Apartments are also in high demand in our area as the military come into Fort Benning. A high percentage of the new troops are choosing to rent the first year creating a huge demand pressure on local apartment complexes, condos, townhomes, and regular residential rental homes. Investors have tremendous opportunities in our area especially if you happen to be “cash flush”.

Our local Keller Williams office has added a commercial Real Estate office to meet the demand in our area. We would love to talk to you about the opportunities in our area and connect you with our commercial department.

Our team has committed to stopping foreclosures by helping sellers through the difficult process of a short sale. Toward this end one of our team members Richie Eubanks has earned the CDPE designation. This gives us access to all the forms and proper paperwork to complete a short sale. As well as a plan to complete!

Roadmap to completing the Short Sale

1) Evaluating the clients situation and time frame.

2) Gathering all the paperwork neccessary to get the process started with the bank.

3) Submitting the paperwork to the proper people within the banking system.

4) Pricing the home to sell but in such a way that it is acceptable to the bank.

5) Aggressively moving the price until we have a contract.

6) Communicating with the bank and supplying the documentation to support the sale.

7) Working with the buyers to keep them on board while we complete the sale.

8) Getting everyone and all the paperwork to the closing table.

Short Sales are difficult but can be done!

It takes a professional to navigate the bumps and turns in a short sale. Let our team help you avoid foreclosure!!

If you are military and have been recently deployed you may still be able to take advantage of the First Time Home Buyer Tax credit. When the tax credit was extended to April 30th 2010 a military extension was included for armed forces personnel who have been deployed more than 90 days.

The "military extension" is also available for move up buyers who have owned their previous home more than 5 years and want to sell and buy another home. The move up credit is $6500.

This is exciting news for Fort Benning as the interest rates are fantastic (in the 5% range) and prices of homes have been rolled back to years past. First time home buyers are in "drivers seat" - especially those in the military who have these extra incentives. I think everyone is glad this has been provided for our military personnel who have been deployed to defend our country overseas.

It is always wise to consult your tax professional to determine if these incentives are available in your situation but is is awesome news for those who do qualify! An exellent article outlining the tax credit provision is located here.

A case in point was reported by the Ledger-Enquirer on Wednesday as they reported that Bill Heard Jr's home is scheduled for sale on the Courthouse steps on January 6th. Columbus GA based Bill Heard Enterprises was the largest Chevrolet dealer in the US at one time with 14 dealerships across the country.

The luxury estate on Lake Oliver is listed in the Columbus MLS for $18 million dollars. Located in prestigous Green Island Hills the 28,000 sq. ft estate is quite an impressive home.

Columbus seems to have more positive economic news than much of the country but we are obviously not immune to this recession and many in Columbus have had a really hard time including some of the wealthiest individuals in the area.

1st ) We realize we need to be online

2nd) We hire a website company to build our site - we are excited about the new launch of our basic template site (we want to be online but we don't want to spend too much money).

3rd) We start reading and working on our site and add new features to enhance our site.

4th) We realize that our site will not do all we want it to - much less rank on Google.

5th) We get a much better website but maybe stay with a template like an REW standard template.

6th) Now that we have a search engine friendly website and learn some skills - our website begins to rank and we see what could be possible on the web. Now we are excited and long to have a powerful Custom Website like a Homes in Greenville site.

7th) We agonize over spending the money to build something like the kind of site we really want. What will be the cost over-runs? What if I spend all that money and the site doesn't produce? What do I really want in a site when it is finished?

8th) We see the opportunity with something like the LEC2 that incorporates most of what we want and is put together by arguably the top Real Estate Website developer in the country and is already built - overcoming the worries about cost over-runs.

9th) GO FOR IT!

10th) I am very excited about the new design and all the features it offers to my clients like: Mulitiple Search Options, Easy to Organize, Online Tools, etc.

I want to thank Morgan, Jamie and Michael for helping me launch my site and for giving me the tools to create an online destination for my clients . I think you have built an awesome site that will carry me a long ways. I am sure this is not the end of the journey though. As the online world evolves it will be fun to try to keep up and make the necessary adjustments to continue to be successful as an online Realtor. As with other things in life - the journey is half the fun!

