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        <title>Upstate Real Estate News</title>
        <link>http://www.greenvilleliving.com/blog/market-reports/</link>
        <description>The latest real estate news for the South Carolina upstate, including Greenville, Simpsonville, Greer, and Taylors</description>
        <item>
            <guid>http://www.greenvilleliving.com/blog/south-carolinas-economic-outlook-is-positive.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.greenvilleliving.com/blog/south-carolinas-economic-outlook-is-positive.html</link>
            <author>will@greenvilleliving.com (William Stewart)</author>
            <title>South Carolina's economic outlook is positive</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
New data released by the South Carolina Department of Commerce proves once again that South Carolina is a great place to live and work.  Part of the allure of Greenville, SC is not only its future viability but also how the city (and state) is currently faring economically.


Part of these gains were driven by a recovering real estate construction market:


The real estate and construction industries show some signs of recovery as more than 1,400 residential building permits were issued in February, exceeding January’s total by 8.7 percent and the total from February, 2011 by nearly 30 percent. The total value associated with the permits issued in February was $267 million, surpassing the previous February by $80 million. While the median home sales price of closings in South Carolina fell to $140,000 from $145,000 in January, the number of residential closings increased 17 percent to 3,291 in February. Foreclosure activity increased considerably in February, with a total of 3,339 foreclosure filings or 12 percent more than the previous month.


The data for South Carolina real estate closings was positive with 10.7% more real estate closings in South Carolina versus last year.   There are, however, 56.7% more foreclosures than February 2011.


Specific data for Greenville, SC real estate shows that the median price has increased from $121,000 in February 2011 to $135,000 in February 2012.  Greenville is also blessed with one of the lowest unemployments rates of the state (7.7%).


The median home sales price increased slightly over the previous year to $140,000 from $136,800. The volume of residential building permits and the valuation of those permits both continue to show strong increases over last year. The total Residential Valuation associated with the permits increased 43.5 percent, while total number of permits issued grew by 29.9 percent, up by 336 permits compared to a year ago. Foreclosures rose 56.7 percent percent with 1,582 more foreclosures filings than the previous February.


The SC Department of Commerce has released a PDF with all the data.
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Mon, 09 Apr 2012 13:02:08 -0400</pubDate>
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        <item>
            <guid>http://www.greenvilleliving.com/blog/5-most-expensive-nfl-homes.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.greenvilleliving.com/blog/5-most-expensive-nfl-homes.html</link>
            <author>will@greenvilleliving.com (William Stewart)</author>
            <title>5 most expensive NFL homes</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
With the NFL's Super Bowl 46 on the horizon, Realtor.com takes a look at the 5 most expensive NFL star's homes on the market during the past year.


#5: Walter Jones (Seattle Seahawks OL)


On the market for $3.5 million, this home is a sportsman's paradise. It has a regulation football field with NFL standard goal posts in each end zone, a lighted basketball court and tennis court. There is also an inground pool, an exercise room, a game room and a hot tub.


#4: Kurt Warner (St. Louis Rams QB, MVP of Super Bowl 34)


At just under $5 million dollars, this beautiful Paradise Valley, Arizona home was featured in a HGTV Christmas special for good reason. Not only was it owned by a Super Bowl MVP, but it was the home of Roberto Alomar, former Baltimore Oriole and Toronto Blue Jay. With 7 bedrooms, 6.5 bathrooms, a pool, theater, and so much more, this 11,300-square-foot mansion has it all!


#3: Michael Strahan (New York Giants DE)


The NFL Pro's homes just get more extravagant as we go down the list. Michael Strahan fought hard against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 42, but he will let you have his home...if you have $7 million, that is.


Located in an exclusively gated Brentwood community, the 6 bedroom, 8 bathroom Mediterranean estate is masterfully designed with elegant contemporary appeal from head to toe. Dark wooden floors line the majority of all 9,200 square feet and add a custom finish to the textured walls, crown moldings and warm desert shades.


An over-sized deck leads to the pool, spa and beautifully landscaped yard.


#2: Troy Aikman (Dallas Cowboys QB)


This former Cowboy likes an extravagant Mediterranean-style. Located in Dallas Texas, Troy Aikman listed his 11,500 square foot home for $24 million! It was the most expensive home in the Dallas market at that time.


With five bedrooms, six and a half baths and multiple living areas, there is plenty of room to stretch out. But that's not all, it also has a 4-car garage, guest quarters, multiple fire places, oodles of covered porches, dual master baths, a sports court, an exercise room, a game room, a library and a 1,300-square-foot pool and cabana area.


