The Elegant Augusta Real Estate Blog

Lydia Taylor August 30th, 2008

Looking to invest in some North Augusta history? Well, two of North Augusta’s most recognizable landmarks, Lookaway Hall and Rosemary Hall, are on sale for a combined $2.5 million.

The two historic bed-and-breakfast properties quietly went on the market this past April. The tiny sign in the front lawn of Lookaway Hall is so discreet even my eagle-eye for listing signs almost missed it - but spot it I did! It turns out the properties are listed with a small real estate company based in Aiken.

The two Halls share a home on the web and visitors will notice a large banner across the top of the website that states, “THE HALLS ARE LOOKING FOR INTERESTED BUYERS & INVESTORS!!! VISIT OUR LISTING AT LOOPNET FOR MORE INFORMATION.”

If you view the listing at Loopnet.com the first word of the description is pre-foreclosure, so it appears that the two B&B’s are the latest to fall in the ‘mortgage crisis’. For the current owners of the estates, I feel bad that they invested their time, money, and effort into a business that apparently is proving unsustainable.

Now to the real estate part of this story: Strangely, the properties still have not been listed in the Greater Augusta MLS. As far as I can tell, they are entered only in the Aiken MLS. The Greater Augusta MLS advertises to a vastly larger pool of local buyers and is used by hundreds more real estate professionals. The Aiken MLS is just that - a listing service for properties in Aiken SC, and not North Augusta. As a result, I had heard nothing from the real estate community here in North Augusta as to what was happening with these beautiful properties.

I’ve had excellent success using Loopnet for selling commercial properties, but the marketing exposure can’t be too large when selling properties such as these with a very limited buyer pool. As a bit of professional real estate advice - get that listing on several MLS systems. These listings need to appear in Augusta’s MLS, and ideally on an even larger MLS like the Atlanta FMLS.

For the new buyers of North Augusta’s beautiful Lookaway and Rosemary Hall’s - advertise, advertise, advertise!!! I think you have a winner on your hands if people know you exist! Best of luck on the sale and best of luck to the new owners.

Real estate investors from Virginia purchased Lookaway Hall for $1.5 million and Rosemary Hall for $1.2 million as reported on this blog back in March of 2007. (Figures according to Aiken County tax records.)

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Lydia Taylor June 23rd, 2008

This morning, I took a look through the Augusta MLS to see the number of residential listings for sale today.  Then I compared the numbers to my last Augusta real estate market report, which was on April 7th.

Richmond County: 1641, 1641, no change
Columbia County: 1464, 1617, 9.5% increase in homes for sale

Aiken County: 534, 545, 2% increase
Edgefield County: 68, 68, no change

Augusta, Georgia: 1273, 1268, slight decrease at 0.04%
Evans, Georgia: 601, 635, showing a 5.4% increase in homes for sale

North Augusta, SC: 316, 326, 3% more homes for sale
Aiken, SC: 125, 137, 8.8% more homes for sale

[First # is the number of homes for sale on April 7th, 2nd number is homes for sale on July 23rd, followed by % change.]

The inventory is static or increasing throughout our area.  But the most desirable areas that I cover, that being Evans in Columbia County, and the city of Aiken in Aiken County, both show near 10% increases in the amount of homes for sale.  The summer months when the kids are out of school is usually the busiest season.  Still, let’s hope when can get all these homes sold soon!

In Augusta there has been an influx of large companies coming into the area over the last year, with hundreds of new jobs being created.  I would have thought if anything the number of homes on the market would stay static or even decline with all the new buyers coming in.

One thing I have seen is that the rental market is staying strong.  While I don’t handle rentals, it’s not unusual to get several queries a week about them.  Despite interest rates being low, and the housing market offering lots of inventory at great pricing levels, many people still choose to rent.  It’s a perfect storm for landlords- being able to increase their number of units at low pricing levels with strategic buys, and keep them occupied.  As a matter of fact, I’ve got one apartment complex for sale right now.

As always, when selling anything in a highly competitive market, marketing and pricing mean everything.

Promotion of my listings over a number of websites is one thing I do, along with a competitive market analysis to make sure I set the price right.  I make up fancy flyers to distribute around the area & make available for web users to download.  Often times I’ll even go door-knocking around the neighborhood to see if the neighbors have any friends looking to relocate.  I also send out an email to the thousands of registrants to www.NorthoftheSavannah.com.  Usually within 24 hours of promoting a property online, I can get several hundred interested buyers looking at it, resulting in several in-person showings during the next few days.

And for my recent home listing in Shadowmoor, I’m hosting a catered (Sticky Fingers!) Realtor Open House this Thursday to make sure my peers see the interior of this beautiful home.  It’s just a few of the things I do to bring everything I can to the table for my clients.

If you want to list a home in the area, please give me a call at 803-270-5005 or contact me for a listing presentation.

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Lydia Taylor June 16th, 2008

I know that some of my faithful readers of the EARE blog have been wondering where I have been, and why I have not written in so long. Well, sometimes life has a funny way of interrupting the routine that so many of us fall in. For me that interruption is… drumroll, please… getting Pregnant!!! After six years of wonderful married life, it is time for Austin and I to change our family dynamic a bit. We are really excited to have our first child and a little nervous at the same time!

So what does this have to do with the blog? Well it turns out the first trimester was a little rough on me. Those few excruciating weeks made it difficult to keep up with regular business, my home life, and blogging. All suffered, but I really let the blog suffer the most. Well, I said ‘adios‘ to the first trimester a couple of weeks ago and I am feeling much better now! I am guessing that I will still have my ups and downs - but besides my expanding tummy - all should go back to normal with the blog!

I’m due in December, so it looks like we will have a very special Christmas present this year!!

