Housing Market Booming in Columbus, Ga.

You’ve heard it before, but we’ll say it again.

If you’re looking for a mortgage to buy a house, now may be the perfect time to find the best deal.

After all, mortgage rates are near historic lows and there is an abundance of homes on the market. Such is the case in much of the country, and the housing market in Columbus, Ga., is no exception.

Realtors say the latest reports show home prices have bottomed out. That’s good news for buyers, not as much for sellers.

When Monica Dejarlais moved into her North Columbus home 16 months ago she didn’t think she’d ever leave. But last week she found herself putting her home back on the market.

“I need to sell it quickly,” she says. “Because I am looking to leave the area. Probably I’m going to have to be flexible in negotiations.”

Like we’ve seen in the Atlanta housing market, with so many homes for sale, there is a lot of competition among sellers hoping to cash in.

Bill Enfinger, a Georgia mortgage company owner in Columbus, says:

“They (buyers) are lowering prices one, two they are offering a lot more incentive for the buyers to buy the home, like pitching in part of closing costs and adding free upgrades to the home.”

Enfinger says in this selling environment, you have to know how to put the proper home price on your property in order to make sure it sells.

Julie Duncan says the housing market is hot.

As a Realtor, she advises sellers what their home will sell for and how to move it off the market. She advises, if you have the money, using a home improvement loan to update their kitchens, bathrooms, and fixtures. She says it also helps to have good landscaping.

Dejarlais’ master bathroom is what led her to buy her home. Now that she’s in the process of moving, she hopes it will be a selling point to attract another buyer.

“I’m just hoping someone will come in and fall in love with the house.”

SOURCE: WTVM News