#1: Joe Montana (San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs QB)


Located in Calistoga, CA, Joe Montana has a 500-acre wine country estate that covers two counties. Originally listed for $49 million, they have since cut the price to $35 million.


While the outdoors is a thing of beauty, the home is nothing to ignore. Featuring 9,700 of Tuscan villa-style craftsmanship, it is a beautiful home with exposed beam vaulted ceilings and all the features to be expected.



 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:24:44 -0500</pubDate>
                    </item>
        <item>
            <guid>http://www.greenvilleliving.com/blog/6-crown-gate-court-simpsonville-sc-real-estate-in-kingsbridge.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.greenvilleliving.com/blog/6-crown-gate-court-simpsonville-sc-real-estate-in-kingsbridge.html</link>
            <author>will@greenvilleliving.com (William Stewart)</author>
            <title>6 Crown Gate Court, Simpsonville, SC real estate in Kingsbridge</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Looking for homes for sale in Kingsbridge?  We recently listed a fantastic piece of Simpsonville, SC real estate.  Custom built by Milestone Custom Homes, it is a classic example of what makes Kingsbridge the subdivision of choice for Simpsonville, SC. 


This luxurious home opens to a wide foyer featuring a beautiful barrel ceiling. On either side of the spacious foyer is a selection of cozy rooms to relax in: a dining room, office and living room (which has a welcoming fireplace).


At the end of the foyer is a large gourmet kitchen complete with all the features any chef would want: granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances, gas range, ample counter space and much more!  But the uniqueness of this particular space is what is adjacent to the kitchen: a large sitting area with vaulted ceilings, exposed beams, and stone fireplace.


Outside, there is a screened-in porch with a fireplace as well.


Interested in more Kingsbridge, Simpsonville, SC real estate?  View a complete list of all homes for sale in Kingsbridge.


With 4 bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms, there is no limit to the comfort this home affords, but the most beautiful of them all is the master bedroom.  Situated on the first floor, the master bedroom offers an enormous 18x8 foot walk-in closet, granite vanities in the master bath, a steam shower, and last but certainly not least: a large and luxurious whirlpool tub for soaking away all your troubles.


The remaining bedrooms are upstairs along with a large game room featuring a wet bar.  One of the upstairs bedrooms is a unique split level quite unlike anything I have seen before.


This home is built with a careful eye to detail with so many unique features in it that video and photographs cannot do it justice!  If you would like an exclusive showing of this Kingsbridge home for sale in Simpsonville, SC, contact us today!


View the listing of 6 Crown Gate Court, Simpsonville, SC.





















































 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:17:02 -0500</pubDate>
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        <item>
            <guid>http://www.greenvilleliving.com/blog/2012-home-sales-on-the-rise.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.greenvilleliving.com/blog/2012-home-sales-on-the-rise.html</link>
            <author>will@greenvilleliving.com (William Stewart)</author>
            <title>2012 home sales on the rise</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
With the new year comes promising data that indicates home sales are on the upswing for the second straight month.  According to the National Association of Realtors, the home sale index has passed 100 and pending home sales have reached the highest level in 19 months. 


The only time the home sale index passed 100 since the collapse of the housing boom was when the home owner tax credit was in effect.  The natural growth of the market without any external factors such as a stimulous shows that the real estate market is gaining momentum and growing strong.  The organic power propelling the increase in home sales comes from many different factors, including homes being even more affordable, consumer confidence increasing, job conditions stabilizing, to name a few.


The index measures housing contract activity. It is based on signed real estate contracts for existing single-family homes, condos and co-ops. A signed contract is not counted as a sale until the transaction closes.


Source: National Association of Realtors
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:46:20 -0500</pubDate>
                    </item>
        <item>
            <guid>http://www.greenvilleliving.com/blog/boxwood-homes-for-sale.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.greenvilleliving.com/blog/boxwood-homes-for-sale.html</link>
            <author>will@greenvilleliving.com (William Stewart)</author>
            <title>Boxwood Homes for Sale</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Boxwood is a fantastic neighborhood located in Simpsonville, SC and the real estate is just minutes from all the shopping in Woodruff Road and the Greenville, SC area. Homes for sale in the neighborhood begin around mid $250,000.


Because Boxwood is a newer subdivision, all of the homes are newer construction and most have only been sold once. Boxwood amenities are minimal with a beautiful green space centrally located near the enterance of the neighborhood.


