November D4 Realty News
As we get into fall, things are going well at DeFoor Realty.
We’re very pleased that we once again have our Harlem location open. We moved next door to the old location, which was formerly a bank, and are open! We had an open house to celebrate. We had a good turnout with food for all, tours of the office, and we also raised some money for the hungry in our area. We combined our Open House with the Spooky to be Hungry fundraiser we participated in during October with the Golden Harvest Food Bank. Many who attended donated canned goods or money to the cause. With those contributions, as well as the ones we received online and at our Appling office, we were able to raise $1,300 and several large boxes of canned goods. Thank you to all who helped. We hope to do something similar next year and to have an even greater turnout.
We were also excited to be part of the second annual Ladies Night Out in Harlem. Local businesses stayed open late on a Saturday and the ladies who attended were able to have some hors d’oeuvres, drink wine, shop and watch a band. Hundreds of ladies came out. We love being a part of things that help our local businesses.
On the real estate front, home contract signings are at a two year low. According to realtor.com, they’re being affected by Hurricanes and tight supply. They say the extreme supply-demand imbalance in the housing market has almost made sales standstill. Pending sales declined 3.5% in the south in August. The National Association of Realtors has cut its full year forecast for sales in the wake of the slower spring selling season and the impact of the hurricanes. They’re now predicting 5.44 million homes will be sold this year and had previously predicted 5.52 million.
The market in our area is still really good. Sales are down slightly from earlier in the year but still booming. Downtown Augusta is making a remarkable comeback. North Augusta’s landscape is changing with the new Green Jacket’s stadium with the hotel and businesses that are coming with the development. Evans is exploding with new commercial growth and the development of the Town Center. The residential market is still good and we are excited with the opportunities we have in the Western end of the county. Grovetown’s growth has been nothing short of phenomenal and the Harlem area is experiencing new subdivisions. It is exciting to see practically every store front in Harlem full. Two years ago they were about half full. The lake market is still pretty good with fairly strong demand but there are not many houses and lots on the market now. It is a good time to sell. We hope to have some good news soon about an opportunity we have been working on for a while that is exciting. We are busy.
As we approach Thanksgiving we are so aware of the blessings God has given us. We are surrounded with an incredible staff. They not only are talented but are really good people. Our family continues to have good health and our business is good. I used to think that was because of something we did but God has put us in the right place at the right time. We live in a very prosperous location with good schools and a high standard of living. We live in a country that is the best place to live in the world. We need to be thankful and appreciative of the opportunities that our forefathers have left us. We also need to be thankful for our veterans, policemen, firefighters and all those that put their lives on the line for us each and every day. This flag issue makes me absolutely sick. Nobody in any country has the opportunities that we have in the USA.
Have a great Veterans Day and Thanksgiving. God bless each of you and God bless America.
