Wrapping up our mini-series overviewing the Greater Greenville area of SC, there are several important areas that deserve to be covered: Travelers Rest, Taylors, Mauldin, Piedmont/Powdersville, and Easley. The Upstate of SC is about so much more than the city of Greenville, and in this episode, we talk about all the areas that we haven't so far, discussing the perks, amenities, and potential downsides of living in each of them. Spartanburg even gets a shout out!   As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

Similar to Greer, Simpsonville is a massive geographic area with a downtown, suburban areas (such as Five Forks), and plenty of rural areas. Greenville County's primary amphitheater, its only IMAX theater, and numerous other important parts of the county find their home within Simpsonville. And, of course, a lot of people find their home in Simpsonville because of how much it offers for residents. That being said, it's probably one of, if not the most controversial area of the Upstate, with some people saying it's "too busy" or "too far away from everything," among other worries. It's time to cut through the rumors and give Simpsonville a full episode treatment to overview it and discuss what people love (and perhaps don't love) about its four main sub-regions.  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

As we overview the various parts of the Upstate, the first that comes to mind outside of Greenville proper is Greer - a city located half in Greenville County and half in Spartanburg County. Previously an extremely rural part of the Upstate with a ho-hum downtown, Greer has been transformed the last 20 years into one of the Upstate's most desirable downtown and suburban areas, while still having plenty of rural areas left. Downtown Greer might not be too large, but Greer as a whole covers a large geographic area, with multiple sub-regions that have plenty to offer to their residents. As a result, more and more people moving to the Upstate are specifically looking to move to Greer.  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

Like any city, Greenville has numerous different residential areas and neighborhoods, each with their own "feel," price point, and amenities. In this episode, Stan breaks down these different areas to help those looking to move to (or within) Greenville better understand what to expect in the various neighborhoods within the Greenville metro area.  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

As I (Stan) reflect back on the past year or so of real estate in Greenville, it's easy to get overwhelmed by all the chaos. But there is much to be thankful for, and during this week of Thanksgiving, I want to do just that. And to be clear, more than anything, (at least when it comes to real estate) I'm thankful for you guys - my listeners and clients. (Oh, and I also go on a little rant about Thanksgiving food at the end, for those who care.) Happy Thanksgiving!  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

Looking at the Greater Greenville Association of Realtors' market stats for the month of October brings us to our first evidence of the real estate market returning to a pre-COVID norm: the number of homes on the market to end the month were comparable to 2017-2019. Common sense would indicate that number will increase, but is that what the data says? And are prices "going down" yet? We delve in to look at the most recent data and what it means for the Greenville RE market, whether you're a buyer, seller, or observer.  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

Several months ago I predicted that a lot of people overpricing their homes for sale would get left out in the cold. Well, those people are starting to shiver, as we see massive numbers of home sellers having to reduce the prices of their homes for sale. How does this compare historically to other markets, and what does it mean for those buying and selling real estate right now? That's the topic of this week's episode of Selling Greenville.  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

There are a lot of real estate investors (both in Greenville and elsewhere) who pose as high volume investors, when in reality they either only do part-time real estate investing or, in some cases, don't invest at all. Oftentimes these "investors" are looking to get something out of rookie real estate investors - trying to find an angle where they can look like an expert so that those looking to get into real estate investing ultimately come to them (and pay them) for a service of some sort. Because a lot of Selling Greenville listeners are rookie/prospective investors, we need to pull back the curtain and discuss how to identify some of the "not real ones" of real estate investing, so that you don't waste your time and money on them.  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

Home prices are going down in the US but not in Greenville (not yet, at least). Home prices were up 17.5% year-on-year for the month of September, which is shocking given the shifts occurring in the market, including soaring inventory, higher days on market, and lower percent of list price received. What does all this mean, and where is the real estate market headed in the upcoming months?  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

It's always interesting to hear what non-South Carolinians say about Greenville when they visit for the first time. Almost all of the visitor comments are positive, although everyone complains about the gross "palmetto bugs" that we have. Bugs aside, there is a lot to learn (and be reminded of) when it comes to Greenville by looking through the eyes of first-time visitors. So let's talk about 10 things visitors most frequently say when seeing the Upstate of SC for the first time!  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

Over the past 5 years, the cost of purchasing small multifamily properties in Greenville has doubled. So have rents kept up? And should we be concerned that there is a multifamily bubble that will soon burst?  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

