Real Estate Information Archive

Greenville ranked 2nd by Forbes Magazine
Story from 4/1/2009

Forbes Magazine has ranked Greenville as the 2nd best small city in the United States for business and careers. This is the third time that Greenville has been included in the rankings. Greenville's previous rankings were 26th and 8th respectively.

Forbes staff researched hundreds of small metropolitan areas throughout the country looking at various categories such as educational opportunities, the cost of doing business, the cost of living, job growth, income growth as well as many others. Greenville consistently ranked in the top of those categories which resulted in a ranking of 2nd overall among small cities across the United States. "We are pleased to be recognized as an excellent area for careers and small business," states Greenville Convention & Visitors Bureau Sales & Marketing Manager Andrew Schmidt. "It affirms the outstanding progress and growth that the City of Greenville is experiencing as a destination."

For more information on the City of Greenville's inclusion in the Forbes rankings, please contact the Greenville-Pitt County Convention & Visitors Bureau at (252) 329-4200.

Isn't it refreshing to know that our society is still open to talent even when the talented is outside the tradition standards of what we have been taught to expect of celebrities.  Susan Boyle a 47 year old woman has restored my personal belief that the entire world is not as shallow as hollywood would have us believe. We as a society have been programed to believe that if a person doesn't look like a super model then no matter how talented they are , they have little or no chance of making it big in the entertainment business.  I was especially horrified during the olympics in China when the angelic voice of Yang Peili was pre-recorded and mimed by another little girl Lin Miaoke during the actual ceremony because Yang was considered ugly!    

So here is to Susan Boyle and to anyone who thinks they don't have the looks or are not of an age to pursue their dreams.  There is hope for true inner beauty to shine through.  After all the 30's are the new 20's right , doesn't that make the 40's the new 30's, with the increase in life expectancy it only makes since that an older society can achieve things that traditionally have been done by younger people.  Many others have accomplished their dreams at an older age, Paula Dean became a household name in her 50's, and many actors like Kathy Bates and Morgan Freeman also got a late start and went on to have enormous careers at an age that in the past most actors where conditioned to believe that their time in the spotlight was dwindling.  

Are you tired of getting emails promising millions of dollars will come to you if you help and Iranian princess who's family has been exiled and you are the key to helping her reclaim her families fortune.Or notifications that you have won a lottery worth millions in a foreign country!  Come on, do people really fall for this?  Of course they do or else these scams would go away.  I always want to know where these international scam artists get my email address.  Also, I am sure you agree that the annoying chain emails from your friends and family that seem to circle the globe are getting old also. I especially dislike the ones that say if I love my family or friends, or even God then I need to prove it by forwarding the email. Sure they come with cute pictures of kittens or love poetry or something harmless enough, but then the catch, send this email to 100 people in the next 24 hours or you will die a slow painful death!

Ok, so maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration but you get the point.  I wonder how connected these two forms of annoying emails are?  I realize that scam artists can easily attain email addresses from your facebook, myspace , or craigslist, however consider this, it is so much easier for them to get your email address from a chain e-mail. then its just a matter of cut and paste.  The average chain email I receive will have no less than 25 other email addresses attached to it. 

So I am going to stop forwarding chain emails as of today!  The buck stops here!  

I do love my family , most and my friends and God, even though my not forwarding these emails may imply otherwise! 

I encourage you all to do the same, and trust me, if you do indeed win the Canadian Lottery by some miracle, since you have not even bought a ticket, they will NOT notify you by email !!!   

This is the 26th annual Great Pirate Purple/Gold Pigskin pig-out Party in Greenville, NC from April 17-18, 2009.  The family-oriented festival is getting bigger and better than ever!  The event is kicked off early in the week with Pirate baseball on tuesday and wednesday evenings, and pirate softball on wednesday. The pig-out has joined with many other pirate activities this year to make the PirateFest.

This year will again feature the pig cookin' contest, a number of live bands and local entertainment, fireworks, BBQ plates, kids' games, the purple/gold spring football game and much more!

Proceeds from the Pigskin pig-out will benefit student athletics through the ECU Educational Foundation,better known as the Pirate Club!

Are you tired of making someone elses mortgage payment?

 Thats exactly what your doing when you rent.

 There may never be a better time to be a new homeowner than in 2009.  The government has many incentives including an $8,000.00 tax credit.  If you were walking down the street and saw $8,000.00 in a bundle with a note that reads , take me, free money to whoever finds me, you would pick it up right? Thats kinda what is happening now with this tax credit. Buy a house and close before Dec 1st 2009, and you will get up tp $8,000.00 in tax credit. 

Are you content to go another year with little or no tax write-offs? 

In addition to the tax credit, home ownership comes with many tax write-offs, mortgage interest is tax deductible making it the largest write off many americans have. 

Would you like to build equity in your financial future?

Your home can be one of your biggest resources during your retirement years.  Your home should increase in value over the course of years (amount varies based on individual markets), and as you make your mortgage payments the amount you owe on your home is reduced. The difference between the amount you owe and the amount your home is worth is your equity. This can add up over the course of years to significant amounts. For those folks that are not as good as saving for the future as others, their homes equity can fill in some budgetary gaps during retirement. Its the easiest savings account you will most likely have.  The purchase of additional investment properties over the course of your life is also a smart choice for preparing for retirement. The benefits of an investment property will prove to be even more beneficial in your retirement years, since tenants make your mortgage payments for you. Every month your tenants pay their rent , its as if they are making a deposit into your retirement account.

These are just a few of the reasons why now is the time to become a homeowner , and continue to invest in real estate through out your life. 

I'm often asked if this is a good time to buy a home. Some clients are concerned that home prices may fall further than they have already. They are assuming that the best course of action is to wait for the bottom in the market and then buy. The problem with this approach is that you don't know where the bottom is until you see it in the rear view mirror, meaning until you've missed it!

Home prices are one factor in determining your cost of ownership, but so are interest rates and financing availability. Even though interest rates have gone up in the last six months, they are still near historic lows. Since your monthly mortgage payment is a combination of paying down your principal and paying the interest owed, if home prices come down a little further but interest rates go up, it could cost you even more to service a mortgage on an identical home!

While a home is a major investment, it is also the center of your personal life. It's important to live in a home that reflects your taste and values, yet is within your financial "comfort zone." To that end, it may be more important to lock in today's relatively low interest rates and low home prices, rather than to hope for a further break in prices in the future.

Please give me a call if I can be of any assistance in determining how much home you can afford in today's market.