The news and the Local Real Estate market

Its been some time since I last wrote anything close to an opinion on this Blog. In fact to call this a Blog is actually an insult to those talented folks that write on a daily basis. However,  on rare occasions I must write. Todays topic is Media driven fears…… I watch the news (Glutton) and folks like Donald Trump will say theres no money to buy homes. I get to work and have 5 lenders call wanting my clients business. Weird.  Real Estate in a nutshell is about dirt, dirt with homes on it. And since dirt is local so is Real Estate. The dirt and homes in New York are different than the dirt and homes in Kingsland and St Marys Ga. There may be no money for the dirt in New York. The dirt in St Marys Ga is different. Our market never really reached the crazy levels seen elsewhere in the US. We have a HGTV dreamhome from back in the day, we have Cumberland Island we have the great schools and in fact we have the Georgia AAAAA State champs in football last year.  We have a Navy Subbase here, if I didn’t tell you it was here you may miss it. In a nutshell, this is a great place to own a home. Theres plenty of money and programs. It still should be the American dream to own a home, as my Uncle Lee always said “They don’t make anymore dirt” so in a nutshell, I ask is it better to pay for your own dirt or someone elses? If you would like to see some great dirt with homes on them. Check them out at my main website www.CallCamdenhome.com and if you would like to discuss with me loan options that Donald Trump may not be aware of (sarcasm) give me a call 1-912-227-1932 once again my apologies to those serious Bloggers out there.

Looking for a job????

Kings Bay (St Marys, Kingsland, Woodbine) Local Area Job Fair

Wednesday, June 18, 2008 1200 -1600 (12 Noon – 4 pm) Kings Bay Conference Center, Building 1039 Local and Surrounding Kings Bay Area Employers All Employment Fields & Levels Represented Contact: Mary Louise Glass at 912-573-4520 or mary.glass.ctr@navy.mil

The number of St Marys and Kingsland Ga. listings are dropping Overnight avg. interest is 6.09%

For those keeping score here in Kingsland and St Marys Ga. the number of listings (Inventory) is starting to drop Current count is(558).  I suspect that the time of year has a little to say with that as well as the fact a number of homes have ran their course priced too high and the sellers are having to regroup and rethink. I encourage everyone to understand that Real Estate is a local thing. Yes there are occasions when it takes a National Stage but for the most part its a local game. Whats does that mean for the average Buyer. It means if you want to know if its a good time to buy watch the investors. Right now every person that has ever picked up a Carlton Sheets “How to make a gazillion ” in Real Estate is running around town. The other group to watch is the upper class. Waterfront, River View and Marsh front properties are on the upswing. Why? because they know that its a soft market and deals are to be had. So it confuses me that those folks with good credit insist on renting in a market that is so ripe for buying. There is still no better investment anywhere. Until next time take care. And as usual to see all of these St Marys and Kingsland Ga. listings I am refering to go to www.CallCamdenHome.com

What does all the Media hoopla concerning Real Estate really mean?

If you were to believe the media reports about the housing market, you would want to hide under a rock. I will tell you what I know and then challenge you to do your own research. Here are the facts as I know them.

Fact 1. People with good credit will nearly always be able to get a loan. It may require more of a down payment, but I promise the money is out there.

Fact 2. Alot of the lenders that are no longer doing sub-prime loans shouldn’t have been allowed to make loans in the first place. With all of the loans that were flying around in the last few years. Some of those guys really needed another line of business. Please keep in mind that a ton of the foreclosures you are reading about in the news are second homes and of those homes a ton were bought with whats called an 80/20 loan. I will write more on this topic in the near future.

Fact 3. Where I believe everyone has the right to buy a home, I do not believe everyones financial picture warrants recieving a loan. Repairing credit is one the best things you could ever do for yourself. Renting another 6 months to bring up your score and put you on firmer financial ground is a smart move. Talk to a reputable Banker on this.

Fact 4. Real Estate historically will bring you a return on investment thats greater than practially any other place you can put your money. The secret is to do your research, get the best loan possible and treat your home as investment and not a rental property that you can just give back to the bank.

Fact 5. Interest rates are still very low. If you don’t believe me, ask anyone that bought a home in the 1980’s.

 A point to ponder.  If you decide to wait to purchase a home, what exactly would you hope to be the end result? More homes to choose from? We have 566 Single Family Homes listed today in Camden County and St Marys Ga. Lower Interest rates? Not going much lower. Want to rent awhile? Rental rates are going up dramatically in response to buyers fears. Home owners that are renting out their property have to be loving this.

Bottom Line. If you are looking to buy your first home, then its a wonderful time to do just that. There is still plenty of money to be had and a huge inventory to select from. If you are looking to Real Estate as an investment, the rental market is booming right now. Please keep in mind that owning a home is not just about what you sell it for. Its about the equity, tax breaks and freedom that you can never enjoy renting. I ask you use the 2 + 2 =4 RULE. Simply put if I ever tried to convince you that the answer was not 4, you would know in your heart and soul that you were correct and I was wrong.  I ask that you challenge what you hear on the news and from me for that matter. Read, ask questions and make an informed choice before you put off buying a home. For all of the homes listed in Camden County go to www.callcamdenhome.com

August 7th 2007

Today we recieved news that even more lenders have gone under. American Home Mortgage and HomeBanc Mortgage were the latest to close their doors. American actually filed for bankruptcy. The morale of this is to make sure the lender you are using is actually going to be in business on the day you close. The tides are changing in my opinion that Mortgage brokers are going to have fewer choices and that more loans will be from actual banks. Just a theory, we will see. To see more on the lending situation check out www.lenderimplode.com

Today in St Marys and surrounding Camden County there are 560 Single Family homes for sale ranging from $53,000 to $1,950,000 you can see them all by searching the MLS above or going to www.CallCamdenHome.com

6 June 2007 happenings

Today there are 515 Single Family homes in Camden County. The overnight average for a 30 year fixed was 6.09% and the high temp today for St. Marys is a very nice 90 degrees. The next festival will be the 4th of July celebration hosted by Kiwanis. For more information contact Chuck at 912-576-5110 or email him at chuckoj@tds.net Vendors and parade participants can find applications at the Kiwanis website http://www.smkiwanis.com/ and as always for those looking to purchase a home, land, commercial or investment property in Camden County, Kings Bay or St. Marys Georgia can start your search at www.CallCamdenHome.com

Upcoming events and such

The Real Estate market here in St Marys has settled down a bit. October is historically a busy month here and this year has been no exception. Great time to be a buyer still a good market for selling. Some events that are coming down the pipe are.

Nov 14th 5:00-9:00 Downtown merchants Christmas open house

November 28th (Dusk) Begins downtown St Marys White Lighting ceremony

December 2nd 2:00-5:00 pm Search for the Yule Log

December 9th 2-9:30 Christmas Historic Candlelight Tour of homes & Breakfast with Santa

For more information check out www.CallCamdenHome.com

Homes update

I thought today I would break down the homes in different prices ranges. I used 3 Bed 2 Bath w/ Garage to give you an idea of how many homes are listed in each price range

0-$150,000 50

$150,000-$200,000 55

$200,000-250,000 27

$250,000 -$300,000 25

$300,000-$400,000 47

$400,000 + 76

To see the homes we have listed for St Marys Ga and Camden County please visit www.callcamdenhome.com