Sue says...

According to Realtrytrac -  Nationally   1 in every 728  housing units received a foreclosure filing in November 2012 In South Carolina -  1 in every 455  housing units received a foreclosure filing in November 2012 In Horry County -  1 in every 462  housing units received a foreclosure filing in November 2012 the chart below shows the breakdown by Town/City The chart below further breaks it down by zip code Sue Lucas Sue Lucas, Associate Broker Re/Max Southern Shores sl1586@sccoast.net

Are you thinking about selling your home?  Are you ready now to move forward?   The question has always been - "should I list now or wait until Spring?" Winter is a great time to list your home: 1.  Less competition in the marketplace 2.  Easy to close - attorneys, title companies available, no back log 3.  The time is right NOW !  With interest rates still at an all time low - if you plan on purchasing a larger home, you will get more house for your money. 4.  If you are ready now to move on with your life, then why wait? 5.  Serious Buyers are out searching right now! Don't wait to list, list now while you are ready.   To read some market statistics visit my website at www.suelucas.com click on the "Reports" tab and download for free. visit my facebook page Sue Lucas Associate Broker sl1586@sccoast.net 843.997.4595

Realtytrac has just released the new data for October 2012. Nationally 1 in every 706 housing units received a foreclosure filing in October 2012. In South Carolina 1 in every 601 housing units received a foreclosure filing in October 2012. In Horry County 1 in every 800 housing units received a foreclosure filing in October 2012. Myrtle Beach had the most filings with 115, followed by Conway with 37. The Area with the most in Myrtle Beach - was the zip code 29579 with 42. The numbers are all decreasing slowly. This is great news!!!! There has been a general easing of foreclosures and short sales, meaning distressed listings are dragging prices down less than in recent years. Sue Lucas, Broker Re/Max Southern Shores sl1586@sccoast.net

The September Foreclosure numbers are in (Realtytrac.com): Judicial states buck national trend third quarter foreclosure activity increased on a year-over-year basis in 14 out of the 26 states with a primarily  judicial foreclosure process , including New Jersey (130 percent increase), New York (53 percent increase), Indiana (36 percent increase), Pennsylvania (35 percent increase), Connecticut (34 percent increase), Illinois (31 percent increase), Maryland (28 percent increase), South Carolina (16 percent increase), North Carolina (14 percent increase), and Florida (14 percent increase). In South Carolina 1 in every 603 housing units received a foreclosure filing in September 2012. In Horry County 1 in every 509 housing units received a forelcosure filing in September 2012. Myrtle Beach saw the most filings with 211 Conway filed 42 Murrells Inlet 36 Foreclosures continue to be a main part of our inventory and great time to purchase that home at the beach!!! ...

Today is day two of Laryngitis.  If you have ever had a case then you know how frustrating it is not to be able to communicate using ones voice. It also makes you very aware of how much we rely on our voices to communicate.  Just out of habit when the phone rings I pick it up, but the other end doesn't hear a word and think they have reached a wrong number!! So today I will not be answering my phone. Text or email is the only way to go today.  Makes you wonder what people did years ago? I also am thinking about the thousands of people who have never had a voice or lost their voices completely.  We do take the power of voice for granted.  The power of the words that flow from your voice can help or hurt - your choice. Make your Voice Count!!!! Sue Lucas sl1586@sccoast.net

Whew.. its 9:00 P.M. and I finally am winding down.  What a busy day.  Started out with some personal errands to run followed by a Board of Directors Meeting at Noon that went until about 1:30.  Then had to drive by a potential listing.  Then more errands and last stop before 5 was to my cell phone provider to figure out why I can't get or make any phone calls!!!  This is so frustrating.. One would think when you upgrade your phone to better technology, it would be able to make a call. NOT!!!!!   Well after going over some checks etc... it was decided to switch out the phone AGAIN - now I have to add back all my apps, configure the phone again, email, ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....  gotta love technlogy. What phone do you have?  Are you happy with it? comments please..... Sue Lucas sl1586@sccoast.net

Wow! What a great Realtor Roundtable we had today at the Coastal Carolina Association of Realtors. I was proud to moderate the roundtable for the group of Realtor members - lots of great ideas were shared by all the panelists: From left to right - Scott Ellis of Re/Max Southrn Shores Chris Sansbury of C-21 McAlpine Radha Herring of Watermark Don Thomas of  The Lachicotte Company The Panelists answered questions about marketing tools, systems they are using, professionalism, education and keys to their success.   Thanks to all the panelists for sharing their insights and knowledge!!! Sue Lucas Professional Education Chair 2012 sl1586@sccoast.net 843-997-4595 become a member of this blog to receive future postings.

