JL's Columbia SC Real Estate Blog: March 2009

 Conveniently located at the corner of Two Notch Road and Clemson Road in Northeast Columbia, The Village at Sandhill has arguably become Columbia's premiere shopping experience. No matter what your day of shopping has you in search of, you are sure to find it here. With tons of shops, stores, restaurants, and specialty shops, you are sure to find something for everyone.

 This roughly 300 acre outdoor mail is a main attraction to the rapidly developing area of Northeast Columbia. It is an ambitious project taken on by Kahn construction and has tons to offer and more to come. Whether you just want to walk and window shop, or take in dinner and a movie, you have come to the right place. I for one would say you are sure to be pleased with the time you spend here, and it is easy to spend the entire day without seeing everything there is to do.

 

                                                               

Department Stores

Belk

JCPenny

Men's Apparel

Jos. A. Bank Clothiers

Pendleton

Old Navy

T.J. Maxx

 

Family Apparel                             Specialty Food, Wines, Spirits                         Home and Home Improvement

Aeropostale                                 Absolute Spirits                                         Brighton Collectibles

American Eagle                                       Corked                                                     World Market

The children's Place                              Super Bi-Lo                                                Frame Warehouse

Gymboree                                           Athletic Goods                                                  hhgregg

Journeys                                               Golf ETC.                                                      Home depot

Justice                                            Plex Indoor Sports                                            Kirkland's Home

Lids                                                    Big Thursday                                                  Rooms-to-go

Rue 21                                              Specialty Shops                                                              Select Number

Strasburg Children                             Wild Birds Unlimited                                       Schumacher Homes

                                                                                                                  

    Jewelry/Accessories

           Claire's

         Handpicked

             Icing

            Reeds

           Sandler's

         Sunglass Hut

                                                               Sunglass Station

              Shoes                            Electronics/Entertainment/Fitness

         Lady Foot Locker                        AT&T/Cingular

      Liz Claiborne Shoes                      Gamestop

        Shoe Carnival                 My Gym Children's Fitness Center

          Stride Rite                               Sprint/ Nextel

         Stylish Shoes                                T-Mobile

                                                    Sandhill Cinema 16

 

  Health and Beauty                          Women's Apparel

Bath and Body Works                    Ann Taylor Loft

Famous Hair                                Carolina Couture

Lenscrafters                               Christopher & Banks

Portrait Innovations                       Coldwater Creek

Perfumania                                     Lane Bryant

Super Nails                               New York and Company

Ulta                                                 Pendleton

Ultra Tan                                           Talbots                                          Restuarants

Walgreens                                    Victoria's Secret                                Arizona's Steakhouse

Wisteria Aveda Spa Salon                    Wet Seal                                          Blue Fin

                                                Brixx Wood-Fired Pizza

                                                                        Cracker Barrel

                                                Five Guys Famous Burgers

                                                        Le Peep

                                                   Marble Slab Creamery

                                                    Moe's Southwest Grill

                                                   Nestle Tollhouse Cafe

                                                                                                                Panera Bread

                                                                                                                                                                 Red Bowl Asian Bistro

                                                 Red Robin Gourmet Burgers

                                                 Rita's Ice Custard Happiness

                                                             Starbucks

                                                       Starbucks (yes there's 2)

                                                            Village Bistro

                                                             Which Wich?

                                                                                                                  Wild Wing Cafe

 

      Personal and Business Services

                     AAA

          Air National Guard

         Army National Guard

                     BB&T

            Cartridge World

        Chamber of Commerce

               Edward Jones

           First Citizens Bank

         H. Ruben Vision Center

              Jackson Hewitt

            Learning Express

                Lenscrafters

          The Mutal Fund Store

                    NBSC

                Regions Bank

        Safe Federal Credit Union                                                  

                  Soho Hero

                Sylvan Learning

              State Farm Insurance

                   Wachovia

               Remax Real Estate

            The Promenade at Sandhill

 

 

   If it just so happens, that after all your shopping and running    around, that you feel like you don't want to go home, well then you really don't have to. You see the Village at Sandhill is a true live, work, and play atmosphere, right here in the heart of Norheast Columbia South Carolina. You too can call this home and have all the stores, shops, restuarants, and everything else this spot has to offer right out your front door.

