However, just like the economy, analysts hope 2012 will bring a more promising real estate market in communities across the states and we hope for the same in the Hilton Head South Carolina Area.

We see signs that the economy may be bouncing back. Unemployment figures are starting to drop, which means there is more confidence among businesses so they are hiring. If more businesses are hiring, that means additional opportunities for realtors to work with clients seeking new homes. So, many Realtors are saying this is the perfect time to buy. And mortgage rates are at their lowest levels in years.

Don’t miss this opportunity to buy when homes are more affordable than they have been in years. If you want to buy a home it is crucial to know what you can afford. It is also important to have good credit so you can qualify for a loan. Put together a game plan and get together with a knowledgeable Realtor and Loan Officer to map out home a plan for home buying success.

A good real estate agent knows how to help you through each and every step involved with the process of buying a home. They can make the process dramatically easier and get you a the home and terms that are right for you.

But what about the rest of the outside, is there really a reason to go all out and make your entire outdoor area extra appealing or is “average” okay?

Obviously a lot of what you can and can’t do depends upon the area you live in. You have a lot more time and ability to work with your outdoor living area if you live in a warmer climate than if you live in a climate that battles ice and snow. But either way, making your outdoor area a welcoming part of your home and basically bringing your home outside is a definite positive plan for helping your home stand out amongst the many that are on or will soon be hitting the spring market. The best part is that it doesn’t necessarily have to cost a lot of money. Of course adding a few bulb flowers that bring out the feeling of spring helps too. But really sells?

What Sells?

In an annual 2011 Survey conducted by The American Society of Landscape Architects people weighed in on what some of the most popular features and trends were in outdoor living. Over 96% said that exterior lighting is one of the most important and popular outdoor accents in both the front and back yards of homes. The best part of that is that you can literally purchase solar lights for as little as a dollar each at large discount stores and sets with solar spotlights and tiered lantern styles for as little as $20 and as expensive as a few hundred. Basically, placing outdoor lighting in your outdoor area is affordable for nearly every budget.

Solar lighting requires no wires to be dug and no special electrical outlets. With today’s advanced technology even areas that have minimal amounts of sunlight can attract enough light in most cases to allow for hours of evening lighting. The look of a home with simple lighting added to it can truly make a buyer stop and look longer. There’s just something about lighting alone that makes a house feel welcome, safe, and slightly high class. T

he problem comes with those who over accent with lighting and adds everything from glowing fairies to solar butterflies all around the lawn. Keeping it simple makes it look more dignified and well planned. We’re not putting down glowing fairies and butterflies or changing colored solar light crystal balls but when you’re planning your outdoor design to appeal to buyers, keep it simple. Pack up the glowing creatures for your new yard where you can enjoy them.

Heat It Up

Fire pits and fireplaces are the next highest ranking feature that people tend to like in a yard. Again the positive feature of adding something as simple as a fire pit can go from an inexpensive one under $100 to beautiful marble ones with glass walls that can run in the thousands. Some can be used as both a fire pit and an ice holder for keeping beverages; others are intricate pieces of art that serve to both heat the area and function as a sculpture. Fireplaces are more expensive and generally will require the skills of a professional to put in place; however they can also be turned into large cooking “pits” for those who like to cook outdoors on turning spits or place a grill designed to fit into the fireplace.

As with most anything you buy, you get what you pay for but the best part is that you can take an inexpensive fire pit and create a small area around it that invites intimate gatherings. Placing stepping stones, limestone rock, or some other type of ground covering to distinguish the fire pit area from the rest of the yard helps create a professional look without the cost of a professional doing it. Other options are building in a grill near the pit or creating a small bar area to hold beverages or food as you and guests sit nearby.

Also Making The List

Other amenities that made the list of popular outdoor updates that people enjoy or look for ran from everything from a nice dining/seating area, much like a patio or porches set up to look homey, to grills, counter space and even indoor amenities you may not expect such as a refrigerator and sink. It seems the idea is that if you have an area set aside that is inviting and encourages relaxing with friends and family it rated high on the list.

