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        <title>Charleston Real Estate Market Blog</title>
        <link>http://www.searchforcharlestonrealestate.com/blog/2014-02/</link>
        <description>Get local info and tips from Charleston real estate agents on market trends, financing, new communities, upcoming events, and more!</description>
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    <guid>https://www.searchforcharlestonrealestate.com/blog/march-events-in-charleston-sc.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.searchforcharlestonrealestate.com/blog/march-events-in-charleston-sc.html</link>
        <author>keadle@thekeadlegroup.com (Lee and Katherine Keadle)</author>
        <title>March Events in Charleston, SC</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 



This year, March will see 3 of Charleston’s big annual festivals. The soonest will be the Charleston Wine + Food Festival taking place March 6 through 9. Tickets tend to sell out quickly so we wanted to go ahead and let you know the dates in case you’ll be in town. The festival features chefs, authors, food personalities, farmers, and other culinary experts in a wide range of events from tastings to cooking demonstrations. (And if you’d like to pair home showings with your food events, just let us know We’re happy to answer questions about a home, schedule an appointment to see your favorites, or get more info on a particular listing)


If you’ll be in town March 20 through April 19, the 67th annual Festival of Houses and Gardens will have plenty of opportunities to see some of Charleston’s most impressive residences dating to the 18th century. Options include walking tours, boat cruises, food and drink tastings, and oyster roasts, just to name a few.


Also, the Charleston Antiques Show will be March 21 through 23 this year (pictured). Imagine Memminger Auditorium filled with American and European furnishings, fine arts, garden and architectural elements, silver, and vintage jewelry ranging from the 17th to 20th centuries. If this sounds appealing, then you’ll have a lot of fun because it’s unlike any other Charleston festival. If not, know that we’ll be including info on the professional sports teams and best shopping areas in upcoming blogs
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    <pubDate>Fri, 28 Feb 2014 13:19:05 -0500</pubDate>
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    <guid>https://www.searchforcharlestonrealestate.com/blog/carolina-one-real-estate-in-charleston-sc.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.searchforcharlestonrealestate.com/blog/carolina-one-real-estate-in-charleston-sc.html</link>
        <author>keadle@thekeadlegroup.com (Lee and Katherine Keadle)</author>
        <title>Carolina One Real Estate in Charleston, SC</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 



With more than 10 years of experience in the Charleston real estate market, we’re often asked by home buyers, sellers, and Realtors why we choose to work for Carolina One Real Estate. In fact, on an almost weekly basis we receive phone calls and emails from other Brokers asking us to join their company. These offers often include lunch or dinner at a well-known Charleston restaurant. Once, a broker even told us that his real estate office would be getting an ice cream machine (an intriguing angle for a pitch considering that he knew how much my wife/business partner loves ice cream)


With such enticing offers, why don’t we transfer our licenses to one of the many Charleston real estate companies around? The answer is simple: if we want to continue serving as one of the top real estate groups in Charleston, we have to work for the best real estate company. When it comes to sales statistics, professionalism, home listing quality and quantity, reputation, long-term market shares, and general good-doing, you won’t find a better company than Carolina One Real Estate in Charleston, SC.


The Top Selling Real Estate Company in Charleston





Since 1991, Carolina One Real Estate has been the top selling real estate company in Charleston. In 2013, Carolina One represented 7,124 buyers and sellers, which was 28.5 of the market share for the entire MLS. In the graph to the right, you’ll see that second place earned 7.9 and third place earned 5.6 of the market share. In other words, Carolina One closed more than three times what its biggest competitor sold when you look at end of the year MLS statistics.


Below you’ll see another chart showing the final MLS sales for 2012. Representing 6,220 buyers and sellers, Carolina One Real Estate made up 30.4 of the market share (selling nearly four times what the runner up closed for the year).


