Is the Housing Crisis Over?

Yes says Cyril Moulle-Berteaux with the Wall Street Journal in an opinion piece.

"The dire headlines coming fast and furious in the financial and popular press suggest that the housing crisis is intensifying. Yet it is very likely that April 2008 will mark the bottom of the U.S. housing market. Yes, the housing market is bottoming right now."
**Taken from the May 6, 2008 opinion piece by Cyril Moulle-Berteaux in the Wall Street Journal

Read the complete article.

Happy Birthday, North Myrtle Beach!

North Myrtle Beach celebrated its 40th birthday today, Wednesday, May 7, 2008.

The leaders of the small towns of Cherry Grove Beach, Ocean Drive Beach ("O.D."), Crescent Beach and Windy Hill Beach thought they could be more successful as one larger city versus several smaller towns. The merger came after more than a year of discussions. The towns incorporated in 1968, and leaders decided to name the town North Myrtle Beach. The name was chosen to play off the success and popularity of Myrtle Beach, a few miles south.

Over the last 40 years, the town has grown considerably. When the town incorporated, it consisted of about 350 beach homes connected by unpaved roads. Now, North Myrtle Beach has about 13,000 full-time residents, four lanes of Highway 17, condos and many businesses. Barefoot Landing has grown into a major shopping area from a hand-full of stores.

I've seen the changes first hand in North Myrtle Beach. My family vacationed for years in North Myrtle Beach in the Crescent Beach section. We stayed in the same home each year, and my sister and I thought it was "our" beach house! Then, only a few high-rise condos dotted the landscape. Most of the condo complexes were low-rise (2-5 stories). We always visited Bert's Surf Shop and had to buy a t-shirt on Main Street in O.D. During the day, we relaxed at the beach and played in the ocean until the lifeguards went home. We ate dinner at the White Point restaurant - then, it was located west of 17 where the Alabama Theatre now sits. Highway 22 and Highway 31 did not exist. It was basically one way in and one way out!

North Myrtle Beach has definitely "grown up" over the years. I have tons of great memories of time spent in North Myrtle Beach with my family and friends. The former small beach towns incorporated 40 years ago to form North Myrtle Beach have surely given many other people wonderful memories as well.

Happy 40th Birthday, North Myrtle Beach!

Why You Need a Home Inspection

Why You Need a Home Inspection

Unlike other major purchases such as an automobile or a college education, your visits to and use of a home before you actually live in it are very limited. You can't "try before you buy" when you're shopping for a house or condominium. As a home buyer you seek out a property that fits your aesthetics, household needs and price range. Much of a home's value (and eventual cost to you) rests in how sound the property and its systems are - but the untrained eye isn't able to determine the significance of common home issues that might be apparent during a walk-through.

A home inspection is designed to give you the information you need to decide if you can accept the home as it is, if you'd be willing to buy it under certain conditions (such as the sellers addressing certain issues before closing), or if you should keep shopping for the right property. A home inspection reviews the condition of the home's structure (foundation, roof, walls, interior and exterior) and systems (electrical, plumbing, air and heating systems) so you can determine the degree of upkeep, anticipated repairs and other work you'd need to do to maintain a safe and habitable property.

Don’t make the largest investment in your life without the piece of mind provided by a Professional Home Inspection!

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Thanks to Jim Gribben of WIN Home Inspections for providing a great explanation of why you should get a home inspection. Jim can be reached at (843) 238-3454 or jgribben@wini.com. If you have any questions about the home inspection process or the home buying process, please contact Kathy Rukat at (843) 267-2710 or Kathy@KathyRukat.com.