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August 2009 - Posts

Monday, August 31, 2009 6:28 AM

No registration required, what's the catch

One point of debate in the real estate net is whether to require registration to search the Charleston MLS. Some Charleston real estate agents think that if they don't require registration, real estate consumers can use their site to find a home but
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 5 Comments
Saturday, August 29, 2009 6:42 AM

Scams and swindles on the rise for reverse mortgages

Reverse mortgages have become increasingly popular and of course, so are the scams and swindles. And if it wasn't so sad that older Americans are being preyed on by the scamsters and swindlers, you might even laugh at some of the goings on (and I'll
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Thursday, August 27, 2009 5:19 AM

[History lessons] New home sales and recessions

I'm not an economist but I did enjoy studying history in school. So I don't know when the current recession will end or whether we'll have a double dip recession or if it will be an L, U or V shaped recovery. I'm just a Charleston real
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 1 Comments
Wednesday, August 26, 2009 2:26 PM

Charleston real estate market report, home prices, August 26, 2009

It was a good report on sales and inventory yesterday so how are home prices doing in the Charleston real estate market this month. Surprisingly, they slipped a little bit. But as we've cautioned, when the mix of homes sold includes more distressed
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Tuesday, August 25, 2009 2:20 PM

Charleston real estate market report, sales and inventory, August 25, 2009

There are some good numbers in this month's report. I have been suggesting that you watch inventory levels and they are improving, especially in homes selling for less than $300k. And before I get started with the report, we may as well touch on the
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 1 Comments
Tuesday, August 25, 2009 5:58 AM

Obama to Reappoint Bernanke as Fed Chairman

Good news. President Obama is expected to announce the reappointment of Ben Bernanke as Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank this morning. During the most difficult period for the economy in most of our lifetimes, Mr. Bernanke has done a fine job. More
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
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Monday, August 24, 2009 7:34 AM

[Thinking green] Push reel mowers are more popular now

I've been noticing more people using push reel mowers lately. Some of my neighbors who used to mow their lawns with gas mowers apparently have traded them in on push reel mowers. I haven't used one since I was a little kid and finally old enough
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
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Saturday, August 22, 2009 5:53 AM

Highlights from existing home sales report, July 2009

We all know that real estate is local and what is reported nationally or what is happening in Charleston West Virginia or Charleston Illinois doesn't really matter to the Charleston South Carolina real estate market. But since I am in the process
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 3 Comments
Friday, August 21, 2009 9:36 AM

[Yikes] the pictures on my blog disappeared

They say a picture is worth a thousand words so I better get busy writing because all the pictures on my blog disappeared overnight. Take a look to the left to view what used to be a picture. My website provider Point2 did a regularly scheduled maintenance
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Thursday, August 20, 2009 7:10 AM

Thinking credit card reform, think again

The big news today is that the credit card act passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama takes effect today. Highly touted as offering relief to the American consumer, it falls short on most counts. The bill does very little to actually
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Wednesday, August 19, 2009 7:02 AM

This might be a very nice home for sale

... if you could find it from the directions in the Charleston MLS. From the remember how you got there files, this Charleston real estate agent provided the following driving directions to a listing. From I - 95, go through the stop light at the Summerville
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Tuesday, August 18, 2009 6:46 AM

Recycle your phone books

The new phone books just landed on my front porch. What I noticed first was that despite population growth, the thickness of the book was slightly thinner. It's probably a combination of more people no longer having landlines and using their mobile
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 1 Comments
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Monday, August 17, 2009 1:26 PM

Charleston new home construction trends

While building at a slower pace, the new home builders in the Charleston area are also offering new home buyers homes that are somewhat different from just a few years ago during the housing boom. A few words will describe what you can expect to find
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 2 Comments
Sunday, August 16, 2009 9:47 AM

Wouldn't it be nice

... if there was no spam . I had to laugh the other day when a potential buyer contacted me through my website about finding a home for sale in Charleston. Right after I replied, an email came back to me saying that in order to reduce spam, I needed to
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 4 Comments
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Friday, August 14, 2009 2:12 PM

Deadline nears for 1st time homebuyer tax credit

The deadline for the 1st time homebuyer $8k tax credit is November 30 and it may seem like you've got a lot of time but if you are thinking about buying a home in Charleston, you just can't wait for the last minute and expect to close by the deadline.
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 2 Comments
Thursday, August 13, 2009 1:16 PM

Do you want to be SOLD on social networking sites

I don't know about you but I don't like to be sold. I do like to buy but on my terms and in my time frame. I guess I don't like to be pushed. And that's how I like to treat other people. There are various titles for real estate agents.
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 2 Comments
Wednesday, August 12, 2009 5:38 AM

How to sell your Charleston home for sale

It's really very simple. Step one. List it with an excellent real estate agent. Step two. Price it to market and make sure the condition is excellent. Step three. Let buyers view your home. Don't forget step three. I recently made a number of
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Tuesday, August 11, 2009 5:19 AM

More bad Charleston MLS pictures [another toilet photo]

Would you think this home for sale in Charleston didn't include a toilet if not for this picture. Buy this house and you'll enjoy this lovely toilet too! (thankfully, the lid is down.)
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Monday, August 10, 2009 5:40 AM

Real estate agents rank last [again]

... in a Harris Interactive poll of prestigious occupations. According to Dictionary.com , prestigious is defined as having a high reputation; honored; esteemed. Maybe Waylon and Willie got it wrong, Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be real
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 2 Comments
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Saturday, August 08, 2009 6:30 AM

Did you see the perfect home online

... only to be disappointed later. Maybe, you finally viewed that home in person and it just wasn't as nice as what you thought it was when you saw it online. It could be any number of things. Maybe, the floor plan might not work for you or the neighborhood
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Friday, August 07, 2009 6:18 AM

Lowball [UN] reality

Sometimes you just have to wonder about people. Sure there are lots of available homes for sale in Charleston and many sellers are motivated to sell their home and move on. And buyers can expect to find some very good deals in today's Charleston real
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Thursday, August 06, 2009 7:59 AM

Back to school tax free shopping weekend

Sure it's 90 degrees out but the back to school season officially kicks off this weekend with South Carolina's annual tax free shopping weekend. You'll save the sales tax on all school related items that you need to purchase including typical
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
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Wednesday, August 05, 2009 6:44 AM

A helpful green reminder

Publix just added these little billboards in their parking lots, a most helpful reminder to everyone (like me) who keeps several bags in their car but walks directly into the store without them. It's easy to get into a green routine so remember to
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
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Tuesday, August 04, 2009 8:27 AM

In your best interests

Does a Charleston real estate agent always look out for your best interests in a real estate transaction ... or are some actually looking out for their own interests. True story. I don't call FSBO's to try and list their home, I've got better
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Monday, August 03, 2009 8:37 AM

A short sale is always contingent on 3rd party lender approval

... but approval is not automatically guaranteed. Many buyers search the Charleston MLS and come across listings that look really great because of the seemingly low price compared to similar properties in the same price range. Is it too good to be true.
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Saturday, August 01, 2009 6:17 AM

Charleston real estate market report, home prices, August 1, 2009

Do you believe supply and demand affects home prices. As anyone who reads the Charleston real estate blog knows, I've talked about high inventory levels that exist in the Charleston real estate market for several years now and of course, that has
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments