NEED MORE INFORMATION CALL CYNTHIA RHODES 706-373-1200

Courtesy of: Keller Williams Realty- Augusta Parnters

In a recent first time home buyer seminar, I asked a question and I will ask you the same. Name some upscale subdivisions in Augusta? Name some “less desirable” subdivisions in Augusta? Name some “decent” subdivisions in Augusta? Now, how many subdivisions did you come up with?

In my seminar of 30 attendees, we came up with 3 upscale subdivisions in Augusta, 2 less desirable subdivisions in Augusta, and 3 “decent” subdivisions for a total of 8 named subdivisions. How many did you come up with?

It is funny to see that we continue to keep an average of 3-5 names in the forefront of our minds. How will you know which subdivision you would REALLY like to live in if you don’t know what subdivisions are out there?

If you would like a list of the 1800 subdivisions in the Augusta GA area contact Cynthia Rhodes at cynthiarhodes@augustarealestateonline.com

Don’t Just Read; Comment and Share!

 LTV’s > 95 will increase the monthly fee to .90 bps. The current monthly fee is .55 bps.

 LTV’s < 95 the monthly fee is .85 bps.

Don’t worry the down payment as this point is still 3.5%.    The rates are low and there is a surplus of homes for the consumers.  Now is the time to buy before anymore changes occur to FHA loans. 

Jean Hunt

First Bank Mortgage

(762)233-5326

But, does it really matter what type of car your agent drives? The Code of Ethics for Augusta real estate agents says that a real estate agent or professional should at all times have a clean car. Who says that the real estate agent has to drive the lastest model luxury car like a Mercedes, BMW, or even a Lexus? Clean, is what it states.

So, really the question again is, would you hire an agent that drives the Pinto over the agent that drives the Mercedes? Say that all things were equal which one would you choose?

How should you choose a real estate agent? Many say they get a name from a friend or relative. Others, say they look online, phone book, and other sources. So then, the car shouldn’t make a difference! If the car was the way that someone looks for a real estate agent then I believe that agents in Augusta would start advertising their cars instead of themselves.

Have you ever run into a person dressed down, maybe a pair of kacky colored pants, t-shirt, and basic pair of tennis shoes or flip flops driving a small pick-up truck? Then all later down the road you see that person drive up to their $1,000,000 house. When you see this type of person you are witnessing a person that does not have to advertise to the world that they have money, nor does that person have to prove to anyone that they are successful (word choice for illustration purposes only, for those that want to scrutinize the word success)

Not to say that this is true for all real estate agents, but no one should choose a real estate agent based on a car, they should look mostly at performance and if they are new to the business then their background for the ability to perform well for YOU. Hence the movie, that says “Show Me The Money!” Isn’t that the point anyway?

So, if the real estate agent drives a Pinto and can show you the money, hire them!

Cynthia Rhodes says: Don’t Just Read; Comment and Share!

reducing home sale prices

Have you ever gone to a store, seen something really cool you wanted, but don’t buy it because you want to wait until the price drops. Oh, I have. It is the same with real estate in Augusta, GA and other places too, I’m sure.

Homebuyers find houses they like for sale and then will wait for the price to drop. Currently, there are around 6500 homes in Augusta for sale with a real estate agent, that number is usually around 4300. There were around 1850 price changes for the homes currently on the Augusta real estate market (GAAR MLS).  Meaning, for every ten houses on the market three  or more will have a price cut.

Price cuts could be avoided. Just like at the store with that cool item. There are trends at the store that after a while there will be a roll back or price cut on that item. But, if the store would not try to make soo much on the item soon as it comes on the market and price it to sale, the store will not have a long storage bill, or extra advertising cost to advertise and promote the new price.

Sellers and real estate agents in Augusta and other cities, stop the trends of slashing housing prices. There are three things that will effect the sale of a home, Price, Condition, and of course, Location.

