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March 2010 - Posts

Wednesday, March 31, 2010 1:17 PM

Charleston mortgage report, March 31, 2010

This is an excellent day to introduce a new regular feature, The Charleston Mortgage Report, because it coincides with the end of the Federal Reserve's program of purchasing mortgage backed securities and everyone wants to know where mortgage rates
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Tuesday, March 30, 2010 6:48 AM

Curb appeal with window box planters

When you are selling your home in Charleston, curb appeal can make a big difference in whether buyers will like your home. And if you aren't selling but just want to enjoy living in your current home, don't wait until you sell to improve the curb
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Monday, March 29, 2010 6:28 AM

The seller wants full price [are you kidding]

My buyers made a very reasonable offer on a home the other day. We didn't necessarily expect to be able to buy it at that price but opened negotiations expecting a counter offer from the seller. But the seller responded by saying he wanted to sell
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 2 Comments
Saturday, March 27, 2010 11:50 AM

[Real estate is local] Local Charleston real estate doing better than most

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) released February existing home sales the other day and expressed concern that the housing recovery was fragile at this point. "Existing-home sales declined slightly in February, with modest gains in the
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 1 Comments
Thursday, March 25, 2010 6:57 AM

Housing and transportation costs affordability index

The mantra for affordability in Charleston real estate has long been drive until you qualify . In other words, more affordable homes are generally located further out in the suburbs. But with the price of gasoline higher, when you factor in transportation
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 1 Comments
Wednesday, March 24, 2010 8:22 AM

BofA to start reducing mortgage principal

Reuters is reporting that "Bank of America will announce plans to start forgiving mortgage loan principal for troubled homeowners who owe more than 120 percent of their home's value or are battling ever-expanding 'negative amortization'
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 1 Comments
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Wednesday, March 24, 2010 5:19 AM

Charleston area beaches [what's your favorite]

Charleston has great beaches so as we start thinking more about spring as temperatures warm, what's your favorite beach. The best thing is that you can get to the beach in less than a half hour from almost anywhere you might live in town. From North
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 1 Comments
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Tuesday, March 23, 2010 6:28 AM

365 things to do in Charleston

... is now on Facebook. 365 things to do in Charleston is a community page where you can post photos, videos and links of things to do that you think makes Charleston special. Whether you live in Charleston or are visiting, you'll find there is lots
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
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Monday, March 22, 2010 6:46 AM

Home price outlook

A fascinating chart from Moody's Analytics on when housing will recuperate nationwide. It looks like they predict that Charleston home prices will recover to their previous highs set in the spring of 2007 in four or five years at best. For some of
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Saturday, March 20, 2010 7:11 AM

Charleston's first day of spring

... is a little late but today will be a beautiful day. Our camellia is just past its peak and our azaleas are way behind schedule. The flowers in Summerville may not be as magnificent for the Flowertown Festival which is early this year because of Easter
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Friday, March 19, 2010 7:25 AM

Has the home buyer tax credit extension flopped

The WSJ reports that based on Fannie Mae cutting their 2010 home sales forecast based on a "setback" in sales during the first quarter that the extension of the home buyer tax credit might have flopped. Sales are always sluggish in the first
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Wednesday, March 17, 2010 4:30 AM

Green home tips

Since everyone is thinking green on Saint Patrick's Day today, Preservation, the magazine of The National Trust for Historic Preservation has ten green home tips for making your current home more ecofriendly. New home builders in the Charleston area
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
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Tuesday, March 16, 2010 6:41 AM

[Hush] Confidentiality and Real Estate Agency

People are generally friendly and like to talk but there is a time and a place when buying or selling Charleston real estate where hush is the appropriate choice. It has to do with confidentiality and real estate agency. Most people don't understand
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Sunday, March 14, 2010 7:24 AM

March madness starts now

We have the conference tournaments wrapping up and today is Selection Sunday with the announcement of the brackets to get March madness started. But here are two unrelated notes of interest that might be even more maddening. Why did the Cleveland Browns
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 2 Comments
Saturday, March 13, 2010 7:42 AM

Finding that elusive deal when buying Charleston real estate

There are lots of opinions on how to get a great deal these days buying Charleston real estate. Some people focus on lender owned homes figuring that the lenders are anxious to get foreclosures off their books and will sell for less than market value.
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Friday, March 12, 2010 6:55 AM

Second Annual Summerville Easter Egg Hunt

FREE and fun for the family and for a good cause, The AgentOwned Realty Co., Main Street Summerville will be sponsoring the Second Annual Summerville Easter Egg Hunt in partnership with the Junior Service League of Summerville on Saturday April 3, 2010
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
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Wednesday, March 10, 2010 7:35 AM

Will the future of real estate include more unrepresented buyers

There are a lot of commission models in real estate today besides the traditional co - broker commission offered in the MLS. There are flat fees for menu services provided, commission rebates, retainers, service fees and others. But since some people
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Tuesday, March 09, 2010 8:21 AM

Wall Street Anniversary week [highs and lows]

Barry Ritholtz at the Big Picture reminds us this week marks not one but two major Wall Street anniversaries. One year ago this week, the market made a 12 year low and back in 2000, the tech bubble popped. Barry called the March bottom last year. Here's
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
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Monday, March 08, 2010 7:29 AM

[Think again] Is Charleston real estate dead as an asset class

The short answer. No. Some people might think that people don't want to be home owners any longer after the devastation that rocked the real estate market following the collapse of the lending bubble that enabled many people to buy homes that they
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Saturday, March 06, 2010 7:02 AM

[3 questions] If you're thinking of selling your home in Charleston

Maybe you want or need to sell your home in today's Charleston real estate market. It could be that you want or need a larger home or to downsize to something smaller or maybe your financial circumstances have changed. Ardell asks home sellers three
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Thursday, March 04, 2010 8:32 AM

Charleston real estate market report, sales, inventory and home prices, March 4, 2010

This year, the Charleston real estate market report features a little different format by combining some of the charts and graphs as well as including Charleston home sales and inventory with home price statistics into one bigger and (hopefully) better
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 2 Comments
Wednesday, March 03, 2010 10:36 AM

Charleston Wine + Food Festival 2010

Always a favorite during the spring season in Charleston, the 5th annual BB&T Charleston Wine + Food festival starts tomorrow, March 4th and continues through this weekend. The festival brings national and regional attention to the Charleston food
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
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Tuesday, March 02, 2010 7:18 AM

Read the Charleston real estate blog

There are now lots of different ways for you to read the Charleston real estate blog. Of course, you can just stop by here almost every day and read today's post or you can subscribe via RSS feed and use your favorite feed reader. For several years,
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Monday, March 01, 2010 7:29 AM

NAR Short Sales and Foreclosure Resource Certification [SFR]

The National Association of REALTORS ® (NAR) offers the SFR certification to REALTORS ® who want to help both buyers and sellers navigate these complicated transactions as demand for professional experience with distressed sales grows. I am pleased
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments