Columbia South Carolina Real Estate Podcast with Brent Downing
25 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 5 years ago -If you are looking to buy or sell a home, get all the information and the latest updates, tips, and tricks from the Downing Team - your professional Century 21 Real Estate Agents.
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Episodes
A Look Back at the 2018 Market Statistics From the Greater Columbia Area
March 21, 2019 18:50Based on 2018’s market statistics, there are a few important trends that were predicted to take place in 2019. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation It’s time to take a look back at South Carolina’s market stats from 2018 to get an idea of what trends might take shape moving forward in 2019. Last year, home prices were consistently up again in most markets. While most of the US saw a reduction in price i...
Advice for Pricing Your Columbia Home Correctly
February 25, 2019 14:51 VideoPricing your home correctly is essential to getting it sold. Here are some tips to help you get on the right path. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation This week, I’ve got some great tips for you on how to price your home to sell. Every time I go on a listing appointment or get asked about a home’s worth, there's a process I employ for pricing my listings. Here’s an outline of the discussion, with timestamps s...
Be Well-Prepared If You Plan to Buy & Sell at the Same Time
February 11, 2019 15:39 VideoIf you’re wondering what the different approaches are to seamlessly buy and sell a home at the same time, here’s how. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation A seller situation that I’ve become fairly familiar with is that of the person who wants to sell their current home and move into another all at once. They often come to me with certain concerns and assumptions swirling in their minds, so I’d like to take a ...
Everything You Need to Know About Homeowners Associations
January 24, 2019 17:03 VideoToday we’ll be getting to the bottom of an important question: What are HOAs and how do they work? Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Whether you’ve lived within one or not, you’ve probably got some questions about what HOAs are and how they work. In short, an HOA, or homeowners association, is an organization of homeowners that retains the right to create and enforce regulations, rules, and restrictions o...
What's the latest with Lake Murray? Watch this to see...
January 10, 2019 19:23 VideoLake Murray isn’t going anywhere. Here’s what you need to know about the current state of the lake. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Whether you've seen it during your lake home search or have simply driven by, you may be curious why Lake Murray's water is down so far. There's a good reason for the decreased water level, which I'll be sharing with you today. Every year during the winter, they usually drai...
Is the Market Really Slowing Down?
December 26, 2018 19:16 VideoWhat’s going on in our real estate market right now? Find out in today’s market update. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation There’s been a lot of speculation lately about whether our market is undergoing a slowdown. The truth is that while conditions are cooling significantly on the West Coast, the changes to our Columbia market have not been nearly as extreme. However, despite the slight slowdown we exper...
A Holiday Message to You
December 17, 2018 15:46 VideoOur team is so thankful for you this holiday season. We hope your season is as merry and bright as ours. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Happy Holidays! In the spirit of the season, our team would like to extend our warmest thanks to all of you for the amazing year we’ve had. Your continued support means so much to us. The success we achieved in 2018 wouldn’t have been possible without you. We look forwar...
Simplifying the Legal and Contract Portions of Real Estate Transactions
October 29, 2018 16:34 VideoContracts are a critical part of any real estate transaction, so it’s important to have an agent and attorney who know the ins and outs of your contract. Attorney Mark Thomas joins me today with some advice for you. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation I’m here with my favorite closing attorney and owner of the Thomas Law Firm, Mark Thomas. Mark and I have been doing business together since I first entered the...
How to Choose the Best Agent to Help You Sell Your Home
October 08, 2018 14:42 VideoFinding the right real estate agent is key to having a successful home sale. Here are a few tips to help you get started on your search. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation This week I want to talk about a few of the things you should look for in an agent if you’re selling your house. The first and most obvious trait your agent should have is integrity. You want them to look out for your best interests, not ...
What Price Should I List My Home At?
October 01, 2018 16:14 VideoToday I want to talk about how we help you price your home for your particular market. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation We go on a lot of listing appointments in the Columbia and Midlands areas and are often asked, “How should I price my home?” Any time this comes up, I start first by taking a tour of the seller’s home while keeping in mind who the likely buyer is and what that potential buyer's options ...
Are You Planning a Move? Don't Wait Until Rates Rise Even Higher
August 16, 2018 14:25 VideoHow will recent trends in the mortgage industry impact your buying or selling experience? We discussed the answer to this and other important questions during our recent interview with mortgage expert Randy Brown. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Randy Brown, owner and CEO of Mortgage Options, joined me recently for a very informative interview about real estate financing. We work with Randy all the time, ...
When Should You Order a Home Inspection Before Listing?
August 02, 2018 15:01 VideoWhether you should order a home inspection or not before listing depends on your situation. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Should you order a home inspection before listing? The answer depends on your situation. If your home was built in the 1940s or 50s, you should probably get an inspection just so you know what’s going on with it. The buyer will order their own inspection anyway, so you don’t want...
