My birthday was yesterday.  I am grateful to see another year.  2021 kicked my butt on several levels:

1) I had covid and lost the entire month of September

2) Because I had covid, my hair is falling out.  I did not know I was vain about my hair but I have discovered I am.

3) Because of Covid I did not get a vacation last year, I did not go to any concerts or fun events and I did not mingle with friends and family like I would have liked to.

But on the other side of the coin, I have aged to a new level. I appreciate simple things more:

1) Business was great, one of the best years I have ever had.  Lots of people sitting online reading about real estate and getting advice on how good ...

Each decade of new house construction increased until we got to 2010-2019. This article is based on the numbers in the Statista Research Department report dated 11/6/2020.

From 1900 -1909 there were 5.3 million homes built,

 1910-1919 - 4.3 million 

1920 - 1929--9.23 Million, post-WWI Era

1930-1939--5.42-This was the era of the great depression,

1940-1949-9.5 million,

1950-1959-21.38 million, Post WWII Era

1960-1969-20.21 million,

1970-1979-25.8 million,

1980-1989-25.1 million

1990-1999-26.6 Million

2000-2009-27.0 Million

2010-2019-5.8 Million  

We are not having a boom, we are just trying to catch up with the need for housing that was not addressed in the last decade.  I exp...

Over the last 4 weeks, I have posted 4 blogs to the Active Rain Realtor networking platform.

This was a challenge issued by one of the Ambassadors for Active Rain. I have completed my challenge and wanted to share the posts with you. 

Installment #1Thankful for where I live
Installment #2 Family Traditions
Installment #3 My Greatest Blessing, Henry
Installment #4 The freedom to travel

Enjoy, and Happy Thanksgiving to you, and yours.

Each month we throw the dart and go to the spot it hits.  This month the dart hole was bigger than the place we were going to.  Lakemont Ga is a tiny stop in the road just off 441.  There are 5 old storefronts, all but one were closed on Saturday.  Makes you wonder when they are open.

We made our way to The Open Door at Alley's Ol' store.  Quite a mouthful.  Were we surprised?  Quaint, charming and well worth the drive.  We left 441 just below the end of Clayton city proper and went over a winding road to Old 441 South.  The storefront was the first thing we saw when we stopped at the stop sign.  Did I mention charm & quaint?  This is the picture in the dictionary for each of those words...

March 23rd is the beginning of hummingbird season this year.   I think that sounds early, but the articles I am reading says the scouts will be in the area this week. If your feeders are not out, they will skip right over you and head on to where they can find food and nectar.   Hummingbird food is a mix of  1 part sugar to 4 parts water.  NO RED food coloring.  Make sure your feeder is red and that is all that is required.  The mix will need to be changed out every other day to prevent it from fermenting and making the birds sick.

My friends Allan & Judy who live at Mountain Rest have their property for sale, but they also have a lot of hummingbirds in one place.  Judy fills the feeders...

WYFF shared a story last night about the Clemson Game Day Traffic changes. If you have ever attended a Clemson football game you know the headaches that can come with an added 90,000 people on the roadways. Many of us local to Clemson choose to stay home until after the games start, to avoid traffic. Outgoing flow, half-time and later, is when the roadways are extremely congested. Some folks say it can take hours to get home. 

The changes to the outgoing traffic will make all 4 lanes Southbound on Hwy 76  from Old Stone Church Rd. to Hwy 28 (also known as Mechanic Street) towards I-85. The SCDOT and SCHP did a test on the lane reversals on Tuesday, this week. The SCDOT will begin setting...

Cherokee Lake

This week I want to talk to you about Cherokee Lake, located in Tamassee, SC. This beautiful private lake has 220 acres that are fed by 5 mountain streams & springs for a consistent water level. There is good fishing. This lake was built in the 50s and is the largest private lake in Oconee County. The area is bordered on 2 sides by Sumter National Forest. Enjoy some natural beauty; magnificent mountain views, sunrises, and sunsets depending on the location of your home on this lake. Many lakefront lots have a gentle slope to the water. Combining the Lake and Mountains as a natural attraction.

You can choose to water ski, or tube all day, but sorry NO jet skis are allowed o...

