Lately, in our real estate firm, all visitors have had only two questions: When is the real estate market going to "straighten out" and when is the lake going to get back to full pool?
As All Hart Realty celebrates our twentieth year of selling property on Lake Hartwell, we are experiencing regular cycles typical for this area: The local real estate market naturally adjusting from a seller's to a buyer's market, and the lake shrinking and swelling with the rain levels. We see these two natural cycles are being not so different, leading us to marvel at John Steinbeck's's wisdom when he wrote:
"There would be five or six wet and wonderful years . . . and then the dry years would come . . . and it never failed that during the dry years the people forgot about the rich years, and during the wet years they lost all memory of the dry years. it was always that way."
Rarely are words spoken which so accurately span decades and prove how little has changed with the turn of the century. Those words were as true when Steinbeck wrote them in 1952 as they are today. We like to incorporate the wisdom of such thinkers with our knowledge gained during the past two decades to assist Sellers and Buyers through these natural market adjustments.
For Sellers in today's market, patience is a virtue. we understand the past five or six wonderful boom years for sellers have created lofty expectations, but the following is a fact of this market adjustment: you have a great deal of competition. The market is inundated with motivated sellers and spec houses. Your property must be accurately priced and maintained in pristine condition to have the best chance of showing better than your competition. The All Hart Realty team can help you with current and accurate pricing, provide recommendations for the most cost effective improvements, and construct an aggressive professional marketing plan to offer you the best opportunity to move your home as quickly as the environment will allow.
For Buyers and Investors in today's market, there are many wonderful purchasing opportunities available. Interest rates are excellent, lenders are offering a bevy of loan programs - including 100% financing, and competition among sellers is fierce. NOW is the time to buy - before the market begins to cycle back to sellers. Quite simply - Make An Offer! We also stress the wisdom of being prepared to hold onto a property for up to five years. While the natural adjustment has diminished the opportunity for "quick flips", there are true deals available now, and the rental market in both residential and commercial arenas is strong enough to allow for the proper maturation of your investment, or end-user purchase. If you don't like the hassles of Property Management, allow All Hart's professional property management team to manage your rental and send you a monthly check.
Our decades of experience in the Lake Hartwell area have provided a unique perspective for weathering the recent fluctuations in our market, and we enjoy sharing this knowledge with our clients and customers to help you take full advantage of the opportunities associated with these cyclical adjustments. While there are very few guarantees in real estate - as in weather - we know land is the only thing we cannot make more of; thus it is a commodity in demand. Visit All Hart Realty on the square in downtown Hartwell anytime. Let us share our real estate knowledge with you . . . while we talk about the weather!
