Buying a home in Charleston?
You'll find helpful information and learn about buyer representation to help you navigate the Charleston South Carolina real estate market. Homes for sale in Charleston SC range from multi million dollar estates in the historic district or on the ocean to very nice and affordable homes for every budget in suburban communities and neighborhoods and it just makes sense to have a professional help you with the buying process.
Buyer Representation
When you are buying a home, the advantages of using a Realtor® as your buyer representative are significant. Whether you are interested in new construction or an existing home, you can use your own Realtor® to negotiate for you and protect your interests in the transaction.
Many consumers don't realize when they go to the builder's model home that the salesperson is actually representing the builder. Likewise when you call on an ad or a yard sign, the real estate agent you are calling represents the seller of the property. In effect, while you certainly can successfully conclude a transaction, your interests are not being fully represented. For more information, please ask about South Carolina's required disclosures of agency.
A buyer's agent protects your best interests! Buying a home is often one of the largest financial decisions you will make in your lifetime. Being represented by an Accredited Buyer's Representative (ABR) like Howard Arnoff, a professional Charleston real estate agent, could save you thousands of dollars in a real estate transaction. Sellers have agents working for them and home buyers should too.
The Benefits of Home Ownership
Home ownership offers a number of benefits including building equity, saving for the future, and creating an environment for your family. When you own your own home, your hard-earned dollars contribute to your mortgage. There are tax advantages to home ownership and the equity you earn is yours. Historically, over time, your home will increase in value.
How I work with my clients
Why choose me to be your buyer's agent? As a dedicated buyer's agent, I perform services for you that a seller's agent can't - such as showing you reasons not to buy a certain property, negotiating the best price and terms for you including any contingencies in the contract that protect you rather than the seller and keeping confidential any information that could hurt your bargaining position.
You can count on my expertise to help you find the home of your dreams. Your complete satisfaction is my #1 priority. I will provide you with a number of value added services including mortgage preapproval, comprehensive market analysis and area information.
Additionally, utilizing my extensive vendor support network team, I can provide referrals to legal, financial, home inspection, warranty and other services - tailored to your unique needs with the aim of assisting you in making an informed buying decision. Finally, I have a full time closing coordinator to insure your transaction goes as smoothly as possible from contract to closing.
My personal commitment to you extends far beyond a single point of sale. Over time, our association is a business relationship which is built on trust, outstanding service and support enabling you to make sound, timely and secure real estate decisions for yourself and your family.
From house hunting to closing I am here for you every step of the way - don't leave home without me!
Don't Get Pre-Qualified ... Get PreApproved!
Do you want to get the best house you can for the least amount of money? Then make sure you are in the strongest negotiating position possible. Price is only one bargaining chip in the negotiations, and not necessarily the most important one.
The strongest position you can be in when making an offer to buy a home is to be preapproved for your loan.
Terms, such as the purchase price or the proposed closing date are critical to a seller. In years past, I always recommended that buyers get "pre-qualified" by a lender. This means that you spend a few minutes on the phone with a lender who asks you a few questions. Based on the answers, the lender pronounces you "pre-qualified" and issues a certificate that you can show to a seller. Sellers are aware that such certificates are worthless, and here's why! None of the information has been verified! Oftentimes unknown problems can surface including recorded judgments, child support payments due, glitches on the credit report due to any number of reasons both accurately and inaccurately, down payments that have not been in the clients' bank account long enough, etc.
Therefore, the way to make a strong offer in today’s market is to get preapproved. This happens after all information has been checked and verified. You are actually approved for the loan and the only loose end is the appraisal on the property. This process takes anywhere from few hours to a few weeks depending on your situation. A preapproval letter will demonstrate that you are a "strong" buyer when the seller is reviewing your offer.
Quick Tip - Develop your wish list and “rule outs”
Before house hunting, make a list of ten things you want in the new place. Then make a list of the ten things you don't want. You can create a scorecard to rate each property that you see which will help avoid confusion and keeps things in perspective when you're comparing homes.
When house hunting, keep in mind the difference between "skin and bones". The skin represents easily changed surface finishes like carpet, wallpaper, color, and window coverings. The bones are things that cannot be changed such as the location, view, size of lot, noise in the area, school district, and floor plan. Buy the house with good bones, because the skin can always be changed to match your tastes. I recommend that you imagine each house as if it were vacant and consider each house on its merits, not the seller's decorating skills.
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