Charleston Real Estate Market Blog

The Morris Island Lighthouse off Folly Beach is one of two lighthouses in Charleston, SC.  Since it is located only about 300 yards off the north end of Folly Beach, the lighthouse has become somewhat of a symbol for Folly Beach and even James Island.  The Morris Island Lighthouse has received a lot of attention recently because the island it sits on has shifted dramatically. 

 

When the lighthouse was built in 1876, fifteen buildings surrounded it on Morris Island for the keeper and his family.  And, most people don’t know that it was painted with black and white stripes after the Bodie Lighthouse in North Carolina’s Outer Banks.  Problems began in 1889 when jetties were built to improve the channel leading into the Charleston Harbor and downtown

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If the sellers are not pleased with your offer, they may turn it down outright or give a counteroffer.  So, let’s say that the sellers agree with all of the terms in your offer except for the price.  The sellers may send your offer back with your price marked out and suggest a higher price. 

 

Or, I will give a different scenario.  Let’s instead say that the sellers are pleased to get your offer, but you asked for them to do too much – like asking for a long list of repairs to be made, making a lower offer on the price, and requesting that you sell the house you are living in now before buying the sellers’ house.  If the sellers don’t outright reject your offer, they may choose to only allow one of these requests in a counteroffer. 

 

If the

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So you’ve found the home you want to buy.  Now what?  You need to make an offer to buy the seller’s house.  Your real estate agent will have the forms you need, and he or she will talk with you to decide what terms you want to make.  Your agent will then write the offer for you.

 

There is more to an offer than simply stating a price you are willing to pay.  You will also tell how much money you are going to put down for the earnest money deposit.  This deposit is usually about one percent of the purchase price of the home.  The earnest money goes into an interest bearing account until your closing for safe keeping.  The company typically gives the interest earned to various charities.  An earnest money deposit shows that you are a serious buyer, and

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We are writing to let you know about a big event coming up in the Charleston area.  The Spoleto Festival USA will take place from May 25 to June 10.  This seventeen-day arts festival will feature a broad range of performances, including theater, classical ballet, jazz, chamber music, and modern dance.  There will also be local artists displaying their work in Marion Square.

A Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, Gian Carlo Menotti, began the Spoleto Festival in Italy in 1958 to showcase new American artists in Europe.  As Spoleto’s popularity grew, the organizers started an American version of the festival in 1977.  Of all the American cities, they chose Charleston to be the  permanent host for the festival because of the city’s small size, cultured

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When we try to determine property value for your home, we compare your home with old MLS listings and active listings on the Charleston MLS.  No two properties are completely alike, but some properties are similar enough to compare prices.  So, we look at comparable homes that have recently sold in your area (sold listings), homes that were for sale on the market but never successfully sold (expired listings), and homes that are currently for sale (active listings).  Aside from these comparisons, we also take other factors into consideration when determining a home’s value.

 

1.  One of the most important factors that affect value is location.  Homes close to the beach or to downtown Charleston sell at a higher price.  You can install all of the

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Many people choose Charleston as their getaway destination.  Some people want a second home in Charleston so that they can have a home near the beach, so that they can have a home near family living in Charleston, so that they can have a private place to stay for business trips, so that they can have an investment that will provide plenty of enjoyment, or so that they can use the home first for vacations and then for retirement in the coming years. 

 

If you’re looking into buying a second home, try to get a good location.  This is especially important if you plan to use it as a vacation home.  If you want a home near the beach, look in areas that are actually close to the beach, like Folly Beach, James Island, Isle of Palms, Sullivan’s Island, Mt.

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Home inspections can give buyers a better understanding of the condition of the property they plan to buy.  In this article I will discuss four types of home inspections and what they cover.

 

During a standard home inspection a licensed inspector should examine the exterior of the house for damage and rot, the roof for leaks or holes, the overall structure of the house, the garage, the attic, the basement for possible water damage, the crawl space under the house (if the house is built on a crawl space), the foundation of the house for cracks and other damage, plumbing, electrical work, heating and air conditioning, and the fireplace. 

 

Some home inspectors also look to see if the landscaping beds around the house divert water away from the

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People moving to Charleston, SC often have questions about where to live (or where to invest). As a real estate agent, I always ask them, "What are you looking for?" In order to help people who are relocating to the Charleston area, I have organized my suggestions into 7 answers.

 

1) Folly Beach is a great investment because there will pretty much always be a great demand of people who want to live at the beach.  Folly Beach is the most popular beach in the Charleston area, especially for college students and young professionals.  Add this popularity with its proximity to downtown Charleston, and you will find that Folly Beach is a great rental area.  

 

2) James Island is a little more affordable than Folly Beach, and it is even closer to

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When it comes to financing a home, buyers have plenty of choices.  Having lots of options means that buyers can find a mortgage that suits their needs.  However, these options can also make financing a home overwhelming.  So, we are going to explain the four most popular types of home mortgages, tell about the benefits and disadvantages of each, and explain when it is a good idea to use each type.

 

Adjustable Rate Mortgages (ARMS) have been in the news for months.  We have heard reports about how home owners bought these mortgages originally with low interest rates, but now the payments have skyrocketed due to the rise of interest rates.  The unpredictable nature of ARMS makes them a high risk mortgage.  The benefits are that interest rates can be

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The first step in figuring out which home you can afford is to talk with a home loan officer so that you can get pre-qualified for a loan.  There is no reason to make plans for a house that you love but cannot afford.  Getting pre-qualified allows you to know how much a lender is willing to offer you.  The pre-qualification is not a guarantee that you will get that amount, but it will give you the best estimate of what you can afford.  When it gets closer to the time you need to buy, you will get pre-approved for a loan.  The pre-approval process is much more involved than the pre-qualification process because your lender will need pay stubs, tax forms, credit history, bank statements, and other financial documents.

When putting in an offer to buy a…