The weather in Greenville is mild compared to some parts of the US, but that doesn't mean that we are immune from bad storms. And with storms comes damage to houses, whether from flooding, from wind, from hail, etc. Sometimes the damages are covered by insurance, but many times it is not, and it's important to know what risks are out there, what you can do about them, and what might happen if you file a flood or homeowner's insurance claim.  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

As discussed last week, the real estate market is shifting and a "slowdown" is upon us. But one of the major quirks of the housing market the past two years is that seasonal slowdowns basically haven't happened, whereas in a normal market, things do slow down in the fall/winter. In other words, in a normal, healthy real estate market, housing prices go down during the fall/winter months, and then increase in the spring/summer, with a net increase year-on-year from one summer to the next. So as the market shifts, how can we tell if prices are decreasing in a healthy or unhealthy way? How much of what we see and will see in the future is seasonal or something else? Those are the questions we set out to explore in this week's episode of Selling Greenville.  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

As we've been saying for months now, big changes are coming to the real estate market, and those changes are finally upon us. Inventory numbers are now hovering just below pre-pandemic levels, percent of list price received is at it's lowest point since early 2021, and listings that were getting multiple offers in August aren't getting any offers in September (at least not immediately). So are prices "going down"? Not so fast, young Padawan (sorry for butchering the Star Wars quote). Price growth is still very high from a year-on-year perspective, even if it's not quite as high as it has been in prior months.  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

The story of how Stan got into Greenville real estate is a winding tale that goes from a teacher ruining his love for meteorology, to him getting a scholarship to study Bible at Bob Jones University, to him having a child within his first year of marriage, to him buying a frozen yogurt shop (and much more). The time has come to tell the full story.  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

Most people would rather not live in a community governed by a homeowner's association (HOA), but the vast majority of residential development in Greenville the past 20-30 years has been HOA communities. So what are the pros and cons of living in an HOA, and if you want to avoid HOAs, what do you need to do?  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

In June the SC Association of Realtors made major changes to the SCR310 - the most commonly used residential real estate contract form in the South Carolina (and Greenville). The inspection and repair section of the contract changed to "due diligence," and we covered those changes in detail in previous episodes of Selling Greenville, prior to it going into use. But now that it's been in use for several months, what impact has it had? And what can we expect moving forward? Spoiler: the changes have had a massive impact on how buyers and sellers approach offers and how, once under contract, the transaction moves forward.  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

In early 2021, we looked at what happens when a home is listed for sale well below what it's worth. Well, a lot has happened since then, and in light of the shifting market, it's worth analyzing further whether underpricing a listing is a strategy worth exploring or not. Does the real estate market automatically correct for a house listed for less than it's worth, or do buyers risk losing money by underpricing their home when selling it?   As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

The Greater Greenville Association of REALTORS® published July's market stats the past week, and the numbers take us for a wild ride. Supply is up and demand is down, which usually indicates the market shifting in a buyer's direction. But the median sales price still soared to the highest it's ever been - a 19.8% year-on-year increase! What will it take for the market to actually see a cool down? That's the question we explore in this week's episode of Selling Greenville.  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

Figuring out what will happen in the future of real estate often involves reading the tea leaves of some of the reports released by the government, including those about how many jobs were added (or lost) in the past month, quarter, etc. This past week, July's jobs report was released, and, shockingly, a substantial number of jobs were added to the economy, further complicating the picture on what is happening today. Are we in a recession, is a recession coming, or are we years away from even saying the "r word"? And what does all this have to do with real estate? That's what we tackle in this week's episode of Selling Greenville.  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

The past two years we've seen a large influx of activity by corporations, whom some refer to as "iBuyers," buying and flipping houses in the Greenville area. Opendoor, Offer Pad, Zillow, etc. are just a few that have attempted or are still attempting to flip houses in Greenville. But how do they work, and what is it like dealing with them? And didn't one of them just get fined $62,000,000 by the FTC for "cheating" sellers? That's what Stan discusses in this week's episode.  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

