I've had that "a watched pot never boils" feeling lately with this looming market adjustment that I've been calling for. Well, wouldn't you know that today, the first day I've taken a little bit of a break from my O.C.D.-esque monitoring is the day that we're seeing my prediction sprout some legs! Here's a brief summary of what we're looking at for right now. Economy....still not good. Jobs report from last week.....hasn't changed and still not good. The problem is that it hasn't impacted the bond market and therefore mortgage rates the way that it "was supposed to impact them." Today, Stocks took a serious beating from the word go and oil fell below $58/barrel. So poor performance in equities helps out, lower oil prices eases some inflationary fear, both of those are good news for bond... 11/12/2008

For those buyers who already reside in Richland County there is Down Payment /Closing Cost Assistance available to you if you Choose to Purchase a home in the unincorprated areas of Richland County. Here is how it works: This forgivable loan can be used with any program FHA, VA , Conv, etc... Applicants: MUST BE Residents of Richland County at the time of application -no exceptions Must be qualified as a HUD low to moderate income household (dependant upon how many people in household) Must attend  Program Orientation and pay $100 Application fee offered only ONCE A MONTH - November 18th, Dec 16th, Jan 23rd .. (4th Tuesday of every month from that point on) Must attend Home Buyer training and Home  Maintenance training (times and dates offered given at Orientation meeting so no one can... 11/12/2008

Relocating to Columbia has many advantages.  Not only were we listed in the Top 25 cities expected to stay strong during the downturn in the real estate market, but as the state capital we are surrounded by local, state, and federal government, corporations and small businesses, a major SEC university, military base, a new research center partnered with USC called Innovista, numerous rivers and lakes, and incredible restaurants, shopping, and nightlife.  The City of Columbia's website explains it this way: "See a concert at the Colonial Center, an ice show at the Carolina Coliseum, a Broadway show at the Koger Center, a national dance touring company at The Township, a regatta at Lake Murray, a replica of a three ton white shark at the State Museum, historic homes from the 16th century,... 11/12/2008

Want to help Sell Your House in Columbia SC ? Get Lost! What is the best thing you can do during showings of your house?Make yourself scarce. Ever shopped in a store where the employees clearly work on commission and almost seem to lurk in the background, watching your every move, while you shop? This scenario doesn't really put you in the buying mood, does it?It can be uncomfortable exploring a home when you also feel like you're being watched. Making buyers feel comfortable when looking for a home is absolutely essential. Buyers tend to have little interest in asking you questions about your property because the answers you provide will certainly be biased in some way. This is why you have hired a real estate agent to represent you and your home. Who better than a qualified profession... 11/11/2008

Here are the latest of some of the Builders Incentives in the Columbia area :  •5.5% or $7500 of the price of the Homes  •42″ Flat Scree. TV ($1000 Best Buy Gift Card)  •iPhone 3G ($300 Apple Gift Card)  •iPod Nano ($150 Apple Gift Card)  For a limited Time  •Free Smooth Top Stove  •Free Side by Side Refrigerator  •Free Built-In Upgraded Dishwasher  •Free Built-In Microwave  •Free Washer and Dryer  Builder Pays All Closing Cost with Builder Approved Lender and Closing Attorney Contact me today for more details  803-319-2703 or email dmeade@kw.com Search Columbia Free MLS Homes for sale  11/11/2008

There are many factors to consider when selecting a home and neighborhood that are right foryou. Below are just a few of the many components that you should keep in mind, but you maythink of others that are important to you.Neighborhoods have characteristic personalities designed to best suit single people, growingfamilies, two-career couples, or retirees.Scout the Neighborhood!Whenever you are looking to purchase a house, it is important to scout the neighborhood inperson. Remember, you will be living in more than just your house. While in the area, but sureto: • Talk to people who live there. Drive through the entire area at different times of the day, both during the week and on  weekends. • Look carefully at how well other homes in the area are being maintained; are they  painted, ... 11/11/2008

