Acadia Community: 2012

Friday, September 28, 2012

Porch Talk

Homebuilders across the country are feeling more confident, and for good reason: sales have continued to increase. Nationwide sales in August rose 7.8 percent, reaching even higher levels than were achieved during the May 2010 federal home-buying tax credit. More importantly, things here in the upstate of South Carolina continue to run ahead of the curve with an increase of 12.7 percent. The August improvements in the market have buoyed homebuilders’ confidence this September to its highest level since June 2006, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Builder Sentiment index.

Besides the obvious benefits of a slowly strengthening economy, the increase in sales may also be a result of homebuilders paying closer attention to what prospective buyers desire. Older trends are starting to make a comeback, especially front porches. In fact, two-thirds of all homes built last year included a porch. Perhaps Southern Hospitality is contagious, because inviting porches have been a common sight here in the Upstate of South Carolina for quite some time. Even if we never truly lost it, though, we have still come to re-emphasize the importance of a strong, connected community.

This is the essence of the new urban trend toward traditional neighborhoods, and Acadia is a community in the Upstate that has captured the essential ingredients for a community of interest, with homes and neighbors that offer you true southern hospitality, sincerely meant. When folks talk about discovering life in balance, they are talking about Acadia. www.AcadiaSC.com.

Friday, June 1, 2012

The 7% Solution

After several years of scrimping and saving, it seems that Americans are comfortable enough to start spending again. Nationwide, retailers were pleasantly surprised by an unexpected increase in sales this past month as consumers unleashed their “pent up demand,” as Ken Perkins, president of Retail Metrics LLC describes it. Though the occasional shopping spree might not seem like the surest sign of economic improvement, consumer spending actually accounts for more than 70% of economic activity.

What’s really striking, however, is the combination of this shopping boost with several other telling factors. For one, the US economy has grown 1.9% in the first three months of this year. Considering that the country’s GNP was a bit over $15 trillion last year, 1.9% is a good deal more than it sounds. The $7.87 billion rise in money market funds is another good sign. Americans aren’t just using their newfound capital for shopping; they’re also investing it. After the mortgage bubble burst in 2008, it’s especially comforting to see that mortgage rates have fallen to a new low of 3.75%. With housing becoming more affordable, bank-owned home sales and foreclosures have dropped.

This economic improvement has been fueled by the growth of America’s job market. Although some areas of the country would certainly appreciate more growth, those of us living in upstate South Carolina are fortunate enough to boast one of the best employment rates in the country. Greenville is leading the state with only 7% unemployment, followed closely by the Charleston area at 7.1%. We here in the Acadia community are certainly enjoying our share of the recent growth. With the strong job and housing markets, it’s no surprise that more and more lots are selling in the newly opened Phase II, along with our Townhomes and Cottage homes. While we still encourage prudent investment- along with the occasional shopping trip- now might be a good time to consider moving to Acadia where life, if not the economy, seems in balance.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

The Best Job Market in the Country: Greenville, SC

The country continues to move in the right direction with 227,000 new jobs in the month of February, 2012 alone. This marks the third straight month of job gains over 200,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. While these numbers are certainly comforting in their own right, there is even more to be optimistic about. Manpower Group, an employment services firm, recently released a survey of 18,000 employers in 100 metropolitan areas that predicts a continuation of this upward trend for the next three-month period. Employers in all 50 states are planning to continue increasing their payrolls this spring.

What’s really exciting about the survey, however, is what it said about the job market here in the Greenville, South Carolina area. As reported by Forbes magazine, this survey shows the Greenville, South Carolina area has the most optimistic forecast for hiring in the country, with a 24% net employment outlook. Greenville was once known as the “Textile Capital of the World.” We are now a major engineering hub, with more engineers per capita here than any other place in the world, and with more international manufacturing investment per capita than anywhere else in the country. Considering the presence of BMW, Michelin, GE, Fluor, and Lockheed Martin, it is not surprising that our Upstate communities are attracting so much entrepreneurial growth. With a strong talent pool already in place, Greenville is in the perfect position to continue this trend of jobs creation.

Acadia, our favorite residential community in Greenville, is also growing as a result of this trend. Acadia has new custom homes and home sites, English cottages and townhomes under construction and immediately available for newcomers relocating to the Upstate; perfect for those looking to right-size and balance their lifestyle with beautiful outdoors-oriented neighborhoods in this master-planned, new urban community. Visit www.AcadiaSC.com, and Discover Life in Balance.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Consumer Confidence in Acadia

In Greenville, South Carolina, as well as the rest of the Southeast, there is an encouraging upward trend in pending home sales. Local real estate experts believe that “the consumer has determined that there is no upside to continue and wait for the bottom of the housing market.” A combination of shrinking inventory, current low interest rates, and fair pricing provides the perfect opportunity for would-be homeowners. Pending sales for South Carolina rose by 19.7% in January, 2012. The Southeast saw an increase of 7.7%.