 The Promenade at Sandhill offers luxury condos for sale or for lease. They come fully furnished, if so desired, and have all the amenities you would expect and want out of a new home in this grand setting. Hardwood floors and granite countertops or the norm and they are sure to please with all their standard upgrades. They start off at $189,000 and come in 1 to 3 bedroom plans. So the next time you're in the area, I highly reccomend you stop by the Village at Sandhill and see all it has to offer, who knows, you may never leave.

 

 

This message brought to you by www.jlboney.com.

 

 

 

 

  Nestled within the confines of The Village at Sandhill in Northeast Columbia, is one of my favorite local haunts. Corked is a small locally owned wine shop that offers a little bit of everything from the world of wine. Everything from gift baskets, to wine stoppers, even wine tastings which are a favorite amongst the regulars that I know.

 You don't have to be a wine expert to enjoy the friendly and laid back atmosphere of this fantastic establishment. I myself am a novice in the world of wine however, the stores owner, Kevin Niemann, and his years of experience always points me in the right direction. That in the end is more than worth the trip to Corked, as you always get friendly and professional advice from an expert who in my experience is always more than willing to give a hand.

 But in case you do want to become an expert yourself, their website has a calender of events that sometimes includes wine tasting classes. They are sure to beef up your wine vocabulary and offer a great education in the art of wine appreciation.

 If it just so happens that wine is not your thing, but you do like a good beer once and a while, well Corked has you covered there too. I myself find their specialty beers to be my personal favorite. They have a rotating stock of fine, high gravity beers from around the world. Several of them that I have had the pleasure of sampling are specialty beers that are sometimes very hard to find.

 They like the wine, range in price and I for one find the prices to be quite reasonable. I also find the selection to be much better than what you will find at the local pub or bar, however, Kevin usually has several of them chilled if you feel like you want to stick around for an adult beverage or two while at the shop. Though I do feel it important to mention as a public service announcement, I have found that these beers are a little stronger than your average beer from Publix, so try not to get too carried away all at once.

 Like the wine tastings, Corked also does the occasional beer tasting, and it's an excellent opportunity to broaden your horizons.

 

  So if you're looking for something to do on a Friday night or Saturday afternoon, I recommend that you head down to 661-3 Promenade Place between the fountain and Belk in the Village at Sandhills and give Corked a try. Wine tastings start at 6pm on Friday evenings and at 3pm on Saturday afternoon. However, if you just can't wait for another tasting to come around, Kevin is open from 11am to 9pm Monday through Saturday and I'm sure he would be more than happy to have you stop by for a visit. Who knows, you may see me there.

Visit their website at www.corkedwineshop.com or give them a call at 803-708-4755.

 

this message brought to you by www.jlboney.com.

 

 I don't know for the life of me how much stock anyone puts into reports they read on Yahoo, but if you haven't read the latest on about the recession, it's pretty optimistic. Financial experts are claiming that the recession should see an end by the end of the year. At this point, companies should begin adding jobs back to the market and unemployment should top out somewhere around 10%.

 There's even good news for the housing market, as the same experts say that the housing market should start to pick up as well. Home sales should start to pick up by midyear, and prices should start the road to recovery by the end of the year. Experts say that home prices will not recovery to the previous high during the housing boom we experienced in years past, but they will recover none the less.

 The fact of the matter is that now some experts are starting to change their tune and back away from the doom and gloom constantly reported throughout this ordeal. Some of them are now saying that there is a visible light at the end of the tunnel and are no longer proclaiming it to be a train as once believed. Whether or not it makes your day to read goods news, I for one think it's nice to read at least a little optimism from the "experts".

