Shawna Woodward

Shawna Woodward

Free Access: Real Talk Real Estate: Will CSRA trends in the volatile housing market?

So much is happening in this market since interest rate changes were initiated to cause a market correction in house and inflation. Personally, I feel like they are overcorrecting, but I am reminding myself, as I often do, that it is not my monkey and not my circus! But some life lessons are sure and constant, like being proactive and not reactive. We are seeing a reactive response where a proactive one would have been a much better idea. This applies to all aspects of business and life! Whether you

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Shawna Woodward

Free Access: How to make a cash offer with a conventional loan

Trying to buy a house in the market we are in can be very discouraging to new home buyers in the $150,000 to $250,000 price range. I have a current client, who is a good friend of mine, and he has been looking to buy his first house for a few months now. There were weeks when we would view a newly listed home every single day. We made plenty of offers – I think our score count was 0 offers accepted and 10 offers made, so we were 0-10.

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Shawna Woodward

Free Access: Real News Real Estate: Why rent prices have increased

It’s no secret that our real estate market has been steadily increasing in price and demand for the past few years. In that time, our rental market has also skyrocketed to what it is today. MHP Augusta has a substantial rental portfolio that we manage, so I have watched this change at a hands-on level. I’d like to give my input on the situation, and why I think there has been such a drastic change in the market. There are a few things that have happened to get us to

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Shawna Woodward

Free Access: Real Talk Real Estate: Thinking about renting your home for next Masters Week? Start now!

It is Masters Week here in Augusta and the weekend is upon us! There is a major buzz about Tiger playing after his accident. He brings such excitement to the course even for those who are not into golf! Half the town is doing something related to the tournament and the other half has left to enjoy Spring Break. I honestly think that since so many Augusta residents go to Disney this week, we should get a special admission rate! Do you fit into this scenario somehow? Maybe you have

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Shawna Woodward

Free Access: Real Talk Real Estate: Housing market update and absorption rates

I am a firm believer in pricing homes based on the absorption rate. Essentially, the absorption rate tells how many months of available home supply we have. So why does the absorption rate matter on this market update? Everything is selling fast, and the absorption rate is what drives the market. Through the years, I have told sellers that we have to have the best price and value to close in 60 days. I have rarely met a seller who wanted or needed to sell a home and didn’t want

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Shawna Woodward

Free Access: Real Talk Real Estate: Make your home shine with a little outside TLC

As the days get longer, now is an excellent time to complete a few home maintenance tasks before it gets unbearably hot outside. One of the first things you should do is clean out the gutters. The best practice is to remove all leaves, pine needles, and any other debris that has accumulated. We get a lot of rain in the spring, so you want to make sure the gutters and downspouts are not blocked. Clogged gutters can be the main cause of damage to siding, interior ceilings, and property

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Shawna Woodward

Free Access: Real Talk Real Estate: Selling a Home with Pets

I hope that we all share the love of a beloved pet or two. I can admit I am fully pet-crazed and love my fur babies like they are my children. My friends affectionately refer to me as the crazy cat lady! When I am helping buyers and sellers, pets often take center stage with needs. Those who have pets want to buy a home with a fenced yard for the dogs or a screened porch for the cats. If you are a seller, you are concerned with what you

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Shawna Woodward

Free Access: Real Talk Real Estate: Men vs. women in real estate negotiations

Recently, Realtor.com wrote an article titled: ‘Why Women Might Beat Men at Negotiating a Real Estate Deal.’ Of course, as a male real estate agent, I was intrigued by this article title and by how polarizing it is. Obviously, I dug in! Now I know that this would generally be a touchy subject, so I would like to preface my article by informing you that the writer of this article, Kimberly Dawn Neumann, was focused on masculine negotiating techniques vs. feminine negotiating techniques and not just men vs. women. The

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Shawna Woodward

FREE ACCESS: Real Talk Real Estate: When will the madness end?

Spring sales are coming friends! We are definitely still in a fast moving market. To date, we have experienced 46 months of an aggressive seller’s market. A seller’s market by definition is an economic situation in which goods are scarce and sellers can keep prices high. At this time, I am seeing the most desirable homes selling for approximately 10% over the list price in the CSRA. Keep this in mind as spring fever hits and you are buying or selling a home. Undoubtedly, the most common question everyone is

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Shawna Woodward

Free Access: Real Talk Real Estate: The draw of living the slow life

It has been an upward trend in our communities to sell your home and move out to a piece of property with room and privacy. However, with the draw to move from city life to the slow life steadily increasing, the chances of finding good land to build on is decreasing. Which is why I want to point you into the direction of GreenHead Homes. They have three more lots available in their development located in Harlem. One desirable feature, among others, is that the properties have no HOA! These

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