Charleston’s Real Estate Market Demise. The Silver Lining.

Thu, Mar 25th 2010 10:10 am by Alan Donald Charleston Real Estate

Charleston’s Real Estate Market Demise. The Silver Lining.

By Robert Weaver
Don’t look now but the sky is falling . . . all around you.  Massive federal usurping of private capital, falling home prices, rising unemployment, and a marked decline in our buying power and international regard have Chicken Little screaming from every television, radio, and neighbor’s fence post.  But hold on because  there is a silver lining.

Brayden Capital would like you to know that, once again, Chicken Little is dead wrong and the reports of our country’s (and Charleston’s) demise are greatly exaggerated.  Here are the positives that don’t get enough coverage:

The mortgage industry has seen a bloodle...




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Aaaarghh! I Just Can't Decide!!! Let Me Ride On a Helicopter...

Tue, Mar 23rd 2010 12:00 pm by Alan Donald Buyers

Aaaarghh! I Just Can't Decide!!! Let Me Ride On a Helicopter...

Don't PanicAs inventory increased in the years following the "sub-prime meltdown" and we switched from a "seller's market" to a "buyer's market", many buyers experienced MORE DIFFICULTY in making a puchase decision.

(OK, hold it, wasn't it supposed to be easier, now that there are more choices available...??)

The fact is that having MANY options sometimes OVERWHELMS buyers and causes BUYER PARALYSIS!

Buyers are comparing different types of homes (private sales, short sales, lender-owned, foreclosure auctions) that have different advantages and disadvantages, features. special prices, incentives and gimmicks.

To keep the buying proc...




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Possible Record Price for Luxury Waterfront Home in Mount Pleasant ??

Sat, Mar 20th 2010 12:52 pm by Alan Donald Mt Pleasant Real Estate Market

Possible Record Price for Luxury Waterfront Home in Mount Pleasant ??

100 HaddrellThis beautiful luxury waterfront mansion at 100 Haddrell in Mount Pleasant's Old Village is up for sale for a cool $10 million!

If it sells for an amount anywhere near the list price, it wil be the record price for Mount Pleasant, currently held by the sale of 101 New St. (also in the Old Village) for $3.25M back in 2007.

Oprah, Bono, Steve Jobs, Shakira, where art thou?




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Things to Get Excited By!

Tue, Mar 16th 2010 9:00 am by Alan Donald Charleston

THERE ARE GOOD NEWS FOR THE CHARLESTON AREA

Container ship at the Port of Charleston...Because of increased business at the PORT of CHARLESTON! • The State Ports Authority reported that container volume increased by 7% last month (compared with the same month last year...

…because of BOEING! • One of three locations world-wide • Estimated to bring 3,800 jobs in the next seven years • New Facility: construction is underway with an estimated 3000 workers to build the plant; slated to open mid-2011 • Already invested $1 billion in our community, expansion is an additional $750 million investment

…because of CLEMSON WIND TURBINES! • $98 million investment • Job Creation: 121 construction jobs and 25 permanent jobs now and more t...




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Condo Loans Now Require HO6 Insurance

Fri, Mar 12th 2010 7:30 am by Alan Donald Mortgages

Condo Loans Now Require HO6 Insurance

45 Sycamore #231All CONDO LOANS, including those backed by the government, Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac, now require the buyers to purchase HO6 (contents/wall-in) insurance, and require the premiums to be included with the escrow reserves.

Although these guidelines were published back in 2008 by these agencies, it had never been enforced by them until now. Fannie, Freddie and other investors are now requiring this coverage.




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Short Sale Proposal - Good Intentions, But It Won't Work!

Tue, Mar 9th 2010 9:00 am by Alan Donald Short Sales

SHORT SALE PROGRAM PROPOSED

Short Sales, ForeclosuresYesterday I heard on the radio that the Obama administration is thinking about increasing their support to lenders so that they consider more short sales instead of foreclosures.

However, the program said that what the government has in mind is to provide an "incentive" payment of $1,000 to the primary lienholder, $1,000 to the second lienholder and $1,500 to the homeowner to encourage short sales.

Well, let me tell you: This is NOT going to help much! We are talking about tens (or hundreds) of thousands of shortfall in most cases. In a $300,000 home that was originally sold at $400,000 and financed with an 80/20 mortgage loan combo ("normal" practice to avo...




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A Moving Experience to Plan For

Mon, Mar 8th 2010 12:49 pm by Alan Donald Insurance

Blog Author's Note: This article does not necessarily reflect Keller Williams' or my own point of view. But Mel brings up some key points on earthquake insurance that I thought would benefit most homeowners.

EARTHQUAKE INSURANCE
By Mel Rodriguez, CT Lowndes & Co.

Paso Robles EarthquakeThe first 2 months of 2010 have featured two major earthquakes, in Haiti and in Chile, that have caused much damage and many deaths. If the Charleston area were to experience a catastrophic earthquake, would your insurance policies provide the protection you need? Here are some answers to questions you may have. But be sure to understand that all insurance policies are not alike and you must read your policy and/or speak to your...




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Show Me the Money!

Wed, Mar 3rd 2010 3:32 pm by Alan Donald Mortgages

Blog Author's Note: This article does not necessarily reflect Keller Williams' or my own point of view. But Robert brings up some key points that I thought would be interesting for would-be buyers and homeowners looking to re-finance their mortgages.

How We See It

By Robert Weaver 

Home on BillsInterest rates provide the key ingredient to the mortgage recipe. They determine the cost of your borrowing, how much you can borrow, and how much of your time will be consumed repaying what you borrow.  Their importance cannot be overestimated and an explanation of such would fill volumes. The vital nature of interest rates in our economy begs the question: where are they heading? 

We believe that interest...




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Builder Magazine Reports Charleston Housing Market on the Mend

Tue, Mar 2nd 2010 1:42 pm by Alan Donald Charleston Real Estate

Trade mag: Charleston housing market on the mend

Reported by the Charleston Regional Business Journal's Daily Journal

Staff Report
Published March 1, 2010

A homebuilder trade magazine has marked the Charleston housing market as one of the top 5 regions on the mend.

Builder magazine staked out the 20 healthiest housing markets for 2010 in its latest issue. Charleston was the highest-ranked market listed in South Carolina, with the Greenville region coming in at No. 19 and the Grand Strand at No. 15.

Trade mag: Charleston housing market on the mend The analysis of housing markets showed some repeats from the previous year, the magazine’s editors noted, including Texas, which had a strong showing. Quality of life and costs helped p...




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Mount Pleasant Home Value Decline Slows Down

Sat, Feb 27th 2010 4:00 pm by Alan Donald Mt Pleasant Real Estate Market

Mount Pleasant Home Value Decline Slows Down

Feb 26, 2010 - Zillow.com reported today that home values for Mount Pleasant, SC, declined 0.3% compared to last month (see graph) for a total decline of 5.5% year-over-year. Although prices are still declining, this is a positive trend, since the pace of decline has slowed down considerably from about 1% per month last year.

 

Zillow Home Value Index



HOME AUCTIONS Gaining Popularity!

Fri, Feb 26th 2010 10:18 am by Alan Donald Market Opportunities

HOME AUCTIONS Gaining Popularity!

I want to sell NOWIn this "whacky" market that distressed sales are creating, it is sometimes very challenging to sell a home in a timely fashion. Short sales, REOs, foreclosures and "normal" listings are all competing for a share of the shrinking "buyer pie".

If a homeowner has a substantial amount of equity and wants to sell a home quickly, a PUBLIC AUCTION is a viable way of marketing a property, create URGENCY and obtain the MAXIMUM price that the market will bear. Auctioned properties are normally sold "no-contingency, as-is, where-is", which means that sellers don't need to deal with contracts that fall through over and over because of buyer financing, nor they hav...




SC Legislature Considering Tax Break for Second Home Owners

Thu, Feb 25th 2010 7:37 am by Alan Donald Real Estate

SC Legislature Considering Tax Break for Second Home Owners

The South Carolina state legislature is considering new legislation to allow second home owners who cannot sell one or have to move for a new job to pay a lower property tax rate. Currently, these owners pay a higher property tax rate for properties they own but don't live in full-time.

The proposed legislation is still at the committee level, but one provision would make taxes on second homes the same as for the primary residence. Another proposal suggest a five-year tax break if someone buys a home to pursue a new job at least 150 miles away from his/her primary residence.

It may take some time for any of these proposals to ...




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SC Offering Energy Efficiency Rebates after March 31st!

Tue, Feb 16th 2010 11:17 am by Alan Donald Green Building

Money PathGOOD NEWS FOR THE POCKET...

South Carolina residents will be able to apply to State rebates if they purchase ENERGY STAR appliances in the state beginning March 31, 2010 and continuing until all the $3.9 million fund allocated to the program is exhausted.

This program is funded by South Carolina’s share of federal stimulus funds being distributed to each state for appliance rebates.

Rebates will not apply to online purchases or purchases made prior to March 31, 2010. Read more...




