What is a BPO?

  A BPO or a Broker Price Opinion is similar to an appraisal but is not an official report by a licensed appraiser.  A BPO is sometimes be used by a mortgage company to bypass the cost of a full-blown appraisal report.  A BPO is done by a real estate broker (usually that has negotiated contracts in a certain area) and an opinion of value is determined to suggest the marketable value of a property.  In many cases a mortgage company will order a BPO (for a short sale) to determine if the mortgage amount is less than the marketable value.  Many people believe that BPO’s will soon replace appraisals.

  Traditionally, an appraiser gets the offer to purchase contract when an appr...

Top Neighborhoods in Columbia SC

Looking for a new home in Columbia SC?  Here is a list that I compiled of some great neighborhoods in the Columbia SC.  Most of them are in the urban areas but a few are outside the City of Columbia. (Also, this Columbia Neighborhood Guide may also help. It's an ongoing project for us.)

Urban Neighborhoods

Melrose Heights – Located downtown between Millwood and Gervais.  These homes are mostly bungalows that were built in the mid 20th century.

Cottontown- a neighborhood in the heart of downtown Columbia with some historic homes, bungalows and traditional homes.  Cottontown is flanked by Bull Street, N. Main, and Elmwood Avenue.  It’s close to just about ever...

All about Clemson Road

  Clemson Road is a main thoroughfare through the Northeast Columbia region, which is commonly referred to as “The Northeast”.  The Northeast is primarily enclosed within Hwy 321 or I-77 (running North and South) on the West, and I-20 (running East and West) on the Southern side.  Our Columbia MLS system distinguishes this area as Area 4.  Clemson Road is the main thoroughfare between these two highways and with the fairly recent Clemson Road extension you can travel directly from I-20 to I-77 without making any turns.   From I-77 you will notice that Clemson Road is referred to as Killian Road.  This is because Killian Road was rerouted into Clemson Road.

  Clemson...

Looking for new windows?

  Windows can offer a variety of different functions, styles and forms.  With all of the tax credit incentives now may be a good time to take advantage of upgrades for your home.  Below are a few things that you may want to know about windows.

First you may want to research the Federal Tax Credit incentives for new doors and windows to see if  you are eligible to get up to 30% tax credit.  This will come in handy if you are buying a new home or rehabilitating an existing or historical home.  As always, you should also check with your tax advisor to confirm the latest requirements.

Types of windows

There are basically 4 types of windows. Double hung, sliding, fixed, ...

Winderemere Subdivision Blythewood South Carolina

The Windermere neighborhood is located in Longcreek Plantation in the Columbia Northeast area.  Homes for sale in Winderemere are mostly built with ‘southern home’ architectural features.  In Windermere you will find wooded lots, screened porches, swimming pools and wrought iron fences.  The majority, if not all, of the homes built in Windermere are of masonry construction.  Stucco and brick homes are popular in this neighborhood, but you may also find wood-sided homes scattered sparsely across the neighborhood.  Although we don’t have a copy of the restrictive covenants that state a square footage minimum,  Homes for sale in Windermere usu...

What the heck is a CLUE Report?

  A Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange Report, or a CLUE Report, is a voluntarily exchange of information between insurance companies revealing information about a customer and their trends.  In short, it is a way for an insurance company to identify the risk of taking on  a customer based on claims that were made in the past.  Typically, within the past 10 years.  As with most professions there are tools that are used to disclose your personal information.  Many mortgage companies use a beacon score, car dealerships use CARFAX and insurance companies use a CLUE Report.

  For instance, I have a tree in my yard that got struck by lightning.  I called m...

Twitter Users | What is Tweetmeme?

  Millions of people have started using social media sites such as “Twitter”.  Twitter users have discovered the power of simplicity by conveying a message in 140 characters or less.  Twitter may seem somewhat irrelevant and useless to those that underestimates its power, but others are embracing the social media trend.  The famous Hudson Bay plane landing in 2009 was initially reported by a Twitter user before national media giants took over.  This is proof that not only is it not only useful for entertainment, but also initiates a value of communication that brings everyday life into the living rooms of a worldwide audience.
 
  Twitter seems to be the ...

Adesso Condominiums | 601 Main Street Columbia SC

  Adesso Condominiums is a 110 Unit building located in the heart of Columbia SC on the Corner of Main Street and Blossom Street.  This 6 story luxury building was featured in the Tour of Homes for 2010 for its luxurious appearance and features.  In each unit you should notice hardwood floors, granite countertops with an undermount sink, laundry connections, 10 foot ceilings with crown molding and a solid all wood entry door.  The free-standing Adesso building also has amenities that include an outdoor pool, modern fitness center with high-end equipment,  a common area lounge on each floor off the elevator, retail space on the street leve...

What is the difference between a slab, crawl space and basement?

There are 3 basic types of foundations;  A slab, a crawl space, and a basement.

  A slab is usually the most affordable type of foundation when building a new home.  A slab sits directly on top of the final grade of your land.  There is no space between the earth and the lower level floor of your home.  With a slab, most of your “rough-in” plumbing is non-accessible from below and you must chisel into the concrete floor to do any repairs if necessary.  It sounds a little scary, but a good plumber can handle this task with ease.  Also, the electrical and HVAC will be run through the walls and ceiling/attic space unlike a craw...

What is included in my Closing Costs?

  Closing costs are the costs for you to settle your sale or purchase in a real estate transaction.  You should always check with your agent or closing attorney to get an estimated amount but here is a list of a few costs to expect.

