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May 2008 - Posts

Saturday, May 31, 2008 7:32 AM

New map search of the Charleston MLS

I've just added the latest search technology to my website enabling you to search the Charleston MLS with advanced map search technology provided by Diverse Solutions. As always, no registration is required. You can search the Charleston MLS with
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 2 Comments
Friday, May 30, 2008 3:43 PM

List (asking) price vs sales price May 2008

The asking price by sellers continues to be significantly higher than the prices paid by buyers. The only exception once again is in the luxury condo/townhome classification. It likely is one reason that the selling price is currently averaging over 5%
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Thursday, May 29, 2008 2:51 PM

12 months of Charleston real estate prices

Despite declining unit sales and higher levels of inventory, Charleston real estate prices have remained persistently stable on both an average sale and median sale basis.
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 4 Comments
Thursday, May 29, 2008 9:32 AM

Can I brag

... about number one, page one. The most important search phrase in real estate is "city name" real estate and if you could get your website to the top of Google for Charleston real estate , you have "climbed the mountain" as it were.
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Wednesday, May 28, 2008 11:16 AM

Can HOA and monthly regime fees increase

An interesting ask the agent question. Can HOA and monthly regime fees increase in future years. I was showing properties recently to a couple from out of town and they weren't familiar with annual fees for Homeowner Associations (HOA) or monthly
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Tuesday, May 27, 2008 7:28 AM

Sandlapper to merge with Coldwell Banker?

From the rumor mill. Something is up since we are having a special meeting this afternoon at 4PM in addition to our regular meeting on Wednesday at 9AM. The merger of Sandlapper Real Estate Group with Coldwell Banker United, Realty is the most likely
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Monday, May 26, 2008 6:36 AM

Memorial Day 2008

Memorial Day honors the men and women who have given their lives in service to our country so that we may live in freedom afforded us in the United States that we generally take for granted. So while you enjoy this holiday weekend, let's not forget
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
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Sunday, May 25, 2008 6:55 AM

We spent our "economic stimulus check"

... on concrete ??? Before After We built our house several years ago but we always felt our patio was just a little too small and so we just added an additional 60 square feet extending the dining area which you can see above as well as expanding the
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 2 Comments
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Friday, May 23, 2008 6:51 AM

What's up with Realtor.com

At one time, Realtor.com was the place to be. I used to pay for enhanced listings and I could absolutely document closed sales as a result of real estate buyers searching on Realtor.com. While their website was "clunky" and their technology
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Thursday, May 22, 2008 7:45 AM

Summer starts tomorrow

... unofficially since the summer solstice isn't for another month. But Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial kickoff to summer in the Lowcountry and any excuse for a long holiday weekend must include Friday as well. Photo courtesy of Flickr by Paco
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 8 Comments
Wednesday, May 21, 2008 6:11 AM

Do you plan ahead

It's been said that over 80% of all real estate consumers begin their search on the Internet. But when do most people begin their search. I've been told by several buyers that they were making plans to move to Charleston in a year, others were
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Tuesday, May 20, 2008 1:17 PM

The solution for suburban sprawl

The Charleston South Carolina area has been growing rapidly during this decade. Charleston has benefited from the overall trend towards migration from the Northeast and Midwest to the South and West. Job creation has been excellent, the quality of life
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Monday, May 19, 2008 6:14 AM

Find a home that looks too good to be true

... it may be. One of my long time subscribers just called me the other day inquiring about a home for sale in one of the nicest neighborhoods in the Charleston real estate market and wondered what I could find out about it. The home for sale caught his
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 2 Comments
Saturday, May 17, 2008 6:29 AM

Not everyone wants to buy a foreclosure

There are foreclosed homes in just about every neighborhood in the Charleston real estate market and my neighborhood is no exception. It's unfortunate and it's especially sad when you actually know someone who lost their home. And many buyers
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Friday, May 16, 2008 9:15 AM

Redesigning my website

I've been spending some time redesigning and updating my website. I've added additional graphics and lots of new information to help you learn more about the Charleston real estate market and make it easier to search for Charleston homes for sale.
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Thursday, May 15, 2008 10:00 AM

