Monday Mortgage Update 3-1-10
Posted on | March 1, 2010 | No Comments
Mush of the optimism about the pace of economic recovery evaporated last week, as economic news turned mostly sour. Consumer confidence plunged, and both new, and existing, home sales slowed considerably. While mortgage rates moved upward in last week’s Freddie Mac survey, they may begin trending downward if economic news this week continues to point to a stuttering recovery. Read more
Community and School Reports
Posted on | February 26, 2010 | No Comments
If you would like us to send you a Community and School Report that includes detailed community and school information for any area around Charleston, SC or any other zip code in the U.S., just let us know.
Creating Partnerships that Work
Posted on | February 24, 2010 | No Comments
As we may have mentioned before, Betsy and I have built our business primarily through referrals from those to whom we have demonstrated our knowledge, skill, and expertise.
We’ve always preferred to work in this way because it’s much more personal and, for that reason, more enjoyable. It’s very satisfying to help our contacts and their friends with something as important as buying or selling a home.
That said, we hope we have demonstrated our competence to you, and we ask that you recommend us to family, friends and neighbors if you hear they’re looking to buy. We’ll save them time with the home search, negotiate a better sale price and represent their best interests throughout the process – all at no cost to them. Also, if anyone you know is thinking of listing their property (in Charleston or elsewhere), they will have the added benefit of having two full time, experienced, and dedicated agents working for them.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support!
-Carrie and Betsy
Updated Statistics for Listings in Charleston, Mt. Pleasant, and James Island
Posted on | February 22, 2010 | No Comments
Area 21 Stats – Area 41 Stats – Area 42 Stats – Area 51-52 Stats
These links (pdf’s) are for some updated stats for single family homes (not condos or townhouses) for the individual neighborhoods in Mt. Pleasant, Downtown, and James Island, divided into numbered areas. These numbers refer to MLS geographic areas. They are:
Area 41- Mt. Pleasant north of Hwy. 41
Area 42- Mt. Pleasant south of Hwy. 41
Area 51- Downtown south of the crosstown
Area 52- Downtown north of the crosstown
Area 21- James Island
For each subdivision, there are 4 median numbers: sqft, list price, $/sqft, and year built. These numbers were collected in mid to late Jan 2010. We feel that median numbers are more accurate than average numbers, because they are not thrown too far off by the few incredibly high or incredibly low sales. These extremes can often skew an average and not give a true picture of the market. The listings used in the collection of this data were all the current actives, contingents (under contract with contingencies), pendings (under contract with no contingencies), and solds since Sept 1, 2009. If the sqft number has an asterisk by it, this means that there were less than 5 data points for that neighborhood. Read more
Oatmeal Lace Cookies
Posted on | February 15, 2010 | No Comments
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 2 ½ cups rolled oats
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 egg, beaten Read more
Charleston Area Has Low Foreclosure Rates
Posted on | February 12, 2010 | No Comments
Charleston Regional Business Journal reports: Recently released data shows that South Carolina’s major metro areas had some of the lowest foreclosure rates across the U.S. for 2009, according to RealtyTrac. The Charleston-North Charleston region posted a rate of 2.20% for homes in foreclosure.
WSJ Reports Average Size of New Homes Drops
Posted on | February 10, 2010 | No Comments
Data released by the National Association of Home Builders found the average size of a new home that was completed in 2009 fell to 2,480 square feet from 2,520 square feet in 2008. The last time the average completed-home size fell by a statistically significant amount was 1982. Homeowners surveyed said downsizing was becoming a bigger priority. For 2010, home builders say they will focus on lower-priced models and smaller homes.
To Do in the Garden for February
Posted on | February 9, 2010 | No Comments
- Plant trees and shrubs, Gerbera daisies, roses
- Sprinkle bulb fertilizer on established bulb beds as soon as they begin to sprout.
- Feed blooming plants lightly every 2-3 weeks.
- Feed azaleas and camellias with an acid loving plant food.
- Prune trees and shrubs, except spring flowering ones. Summer flowering plants, such as oleanders and crepe myrtles, bloom on new growth and should be pruned now.
- Prune roses at the very end of the month.
News From Mayor Billy Swails’ Mt. Pleasant Town Update
Posted on | February 8, 2010 | No Comments
Mount Pleasant Mayor Billy Swails, who took office in November, reassured business leaders this morning that things are just fine east of the Cooper. In his town of Mount Pleasant update, given at Alhambra Hall, Swails emphasized the town’s commitment to being business-friendly and gave a rundown of the town’s budget.
The meeting was organized by the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce’s East Cooper Area Business Council. Although the fiscal 2010 budget is $4 million less than 2009’s, Swails said the town does not plan to raise property taxes or business license fees or to use the $12.3 million in its fund balance. To save money, the town has frozen 32 vacant positions and has found other ways to save. Two such ways were implementation of a wellness program that resulted in a reduction in employee insurance costs and the use of different trucks in the sanitation department. Read more
News About Fannie Mae Owned Properties
Posted on | February 8, 2010 | No Comments
On REO (foreclosure) properties that Fannie Mae owns… They are marketing 3.5% of the Sales Price for Buyers Closing Costs, Prepaids, and GE appliances… there are a couple of small print lines… the buyer DOES NOT have to utilize the HomePath program to qualify!….. ask us for details!
We have an excel spread sheet of all of the FANNIE MAE REO properties currently listed in Charleston, Dorchester and Berkeley… if you would like a copy, just let us know!
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