Florence County Real Estate Blog

As we are growing up we never really appreciate the wisdom that our parents have. The older I get the smarter my mom has become so I wanted to share some of the lessons she taught me. My Mom always said "Noone may ever see the inside of your house, but EVERYONE sees the outside." How about that? My mom wasn't even a real estate agent and she knew the importance of curb appeal. I wish some of my neighbors had learned some of my mom's lessons. I live out in the country and about a half mile from where I live one neighbor likes to hang her laundry on the front porch. What a turnoff. And my next door neighbor has some fascination with his old cars. Whenever one quits running instead of getting rid of it he will get a new one and park the old one in the yard and proceed to fill it with junk. Too bad they didn't know my mom. She would have straightened them out with regards to their curb appeal. What jewels of wisdom did your mom or dad share that you have found to be useful?

Teresa McDonald, Realtor, shows off some of the many features of what Florence County, SC has to offer!

1. One of the most exquisite pieces of architecture in Florence County is the new Drs. Bruce and Lee Foundation Library. The $17.5 million dollar facility has 83,000 square feet and is definitely a statement of the postive direction Florence County is moving. Two projects that are going up along side the library is a Performing Arts Center for Francis Marion University and a new Florence Little Theater.

2. Carolina's Hospital System is part of the medical hub in Florence County and also one of the largest employers in the county. It too is an exquisite piece of architecture.

3. McLeod Reginal Medical System is also a part of the medical hub in Florence. McLeod just added this new tower in the part of town known as the McLeod Medical Mile. McLeod recently teamed up with the Cleveland Clinic to offer the best heart care available in the US.

4. Florence's National Cemetary is a beaurtivul memorial to the brave men and women who have served our country. The grounds are keep in pristine condition and definitely memorialize the lives of those who died for this country's freedom. A marker designates the burial of soldiers who died during the Civil War.

5. Located down the street from Florence National Cemetary is the office of the Florence County Disabilities and Special Needs Foundation. This organization does an excellent job of caring for the special population in our county making sure they are afforded the quality of life we all enjoy in this beautiful county.

6. Located in the lower part of Florence County is Nan Ya Plastics Corporation. It is the third largest industrial employer in Florence County.

This is only a small glimpse of what Florence County has to offer. Check back again as I continue to add photos of our county to show that our county is a wonderful place to live! If you would like to preview real estate listings in Florence County, read my newsletter or weekly email tips just go to teresamcdonald.com.

This past Saturday people from all over South Carolina enjoyed the South Carolina's Farmer's Festival in Lake City. This kicked off the opening of the Farmer's Market every Saturday at the National Bean Market Museum of South Carolina. Activities of the festival included concerts, an antique gun show, an antique tractor show, demonstrations related to the agriculture heritage of the area, re-enacters from history, crafters, vendors and dramatic performances. Festivities began on Saturday morning with a parade down Main Street featuring several antique tractors and re-enacters of Civil War Soldiers.

Entertainment during the festivities Saturday included dancers from Kelly Fine Arts and The Charleston Brass just to list a few.

The festival was well attended and each year plans will be fine tuned to make the festival more appealing.

One of the highlights for children at the festival was the booth sponsored by Teresa McDonald, Realtor, named Games Down on Old McDonald's Farm. Kids enjoyed the "Old McDonald's Corn Toss", "Old McDonald's Pin the Corn on the Stalk" and "Pick Up a Duck on Old McDonald's Farm.
All kids received prizes and there was also a coloring center for kids to sit down and take a break and show off their artistic abilities.

This year's SC Farmer's Festival in Lake City, SC was definitely a success and plans are underway for more activities with the National Bean Market Museum spearheading the events. So Check out the Farmer's Festival next year and see what else the Museum has planned for this year.

You may have heard the adage, 'Never handle a piece of paper more than once.' My advice is to live by that. If you get email you need to respond to, reply back that day. If you get a form to fill out in your mailbox, do it and mail back immediately. The point is, by putting off these tasks, you are increasing your to-do pile which can bury you after awhile. By keeping up, you keep your head above water. Try it. Don't procrastinate.Realtors handle a lot of paperwork so it is essential that we do our best not to get overwhelmed. And a extra benefit is that it is nice to see your desktop sometimes!

I think we think that firefighters have an easy job. There is only a fire every now and then but then again think about what happened in Charleston. One year ago today nine brave firefighters in Charleston lost their lives battling a raging blaze at the Sofa Super Store on Savannah Highway in Charleston. I was reminded of this today as I visited my daughter who lives just a few blocks from the site. Here are a few pictures of some of the memorials at the site. Please remember them and their families on the anniversary of this tragedy.