Foreclosure Stats are in from Realtytrac.com: For August 2012 1 in every 677 homes in South Carolina received a foreclosure filing. 1 in every 692 homes in Horry County received a foreclosure filing in August 2012. 148 homes filed foreclosure in the Myrtle Beach area this includes zip codes, 29588, 29575, 29579, 29577 and 29572.  The highest filings were in the 29579 and 29588 zip codes. Foreclosures will continue to hit our market, but the rate at which they are being filed is slowing down. There are still some great buys here at the beach!!!! For more information or a list of the newest foreclosures call or email me. Sue Lucas Re/Max Southern Shores https://www.facebook.com/CarolinaForestRE www.suelucas.com 843.997.4595 sl1586@sccoast.net

Had a great convention in beautiful Savannah, GA.  Great educational sessions.  There was still time for our fellow realtors to get out and let loose!!!  Check out our own Terry White . The 2012 South Carolina Realtor of the Year was awarded to Nell Postell  Our fellow South Carolina Realtors enjoying some "come together" time. some area shots Convention Center At the 2012 SCR Business Meeting Congrats to Sandy Stone  Our very own Randy Harrison is the 2013 President Elect Get ready for next year !!!!   Bigger and Better in 2013!!!!

The first NC/SC Realtor Associations held their annual convention together in Savannah, Ga. Over 700 realtors "came together"! Keynote address by Brian Copeland was fantastic- Fever ...... Barcamp topics included : Apps Google SEO Facebook Video Lots of great info- more on video today with Doug Devitre. More later! Sue Sl1586@sccoast.net

Wow, where did the summer go? Are you like me and starting to think about the next 4 months and how your year will end?  There is still time to get into the game!!!  I have kicked my plan into high gear. Do you have a plan for 2012?  Have you reviewed your plan since you first developed it?  The time is now to take it out, brush it off and revise it for your finish. Some things I plan to do:       Call and follow up with all my buyer leads - classify them A, B, C or D      A- buying in the next 30 days      B - buying in the next 90 days      C-  buying in the next 6 months      D - buying 12 months or longer Set up my schedule for October, November and December now before the Holidays set in.....including developing my new 2013 Business Plan.  Now is the time to start that process, not in January!!! I also plan to increase my listing inventory... I just haven'...

I recently read an article and the author was VERY adamant that open houses did not work.  I think Open Houses do work if done correctly and "worked" like any other real estate SYSTEM. I have been in the real estate industry now for over 25 years.  I calculate that I must have held at least 2 open houses a month for at least 15 of those years.  That calculates to be 360 open houses.  With an average of 5 visitors per open house =1800 new prospects.  Now what I don't know is the conversion rate of those 1800 prospects. When I first started out, I did not have any kind of a business plan or system in place for tracking my business.  What I do know is that I would rather sit at an open house than sitting in an office "waiting and hoping" for the phones to ring.  Over the past few years, the prospects that I have found via open houses have been my main source of business. I would be interested in hearing what is your main source of new prospects. D...

According to the site Realtytrac that tracks foreclosure filings nationwide: 1 in every 568 homes in Horry County received a foreclosure filing in July 2012. Below is a chart showing the areas: In the State of South Carolina -  1 in every 536  housing units received a foreclosure filing in July 2012. Horry County ranked 5th in South Carolina for number of foreclosure filings. Good news? Bad News?  Good News for buyers !!!  It's time to snap up those deals out there. Call me for a complete list of all of the Horry County Foreclosures currently listed for sale. 843.997.4595 Sue Lucas Broker Associate Re/Max Southern Shores www.suelucas.com

Are you getting tired of answering this question?  How do YOU answer it?  My response has always been, depends on whether you're a Buyer or a Seller.  If you are a Buyer then it is a GREAT time to buy - low interest rates + low prices =  GREAT VALUE. If you are a Seller - If you don't have to sell, then its probably not a good time to put your home on the market, however, if you NEED to sell then PRICING is key. According to Realtor.com inventory is declining on a national level and also in our market. People are searching the # 1 web site for property in Myrtle Beach.  In May we ranked #75 and June #70. The activity has definitely increased in the Myrtle Beach market.  I have seen increased showings, more inquiries and yes - contracts are being written.  It is still a Buyer's Market and will continue that way until we see substantial declines in inventory. As of this morning, there are 4218 active residential listings-3776 have no st...

