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October 2010 - Posts

Sunday, October 31, 2010 6:59 AM

Bon Appetit features Charleston in their November issue

Bon Appetit suggests you travel to Charleston in their November issue and enjoy both great places to stay and eat. “This charming South Carolina town is an ideal fall foodie getaway, thanks to a bumper crop of Low Country produce, an Indian summer
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
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Saturday, October 30, 2010 7:38 AM

[Competition] The battle to sell your home in Charleston in today's market

Let's face facts. There are a lot of homes available for sale in today's Charleston real estate market and my best advice is that if you don't have to sell right now, then don't, simple as that. But some homeowners will have to sell either
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Friday, October 29, 2010 7:10 AM

Paying off your mortgage early with a small extra payment each month

With all the talk about how many homeowners are underwater on their homes, one very easy thing for many homeowners to do is to add a little extra principal every month to their monthly mortgage payment. And with mortgage rates hovering at record lows
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 1 Comments
Thursday, October 28, 2010 7:22 AM

[Mutually exclusive] Lender prequalification or preapproval and the new good faith estimate

Several Charleston home buyers have had questions on getting a prequalification or preapproval letter before looking at homes. So it's a good time for an ask the agent post (and by the way, it's a shame I couldn't get the picture to have the
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Tuesday, October 26, 2010 7:33 AM

Inventory of homes for sale in Charleston remains stubbornly high

Usually, at this time of year, home sellers are taking their homes off the Charleston real estate market due to generally slower home sales during the holiday season. That doesn't seem to be the case this year as you can clearly see in the chart below
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Monday, October 25, 2010 7:08 AM

Foreclosures in I'on, Mount Pleasant for under $25,000

A client searching for homes in Charleston asked me about these two homes in I'on in Mount Pleasant on the Internet for less than $25,000 each. I know that we tend to believe that everything we see or hear on the Internet is true but doesn't this
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 2 Comments
Friday, October 22, 2010 9:11 AM

You don't want to be just a lead, do you

These days, almost everyone who is interested in Charleston real estate begins by searching the Internet. But what most Charleston home buyers and sellers don't know is how easy it is to wind up as just a lead . I would think you might want to have
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Thursday, October 21, 2010 8:00 AM

Charleston realty reality, homes available for pennies on the dollar, NOT

Since the media generally reports the worst news, home buyers expect the worst real estate conditions anywhere and everywhere they might want to buy giving them the opportunity to buy cheaply. And you can get a good deal in today's Charleston real
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Wednesday, October 20, 2010 7:36 AM

Brand and Boutique real estate agencies [what does the future hold]

With yesterday's announcement that The Beach Company's residential division, Beach Residential will become a franchise of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, what does the future hold for both large national brands and boutique real estate agencies
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Tuesday, October 19, 2010 6:34 AM

Photos of Boeing Charleston assembly plant under construction

Thanks to a very kind invitation from Sara at the Charleston MLS, I spent the day yesterday at a very interesting seminar at CTAR, The Charleston Trident Association of Realtors which is located adjacent to the Charleston Boeing assembly plant under construction.
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 1 Comments
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Sunday, October 17, 2010 9:02 AM

Charleston real estate signs of the times

Real estate signs can tell both Charleston home buyers and sellers a lot about condition and trends of the Charleston housing market. The ultimate objective of every Charleston home seller, a sold sign indicative of proper pricing. Despite what you may
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Saturday, October 16, 2010 7:18 AM

You don't need a real estate agent

... to find a home for sale in Charleston. (Hey, I probably surprised you with that headline considering that I am a Charleston real estate agent but read on, it will be fun and hopefully interesting to you anyway.) With all the various places that real
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Friday, October 15, 2010 7:31 AM

Mortgage interest rates hit record lows [Charleston mortgage report October 15, 2010]

Reuters reports that mortgage interest rates continued to decline and are now at record lows since Freddie Mac began its weekly survey in 1971 with an average of 4.19%. That makes 23 consecutive weeks that mortgage rates have been below 5 percent. But
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 1 Comments
Thursday, October 14, 2010 7:29 AM

If you ever doubted real estate is local, not national, check this out

Most of the media focuses on national real estate issues, a case in point is the foreclosure fiasco with all 50 state Attorney Generals along with high profile politicians like Harry and Nancy (but not the Obama administration) calling for a foreclosure
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Tuesday, October 12, 2010 6:40 AM

[zillow 10 year] Charleston and US home prices diverge and converge

I've been somewhat critical of zillow in the past but I think they have really got their zestimates together with the most recent home price values report which hit my email yesterday. But for a better Charleston real estate search experience , a
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Monday, October 11, 2010 6:42 AM

Your referrals are always greatly appreciated

It's been said that referrals are the lifeblood of a real estate agent. When you treat your clients well, it's not only great to get a nice testimonial that others may read and judge whether to use your or not when they want to buy or sell a home
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Saturday, October 09, 2010 6:52 AM

The bank foreclosure mess and how might a foreclosure moratorium affect you

... if you are a homeowner facing foreclosure, a buyer interested in purchasing a foreclosure, a homeowner who has purchased a foreclosure or other interested parties. To use a Facebook relationship description status, it's complicated. This bank
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Friday, October 08, 2010 7:55 AM

Charleston home sales by price range [ytd 2010]

When posting statistics every month on the Charleston real estate report, I've never provided charts on home sales by price range and it seemed important to do so and I'll correct that omission now. Basically, Charleston homes selling for less
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 1 Comments
Thursday, October 07, 2010 7:03 AM

Five reasons to live in Charleston

It seems that when the weather recently changed to absolutely beautiful, everyone living in Charleston has been happy, active, friendly and of course because we're well known for it, well mannered. For five reasons to live in Charleston, look no further
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 1 Comments
Wednesday, October 06, 2010 7:20 AM

Another government giveaway, this time it's mortgage aid to the jobless

There is no doubt that persistently high unemployment is hurting the housing market and sometimes leading to foreclosures but I'm not sure that more government giveaways are the answer. In my opinion, job creation would be a better alternative but
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Tuesday, October 05, 2010 6:47 AM

Dropped droid, costly clumsiness

They say a picture is worth a thousand words and the only word I can think of is Yikes. Don't drop your droid, it hurts.
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Monday, October 04, 2010 7:08 AM

This October think pink, Susan G. Komen for the Cure

A pink ribbon adorns every page of this website this month as a reminder that October is National Bre*st Cancer awareness month. Please join me by visiting and donating to Susan G. Komen for the Cure . Thank you.
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 2 Comments
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Saturday, October 02, 2010 6:28 AM

Charleston real estate market report, sales, inventory and home prices, October 2, 2010

August was another very reasonable month in the Charleston real estate market following the drop off in home sales from the end of the home buyer tax credit which caused some experts to predict more doom and gloom. And while demand for homes selling for
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 2 Comments
Friday, October 01, 2010 6:33 AM

[Relocation to Charleston] Where people are moving from

Charleston is a growing city due to many factors including our great weather and good economy but did you ever wonder where people are moving from. The answer is pretty much everywhere as evidenced by an inquiry that I received overnight from a family
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments