Keeping your costs down when the temperature is up!

Memorial Day was the unofficial kick off to the summer season and the temperatures are here to prove it!

Here are some tips for how to keep your utility bills from getting out of control while you try to stay cool!

• Remove debris from around your outside air conditioning unit. Look for grass, weeds, dirt and leaves.
• Change the air filters in your home regularly.
• Use your ceiling fans and make sure they are blowing the right way. The air should be blowing down.
• Close the registers in unused rooms to keep from cooling unoccupied space.
• Use a programmable thermostat to regulate the temperature for when you're home or away.
• Make use of drapes and blinds to keep out some of the sunlight.
• When replacing light bulbs, choose LED lights that give off less heat.

What tips and tricks do you use to keep cool during these southern summers?

New Home Sales Rise in April

There's more good news for the housing market and new homes in particular.

According to HUD and the US Census Bureau, sales of new, single-family homes rose by 2.3 percent in April. Regionally, new home sales rose 3 percent in the South.

A quote from an article by the National Association of Home Builders reinforces this positive message. “Today’s report is further evidence of the gradual, consistent improvement we have been seeing in housing market conditions over the past year,” noted NAHB Senior Economist Robert Denk. “We’re now about half-way back to what could be considered a full recovery, and we do expect to see continual, solid gains in both starts and sales of new homes going forward.”

Interest rates remain low and house prices are trending upwards and inventory remains tight.  Now is the time to buy!

To read the full article from the National Association of Home Builders please click HERE. 

Home Appreciation

New research from Zillow suggests that home values will continue to appreciate, on average up to 5% through 2013.

This result is based on a survey conducted by Zillow and distributed to economists, market and investment researches and real estate experts.

With interest rates still low and home prices remaining stead, this is a great time to build a Paradime home!

Talk with us about your dream home and how we can make those dreams a reality.

To see the full results of Zillow's survey visit their research website. 

Economic Snapshot

Dr. Joey Von Nessen recently created and presented an economic snapshot of the South Carolina economy, focusing on key variables affecting the business community

His analysis is available for free on the RESH Marketing website.

The snapshot looks at several leading economic indicators including:

• Industry employment
• The unemployment rate
• Housing starts
• House price appreciation

To download the information visit the website and look on the home page for Economic Snapshot.

Dr. Joey Von Nessen is a Research Economist at RESH Marketing. Dr. Von Nessen specializes in economic and marketing research in the home building industry and oversees the research activities of the company. In addition to his full-time duties at RESH, he is also a consultant with the Division of Research in the Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina, involved in both private sector and academic research.

New Vs. Used

When buyers set out to buy a "new" home, it may not always mean a home that's never been lived in before. The home may just be new to them. But what are the benefits of buying a home that's completely new?  That question is the inspiration behind a recently launched website called "Start Fresh. Buy New".

Since the site launched in March of this year, it's received about 10,000 visitors a day. The goal of the site is to educate homeowners on the benefits of buying a newly constructed home and to help them find new homes in their area.

Some of the highlighted benefits to buying new vs. used are:

• Increased energy efficiency
• New home warranties
• Modern construction techniques and materials
• Higher ceilings
• More closet space
• Modern safety features
• Open floor plan design
• Follows latest trends in flooring, finishes, colors, and cabinetry
• Time/Money saved on home repairs and updates

To visit the site and learn more about the benefits of buying a newly constructed home
CLICK HERE.

What are some of the benefits you see to buying a newly constructed home?