Doing Things for You Only 1 Can Do





This company slogan applies to Realtors as well as home buyers and sellers. From an agent’s perspective the brand recognition, resources, and office locations are absolutely necessary for building your own real estate business. I enjoy having 11 offices throughout the tri-county area that I can use to meet clients, whether we’re beginning their search or using the space to draw up an offer to purchase after finding their perfect home. I have a private office space in the West Islands office on Folly Road (James Island), but I spend enough time at the three Mt. Pleasant offices that the managers and brokers know me pretty well


Home buyers can enjoy a peace of mind knowing that they’re being represented by one of the best Charleston real estate companies. From the time that we spend touring homes and neighborhoods to negotiating offers to working on as smooth a closing as possible, I know (based on feedback) that the buyers I help appreciate the relationships I’ve established through Carolina One and the benefits I can provide simply because of the company I work for.


Listing a Home with Carolina One Real Estate





The advantages of listing a home through Carolina One Real Estate are probably more obvious. When listing a home for sale, it’s important to have an agent and company who can give the home the largest and broadest exposure. Carolina One’s longstanding relationship with The Post and Courier (the South’s oldest daily newspaper and one of the most visited websites in South Carolina) gives its agents ideal advertising and other promotional advantages. Additional exposure comes from the real estate magazines Homes and Homesites and Portfolio. Broadcasting open houses and direct mail is also made as efficient and effective as possible thanks to our fantastic marketing department.


Carolina One offers a wealth of information and resources to its agents – from absorption rate statistics to salability indexes to supply and demand statistics to Floorplan Online to the Now Showing program. Perhaps the most effective, though, is our weekly Caravan. When a home is listed for sale, the Carolina One agents in the nearby office tour the home and give feedback based on their knowledge and experience. Usually about thirty real estate agents tour the home, which gives plenty of different perspectives on the listing and also allows the agents to see for themselves whether the home would be a good fit for any of their current buyers.


See why the Keadle Real Estate Group is among the top 1 of Charleston real estate agents
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    <pubDate>Tue, 25 Feb 2014 16:28:21 -0500</pubDate>
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    <guid>https://www.searchforcharlestonrealestate.com/blog/colony-north-new-homes-in-north-charleston.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.searchforcharlestonrealestate.com/blog/colony-north-new-homes-in-north-charleston.html</link>
        <author>keadle@thekeadlegroup.com (Lee and Katherine Keadle)</author>
        <title>Colony North New Homes in North Charleston</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 

Hunter Quinn Homes is currently building 6 homes in Colony North with more scheduled to be built later this year. If you’re looking for newly finished homes that are ready for move-in, you’ll find options on Expedition Drive which is tucked away at the back of the neighborhood. The local Charleston builder is also offering homes that are currently under construction as well as proposed construction. So, if you want to be able to choose your floor plan, finishes, and upgrades, these are some of the most affordable options you’ll find in Charleston.


Colony North offers a convenient location in North Charleston. It’s far enough removed from the busy Ashley Phosphate Road to give privacy, yet it offers easy access to Interstate 26. Because it’s often hard to find homes priced under $200K that are within an easy drive of Downtown Charleston and the beaches, the new homes at Colony North are certainly worth considering if location is important. You’ll also find plenty of shopping and restaurants within minutes of the community.





Nearby Shopping in North Charleston


Northwoods Mall Tanger Outlets Plenty of commercial developments on Rivers Avenue Target and Walmart


Easy Commutes from Colony North


BoeingBoschNaval Weapons StationAir Force Base and Charleston International AirportTrident Technical CollegeTrident Medical CenterRoper Hospital Diagnostics and ERDowntown Charleston


Colony North Home Features


These new construction homes in Colony North come with 2-10 year warranties, which is the best you’ll find in the Charleston market. All homes come with 2 car garages, GE stainless appliances, Aristokraft wooden cabinetry, and patios as well.


For the increasing number of buyers interested in sustainable home products, green features, low VOC paints and flooring, and energy efficiency, we highly recommend Hunter Quinn Homes because you’ll find lots of great options. Plus, every home they build is inspected by a third party RESNET assessor who calculates its energy efficiency based on floor plans and in-person inspections. Over the past few years, we’ve seen a huge increase in buyers’ awareness for energy efficient homes in Charleston. Whether you’re interested in lowering your heating and cooling bills or simply wanting to reduce your home’s long term impact on the environment, know that these Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Index scores and assessments are included in the purchase price of the home.