An Important Discussion About Homeowners Insurance
July 19, 2018 17:59 VideoBill Frehse, a top insurance agent, is here with me to discuss important information regarding homeowners insurance. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Today I’m at lunch with Bill Frehse, one of the top insurance agents in the state, to discuss what homeowners (and renters) should be thinking about: insurance. The most important thing to remember about homeowners insurance is to have a relationship with yo...
The Answers to 4 Common Real Estate Questions
June 20, 2018 21:49 VideoIf you are a seller in our market, I will be answering a few common questions about our market and the home selling process that you may be wondering yourself. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Here are my answers to four common questions I have been getting lately from potential sellers in our market: 1. With the market like it is, should I sell now or wait until next year? Homes in our Columbia market ...
How Is Supply and Demand Impacting Our Luxury Market?
May 23, 2018 14:27 VideoWhat’s going on in our local real estate market? It’s time to take a look at recent conditions and how they may impact your real estate goals. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Today I’d like to take a moment to update you on the latest developments in our market. Currently, our market remains red-hot. In fact, Zillow estimates that homes sold more quickly in 2017 than ever before. And homes this year se...
Tips for a Picture-Perfect Home
April 23, 2018 19:27Before professional photos are taken of your home, follow these eight tips to achieve a picture-perfect property. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Before listing your home, it’s important to make sure that it’s photo-ready. My team and I are Realtors and marketing experts, not photographers. We believe that spending the extra money on professional photography is well worth it. Buyers definitely pay atte...
The Home Buying Process, From A to Z
April 10, 2018 21:45 VideoIf you’re unsure about how the process of buying a home works, I have a general overview for you today. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Today, I wanted to discuss the home buying process, from beginning to end. The first part of buying a home is choosing the right agent. Preferably, you should work with a Realtor who is a member of the National Association of Realtors. A good Realtor or agent will re...
Buying vs. Renting—Which Is Best for You?
March 20, 2018 22:47 VideoWhen it comes to buying versus renting, each option has its share of pros and cons, but buying is far more beneficial to you. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Which is the better option—buying or renting? Each path has its own pros and cons. If you don’t know where you’re going to live or you’re moving within the next year, you’re better off renting. In our Columbia market, it’s tough to get your money ...
How Do Realtors Differ From Regular Real Estate Agents?
February 14, 2018 22:05 VideoUs Realtors differ from regular real estate agents in that we have to abide by a code of ethics. Here’s what I mean. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation What’s the difference between a Realtor and a real estate agent? Today I’m at a quarterly meeting of the General Assembly of Realtors, and I thought it would be an appropriate time to answer this question. Of course, all Realtors are real estate agents, but...
What to Look for in a Lake Murray Home
January 22, 2018 19:41 VideoWhat should you look for when buying lakefront property? Here’s what we think. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation I’ve noticed that a lot of you are either looking to buy lake property or at least interested in it, so I wanted to give you a list of things to look for when buying lakefront property, specifically on Lake Murray. The first thing to know is that most people looking on the lake want to be able t...
The Downing Group 2017 Recap
January 04, 2018 17:44 VideoThank you all for allowing us to serve you. What did 2017 look like for us? Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Today, I wanted to take some time to look back on 2017 for our team and our clients, as well as to thank you all. Thank you for your support and allowing us to serve you. 2017 was a great year for the Downing Group. We moved our brokerage from Century 21 to Keller Williams Realty, which has been a ...
A New Market Update for Columbia
December 14, 2017 20:35 VideoWhat’s going on in Columbia right now? Here’s a quick look at the latest real estate market numbers. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation I’m here at one of my open houses (108 Summit View Ct. in Chapin) to bring you the latest market numbers for Columbia real estate. Here are some of the figures we’ve been keeping an eye on: 1. We’re up to about 12,000 sales this year. That’s a 4% increase from the 11,000 we...
Why You Should Never List Alone
November 27, 2017 16:50 VideoIf you’ve been thinking of selling your home without the help of an agent, you may want to reconsider. There are a few reasons why. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation Should you try to sell your house on your own? The answer is no. While listing your property as For Sale By Owner might sound appealing, there are actually a few things you need to consider. 70% of people who originally list their homes as Fo...
Is Your Home Market-Ready?
October 30, 2017 19:43Since most buyers have a keen eye for what they want in a home and a neighborhood, a seller must have their home in tip-top shape when it goes on the market. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation This week, I wanted to give you a few helpful hints on how to get your home ready to go on the market. Most buyers that I deal with have this radar that they turn on once they go into your neighborhood. It’s in their ...
Why Should You Work With a Real Estate Agent?
October 11, 2017 17:09 VideoHow does real estate agency really work? In other words, who do agents represent? How do they get paid? Why should you hire one? Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation It seems like there is a lot of confusion out there about how real estate agency works. I hear a lot of questions like, “Who does my agent represent? How do agents get paid?” I want to clear all of that up for you today. Real estate agents are...