Please remember their families in your prayers.

If you use Outlook then make sure you add more than just your name to show up when you send out emails. Look at the example below: The first email is showing from Teresa McDonald, ABR, e-Pro

                           The second email showing is from Teresa McDonald

The third email showing is from Teresa McDonald, Florence County Realtor

By adjusting my user information, I am able to advertise a little with every email I send. You can add whatever information you like after your name - Your company name, Realtor designations you have, etc. To adjust your user information in Outlook follow these steps.

For Outlook 2003:

1. In Outlook click on Tools on the top toolbar
2. Email Accounts
3. View or change Account, Next
4. Your Current Email Account should be highlighted, click Change
5. Under "User Information" add whatever you want behind your name
6. Click Next
7. Click Finish

For Outlook 2007:

1. In Outlook Click on Tools on the top toolbar
2. Click Account Settings, Next
3. Your Current Email Account should be highlighted, click Change
4. Under "User Information" add whatever you want behind your name
5. Click Next
6. Click Finish

The next time you send an email your name and the added information will appear as the sender in the recipient's email box. Sometimes it is the little things that count. What are the little things you do to advertise or promote yourself? Please share!

I have only been in real estate now full time for a little over a year, and I am trying to perfect my technique for working with buyer prospects. I would like to share my strategy when I have contact with a prospective buyer client and see if it is in line with what other realtors do. If I am contacted by a buyer looking at one of my listings or just beginning to look, the first thing I do after showing them the listing they inquired about (if they wish to see it), is inform them they can search the local listings on my website and then see if they have email. I then ask about setting them up with automatic email notifications of properties on the MLS that match the criteria for what they are looking to purchase. I explain that in this way they can monitor the market to see what is available and what the asking prices are and if they see something they really like then they can contact me for more information or to view the property. Each email notification contains this blurb:

These are the listings in ___________ with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, etc. To view the listings just click the link. On the left hand side will be a list of the properties. Click on the MLS number to view each one. If you double click the picture it will make the picture larger. If the status says AUC or UC/SHOW FOR BACKUP, this means the property already has a contract on it. If you see anything you want to look at please email or give me a call. I have set up an auto notification so if any new properties come on the market matching your criteria you will be automatically notified. I will do my best to find the property that will meet your needs.

This way they will keep getting information from me and I do not have to personally do anything unless they actually want to look at properties or have questions. In other words, let the technology work for me so I can continue to prospect for more business in different avenues. I also have started my own personal website, www.teresamcdonald.com, and I am promoting it with all my prospects and in all of my advertising. Just wondering if this is what the more seasoned realtors do or if you have any suggestions for a better technique for working with prospective buyers.

There are many reasons Florence County is an excellent place to live and among these are the location, warm climate, quality of life, top-rated health care, education opportunities, low real estate costs, and business opportunities. Along with all of these appealing reasons, Florence still offers small town charm.

          Florence County is in the northeast section of South Carolina at the junction of Interstates 95 and 20, approximately 60 miles from the Atlantic Ocean.  Florence is an hour from Columbia, two hours from Charleston, two hours from Charlotte and one hour from Myrtle Beach. The climate of Florence is relatively temperate with a warm season that starts in May and extends well into September. 

          Florence has an abundance and variety of leisure activities. Its accessible location at the intersection of two major interstates paired with its mild climate makes Florence a regional center for sports, shopping, and the arts. Diverse cultural and recreational opportunities enrich the community and stimulate the economy. Whether through sports, shopping or the arts, the Florence area offers something for everyone.

Florence offers many choices in restaurants, lodging, and cultural activities. There are multiple opportunities to explore including a symphony orchestra, museums, performing arts center, live theater, parks and other recreational amenities easily accessible. Of the plethora of entertainment avenues available in Florence, one of the hottest tickets is the new $17.5 million, 83,000 square foot library on Dargan Street. The library, which is named for the Drs. Bruce and Lee Foundation, features classical columns, arched windows, chandeliers and airy hallways. Alongside this historical centerpiece will be two additional cultural facilities, a Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center and a new Florence Little Theater. In the city of Florence, residents have access to more than 40 parks and ball fields including a 126-acre Freedom Florence Recreation Complex.  Located at Lynches River County Park, a 676-acre park, one will find walking trails, a picnic area, playground, outdoor shelters, canoe launch, splash pad and a newly opened primary attraction, the Environmental Discovery Center. The center features a hands-on science center, a treetop canopy walk and a nature exchange. Just across the Florence County line, Darlington Raceway draws tens of thousands of fan each year over Mother's Day weekend.

