Social Networking

I have been doing a little social networking in order to get in touch with old friends, new friends, clients, past clients, and potential clients. If you have Facebook and want to add me you can find me here. If you have Myspace and want to add me you can find me here. Also I am on Twitter, here.

What social networking tools do you use if you do not use either of those, and have you found them beneficial to helping you keep in touch?

New Hard Rock Park Owners

For those of you interested in Hard Rock Park News you can find the latest at this link:
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/story/788679.html

More Hard Rock Park News

According to The Sun News a third bidder, Coastal Entertainment LLC, has jumped in and thus far their offer is not contingent upon financing. But could their offer have came in too late? Read more here.

What are your thoughts on the happenings with HRP? Comment.

Food Recalls

There have been so many food recalls lately and it seems that each year there are more. I feel that this could be fixed if we began to hold the Food & Drug Administration up to higher standards. To view a petition about overhauling the FDA click here.

Hard Rock Park

The Sun News has an article that they posted on Tuesday about another bid for Hard Rock Park being submitted.

I have read several different comments on various articles and forums about Hard Rock Park that many people are dubious about what will happen with the park. Honestly, I don't think anyone will know until it has officially switched hands, but I feel that if it is done correctly that it has the potential to be a great amusement park and to hopefully bring in a few more jobs and help the economy some.

What are your thoughts on the park? I invite you to share, discuss, and question in the comments or by email.

Interesting Blog I Came Across

I came across a blog called Habitat for Humanity of Horry County. Since I've been talking a bit about flipping properties in here, I wanted to share the information they have on a new program called the Deconstruction Program. Which is a great way to give back while you are flipping a property or just doing some updating/remodeling. They handle the removal of reusable building items and sell it in their Resale Store.

If this is something that you would be interested in you should visit their blog to get more information here.

Also if you know anyone who is remodeling or doing deconstruction of some sort, please pass this information along!

Reccession, Should I Fix & Flip?

During the real estate boom, many investors did a lot of "Flipping*" properties. Everywhere you turned you heard about Flipping a House. From television to friends, everyone was talking about (or doing) this. Now in the current economy, house flipping has slowed down quite a bit. And it is easy to understand why. It is a buyer's market, which means prices are lower, as in every market, a home is only worth what a buyer is willing to pay. But even in the current economy flipping houses is possible. Here's how:

-Do an analysis of the home, how much will it cost to fix it? What needs to be done? Are there going to be any surprise costs?

-Do a market analysis (I recommend contacting a local Realtor for this), how much are the homes that are in good (fixed) condition of similar size, style, & location selling for?

-Be sure that the price of home, repairs, & potential unexpected costs are less than what the market price should be. (They should be less than that amount by how much $ you hope to make and allow a bit of a buffer, for those unexpected expenses)

If you do all these things it will help you decided whether a home is worth flipping, but be aware, that during the time that it takes to fix the property, the market will be changing. The real estate market is a constantly changing thing, this is why the buffers, etc, are so important. You may want to be sure that you can afford to sit on the property and possibly rent it out, until the market goes up. Just be sure to think over all options, and very carefully weigh the benefits versus the disadvantages of flipping in your housing market.

If you decide you want to start looking for an investment property to flip contact me here for help searching for the ideal investment property.


*Flipping property: purchasing a home below market price (that usually needs work) fixing it up and selling it for profit.

Pending Sales rose in Dec.

In comparison to Dec. 2007, Dec. 2008 showed a 2.1% rise in pending home sales. This may not seem like much, but compared to Nov. 2008 it is a 6.3% rise. Hopefully this is a sign of what our economy may start to do in the following months. To read more about the Pending Home Sales rising view CNN's article here.

Hot Trends in Home Design

I was reading a blog by StyledStagedSold that discussed 10 Hot trends in Home Design. Here are the 10 Designs that they have noticed a growing demand for:

1. Lighting that is used as both functional and funky shaped art pieces.
2. An extension of the home in outdoor living; with a smoother transition from being inside, to being outside.
3. Accessories (art, sculpture, photography, etc) that reflect nature & the environment.
4. Green appliances (i.e. energy efficient/water saving)
5. An increase in his & her amenities in more areas of the home than just the Master bed & bath.
6. Car lifts (especially as lot sizes are growing smaller)
7. Windows as a focal point (and energy efficient of course!)
8. More variation in wood details.
9. Mirrors.
10. Electronics, Electronics, Electronics.

To view these 10 Trends in Home Design in more detail go to StyledStagedSold's blog here.

And leave some feedback in the comments, what are your opinions on these Hot Trends? How long do you think they will be hot? And are they something you are interested in?