Most of the homes for sale are 3 bedroom, 2 bath construction. All, if not almost all, are 2-story. The building style is craftsman with careful attention paid to upgraded features like faucets, door handles, floors, countertops, kitchen cabinets, and light fixtures.


This neighborhood is smaller with less than 100 homes built so far. Because the footprint of the subdivision appears to be small, there will probably not be any more real estate expansion in the future.


Looking to buy in Boxwood?  Check out the list of available homes!


Because of the drop in home prices in the real estate market, homes sell in Boxwood slowly. There is a good chance you can get a fantastic deal from an impatient seller who is ready to get rid of the property if you have a good real estate agent to help you.


Shopping in the area of Boxwood is diverse. Not only is it within 25 minutes of downtown Greenville, but it is close to the Shops at Greenridge as well. The Shops at Greenridge have a wide variety of stores, including Whole Foods, Barnes and Nobles, Home Goods, Lowe's, and so many more! They recently added a personal favorite, REI.


Not only is there a wide range of shopping, but a variety restaurants surround the area. If you work in Simpsonville, Greenville, or Spartanburg, Boxwood is a great choice!


Living, working, and playing can all be done and done well in the beautiful subdivision called Boxwood.
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Wed, 28 Dec 2011 08:53:37 -0500</pubDate>
                    </item>
        <item>
            <guid>http://www.greenvilleliving.com/blog/are-homes-for-sale-in-boxwood-overpriced.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.greenvilleliving.com/blog/are-homes-for-sale-in-boxwood-overpriced.html</link>
            <author>will@greenvilleliving.com (William Stewart)</author>
            <title>Are homes for sale in Boxwood overpriced?</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
We hear the gloom and doom reports of the housing market but how has it affected Boxwood real estate?  Let’s look at the homes for sale in Boxwood, a residential neighborhood located in Simpsonville, SC, to see if we can discover the price fluctuations in the real estate market.


Boxwood is a fairly new subdivision that has beautifully constructed craftsman-style homes.  Because most of the garages are in the back, it feels like you have stepped back in time to a simpler world.  There is a broad common area near the entrance to the subdivision.


The latest data shows that between 2005 and today, 68 real estate transactions have occurred in Boxwood where a home has been sold.  Looking at the average price for these homes allows us to track historical pricing data to see how badly Boxwood was hit by the real estate crisis.  


Keep in mind that this includes new home sales where a developer sells the home to the very first owner as well as resales where the first owner passes it on to the second. 


The average sale price of a Boxwood home was $281,752.


Here is how the average sale price broke down by year:




2005: $282,064


2006: $280,922


2007: $290,339


2008: $286,775


2009: $278,838


2010: $291,277


2011: $244,830




From the MLS data on Boxwood we can see that the price has held very well until this last year. 


This overview does not give a complete picture of the real estate market in Boxwood because it does not take into consideration the condition of the home as well as the amenities and features that may add or take away from the value of the residence.  For instance, a 3 bedroom home costs more than a 2 bedroom and any amenities can add significantly to the bottom line.


For a more comprehensive look at home prices we would need to compare homes with similar features.


Here is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home with 2200-2399 sq. feet:




2005: $268,397 (1 sold)


2006: 0 sold


2007: 0 sold


2008: $275,783 (1 sold)


2009: 0 sold


2010: $232,500 (2 sold)


2011: $240,975 (2 sold)




And a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home with 2400-2599 sq. feet:




2005: 0 sold


2006: $273,000 (1 sold)


2007: 0 sold


2008: $257,687 (3 sold)


2009: $269,636 (4 sold)


2010: $284,925 (1 sold)


2011: $237,500 (1 sold)




None of these numbers are 100% accurate comparables, but it gives the overall sense that 2011 numbers are depressed.


Of the 6 homes currently listed in Boxwood, the average price is $308,833 which is higher than any previous year! All but one of the homes are over 200 days on the market which suggests they are overpriced.  Without looking at all the data, we cannot be 100% sure though.


Market conditions affect the price of a home.  If the real estate market is flooded with more properties than buyers, the price will lower.  As foreclosures drive the prices down, those who are seeking to sell have an increasingly difficult time getting their home sold.  It is especially difficult if the market value is below what a Boxwood homeowner owes.

We have vast experience in marketing and selling homes in the Simpsonville SC real estate market.  In fact, in Q3 and Q4 of 2011 we sold one home in River Walk in 3 days and another in 50 days!  Call us today to get your Boxwood home sold quickly for top dollar. ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Tue, 20 Dec 2011 23:45:45 -0500</pubDate>
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