Winfield WV October 2012 Home Sales Report October 2012 Real Estate Report Homes Sold: 6 Median Sales Price: $204,250 Homes Currently on the Market: 40 Homes Currently Under Contract: 6 Average Days On the Market: 113   In comparison, the market is about the same year over year same period. In October 2011, 6 homes sold with an average of 17 days on the market! The median cost for a home in Winfield, WV was $199,900. 11/27/2012

3 Things You Should Hide From Buyers You have heard all the common advice of how to prepare your home in Charleston, WV for a showing while it is on the market. Keep the grass cut, clothes picked up, and don't forget to put an apple pie baking in the oven before you leave for that homey feeling. Also, don't forget to disclose, disclose, disclose any defect in the house. But do you know you should hide these three things that I have noticed in recent showings sellers left out in the open for anyone to see. 1. First of all is medicine. While as REALTORS we try to screen anyone we are showing your house to, we can only do so much. A background check and drug test is not one of those things. 2. Passwords. We have so many passwords these days that the tendency is to write them down at our de... 11/26/2012

Poca WV October 2012 Home Sales Report October 2012 Real Estate Report Homes Sold: 7 Average Sales Price: $175,571 Homes Currently on the Market: 45 Homes Currently Under Contract: 18 Average Days On the Market: 104   The town of Poca is located along Kanawha River and is home to one of the largest coal fired electric plants in the east. It is situated right outside of Cross Lanes, and not far from Winfield. In comparison, the market is about the same year over year same period. In October 2011, 6 homes sold with an average days on the market of 128. 11/23/2012

After many years of working with buyers of real estate the one major oint of advice I have each client is Do Not get in over your headn and DONT BE HOUSE POOR. Buyers, even though you feel have found the home of your dreams, step back and look at the complete and entire picture. Go over your finances carefully and talk with your mortgage lender to go over each and every option you have on buying the home. You do not want to get into the home purchase, close on the home and three months down the road your struggling to make your payments and making ends meet. This adds major stress to your lives and you will feel as if your sinking fast in quicksand each month as you struggle with your payments. Go over your finances carefully and leave room with your budget for cicumstances beyond your ... 11/20/2012

Hurricane WV October 2012 Home Sales Report October 2012 Real Estate Report Homes Sold: 25  Average Sales Price: $225,636 Homes Currently on the Market: 180 Homes Currently Under Contract: 32 Average Days On the Market: 69 Hurricane, located in Putnam County, continues to be a strong market. Compared to same period last year, 24 homes were sold for an average of $181,952 per home and only 78 days on the market. Putnam County has experienced a huge boon in population the decade and a half. Currently, of the 180 active homes on the market, 46 have been since 2000.   11/11/2012

October 2012 Teays Valley Home Sales Report October 2012 Real Estate Report Homes Sold: 12   Average Sales Price: $165,200   Homes Currently on the Market: 53   Homes Currently Under Contract: 17   Average Days On the Market: 27!!   Teays Valley real estate sold about the same number of houses in October 2011, but at a greater sales price of $185,646 on average while extending the average days on the market to 73. Teays Valley is located in Putnam County and has seen an explosion of growth in the last 10 - 15 years. As a result, many of the homes available for sale have been built since 2000. 23 of the 53 to be exact. In comparison, only 5 of the 70 homes available in Cross Lanes have been built since 2000.     11/10/2012

2012 Teays Valley & Scott Depot Trick or Treat Times CLICK HERE FOR IMPORTANT UPDATE REGARDING TIME & DATE CHANGE For all unincorporated areas, including Teays Valley & Scott Depot, of Putnam County, Trick or Treat times will be from 6pm until 8pm on Tuesday October 30, 2012. For a safe Halloween visit the Polly Klaas Foundation for Halloween Safety Tips. If you are looking to have some Halloween fun before the 30th, check out the Waves of Terror at Valley Park on the 19th, 20th, 26th & 27th from 7pm until 11pm. Buying or selling a house in Teays Valley? Give me a call at (304) 741-4705. I will Treat you right with no Tricks up my sleeves! image courtesy of freedigialphotos.net 10/18/2012

