Author: Glenn Cooper

Summer is the time of year that can be brutal when it comes to looking at properties!

We will do everything in our power to make your viewing time as pleasant as possible! Let us help you find ways to streamline the process. When you speak to an agent here at First Realty our goal is to take care of your needs and help you navigate through a process that can sometimes be complicated.

When we ask if you have spoken to a lender, we are not trying to be nosy. There are very good reasons. First of all, we need to know if the property that you want to see will actually meet the guidelines of the type of loan you are getting. Secondly, we don’t want to show you properties that are not within the parameters of the amount you are pre-qualified for and thirdly, you will have a better position when you get ready to make an offer on the property that you want.

Our agents are all extremely experienced in navigating the process. Purchasing a home or property is not something that happens overnight. There are many bends and forks in the road ahead and we try to make sure that you are aware of what to expect.

Trust us! We want to match the perfect home with the perfect owner!

It looks like I completely skipped over March and April. I honestly do not know where the time goes these days. Spring in our little town was a flurry of activity. We had so many fundraisers! Runs, walks, dances, skips, rolls, performances and everything else you can possibly imagine. Our civic organizations are a powerful resource in our community. The time and energy that our people devote to these events are incredible.
I cannot say enough good things about our agents here at First Realty. Our inventory is down but our agents are managing to keep things moving along and we have been able to come out of the winter slump and start to generate activity!
Our Rental department stays super busy. With nearly 200 rental properties to manage you can imagine just how dedicated they are to keeping things running smoothly. If you are thinking about purchasing a rental property, now is the time. We cannot seem to have enough rental property. Our vacancy rate for residential rentals is zero. If you want to invest, call one of our sales agents and they can help you find a great rental.
Congratulations go out to Susan Rhodes for being the listing and selling agent for the months of January, February and March and Tammy Liller who snagged the titles for the month of April. Way to go ladies!

How many times will it take for us to get used to the new date? It usually takes me until late January to remember to change the year!
Speaking of changes, I was surprised at how slow our activity was in December. It usually is super busy. I am chalking it up to the extremely rainy month we had. No one was too interested in fighting the rain to get out and look at homes. That seems to be changing since the new year. Today the sun is back out and it seems like that is breathing life back into everyone. Our phones are ringing and the agents are all buzzing about.
We need listings! If you are thinking of selling your property, now is the time to get it on the market. Inventory is very low countywide and your property will stand out among new listings. Call one of our highly qualified agents today and get them to come out and provide a free market analysis for your property.

Our agents here at First Realty have been extraordinarily busy this year. To be in a small town, we have a good bit of production.

We have a few pending sales before the end of the year but as of today, we have closed 107 properties in 2018 for a total of $7,557,073. The average list price of these properties has been $75,689 with the average sold price of $70,627. This averages out to a list to sell percentage of 94.04%.

If your home has been on the market for a long time and has not been shown, there is usually a reason. Your Realtor will be getting in contact with you at the first part of the new year to discuss strategy, marketing, and price. We want to sell your property and we will work together to make that happen.

Thank you to all of our clients in this past year and in previous years as well. We feel like we develop a personal relationship with each and every one of you and we wish you the very best in the coming New Year!

Most sincerely,

Glenn Cooper

It is hot. It is STILL hot. It is HOT HOT! Unfortunately, our real estate market in Greenville is not hot.

This is a hard COLD fact. If you want to sell your property, it may take a little while UNLESS you are willing to listen to the professional opinion of your Realtor. Realtors are property owners too. We want all of the property that we own and sell to be worth a lot. A whole lot. Greenville and our surrounding areas are amazing, wonderful, sweet towns in which to live; but we are not experiencing a tremendous amount of growth right now. That means that our property values are not increasing as fast as markets to our north and south.

Before we list your property, our agents will prepare a market analysis for you. They will use the technology and experience that they have to determine the value of your place. The numbers speak volumes. If we don’t face these values now, we will have to face them when the lenders order an appraisal on the property to satisfy their underwriters that the property is worth what the contract portrays.

Experience shows that when a property is priced correctly, it will sell quickly. That in conjunction with the homeowner working to ensure that their property is in good condition and prepared to show well. Sellers need to work with their agent. Make your home easy to show and make sure that it looks inviting and well cared for. If we get these two things right, chances are we can overcome the fact that we are not in the hottest market in Alabama! Even though it feels like it!

So far this September is making us feel a little like a drowned rat. It is quite a challenge to get out and show houses in torrential rain. If you REALLY want to look though, we REALLY want to show you because you MUST be motivated to buy!

The beginning of school usually indicates a slow down of activity in our market. People are focused on getting back into the routine of getting children off to school or college and all of the activities that go along with it. However, once we get a little nip in the air and the humidity goes down, we will see an increase in listings and showings. We are ready to help and raring to go!

We have a new agent starting this month. Michelle Myrick is a retired school teacher and has just gotten her real estate license and is ready to offer plenty of exuberance and energy with helping you to sell or purchase! I expect great things from her.

Our agents are all above average in my opinion. We have the personalities and expertise to meet the needs of anyone looking for a Realtor!

Check out our Facebook page. We have a lot of new listings both for sale and for rent highlighted on our page.

What? It can’t be! It is not even August yet! It just doesn’t seem right that school is starting in just a couple of weeks for most of the area children. What happened to getting out in time for Memorial Day and going back after Labor Day?
It is funny how our market sort of revolves around school activities. We get a little bit of a slow down when school cranks back up but when the fall breezes start and people feel like they can breathe again; then they start calling and wanting to find a new home in time for the holidays! Don’t wait around and miss the opportunity to have your house on the market so they will be able to see it when the time comes. We can also get YOU into a larger or smaller place of your dreams in time for college football, Halloween, Thanksgiving!
Call one of our professional agents for your appointment today!

If you want to go look at houses right now, you better be serious! LOL!! We have gotten a kick out of seeing our agents coming into the office in an absolute puddle after working hard showing homes and properties to buyers! We can all relate to each other! It is hard on buyers too! If you have a house on the market and really want us to sell it, please consider how the property is going to come across to a buyer during the summer heat. If you don’t want to leave the ac going, at least keep some ceiling fans on to keep air circulating. Showing a home that is dark, dank and sweltering is probably not going to result in an offer. Work with us to help you get the most money for your property!

June is here and buyers are out and about looking for a place to land before the next school year. Agents have been buzzing around here showing properties and writing contracts! It is the perfect time to get your house on the market if you have been thinking of upsizing or downsizing!
The last 40 days we have had 14 sales in Butler, Lowndes, Crenshaw and Conecuh Counties. The average sales price was $102,764 and the average days on the market was 138 days. We averaged selling the properties for 95% of the list price.
Inventory is down and we need more listings for sale and for rent! Call us and we will help you get your property sold!

May is a crazy month! End of year programs, sports tournaments, proms, graduations… It seems as if nowadays there is something going on every weekend and a lot of weeknights!

We here at First Realty have been working overtime to get a lot of beautiful homes on the market as well as oversee all of the details to getting many listings sold! We had 7 listings that closed in April, and several more have gone under contract scheduled to close in May and June.

Spring and Summer are always good months for listing and selling. If you are thinking about putting your home on the market, consider calling one of the agents here at First Realty to come out and have a meeting about what you need to be doing to get your house in tip-top showing condition so that we can get you the best price for your home! A well-staged home that is in good condition is proven to bring you more money!

Glenn