a far less expensive and easier way to add to that final selling price. The idea is to take an unused or underused space and transform it into something that adds appeal and utility. Common methods include renovating a basement or garage: turning it into an office, media room, or extra bedroom. The extent of such a project can go all the way from the most basic (flooring, paint, and other minor aesthetic improvements) to the most comprehensive (lighting treatments and other accents such as crown moldings and baseboard). One caution: the quality of any improvement should match that found throughout the rest of the house. Slipshod workmanship can actually diminish value.

More Bathrooms = Higher Price

Adding a full bathroom often requires reconfiguring an existing home’s frame—and that’s always costly. Instead of taking on the burden of adding a full bathroom, to get a selling price boost, Myrtle Beach homeowners can consider dividing the space of a large room to include a half-bath. While still a time and budget expense, adding a powder room can add significant value to the listing (and real convenience to the future homeowner).

Facelift (the Easy Way)

Curb appeal is all-important for adding to a dynamic first impression, both on the listing page and during the first visit. One underappreciated means of adding curb appeal and boosting the ultimate selling price is through simply updating the siding. It’s a “facelift” that can be completed quickly and at a relatively low cost— especially in comparison with more drastic changes like additions and whole-house window replacements.

Fall can be a great time to list a property before the holidays hit. If you’re thinking of selling your home and want to discuss the ways we can boost your Myrtle Beach home’s selling price, now is a good time to call me for a no-obligation consultation! Trust in your Local Myrtle Beach Real Estate Experts at Plantation Realty Group to help you! (843) 796-2111

Myrtle Beach residents don’t have to have children at home to know when we’ve gone through the familiar back-to-school rituals. Just turn on a radio or TV, step into a retail store, or drive past a school and the calls to educational muster are evident. At the same time, it’s hard not to be reminded how significant education is when it comes to Myrtle Beach home buying—how likely it is for schools to be on the forefront of many buyers’ minds.

Most people know intuitively that top-notch schools carry significant weight in the searching and home buying processes—but the result of a survey done by realtor.com has spelled it out in black-and-white. Their research reveals that more than 60% of buyers consider school district boundaries during their home buying process. It’s a surprisingly weighty number.

The depth of interest that buyers registered was also illuminating. The same survey uncovered the fact that prospective homebuyers are willing to spend more—and give up other features—in exchange for a house located in a preferred school district. For example, many buyers said that they are ready to ignore access to shopping malls and parks to be in a district where their preferred school is located.

Prospective buyers are likely to also factor in the impact the same phenomenon could have on a property’s resale value down the line. That could be part of the reason why more than 23% of respondents said that are willing to pay 1-5% over their budget to be in a preferred school district boundary. Another 20% said they would pay 6-10 % above budget, while 9% would pay as much as 11-20% more!

When queried about which factors weigh most heavily on their home buying preferences, over 90% said that school district boundaries are either “important” or “somewhat important.” Only 7.4% said that school districts are “unimportant” or “very unimportant,” while 2% classified them as “neutral.”

This level of unanimity should be of interest to anyone about to embark on their own Myrtle Beach home buying expedition—whether or not they have children of their own. It’s hard to ignore the proposition that when you go to resell a house in the future, its school district may carry the same importance to home buyers down the line. If today’s buyers give such importance to school district boundaries, it may not pay (to borrow Wall Street’s famous phrase) to “fight the tape.”

In any case, it always pays to ask questions, do some neighborhood research—and to call me when you’re looking to buy or sell in Myrtle Beach! Trust in your Local Myrtle Beach Real Estate Experts at Plantation Realty Group to help you! (843) 796-2111.  

Once your property appears in the Myrtle Beach listings it’s time to prepare for the all-important initial open house. Whether it’s really “all-important” (or just very important) is a matter for debate—you can’t really pin down exactly how important the initial open house is because some of its effect isn’t immediately measurable. Word-of-mouth takes time to spread—and sometimes prospective buyers take weeks or months of comparison shopping before they return to a property that made a lasting impression.

Less subject to speculation is that a Myrtle Beach open house will expose your home to an array of interested consumers. The impression it makes will produce an impact that’s literally multiples of what any single showing can accomplish. More bang for the same amount of work.

In addition to the scouring and neatening (and, of course, de-cluttering) that are always prescribed, here are some preparation details less frequently cited:

Sightlines

Walk through the house following a route likely to be chosen by your prospects. Starting at the front entryway and at every threshold, stop and take a look around. Are pieces of furniture or other articles preventing an otherwise clear view into adjoining areas? Can they be moved (or removed entirely) to open the sightlines? If they can, you’ll see how much larger, open, and inviting the interior spaces become.