Attorney fees (Deed preparation, deed stamps, recording fees and courier fees)
Escrow fees (such as taxes and insurance for a given amount of time)
Home owners association (or HOA fees)
Initiation fees for community club memberships (such as a golf course or Lake Association)
Loan Origination fees (illustrated on the ‘Truth in Lending’ statement with your loan application)
Mortgage insurance
Flood insurance
Title search
Title poli...

What is Earnest Money?

  Earnest money is a deposit, or money that is held by the real estate agency with the submission of an offer to purchase in a real estate transaction.   Earnest money is used to demonstrate the seriousness of the purchaser, as good faith, when buying a property.

  A South Carolina real estate agency is required to deposit an earnest money check within 48 hours of acceptance of an offer.  Earnest money is held in a 3rd party account and should never be commingled with operating expenses for the company.  Real estate agencies take this VERY seriously and your money is well documented to protect both the buyer and seller. When a payment is made with cash it will be ...

The Who, What, When and Why of a Home Energy Audit… 

      It is possible that someone you know has had a home energy audit, or perhaps you’ve heard of recent proposed legislation geared at energy efficiency upgrades (see Homestar or “cash for caulkers”) or the long standing Energy Star Tax credit.  In light of this new trend, you might be asking yourself the who, what, when, and whys of home energy auditing.  Here, we address those questions in an attempt to debunk any myths and shed light into the growing process.  

Who should I hire? There are two primary certifying bodies or agencies for residential energy audits: RESNET (Residential Energy Services Network) and the Bui...

Down Payment Assistance for Teachers, Police Officers, EMS, Correctional, and Firefighter

The State Housing Finance and Development Authority has announced an allotment of about $40 million to assist teachers, police officers, fire fighters, and first responders with buying a home. This program, known as Palmetto Heroes, will offer down payment assistance and/or low interest mortgages to first time buyers that are either; teachers, firefighters, police officers, correctional officers, and EMS workers who fall within specific income criteria.

Buyers will apply for this product as they would any home mortgage, but the funding for the loans will come from bonds the SC State Housing has liqui...

A neighborhood description of Longcreek Plantation

  Longcreek Plantation is a subdivision in the Columbia Northeast area called Blythewood.  Longcreek Plantation, known to locals as “Longcreek”, offers multiple neighborhoods with different home styles, features, and lot sizes.  Many of the homes for sale in Longcreek Plantation, Blythewood offer 1-4 acre homesites with resort style amenities such as golf, swimming, horseback riding, fishing and tennis within the community. Longcreek Plantation’s neighborhoods began to develop in the mid-1970’s with a central focal point of Lake Columbia.  Lake Columbia, also called Lake Windermere, splits Windemere Golf Course and the Columbia Country C...

Sync Between Computers with Dropbox

  Looking for additional free online backup space or wanting to sync your files between your laptop, desktop and iPhone?  I’ve told you how to use the free photo storage with Google’s Picasa program and now you can do the same for your important documents with Dropbox.  With Dropbox you can share files between all of your computers with a quick and simple software download/install.  Get it now for free

Financing Options to Invest in Land in South Carolina

Why to consider buying land now

It seems that everyone is waiting for the infamous “Real Estate Crisis” to end before they jump into an investment.  But land is plentiful and there are all kinds of investment opportunities waiting.  It’s evident that the banks are a little skeptical about lending money but there are other avenues to explore when looking for cheap land for sale in South Carolina.

Lots for Sale in South Carolina

Residential developers in South Carolina are working to unload inventory so that they can move into other projects.  While financial institutions are not lending there are other opportunities for owner financ...

Recycling Metal in Columbia SC

After a few months of collecting aluminum cans and miscellaneous metal parts I decided to cash in my collection.  I knew not to expect a fortune from my goods but in my mind I was not only picking up a few bucks but saving space in our over-stuffed landfills.  I had about 16 pounds of cans, a few brass fittings and copper tubing from a plumbing job and some torn up real estate signs that were not salvageable for marketing purposes.  I went to a recycling center to find that my scraps were worth slightly over $20.00.  Shockingly, my aluminum cans were worth only $.50/lb. and the other junk that I just happened to toss into the barrel were worth over $12.00…a...

Determining Closing Costs as a Seller

Determining closing costs for a seller in a real estate transaction is pretty simple.  We sell an abundance of raw land in South Carolina so the closing costs are much easier to figure out. Mainly, because utility bills and insurance aren’t included in the transaction.  Probably the most confusing variable is the property tax.

Taxes. In South Carolina, it is customary for the seller pays the buyer for the prorated taxes and in return the buyer is responsible for the entire bill at the end of the year.  In other words, if your annual tax bill is $365 per year and you close on January 5th (the 5th day of the year) then you, as the seller, will pay the b...

Walkscore Addition | Columbia SC Real Estate Research

We've just added Walkscore to our Columbia real estate listing search.  Walkscore will give you some information about the location of homes for sale in Columbia and what vendors you may find nearby.  It is an excellent tool if you are unfamiliar with the neighborhoods in Columbia SC or want to know more about shopping, dining, and attractions in Columbia.  Simply view a listing and Walkscore will automatically key in the street address with distances to different businesses.  This will be very helpful if you decide to move to The Vista, Downtown Columbia, Shandon, or other areas around the city of Columbia, Blythewood, Irmo, or anywh...

Origination of Street Names in Columbia SC

Ever wonder what the street names mean throughout the City of Columbia?  Many of the streets were named for either the American Revolution heroes or influential contributors to the State’s economy.

The streets running north and south were mostly comprised for Generals and Officers in the American Revolution, which were heroic figures for the State of South Carolina.  For instance, Sumter Street was named after General Thomas Sumter, Marion Street was named for General Francis Marion “The Swamp Fox”, and Bull Street was named after General Stephen Bull.  However, there are exceptions such as Assembly Street, which was named for the General Assembl...