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This is for you buyers out there wondering how long it takes to buy a home. In South Carolina, the way it's averaging right now, it typically takes, if you're financing a deal, typically takes about 45 days from the day of contract to the day of closing. That's kind of the rule of thumb what we go for. That gives the lenders enough time to get their stuff in order, that gives time for a home inspection, gives time for a termite inspection and anything that a buyer would need, title search and things like that. If it's a cash deal, that process could be sped up some. I've seen things happen as quickly as 14 days if it's a cash deal. But most financing deal is somewhere in the range of 45 days.

What I would strongly recommend to make that easier for you and speed up the process is make sure that you talk to a lender before you start putting offers on property. Any seller, any agent that is going to look at offers is going to want to see a prequalification letter in this market. So go ahead and talk to a lender, get your pre-qual letter, have an idea of which homes that you want, start looking at them, and then whenever you're ready. Once you get that offer accepted, shoot for around about 45 days or so if it's a financing deal. 

- Abe Safa

Must see! Rare opportunity to own a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom condo located in Beach Cottage! This beautifully furnished condo is in pristine condition and has everything you need for your stay! The bright & airy kitchen is fully equipped with plenty of cabinet space. The kitchen features granite countertops, a pantry, a breakfast bar and a dining area. The master bedroom offers wonderful views of the community lake, has ample closet space and an ensuite bathroom. The second bedroom has access to a full-size bathroom which allows for more privacy. Step onto the lakefront balcony and enjoy a morning coffee or an evening cocktail. Some renovations/updates are new laminate flooring throughout and tile in the baths, smooth ceilings in the main living area, updated faucets, light fixtures & ceiling fans, new blinds, new furniture and so much more! On top of this fantastic property, Beach Cottage offers a community pool with built-in grills and a deck overlooking the lake. Located just minutes from the Atlantic beach! Near shopping, dining, entertainment, golfing and more! Don't miss out, this property won't last long! Schedule your showing today!

Browse more property for sale on our easy to use website: www.c21theharrelsongroup.com

Google Review

Lee Suzanne Lott from the Harrelson Group was terrific. She made us feel like a priority, stuck with us, and promptly answered all our many questions. Her manner, while professional, was also open, honest, and friendly. We couldn't ask for a better agent.
Thanks Lee for all the help.

Welcome home to this lovely 3 bedroom, 2 full bath home in the Conway community of Castlewood, with no HOA! Vaulted ceilings in the main living area make the home feel open and inviting. The master bedroom offers a walk-in closet, ceiling fan and a private full bath. The other two bedrooms share access to the second full bath. Enjoy dining al fresco on the back patio overlooking the community pond. The location provides easy access to major roads, just minutes to the beach and all the shopping, dining, and entertainment the Grand Strand has to offer!

Browse more property for sale on our easy to use website: www.c21theharrelsongroup.com

Hello. Abe Safa here with Century 21 Harrelson Group in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Hope you are well. 

"When should I sell my rental property?" That question is pretty vague. It could be taken into a lot of … It can have a lot of different meanings based on the context that it's asked in. For this particular video we're going to focus on … it's in the context of, "Hey, I've got a rental property that I've got rented out there. I'm debating whether I want to sell it or not. Should I keep it or sell it? What do you recommend?"

Within that context, to me it's a very simple formula. And unfortunately, you don't get this from a lot of agents because a lot of times agents are going to say, "Yes, let's sell it. Let's get your money out," blah blah blah. Here's what I look at when it comes to a property like that. First of all, it's an investment. So, we've got to become detached from it's a house, it's a condo. I've owned it for so long. You got to forget all those things. It's an investment. That's all it is. So, what you want to look at ... and I help my clients go through this. We actually look at the numbers.

Okay. Do you have a mortgage? Number one. How much equity is in the property? Number two. Does your renter pay on time? What kind of rent do you charge? We look at all these different variables and look at how much rent it generates, look at all your expenses, meaning mortgage, your property taxes, which as an investment property are going to be pretty significantly higher than they would if it was a primary residence. How much rent do you collect? Are they on time when they pay rent? And what's your HOA dues and other expenses?

We look at all that data and at the end of the day what we're trying to figure out is what is your net on that investment? Meaning that you owe … Let's just say it's worth $150,000. You're collecting rent. We subtract the expenses, subtract the HOA dues, which are significantly higher usually if it's a condo, and then see what that number is. And we look as a net number what percentage it is of what the property's worth. To us, that's your return on investment so when we look at that number, the next thing we look at is … Okay, if you were to sell this property, what would you do? If you have a better investment, if you have a better use for your money where you could take that cash out, put it into somewhere else and get a better return on investment, then to me it's a no-brainer as long as you detach and look at it as purely as an investment.

Simple formula. What's your return on investment currently? If I took that cash out, could I do something better is going to be a simple formula that we use in most cases. Now, there's other variables that come into play depending on what we think is going to happen with the market. Do we think prices are appreciating or depreciating? Is there a better use as far as if I took this money out of this one particular investment/rental property and then bought something else in a market that might be a better long-term play? Things like that we can look into as well, but we've got to get past that first question: Is this a good investment? Are you getting a good enough return on investment? Or, is there a better opportunity for you there?