While storage space came in at around 61% it seems as long as you have the means to take the items you need out where you enjoy your sitting with family and friends most are less concerned about where they’re going to store the mower and weed eater. Most people figure that’s what the garage is for or perhaps a small utility shed but it’s not nearly as important as getting enjoyment out of the outdoors when you’re home. Plainly put, people want to escape from the rest of the world right in their own backyards and it’s not as hard as you may think to create that space.

A Techie World In The Wild

Some of the newer items appearing on the ASL’s list of desired outdoor amenities this year were WiFi access, stereo systems, and televisions. It seems that while some may want to enjoy the outdoors they don’t want to give up the indoor comforts. Many of these things aren’t exactly so high tech that you need professionals to help you install it either. Your WiFi access can be as simple as asking the installers where to strategically place your router so that you’ll be able to access it from your front porch or front yard. It could be as simple as strategically placing the router to buying a booster to get a more intense signal so it can get to both ends of the house and outdoors.

Stereos may be as simple as installing some wireless speakers in areas that will be free from the elements; utilizing anything from digital radio to using your MP3 players. In this day of technology constantly changing and becoming more and more affordable you can easily bring some of the electronics we love into your outdoor comfort areas. What it comes down to is bringing the comforts of the indoors out to be enjoyed in the beautiful weather. Get a jump on them all and start preparing your front and back yard for the upcoming spring selling time!

Selling a home, particularly one in which you are living, may not always be the best financial decision to make for yourself.

But, we do come across situations when the best option is to prune your liabilities and deploy the available cash into more productive assets. Traditionally, the expectation has been that homes will appreciate with every passing year and therefore your mortgage payments constitute a wise long term investment that will fetch good dividends towards the final years of your career. Although, with the recent economic melt down setting the clock backwards, selling your home has become a better option for many. Pricing your home is the most crucial part of selling your home, especially in difficult market conditions. Lets now look at some of the methods that can be used to extract every last dollar from your home, even in the current market conditions.

Choosing your agent

The first step in setting the right price for your home is choosing the right agent who has the ability to close the deal. However, in practice, most of us are tempted to go with the agent who is willing to list your home at the highest price. Sometimes, when your listing remains on the block for as long as 90 days and is eventually dismissed, you will realize that your pricing was erroneous. In the meantime, prospective buyers have visited the home, but the hard facts remain – that your home is not sold and needs to be re-listed. More importantly, your agent must be familiar with your neighborhood and work from a place in the immediate vicinity.

Determining value

You are entitled to ascribe exceptional value to your home, or your agent may encourage you to do so. What really matters when it comes down to the selling point, is what the buyer thinks is appropriate. One way you can beat the infirmities prevalent in the market is by positioning yourself as an informed seller. To be there, you should compare similar properties, track movements in your neighborhood, understand the inventory of homes put up for sale, and arrive at a price range. The whole process works similarly to the way appraisers would value your home. Remember, that no two appraisers provide identical values. However, the general proximity is a huge pointer to what you can reasonably expect in the given market conditions.

Avoid the listing – re-listing cycle

As one seeking to sell a home, the worst that can happen is having to list and re-list your home, repeatedly. Every time you re-list your home, the price drops and if you do this over and over, it is possible that the home has lost significant value. The distress signals become loud and clear, remember, there are agents specializing in picking up expired listings and making a career out of this type of work. Thus, instead of dropping your price three or four times over a period of one year, having a more realistic price at the beginning, can work better for you both in terms of value and time.

Hassles of being on the block for long

Once you have decided to sell your home, you have to spruce it up, spend some money for staging and generally make it presentable. But, how long can you afford to keep up with the constant maintenance? And how often are you required to repeat these exercises? There is also the question of where you will be headed, once the deal is closed. Delays in selling your home can also mean your losing out on the alternate living situation you have chosen. Whether that location be in the same city or a different location. Also, the other seller may not be willing to wait for you to come over and close the deal.