Popular Colony North Floor Plans





Some of the most popular floor plans include The Newberry (pictured above), which is a flexible design that can be 1 story or 2 stories. In both layouts, the master bedroom is downstairs. In the 2 story versions, a 40 foot long bonus room can also be turned into a 4th bedroom with its own private bath and loft.


Their Dillon floor plan (pictured right) is popular among buyers wanting a master bedroom upstairs. This plan is also ideally flexible because one of the back corners of the house can be used as a loft/office/playroom, or it can be turned into a 4th bedroom or full mother-in-law suite.


Current Builder Incentive


Hunter Quinn Homes is currently offering to pay closing costs up to $3,000 when you use their preferred lender and closing attorney. Call or email us to get more details on this incentive or to see these new homes in Colony North




Learn More About Hunter Quinn Homes


OR


Search All Charleston New Construction Homes


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    <pubDate>Thu, 20 Feb 2014 12:59:34 -0500</pubDate>
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    <guid>https://www.searchforcharlestonrealestate.com/blog/performing-arts-in-charleston-sc.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.searchforcharlestonrealestate.com/blog/performing-arts-in-charleston-sc.html</link>
        <author>keadle@thekeadlegroup.com (Lee and Katherine Keadle)</author>
        <title>Performing Arts in Charleston, SC</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 



Charleston, SC is known having a rich history, fine culinary scene, unique architecture styles, and some of the best beaches in South Carolina. Charleston’s arts scene certainly also tops this list, so I’ve also included some of the best venues and performing arts groups below in case you want to check them out


Dock Street Theatre


When it opened its doors in 1736, the Dock Street Theatre was the first building in the United States dedicated solely to theatrical performances. It is home to the Charleston Stage Company, which is the largest professional theatre company in the state. Since Dock Street is the most most popular theater in Charleston, it hosts many of the Spoleto Festival events. Dock Street recently underwent a $19 million renovation in order to preserve this historic landmark in downtown Charleston.


 





Sottile Theatre


Because Sottile Theatre is owned by the College of Charleston, it offers performances put on by students in addition to professional groups. Sottile is one of the few historic theaters in Charleston that can be rented out for parties and dinners. Its piazza and gardens are ideal for receptions - not to mention its prime location just off King Street. The Sottile Theatre opened in 1927 and today seats 785 people, making it one of Charlestons largest formal theaters.sottile.cofc.edu/


 





Charleston Ballet Theatre


This professional dance company has been in Charleston for about 25 years. Although the group has a black box theater located on upper King Street, large performances like the annual Nutcracker are usually held in venues like Gaillard Auditorium or the Charleston Performing Arts Center. www.charlestonballet.com/


 





Footlight Theatre


The Footlight Players mission is to make theater affordable and accessible to more people. The community theater group has relied largely on local talent and volunteers since it was established in 1932. Most productions take place in a circa 1850 cotton warehouse which has been turned into an informal playhouse (the group occasionally performs at other venues as well). Footlight Theatre is located at 20 Queen Street. www.footlightplayers.net/


 





Charleston Symphony Orchestra


The Charleston Symphony Orchestra performs at various auditoriums and events throughout the Charleston area (the most popular tend to be Gaillard Auditorium and Dock Street Theatre). The resident orchestra is comprised of forty-six full-time, professional musicians, making it South Carolinas largest year-round performing arts organization. You can read about the many outreach and educational programs that the group is involved with on their website. www.charlestonsymphony.com/


Learn more about Charleston South Carolina
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    <pubDate>Tue, 18 Feb 2014 15:35:53 -0500</pubDate>
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    <guid>https://www.searchforcharlestonrealestate.com/blog/tours-in-charleston-south-carolina.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.searchforcharlestonrealestate.com/blog/tours-in-charleston-south-carolina.html</link>
        <author>keadle@thekeadlegroup.com (Lee and Katherine Keadle)</author>
        <title>Tours in Charleston, South Carolina</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 



