If you're relocating to Charleston, use a local lender
... rather than your favorite lender from back home if you want the transaction to go smoothly.
Real estate laws differ from state to state and that's where the problem lies if you want to buy a home in Charleston but use your lender from back home for your mortgage.
In South Carolina, attorneys are responsible for handling the closing and attorneys do the title work. We just heard from an out of state lender that their attorney would be preparing the closing docs and send them within 5 days. Now that might be OK and the way things are done back home but the South Carolina attorney that the buyer chooses to use is the attorney who prepares the closing docs and does the title work. So what is this out of state attorney planning to do in the next 5 days (that would also push the closing back several days and ruin the buyer's moving plans scheduled for Memorial Day weekend).
Don't worry if you're relocating to Charleston, your closing will be properly handled and close on time especially if you use a local lender.
Photo courtesy of flickr by woodleywonderworks