June 2013

You may have seen in the news recently that mortgage rates have been rising quickly, so I wanted to include an update for you along with your home listings. This past week, rates spiked to their highest level in nearly 2 years and only took 6 weeks to get there from the lowest in recorded history. Rates have gone up almost a full point since May 1, which means that future home buyers have lost about 10% of their purchasing power. Keep in mind that rates are comparatively still very low, and if you’ve bought a home before you already know that this higher rate (averaging about 4.25%) is very good compared to the 7-8% range we saw just a few years ago.

However, if you’ve been pre-qualified in the past few months, know that this 1% increase will affect

Taste and see what the local Charlestonians have to offer! There are always local events to sample Charleston, South Carolina’s best local foods and beverages. Here are just a few coming up:

• Sippin’ Saturdays: This weekly event continues through November 2. Each Saturday from 1 to 5 PM, the winery hosts a different music group and local food vendor. Enjoy tastings in the Firefly Vodka distillery and Irvin-House Vineyard winery. Dogs are allowed but must be leashed. Admission is free, and tastings cost $6 for Firefly and $4 for wine. Located at 6775 Bears Bluff Road on rural Wadmalaw Island.
• Mount Pleasant Towne Centre Market: Every Saturday from 9 AM to 1 PM you’ll find seasonal produce, food artisans, and giveaways. Farmers include Freeman

James Island is one of the best areas of Charleston for boaters to live because of the many creeks and rivers that surround the island – not to mention the Charleston Harbor which borders the northeast section of the island. So which James Island neighborhoods offer a boat ramp and dock? Riverland Terrace and Seaside Plantation are two of the most popular communities on James Island for boaters. Having a boat ramp in your neighborhood makes taking your boat out on the water much less of a hassle. You generally don’t have to wait in line for others to put their boat in, and more importantly, you don’t have to wait to take your boat out of the water after a long, glorious day in the sun. A boat ramp in your neighborhood may make the difference as to