Automated Attendant

I mentioned in my July Journal article that we will be transitioning to an automated attendant at the Main Gate to answer calls for preauthorizing guests and vendors. As we transition to this system, residents are reminded that other options are available through the GateAccess website (www.gateaccess.net) and the ABDi GateAccess app for smartphones and tablets. General Manager Karl Stephens did an outstanding job demonstrating these two efficient options in 2015. If you are not using the GateAccess app or GateAccess website to preauthorize your expected arrivals, please check out the GateAccess Online Tutorial (www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8AkArz702U), GateAccess iOS Tutorial (www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxN8fCZeS9o), and GateAccess Android Tutorial (www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry-bToJ6dSg).

Possible theft from auto prevented!

On a Friday night in July, at approximately 11:30 p.m., a white male (18-23 years old) with light brown hair and a yellow tee shirt, attempted to enter a resident’s vehicle parked in their driveway. The resident noticed the possible thief and yelled from inside her home. The area was immediately searched, but the wanna-be thief was not located.

As many of you know, security is not accomplished by a single activity, a few mitigating policies or procedures, or a single physical barrier or device. Like maintaining your health, there is no single “magic bullet”. The American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS) glossary (2006) defines layered security as a physical security approach that requires a criminal to penetrate or overcome a series of security layers before reaching the target. The more layers, typically, the more effective the security strategy. As the criminal gets closer to the target, the more difficult it should be for them to overcome the security measure or device. The “ingredients” for layered security include access management, perimeter and physical security, education, patrol officers, alarm systems, and response. Sometimes large amounts of money are required to “harden” a target, which would include measures such as securing our community paths into the community and erecting a more substantial perimeter fence. However, other actions do not cost much, if anything, in comparison. For instance, the simple act of locking your vehicle and household doors and securing your valuables have proven to be an effective layer of security and countermeasures to crime. In this case, the vehicle’s locked doors were integral to stopping this potential crime. As you read this article, are your doors secure?

Due Diligence

Another security strategy is ensuring you properly vet your vendors and associates. Too often, I am approached by a resident who has had a bad experience with a vendor. The complaints range from failure to complete or start work, to price gouging, to having to hire another vendor to fix shoddy work, to theft. The Better Business Bureau (BBB), court records, and background checks are a few great resources to accomplish your due diligence. The Landings Association (TLA) has a Service Provider Rating form online (landings.org/service-provider-rating) to complete for good and not-so-good reviews of vendors you hired. Typically, TLA cannot get involved in a third-party dispute and will not ban a vendor from the community based on a civil issue between a resident and a vendor. You can find tips on selecting a contractor at landings.org/news/2022/07/21/tips-selecting-contractor. You are ultimately responsible for your financial security. Take measures to protect yourself, and as my grandmother often said, “An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.”

Professionally yours,

Is the Housing Market Starting to Normalize?

To answer that question, let’s define “a normal market”. A balanced/normal housing market is commonly considered to be an inventory of available homes that corresponds to a four-month supply based on the demand or the rate of homes sold. The old economic rule of supply and demand could not be more on display than what we’ve seen in residential real estate nationally and in The Landings over the last 28 months.

Here’s what our supply of Landings homes has been at several intervals since December 2019:

• 12/2019 4.1 months, with 323 homes sold in 2019, a record of at least 10 years
• 12/2020 0.8 months, or 24 days, with 396 homes sold during the year
• 12/2021 0.2 months, or 6 days, with 349 homes sold given the reduced inventory
•  6/2022 1.0 month, or 30 days, with 150 homes sold year to date

And our average home values have reflected the supply/demand imbalance:

• 12/2019 $502,350
• 12/2020 $540,936 or +7.7%
• 12/2021 $669,220 or +23.7%
• 6/2022 $856,634 or +28% from the end of 2021 (+34.5% from 6/2021)

As always, you can rest assured that change is underway. Although mortgage rates are still historically low, they are up substantially. For those looking to finance their home purchase, this represents substantial added cost — about $1,200 per month when financing 80%, or a $685,000 mortgage on our average-priced home of $857,000.

These cost increases also can make it more difficult for buyers to sell a home in their departure market before being able to complete their purchase in The Landings.

That said, the voracious appetite to buy, what seemed to be almost anything, has cooled slightly as prices have risen. Buyers are more particular and exercising a bit more caution given these housings costs.

What’s the good news? Because The Landings Company markets The Landings nationally, we completed sales to 91 buyers, with 75 of those from outside of Savannah and representing 28 states in the first half of 2022. We have many more “orders to fill”, with numerous buyers searching for just the right Landings home for them.

And we still have a very low inventory, which is keeping positive pressure on our values given the demand.

If you’re considering a move, The Landings Company can guide you to properly position your home for this changing market. We have large numbers of buyers visiting every month and many working with us in The Landings every day. Proper preparation, pricing, and promotion are the keys to success to maximizing your value and decreasing your home’s time on the market.

If you are interested in selling your home and want to learn more, please call one of us today (912-598-0500).

The Landings Company is 100% self-funded and can only continue with your support when selling your home, referring friends and family, or renting your home. Thank you again for your support this year!

Your Company, The Landings Company!