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        <title>Real Estate Blog, Augusta, Martinez, Evans, GA, Georgia, Ft Gordon, Christine May</title>
        <link>http://www.augustahomestore.com/blog/tags/crown-communities/</link>
        <description>Christine &amp; Drew May Real Estate blog for Augusta Martinez Evans Ft Gordon Georgia</description>
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            <link>http://www.augustahomestore.com/blog/market-conditions-in-augusta-martinez-evans-fort-gordon-ga.html</link>
            <author>broker@augustahomestore.com (Christine May)</author>
            <title>Market Conditions in Augusta, Martinez, Evans, Fort Gordon GA</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 

Market Conditions in 2011 for Augusta, Martinez, Evans, Grovetown, Fort Gordon GA Going into 2011 in the Greater Augusta market comes with restrained optimism.  Rising interest rates could dampen housing demand but the last couple years have been flat in overall sales transaction volume in the area.  


The new construction sales have been strong as more new players enter the market mainly from the Atlanta area.  Several local builders have also adjusted floor plans, suppliers and designs to be more competitive.  One of the newest players in the Greater Augusta area is Wilson Parker.  As a direct competitor to Crown Communities, they are making a stand in over six subdivisions.  Growth in Grovetown, GA which is very near Ft Gordon continues with brand new subdivisions and strong competition for market share among builders.  Generally land prices are lower in this are area compared to Evans and Martinez contributing to lower overall prices per square foot.   


The resale market continues to be challenging as large new construction homes sell at amazingly low prices.  Existing home owners wanting to sell must remain in the home, rent them out or be able to sell at competitive prices.  Sellers that find themselves in a difficult financial bind should call us to discuss possible options including rental management or possibly offering the home as a short sale.  Short sales are becoming increasingly necessary to deal with the economic reality in real estate today.          


In addition, “REO” or bank owned homes also compete for home buyers’attention around Augusta GA.  Potentially, additional foreclosed homes entering the market could push resale prices lower.  Many of these homes require special financing programs or cash to buy them due to physical condition.  The can be great values however it is best to work with an experienced real estate professional to avoid frustration and get the best deal possible. 


As always, you can contact Drew &amp; Christine May for all your real estate needs in the Augusta area.  For straight answers and to deal with full time professionals, call 706-869-9478 today!     

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            <pubDate>Thu, 03 Mar 2011 10:56:02 -0600</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.augustahomestore.com/blog/builder-wars-begin-in-ft-gordon-grovetown-georgia-area.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.augustahomestore.com/blog/builder-wars-begin-in-ft-gordon-grovetown-georgia-area.html</link>
            <author>broker@augustahomestore.com (Christine May)</author>
            <title>"Builder Wars" begin in FT Gordon &amp; Grovetown, Georgia Area</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
&quot;Builder Wars&quot; begin in FT Gordon &amp; Grovetown, Georgia Area



While Animal Planet's Whale Wars take place in the icy Antarctic waters, the builder wars are just getting heated up in Grovetown and the Augusta area overall!

Since the arrival of Crown Communities&nbsp;a.k.a. Pillon Communities about 18 months ago in Augusta our real estate market has seen dramatic changes. While Crown captured a lion's share of the new construction business, it didn't go unnoticed. Local builders have adjusted construction methods and pricing while more &quot;out of town&quot; builders mainly from the Atlanta market have arrived on the scene. It's been very interesting to watch and the competition continues to increase especially in the Grovetown area targetiing the lucrative FT Gordon VA buyers.

Word on the street has Crown seeing less traffic in their neighborhoods and the pressure to sell homes is increasing on site agents. Crown builders came in real strong at the beginning but Augusta is in fact a small market where word travels fast among real estate professionals. The continual sales site turnover also includes some quality, household name REALTORS who without apparent cause are suddenly being removed from Crown sites and replaced with less capable ones. In addition they are offering a 5% buyer's agent commission on some existing inventory while the norm is often 3%.&nbsp; This is clearly a sign that they want quick sales results and move stagnant inventory by buying traffic from buyer agents.

