Change is Good!

Yesterday my Color LaserJet Printer that I have had for a few years gave me a typical warning message that the drum cartridge was needing to be replaced.  So, I made my regular voyage to Officemax to pick up a new one.  Well upon arrival, I spoke with a very kind gentleman that informed me that they were discontinued.  My heart immediately sank.  When purchasing this printer about 5 years ago, it was right around $2,100.  Each cartridge ran around $120.00 each.  The worst part of the discontinue was that I had recently purchased new blue, red, & yellow cartridges.

Since I purchased those from Officemax the gentleman said I could return them for store credit.  So, I feverishly came to my office, picked them all up and returned them for store credit of $385.00!!! Since I no longer had a color printer, I was dreading having to shell out another 2K for a new one.  I asked the salesman what was available and he pointed to the HP 2600 series. They had their last two on clearance for $200.00.  So, I got a brand new printer with newer & better technology with my gift card and still had plenty left to buy toner cartridges.

I used to brag at how my old color LaserJet printed such wonderful copies.  The fact that it would make 3 color copies a minute was something I found impressive and loved to brag about as well.  The old printer was so large and weighed so much(150+lbs), it would take multiple people to carry.  To remove the old printer from my office, I had to disassemble it.  To the right was the last picture taken of my old color laser printer.  All of the parts filled up the entire back of my vehicle.

The new printer has many advantages over the old one.  First, it prints much faster at 8PPM color.  Secondly, it is much lighter in weight.  The new design is also much more sleek in appearance. The size is almost half that of the old one.  I used to have to use 2 filing cabinets pushed together to sit the old printer on because it was too large to sit on my desk. The cartridges are also much less in money and have a much higher yield (2,000 pages per cartridge)  The old cartridges yield was half.  Instead of each cartridges costing $120.00 each they are only $82.99 for each of the new ones. 

Unfortunately, many agents look at real estate the same way I looked at my old printer.  I did not want to change printers.  It was working wonderfully for me, cost a lot of money, and I was comfortable in using it.

The Blanton Team however are not REALTORS afraid of change.  Dennis & Jeremy keep current on changes in the local & national market.  They are constantly looking for new ways to increase their business and keep up to date with current market trends.  

Recent studies show that 85% of all buyers & sellers search the internet first before contacting an agent.  That is why The Blanton Team can be found on over 20 different websites.  Another recent trend is that clients want to get to know agents first through blogs.  The Blanton Team have met that need by being a participating member of one of the largest real estate networks in the world, Activerain. 

So if you are looking to either buy or sell real estate in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina or anywhere else in the world, we can help!  For more information  call Jeremy Blanton or Dennis Blanton REALTORS® with Coldwell Banker Chicora Real Estate at (843) 222-9402. We can help you with all of your Myrtle Beach, SC and Horry County real estate needs. Contact Us Today!

 

Great Golf Course Listing

Activerain & Localism do it again!!!

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by an account manager for NewHomeSource.com and asked if I would like to be featured as a writer for their site. The gentleman shared that he has been reading several of my posts Activerain & Localism and really enjoyed the fact that I write more than just posting listings.

They are a national website that features national homebuilders like Beazer, Centex, & Ryland Homes and now they feature articles from ME!

Yesterday, they posted my first article live. It is titled: Customizing Your New Home. They have asked me to become a featured writer for Myrtle Beach and wish for me to give them an article on a monthly basis.

I am honored that they chose me to write for them and am so excited to see how this will help grow my business even more! If it wouldn't be for my blog here on Activerain, they would have never found me.

So once again, THANKS ACTIVERAIN!!!

Bellwood Landing of Prince Creek

Bellwood Landing is a great custom home community located in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.  It features low-country style homes.  

Bellwood Landing is a part of Prince Creek and features a myriad of many fine amenities.  Some of these amenities include:

• Community Pool 
• Clubhouse
• Tennis Courts
• Gated Entrance
• Nature walking trail
• Private Park

Located in the Heart of Murrells Inlet, Bellwood Landing is close to shopping, restaurants, golf, and other area attractions.  Plus you are only a short drive away from the beautiful beach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more information about Bellwood Landing, or Myrtle Beach, Murrells Inlet, or Conway Real Estate, call Jeremy Blanton or Dennis Blanton REALTORS® with Coldwell Banker Chicora Real Estate at (843) 222-9402. We can help you with all of your Myrtle Beach, SC and Horry County real estate needs. Contact Us Today!

 

Great Lot on Cul-De-Sac

Build your dream home on this wonderful .71 acre lot on cul-de-sac located in Creek Harbour.  Amenities include gatedentrance, community pool and clubhouse, boat parking, ramp and dock with access to waterway.  No time limit to build.  Minimum size home required is 2,600 heated square feet.

Listed for sale by The Blanton Team with Coldwell Banker Chicora Real Estate for $199,900.  If you are interested in this great cul-de-sac lot, do not hesitate to contact us immediately.

 

 

 

 

For more information about Creek Harbour, or Myrtle Beach, Murrells Inlet, or Conway Real Estate, call Jeremy Blanton or Dennis Blanton REALTORS® with Coldwell Banker Chicora Real Estate at (843) 222-9402. We can help you with all of your Myrtle Beach, SC and Horry County real estate needs.  Contact Us Today!

 

Great Custom Home Community

Creek Harbour is a wonderful custom home community located in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. Community amenities include a pool with clubhouse, boat parking area, private boat ramp and day dock. The community is gated for extra privacy.