 In all honesty, even the experts can't completely predict what will happen in the future or what tomorrow will bring. But at the very least, they now expect positive changes to the economy to take affect within the next few months and that should at least sound like welcome news to all of us affected by the economic downturn. There are signs of improvement on the horizon.

 Lately I have seen a significant increase in the activity of the Columbia, SC real estate market, and I have spoken with others that are reporting the same. We were lucky enough not to be as deeply affected by the recession as some other parts of the Country, however, even we will be happy to get back to a more normal and balanced market. Consumer confidence is the key to watching this recession melt away and become a part of our past, and at the very least, there are many signs that confidence could be on the rise.

 To read the Article on Yahoo referred to in this post, please click here.

www.jlboney.com

  

 Since I joined the millions of other members on Facebook, I have reunited with friends that I haven't seen in years. I have also made new friends and found it as an excellent tool to stay in touch with people and dare I say it, yes have a little bit of fun in the process. One of the first things that struck my about Facebook, was the overwhelming amount of requests that I receive on daily basis. If you were to answer each and every request, I'm not sure that you would have much time in your day to do anything else, so unfortunately I do have to be a little selective when it comes to those things.

  So after participating for a while and building the amount of friends that I have there, I had to stop and take notice of just what types of requests I was receiving from everyone. A a closer glance I noticed that there was a lot to do with snowball fights, water balloons, and water guns. This lead me to wonder in all honesty if I and the other people on my friends list would be friends in real life if our Facebook requests became a part of our reality.

 Take this for example, you are walking down the street one day, minding your business when all of the sudden you are tagged in the side of the head with a giant water balloon filled with Tabasco. Then as you are taking the time to wipe the hot sauce from your eyes, you are pelted with three or four dirty snowballs that would no doubt knock you to the ground. And while you are lying on the ground trying to figure out just what the hell happened, someone runs up and sprays you with a supersoaker full of chocolate milk.

  You see it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye because of hot sauce or has a shirt ruined. This makes me wonder if these people really are my friends, or if they are trying to tell me something through the constant harassment that I endure on their behalf. I'm just saying that the majority of the activities that we engage in through those requests are exactly how not to make friends in real life. I should know, I once drove through my home town throwing water balloons out of my car at people walking down the sidewalk. At no point did any of them look like they wanted to be my friend.

  So from now on, I think I may just stick to the drinking requests. After all, buying someone a beer is an excellent way to make a friend. However, throwing that same beer at the person you are trying to make friends with, not so much. It would likely result in some type of bar fight that would really be no good for anyone involved. So the next time you're on Facebook and thinking about answering a request, stop and ask yourself, are these people really my friends?

 I know a lot of agents that forgo making an appearance at the inspections of properties that they sell or list. When they sell a home, they open the door, hand the inspector a check and go on about their business. I have only had one listing agent come to a home inspection when I represented the buyers. I guess it's really just a matter of opinion on whether a Realtor feels that they should be there or not during this process.

 I for one go to each and every home inspection on deals that I am involved in, whether I am the listing or the selling agent. When I represent sellers, I always ask them to be present for the inspection so they can see what the inspector does and ask questions if they would like to. Of course I tell them not to harass the poor inspector and let them do their job, but I have yet to run across one that has not been more than happy to answer questions for my clients when the inspection is taking place.

 When I am the listing agent and another agent sells the home, I ask that the agent notify me when all inspections are taking place. I have had a few that seem surprised when I show up and I have been there for a few that the selling agent did not show up and just sent their clients. I always feel like I owe it to me clients to be present during every step of the process from contract to closing and these inspections are a part of that process.

 In the end I guess to each his own, but my clients seem to be very happy that I am available and present. This is not an effort to say that agents should or should not be present, just a curiosity on my part as to how others feel about the situation. As for me, I have always been there, and I intend to always be there. Like I said, for me I just feel like I owe it to my clients.

