Lawmakers debate new homeowners write-off

A potentially far-reaching change in real estate tax policy may be in the making.
The federal housing and foreclosure relief legislation “would permit millions of homeowners who do not itemize on their federal tax filings to claim a deduction for at least a portion of their local and state property taxes. Though the House version of [...]

Havens for Vacation Home Buyers: Isle of Palms & Sullivan’s Island, S.C.

This New York Times article, “Near Charleston, Two Spots Where Life is Quiet and Quieter,” features Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island, S.C. and the pros and cons of buying a second home there.
Who’s buying? “Property owners on the two islands run from couples with young children to empty nesters planning to retire there. The [...]

Do You Need a Real Estate Agent?

The Home Front, U.S. News & World Report’s housing market blog, has a feature called Housing Rumble. It matches up opposing sides of an issue in an online debate and lets readers vote on the winner.
This Rumble asked: Do you need a real estate agent to sell your home?
It featured Jay Thomson, a blogger and [...]

What the (real estate) customer wants!

If you have never been to an Apple Retail Store, do yourself a favor and stop in the next time you are in a city that has one. Those of us in Charleston are eagerly awaiting the opening of the new Apple Retail Store on King Street, just a few blocks from our new dunes [...]

Charleston SC’s Charm Helps Steady Home Sales

USA Today online says that although sales in Charleston are down, they’ve declined much less severely.
Why?

The metro area hasn’t been hit especially hard by subprime loans and foreclosures, which typically drag down prices.
Charleston has a relatively robust economy. Google is building a data center in Berkeley County (part of the Charleston metro area). And North [...]