Consumer confidence has been boosted by more than just the strengthening housing market. People are beginning to feel more optimistic about their job security. The recent Consumer Confidence Index now stands at 70.8. While a score of 90 indicates a healthy economy, things are much better than the low consumer index of 25.3 seen back in 2009. Everyone certainly has cause to be more optimistic lately, since the Dow Jones closed this week over 13,000 for the first time since 2008. While Wall Street is wondering whether the Dow will backslide or not, we here at Acadia are cheering for 14,000 and up.

In the meantime, our Acadia community is growing with confidence. We have sold 3 luxury townhomes and several custom homesites in the last month. We also have 10 families on the list for customized English Cottage homes and luxury townhomes to be built this year in Acadia. With consumer confidence on the rise, Acadia stands to benefit. New homes, custom lots, new townhomes and English cottage homes are helping attract new neighbors to our Acadia community. Visit Acadia at www.AcadiaSC.com, and discover Life in Balance.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Acadia and the Southern Connector

The Acadia residential community, www.AcadiaSC.com, in Piedmont is located next to the Southern Connector, I-385 in Greenville County, South Carolina. Acadians enjoy a special friendship with our neighbors who manage and operate the Southern Connector Toll Road. Pete Femia, Liz, Don and the whole team at the Connector office have been helpful to Acadia in so many ways, and we wanted to say a big “THANKS!”

They help volunteer at our special events, support our charity causes like the Dragon Boat Festival for Cancer Research at Greenville Hospital. They return our lost dogs, plow our snow bound streets (well, we did see 2 inches of snow last winter!), and give us preferential treatment on the Connector by letting us travel for free and drive at whatever speed we like. Just kidding about this last part, but they do help us with keeping our Palmetto Pass discount tags up to date. In that regard, here is important information about our new Palmetto Pass. Be sure to visit Liz and get your new Pass.

The Southern Connector is now issuing the next generation of Palmetto Pass toll transponders. The new transponders or "Sticker Tags" as they are known, are much smaller and thinner than previous transponder models. They perform at a high rate of accuracy and are less obtrusive on windshields. They can be disposed of in an environmentally-friendly manner because they contain no battery. The Southern Connector has also upgraded the hardware necessary to process both the new Sticker Tags and the older, Hard Case transponders. From now until April 1, 2012, swap out your Passes at no cost. After April 1, 2012 you will be required to purchase Sticker Tags at a cost of $5.00 per tag. The Connector office has extended the hours of Customer Service Center until April 6, 2012, from 8:30am until 6:30pm, Monday through Friday.

Please do not drop off your current Passes to toll collectors. If you cannot visit our Customer Service Center and want to exchange Passes, please mail the old Passes to P.O. Box 408, Piedmont, SC 29673, via certified mail. Questions? Call Liz at 864.527.2143, or by email lizzie@southernconnector.com.

Steady Up-Trends in New Home Sales for Acadia Community and Greenville, SC

Beginning in September 2011, there has been a confidence-building increase in new home sales. While the fall and winter months are typically the “off-season” for the residential real estate market, this upward trend has continued through the end of the year. Sales in Acadia of homesites for custom homes and of Acadia’s affordable luxury townhomes have continued through the year-end. We see encouraging growth in Greenville County and South Carolina at large, too.

Existing home sales in the state increased by 3.4% in the fourth quarter of 2011, existing homes inventory has steadily dropped, and home prices are rising again. Greenville, SC home sales rose a respectable 7.6% in December. In addition, building permits in the Upstate have risen by 5.8%, after four years of decline. As economic conditions in general improve, builders and new home buyers are beginning to gain more confidence. It helps that mortgage rates are the lowest ever. Hopefully, this growth will continue throughout 2012 and into 2013 for our Acadia community and Greenville, SC.

Real Estate Market Rebound: Steady Recovery

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) says that new home construction has increased to 586,000 starts since our low-water mark in 2008 of 554,000. Better yet, according to Hart & Cooley’s latest survey, 2012 should see a significant increase of 16.3%, with an even larger increase in 2013 to nearly 1 million starts. While 2005 was the high-water mark of 2 million starts, no one believes that is a realistic expectation for the future, and was itself an unsustainable level.

There is further good news for anyone looking to sell their home. From 2009, homes sat on the market for over a full year. As of September 2011, the average time has dropped to 7 months, a more manageable level. What’s more, the Case Shiller Home Price Index for our 20-Metro Composite - which includes Atlanta and Charlotte - shows an upward trend in average selling price. Also, traditionally housing sales slow towards year-end, but this September saw a pleasant spike in peoples’ plans to buy new homes.

Hopefully, these encouraging improvements will continue as our country works to strengthen its economy, and we realize a steady recovery for all. In Acadia, our community in Greenville, South Carolina, we are seeing some of this improvement too. Our luxury townhomes are selling well, and our Cottages have attracted lots of attention by the empty nesters and young families looking for Acadia’s active outdoor lifestyle.