JR Homes of Alabama is doing well in Grovetown with a sold-out phase 1 in Indian Springs and phase 2 well under way and selling craftsman style homes at a great price. In Reynolds Pond, also in the heart of Grovetown sales are doing well.&nbsp; JR Homes had purchased the lots from the local builder Joey Brush.&nbsp; Also in Grovetown, Crown has had very good success in Pamir Place selling well in the upper 130's to 170's range. Soon, Crown will also be launching a new Grovetown neighborhood at Chamblin Road and Wrightsboro Road. 

A number of other builders are heavily targeting the Grovetown military market and additional home sites are under development all around the Grovetown area.&nbsp; The latest player, Wilson Parker Homes based in Atlanta is a killer whale sized company that could be a game changer for Greater Augusta.&nbsp; Currently Wilson Parker Homes is building in 3 states and offering almost 3 times the number of floor plans as Crown.&nbsp;&nbsp;Rumors are they&nbsp;have purchased many local lots already and building dozens of homes.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 

Grovetown currently has 240 new construction homes for sale in the Augusta MLS.&nbsp; Statistics show they have been on the market an average of 4.86 months and average $80.00 per SF.&nbsp; Considering the additional homes about to be built, 2011 will be a very interesting year.&nbsp; Some new homes have been sitting on the ground vacant for 2 years and&nbsp;are offered for sale! The real question is whether there will be enough demand from buyers to absorb all the upcoming new inventory.&nbsp;&nbsp; 

How will this&nbsp;effect existing resale home&nbsp;values as we move forward?

Many questions...............few answers............stay tuned!
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            <pubDate>Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:49:18 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.augustahomestore.com/blog/crown-builders-getting-more-attention-in-augusta-ga.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.augustahomestore.com/blog/crown-builders-getting-more-attention-in-augusta-ga.html</link>
            <author>broker@augustahomestore.com (Christine May)</author>
            <title>Crown Builders Getting more Attention in Augusta, GA!</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
It's been about a year since Crown Builders, aka Crown Communities and Pillon Communities, arrived in full force in the Greater Augusta, Georgia new home market.&nbsp; It's been a great ride for them so far based on sales volume and some local builders are working hard to adapt and become competitive with this product that was somewhat &quot;new&quot; to our marketplace.&nbsp; 

Locally based market leaders including Bill Beazley Homes and Keystone Homes have been reworking their product to offer better value and enhanced features to recapture lost market share.&nbsp; Bill Beazley Homes recently announced &quot;Loaded 2-Story Homes - $65 per sq. foot&quot;.&nbsp; Based on the descriptions at least, these 4-sided brick homes on spacious home sites could put Bill Beazley Homes back in the game.&nbsp; Not that long ago, Ben Brush homes were being promoted on Washington Road billboards at $80.00 per square foot and that was the lowest our market had seen for years. Crown changed all that by building &quot;big box&quot; homes in the $50's and $60's all around Augusta and even in Evans and Grovetown areas.&nbsp; In addition to the new construction builders being challenged, it's another huge story how these low priced new homes have dampened resale properties.&nbsp; These sellers had paid much higher prices and are often unable to sell and cover loan payoff amounts.&nbsp; These can result in potential short sales as well as growing numbers of local foreclosures.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 

Crown Builders has apparently ruffled some Augusta feathers as evidenced recently by the launch of a website www.crownaugustagabuilding.com .&nbsp; The site launched in late March 2010 by someone whose identity is unknown and then quickly was taken &quot;Down for maintenance&quot;.&nbsp; The site was titled &quot;The Good The Bad and The Ugly&quot;.&nbsp; It portrayed an outsider's story of the growth of Crown in Augusta including questionable dealings and business practices while taking some cheap personal shots at the builder and affiliates.&nbsp; It did give them credit for a good quality product produced by &quot;hard working Mexicans&quot;.&nbsp; These homes are in fact really packed with extras not common for the price range.&nbsp; Only time will tell where the loyalties of consumers and locals land in relation to this powerhouse &quot;Atlanta Builder&quot;....... It continues to be an interesting story unfolding in the face of a challenging local real estate market. 
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            <pubDate>Wed, 31 Mar 2010 19:28:50 -0500</pubDate>
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