The housing crisis is over

... according to an editorial opinion in the Wall Street Journal. "The dire headlines coming fast and furious in the financial and popular press suggest that the housing crisis is intensifying. Yet it is very likely that April 2008 will mark the
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 6 Comments
Wednesday, May 14, 2008 3:34 PM

Charleston foreclosure trends, May 14, 2008

If you read the newspaper or turn on the television or check your news via the Internet, rising foreclosures is certainly one of the top stories. With all the bad news you would think that everyone in the country should be packing their stuff in anticipation
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 2 Comments
Tuesday, May 13, 2008 2:16 PM

Going green, for money or for good

I noticed an interesting post by Seth Godin the other day and it got me thinking. Seth was talking about The Coming Backlash Over Green Marketing and apparently my favorite luggage manufacturer, Tumi , will plant trees if you buy their product. "The
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Monday, May 12, 2008 7:32 AM

Searching for Charleston homes for sale

To get meaningful results when searching for Charleston homes for sale, it's best to narrow your search criteria. Above is a good example. There are currently 3371 properties for sale between $200,000 and $400,000 in the Charleston real estate market.
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 6 Comments
Sunday, May 11, 2008 7:01 AM

Happy Mothers Day

Happy Mothers Day!
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
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Friday, May 09, 2008 7:33 AM

This is the 500th post

... to the Charleston real estate blog and a big thank you to the many readers who stop by and spend a few minutes a day with me. I remember when I started to write the Charleston real estate blog about a year and a half ago and just a month later, I
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Friday, May 09, 2008 6:54 AM

What does a real estate agent really do

I'm not sure that many real estate consumers understand what real estate agents do to earn a commission and I'm not sure that many care if an agent gets paid, I think the only thing buyers really care about is buying a house. First of all, a real
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Wednesday, May 07, 2008 6:48 AM

Foreclosure at the courthouse steps

It was apparently a wild Tuesday at the Charleston County Courthouse for the weekly foreclosure sale with a couple of Habitat for Humanity homes selling and getting a lot of media coverage. The two homes actually sold for quite a bit more than owed and
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Tuesday, May 06, 2008 6:37 AM

My first fifty

... dollar fill up was yesterday. And real estate agents tend to drive a lot so I'm not expecting it to get any better at the pump this summer as I drive clients around the Charleston area looking at homes for sale. On a positive note, higher gasoline
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 4 Comments
Monday, May 05, 2008 9:16 AM

House raffles

I wrote a post about house raffles about a month ago and now there is additional information on How To Raffle Your House from Douglas Heddings at True Gotham. Donating proceeds over and above the value of your house to good charitable cause is the key
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 1 Comments
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Monday, May 05, 2008 6:56 AM

Staging your home, don't forget your garden

Staging your home for sale has become very popular in the Charleston South Carolina real estate market. There are a number of design professionals available to help you as well as your favorite interior designer or for those with decorating talent, you
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Saturday, May 03, 2008 6:54 AM

Lowball offers that work

There are lowball offers and there are lowball offers that work. The difference is how you craft a lowball offer and base it on the real value of the home for sale that you are interested in. Anyone can make an offer at 25% to 50% less than the list price
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Friday, May 02, 2008 8:27 AM

Home price data may be overstated

I've been talking about how to measure the current decreases in home prices and how difficult it is to analyze. The most popular measure of affordability, median prices, can vary widely from one year to the next and doesn't necessarily reflect
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Friday, May 02, 2008 5:58 AM

Thanks for your help

... and we found the perfect home and we will be closing soon. Once a month, I send my real estate update to my database and I always get one or two unsubscribe requests. This request was more interesting because I really never did help them with the
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Thursday, May 01, 2008 6:58 AM

Charleston South Carolina real estate market report, March 2008 analysis

The Charleston real estate market seems to defy gravity when it comes to home prices. With too much supply and lower demand, you would think that prices should have declined much more than they have. While the median price declined by about 5% from March
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments