344 Rice Bay Dr. Mount Pleasant - For Sale by The Alan Donald Real Estate Team

Thinking about leaving the cold and the snow? Move to the Lowcountry - Charleston, SC has been voted the Best Place to Retire in the US!

Check out this one-story 3-br. home with easy maintenance and no stairs! Convenient location, only 15 min. drive to the beach, very close to local hospitals, places of worship, restaurants and shopping (including Harris Teeter supermarket, Starbucks, Petsmart and many others). A short drive will take you to Downtown Charleston, where you can enjoy the rich history, wonderful restaurants and vibrant cultural life.

Belle Hall has excellent community amenities including two swimmi...

Own This Mount Pleasant Home, Pay MUCH LESS Than Rent!

Buy this great home in Belle Hall Plantation (Mount Pleasant, SC) and PAY LESS THAN RENT!

At $300,000, this one-story, 3-br, 2-ba home plus a sunroom is the least expensive
home in Belle Hall.

Look at how much you would pay for a mortgage, according to a local mortgage broker. 

Compare with Mount Pleasant rentals!!

Call us on 843-900-0155 or fill out this form to arrange a showing or
for more information about this excellent financing opportunity!

Are You Aware of All the New Construction Deals?

RYLAND HOMES is having a Sale this month!

DR HORTON just dropped prices across the board...

We had never had a week with over 400 residential properties going under contract in one week.  Our highest was 397 just a couple of weeks ago.  Only a handful of weeks have ever been of 350. Anything over 200 is good and 300 is great. Almost every week this year has been over 300.

Prices are rising nicely, but the activity doesn’t seem uncontrolled. Most homes are not quite back to their 2006/7 values yet (except in Mount Pleasant).

During the last real estate boom (2003-2007), prices got well above the trend line. But now we are actually below the trend line and have lots of room for appreciation. Houses are not staying on the market long because demand is so high, which is also keepi...

Things To Do & Activities in Charleston for April 2015

April is finally here and everything is in bloom in Charleston!  The Family Circle Cup started this week and the Azaleas are ready.  The Farmer’s Markets are opening back up and the Blessing of the Fleet prepares us for shrimp season. 

Here’s a list of April events in our great city:

The Farmer’s Market re-opens at Marion Square Downtown - April 4

4-12 – Family Circle Cup Tennis Tournament Daniel Island

7 – Mt Pleasant Farmer’s Market re-opens

10,11 – Folly Beach 25th Annual Sea and Sand Festival

12 – 11th Annual Blues by the Sea at Freshfields at Kiawah

17-19 – 25th Annual East Coast Paddlesports and Outdo...

I read this great article on HGTV - we agree wholeheartedly with their recommendations!!

HGTV's Buying and Selling offers up the industry's best-kept secrets to help you get top dollar when selling your home.

Selling Secret #10: Pricing it right
Find out what your home is worth, then shave 15 to 20 percent off the price. You’...

Why do people hire us to sell their homes?
Watch this 2-minute video to find out why!

Coming Soon!

These are some of the listings that we will be marketing soon:

1. MOUNT PLEASANT - 618 BRIDLEWOOD
    3-br, 2.5 bath, 1,466 sq. ft. plus sunroom, 2-car garage. Great location, MOVE-IN CONDITION! $289,000

2. MOUNT PLEASANT - BELLE HALL
    3-br, 2-ba. 1,400 sq. ft., 2-car garage. Leased until June 30th. Great condition! $320,000

Fill out this form, or call us on 843-900-0155 to get on our ADVANCE NOTICE email list!

Seller's Remorse is Returning to Charleston!

With the change in market dynamics from a Buyer's Market to a Seller's Market, many areas of Charleston are experiencing low inventory. Areas such as Mount Pleasant and James Island are experiencing multiple contract offers as a common occurrence.

Sellers may sign a contract and then hear that the market continues to move up, so they may become remorseful and think that he/she maybe didn't get enough. He/she may also become reluctant to do any repairs.

Different markets bring different problems. Experience counts! Hire a seasoned Realtor who has lived through different market cycles and knows how to anticipate potential issues to avoid...

Upcoming Changes in the Mortgage Industry Will Affect Buyers and Sellers

It seems that after the mortgage "meltdown" changes are the "new normal". There are three big changes coming upon our industry which will take into effect on August 1, 2015.

In this video Alan Donald and Jim Duffy from Atlantic Bay Mortgage discuss some of these changes and how they could affect the consumer...

For more information about mortgages, please fill out this short form

Or call us on 843-900-0155.

Charleston Real Estate Market Update: Busiest Jan-Feb Ever!

The Charleston, SC real estate market continues to outperform other markets in the region!

January and February 2015 were the best Jan/Feb ever!

Back in 2007, we had 2 weeks in Jan/Feb with over 300 residential properties going under contract, and that was the only time that this had ever happened until this year. In 2015, 5 of the first 8 weeks of the year had over 300 properties go under contract.

This could shape up to be the best year ever for Charleston real estate. Prices are rising steadily, but appreciation appears to be more sustainable this time.

So far, every purchaser needs to have good credit and jump through ...