Florence is a hub for medical care in northeastern South Carolina. Carolinas Hospital System and McLeod Regional Medical Center are two of the biggest employers in Florence County. The care that patients receive in Florence rivals the care offered by hospitals in big cities. McLeod recently joined forces with the esteemed Cleveland Clinic to offer the best in heart health care. These two major hospital systems contribute significantly to the quality of life as well as the economic growth of Florence County.

Education is a top priority in Florence County. The county boasts five public school districts and more than a dozen private schools. Francis Marion University, a state-supported school with nearly 4,000 undergraduate and graduate students, also answers the region's education and workforce training needs. Florence Darlington Technical College has moved workforce training to the next level with the addition of the Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing and Technology. The institute will provide customized training companies want and need and offer a three-dimensional, virtual-reality laboratory where industries can develop marketing tools or simulate an assembly-line process.

Real estate opportunities abound in Florence County. The county offers some of the lowest real estate prices in the nation. Florence has experienced a real estate boom over the last 10 years offering a diversity of housing including everything from starter homes to luxury homes along golf courses and lakes. The climate, location, medical facilities and low cost of living are definitely drawing cards for people relocating in Florence.

There are numerous reasons for businesses to locate in Florence. Florence has been a proven location for world-class businesses such as Assurant, Dupont, FedEx, GE Healthcare, Honda, Nan Ya Plastics, PepsiCo, OVC, Roche, Smurfit-Stone Container, Washington Mutual and Wellman. The county also offers several incentive programs designed to reduce start-up expenses and operating costs. Many certified sites and parks throughout the county are available for new investment opportunities.

So as you can see there are many reasons Florence County is an excellent choice if you are looking for a place to relocate. You could not ask for a better location with a warm climate, top-rated health care, low real estate costs, educational opportunities, business opportunities, and an unsurpassed quality of life.  Florence has a lot to offer but has still maintained its small southern city charm. It's a great place to work, live and play! So if you are looking for a place to relocate, check out Florence, South Carolina. You can check the available real estate listings on my website.

Call Teresa McDonald for all your real estate referrals in Florence County, SC at 843-319-7711.

I am a real estate agent in South Carolina and I live in the middle of two towns - Lake City and Florence. The MLS that I am a member of includes both towns. Florence is definitely the larger city with a population of around 30,000 and Lake City with a population of around 7,000. The following stats compare Lake City and Florence sales in the residential market so far this year

 (January 2008 - May 2008):

Town        Class        # Sold         % Sold           Avg. Price         DOM

Lake City     RE                  9              32.14%        $83,811                 142

Florence      RE                 303           45.22%        $176,613               88     

There has been a decrease in both the volume of sales and the percentage of sales in my area. With the slump in the real estate market I have been working hard on developing my own personal website - www.teresamcdonald.com . The website my office has does not get much attention so I wanted to do a more dynamic site where I can share my quarterly newsletters and other information I pass on to my clients.

Big plans are in the making for the town of Lake City. After hiring two firms to identify untapped potential growth in the city, Lake City now has coordinated the findings and designed a complete revitalization plan. Phase 1 consists of making over the National Bean Market Museum and Town Square, adding a Health Care Campus, revamping existing features of the city, adding a Ronald E. McNair Space and Science Museum, a Visitors Center, a new city hall, markets, offices, and renovating Main Street and Sauls Street.  This first phase should totally transform the face of Lake City and the lives of its residents. This is a big task for a small town but the rewards should be great. Revitalization should bring more industry and create more tourism, two of the major goals of the city. Along with the revitalization plans there is also a marketing campaign to promote the many changes that will be taking place in Lake City. Plans are in place and funding will be sought to make the plans a reality. In the near future we will see a complete transformation in the small town of Lake City.  Lake City will be one of those small southern towns that northerners flock to for retirement.

It has long been a standard for many people to move south when they retire to enjoy the weather and friendly southern atmosphere. Today it seems like more and more people are not waiting to retire to make this move. Why is this so? More and more southern towns are finding an influx of northern residents. I currently have a contract on a house in South Carolina from a couple from Ohio. One driving factor is economics. People can sell their average every day home in the north for a good price and purchase what is more like a mini-mansion in our area.  I was recently showing homes to a couple in my area who live in Virginia and they told me that just their lot (0.25 acres) cost $210,000. Along with getting more bang for you buck, who can argue with our weather which is perfect for sport enthusiasts and outdoor fun. So all you northerners come on down. The price is right. We are currently in a buyer's market!