10 Tips To Sell Your Home in a Buyer's Market

HOME SELLING 101: Columbia, SC

Selling in a buyer's market, with an oversupply of homes and/or falling home values, does not occur often, but certainly presents challenges. My top ten tips listed here should help you and most tips are applicable in any home selling environment.

1. Prepare Yourself for Market Conditions
2. Make a Good First Impression
3. Prepare Your Home for Showing
4. Hire an inspector
5. Make repairs
6. Special touches inside the home
7. Select the Best Selling Agent
8. Set a Competitive Price
9. Offer a Home Warranty
10. Be Flexible and patient
11. Contact Mel Coker - Columbia's Internet Realtor!

Click Here for my Home Selling Tips webpage with all of the tips above more fully explained. I also have a link (with my membership in the Lowe's Realtors Benefits group) to allow you to receive a 10% off coupon at Lowe's.

Ready to discuss selling your home? Call Mel Coker at (803) 749-5800. I will be happy to discuss my marketing plan and very competitive commission structure. Mel Coker is the exclusive CyberStars Realtor for Columbia, South Carolina real estate.

CLICK for Columbia, SC real estate

The Big Dig!

Cool Stuff Category (I'll have more of this from time to time)

Did you ever dream of digging a hole so deep it came out the other side of the earth? Where would you end up? Well, with this cool online site, you can find out. It's cool!

CLICK: Dig a hole through the Earth

Scientifically speaking it would be impossible to dig a tunnel through to the other side of the world, but it’s fun to pretend! If you attempted to dig a hole to the other side of the Earth, you would be digging through: More than 12 000 kilometres of solid rock and molten magma; Rock reaching temperatures up to 6000 ºC; Extreme pressures up to 300 million times greater than the pressures we experience on the surface of the Earth!

I live in Chapin, South Carolina. My hole would come out about 1500 miles west of Australia in the Indian Ocean. Try it for some fun!

Starting the Big Dig near Chapin, SC!

End up in the Indian Ocean!

Never a Better Time for First-time Homebuyers!

NOW is the time to buy your first home!
Why pay rent and buy a property for someone else? People that buy homes have more wealth - that's a fact. When you're a homeowner, you build equity (net worth) and enjoy substantial tax benefits. Plus, you will have pride of owning your own home!

There are several INCREDIBLE reasons to buy a home NOW! Call or email Mel Coker when you're ready to buy.

1.) $8000 Federal Tax Credit - When you're a first-time homebuyer (not owned a home within the past 3 years) you will get $8000 credit when you file your next federal tax return. That's $8000 FREE! This credit runs out soon... you have to close on your home on or before November 30, 2009.
Click Here for more information
My Previous Blog on First-time Homebuyer Program

2.) GREAT FOUNDATIONS Mortgage Program from Homeowner's Mortgage

This program will match your payment to purchase a home. It's more FREE money, but, only only limited funds are available for the program. ACT NOW! Quick Details: available to first-time homebuyers; can be used for downpayment and/or closing costs; income limitaitons apply; maximum match not to exceed $10,000; program is limited in time due to funds allocated by government.

The program matches your down payment at a 5:1 ratio. Example: you put down $2000 and this program will match that with $10,000! Click Here for more program information

For more information, you must contact Mike Wetzel at Homeowner's Mortgage. Tell Mike that you are working with Mel Coker at RE/MAX. Call Mike at: (803) 609-3177 or email: mwetzel@homeownersmtg.com

3.) LOW Mortgage rates - mortgage interest rates are near historical lows! You save big money because you pay a lower interest rate. Call Mel Coker for a referral to an excellent mortgage professional.

4.) Home prices have moderated - Home prices have moderated or in some cases decreased in the Greater Columbia area. In most cases, you will have more negotiating power due to an abundance of inventory.

Ready to BUY a home in Greater Columbia? Contact Mel Coker, your Columbia Realtor:

Office: (803) 749-5800

Internet: MelCoker.com

email: melcoker@remax.net

New Irmo Listing

WOW! Five Bedrooms - All Brick in Irmo

I've got a wonderful new home offered for sale in the popular Irmo area. It's an all brick home with 5 bedrooms and priced at $279,000. It's priced to sell quickly at under $87 per square foot! This beautiful home is less than 1 mile to both Dutch Fork middle and high schools.

For more information, CLICK HERE or call me for a showing appointment.

Lake Murray

Lake Murray Update:

Want to know what's happening at Lake Murray and with Lake Murray home prices? Be sure to visit my Lake Murray website and Lake Murray blog. On my latest blog, I provide stats on home price changes over the past 5 years along with other market conditions. Check out my Lake Murray website, blog and eBook for the best Lake Murray information online.

Lake Murray Blog

Lake Murray Website

Lake Murray eBook!

Open publication - Free publishing - More lake murray sc

Our Cancun Vacation

We recently completed another great vacation in Cancun. It was our 12th visit to a Palace Resorts in Cancun or the Riviera Maya. For this trip, we had 18 fun-loving people enjoying a wonderful time in Cancun (including 9 graduating seniors from Chapin High School).

If you want a GREAT vacation at a GREAT price in Cancun, Riviera Maya or Punta Cana (Dominican Republic), please contact me. As a Palace Resorts Premier member, I can offer you my very special member pricing (too low to publish). Click here to view Palace Resorts website.

All Palace Resorts are all-inclusive. The resorts and rooms are beautiful and include excellent amenities and service. No other company offers what Palace offers including free select excursion trips (visit Mayan ruins at Tulum or Chichen Icha for free!), free calls back to U.S. and much more. My special member pricing gives you even more, including a free massage, manicure and pedicure. Call me soon for a great Cancun, Riviera Maya, Cozumel, or Punta Cana vacation.

Watch my Cancun music video:

Columbia, SC Real Estate

June is almost over! It was a GREAT month with 5 real estate closings scheduled. In between, I was able to get off to Cancun for a one week vacation.

Watch for my Columbia real estate update in July. I'll provide a detailed snapshot of Columbia area real estate activity with what's happening with the number of closings and average prices. Watch for it by the end of July.

Know of someone needing to buy or sell in Columbia? Be sure to contact or have them contact Mel Coker. I'm commited to old-time values in real estate service using the latest technologies.

MelCoker.com

Columbia, SC Real Estate

Lake Murray

Mel's Lake Murray Blog

Columbia's Old Timey Realtor, Mel Coker (with Barbara)

Summer Travel Plans?

TripIt!

This is a NEW and really cool travel tool for your use if you have travel plans this summer. It's the BEST way to organize and share your travel plans. And, it's FREE!

TripIt.com

This online tool makes it easy to build an itinerary, organize and access the itineary anytime and share it with anyone. I am travelling to Cancun this week, so, I've built my Cancun travel itinerary. Check it out at:

Mel's Cancun TripIt Itinerary

The really cool feature is that to start building the itinerary, you just email the airline travel confirmation to TripIt and a travel planner page is automatically created. It's easy to build in other parts of the trip on the same page.

Mel and Barbara on Top of Coba Mayan Ruins

By the way, if you wish to travel to Cancun at a GREAT price, please let me know and I can provide details and pricing on fantastic Palace Resorts travel deals. You still have time to join our group of 18 headed to Cancun this Sunday! Call or email Mel Coker today.
coker@columbiasouthcarolina.com

Barbara and Mel at Cancun Palace in Cancun, Mexico
Mel's Vacation Store