 

www.jlboney.com

 It's a question that I inevitably get from interested buyers on listing. It seems like a simple and innocent question that is done completely out of curiosity, and I can't really blame anyone for asking. However it is a difficult question to answer from time to time depending on the situation and what the answer really is and in the end the only thing that matters all that much is the fact that the seller wants to sell their house.

 There can be an endless amount of reasons for why a seller wishes to sell a house. They could be upgrading and moving on to a bigger house or a newer house. They could have possibly outgrown their current confines for any number of reasons and another home would fit their needs better. They could be doing the exact opposite and no longer need all the room they currently have and want to downgrade. Age may be a factor and they can no longer take care of the home and feel that another would be more appropriate for them in this stage of their life.

 Maybe they have taken an out of town job and need to relocate. This happens a great deal and I live in a military town, so people are always being shipped in and out from base to base. These are all perfectly normal reasons for selling a home and these days it's all too common that a seller may have lost their job or had a rate adjustment and can no longer afford to remain in the home

 I also once had a situation where the seller found out that his wife had been having a 6 month affair with the contractor that was remodeling their house, and the divorce at hand caused them to sell. Situations like these are where the question becomes a little more difficult to answer, because it's not my place to spread anyones business around when they are already having a difficult time. The only thing I ever really say is that the seller wants to sell. That's why they are selling and in all honesty, no matter the underlying reason for their decision that's always why they are doing it. They either want to or they need to and that's the long and short of the situation.

 Realtors aren't always being vague simply because they want to avoid the question. Once and a while, they simply can not say due to the confidential nature of an agency agreement. In the end their reason for living really shouldn't change a thing. If you want to buy the house and it's listed, then they obviously want to sell the house, that's why it's listed and that's really all the matters for the most part. So don't take it personal when we don't give a long drawn out answer as to why a seller is selling, sometimes it's just uncalled for, for us to do so.

 

www.jlboney.com

 I would have to say that in general, when it comes to social situations, I am not a typically socially awkward person. I tend not to over react to outside stimulus and even though most of the time I would rather just be left alone, I am not at all uncomfortable in public or around a lot of people. I really don't even mind public speaking, but I really don't have to do such a thing all that often.

 For the most part, I seem to run through the paces of dealing with people pretty seamlessly. However, lately I have noticed a particular form of missed communication, or mistaken identity if you will, that has been happening to me with increasing regularity. It's one of those things that just strikes when I least expect it and I just never see it coming. Though this problem has begun to land in my lap time and time again and frankly I'm starting to feel a little strange about it.

 Have you ever had that moment where you look up in a crowded room and there is someone looking right at you waving. A big, friendly smile on their face that seems so inviting and just begs for your recognition and attention. You don't really seem to know the person and you remember a lot of parties here lately, so you can't really rule out that you might have spoken with this person at some point. You don't want to seem like a real jerk by not even acknowledging them, after all they seem so happy to see you. In that split second you try your best to figure out how and why this person is waving frantically and walking in your direction while looking right at you, but for the life of you nothing comes to mind. So, you simply give a little wave back and smile as you realize that someone else just over your shoulder entered the picture with that same happy look and frantic wave.

 And all at once you say to yourself "jackass, not again!", but it's far too late, because your cursed hand is already in the air betraying you once more. You pull your hand back down as fast as you can and you are satisfied that no one has paid the least bit of attention, but you can already see the now strange look on the face of the original frantic waver. That strange look that's a dead give away you didn't pull that hand back fast enough and they are now very confused as to what your problem is and why you're waving too. Thankfully, the awkward stare never lasts long as they unite with their real friend and scurry away from you before you run over for a group hug to complete the task of proving what a freak you really are and lend credence to their suspicions.

  Yes, this has been happening to me pretty frequently here lately and I am starting to wonder if the stars are aligned against me. Am I not living right? I have become completely gun shy about waving now, even to people that I actually know. When my wife waves to me in our home, I suddenly start to look all around me as if she may just be happy to see the dog or something. I have seriously developed a complex, and unfortunately I see no end in sight for this madness which has consumed my life at the moment. So consider this a public service announcement, no matter how preoccupied you happen to be at any given moment, always look around carefully before waving to strangers. The pride you save may be your very own.