Real Estate Q&A: Fewer Pictures = More Problems? Q: I was told that when there are few or no interior pictures mean that there are problems with the house. Is that true?   A: In short, No! Gone are the days of a weekly or monthly catalog being published of all the new listings on the market. In today's Internet world, we have the opportunity to see the interior of the house before we even step foot inside. The Kanawha Valley Board of REALTORS allow up to 16 photos per listing. Sometimes it is difficult selecting which 16 pictures best describe the property for sale. Why do some listings have as few as just one picture? The answer varies.   The listing agent prefers a marketing method of just offering a few tease photos to entice buyers to schedule a showing. Once there, the hope is that... 04/06/2012

You shouldn't save money when buying a house..by skipping a home inspection. It is a natural to try and minimize the cost of purchasing a home in Teays Valley, WV. After all, saving enough money for a down payment was challenging enough, now there are pre-paid costs such as homeowners insurance and taxes, and closings fees that need to be covered. Not to mention the termite inspection and appraisal. Indeed, buying a home can be quite the work over for your bank account. The oft mentioned mantra that "buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions most people will ever make" is quite true. A home inspection is like buying Peace of Mind Insurance. What Does A Home Inspection Do? During the home selection process, we show pictures or ask parents, relatives, or friends to accompany... 03/26/2012

Homes for sale in Putnam County, West Virginia see a 7% increase in final sales price for November 2011. The communities of Teays Valley, Hurricane and Winfield reaped a median increase of $13,900 in the month of November versus the same period in 2010. The median price for a 3 bedroom home in Teays Valley, West Virginia sold for $208,900. Thirty-seven homes completed escrow during this month, a gain of three over 2010. Putnam County consists of three major communities, Teays Valley, Hurricane & Winfield, as well as many smaller ones. The area is largely unincorporated and is the second-fastest growing region in West Virginia. While once a sleepy farm county, the area has experienced an explosion of growth as a result many Teays Valley houses for sale are new construction. The majority ... 11/30/2011

  The last of the warm autumn days have left and winter is about upon us. If you haven't already, now is the time to prepare your Teays Valley home for the winter season. I have listed some simple steps you may want to do, before the snow and cold weather sets in, to help protect your largest assest. Cover or take inside any patio furniture. Now is a good time to oil the nuts and bolts to prevent rust and insure easy removal if the need should arise. While you have the WD-40 out, you should go ahead and oil door hinges and mailbox doors. Doing it at a regular time each year will help you to remember as well as prevent rust. Drain water out of birdbaths, fountains, and pools. If you have removed any plants from their pots, remember to turn them upside down if they do not have a drain. Wa... 11/29/2011

Mortgage rates for Teays Valley homes are at their lowest in years. According to the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, the 30 year fixed rate is 3.99% and the 15 year fixed rate is 3.30%. What does this mean for you if you are interested in buying a Teays Valley house for sale? You can now buy more house for the same amount of money. For example, a house costing $250,000 would have a monthly payment of $1762.75 on a 15 year fixed rate. That same house just a few years ago when rates were double what they are now, would have cost $2150.38. That is a difference of $387.63 per month. Spending that extra $387.63 a month, you could now purchase a Teays Valley house for sale listed at $305,000. That is a $55,000 difference. ===========================================================... 11/10/2011

The Small Business Administration's 504 Loan Program provides small companies in development areas with guarantees for loans for major fixed assets such as land and buildings for economic development. The purpose of 504 loans is to improve the economy of a locality or to assist businesses owned by women, minorities, veterans, rural businesses, and other designated types of businesses. The 504 loans are set up to work with Certified Development Companies - nonprofit corporations set up for community development. Generally the project assets are used as collateral. A typical 504 loan structure might look like this, according to the SBA: Typically, a 504 project includes a loan secured with a senior lien from a private-sector lender covering up to 50 percent of the project cost, a loan sec... 10/29/2009

  A black tie event will be held to assist in fund raising for the new Putnam County Animal Relief Center.  The date will be Saturday Jan 24 at 7:00 PM.  It will be held at the Sleepy Hollow Golf Club ballroom.   Funds raised will go to the building of a new shelter and are reported to be desperately needed.   Additional donations may be sent to:   Putnam Animal Relief Center Fund c/o First State Bank 1101 Hospital Drive, Suite 102 Hurricane, WV 25526   Please look in your heart to be a corporate sponsor or contributor for this worthy cause.  To help the helpless is one of our greatest duties as stewards.   Original story posted by Sarah Cooper @ www.theputnamscoop.com               12/06/2008