That should answer the case for most of you. You can run your numbers and see what kind of return you get. Make sure you look at the net number. Make sure you subtract out roughly 10% to cover repairs and expenses and things like that because things will happen, whether it's the HVAC system, whether it's new flooring. Things like that will happen. So, run those numbers, see what you think. I'm here to answer any question that you might have and be able to guide you any direction that you need. 843-360-2145.

Today, I'm going to address one of the most popular questions that we get is when is the best time to sell my home? 

Here's the simple truth. Many sellers out there, and even a lot of data that you read out there when you look at somebody's blogs and some of this information that's out there will tell you spring, summer is the best time to sell your home. Now, that is true in a sense. We do get more traffic in the spring and summer, there are more buyers out there looking, and there is more traffic during that time, but it's a lot deeper than that. When I look to selling a home, I want to make sure that I'm very clear on what the seller is looking to accomplish, what your goals are, what your motivation is, what kind of timeframe you have. All these different variables come into play when I help them make a decision on when the best time to sell.

What we look at is what the competition is and your neighborhood, what the competition is in your zip code, what the competition is in the overall market for homes in the price point of what your home is. Now to me, that's a lot more important than what time of year it is. Myrtle Beach, I've been here 31 years and year after year, it's becoming more of a year-round type of place with this traffic just about every single month in a year. Now, granted, we do get a little bit of spike late spring, early summer, like every person out there thinks that that's the best time to sell a home, but frankly, when you look at the inventory, it also coincides with that. You see inventory rise about the same percentage as the amount of traffic that starts showing up. Just because there's more traffic here doesn't mean you're going to get the best price. To me, what's more important is what the competition is, the law of supply and demand, the less competition we have for your type of home, the more likely we're going to get a higher price for you. Any agent that knows what they're doing is going to look at a lot more variables than what time of year it is.

Be careful what you're getting into. If you have any questions at all, please reach out to me. Just to recap, we're looking at a lot of data, we're looking the time of year is somewhat relevant, but more importantly, what the competition is for your type of home, what the traffic pattern is right now for your type of home, and most importantly, what your needs and wants are. Those are the things that I look at when it comes to selling a home. Any questions at all, please reach out to me, would love to be a resource for you and answer any questions that you might have.

Thank you.

Abe Safa

Century 21 The Harrelson Group

Hello, it's Greg Harrelson here from Century 21, the Harrelson Group and I just wanted to give you some additional information regarding purchasing property and most in particular, talk to you about a home inspection. I just will tell you, I would never buy a property, even personally, without having a professional inspector going and doing a home inspection on that property so I can identify if there're any challenges with that property that I might have to deal with in the future. So if I wouldn't buy a property myself without doing a home inspection, then surely I'd never recommend to any of my clients that they would purchase without a home inspection.

So I just wanted to share a five pretty common sense reasons why you want to get a home inspection. Number one, you don't want to judge a book by its cover. I mean, especially new construction. You may think "I'm buying new construction, what could be wrong with that?" Listen, we have our clients do home inspections on new construction all the time. Now the builders don't like it, because the builders know we're going to probably find something or the inspector's going to find something and they're going to have to go and update or fix something. It just happens just about on every house. That doesn't mean that the builder or the new construction is a problem or they're not doing a good job. Its just things get missed and the home inspector's job is to find that.

So do home inspections, even on new construction, but besides that you might be buying a home or making an offer on a home that you can tell the owner's really taking good care of the home. They've been meticulous. It looks good. You just don't know what's under the shingle, what's behind the walls, what's under the house. So you need somebody who has a trained eye to make sure that they uncover any issues that you might have to deal with. So, number one, don't judge a book by its cover. Go ahead and get the inspection no matter what the property looks like.

The second thing is, the reason why you want to get a home inspection is it'll save your money. If you can find mistakes on the front end, if you can find those mistakes on the front end or those challenges with the house, then you can talk to the seller and the seller a lot of times, depending on the contract that you have with that seller, will go ahead and have those things fixed on their dollar. So too often, you see buyers not get a home inspection. They buy a home; they close on it. Two weeks later, they're calling saying, "Hey, it looks like the seller didn't tell us that the outlet didn't work in the master bedroom and I can't plug my light a lamp in." Well, once you take possession and close, it's too late, you can't really go back to the seller, so any expense on fixing, that's going to be on your shoulders at that moment, or it's going to at least come out of your wallet.

The third thing I wrote down here is why you want to have a home inspection is it gives you additional leverage in the negotiation. See if there's a home inspection done and it comes back and there's five or six items that the inspector found, then you can reopen negotiations if you choose to, again depending on the contract, how it's written and we're good at protecting you. You can renegotiate. You can say, "Hey, look, I agreed to pay X amount of dollars based on the property being in certain condition, but the home inspector has now uncovered that these five things don't work." Now, those five things might amount to a thousand dollars, $1,500, maybe only $500. But in either case, when you have a home

inspection, then you'll be able to leverage that inspection with the other party, the seller, and typically get them to contribute all or at least some of the costs associated for those repairs. So it allows you to leverage, in the negotiation to make sure that you get some of those costs covered.