1.You can’t change the location of your home so:
2. Price your home to sale in your subdivision of Augusta
3.Condition your home for sale in subdivsion of Augusta

- Look at homes that have sold, homes pending a sale, and those currently on the market, what is the trend for YOUR AREA OF AUGUSTA or prospective city area. It is important that you look in the respective subdivision or area. Have you ever heard someone say “This would be worth much more if it was in a different subdivision”

If you do it right the first time then you will not have your house sitting on the market with homebuyers waiting for you to slash the price!

Cynthia Rhodes says: Don’t Just Read; Comment and Share!

Is the housing market back in Augusta, GA? The national market experts say that the real estate market is showing signs of recovery. Real estate investment trust says they will start investing in properties with their profits according to the Wall Street Journal. What will you do with any profits or deposable income that you have?

I say it is time to invest in the Augusta real estate market. Why?? First, the average home sale price in Augusta is $115,000 since the forclosure boom. Zillow.com says they figure it is about $107,900. Augusta is a city that has remained constant even through the nations tough times because of the Fort Gordon military base, manufacturing industries, and the medical hospitals, such as Medical College of Georgia. All of the residents moving in and out of the area keeps a constant turnover in the housing market making each subdivision and housing area vibrant.

If you are looking to invest in real estate then you need to have Augusta, GA on your list of cities in which to purchase real estate. Even if you are a renter after reading the article on Don’t Rent, Buy a Home in Augusta GA by Cynthia Rhodes even encourages any renter that is on the fence to buy now because of the market in Augusta is at its best for buyers and investors.

Augusta, GA has been named one of the best  places to live by Money magazine (I believe in 2008) as well as #1 city for affordable housing by CNBC.com in 2010.  So, if you are a renter then buying  a home in  the Augusta, GA real estate market is the best place to begin to think about transitioning to becoming  a homeowner. Especially, when the prices of homes are ever decreasing due to foreclosures bringing the average home sales prices are currently $120,000. Zillow.com  averages the Augusta home sales price to be $107,900. Well, we know about the difference in Zillow.com verses real local sales trends.

Most renters actually jump off the fence and purchase a home when they believe they can afford a home. Purchasing a home is a great investment and gives a person great financial advantages like tax benefits, equity, and value apprieciation. But, you have to be able to not only afford to pay the mortgage, but the maintenance of the home. Ex. If you are a renter  paying $500 in rent  and want to have a mortgage including taxes and insurance of $500, you will need to think of an extra $100 a month or more for the upkeep and unforseen breakdowns of that home. That means a total of a minimum of $600 plus any extra utilities that you did not have in your rental home.

If you say, well I can afford the mortgage and extra money for upkeep. The next step is to have the mindset. Are you tired of paying someone elses mortgage? Reading this article you are probably tired and ready to take the third step, credit assessment. Long gone is the time where you can just get a loan on your word and a handshake. The Augusta real estate market has plenty of home town lenders and institutional mortgage companies that take credit scores at this time as low as 600. A credit score could be easily increased if you are not at that level yet by working with non-profit companies with free credit repair and credit cleanup services like HomeFirst  Augusta.

Credit good, tired of paying rent, and  affordability test is a go, it may be time for you to seriously think about purchasing. The only thing that is left is to test your rent vs mortgage payments. Call a local real estate agent, so they can direct you to a reputable mortgage lender in Augusta, GA. The mortgage lender will be able to tell you if it is a good time for you to stop renting and buy a home in Augusta, GA. You can find an Augusta, GA real estate agent on www.augustarealesetateonline.com/realtors

Don’t Just Read; Comment and Share!

Remember when email came out, it was great until the wonderful hackers and spammers found a way to virally send us all sorts of creepy crawly worms to our computers. I believe this is where people ended the thought of reading a computerized message like the never ending Thought for the Day and wanting to reply or comment.

I am here to tell you, if you read something on a blog, facebook, twitter or even an email, talk about it, share, and most of all have a comment! We are a nation full of independent minds!In the words of a friend on Facebook K.C. Coveal “Thinkers Wanted!”

Cynthia Rhodes says “Don’t just Read; Comment and Share!”