Number of Active Listings: 844
Number of sales during this period: 10
Average Sales Price: $232,438
Percentage of Asking Price Obtained: 98.3%
The Average Time on the Market: 71 days
Time needed sell current inventory at current rate: 84.4 weeks or 19.7 months

Homes Sold in Effingham County:

Number of Active Listings: 884
Number of sales during this period: 10
Average Sales Price: $208,417
Percentage of Asking Price Obtained: 99.4%
The Average Time on the Market: 184 days
Time needed sell current inventory at current rate: 88.4 weeks or 20.6 months

Homes Sold in Chatham County (Pooler, Port Wentworth, Garden City, and parts of Bloomingdale and Savannah Real Estate):

Technorati Tags: Bloomingdale, Port Wentworth, Savannah GA

I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. For all those with loved ones over seas, it was another holiday missed. Memorial Day was a day to remember all those who fought and died. It is also a special day to show all the soldiers how much we appreciate their service.

Because of Memorial Day and the kids getting out of school, I have not gotten to do my weekly report. I will do those posts tomorrow. Thank you all for stopping by. I am sorry that I did not get them done tonight. Again if there is something you would like to see or read, feel free to contact and tell me. I am here to help you in any way I can.

Technorati Tags: Local Events

Finally after numerous showings and open houses, you receive word that there is an offer coming in. Your agent calls you and either meets with you or gives you the details over the phone. There are so many items, it can be overwhelming. And while an offer may be less than you are asking, it may make up for it in other areas. We sure to listen to the whole offer. No matter how low or unreasonable, it may be in your best interests to counter and not just out right reject it. This is definitely the case in today’s buyer’s market. In a seller’s market, the best solution may be the rejection.

The offer is not what you were expecting or hoping for, so you decide to counter off. It’s time for the negotiations to begin. Buyers today are looking for the best deal possible. Their are plenty of homes to choose from and they are comparing them all. Try to remember that this is a business deal and not a personal attack. Decide what are the most important factors for you and your family. Once you have decided, work on getting those. If timing is important, increase or decrease the time to close. If price is a factor, counter at full price but allow them the other things they may have asked for. It is important to maintain your calm and think in terms of numbers.


After a while (a may be several counter offers), you have finally come to terms with the buyers. The next 30 days (more or less) will be used for for inspections and getting ready for closing. It is the buyer’s responsibility to schedule and keep all inspection appointments. It’s the seller’s job to allow the inspectors access to the home as needed. Typical events are the home inspection, pest inspection, and the appraisal. Whether or not, you stay for those inspections are up to you. It is perfectly acceptable to be there during the inspections as long as you are not getting in the way or prohibiting the inspector to do his job. If the appraisal or inspections are not satisfactory, negotiations may begin again. However, the buyer may have and take the option to just walk away. Make sure you know what the terms are in your contract before you sign. Once the inspections and appraisal come back satisfactorily, the sale should go through without incident.

Number of Active Listings: 834
Number of sales during this period: 9
Average Sales Price: $216,610
Percentage of Asking Price Obtained: 97.5%
The Average Time on the Market: 115 days
Time needed sell current inventory at current rate: 92.7 weeks or 21.6 months

Effingham County (Cities including Rincon, Guyton, Springfield, etc.) Homes Sold:

Number of Active Listings: 880
Number of sales during this period: 15
Average Sales Price: $218,184
Percentage of Asking Price Obtained: 99.2%
The Average Time on the Market: 62 days
Time needed sell current inventory at current rate: 58.7 weeks or 13.7 months

Homes Sold in Chatham County (Pooler, Port Wentworth, Garden City, and parts of Bloomingdale and Savannah Real Estate):

Technorati Tags: Bloomingdale, Port Wentworth, Savannah GA

If you weren’t at the Pooler Centennial Celebration, you missed out on a good time. The kids had fun. The adults had a great time. The dunking booth was a hit. And the fireworks were phenomenal. So for all you that missed the celebration, I thought I would post some photos for you to enjoy.