Chattooga Lake is a 42 acres private lake in a gated community. The lake was built in 1958, in the mid 80’s when the name was changed to Chattooga Lake. Chattooga Lake is an emerald green lake fed by 5 streams and 3 springs for a cold lake with trees that overhang the road that circles the lake. Peace and tranquility abound in the community. Making this the perfect place to build your very own rustic cabin, or purchase your dream lake home, 800 sf min. A perfect location on a private mountain lake located in the heart of Sumter National Forest and nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Chattooga Lake is known for great fishing, kayaking, Stand Up Paddleboarding and the be...

I just got back from 10 days of Irma Storm Chasing.

I go into an area where there is a storm coming.  This time it was Orlando.  We were put up in a hotel and for 24 hours we watched the storm attack the area. I was on the 12th floor of a motel watching lightning strikes, debris flying around and the rain coming down. The next two days we stayed in the hotel without power and waited for the area to be declared safe for us to go out.

Once it was safe we went over to Lake Wales and started looking at power lines and circuits to determine why the power to neighborhoods was out.  We rode paved roads through neighborhoods and we rode sand roads through orange groves. The first neighborhood, ...

There are two types of homes in our area, just two.  

Ones that have termites and the ones that are gonna get termites.  We have a house for sale at 11379 Highlands Highway that has termites.  I have sold this home 3 times, it did not have termites when I sold it those times, it was inspected and there was a report written to prove it.  So what happened between then and now?

3 things happened and they all encourage termites to move in your house.

1) When I sold it the foundation was open, during the past 10 years a foundation was installed all around the house. This makes for a dark area for the termites to invade.

2) When the foundation was done they did not put in enough ventilation...

The Cost of Ownership

I recently had to go car shopping—one of my most hated jobs – because my 12 year old Ford Escape was not fun anymore.   Every time I used it, it broke, twice during the past month I had to have it towed to the mechanic. It did not leave me stranded but it was no longer reliable and it had lost its cost effectiveness—the pleasure return was gone.

How does this relate to real estate you ask? Simple, ownership of cars and homes are not free. Everyone thinks of the mortgage, power & utilities, taxes, insurance and some maintenance but there are other bills that come due annually that I call the surprises… unexpected major repairs/maintenance.  A typical lake house sitt...

You have been online, found the neighborhood you like in the school district you have to have.  You have a list of homes you want to see.  Let's go house hunting, Gwen.....

Not so fast, we need to make sure you qualify for this home before you see it.  We need to be sure you have a high enough credit score and wages to support this house.  When you buy this is for a 30 year commitment, not a 12 month lease.  You need to be sure this is what you want.

When you work with me, I want you to qualify and to borrow from someone local.  Someone we can sit down with if a problem comes up.  We need someone close by that will answer the phone.  Someone who wants this to happen as much as you do.  ...

Robert Whitney, Attorney

Every state has different rules about real estate and how the transfer of property takes place. Robert has over 35 years of experience and is my personal attorney on real estate, wills, and some estate planning. I sat down with Robert Whitney, one of the attorneys who close property in Oconee County, to ask him the questions I am asked during each transaction.

1) Why do real estate closings in South Carolina take place at an Attorney's office?  The closings don't have to take place at my office but it is less expensive--the buyer and seller are not paying me to travel to closing.  The convenience of doing it in my office is less expensive, more secure and privat...

Terry Howe

Auctioneer 101

Last Friday, I sat down with Terry Howe, an auctioneer that I have used in the past.  I wanted to ask Terry a few questions that I had been asked over the years and put this together in an article that my customers could read and understand why sometimes an auction is better than listing with a real estate agent.

Gwen:  What does an auctioneer do?

Terry:  I have been in the auction business for over 30 years.  The definition of what I do has changed over time. 

1. I act as an intermediary between family members, attorneys, banks and judges.
2. I inventory and appraise personal property and real estate. I develop evidence to make equitable divisions of assets.
...

By MySmartBlog

When a buyer starts to look for a house, they start on the internet, news paper and in the real estate magazines. This is just the beginning of the job of buying a home...the most expensive purchase of your life.

The buying process is very long and complicated...things have to be done in a certain order, some things take longer to get done and have to be ordered before others.  You have to be familiar with the process and the requirements of the mortgage company, county/city requirements for you to occupy a home and just general things that have to be done before the house will be yours. Working without an agent to represent your interest as a buyer is foolish and can be quiet expensive...