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Lydia Taylor June 15th, 2008

I am pleased to tell you about a wonderfully updated 3 bedroom 2 bath contemporary ranch home in Shadowmoor subdivision that I have just listed. Located in Martinez, GA this home is in the very popular Columbia County area outside of Augusta. According to the great neighbor of 20 plus years across the street, Shadowmoor is one of those quiet, established areas that is convenient to everything and just a joy to live in.

Nestled amongst mature trees, this home has a lovely 106′ X 150′ lot that has been freshly landscaped, which gives it some really charming curb appeal. Though built in 1977 this 1,634 square foot home has been brought to new life with modern amenities, decor, and more. Also, do not let the square footage deceive you, with a great room and a family room there is plenty of room for the whole family to spread out.

Now let’s get to the updates:

• New whirlpool appliances: stove/oven, microwave, dishwasher AND a side-by-side refrigerator
• Garbage disposal
• Roof installed in May of 2008
• Plumbing updates
• Wiring updates
• Custom all maple cabinets in the kitchen
• Ceramic tile in the entry, kitchen, and baths
• New Khaki Frieze carpet in the bedrooms and living areas
• Fresh paint throughout
• Updated and upgraded light fixtures
• New Bathroom vanities and more!

With all kitchen appliances including the refrigerator, the owner offering up to 3% in closing costs, and a list price of $139,500, this is a perfect starter home in Columbia County! As a bonus to it all, the home falls into some pretty desirable school zones: Bel Air Elementary, Evans Middle, and Evans High School.

DON’T WASTE ANYTIME - If you would like to view this home, please contact me or call 803-270-5005 TODAY!

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Lydia Taylor May 14th, 2008

Alas, I found my inbox depressingly empty of submissions for the Palmetto State Challenge this week. My initial dismay turned to delight when I realized I was in the driver’s seat and had a perfect excuse to surf the web for a while to find my own nominations. And it didn’t take long to find some worthy contenders.

First, for an honorable mention, I will put up Athol Kay’s Bad MLS Photos of the day #377, this one featuring a mind-numbingly bad MLS home description full of bizarre misspellings and accompanied by a sideways picture of a kitchen. That particular post tickled my funny bone to the core. However - no disrespect to Athol - but the post didn’t really test his writing skills, so he gets a grin but not the winning nod.

A post that did exhibit a blogger’s nimble keyboarding fingers and quick wit was Joseph Ferrara’s The Zindex Illusion, or How to Sell A Housing Report Without Using Actual Home Sales. While he took sharp aim at Zillow.com, the ‘real estate’ website we all love to hate, what was really classic was the string of comments following the post. When a representative of Zillow contested the accuracy of the post, Joe began a comment duel of the first order. Yes, a regular internet Flame War. Near the end, one commenter said of Joe, “Why do I feel like I’m watching a cat play with a mouse?”

Ah, good times.

And for that, Joe Ferrara, you are the winner of this week’s Palmetto State Challenge!

The Palmetto State Challenge is a weekly real estate blogging contest. If you discover a great real estate related article online, please send me a link.

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Lydia Taylor May 12th, 2008

To my husband’s chagrin, I love to eat lunch out! Yes, it is more economical to eat left overs or carry a sandwich, however there is just something about a great local lunch I just cannot get enough of. Combine that with good company that makes this midday meal my favorite. So to show my husband all of those lunches do mean something, I thought I would write a post to tell you about some of my favorite local eateries in Augusta.

• The Chef’s House - This restaurant is only open for lunch! It is in a tiny pink house at 1729 Walton Way next to the Glidden Paint store. You might just drive past it if you are not paying attention. This family owned and operated restaurant believes in good taste and healthy choices. They have a daily buffet that typically features chicken, fish, meat, 2 veggies, a starch, salad bar, and cobbler to absolutely die for.
• Cafe 209- Located downtown off of 10th street this eatery provides good old home cooking. The daily specials range anywhere from pot roast to fried pork chops and if you are in the mood for fried chicken you can choose that any day. If you are more of a veggie eater have no fear - here you can create a plate of veggies with collard greens, fried corn, green beans, fried okra, and more!
• Village Deli - Located in Daniel Village shopping center, off of Wrightsboro Road, this local hot spot offer a variety of sandwiches, soups, and pretty much all American fair. They offer an unusual lemon pepper french fry that should be tried! This place gets busy in a hurry so if you want to avoid a wait, either go early or try to snag a seat in the bar.
• RSVP- On 3626 Walton Way extension in the shopping center, you can find this little lunch delight. RSVP offers soups, salads, and sandwiches and is a great choice for the quick and light lunch. My favorite is their bacon tomato grilled cheese sandwich, chicken salad, and some of the best almost-as-good-as-home-cooking vegetable soup!
• Very Vera - This has a Washington Road address tucked behind a couple of buildings. If you turn by the Applebee’s you will find Very Vera on your right. This little eatery offers soups, salads, sandwiches, and quiche. The very best (or worst if you are on a diet) is the desert. They offer an array of home made goodies for dessert like brownies, rice krispies, and peanut butter bars - however as you gaze around the display cases you can’t help to notice their homemade cakes!
• My Friend’s Place- Located in the Surrey Center this little gem offers an array of sandwiches and wraps. My particular favorite is their chicken salad, however you pretty much cannot go wrong with anything they offer. The one thing that you cannot miss at My Friend’s Place is their cookies. The one particular cookie that I dream about is a chocolate chip cookie with a fudge center. Sounds sinful? Absolutely, but this little cookie is so worth it!

Augusta has a ton of other great local lunch spots that I have not added, primarily because I have not been there yet. If you know of one please tell me about it. Maybe I can get a free pass from my husband to go- after all I am doing local research…

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