West Virginia first time home buyers have a fantastic opportunity to finally own a home!  WV Housing Development Fund now has a 4.99% interest rate available for first time home buyers.  If your a renter and you've been waiting for those interest rates to hit the right number, now is the time.  I expect many West Virginians to take advantage of this rare opportunity to make one of the biggest investments of their life.    I'm excited about the announcement and I hope WV REALTORS have to opportunity to help many families get into their first homes this year.If your ready to buy your first home CLICK HERE for more information! 03/03/2008

This morning I looked through our MLS at listings that have expired.  I looked only at residential listings that expired within the last two weeks.  This is a small area so we only had 68.  Well, “only” is in the eye of the beholder.  We could also say that in this small area, 68 families were unable to move within their listing periods.  I have been there as a seller myself, and it’s not a happy position to be in.  Sellers want to move and get on with their lives. I wondered what kept these houses from selling.  Two things really make or break the sale of your home, price and condition.  Since I wasn’t going to comp out every one of these 68 houses just out of curiosity and was unable to judge too much of the condition, I decided to ignore those things.  These houses may or may not ha... 11/02/2007

I’ve been trying to think about the “big secret” in Hurricane, West Virginia.  If I had a new client moving in from somewhere else, what would be the most important thing to clue them in about?  I’ve been mulling it over …. While I was thinking about it, I walked down to the bus stop to get my Little One.  I met the usual group of neighborhood parents there.  One neighbor had her hair cut short and I told her I liked it, she looked “sporty” and younger somehow.  She told me she might as well cut it off, the doctors told her it’s chemo time again. Oooh.  She’s so brave, ready to fight.  Again.  It makes her so tired.  I told her I’d get her son in the mornings or afternoons, I can do bus stop duty for her so she can rest.  And then every other parent there jumped in.  They ALL wanted to... 10/07/2007

Breakfast from Tudor’s Biscuit World is one of our family’s traditions.  Every Sunday morning my husband runs out and picks us up some biscuits.  This Sunday hubby and Tall One needed to sleep late, so I took Little One for a little one-on-one breakfast date.  Instead of driving through, we ate there.  Family time is great, but kids need to have Mom (or Dad!) all to themselves sometimes.  You can have a pretty deep conversation over biscuits. Tudor’s is a little different from most restaurants.  It started in West Virginia and for the most part it’s still here.  We have a few strays in other states, but when I think of Tudor’s, I’m picturing West Virginia. When we lived in my husband’s home state of North Carolina, I craved Tudor’s biscuits.  Coming back home for a visit meant I could ... 09/23/2007

Team Whitten shares a wealth of real estate knowledge which allows each of us  to use our own strengths to best market and sell your home.  We have a list of designations which to most people just look like strange letters after our names.  I’ll try to explain what they mean, and I’ll start with one of my own.  I’m Sarah Cooper and among other things I am an ASP, or an Accredited Staging Professional.  What this means is that I have trained and continue to study Staging as a means to help my clients sell their homes faster and for more money, regardless of market conditions. There are two vital aspects to selling your home.  The first is Price.  Your house MUST be priced correctly in order to sell, or it will linger on the market.  You will end up having to reduce your price, probably ... 09/23/2007

                                              This afternoon I had an Open House at one of our listings in St. Albans.  (You can see it on our Team Whitten blog if you're curious, nice older house with a great "watching the world go by" front porch.)  I took Teays Valley Road just because it makes my car so happy.   I sat out on the porch at my Open House and could hear the Sternwheeler's deep air horns on the Kanawha River, just a block or so from the house.  VERY cool!  I took these pictures on my way home.  The top is the Kanawha River, minus the Sternwheelers.  (Hate that I missed them!)  The bottom picture is Teays Valley Road.  In high school we called this section Dead Man's Curve.  Yes, I'm driving and taking pictures in Dead Man's Curve.  Tsk. Before I went home, I stopped at a... 09/16/2007