Informed sellers will strive to price their home right at the first occurrence and keep aside some incentives to a promising buyer when he/she arrives.

Many homeowners may never recover while others stand at chance at bouncing back. This year doesn’t look quite as dim but what we are seeing are more realistic expectations for home buyers in particular.

While we’re going to remain seeing a few lingering home foreclosures carried over from last year, they will be dwindling so that’s a definite plus.

For those first time home buyers it’s always a scary situation to walk into as it is; but with the recent onslaught of seeing homes being ripped from owners left and right and people being upside down on their homes (owing more than it will ever be worth) many may look at things in a whole new perspective. For instance, gone are the days where most first time home buyers are looking to move into a small place that will fit them for a few years (3-5) and then decide to move on to bigger and better things. “Starter Homes” are quickly becoming a thing of the past.

Now many first time buyers are looking at longer term obligations and buying homes that they plan to be able to grow in without any issues or that they can expand themselves as they need. Most are looking at purchasing their homes in the range of 10-15 year minimums and some are even beginning to feel that their first home will be the home they stay in until they retire and then perhaps either downsize a little or even remain where they are without ever moving.

Bye-Bye Mansions

First time buyers are also passing by the large “Estate” style homes or mansions unless they are in a very high-end buying group. The average first time buyers are looking to own something that is manageable as far as maintenance goes, opting for slightly smaller fenced in yards as opposed to having double lots and extra “acreage” to take care of. These same buyers are looking at smaller sized homes, buying even slightly below what they’re budget could actually probably handle. This is coming from the fears of seeing the previous market and watching houses in every type of neighborhood become abandoned, short sale marketed, or foreclosed on. They’re playing the safe card and deciding to buy slightly smaller homes and using any extra money they may have to “put aside” in order to update important items like gourmet kitchens and expanding master bedrooms. In a nutshell first time home buyers are thinking more long-term and affordable with comforts based upon their own personal likes. Some may opt for a smaller inside and get a little larger yard with a beautiful enclosed back porch/living area that can be used for 3 of the 4 seasons in nearly all of the climates, but especially in the warmer areas. Others are deciding to settle for smaller living rooms or no dining rooms in order to get large “community” areas that are more open and inviting for today’s busy family lifestyle. Many are even opening up rooms to make large community style rooms to bring their family closer.

So what does this mean to the seller?

If you’re a seller you work with what you have. Obviously if you have a huge mansion like home you’re going to hire an agent that will market to the high-end customer. But if you have an average sized home you may want to opt for opening up areas and combining them into community areas, often based around the kitchen, in order to entice new buyers into see themselves growing in your home as they have kids and maintain busy lifestyles. There seems to be an appeal to wanting to get “family” back together but the reality is that with today’s busy schedules it’s often nearly impossible. With large community areas you can have a computer area in one corner of the room with the eating area and kitchen all together; making it so as one parent’s cooking dinner, the other may be working with kids on homework or projects or even doing some “at home work” themselves. It presents a feeling of everyone at least being together in one area as a family as opposed to sitting in different areas of the house to complete their duties.

Smaller Lots

If you own a home on a double plot you may want to offer to sell the other lot separately, especially if it is large enough for another home to be built on. This will lower the taxes on your home for the future home buyer and lower the upkeep on the outdoor area; making it slightly more appealing to a busy family with young children buying their first home. You may also want to think about asking neighbors if they’d be interested in purchasing the extra acreage for themselves as perhaps since they’ve been in their homes longer and they may feel more comfortable getting a little room and even toy with the idea of expansion in the future.

While larger lots aren’t an automatic “put-off” to first time home buyers it seems that generally many are thinking less is best right now. Let’s face it less grass to mow can be very appealing when you’re faced with spending more time with the lawn mower or spending time with the kids playing on that grass after you’ve quickly mowed through it.

In a world where we’re trying to minimize our carbon footprints we’re also looking to minimize our financial output and hoping to be able to maintain a slightly lower-end style of living without giving up the amenities we’re so used to and want around us.

