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. [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Charleston’s real estate market taking a turn for the better

Those of us who live in Charleston always consider ourselves lucky.  There are so many wonderful advantages to being in such a serene environment that is rich in both historical significance and natural beauty.  From the real estate perspective, Charleston’s market remained a strong draw long after other parts of the country were deeply embroiled [...]

Looking for a Beach Property that Cash Flows?

It is easy to be fearful right now, news is not good and the future is uncertain. One thing I can tell you is that prices are low right now. If there were ever questions about the rate of return on beach property, buying low is always a good start. Historically, vacation property does well, [...]

A Very Bright Light

It’s the light at the end of the tunnel. That’s what I’m talking about, and oh boy, is it bright. Funny how things change so fast, especially when you least expect change. Only three years ago optimism was rampant. So, I wonder why we were all so surprised by the dramatic change in our [...]

Charleston vs. the National Market

Clearly the Charleston peninsula retail market inside the Crosstown is much stronger than the national market we have been reading about.
By the end of October, there were 244 residential closings versus 341 at this time last year.
Importantly, according to MLS data, this year the average price of a residential sale below the Crosstown was $850,582 [...]