March 2016

For the past few years, we’ve watched Charleston’s real estate market thrive with strong median price increases and diminishing DOM (Days On Market). However, in the past month, our market has kicked up a noticeable notch in regards to buyer activity. Many people are calling this the strongest real estate market Charleston has ever seen.

There are currently more than 3,600 homes under contract. So far this year, there have been 3,174 properties closed. Each of the past 2 weeks has had 400+ homes go under contract, and one of these was the 2nd busiest week in MLS history.

For buyers, this translates to a very fast paced market. For example, there was a new listing on James Island this past week that had 26 showings in 1 day (the most showings

From March 28 to April 3, the South Carolina Aquarium will host the world famous Weeki Wachee Mermaids from Weeki Wachee Springs, Florida. This group of three underwater entertainers will perform a choreographed musical routine for guests watching the Great Ocean Tank. Three shows are scheduled daily during these dates with additional performances at member events.

The Great Ocean Tank is perhaps the most impressive feature at the aquarium – even without live mermaids swimming in it! With 385,000 gallons of water, it is the deepest aquarium tank on our North American continent. It provides an incredible viewing from its two story setup with a large variety of animals including sharks, eels, and the 220 pound loggerhead sea turtle named Caretta.

College of Charleston students, parents, and the occasional staff often ask us for recommendations on investment properties. Regardless of who’s purchasing the home, they all seem to have the same 3 criteria:

• It must be within walking or biking distance to campus.
• The home must be in a safe area.
• The property needs to hold its value (whether it’s going to be sold in 4 years or held until retirement, it needs to be a good investment).

The Downtown Charleston real estate market is notoriously fast moving, and the best listings priced under $500K tend to go under contract the same day that they’re listed. Because Downtown homes are so unique, it also completely depends on what’s currently on the market. Unlike other go-to communities

This past week Realtor.com named Charleston among its 10 Trendiest U.S. Cities That You Can Still Afford. To determine this ranking, Realtor compared 500 cities using these factors:

• Cultural outlets such as independent movie theaters, art galleries, and live music venues
• Foodie scenes like farmers’ markets, food trucks, craft brewing companies, and farm to table diners that use local produce and meats when possible
• Increases in population demographics for ages 25 to 34
• Even cliché stereotype establishments like bike stores and yoga studios

Realtor used its own home buyer stats to show where next generation home buyers were relocating, and finally they used a housing affordability index to come up with their top cities. In addition

As home insurance rates continue to rise, owners are looking for discounts and competitive premiums now more than ever. In an effort to save money, some home owners opt to reduce the amount of coverage which can be risky. For example, if you purchase a home for $300,000 and know that about $100,000 of the price is land value, we’d recommend coverage of $200,000. However, the buyer can compare rates and pay usually a hundred or two dollars less each year by covering only $150,000. If the buyer doesn’t have an extra $50K in his/her account to part with at any given time in the case of an emergency, this can be a huge mistake.

We’ve included below 5 legitimate ways to save money on your insurance policy that don’t involve gambling with your home. And

It’s tempting to get inspired by a home renovation show and try to save money by doing house renovation projects yourself. However, some tasks absolutely require a professional.

Refinishing a Wood Floor

Home improvement shows love to show before and after footage of worn, wooden floors in an old house followed by the gleaming, smooth planks after refinishing. However, if a floor isn’t properly sanded and timed just right during the staining process, the result is a patch work of staining that requires an entirely new refinishing. Many homeowners with painting experience assume they can tackle a floor refinish project, but they don’t take into account that paint jobs can simply be painted over again if there’s a mistake. When it comes to staining