Are you looking for a house or land to buy in Americus, Ga., Ellaville, Ga., Plains, Leslie and vicinity? What's available in Schley County, Sumter County and other nearby counties in southwest Georgia?
As of August 7, 2008, if you were looking for a house to buy, you could choose from a total of 153 in the Multiple Listing Service -- MLS -- for this area. That totals included 74 homes in Americus, 49 in Sumter County, 21 in Schley County (including Ellaville) and 9 in other counties such as Macon or Marion.
Are you looking for land? As of August 7, 2008, here are the numbers of available lots and tracts. Farms: 3, all in Sumter County. Acreage: 16 tracts in Sumter County, 11 in Schley. Residential lots: 4 in Americus, 28 in Sumter County, 15 in Schley County and 2 in nearby counties. Vacant commercial lots: 10 in Americus, 5 in Sumter and 1 in Schley. Industrial properties (land and buildings): total of 24.
If you're a seller, these numbers give you an idea of the competition your property faces from other sellers.
Although a few properties, especially residential and land, are being sold these days, we still have a large inventory of unsold properties. This is good news for buyers -- IF they can get financing. If you are thinking of buying, do yourself a favor and get pre-approved for a mortgage loan.
Pre-approval will tell you your price range. It also will give you an advantage with sellers who expect you to have done your "homework" before trying to put their property under contract. You need to KNOW you can get that mortgage loan when you make your offer to buy a house or land.
Pre-approval also gives you an advantage with real estate agents. They are looking for buyers who are prepared to act when they find an acceptable property. Believe me, agents will go the extra mile for buyers who have taken the time to get pre-approved for a mortgage loan.
If you don't already have an agent to show you properties and prepare your written offers, how about me? I am now in my 12th year of helping buyers and sellers of real estate in the Americus and Ellaville area. I'll gladly show you any listed property regardless of the listing company, and will be your professional assistant right through the closing of your purchase.
My services to buyers are free.
And please consider this: As a token of my appreciation for your business, I give you your choice of a one-year home warranty or a Lowe's gift card valued at $400 (if your purchase is for $85,000 or more). It's my way of saying thanks for your business.
If you're selling, and looking for an experienced Realtor, let me tell you the things I do for my clients that give you a competitive edge and probably will save you money. Call me at 229-924-3089.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Why I don't have an office
A question I'm often asked is, "Where is your office?" People seem surprised when I reply, "I don't have one."
Then I explain: I don't need an office to conduct a real estate business. I do need a car, a telephone, a fax machine, a computer, a printer, a scanner and a copier. I need some copy paper and some extra ink cartridges. I need some letterhead stationery and some postage stamps, and I need a table where customers can sit and sign documents. I have all of the above in my home.
"Oh, so you have a home office," they usually say. "No, actually, I have no office. My equipment and supplies are in my den, and I have a dining table. So although I have everything I need to conduct business, there's no office."
Aside from not needing an office, there's another good reason why I don't have one: lower operating costs. There's no additional mortgage payment or rent payment, no additional utility bills, no additional insurance, no additional property tax, no building maintenance costs, no lawn care costs, no expensive furniture, no secretary, none of the routine costs of business operation.
So, what difference does this make for my customers? A few differences come to mind: For sellers, it often means lower fees; if my operating costs are lower, I can take less of the seller's money at closing and still do okay for myself. I can afford to spend more on advertising properties. For example, I advertise properties in a high quality real estate magazine called Premier Monthly, which is distributed in more than 400 towns in eight Southeastern states. For another, I create an individual, unique web page on the Internet for each of my listings. It costs me some money, but it helps sell properties.
What do my lower operating costs do for buyers? I give my buyers their choice of a one-year home warranty or a Lowe's gift card valued at $400 if they buy a property for $85,000 or more. If they do business with me, I reward them. Everybody wins.
So you see, not having an office with all of its associated expenses makes perfect sense in this day of high costs. It works for me.
My slogan is: This is real estate today. If you have any thoughts on the subject, and would like to share them, please email me -- michael@michaeldixonrealty.com -- or call me at 229-924-3089.
Then I explain: I don't need an office to conduct a real estate business. I do need a car, a telephone, a fax machine, a computer, a printer, a scanner and a copier. I need some copy paper and some extra ink cartridges. I need some letterhead stationery and some postage stamps, and I need a table where customers can sit and sign documents. I have all of the above in my home.
"Oh, so you have a home office," they usually say. "No, actually, I have no office. My equipment and supplies are in my den, and I have a dining table. So although I have everything I need to conduct business, there's no office."
Aside from not needing an office, there's another good reason why I don't have one: lower operating costs. There's no additional mortgage payment or rent payment, no additional utility bills, no additional insurance, no additional property tax, no building maintenance costs, no lawn care costs, no expensive furniture, no secretary, none of the routine costs of business operation.
So, what difference does this make for my customers? A few differences come to mind: For sellers, it often means lower fees; if my operating costs are lower, I can take less of the seller's money at closing and still do okay for myself. I can afford to spend more on advertising properties. For example, I advertise properties in a high quality real estate magazine called Premier Monthly, which is distributed in more than 400 towns in eight Southeastern states. For another, I create an individual, unique web page on the Internet for each of my listings. It costs me some money, but it helps sell properties.
What do my lower operating costs do for buyers? I give my buyers their choice of a one-year home warranty or a Lowe's gift card valued at $400 if they buy a property for $85,000 or more. If they do business with me, I reward them. Everybody wins.
So you see, not having an office with all of its associated expenses makes perfect sense in this day of high costs. It works for me.
My slogan is: This is real estate today. If you have any thoughts on the subject, and would like to share them, please email me -- michael@michaeldixonrealty.com -- or call me at 229-924-3089.
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