Buying a Home in Charleston, SC 
Buying a home in Charleston, SC.
There are currently 14 blog entries related to this category.
Time is Running Out for the Tax Credit!
Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 7:51am. 36 Views, 0 Comments.
I just wanted to mention to all of you first-time homebuyers out there and others looking to take advantage of the tax credit. While there still is a little time left (59 days to get something under contract), I’m noticing something expected. A lot of the good homes are now being scooped up at an extraordinary rate. I was showing property to some first time homebuyers in Dunes West in Mount Pleasant, and in a couple of houses we saw other agents with buyers looking at the same houses we were. That hasn’t happened (like this) to me in quite some time. This is especially true in the $175-225K price range. A lot of the inventory of homes is being absorbed. Soon, the “stale bread” will be all that’s left. Make sure that if you want to take advantage…
James Island Real Estate "Deal of the Week!"
Saturday, February 20th, 2010 at 12:51pm. 136 Views, 2 Comments.
Well, here it is folks. I'm always asked, "Where is the best deal you've seen lately?", or "Where is a great deal that I can't pass up?". It seems I've found a fantastic deal, and no- it's not my listing. I've been showing homes to a client of mine from Michigan in the $400K range, and we came across this gem.
No, this is not a foreclosure, no this is not a short sale. You don't have to worry about getting to closing with a short sale, or negotiating with the bank on this one. This is a solid home that I just showed this past week and I think it's one of the best homes out there right now in the $400K price range.
It's a home in Bayview Farms on James Island, on tidal creek with dock in place, and has panoramic views of the marsh, many tidal creeks, and…
Tips for spotting a good deal in Charleston real estate
Thursday, January 28th, 2010 at 3:31pm. 85 Views, 1 Comments.
Those out there that consistently make good money in real estate know the market. That’s why you see a lot of us Realtors purchasing real estate…simply because it’s what we do, every single day. We know the market. But you can also do most of this work as well. Almost everyone out there right now has access to the same information in the Charleston MLS as real estate agents do. Whether you’re looking on Google, Trulia, or my own Charleston MLS Search website, you have basically the same information that we do. Knowing the market before a good deal comes along is critical. Study it, live it, breathe it…so that you know a great deal when you see one.
Look for changing market conditions. For example, look for new developments that are coming up. …
What is an EarthCraft Home?
Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 at 9:42am. 110 Views, 0 Comments.
An EarthCraft Home is the idea that a healthy, comfortable home can be built that reduces utility bills, while protecting the environment. The idea is to minimize environmental impacts, and to follow a systematic approach to homebuilding that utilizes the importance of understanding how the different components of a home work together. This means that the home performs better, is more economical for the homeowner, but it costs a little more than your normal construction costs.
This can be achieved by using certain qualifying materials, addressing energy efficiency, indoor air quality, waste management, resource efficiency, durability, and water conversation. While EarthCraft Homes may be a little more expensive up front, the idea is that it should save…
A Few Good Changes in the Mortgage Industry Lately!
Thursday, October 8th, 2009 at 1:06pm. 231 Views, 3 Comments.
Yes, good news amid a slurry of seemingly bad news over the last year. It seems that banks were tightening more and more as the year went on, but now we have a some great news.
Here in Charleston SC, Carolina One Mortgage is offering some changes to mix things up. Condos and second homes now seem to be a little more affordable:
Condos: Up until now, you had to put down 10% towards a condo purchase. This has been shortened to 5%. If you’re buying a $200K condo, that’s $10,000 less that you’d have to put down! This is great news for first-time homebuyers who can still take advantage of the $8,000 tax credit.
Second Homes: Here again, up until now you had to put down 20% towards the purchase of a second home. Now you only need to put down 10%. So if…
Virtual Tours Added to our Charleston MLS Real Estate Website!
Tuesday, September 15th, 2009 at 9:28am. 435 Views, 3 Comments.
We are excited to announce that we have now added Virtual Tours to the functionality of our Charleston real estate website. This means that if any Realtor in the Charleston MLS adds a virtual tour of any kind to their listing, our website will pull that data from the Charleston MLS and display the Virtual Tour for everyone to view.
So now you have one place to view all of the virtual tours, without having to go to other companies’ websites to view only their virtual tours. You can see them all here- from every company, and every agent.
In the past, we have added Microsoft’s Birds Eye View and Google’s Street View, and now virtual tours. We believe this will give you, the buyer, the best opportunity to view the home and surrounding area without actually…
Neighborhood Watch: Bayview Farms on James Island, SC
Tuesday, September 8th, 2009 at 12:58pm. 144 Views, 0 Comments.
I haven't written about any of the neighborhoods in the Charleston, SC area so far on this blog, so I thought I'd tell you a little bit about Bayview Farms located on James Island. This is one of the top neighborhoods in all of James Island, and for a number of good reasons. First of all, the homes are of newer construction. Having newer materials and great floor plans makes it a little more modern for the average buyer looking at something other than the typical 60's style brick ranch found on James Island. They have open floor plans, high ceilings, more closet space, larger master bedrooms, and just seem to be more bright with many windows.
Homes for sale in Bayview Farms typically begin in the 250's, and can go up into the 400's. There are two parts…
$8,000 First-time Homebuyers Tax Credit Expiring Soon!
Tuesday, September 1st, 2009 at 3:10pm. 119 Views, 0 Comments.
Don't forget that the $8,000 Home Buyer Tax Credit expires on December 1st, 2009! This means that you will have to have closed on your property by that November 30th, NO EXCEPTIONS. I would not wait until the last minute. Closings are often delayed, and especially short sales (which I am hesitant to even recommend at this point- you may not have enough time) will be delayed.
Once again, here is a breakdown of the $8,000 First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit:
Caravan with Carolina One Real Estate
Thursday, August 27th, 2009 at 5:42pm. 113 Views, 2 Comments.
I was at our weekly office meeting with Carolina One Real Estate, where we talk about current events and trends in real estate, the latest mortgage and financing issues, and a lot of the pitfalls that some buyers and sellers are experiencing in this difficult market. I have to say, a lot of agents or people in general can complain about mandatory meetings, but I tend to get a whole lot out of the discussions we have. If you have about 120 agents (in our office alone) talking about what’s happening in the real estate market- it’s a great way to bounce ideas off one another for our buyers, sellers, or to take advantage of a great listing that one agent has, that we can show one of our buyers before it hits the market.
Which brings me to my next point…Agent…
Is Mount Pleasant or James Island the Best Place to Live Outside of Charleston?
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 at 11:23am. 151 Views, 1 Comments.
For all of you buyers out there that are out of state, this blog is for you. It seems the two most popular places to live outside of historic downtown Charleston are Mt. Pleasant and James Island. Basically, the two areas are similar in distance to downtown and the beaches, with each having similarities and each having their own differences.
One of the big questions I get as a Realtor is: Which is better, Mt. Pleasant or James Island? Well, that answer is easy…There is no right answer. It all depends on your lifestyle, standard of living, interests, extracurricular activities, school interests…the list goes on. It all depends on what you strive to get from each community. What I’d like to do is break down each area from a local’s perspective, which…
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