Wayne Long's Blog: Columbus Ga Real Estate

Collaboration between opposing Realtors may seem like a bad thing but it really is not.   My job as a professional REALTOR is to protect your interests and help you make the best decision possible when buying or selling your home.   What made me think about this is that our broker sends out a survey to all the other REALTORS we work with and asks about the job we preformed from their perspective.  Here are the questions our broker asks with this response key  VS- Very Satisfied, S- Satisfied, N - Neutral, D - Dissatisfied, VD - Very Dissatisfied.

1) Timeliness of response

2) Returned Phone Calls

3) Timeliness of Offers

4)Appointments kept and started on time

5) Forms completed fully and correctly

6) Agent availability for follow up questions

7)…

At our annual Board of Realtors awards meeting I learned that Billy Brescia is the oldest active Realtor in the U.S.  according to NAR records.     He is truly an amazing man as he is very active in Real Estate and our Board of Realtors right now.  Let me give you some facts. 

1) Billy is 91 years old

2) He was licensed in 1947 (61 years ago)

3) GAR Director for Life

4) Past Golden Rule award winner

5) Extemely Active in GARPAC

6) Active Board member on the local and State level

7) Past Realtor of the Year

On top of all that - he is one of the nicest guys you would ever want to meet.  Occasionally you meet people that you would like to model your life after - he is one of those people. 

If you want an experienced REALTOR - this is your man!  Read Full Post

Where do we start?

1) Do I just start riding around looking for signs?

2) Is my credit good enough to get a loan?

3) What if something is wrong with the home I pick? 

4) Do I have to pay a Realtor to find me a home? 

5) All of these are good questions and we will try to answer some here and hopefully alleviate any fears you may have! 

Contact a Realtor! 

You knew I was going to say that because I am a Realtor.   :)  There are good reasons to make this your first stop.   First, the seller pays the commission on both sides as a rule.   The seller has a professional Realtor working for them so it makes sense that you have a professional working to negotiate for your best interests and the best part is the seller is paying for it!  Because a…

Whether you are a buyer or seller you may wonder what the process is and how you are protected once a home is "under contract" or as they some say "in escrow".   Lets look at the process in Georgia. 

1) All parties have agreed on a contract and the buyer has put earnest money into escrow (typically held in a Real Estate Brokerage account to protect the money for all parties until closing) . 

2) Buyer will begin thorough evaluation of credit.  You were probably pre-approved but now you will be required to document your credit worthiness which will probably include:

• Verification of employment
• Verification of funds to close (downpayment and your portion of closing costs).
• Verification of debts
• Verification of assets
• May need tax…

When I was in college mortgage rates went to their all time high of 18%.   That is what kept me out of Real Estate initially.  My father was a Real Estate Broker and I saw what a really tough market looked like and I didn't want to be involved.    This perspective gives me a truly different take on the market we are in now. 

What I see is opportunity for buyers!  

The old saying of buy low and sell high!  What makes a great time to buy property.  Let me think....
1) When you can buy at a discount.
2) When sellers will pay your closing costs so that you don't have to come out of pocket.
3) When you can finance at a great interest rate (5.75% 30 yr. fixed)
4) When you have a lot of inventory to choose from

Wow!  I think that time could be… Read Full Post

Columbus Ga based AFLAC has completed the first phase of its planned 2000 employee expansion.   This first phase will employ 55O as the insurance phenom continues growing.   The last 15 years has been an explosion of growth for AFLAC in the U.S. and Japan.  Now expanding into other parts of the world and taking over market share in the United States - Columbus is lucky to have a company like AFLAC based here.   

Is a real estate designation worth anything to a Realtor or their clients?     Many just call it alphabet soup.     I for one believe that national designations are worth a lot.   Why?  Because the agent took the time to become better educated in his or her field.   GRI or CRS classes are tough, expensive, and time consuming.   An agent willing to go through the classes is an agent who is dedicated. 

I want my REALTOR  to be dedicated!                                     

Additionally during this process they learn from some of the best real estate teachers in the country - so they pick up things that other agents never have the opportunity to learn.  These agents are going to be educated about contracts, legal matters, inspectons and even negotiating…

One of my favorite places to hang out in Columbus is the downtown area.   The city saw fit to do city scapes in the downtown area.   This along with the preservation of the old mills and foundries along the river make for a relaxing and beautiful area to eat outside or enjoy a beverage with friends.   Columbus has done a really good job of preserving the historic district as well! 

All kinds of special events are planned downtown as well like: outdoor concerts, art displays and family outings. 

There is even an internet "cloud" downtown so you can sit outside and work from you laptop if you don't have time to play! 

These are just some the Top 10 reasons to live and work in Columbus GA…