My New Blog

Many residents of Wintergreen are aware of the Remote Control Car Race track in the Shaw Memorial Park next door to the subdivision. On a bright sunny Sunday, I decided to go over and check it out for myself. What a found was a bunch of really nice Sumterites with guests from as far away as Raleigh, NC and Savannah, GA.

I was greeted by several members of the Sumter Area Radio Control Car Club. I quickly got a quick education on the club, their website and what was happening this weekend. First, most of these are car drivers are amateurs and do things like keep our electricity flowing during the week or manage retail stores. There are some professional racers, but most of the attendees were amateurs looking for family enjoyment.

This weekend, the race was for the South Carolina State Championship. Normally the races cover a three day weekend. Friday is open practice for all the racers. Saturday is for qualifying heats for qualifying points. Sunday normally consists of the main events. The final class races are run for 30 minutes. Most cars hold about 6 minutes worth of fuel, so there are even pit stops during these races. The races are scored by the number of laps completed and then by the best time. Unlike many races, the cars crash and spotters turn them back on their wheels in the right direction and they are off racing again. You get to see some good action with cars flipping through the air and crash landing.

Sunday had five class races. The classes were buggy, truggys, 1/10^th scale gas trucks, sports man and pro class.

The goal for the weekend for most participants is to have fun. Some racers take it very serious and attend the event with their trailers full of spare parts and equipment for preparing their cars. But then again you might just see a car with the trunk open and the parts and equipment lying in there.

To start out with a basic two wheel drive remote control car would cost under $500. To move up to a gas truck costs a little over $500. There are racers there from 5-years-old on up. It truly is for all ages.

The next big race for the Sumter Area R/C Car Club is May 16-18^th. This race is part of the RC Races Series and will be one of the largest races in the South East. In prior years this even has attracted 100-200 races. It should be a fun weekend for everyone. I strongly recommend that everyone mark the days on their calendars. The races are really fun to watch!

2008 is starting out in a traditional fashion for Sumter County Real Estate. Traditionally we have seen a ramp up in our sales in January through the summer and then a slower sales rate in November and December. There are many reasons for this. My experience has shown that in the first quarter, I am working for many first time home buyers looking to use their income tax returns to purchase a home. This is a great investment of that money and it provides many families the ability to purchase a home that otherwise might not be able to gather the funds to purchase. Sumter also begins to experience many families PCS’ing into Shaw. Many families also choose this time to move as school will be ending soon. No matter what the reason, most Realtors® refer to the coming months as selling season. Below are the newest statistics for the Sumter, SC real estate market.

The number of units sold in February 2008 was 100 in Sumter County. During the same month in 2007, 131 units were sold and 133 units were sold in 2006. February 2005 had numbers very similar to 2008 with 103 units sold. The data follows:

Days on market increased to 161 Year to Date over the Year End average of 142 for 2007.

The median home price increased to $127,000 in February vs. $120,000 for January. The average home price also rose from $120, 691 in January to $126,123 in February.

The number of new listings in February also increased to 206. January 2008 had 192 new listings. These numbers are still on par with the listings for Sumter County during 2007. Below is a break down by month of the number of homes listed.

You can see in the chart above that the number of homes listed in 2008 continues to be at levels higher or equal to 2007, 2006, 2005 and 2004. 2008 is running about even with 2007 levels so the next few months will be able to show us if we are going to see a decrease in the number of listings in 2008. Below is a chart showing the year to date number of homes listed:

Currently, there are 161 properties under contract or pending in the Sumter County area. This is a good indicator that March will also be a positive month for the number of units closed.

Yes, we are still in a buyers market, but Sumter statistics are remaining steady as are our housing prices. Foreclosure levels are not rapidly rising as in other areas of the country. We remain in a buyers’ market, but homes are selling and for reasonably close to the list price.

(c) 2008 Kim Peasley-Parker, All Rights Reserved