Market Statistics…Downtown Charleston Inside the Crosstown

So much has been written in the last week about the recent rise in home sales for the Charleston area.  The local news publications and stations all covered the 7% increase (compared to September 2008) with a cautiously optimistic outlook. The first sentence of the Post and Courier article declares “Charleston has finally hit a [...]

More Good News in Real Estate

There is more good news for real estate in the Charleston Trident area! Both the Post and Courier and The Charleston Regional Business Journal are reporting real estate sales for the month of September, 2009, saw an increase of 7% year over year.
The breakdown is:
• Berkley County saw 135 transactions closed for a 9% increase. [...]

Not Only Leaves Are Falling This Fall at Folly Beach

As we have all been holding our breath and waiting and wondering what is going to happen with our local real estate markets, something slowly but surely has been happening at Folly Beach.  Properties are actually moving….changing hands.  What is that you say?  Real estate selling on Folly Beach?  No way!  Can’t be true!
Well the [...]

Short Sale…no thanks. Just show me a motivated seller.

Everybody wants a deal, and now is the time.  Don’t believe it’s the time to buy Real Estate yet?  I disagree.
I must admit as a Realtor I may sound somewhat biased, but I practice what I preach.  I’m a Buyer myself.  I’ve purchased 3 homes myself in the last 2 years and tried for a [...]

Priced Like a Short Sale Without the Hassle

Real estate activity has really picked up here on the Charleston Coast. Showings are up substantially on properties across the board, regardless of price. The motivating factor seems to be the “deal.” Investors are looking for “deals” – the common thread being a short sale or a foreclosure.
What many investors don’t realize is just how [...]

Virtual Staging

There are a lot of vacant properties currently on the market, and modern technology is affording a way for these houses to look like “homes”…. without a stitch of actual furniture!  It’s called virtual staging, and although it’s been around for a while, it is gaining in popularity. There are many companies who have combined [...]

Will the $8000 first-time home buyer’s tax credit be extended?

Robert Freedman of Realtor Magazine recently sat down with Linda Goold, The National Association of Realtors’ director of tax policy, and Samuel Whitfield, an NAR legislative representative to discuss the possibility of an extension.  The tax credit has been, in Freedman’s words,  ”the economic recovery’s workhorse.”  To date, over  1.4 million households have used the [...]

FAQ About Folly Beach Real Estate

Have prices come down?  How much?
Just like most (if not all) coastal regions, real estate prices on Folly Beach have come down significantly.  In general, prices have dropped 30% or more.
How are sales this year?
There were only 22 sales in the first 6 months.  Since then, there were 8 sales in July and 6 sales [...]

More Signs of Activity

I have been at this for a few years now and finally I am seeing signs of optimism in our economy. Most experts agree that when people start buying homes again, the recession will have been ended for 3 to 6 months. We have seen more homes sold in the last 90 days!
Don’t get me [...]

Things are looking UP

Over the last year, we have seen the enormous effect of the media on the general health and well-being of our economy.  More doom and gloom results in well, more doom and gloom.  A recent turn to more “optimistic” coverage  has seen people whispering “recovery” for a few months, and now it seems the numbers [...]