There are a lot of misconceptions about real estate investing and the impact it has on the market. Some people complain that investors are basically solely responsible for home prices skyrocketing in recent years, and others think they haven't made that big of an impact, with a lot of opinions in between. Core Logic produced some great data (which you can see here: https://www.corelogic.com/intelligence/single-family-investor-activity-bounces-back-in-the-first-quarter-of-2022/) that shows that investment activity, particularly among "Mega investors" is at historical highs, highs which may be a "new normal." There is no doubt that this is impacting the market, but how much impact is it, and what does that mean moving forward? These are some of the questions that we explore in this episode of Selling Greenville. As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

Greenville real estate supply is going up, and demand is going down. But it is still very much a seller's market, as prices continue to soar, homes are selling above list price, and average days on market is at record lows. But there are plenty of indicators that tell us the market is cooling, and we should see the impact of that in the coming months.  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

Almost any mortgage in which the buyer doesn't pay a minimum 20% down payment has "mortgage insurance," typically referred to as PMI (or MIP). This is simply an additional fee that the lender requires you to pay until you reach 20% equity in your house. But the 20% equity is calculated based on what your home was worth when you obtained your mortgage. Guess what? The market has appreciated by 20% over the past year in Greenville, so almost anyone who purchased real estate over a year ago now has 20% or more equity in their home. Banks don't like it, but this gives you the opportunity to get your PMI dropped years before the bank is required to drop it. Don't believe it? I (Stan) got it dropped on my own home this year, fully four years ahead of schedule. And this episode of Selling Greenville is my story about it.  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

People frequently ask how they can invest in real estate when they don't have enough money for a down payment to purchase any available properties. The answer is to think creatively and focus on other ways of "investing" in real estate that you either already own, that you own a very small piece of, or that other people own.  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

As we brace for the real estate market to shift over the upcoming months (and years), there are always lessons to be learned from the past. The past 15 years, we've really seen four dominant markets: the Great Recession market (2008-2011), the post-recession market (2012-2015), the pre-pandemic market (2016-mid-2020), and the pandemic market (mid-2020-now). What happens to the future real estate market is anyone's guess, but most likely some of what happened in the past will at least be sprinkled in, and so, in this episode of Selling Greenville, we discuss these past markets and how they compare to the current one.  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

This past week, SC had primary elections, which take on special significance for local elections, since those are often decided at the primary level. Specifically, there were four Greenville County Council elections, and each of them yielded a result that seemed to unequivocally point to Greenville residents being "done" with real estate development in the Upstate. With Greenville County set to increase in population by over 40% in the next 18 years, the anti-development focus we are seeing is likely to cause a major ripple effect both now and down the road.  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

The Greater Greenville Association of Realtors just published its monthly "Market Stats" for June 2022, and even though there are signs of the market rebalancing, the month of May still had record highs for sales price, percent of list price received, and days on market. And this trend looks like it will continue throughout the summer as well. No cool down in sight (yet), no relief for buyers (yet), and plenty of good news for sellers (for now).  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

In March 2020, the COVID pandemic hit the US and shut down the world economy, and we had no idea what it would do to the real estate market. Many thought it would cause housing to collapse, but the opposite ended up happening. In hindsight, what happened made sense, but in the moment, nobody had any clue that a pandemic would fuel the craziest real estate frenzy of our lifetime. Fast forward 2 years and 3 months, and we find ourselves in a similar situation. With rapid inflation, a war being waged by Russia in Ukraine, rising mortgage rates, and many other factors directly or indirectly weighing into the housing market, it would appear that we are poised for a slowdown. And even though a slowdown is inevitable (and appears to already be happening based on several indicators) not all indicators point in the same direction, and not all experts agree on what those indicators even mean for the next 1-2 years. So what is actually happening right now, in June 2022, in the Greenville area, and what does it mean for the next year or more of local real estate? That's the topic Stan attempts to tackle in this week's episode of Selling Greenville.  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

Real estate investors are constantly making mistakes. We never get everything 100% right. Some deals will be bad, some contractors we use will make mistakes, some partners we work with will try to undercut us, etc. But there are some mistakes that can be avoided by shifting your mindset to better understand the market, by avoiding the temptation to have a scarcity mindset when it comes to building a team, by focusing more on a long term projections than short term problems with a property, etc. By identifying some of these common mistakes, all those aspiring (or even who are experienced) real estate investors can perfect their craft and make a killing in any market.  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