 Do you notice the overwhelming amount of super hero movies blowing up the box office over the past few years? Spider Man had three movies, there have been countless Batman movies that last of course was the Dark Knight. The new Superman movie, Fantastic 4, The X-Men, now The Watchmen and I am sure that I have missed quite a few and that there are many more to come as long as they are making money.

 I have nothing against comics and nothing against super hero movies, I myself have actually seen the majority of these and I even went with friends to see The Watchmen this weekend. I just can't help but notice how many of them have been flying off the shelf here lately and how many more are advertised to come. The Dark Knight of course is the second highest grossing movie of all time and it seems that each of these super hero movies breaks the opening weekend record for ticket sales. Even in this economy where there are so many people that apparently should not have the money to spend, these films are still commanding record numbers in ticket sales all across the nation.

 Well, I understand exactly why producers continue to create these films, they will continue to do so as long as they are making money off them. But why are they making such a huge profit off of the countless numbers of hero movies? Why are people so drawn to this phenomenon, and why are they so willing to make each one a larger success than the last? Is it because in this world, we no longer have true heroes? Or is it that our view of heroes is so obscured, that we are desperately trying to find anything to believe in, even if we know it's just a fantasy?

 We have always placed professional athletes and movie stars or musicians on a pedestal, and the world has always looked up to them. Especially the youth of the world that dreamed they would one day be like these "role models" when they grew up. Who hasn't sang their favorite song at the top of their lungs pretending that they were live in concert with thousands of adoring fans? Hell sometimes I still do, because we all have to dream. But what happens when the dream is faced with the harsh reality of the world around us and we start to see our heroes exposed for the flawed humans they really are?

 We have football players that go to prison for dog fighting, movie stars overdosing on drugs, musicians have always done the same and then write songs about rehab. Steroid allegations and admissions flying left and right throughout the world of sports and the children are watching the entire time. Singers in court for beating their girlfriends or wives and the list could go on forever. So what are the chances that this world with all it's bad news and misguided views of what a hero really is, has created a perfect storm for the producers who give us two hours worth of all the heroes we can handle for the bargain basement price of $12 a ticket and a $400 bag of popcorn.

 There is no doubt about it in my mind, this world is starved for a hero. With all the problems of the world today and all of the troubles the average person faces, the world wants the ability to forget their issues and find something to believe in. I don't think that people believe that Batman will jump from the screen and solve all the world's wrongs, but for a few hours they would certainly like to pretend. We all have to hope and dream and sometimes pretending is a large part of this whole process. But, this is just my take on things and I have been wrong before.

 

www.jlboney.com

 Now that it is time to once again reset the clocks and enjoy longer days of daylight, the grass is starting to green in certain areas and soon the flowers will start to awake from their Winter slumber. We all know that Spring is just around the corner and we can sense the delight that it will bring by thawing the frost and making the world look new again. Mother nature is ready and you should be too.

 Now is the time to start the arguous and preparing fa the months ahead in order to embrace the bounty that they bring. The typical real estate season starts in the Spring and more buyers will embark on their journey to become home owners and more sellers will begin their task of listing their current home in an effort to up or downsize depending on their needs. The Spring brings with it the new sales season and we have to be ready to strike out and stack our claim of the bounty that it presents and the opportunities it will provide to grow our business.

 Time to check all those flier boxes and be sure they are ready for the drive by traffic. Info boxes are always a great way to gain exposure and some people are far more likely to pick up a flier containing information about a property than they are to call the listing agent. So make sure that those info boxes are stocked to capacity for all the world to see and pick up to learn more about the available home and you. There are tons of software programs right at your fingertips on the Internet that will provide you with sleek, professional, and stunning fliers to use in your advertising.

