Charleston Real Estate Market Blog

With most mortgage commitments lasting 20 to 30 years, the financial burden of a monthly mortgage payment can weigh heavily on homeowners. Here are 3 good reasons to pay off your mortgage debt sooner than the bank requires.

Pay for Your Kids’ College Tuition

Imagine being able to pay off your mortgage by the time your kids start college. You would have fewer financial obligations and more cash on hand to help cover college expenses. In 2016, the average college graduate had debts of over $37,000. Even if you only paid part of your kids’ tuition, you could significantly reduce the amount of student loans needed. This strategy could lessen financial stress for your child so that he or she is not burdened with overwhelming debt at the young age of

Earlier this year, Forbes reported that Charleston was ranked #7 for the 10 Hottest Real Estate Markets to Watch in 2017. Year to date statistics show that this prediction is becoming a reality since Charleston is hitting record sales in 2017. We’ve included below MLS stats so that you can see where our local housing market currently stands as of June 30.

This chart is for the entire tri-county area, and you’ll see some areas like St. George, Harleyville, Edisto, and Bonneau that are located so far out that most Charleston residents don’t consider them part of metro Charleston. However, this is the most complete set of housing stats you’ll find. There are two main trends here that we’d like to note.

Home Prices in the Most Desirable Areas are

To the 30,000+ visitors we have every month on the website: we wanted to let you know about some exciting new features!

• Map and directions: On every listing you view, you can now see under the Aerial View/Directions that the home is automatically mapped to Downtown Charleston (MUSC to be exact). Simply click the new “Get Directions” button, and you’ll see Google Map directions, mileage, and estimated drive time. So if you’re wondering how far a particular home is from Downtown, or if you want to enter the address of your job to estimate commute time, know these are now options!
• Similar active and sold listings: At the bottom of every listing page, you can view active similar listings that are currently for sale. So if a particular listing

Charleston home buyers often ask us about the availability of homes with elevators. Whether they’re looking for a townhouse (for less square footage and maintenance) or a single family home (for privacy), buyers often assume they can find a property with an elevator for under $500K. However, this is extremely difficult to find, and with prices escalating quickly in Charleston’s competitive real estate market, more and more buyers will get priced out of these types of homes. We’ve included below some of the most frequently asked questions we get regarding elevators along with alternative options to consider.

How much does it cost to install an elevator in Charleston?

Elevators cost about $22,000 to $25,000 to install if there is already an

When a porch is well decorated, it becomes more than just a feature of your floor plan. Porches that combine function with aesthetics can extend your living space, reconnect you with nature, provide a memorable place for entertaining, improve curb appeal, help sell a home, and show off your own personal style. Here are 12 inspirations for turning your porch into an inviting safe haven!

1: Provide an Outdoor Dining Space

A simple picnic table can work for casual spaces or for kid friendly dining. A painted flea market find is perfect for adding character with a tighter budget. Dining tables are as eclectic as their owners and can be as formal or as casual as you’d like. I find that when we have guests over during the spring and fall, our guests

2017 has become an incredible year so far for Charleston’s real estate market. Last month (April) was the biggest closing month in the history of our market, meaning that more homes closed than any previous month on record. It can be challenging for buyers to wrap their heads around our current market climate, especially if they’re relocating from a part of the country with a slower moving inventory.

Charleston has been a strong sellers’ market for the past few years, but 2017 has made records in terms of number of sales, median sale prices, and a decreasing supply of homes for sale. So why is the market right now as strong as it is? It’s basic supply and demand. In short, there are far more buyers than homes for sale in Charleston.

A perfect

Here at The Keadle Group, we’ve written extensively on how sellers can get their home ready for showings, why homes don’t sell, and how to choose the right contract in a multiple offer situation among other seller topics. However, all of these situations occur after the home has already been on the market for a while – or after it’s received offers. In this article, we’d like to focus on the very first week (or two or three) of a new listing. From day one, how can a seller get more showings on her home? Showings are partly a numbers’ game because in most cases it takes ten or more showings to result in an offer. Sure, we’ve had as few as one showing before that lead to a full priced offer (and a speedy closing), but most sellers have multiple showings

Rainbow Row is made up of Charleston’s most photographed and painted homes. These 14 row houses have addresses that span from 83 to 107 East Bay Street. Every year, literally thousands of visitors flock to see these famous homes located between Elliott and Tradd Streets. We’ve included below a brief history of this Charleston icon along with real estate info for these highly coveted homes.

The History of Rainbow Row is Less Glamorous Than You Might Expect

Most of the homes on Rainbow Row date back to the mid 1700’s (you’ll find dates ranging from 1717 to 1787). Merchants operated stores on the ground floor and lived in the second and third floors. The location – which was waterfront at the time) – made these buildings an ideal commerce center

There’s a common misconception among sellers that their listing agent should hold an open house in order to sell their home. One study by RISMedia showed that 35 percent of sellers expect their Realtor to include open houses in their marketing plan. RISMedia also found that less than 2 percent of homes sell as a direct result of an open house. Even the National Association of Realtors said in a recent Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers that with over 90 percent of home buyers starting their search on the internet, buyers don’t have the need to go in as many houses as they used to.

The truth is that an open house rarely sells a listing. In fact, in our 13+ years of working as Realtors, we have never seen an open house result in a sale. Not even

After owners have lived in a home for several years, they often realize that they’ve filled up the space quite well – perhaps more than they expected when they first bought the home. Like a hermit crab who grows to fit the size of his shell, homeowners often question whether an addition is the solution or whether they should find a different home altogether.

For homeowners who have completely outgrown their home, the only solution is usually to move up to a larger home. This will require selling your current home and buying a new one. If you’re trying to decide whether you should build an addition or move altogether, we’ve included some talking points below that should help you decide which option is better!

Will the home addition actually solve