The Snowmen of Mt Pleasant

Mon, Feb 15th 2010 9:37 am by Alan Donald General

Snowman in Mt PleasantYes, I know that for some people getting a snowfall is not news. But for Charleston, it is a once-in-a-decade event! And we did get 2-3 inches this weekend!

Needless to say, parents, children, friends and dogs frolicked in the snow and got their creative and playful juices going. I went around taking pictures of some of the snowmen in Mt Pleasant. 

And then I decided to upload them and make a POPULARITY CONTEST...

If you wish to see about 100 snowmen and cast your vote CLICK HERE.




Buy Fast! FHA is Changing Its Guidelines!!

Fri, Feb 12th 2010 2:30 pm by Alan Donald Mortgages

Buy Fast! FHA is Changing Its Guidelines!!

Starting this summer, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) is tightening its lending guidelines as a way to shore up its finances. FHA loans are currently the most popular mortgage loans, because they provide up to 97.5% loan-to-value (LTV). Most "conventional" loans (i.e. non-FHA) can only go to 80% or 90% LTV, making it difficult to borrow for people with good earnings and credit scores, but no savings.

What Will the New Guidelines Be?

FHA is following suit with other lenders in tightening their standards. The announced changes will be:

1. Increased Minimum Credit Score - borrowers will now have to have a minimum of 580 credit score to ...




Two New Hospitals Nearing Completion in Mt. Pleasant

Thu, Feb 11th 2010 4:00 pm by Alan Donald General

Roper St. Francis Hospital and East Cooper Hospital Expansion Nearing Completion in Mt. Pleasant

Roper St. Francis HospitalWork on the new Roper St. Francis Hospital being built on Highway 17 North in Carolina Park across from Charleston National is advancing fast. Completion is expected for later this year. This 200,000 sq. ft. facility built on 78 acres of land will have 85 inpatient beds, 24-hour emergency, inpatient and outpatient surgery, womens' clinic, imaging, laboratory and pharmacy.

Also, the new wing for East Cooper Hospital is being finished on Mathis Ferry and Von Kolnitz. This wing will more than double the size of their current facility and includes 130 private patient rooms, 10 neonatal nursery b...




Station 22 on Sullivan's Island Offers February Specials!

Tue, Feb 9th 2010 10:15 am by Alan Donald General

Charlestons RestaurantsStation 22, 2205 Middle St., Sullivan's Island

(843) 883-3355

February Special

--Appetizer--Entrée--Wine--Dessert-

CHOOSE THREE for $25.00

 

1-Appetizer 

station 22’s she crab soup  served with a dash of sherry

quickly fried calamari   with a tangy, ginger citrus sauce

fried green tomatoes

layered with pimento cheese, sweet corn relish, and fire roasted pepper coulis

warm spinach salad with herb fried goat cheese

tossed in hot bacon dressing with toasted walnuts, wild mushrooms

carrots, and grape tomatoes

 

2-Entrée

vidalia encrusted salmon filet

pan seared atlantic salmon with a sweet vidalia crust whipped idaho potatoes

 baby green beans and red pepp...




The Skinny on Charleston's Real Estate Market

Fri, Feb 5th 2010 4:56 pm by Alan Donald Charleston Real Estate

The Charleston Trident Association of Realtors put together this video that describes the state of our metro residential real estate market:

 




Culinary Art Benefits Non-Profits

Thu, Feb 4th 2010 2:55 pm by Alan Donald Events

Culinary Art

Local students play with food for a cool art project benefitting Louie’s Kids and Slow Food Charleston

WRITTEN BY EVANS CRADDOCK
Photographs by Kelly Bozard

Grab a few eager high school art students; then mix them with a local shrimper, a talented chef, a Wadmalaw egg farmer, a determined elementary student, and a renowned muralist. Sprinkle in some teamwork, and garnish with a dash of fun. The result? Four creative (and almost edible) mosaics that reflect the importance of local culinary traditions.

Read full article at Charleston Magazine Online...




Mount Pleasant Residential Real Estate Market Moving Along

Tue, Feb 2nd 2010 10:12 am by Alan Donald General

Mt. Pleasant, SC Market Update – Jan. 2010

Summary

There is light at the end of the tunnel! Inventory in Mt Pleasant continues a downward trend (albeit a slow reduction) and monthly sales are back above 100 a month. Distressed homes (short sales and lender-owned) homes are still appearing in most neighborhoods and have placed additional stress on appraisers.

Inventory and Absorption                       

We can still observe traditional seasonality in our home inventory in Mt. Pleasant. Mount Pleasant Current Inventory Jan 2010Comparing 2009 with the two previous years, we can definitely see a trend toward inventory reduction: Each peak has been lower than the previous one, and each low has also been lower. From January un...




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