The contract/purchase agreement that the vast majority of buyers in Greenville use is about to change. The "Repair Procedure" of SCR Form 310 will soon be no more, and in June (2022), buyers will only have the option of inspecting a home under a "due diligence" period. That would sound like a buyer-friendly option because during a due diligence period, a buyer can back out for any reason without it being considered defaulting on the contract. But when backing out, buyers may have to pay a termination fee, and depending on whether the market is more of a seller's market or buyer's market, that fee could be tremendously high or nothing at all. All that said, the way real estate contracts in Greenville are structured is about to change dramatically, and no one is exactly sure how it will all play it.  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

The market is shifting, with more homes coming on the market but fewer going under contract and fewer closings. Is it shifting to a buyer's market? No, not yet at least. In fact, looking at the numbers for April (which the Greater Greenville Association of Realtors just released), some of the numbers are more seller friendly than we've ever seen! But there are indicators that that won't continue, at least not at the pace that it has the past year. For now, we still have a strong seller's market, but some sellers are already starting to get caught off-guard by some of the shifts that are happening and will continue to happen throughout the rest of the year.  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

There's always a new home improvement project waiting to be done, and as we all know, they can be expensive. Unfortunately, many people end up getting ripped off when making home improvements, spending even more money than they need to and often paying for things they don't need and/or that will hurt the value of their home. There are a ton of scams and rip-offs that companies involved with very specific home improvements are known to do, particularly when it comes to things the average person isn't very knowledgeable about, such as mold/moisture issues, roofing, solar, etc. In this episode of Selling Greenville, we discuss five of these home improvement rip-offs and how to avoid them.  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

There is a common refrain about mobile homes that they "depreciate in value" due to the fact that they start out classified as motor vehicles before being affixed to land, and there's an element of truth to this when we're talking about mobile home parks. But what many forget when it comes to a single mobile home (as opposed to MH parks) is that even if it were to depreciate in value, the land it is on continues to appreciate in value. Not only that, but because the mobile home improves the land, it actually causes the land to appreciate at a faster rate than vacant land without a home on it. So in the end, what many mean when they say that a mobile home "depreciates in value" is actually more myth than fact, and there are scores of examples of mobile homes that have shown steady price appreciation over the years.   As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

Every year the real estate market heats up in the Spring, with more people listing their homes, more people buying homes, prices going up faster than normal, etc. In Greenville, we've had a gradual build up the past few months that really has picked up dramatically the past week, with substantially more homes coming onto the market than previous weeks. In 2021, it was around this time that the real estate market went from absurd to insane, with many local real estate records being shattered from the month of April and continuing through now. So what will happen this year with the added uncertainties of increasing mortgage rates, constant supply chain issues, and some major changes about to happen to the SCR contract that most real estate transactions utilize? In this episode of Selling Greenville, Stan discusses seven predictions he has for the upcoming months of real estate and what they mean for those buying and selling in 2022.  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

We ended last year with an episode about "the cost of waiting" that discussed how much more expensive real estate would likely be for those who waited until 2023 to purchase housing vs. purchasing at the beginning of 2022. My prediction was right - real estate, between price increases and mortgage rate increases - is getting more expensive. What I didn't anticipate, however, was that it would only take 3 months, not an entire year, for us to see such a dramatic shift. It now shockingly costs 26% more per month to buy an average home in the Greater Greenville area than it did in January - an increase unlike anything I've ever see. And nobody can predict what will happen next.  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

This year is a big one for state and local elections, and many of the candidates have real estate concerns front and center. Infrastructure, growth, housing affordability, gentrification, and property tax concerns make up just a handful of the topics that are being fiercely debated within Greenville and within the state of SC, and this is reflected in the campaigns of many of those who are running for Greenville county council and the state house. So what are their concerns, some of the solutions being discussed, and the potential ramifications for real estate in the Upstate? That's the topic of this episode of Selling Greenville.  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

When purchasing real estate, there are no "dumb questions" per se, but there are a lot of questions buyers like to ask that aren't usually going to reveal helpful answers. Some of these questions are an attempt to shortcut the due diligence process. Some are questions that have obvious answers. And some are questions that sellers or agents won't or can't fully answer. Let's talk about 10 of the least helpful questions to ask when buying real estate and what you can ask (or ascertain without asking) in the place of them.  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

With mortgage rates going up, record inflation, threats of war, etc. people are openly asking: what needs to happen for the housing market to experience a crash like it did in 2008? We've discussed some of that in other episodes, but in this episode, we compare the current housing climate to what the housing climate was in 2007, to try to determine how similar or different the markets are and what it would take for a repeat of 2008. As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