The next thing is seller's repair. So even before you close, there's a few ways to go about this. Before you close, you can ask them to give you money. That would be another way to negotiate. "Hey, can you give us a thousand dollars credit for the things that were found in the home inspection?" Or you could actually build into the contract that the seller has to repair those things. So maybe there's no negotiation or exchange of money, but we can build a contract where the seller is obligated to make those repairs. Now, again, we have to specify what those things are in a contract, but that's why you hire a professional real estate agent.

The next thing is, and I think this is important, the last one here, is it's just comforting to know what you're buying. You just want to know. You want to have peace of mind. You want to have confidence that when you buy this property, you know what you're getting, there's no surprises. Some people, like a used car, they'll go buy a used car and it looks really good, it sounds good and then a month later, they start hearing clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk, and it's like, "Gosh, darn it." That issue was probably already there, it's just over that one month, it got a little bit worse and now it's noticeable and that can be very stressful.

So, I want you to know what you're buying and when you get a certified home inspector or somebody that's licensed in our state to go out there again and use their professional, their trained eye, and put that on your property, then you can know once you've got the inspection, once you've renegotiated with the seller, once you've closed, you can be confident that you know what you got and there shouldn't be many surprises later on down the road. So if you can't tell by now, I recommend you get a home inspection. These are the reasons why. Please reach out to me, Greg Harrelson, or any of our agents within Century 21, The Harrelson Group, we would just love to help you, represent you in your next purchase. We'll talk to you soon. Bye-bye.

Ensuring that your house is in the best possible condition is an important step when it comes to selling. You will always get more money for your asset by presenting it in its best light. This remains the case whether you are selling with an agent or conducting the sale yourself. A perfect house maximizes profit! 

House Selling Checklist 

* Cleanliness

A clean house is an attractive house! Before opening your home to buyers, give it a deep and thorough clean. That means scrubbing all the dirt away, dusting every nook and cranny, shampooing the carpets, and polishing every window. 

* Tidy up 

Make the most of the space! Having clutter around the house can make rooms seem far smaller than they actually are. However, removing such items can open up the space and make the home seem more attractive.

* Staging

This is the art of making a space look open, attractive and organized. Many people hire professional stagers to arrange the room to its full potential. However, you can do this yourself too, with some even opting to repaint rooms to give them that fresh feel. 

* Pets 

Buyers should not be able to spot the tell-tale signs of pets. That means dog hair, the smell of a cat litter tray, and scratches on the carpet. Tidy up, vacuum, and arrange for the animals themselves to be elsewhere. * The power of light – Light sells houses, it’s as simple as that. Make sure that every single room in the house has ample light in order to improve the viewing experience. That means open curtains, turn on lights, and add lamps where needed. 

* Repairs

When we talk about repairs, we do not mean complete renovations. We are simply referring to the small cosmetic issues that stand out during a tour and can be easily remedied. 

* Exterior

The outside of the home creates the first impression. Think of it as the book cover. Therefore, you should make the most of this and make sure that the front garden/porch looks spotless, attractive, and eye-catching. * Valuables – Keep all valuables, money, private paperwork, medication and the like hidden/locked away during house tours.

MUST SEE! Take a look at this beautiful home located in the sought-out after community of RiverGate here in Little River SC. This 55+ designated adult community of Rivergate is located only a few minutes away from all the great shopping, dining and medical care facilities in the areas. This immaculate home features an open eat-in kitchen, a cozy living room, spacious bedrooms. And FULLY updated appliances. The clubhouse and community pool ,pest control, cable, trash pickup and landscaping are all included in the low monthly HOAs for your convenience! Located within walking distance to the Intercoastal Waterway and Cricket Cove Marina this neighborhood offers a beautifully peaceful lifestyle to all who are searching for it. Little River is a home for the annual world famous River Shrimp Festival and the AMAZING Blue Crab Festival, the delightful Vereen Botanical Gardens with over 1500 feet of marshes stretching out along the boardwalk and of course the best seafood on the Grand Strand. Schedule a SHOWING today and see what this home has to offer yourself.

See more Rivergate properties for sale here: https://www.northmyrtlebeachrealestate.net/little-river-sc/rivergate-and-whispering-woods/

Paradise awaits! Located in the popular Sand Dunes Oceanfront Resort, this gorgeous 3 bed 2 bath condo has delightful ocean views and is the perfect beach escape! Beautifully updated with a spacious living room and dining area and kitchen with plenty of cabinet and counter space plus a breakfast bar . The master suite has direct access to the balcony and bath with tub/ shower . The condo also has the convenience of a washer and dryer in the unit. The expansive balcony is the perfect spot for your morning coffee or to relax with friends at the end of the day and enjoy the sea breezes and those great views .Amenities abound at the resort and include indoor and outdoor pools, a lazy river, hot tubs, a water park , fitness center, on site restaurant, Tiki bar and a convenience store. Located in the heart of Myrtle Beach and close to shopping, dining and attractions. If you have been searching for your dream vacation getaway, like no further! Make an appointment today to view this fantastic condo!