How many times have you heard that old adage?  I think of it everytime I look at photos in the MLS!! In our business great photos can make the difference in a sale or no sale!! Show or now show?  How are your photos?  When was the last time you updated that listing you have had listed for over 6 months?  Take new pictures of the outside.  Did the seller change anything inside?  Are your pictures blurry?  Put yourself in the place of an online Buyer searching listings online.. how do your pics compare to other comparable homes? while scanning the MLS I found blurry pics, Pic with flash in mirror pic with outside light being washed out this pic has what appears to be (maybe) a bottle of beer?? person in doorway and stuff left on countertop; and my pet peeve - the toilet seat lid cover is up. all of these photos can be corrected with just being aware of what you are looking at!!!!!  Photo tips: 1.  Check r...

Do you know if you are a judicial or non-judicial state for foreclosures?  check out Realytrac chart - here you can  Compare all state foreclosure timelines on this simple one-page chart and click on any state name to read about detailed foreclosure procedures for your state. In South Carolina, we are a Judicial state - meaning that there is a court proceeding to handle the foreclosure process. If you are facing foreclosure, please contact an attorney to help you through the process!! In Horry County - 1 in every 444 housing units received a foreclosure filing in June 2012.(Realtytrac) For Realtors in the Horry County area, you can check the current foreclosure list online at the Master in Equity  

What do they have in common?  Elvis sang one of my favorite lesser knows songs -  A House That Has Everything from the movie "Clambake"  check it out  song Another song from the movie "Spinout" called Beach Shack - Besides Elvis' house in Memphis- "Graceland", he owned many homes including one in Beverly Hills, Ca.  read more about his homes here . I am a huge Elvis fan, and have been for years (since I was a teenager).   My favorite Elvis song is probably Jailhouse Rock, but I love them all and it is really hard to choose a favorite.   More Elvis coming soon.....

It used to be fun selling real estate, but now its getting harder and harder to even get deals closed.  Take for instance, selling a condo here at the beach.  One of the many questions I hear all the time is how do you know if a condo is FHA or VA approved.  This is something you can check quickly and easily by going to: FHA -  https://entp.hud.gov/idapp/html/condlook.cfm?CFID=17487015&CFTOKEN=2e2337b1704b8063-3846EF52-0530-56EC-838AEE8A86411193 or VA:  https://vip.vba.va.gov/portal/VBAH/VBAHome/condopudsearch This should be your first step if you have a buyer wanting to purchase using either of the two mortgage types.  if the complex is not currently approved, move them on to something else, the approval process for a condo project can take 60 days or more!!! It's a cash world for condo buyers to make a smooth closing. what are you seeing out there? Happy Selling!!!

1. Can you be found?  G o where the buyers and sellers already are! Buyers and sellers are talking online in forums like Trulia Voices, Twitter, Facebook. Seek out the places they are participating and engage! 2. Make it about them -  Focus your marketing efforts on what is in it for the consumers. How can your services help solve their wants, needs and problems?  3. Profiles - are your online Profiles complete?  Photos? About you - resume? how do they contact you? 4. Twittering - are you on and using Twitter to get your message out? 5.   Facebook - engage with the "right" people - ready, willing and able to do business with you. 6.   Personal Website - update your website with current content, check your contact info,  connect your blog with your website. 7.   Advertising - Online, are you putting in a "call to action" and directing them back to your website? 8.   Follow - up - probably the # 1 reason in converting leads is the...

8 things to know about buying a home today

Wow! Today I attended the coastal Carolina association of realtors mini conference held at The Marina Inn @The Grande Dunes. What a fantastic job our association did in putting together this "free" event. I totally enjoyed the keynote speaker Tom Lundstedt http://www.tomlundstedt.com/ Known as the funniest investment and tax guy in America! Tom presented very good information in a fun format. He had us laughing all day! All for "free". You would have paid high dollars to hear him on your own. I urge all my fellow realtors to take advantage of events like this in the future. Invest in yourself! We all need to sharpen the saw. It was also a great time to network with all my fellow realtors and affiliates. I hope everyone will mark your calendars for the next "free" mini conference in October.

Today at the CCAR ( Coastal Carolina Association of Realtors ) I attended the Lunch N Learn about the Horry County website and the tools that are online and available to use for Realtors.  Please check out Horrycounty.org here you can search public records for Land records by tax map number, owner name; search for deed information and heads up -  coming soon will be the ability to actually see deeds  online (fee) base. Also there are mobile apps available for the IPAD, IPHONE and and ANDROID - see your app store enter ESRI as the search and dowload the app for FREE. Realtors can also view the current listing of foreclosures by clicking on the Legal Services tab,  Master in Equity and then click the link to view the foreclosure listings. Feel free to contact me about any of the information above.