Buy low and sell high is the mantra of a great investor. Now is the time to buy low in the Real Estate market. It also is the time to buy low and then hold until prices recover. We think that if you invest in Real Estate now you will have tremendous payoffs in the not too distant future. So in a nutshell here is my strategy for Real Estate investment now.

1) Buy distressed properties now

2) Make any repairs that are needed to maintain the property like a new roof, paint , rotten wood, etc.

3) Rent the property until prices have recovered.

4) Make any upgrades that will enhance the sale of the property.

5) Sell the property when the market is up.

This is especially true for the Columbus Ga area as we have a lot of strong economic news on the horizon with the build up at Fort Benning and the expansion of several businesses in our area.

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) Nature of the offer was thoroughly understoood and communicated

We typically get almost all Very Satisfied for responses with the occasional Satisfied and lots of written in positive responses

On many occasions we made an offer that was competing with another REALTOR's offer and although the offers were equal - ours was accepted because the other REALTOR knew that we would follow up and get the sale closed. Much of our job involves people skills and the ablility to work well with others. Opposing Realtors have to be able to find solutions that work for both clients. I think the qualities above are many of what makes a good REALTOR all around.

There are many factors in the consideration of an offer and whether the opposing Realtor is someone you can trust and work with is one of the factors. It is not all about price because if the sale does not close - then price really doesn't matter!

I actually study negotiation tactics and practice them every day but this is only one facet. Once the home is under contract - collaboration is the key!

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!

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 professional Realtor negotiates a lot of contracts we can protect your interests and we are good at it. We can also negotiate the items that will help you the most like closing costs, home warranties, inspections, etc. In addition we know the other professionals in the area and can recommend people like mortgage professionals who will help you get the best terms and interest rates.

Get Pre-Approved for a Mortgage!

Sometimes people put this part off because they are afraid of the answer they may get. Swallow your fear and get the pre-approval! If the worst thing happens and they can't approve you - chances are they will be able to tell you the steps you need to take to buy a home 6 months from now. Most of the time you will get approved and you will be on your way to buying a home. A pre-approval helps you 2 ways:

1st) You will be a stronger buyer because the seller knows you have the money to buy his house. This will make us stronger negotiators and we will get a better deal!

2nd) It will give you a ceiling amount that you qualify for and we will know not to look at houses above that ceiling.

Look at homes online!

Looking at the homes online will give you a feel for the types of homes in particular areas and the prices. On a good Realtor website you will also be able to compare schools, map properties, and gather other info that is important in your search. Be aware:

1) Homes will not look the same in person that they do online - some worse - some better - but definitely different.

2) Listen to the guideance you are receiving from your Realtor and Mortgage person - they do this everyday!

Physically begin to Search for Homes with your Realtor

Now that you have an idea of the homes you want to see - set an appointment to look at homes with your Realtor. You will probably find a home quicker than you think. There will only be so many homes that fit your price range and other criteria so it is simply a matter of choosing the home that fits you out of this group. As you physically look at homes this will probably become clear pretty quick.

Write an offer!

When you find the home that fits you - write an offer! We can help you draw that up by pulling up the comparables in the area and using our experience with the"feel" of the market we can make an offer that is a good deal for you and protects you from making the wrong move. We will write things into the offer like being able to do inspecitons, warranties, and protecting your earnest money. A good Realtor will be able to protect your interests while helping you buy the home you want.

What if something is wrong with the house?

Remember we negotiated in the contract a time for "due diligence" so that we can inspect the home. We will hire a whole house inspector. He will check the roof and foundation, air conditioning, heat, and all appliances. He will run every faucet and flush every toilet. We will get a report and ask for any concerns we have to be fixed. We will also check for termites, shore up our financing, and have an appraisal done. If any of this turns out to be a problem that cannot be solved we will have the right to walk away and go find another home.

Negotiate the Contract

If we make a good offer sometimes it will be accepted right away but many times we will need to negotiate. Listen to your Realtor in this. My wife and I negotiate about 75 contracts per year. We have a lot of experience and in addition we actually study negotiation tactics to become better negotiators.

Let us help you make a wise decision and a good investment!

We are under contract - Now What?