What are the best tours in Charleston South Carolina? Whether you’re entertaining guests or looking for a new perspective on the city, these 3 options are definitely worth checking out:


Charleston Carriage Tours: Take a horse-drawn carriage tour of historic downtown Charleston. The tours highlight the most famous monuments, public buildings, and historic homes of downtown Charleston, reflecting more than 300 years of history. Most tours start from Anson Street, which is right off the Market in Downtown Charleston. Also because carriages are given different routes within the city, no 2 tours are exactly the same. Weve taken several of these and have learned new things each time


Charleston Ghost Tours: If youre looking for an alternative venture, you can take your pick from the Charleston Ghost Tours offered by Bulldog Tours. These walking tours give you access to some of Charlestons most haunted places such as the Pre-Revolutionary Dungeon, the Old City Jail, the Haunted Historic District, and Charlestons oldest graveyard.





Charleston Harbor Cruises: After walking along the Battery and Waterfront Park, see Charleston from the harbor This is a great opportunity to see a different view of the city and learn about Charlestons major sites from a tour guide. Late afternoons and evenings tend to be great times to take the harbor cruises. Two of the most popular harbor cruise companies in Charleston are Charleston Harbor Tours and SpiritLine Cruises. If youre visiting Charleston during our annual Piccolo Spoleto Festival, youll find harbor cruises with live music which makes for a very special and memorable tour.
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    <pubDate>Thu, 13 Feb 2014 13:52:34 -0500</pubDate>
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    <guid>https://www.searchforcharlestonrealestate.com/blog/southeastern-wildlife-exposition-this-week.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.searchforcharlestonrealestate.com/blog/southeastern-wildlife-exposition-this-week.html</link>
        <author>keadle@thekeadlegroup.com (Lee and Katherine Keadle)</author>
        <title>Southeastern Wildlife Exposition This Week</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 



The Southeastern Wildlife Exposition (SEWE) starts this Friday, February 14th and runs until Sunday. Since its debut in 1983, it’s grown to an attendance of 40,000 people and has become one of Charleston’s favorite annual festivals. SEWE celebrates wildlife through raising preservation funds, honoring nature experts, educating both children and adults on the need to protect our environment, and sharing artwork that helps us appreciate the outdoors. This year’s guests include conservationist Jack Hanna, Chef Nathan Thurston, and members of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. Events range from children’s puppet shows to fine art exhibits/auctions to birds of prey flight demos to sporting dog competitions. You can see the full event schedule and purchase tickets on the SEWE website, http://sewe.com/.


If you’ll be in Charleston this coming weekend, this will be a fun festival to explore And if you’d like to schedule a time to see homes as well, just let us know
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    <pubDate>Tue, 11 Feb 2014 15:00:12 -0500</pubDate>
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    <guid>https://www.searchforcharlestonrealestate.com/blog/best-charleston-county-parks.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.searchforcharlestonrealestate.com/blog/best-charleston-county-parks.html</link>
        <author>keadle@thekeadlegroup.com (Lee and Katherine Keadle)</author>
        <title>Best Charleston County Parks</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
Now that Charleston has resumed its usual 60 degree weather for this time of year, I wanted to include some info about our local parks. Our area has a fantastic Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission which offers some of the best parks in South Carolina.





There are 8 county parks located throughout the Charleston area - James Island, Folly Beach, Mt. Pleasant, Isle of Palms, Kiawah, Johns Island, North Charleston, and Ravenel. Total, these parks offer several thousand acres of preserved woodlands, wetlands, and coast line. Youll find over 10 miles of walking trails, plenty of green spaces and intramural fields, kids playgrounds, beach accesses, picnic areas, dog parks, and camping sites.


