An Aiken Tradition...

Hopelands Garden Concert Series-2018

Vikki and Brandi of the Aiken HOMES Team

of Meybohm Real Estate are the sponsors

for the opening night event on April 2nd.

Kenny George Band starting at 6:30 pm.

This is a "local’s" favorite event and weather is perfect!

The highly anticipated Hopelands Concert Series returns this April, May, and June. The first concert features The Kenny George Band, who will kick off Masters Week in Aiken with a performance in Hopelands Gardens on Monday, April 2nd at 6:30 pm. Guests are encouraged to bring a lawn chair and picnic dinner to enjoy the show. Admission is free. 

Event parking is located across the street from Hopelands Gardens at the Green Boundary Club, 780 Whiskey Road. Handicap parking is available at Rye Patch on Berrie Road and Hopelands Gardens on Dupree Place. 

For more information, please call 803-642-7631 or visitwww.cityofaikensc.gov or www.facebook.com/ExperienceAiken. Please call the rain-out hotline at 803-643-4661 for more information in the event of inclement weather.

The Federal Housing Authority, operating under HUD, offers affordable mortgages for tens of thousands of buyers who may not qualify for other types of programs. They are popular with both first-time and repeat buyers.
The 3.5% down payment is an attractive feature but there are other advantages:

• More tolerant for credit challenges than conventional mortgages.
• Lower down payments than most conventional loans.
• Broader qualifying ratios - total house payment with MIP can be up to 31% of borrower's monthly gross income and total house payment with all recurring debt can be up to 43%. There is a stretch provision taking it to 33/45 for qualifying energy efficient homes.
• Seller can contribute up to 6% of purchase price; this money must be specified in the contract and can be used to pay all or part of the buyer's closing costs, pre-paid items and/or buy down of the interest rate.
• Self-employed may qualify with adequate documentation - two year's tax returns and a current profit and loss statement would be required in addition to the normal qualifying and underwriting requirements.
• Liberal use of gift monies - borrowers can receive a gift from family members, buyer's employer, close friend, labor union or charity. A gift letter will be required specifying that the gift does not have to be repaid.
• Special 203(k) program for buying a home that needs capital improvements - requires a firm contractor's bid attached to the contract calling for the work to be done. The home is appraised subject to the work being done. If approved, the home can close, the money for the improvements escrowed and paid when completed.
• Loans are assumable at the existing interest rate with buyer qualification. Assumptions are easier than qualifying for a new mortgage and closing costs are lower.
• An assumable mortgage with a lower than current rates for new mortgages could add value to the property.

Finding the best mortgage for an individual is not always an easy process. Buyers need good information from trusted professionals. Call (803) 645-8008 for a recommendation of a trusted lender who can help you.

Aiken, SC Offers Several Lifestyles...It's YOUR Home, Your Lifestyle, We are YOUR Aiken Homes Team

HOME Buyers…Ever hear the word, it’s a “SLEEPER” used in real estate?

It is something you should be looking for and not only focusing on the new listings coming onto the market.

It’s a good quality home that's for sale, whose value goes unnoticed for some time, before everyone realizes it's worth.  A missed opportunity that is right in front of you.  It often might be due to seller starting too high when first listed so it may have long days on the market which people assume there is something wrong with the home when there is not or was under contract and contract failed to no fault of the home. The sellers are often readier to sell and will be open to a lower offer than listing price as compared to a home seller who’s home just went onto the market.

From our experience those are often the best buys on the market  which are right in front of you and you are not seeing it.  First call your buyer’s agent or if you do not one call: 

Vikki or Brandi at MEYBOHM Real Estate, 803-702-4090 and start looking for a “SLEEPER”.

Monthly Selling Tip

ROI IS KING

Every smart homeowner knows that major—or even minor—remodeling projects should be undertaken with one eye on design and the other on the ROI. You want to be comfortable with whatever return on investment you receive for upgrading your home because, unfortunately, many upgrades won’t entirely recoup their cost upon sale. But the use you get out of the home with the upgrade might still make the construction worthwhile, regardless of the ultimate selling price. Here’s the top 10 remodeling projects that provide the best return on investment nationally.

RANKING	PROJECT	COST     RECOUPED	AVERAGE JOB COST	RESALE VALUE
10	Add a family room	69.3 percent	$89,566	$62,055
9	Finish the basement (cost estimate includes bar area, main room and bathroom)	70 percent	$71,115	$49,768
8	Add a two-story addition (cost estimate includes adding a family room, bedroom and bathroom)	71.1 percent	$176,108	$125,222
7	Add a wood deck (cost estimate includes built-in bench and planter)	71.5 percent	$10,707	$7,652
6	Replace the siding	76.4 percent	$14,518	$11,093
5	Replace the garage door	76.9 percent	$1,749	$1,345
4	Complete a minor kitchen remodel (cost estimate includes new cabinet fronts and hardware, new energy-efficient appliances, laminate countertops, mid-priced sink and faucet, dingy floor replacement and wall paint)	80.2 percent	$20,830	$16,699
3	Install a manufactured stone veneer (instead of vinyl siding)	89.4 percent	$7,851	$7,019
2	Replace your entry door with a steel door	90.7 percent	$1,413	$1,282
1	Add fiberglass attic insulation	107.7 percent	$1,343	$1,446

Buying or selling a home can seem like an overwhelming task. But the right REАLTOR^® can make the process easier — and more profitable.

А Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), with years of experience and success, will help you make smart decisions in a fast-paced, complex and competitive marketplace.

Vikki Crossland or Brandi Cook of Meybohm Realtors are your local Certified Residential Specialists (CRS). Info@AikenHOMES.com or 803-702-4090

Smart Moves....

smart MOVES       

Today’s buyers want move-in-ready homes, and a new survey points to exactly what that means.

More than 70 percent of buyers want a move-in-ready home, and that ultimately breaks down to a home that has updated heating and cooling and an updated kitchen and bathroom (more than 80 percent expect those features to qualify as move-in ready) and they want new appliances (74 percent). To a lesser but still notable degree, buyers feel a move-in-ready home has smart-home technology installed (44 percent). Additionally, 57 percent of those buyers that want a move-in-ready home would consider an older home updated with smart-home technology.  Apparently, survey respondents want the technology, but they really don’t want to sift through the options and install it themselves. Thirty-six percent of all respondents believe that having smart technology is a major selling point when buying a home, but 32 percent feel they are too intimidated to install it themselves.

And while the millennial generation certainly leans hardest toward this technology with 61 percent interested in it, 52 percent of Gen Xers and 50 percent of baby boomers do as well.                                         

Taking that first leap and making the investment in smart home technology may wind up being an investment in your home’s value or salability.

For other home selling tips or suggestions, contact Vikki Crossland or Brandi Cook of the Aiken HOMES Team at MEYBOHM REALTORS who are Certified Residential Specialists or your favorite Realtor®.