In a normal real estate market, you can generally predict whether sales will go up or down based on the number of homes under contract. December 2021 and January 2022, fewer homes went under contract than did in December 2020 and January 2021. So logically, we had fewer closings in January/February 2022 vs. January/February 2021, right? Wrong. Substantially more homes sold in January/February 2022 despite there being fewer new contracts, and that trend is fairly consistent for the past nine months. What is causing this pattern, and what does it mean for those buying or selling real estate in 2022? That's what this episode of the Selling Greenville podcast attempts to tackle. As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

In the "good ole days" (pre-COVID), those buying a house in the Upstate of SC with all cash could generally expect a discount - to not have to pay "full price" in contrast to those making offers contingent on financing. But as cash closings have come to dominate a larger percentage of closings than we've ever seen and with inventory at historically low levels, the conventional wisdom of the past is no longer true. Looking at the data from the past four years, we find that buying a house with cash still gives you an advantage (but not necessarily a discount) - the advantage of actually having a shot at winning bidding wars and getting a house at all.  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

The Greater Greenville area was once a thriving mill community, with many water-powered mills throughout the Upstate spurring on a strong, blue-collar economy. But as the economy changed, the mills went into disuse and then disrepair, with the result that many of our vibrant "mill villages" got left behind. In recent years, however, developers have found great opportunity in converting the old Upstate mills into lofts, commercial spaces, shopping areas, etc., and this has resulted in many of the mill areas being greatly revitalized. And Piedmont, once a town that was centered around two mills, is the next city in the crosshairs of developers and ready to be redeveloped and revitalized.  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

Pretty much any major crisis impacts real estate, and war is no exception. In March of 2022, we're experiencing some major unrest in Eastern Europe, and it's already starting to impact the housing market. Is the impact exclusively bad? Not necessarily, but there are several potential outcomes that we could see this year in real estate, as a direct result of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which is likely to directly impact mortgage rates, housing inventory, and an already strained supply chain.  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

We've been talking for multiple years now about low inventory driving the real estate frenzy, and it appears we're going to keep talking about that in 2022! Add to that the fact that prices are still going up and that mortgage rates are hovering around their highest point since 2019, and it's not hard to see that the early indications are that this is going to be another nutty year of real estate.  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

There is a common saying in real estate that you should "never buy the most expensive house in a neighborhood." Unfortunately, with the market being as feverish as it is, many people have no choice when moving but to buy the most expensive home in a given neighborhood. So what are the considerations for making such a purchase? Is it an automatic death sentence to your home's longterm value if you buy at the top of the market for that neighborhood? Or are there some situations where you might actually be saving money by purchasing the most expensive home in a neighborhood?  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

The standard contract used in most residential real estate transactions in the Upstate may be about to see massive changes to the inspection/repairs language. The South Carolina Association of Realtors is discussing removing the "Repair Procedure" section from the contract, meaning that, unless they came up with another solution, contracts would either be very skewed towards a seller or a buyer, since Repair Procedure was intended to be the middle ground. If this happens, it will cause major tremors throughout local real estate, with massive ramifications to how offers are made and what repairs a seller may be liable for during a transaction. In this episode of Selling Greenville, we discuss some of that and what it could mean for the future of real estate dealings in Greenville. (You may also want to listen to Episode 26 in advance of listening to this one, to make sure you understand what the Repair Procedure is.) As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

We all know that real estate prices in Greenville have skyrocketed in recent years, but how does that compare to other markets in the US? Some people have expressed concerns that Greenville will become so expensive that it will no longer be cheaper than other major markets. But is that what the data says? Or is it possible that Greenville is still remaining more affordable than the competition when you compare rates of appreciation across the board? Well, let's look at the data to find out!  As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].

Not all real estate stories are success stories. There are times when people leave money on the table - sometimes a lot of money. And one of the wildest examples of that just happened recently in the Upstate, when someone sold a house FSBO (for sale by owner) for $550,000 less than it was worth! All it took was a single phone call that would've made them half-a-million dollars richer, but the phone stayed in their pocket, and the money went to someone else.   As always, if you have any questions or comments (or, of course, need a realtor), feel free to reach out to Stan McCune directly by phone/text at (864) 735-7580 or by email at [email protected].