  This the first month of the What Sold in your Neighborhood Report. If your neighborhood is not on this list, contact me for your Neighborhood Report.                             Average List Price          Average Price Sold         How Many Sold The Summit:               $146,738                   $145,688                      10 Lake Carolina:              $253,295                   $248,297                       8 Brookhaven:                $154,700                   $153,910                       4 Find out the Value of Your Home at www.dmeadehomesforsale.com Desmond Meade Realtor First Sergeant Retired dmeade@kw.com 803-319-2703   11/11/2008

My grandfather used to say that all the time. I've started to think it makes more sense lately. I feel like a blind man trying to get a grip on this market. John Thain, CEO of Merrill Lynch, said that this current global economic landscape is more similar to the 1929 environment leading into the Great Depression, not like the recent recessions of 87, 98, and 01. Considering none of us, or not that I know of anyway, were around and doing business then, that would clear up why no one seems to be able to get a grip on things. The "100% dead on" picks and predictions as to how things will react to certain reports or technical factors are now more lose theory and not "law" as they were once thought to be. The dismal jobs report last week is a perfect example. History tells us that with littl... 11/11/2008

On March 22, 1786 a bill was approved by the state legislature to create a new state capital.  This bill was introduced by Senator John (Gervais Street) Gervais.  Washington was requested as the name for the new town, but Columbia won by a vote of 11-7 in the state senate.   Columbia was laid out as a 2 mile square running beside the Congaree River.  This square was divided into 400 blocks containing ½ acre lots.  All residential lot buyers were required to build a minimum 540 square foot house within 3 years of their purchase.   The 4 perimeter streets of the city were all 150 feet wide, as well as two additional through streets.  The interior streets were built 100 feet wide. Columbia was chartered as a town in 1805.  The original charter called for an Intendent  and 6 Wardens to gov... 11/11/2008

Columbia, SC   Lowe's will open a new home improvement store on Clemson Road, just off I-77, this coming spring. The NE Columbia store will have roughly 103,000 square feet of retail/warehouse space along with a large attached garden center. The store will have close to 120 employees. Founded in 1946, Lowe's has grown from a small hardware store in North Carolina to the second largest home improvement retailer worldwide and the 9th largest retailer in the U.S. The Lowe's story began in North Carolina when an owner of the North Wilkesboro Hardware Company envisioned creating a chain of hardware stores.  At the time, Lowe's was a typical, small town hardware store selling everything from overalls and snuff to wash tubs, work boots and horse collars. As a homeowner, Lowe's stores have bail... 11/11/2008

Would you like to receive a complimentary no-obligation report on your home and your local real estate market?  This report will be provided to you by a real estate professional using real time market data.  This Market Snapshot report is engaging, interactive and extremely informative.  Please click the image below to receive your FREE report. 11/08/2008

Trans-Siberian Orchestra Winter Tour 2008 Columbia SC at the Colonial Life Arena There are going to be 2 shows on Sun, Nov 9, 2008 3:00 pm and Sun, Nov 9, 2008 7:30 pm What a great event and so exciting. This almost made me pee my pants when my husband took me a few years back. If you enjoy a great show then this is for you. See you there!   11/07/2008

I can't believe I've slipped out of the habit of getting a post up here at least 3 times a week, if not more. I'm sure everyone has been alright without my boring, technical, analysis of what's going on. But, needless to say the last 2 weeks haven't been very quiet, that's for sure. We've had two Fed Rate cuts....of course that didn't push our mortgage rates down. The last three days on the other hand did. A bond rally started on Tuesday and gained even more yesterday. Today saw some early profit taking and we actually got down to a low of -53bp around 10am. However, the Stock market got popped in the jaw again today, the Dow lost 443 points to close at 8,695, the broader S&P shed 47 points to finish trading at 904 and the NASDAQ Composite tumbled 72 points to close at 1,608. Some of th... 11/06/2008

After earning a 7-1 record from my NFL Week 9 picks, I plan on keeping it real simple for Week 10. I'm only picking GAME WINNERS and TAKING POINTS! However, I do have a bonus game that is for my readers to give their predictions. Here we go................ MIAMI OVER Seattle - This is the Jeannette Neerpat versus Nicole Weidauer special! Since Nicole has been a loyal reader of my blog, I won't bash the Seahawks. I'll just pick the Dolphins and move forward. DETROIT +6.5 vs. Jacksonville - (Can lightning strike thrice in the same place?) The Jags have not beat any 2008 opponent by more than seven points. Will the trend continue? I'm counting on it! ATLANTA OVER New Orleans - This is an opportunity for the Falcons to deny the Saints any chance to win the NFC South. Matt Ryan has been Mr. ... 11/06/2008

