Augusta Real Estate…a market update
Caroline Ashe Your Source in Augusta, GA Real Estate 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.