This was the front of the parade coming down Rogers Street.

They not only participated in the parade, they shuttled people to their cars.

The most interesting vehicle in the parade.

The antique cars were awesome.

Some of the people waiting for the parade to return down Rogers Street.

A sample of the beautiful fireworks display to end the celebration.

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The phone rings. Someone wants to see your home. While you may be excited, it can also be quite stressful. Sometimes, you are asked to be out of the home in 30 minutes or less. When I was selling my home in Columbus, an agent and their clients never even called. They simply knocked on my door. Having four children, it’s hard to keep the house in “model” home condition. There will always be surprises. The key is to have all the main things done in the morning. Don’t forget the small things. I found it helpful to have a checklist on my refrigerator, so I wouldn’t forget. You may want to bake something before leaving the home to give it a more inviting aroma.


You’ve returned home. Your agent should be calling the other agent for feedback. Your phone rings and it’s your agent. Sometimes the feedback is good. Other times, well, it’s not so good. Try to remember that it’s not personal and is not something you should get offended over. Once you have a few people’s reviews, you will have a general idea of things that you can do to help your home sell. If all the people come through your house and say they love the home but the room colors are awful. You shouldn’t be offended. Your tastes are your own. Everyone is unique and have their own ideas. The feedback allows you to make changes and increase your odds of selling.


You’ve had a few scheduled showings and gotten some feedback. Should you do an open house? While it is true, the chances of selling your home during an open house is low. It does increase the number of people that see your home. Even if only the neighbors come, the open house is a success. Why? Your neighbors now have the chance of picking their neighbor. They may know someone moving or someone that’s been waiting for a house in that area. Even others who are not interested in your home, may know of someone that it. Whether or not to have an open house is completely up to you. The only down side is being out of your home for an extended period of time.

The next covered topics are the offer, negotiations, and closing.

So you’ve decided to sell your home. Did you know, that your reasons and motivations for selling your home can actually affect your outcome. People that are in no hurry to sell will typically overprice their home. Since they have no real reason to sell, they can wait for the “right” buyer. If you truly need or want to sell your home, you will carefully look at all market data and price your home accordingly. You will declutter your home and go the extra mile.


The first step in selling your home is to evaluate your motivations. Once you have decided what they are, you can proceed ahead. In this market, be sure to look at the most recent sold data. Also, I would suggest (if you are using a real estate agent) looking at the days on the market and any price reductions of those homes.


That brings us to pricing your home correctly. Unfortunately, homes are not selling as quickly or for as much as they were. I know it may be a hard fact to deal with. You shouldn’t think about what you could have gotten for your home in the past. The average time on the market is considerably higher than it has been. If you want to sell your home quickly and for the most money, you need to price it appropriately to start. If you start out overpriced, you lose the greatest amount of buyers. You can actually cost yourself money by overpricing. You say, I’ll lower the price in a couple of months if it doesn’t go well. What would happen if the market shifts and house prices drop slightly again? You will now have the correct listing price for when you started but not for the current market. Your real estate agent can assist you with pricing your home correctly at the start.


Now that you have the right price, is your home ready to be shown? It’s time to walk around your house either yourself, with your agent, or even a home stager. Try to see your home through a potential buyers eyes. Would a stranger like your colors? Can they see your counter tops or just your stuff? Is your furniture making your rooms seem smaller than they are? Once you have done your walk through, make a list of things that need to be stored, moved, or fixed. Then try to have them all done before your first showing.

Your First Showing, Feedback, and Holding an Open House will be covered tomorrow.

If you weren’t out celebrating your mothers this mother’s day, you may have caught the 60 minutes special about real estate agents. I thought I would take this opportunity to ask for your thoughts and feelings on the story. When you hear real estate agent or REALTOR®, what comes to mind? I want to hear your honest opinions, no matter what they are. I would also like for this blog to become a place that you can ask questions or comment freely and anonymously. Let the questions, comments, or opinions fly.