Author Archives: Carol Morgan

Housing Market on the Rise in Aiken

As the housing market continues to improve nationwide, Aiken is making sure it doesn’t get left behind. The Aiken Board of Realtors recently announced that area home sales are up 32 percent from March of 2011.

Local industry professionals attribute this increase to rising rent prices and lower interest rates. Average rent increased to $820 from $740 between February 2010 and February 2011. During this time, the average sales price dropped to $131,000 from $160,000. Similarly, the number of closings during this period increased 13 percent. The historically low interest rates–three to four percent on average–are also a contributing factor.

In addition to an increasing housing market, job stability in the area is also on the rise. For the first time in three years, South Carolina’s unemployment rate has dropped below 9 percent to 8.9 percent. Aiken’s unemployment rate is even lower at 8 percent, dropping .6 percent over the past year.

As long as the number of jobs continues to increase and as long as housing continues to become more and more affordable, Aiken should continue to see an improving housing market.

If you’re interested in buying a South Carolina new home, be sure to visit our site for all of the latest information.

Make Sure Man’s Best Friend is Protected by Your Homeowner’s Policy

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Check with your homeowner's insurance policy holder about pet coverage

Check with your homeowner's insurance policy provider about pet coverage

When we think of

homeowners insurance policies, we think of protections in case of disaster, but there are other aspects of the policy which you should be aware of. One of these additional aspects is coverage for your pets. Equifax has a great article explaining how pets and homeowners insurance interact, titled “

Your Homeowners Insurance Policy and Fido.”

Unlike pet insurance, which covers pet health, your homeowners insurance typically covers if your furry (or feathered or scaled) companion causes damage to property or other people. The costs of this damage can be quite high, as the average

insurance claim for an ER dog bite visit amount is $19,000. With such a high price and the potential for even mild-mannered dogs to be protective of their owners or territorial, some carriers limit the amount of coverage they offer or charge additional rates for pets on what they deem to be a high-risk animal list.

It is important to know what pets are on this list and what your insurer’s policy is. This can help you make sound decisions when you are looking for a new pet or help you know your liability. Many large dog breeds are on the common list, including Rottweiler, Pit Bull, Great Dane, Mastiff, Siberian Husky and more. There’s another list entirely for exotic pets, including snakes, alligators, skunks, non-human primates and many more.

Know that the list varies among insurers, so shop around to find the best policy for you and your pet so that your animal companion doesn’t become a financial risk. For other great information about insurance as well as knowledgeable articles about credit, taxes, retirement, real estate and all other matters of

personal finance advice, explore the Equifax Finance Blog.

GreenFiber Makes Builder Magazine Editor’s Pick List

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GreenFiber, a company that produces insulation products with multiple environmental benefits, made Builder Magazine‘s 2012 Editor’s pick list. This company, which is headquartered in Charlotte, is one of the ten companies and products on the list.

GreenFiber Insulation is environmentally-friendly insulation that is made for use in attics, floors and walls. Benefits of the product include amazing thermal performance, fire-resistance and sound control. The insulation itself is made up of 85 percent recycled content and is created in a virtually waste-free manufacturing process.

GreenFiber is made and sold for use by everyone from the homeowner to the architect. Homeowners, retailers/dealers, contractors/builders and architects/building officials can all find the benefits and information they need to know on the company’s website. Consumers can also find out about the weatherization assistance program.

Baldwin, Broan-NuTone, Plain & Fancy Cabinets, Kreg Tool, Upono, Caroma USA, Nuheat and Ann Sacks also had products which made the editor’s pick list.

For more information on how you can use GreenFiber when building a new Carolina home, doing home maintenance or increasing energy efficiency, visit their website.

Nine Carolina Cities Make Improving Markets List for April

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Nine cities in North and South Carolina made the list of housing markets showing measurable improvement in April. Compiled by the National Association of Home Builders and First American Improving Markets Index (IMI), April’s list included 101 metropolitan areas across the nation.

Seven North Carolina cities: Burlington, Charlotte, Goldsboro, Greensboro, Greenville, Rocky Mount and Winston-Salem made the list. Charleston and Spartanburg made the list for South Carolina.

The IMI identifies metro areas that show increases over a six month period for each of the respective lows related to employment, housing permits and house prices. The data is collected from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the US Census Bureau and Freddie Mac. The list of 101 cities is up from the 99 listed in March, with 11 slipping from the list and 13 new ones being added.

“While housing markets across the country continue to struggle under the weight of overly tight lending conditions and other challenges, the April IMI indicates that at least 101 individual metros are showing measurable and consistent signs that they are headed in the right direction,” said NAHB Chairman Barry Rutenberg. “A total of 35 states are now represented on the list, with 10 states having four or more entries. This positive news is in line with what our builder members have observed regarding firming conditions and improved buyer interest in certain locations.”

The National Association of Home Builders is a trade organization of 140,000 plus members involved in multifamily construction, home building, subcontracting, remodeling, housing finance, property management, building product manufacturing, design and more. NAHB builder members are expected to be involved in 80 percent of new housing projects this year.

If you’re interested in buying a home in one of these booming cities in North Carolina or South Carolina, visit Carolina Real Estate Forum.

Charlotte Ranks in Top 25 U.S. Cities with the Most Energy Star Buildings

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Charlotte was recently listed as one of 25 cities with the greatest number of energy efficient buildings that earned the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star certification in 2011.

These buildings sprawl over a combined 25 million square feet, and are expected to save almost $15 million annually in energy costs and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equal to the emissions of 2,600 homes.

Buildings and plants that carry the Energy Star label are the best in terms of energy efficiency. They save the most money, use the least amount of energy and significantly reduce green house emissions. Across the nation, the 16,500 Energy Star certified buildings have helped save $2.3 billion in utility bills annually and have prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to 1.5 million homes.

The list of the top 25 cities with the greatest number of energy efficient buildings was first released in 2008. Since that time, Los Angeles has remained the top city. Other top cities include Washington D.C., Atlanta, Boston, Tampa, Colorado Springs, Salt Lake City and Riverside. This year, California was the top represented state, with six of its cities making the list.

The Energy Star rating was launched by the EPA in 1992, and is a market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Over the program’s 20 years, $230 billion has been saved on utility bills and 1.7 billion metric tons of carbon pollution have been prevented. There are a total of fifteen types of commercial buildings in addition to new homes that can earn this designation including office buildings, retail stores, K-12 schools and more.

If you’re interested in buying an energy-efficient new Carolina home, visit our website.