 Columbia SC     Right after the Revolutionary War what was known as the South Carolina Backcountry began to take shape.  Prior to the war the only recognized "civilized" part of the state was known as the Lowcountry which included the entire coast line up to 50 miles inland.  Richard Richardson was a Virginia native that immigrated to SC in the 1730s and became one of the leading planters of the Backcountry.  In 1775, as a member of the Council of Safety (which looked out for the well being of the area) Richardson was given the orders to assemble his men and suppress the Tory uprisings.  As the fighting with the British  escalated Richardson made the rank of Brigadier General for the colonists.  He was captured and imprisoned by the British Army in 1780 and died while incarcerated.  In... 11/05/2008

Columbia, SC             October 2008 Home Sales In The Columbia Area While home sales have slowed recently the market around Columbia is still chugging.  I broke down the closed deals during October:           $100-150K     173 homes           $150-250K     126 homes           $250K+           72 homes           That's 371 happy Buyers last month.  Would you like to be happy this month?   Terry Edwards, ABR   803 920 5327   Russell & Jeffcoat Realtors    www.FeaturedColumbiaHomes.com 11/05/2008

Dear Senator McCain: In my opinion, the word CONGRATULATIONS has been overused over the last 24 hours. Therefore, I will not congratulate you. I want to sincerely thank you! Because of how you have (and continue to serve) this country, you deserve our heart-felt thanks. Your historical place is SECURE! Your record and SCARS assure that! You said....."...the failure is mine...." I disagree. I have my opinions about the decisions that affected the outcome of this election. However, this is not the time or place to state those opinions.  Instead, let me and others state this clearly! We are proud to call you the Senator from Arizona. We are eternally grateful to your service to this country.  YOU DID NOT FAIL! Tonight was not about you or President-Elect Obama! In my opinion, there are som... 11/05/2008

Election Day is here and the world is on the edge of it's seat to see who will be the next Presdient. I love this country and I am proud to be able to vote for our next President -however, this post is not about predicting who you think will be President. It's about what you predict the Economy will do when the next President is announced.         Do you think the Economy will continue to collapse at a steady pace?                     Do You think it will Crash and Burn?                       Or Do you Predict this Country will be given new life and resuscitated with people no longer being afraid to buy a home now that we know who the next President will be?            I Predict that Americans will be happy to know who the next President is, we will see lower interest rates,  people wil... 11/04/2008

--- NO POLITICAL OPINIONS PLEASE! ONLY PREDICTIONS! --- NFL Week 9 gave me an opportunity to exhibit my true abilities to prognosticate in the crazy world of American Professional Football. My recent success (7-1 on last week) has motivated me to handicap tomorrow's "Super Bowl". Of course........I'm not talking about Super Bowl XLIII. I'm talking about tomorrow truly historic United States Presidential Election. NO MATTER THE OUTCOME........Someone is going to make history! Will it be Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin or United States Senator Barack Obama from Illinois? NOTE......This is NOT a Political Post! This is an opportunity to get your TRUE prediction for tomorrow's election.     Here is my attempt to be an ODDSMAKER..........I am going to make Obama the favorite! Obama -26 Electora... 11/03/2008

 The list below are links to the websites of ten local restaurants that you may want to try if you are visiting the Columbia, SC area or, if you already live in the area and are looking for a good place to grab a bite to eat. Blue Marlin Restaurant Motor Supply Co Bistro Hampton Street Vineyard Villa Tronco Italian Restaurant Ristorante Divino Dianne's On Devine Nonnah's Hennessy's Restaurant & Lounge Bull Market Restaurant Mac's On Main  Please visit the sites and see if there is something there for you. Then go check out these places in person and enjoy some of Columbia's great local restaurants.   This message brought to you by www.jlboney.com.   11/01/2008