Flooring

It may seem as if what’s underfoot isn’t all that important, but that can be deceptive. Homeowners get used to their house, and floors are easy to overlook. To first time open house visitors, the floors often have a much greater subliminal impact on how new or refreshed the property seems. The solution is straightforward: give wood floors a fresh wax; clean tiles until they shine; and where carpets show furniture-foot divots, place an ice cube in the indentation—after it melts, use a stiff brush to gently scrub the pile back into place.

Closets

You can’t totally empty out the closets, of course, but you can remove to storage everything that’s out of season. Serious buyers have an uncanny knack of finding and opening the closets that are most overstuffed (and the ‘shriek’ part of peek-and-shriek is worth avoiding).

Dampness

If some areas like the laundry or basement are moister than you’d like, an inexpensive plug-in dehumidifier can usually solve the problem.

Aromas

The old stand-by is still true: baking a batch of cookies right before the doors open creates an inviting aromatic (as well as a well-appreciated giveaway for the kitchen table). Air fresheners or candles in other parts of the house can also work—as long as they aren’t too obtrusive. Overdoing with strong perfumy scents can turn be a red flag that makes visitors wonder what’s being covered up.

Then…

Once everything is ready to go, do another unhurried walk-through. With fresh eyes you’ll see a few last items to clear away, some curtains to be opened a bit wider to add light, another lamp to be turned on. The extra walk-through is what your open house visitors will soon experience. Why not take the first tour yourself!

Fall weather makes it a wonderful season for a Myrtle Beach open house. If you’re on the cusp about listing now or in the spring, do consider taking advantage of the season. Trust in your Local Myrtle Beach Real Estate Experts at Plantation Realty Group to help you today! (843) 796-2111

You’ve successfully located the home that fits your wish list! The listing agent says the home is in “great condition!” Financing is pretty much a done deal! Time to relax!

Er—maybe not just yet.

When you are buying a home, among the scores of thoughts that might be racing through your head (“Is this the best one for the money?” “Will everyone be comfortable in it?” “Will it be enough house over the long haul?”), one you definitely don’t need is “Will this house become a money pit?”

The home that looks perfect may well be exactly that—but if not, you certainly don’t want to find yourself pouring hard-earned dollars into repairs that become apparent only after you have signed. Surprises are fine for birthday parties, but to avoid the sort no home buyer needs, getting a professional Myrtle Beach property inspection is the most direct way to tell if there are any significant underlying issues.

To alleviate the worry, you should make any offer conditional on a home inspection…then order up a professional Myrtle Beach property inspection done by an experienced Myrtle Beach home inspector.

When a home inspector arrives at the property, he or she will invite you along on the tour. However, you don’t have to accompany the inspector to some of the less-accessible areas like the roof, attic and crawl spaces (unless you want to). The inspector will likely start outside, checking for any suspicious areas that may allow water to penetrate, then move indoors for a thorough investigation of each room in the house. As the inspection moves along, definitely feel free to ask questions as they crop up: after all, inspector works for you!

It’s important to remember that any Myrtle Beach property inspection is not 100% certain to uncover every possible defect: a home inspector, no matter how experienced, is not clairvoyant. But you will receive a thoroughgoing assessment of the potential likely problems with the home’s systems—as well as an opinion on the condition of the home. You may be able to renegotiate your offer should conditions warrant it.

Myrtle Beach property inspection costs tend to differ depending on the size and condition of the home, and usually take anywhere from 2 to 6 hours to complete. Often, the verbal assessment made at the time will be very informative. Later, you’ll get the fuller detailed written report. If the inspection reveals a deal-breaking flaw, you will have saved yourself from a bad investment. Less commonly, more detailed property inspections could be in order—especially if you are also ordering sewer line, pool, fireplace or other specific inspections. Most inspectors offer discounted rates if subsequent inspections are in order.

Property inspections are not intended to offer warrantees or guarantees, but an experienced Myrtle Beach home inspection is the next best thing. It’s something most homebuyers find makes their purchase a lot less stressful.

If you’re looking at buying a home in Myrtle Beach this fall, call me today to discuss the market. And once you find a likely new home, I can recommend several of our most experienced and reliable property inspectors. Trust in your Local Myrtle Beach Real Estate Experts at Plantation Realty Group! (843) 796-2111