The Final Word On It All

It’s come down to first time home buyers are looking for more long-term homes and not short-term homes like they used to. They’re looking for less to maintain while having more inside. They want specialty kitchens and open areas that appeal to the family side of life, making it more inviting and easy to be together as a family unit even on busy nights. Most are willing to give up an extra bathroom or even a half bath, or a dining room in order to have a more open living space.

While it sounds like an expensive project to take on it may not be as costly to hire the professionals you need to guide you on how to do the work yourself or let them do the work. You simply have to know what walls are able to be knocked out and what ones need support replaced to give you an open living style. First home buyers are looking to downsize a little more than they used to be willing to do, for the sake of safety. They simply feel more comfortable with smaller mortgages.

Even if you’re not willing or looking to “remodel” by removing walls and create a more open space for new buyers you may be happy to know that if you own a mid-sized to smaller home you may actually have a little more appeal to the new buyer. If you’re yard isn’t the biggest one in the neighborhood that may not be so bad, especially if you make it low maintenance. It’s simply not so wonderful to be the biggest and best anymore; especially if the market opens up to first time home buyers who have new and good credit that will allow them qualify for loans that are out there but harder to get.

More often than not, she or he is also careful not to highlight major repairs that are essential to the function of a comfortable and safe home. This can affect when the home is available for selling or living.

A thorough home inspection is always a matter of technical knowledge, experience and expertise. Therefore, relying on your own personal abilities or asking your friend or family member is not the best way to ensure that you are not buying into a truck load of problems along with the house. A professional home inspection report on the other hand will leverage your position and the seller will be more inclined to listen to your demands for repairs. It is also a law in most areas to have a home be inspected after it has been vacant for some time, in order to ensure its safety for the future homeowners.

Never be swayed by what is apparent and never take things for granted. Perfect homes are hardly available and a relatively new home does not mean that you will enjoy no repairing expenses when you move in. Obviously, older homes will have a longer list of repairs and some of them may be even a serious threat to your safety and health.

In some states home inspectors are not required to be certified. Nevertheless, most professionals will be members of a trade association. Verify the credentials of your home inspector before you assign the task of inspecting the home you intend buying. The following topics are among the key areas that a home inspection will cover, depending on the age and condition in which the home is tendered for inspection.

Water lines

If you are inspecting homes built before the 1970′s, chances are that they are provided with galvanized iron pipes. Over a period of time minerals in the water tend to deposit along the walls of the pipe. This can cause a significant drop in the pressure of water and can present a huge hassle. Leakages and rusting are other problems associated with galvanized pipes. Most sellers may not agree to replace the galvanized pipes, but it is reasonable to expect them to repair leaking/clogged pipes.

Electrical

Many older homes come with ungrounded electrical equipment. Modernly, most gadgets employed in day-to-day use such as a computers or a microwaves, are sensitive in nature and are better off supported with a properly grounded electrical connection. A properly grounded electrical connection also offers better safety for the appliances.

Sewage

Clogged sewers can ruin your comfort of living if you notice them right after having moved in. Apart from a professional home inspector, you can consider hiring a plumbing specialist. Plumbing professionals can deploy a camera through the sewer line to understand weak spots if any.

Roofing

Most sellers will offer a roof certification provided by a roofing company. If extensive repairs are recommended, the seller may offer a cash compensation. Roof inspection is generally not part of a home inspection since it calls for more specialized skills.

Heating and cooling systems

Age of the heating/cooling systems will often determine the need for replacement. The city code is a useful tool to negotiate replacement and compensation if these facilities are nearing their life expectancy. It is important to understand that replacing heating and cooling systems is an expensive task and without a detailed inspection, you could end up spending a small fortune after you have moved in.

Take charge of the repairs

After the inspection, you are better off engaging your own contractor to carry out the repairs. The seller is unlikely to engage the best contractor or use premium products because interest in the home has dwindled and he would rather go through the motion mechanically. Focus on the major issues and stay away from homes that exhibit problems with the foundation. As these homes tend to have more connected issues involved.