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Did You Know?
Lake Hartwell was built by the Corps of Engineers between
1957-63 for flood control, water quality, water supply, and
hydroelectric power generation. And, that it is 660' above sea
level with 962 miles of shoreline.
Lake Keowee was built in 1976 for water supply, to cool Duke
Power's Nuclear facility, and is 800' of above sea level. When the
facility is at maximum capacity it generates power equivalent to burning
27,000 tons of coal per day!
* Second Homes
are Becoming More
Affordable
* Are you a Candidate for Refinancing?
What's New
on Hartwell
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4 bed Lakefront home on deep water. Very close corps line, on sailboat
water minutes from downtown Hartwell
Lake Hartwell.
.$589,000
Lake Levels:
Lake
Hartwell 658.03" Lake Keowee
is at 98.2'
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Educate your Customers. My goal as your agent is
win-win. Making you aware of the opportunities that exists today
versus purchasing later is a way to help you achieve your goals and a
way for me to increase my business. Anyone worried about the
stability of their employment or a decrease in earnings, should take
this opportunity to refinance and lower your monthly payment is
something you should consider now.
Look at it from another angle. There are a lot of people out there
whose investment portfolios have almost been cut in half since the
beginning of 2008. They may be questioning their investment
strategies and real estate has long been one of the most stable and
predictable investments around. In an environment where your
portfolio is not generating a return, it might make sense to put your
money into the purchase of a second home or investment property.
Times like these produce better values in the market and with interest
rates at current levels, the saving created by locking in rates now will
pay dividends for many years to come.
* Help your
economy- Buy a House
It's Prime-time
for Real Estate
Last fall I wrote that the time to buy real estate would be
Winter 09 to Spring 10 if you were in the market and looking for a
bargain. I never expected to call a market bottom, and certainly
not for long-cycle assets like houses, but I seem to have come pretty
close. The latest Multiple Listing numbers suggest housing prices have
bottomed are and are now poised to level out and eventually edge higher.
Not saying we're in for another Real Estate Boom any time soon.
There's still some distressed inventory to sift through and consumer
confidence to build before we can reach near "normal" levels
of activity. It will, in my estimation, take another year to two
to shake out the foreclosures, short-sales, create consumer confidence,
and put behind the woes of the economic turmoil we've experienced over
the last couple years. That being said, there have been several
great real estate bargains that savvy buyers have been able to pick up
with some pretty lucrative properties still waiting to be scooped up for
those brave enough to "dip their toes in the water" (no pun
intended). 
Like many aspects of the financial crisis, the clouds seem to be
dissipating.
Given the recent positive economic news. Unemployment seems to be
stabilizing and even improving, and workers need office space. Consumers
have been spending, returning to malls in droves. Rock-bottom interest
rates have allowed strapped developers and real estate owners to
refinance on favorable terms. Despite some big write-downs, most
real estate borrowers have had the cash flow to keep loan payments
current or refinance. Right now the Real Estate Market looks and
feels to me like March 09 when the stock market was hitting new lows and
almost everyone was afraid to jump back in. Those who did
reinvest, or were able to ride the storm out, are certainly glad they
did. We could see another slight downturn in the market, but
think it unlikely. The current government administration has too
much to lose by allowing the stock market to "double dip" and
will keep the stock market up and interest rates down for the
foreseeable future.
I believe it's time to reevaluate your exposure to the real-estate
sector. In my view, real estate belongs in every diversified investment
portfolio. It's not highly correlated to equities or fixed income, and
it offers income opportunities as well as a potential hedge against
inflation. I've been keeping some cash on hand designated for real
estate, and I've concluded it's time to put some of it to work.
Conner (12) Lydia
(9)
Summer is here! Kim, the kids, and I would like to thank all
of you for your thoughtfulness throughout the year. With your help we were fortunate enough to sponsor 10 children from our
local Department of Social Services for the Holidays again this year and we're sending 50
children to the Shriner's Circus! Throughout
the year, don't forget about the less fortunate, especially the
children. Thanks to all of you!
We look forward to seeing you
at the lake!
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