What's Happening In Charleston, SC? - March 2015 Edition

After a cold February, March is finally here. Charleston shared the weather pain with the rest of the nation (minus the snow and ice). March brings us longer days, azaleas at the Flowertown Festival, St. Patrick’s Day, the Food and Wine Festival, Fashion Week, and the Bridge Run.

Here’s a list of upcoming events to keep you and your family busy:

3/4-8 BB&T Food + Wine Festival

3/7 Brazil Fest – Hungry Monk Music

3/7,8 Center for Birds of Prey Grand Reopening and Photo Day

3/8 Daylight Savings begins

3/9 Tango Buenos Aires – Sottile Theatre

3/11-15 Charleston Art and Antique Forum

3/13,14 Charleston Tells Storytelling – Wrag...

To Condo or Not to Condo – That Is The Question...

Many would-be home buyers including first-time home buyers, empty nesters and retirees consider buying a condominium (or a condo title townhome), instead of a fee-simple, single family home. The most common reasons for considering a condo are:

• Price (normally condos are cheaper)

• Low maintenance – easy (lock and go)

• Amenities (I.e. pool, exercise room, tennis courts)

• Location (if close to place of work)

We advise our buyer clients need to ask additional questions to determine if a condo is the right fit for their personality, financial situation and desired lifestyle. Here are some of the issues we suggest explori...

Have you ever thought about your "ELECTRONIC ESTATE PLANNING"?

Here is what estate planning attorney Allison Farina Van Nostrand​ wrote on this subject - very interesting!:

"This week, Facebook has announced that it has now added an option for you to designate a “Legacy Contact.” A “Legacy Contact” is person of your choice who would be able to handle your account after your death, ie. make a final posting on your page to your friends or provide information that you choose. If you have a FACEBOOK Account, this should be done in addition to the provisions I add in your planning documents.

Click on the first article on our website to read more about it: http://www.farinalaw.com/Page...

2014 was a tremendous year for real estate in Charleston. We sold over 13,500 homes with a median sales price of $222,000 (the graph shows the 12-month rolling average for sales in the last 3 years). That was a 7.4% increase in transactions over 2013, which was also a great year. And the median sales price was the highest ever for the Charleston area, a 5.7% increase over the median price in 2013.

[Our team almost doubled our sales from 2013 to 2014, and we are now in the Top 2% in sales for the Charleston MLS. Our average Sold/List Price Ratio was 97.21% in 2014, compared to the MLS average of 91.93%]

Short sales and foreclosures are now a very small part of the market here. New cons...

What's Happening In Charleston, SC? - February 2015 Edition

The best thing about February is that we only have about another 4-6 weeks of this cold weather! But there is a lot to do in Charleston in February.

The largest event is the Southeastern Wildlife Expo on Feb. 13-15th. In addition you have:

• WWE Live: Feb 6 Wrestling @ North Charleston Coliseum
• Cirque de la Symphonie: Feb 7 @ North Charleston PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
• Kathleen Madigan: Feb 7 @ The Charleston Music Hall
• Glen Hansard: Feb 8 @ The Charleston Music Hall
• Ingrid Michaelson: Feb 9 @ The Charleston Music Hall
• The Book of Mormon: Feb 10-15 @ North Charleston PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
• Jason Aldean: Feb 14 @ North Char...

Charming One-story Home For Sale in Belle Hall
Close to Beaches, Ready to Move In

This charming 3-bedroom ranch home is in move-in condition and ready to be occupied! This home has an open plan with tall ceilings and an upgraded kitchen with granite countertops, cherry cabinets and stainless steel appliances. 

The living room has a fireplace and opens up to the eat-in dining area and sunroom.  The spacious master bedroom has a walk-in closet and a bathroom with dual sinks. The other two bedrooms are located on the opposite side of the home and share a second bathroom.

Details: 229 Mossy Oak

Showings & Information: 800-294-1074 code 4098

Our Average Sold Price/Original List Price ...

Never Get Bored in Charleston, SC - December Events

No matter how you spell it, the holiday season is special for everyone. The Lowcountry takes its holidays seriously. Take part in all that we have to offer and fill your hearts with the joy of the season.

With Thanksgiving falling so late in November, there’s a slight pause before the holiday celebrations begin. Between the neighborhood drop-ins, the office parties and friendly get-togethers, there are some large scale gatherings planned throughout the area. 

Right out of the gate, we have Hanukkah from the 16th through the 24th. Christmas falls on a Thursday, the 25th. Boxing Day is the 26th, also the first day of Kwanzaa which runs ...

This story came from our client Jerry Garner, Reverse Mortgage Specialist with TowneBank Mortgage. We thought it would be of interest to share it. 

"Mr. and Mrs. Grace (ages 62 & 66)  were living comfortably on Johns Island (they moved here from the upstate 2 years ago), until their daughter went thru a divorce and she and the grandkids needed financial help.  The Grace’s did what most parents would do and agreed to offer the support and welcomed them back home (for a while)…after a few months, they consulted with their financial advisor to make sure they had the money to help their daughter and grandkids and learned they did not have enough savings to maintain their own personal l...