You’ll also find special amenities. For example, the James Island County Park has the largest climbing wall in the state (pictured on right). The Folly Beach pier offers 7,500 sq ft for fishing. The Johns Island County Park has an equestrian center with trail riding and competitions. The parks also have events year round, like the Holiday Festival of Lights, Yappy Hour for dogs and their owners, races and competitions, the Lowcountry Cajun Festival, and the East Coast Paddlesports Festival, just to name a few. If you’re looking to get outdoors, these parks and facilities are an inexpensive way to enjoy about Charleston South Carolina
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    <pubDate>Wed, 05 Feb 2014 10:44:49 -0500</pubDate>
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    <guid>https://www.searchforcharlestonrealestate.com/blog/james-island-real-estate-market-summary-2014.html</guid>
    <link>https://www.searchforcharlestonrealestate.com/blog/james-island-real-estate-market-summary-2014.html</link>
        <author>keadle@thekeadlegroup.com (Lee and Katherine Keadle)</author>
        <title>James Island Real Estate Market Summary 2014</title>
    <description> <![CDATA[ 
In January of 2014, 48 homes closed on the MLS for James Island, SC. The median sales price was $254,000, and the average price was $292,922. There were 122 properties under contract or pending during the same time frame (January 1-31, 2014).





These stats reflect some of the James Island real estate trends we’ve seen over the past two years: healthy increases for median sales prices and the number of sold homes, a strong sellers’ market formed in the under $250K price range, and a gap being bridged between the number of homes listed and sold.


James Island Housing Market in 2013


In 2013, there were 738 homes closed on James Island. This is a 29.2 increase from 2012 and a 42.7 increase from 2011. When looking at the sales volume, those homes sold in 2013 totaled $193.8 million. This volume is up 45.4 from 2012 and 70.1 from 2011.


Last year’s median sales price was $229,500 (a 10.9 jump from 2012 and a 22.1 jump compared to the year before). You’ll notice that the average figures for the same comparisons are wider than some of the other Charleston markets because James Island has such a wide range of pricing, from $100K investor type condos to starter houses to million dollar estates overlooking the Charleston Harbor. This range is good reason to look at both the median and average stats for the James Island real estate market, which is why we like to include both.


Now let’s look at the absorption rate for James Island homes by price range. These stats are for October through December of 2013 (so a 3 month period). In the under $250,000 price point, James Island only has a 3 month supply of listings. This means that if no new homes were to be listed for sale, it would take only 3 months to clear out the existing inventory at the current rate that homes are selling. The absorption rate for a sellers’ market is considered less than 5 months of supply, so the 3 months that we’re seeing reflects a very strong sellers’ market.





However, when we take the $250-500K price range into consideration, we see a perfectly balanced market with 6 months of supply. After the $500K mark, the higher priced the homes for sale, the slower the market. In this 3 month time frame, only 4 James Island homes sold in the $500K to $1 million range (and 0 in the million dollar plus price point). It’s important to note, though, that in January a harbor front home in Stiles Point Plantation closed for $1,675,000. Also, there are currently 2 million dollar plus homes in Country Club under contract. These listings will certainly affect the next 3 month cycle for James Island’s absorption rate.





On somewhat of a side note, as a James Island real estate agent and resident, I’m often asked how much negotiating is occurring in our market. For 2013, the sales price ended up being 96 of the list price, meaning that buyers were able to negotiate 4 on average from the sellers’ asking price. (This 96 is right on par with the MLS average, in case you were wondering.)


Finally, let’s look at the gap that is getting bridged between the number of homes listed and sold. Back in 2004 and 2005 – some of the strongest years in the James Island real estate market – there was only about a 100 to 200 difference in the homes sold and listed. It’s easy to remember these years because it seemed like any listing – in any condition or price – sold easily. The darker blue section of the chart (the homes listed) grew very fat from 2006 through 2011. It’s only been in the last 2 years that we’ve seen roughly 70 of listings get sold. Most economists and real estate agents agree that it’s taken this shrinkage of inventory to produce the increases in home prices that we’ve enjoyed over the past couple of years.
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    <pubDate>Mon, 03 Feb 2014 14:46:16 -0500</pubDate>
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