 Make sure your listings look their best. We all know the importance of presenting a clean, well staged, and well priced home to the buyers in our markets. But with Spring upon us again pay attention to the outside of your listings. It is obviously the first thing that everyone sees when driving by or driving up and you want the outside to make a strong impression. A clean cut, well maintained, and well landscaped outside will make buyers want to see the inside that much more. It can and does instill excitement in people, so don't overlook it. Get those leaves raked and put out some fresh mulch or pine straw. If the landscaping is top notch, it will pay off.

 Update those MLS photos for your properties. If you listed a home in December and there were dead leaves on the tress and a foot of snow on the ground, it may be time to take a new picture of the outside. When Spring rolls around and the trees are green and the snow has melted, people don't expect to see the old photo from the dead of Winter. Those old pictures can also date how long a home has been on the market and may create a curiosity in buyers as to why it has not sold yet. It can also lead the buyer to believe that the seller may be a little desperate do to the fact that it has been listed so long and may promote low ball offers from a buyer looking to get a deal. And in the end aren't they all? So go take some better pictures and load them up.

 Dust off those open house signs. I do open houses year round, but I know a lot of agents that lay off during the Winter and start back during peak season. Well, it's time to start getting back in the groove and opening up those listings on the weekend for all the world to see. Stock up on your cookie dough, again the fliers for the home for sale, and get ready to put out a ton of directional signs driving traffic to your listings. They can be an excellent form of prospecting and you never know when the right person might walk through the door and make an offer. So take every opportunity to make your listings available to the public. Take your laptop with you and if you have a wireless card, then you can multitask while at the open house and never skip a beat in your Internet advertising and updating your blog.

  Ready or not, here it comes. We would all be well served if we went through the trouble of making these simple preparations for the months ahead. Time waits for no one, and the time to take advantage of Spring is here for us and we need to seize the opportunity and get back in the swing of things if we want to be successful.

 From time to time I read posts and am involved in conversations with people about old school real estate tactics and the new school approach of using the Internet. If you noticed, I said conversations up there and I mean just that, not a text, at tweet, a blog, or an update on Facebook, but an actual live conversation with an individual standing in front of me. The fact of the matter is that this is still a people business and relationships are still a large key to your success within it.

 I am a firm supporter of the new school approach of using technology, the Internet, and all it has to offer as a means to spread my message and garner business for it. I participate heavily in several forms of social media, I have 5 blogs that I keep up with and update regularly, and my website is my main source of business. I believe that in today's world of sharing information and transparency that you are doing yourself a great disservice if you are not attempting to ave a strong Internet presence. More and more people start with Google when they want to look for anything and that includes a Realtor and their new home. If they don't find you there, then you run the serious risk of them never finding you at all.

 However, there are some tried and true methods that were around before the glorious information age that can and do still work when done right. Farming an area or areas is one. Direct mail when done right can have it's rewards as well, but there are few things that replace good old fashioned relationship building as a way to succeed in this business. I know actually having a conversation with people is going further and further out of style, but consider the fact that once your blog or your website generates a lead then eventually you will have to speak to another human.

 You may have excellent SEO skills, and I for one think that is extremely important, but if you have horrible people skills you will suffer for it. It is still about people, and your ability to get along with them and help them in their real estate endeavors. The people are still the single most important component to real estate and that hasnot changed since the invention of real estate itself. They will always be the most important part, as they are the people that you will help and in the end, regardless of your SEO ability, they will make the decision on who they will and will not work with.

 I make a concentrated effort to balance my efforts to create business through the use of both new technology as well as old fashioned approaches. It is just as easy to see me passing out fliers and walking a community as it is the see me working on my website and writingmy next blog. It's not always about the latest and the greatest that turns out to all too often simply be a flash in the pan and gone idea. It's pure and simple about what works, and if some of the old school techniques still work, then they are just as relevant to today's business as they were when they were first conceived. So keep blogging, keep working diligently on your websites, and keep pressing forward toward what ever else the future has to offer that we can embrace. But remember, there are a lot of older techniques that still work well and they are well worth the time and effort it takes to explore them.