Located in the heart of Murrells Inlet, Creek Harbour is located close to many local restaurants, shopping, and golf. Most lots range from .5 acre and to over 2 acre lots. There are over 5 acres of lakes inside the community. Pull up your boat to the over 150 feet of dock.

Minimum home size is 2600 square feet. Creek Harbour has 3 preferred builders ready to customize and help build your home today.

One of the biggest selling features of Creek Harbour is the access to the Intracoastal waterway from the private boat ramp.

Watch a wonderful video on Creek Harbour from the developer.

For more information about Creek Harbour, or Myrtle Beach, Murrells Inlet, or Conway Real Estate, call Jeremy Blanton or Dennis Blanton REALTORS® with Coldwell Banker Chicora Real Estate at (843) 222-9402. We can help you with all of your Myrtle Beach, SC and Horry County real estate needs. Contact Us Today!

Great Food of Myrtle Beach

One of the greatest attractions of Myrtle Beach is it's fine food establishments. I once heard someone say that there are enough restaurants in Myrtle Beach for a person to eat 3 meals a day, 365 days a year and never eat at the same place twice! Over the next few weeks I will be discussing some of my favorite places to eat here. But, in the meantime, let me share with you a wonderful resource to find great information on many of the restaurants in Myrtle Beach. At Myrtle Beach, SC Restaurants site, you will even find reviews by customers that have visited as well as some pictures. So when you aren't sure where to eat, check it out!

For More information about Myrtle Beach or Myrtle Beach Real Estate, feel free to contact me!

Magnolia North listing

Condominium for sale in Myrtle Beach, SC

$149,900 Location: 4823 Orchid Way Unit 104 Myrtle Beach, SC 29577 Map and Directions

Condominium 2 Bedrooms 2 Bathrooms

Magnolia North Market Report

For more information about Magnolia North, or Myrtle Beach Real Estate, call Jeremy Blanton or Dennis Blanton REALTORS® with Coldwell Banker Chicora Real Estate at (843) 222-9402. We can help you with all of your Myrtle Beach, SC and Horry County real estate needs.  Contact Us Today!

To upgrade or not to upgrade...That is the question

New home communities across the Myrtle Beach area have continued to become more customizable with their homes over the past few years.  Many of Myrtle Beach's top builders even now have "design centers" where you can visit and make your selections while viewing the different samples. You now customize almost any aspect of your new home.  It is important though that when making these choices that you do not let things get out of hand.

When building a new home you have a budget in mind before hand.  As you enter the design center to select options & upgrades, that budget sometimes goes out the window.  I refer to the visit to the design center as "a kid in the candy shop" mentality.  Everything looks wonderful and you want one of each.  However, you can easily more than double the price of your home with upgrades and also destroy your budget.  Recently, while working with a buyer, she had over $150,000 in upgrades & additions onto the home.  She was easily making her new home the "king of the hill" in the neighborhood.  However in her situation, she did not care. She is planning on living there for many years and wanted what she wanted.  Also, her budget was much higher than what was actually spent on the home.  

Below are the top 5 things I would suggest upgrading when building a new home in Myrtle Beach.  This list comes from dealing with hundreds of buyers locally and listening to their wants & desires when purchasing a new home.

• Upgrade the range hood to a microwave.  When buying a home, most people want a microwave in their home.  Normally this is only around $300.00 for a basic upgrade.  If not, you will need to purchase one for the counter in which you spend more money, and lose counter space!  Or, if you decide to do it later, you have a useless range hood that will inevitably end up collecting dust in the garage, or for sale at a neighborhood yard sale.

• Upgrade the range from coil top to smooth top.  The cleaning of the coil tops are difficult and make a mess.  You have to buy new drip pans almost annually because the old ones have become so discolored and dirty.  With a smooth top range, you can buy Ceramabryte and keep your range top looking like new all the time.

• Upgrade your carpet padding & actual carpet.  I always suggest paying the little bit extra for the highest grade padding available.  Also, I recommend upgrading your carpet at least one level.  The reason for upgrading the padding is that by doing so it will help the life of your carpet.  Also, it will make it easier on your feet while walking around your home.  The reason for upgrading the actual carpet is to increase its life.  Also, normally the higher grade carpet have less amounts of carpet fibers being released.  When I purchased my most recent home, I was not given the option of upgrading the carpet and every time I vacuum my home, I fill my Dyson vacuum with carpet fibers at least twice.

• Upgrade the paint on whole house.  If you do not like plain white walls and want continuity in your paint in your home, then pay for the whole house paint upgrade up front.  Normally the cost of upgrade is only a few hundred dollars instead of paying a painter afterwards a few thousand dollars to have it done.  Most builders will only allow you to pick one color for the whole home, so if you wish to have a lot of customization in your paint colors in every room, then this may not be for you.

• Upgrade the front exterior of your home.  Curb appeal is one of the most important things about a home.  Most builders allow you to customize the curb appeal of your home by choosing a brick or stucco front.  This is something that will make your home stand out from the other same models of your home in a community.

Be on the lookout for future updates where I will discuss options to avoid.  These will be the upgrades that either cost more than they are worth, or will never bring back the return that you invest for them.

To find more great tips about new homes in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, visit my blog.

For more information about Myrtle Beach Real Estate, call Jeremy Blanton or Dennis Blanton REALTORS® with Coldwell Banker Chicora Real Estate at (843) 222-9402. We can help you with all of your Myrtle Beach, SC and Horry County real estate needs.  Contact Us Today!