Welcome to Charleston Real Estate Blog Sign in | Help

July 2011 - Posts

Saturday, July 30, 2011 7:54 AM

The dog days of summer are coming soon

Did you ever wonder where the phrase dog days of summer came from. Wikipedia has the answer to why the hottest most sultry days of summer are called dog days . And in Charleston, we usually have a very hot early summer and a very hot and humid later summer.
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Friday, July 29, 2011 9:15 AM

Today's Charleston mortgage rates, July 29, 2011

With just a few days before the debt ceiling "crisis" deadline, Charleston mortgage rates are basically unchanged from previous quotes. But the stock market is down due to both the lack of progress on the debt ceiling and 2Q GDP growth reported
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 1 Comments
Thursday, July 28, 2011 6:59 AM

Trader Joe's opens Friday in Mount Pleasant

Trader Joe's has a lot of fans from around the country and finally we're getting a local store in Mount Pleasant at the site of the old Hungryneck Antique Mall right around the corner from Whole Foods. Many clients I've worked with from around
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Tuesday, July 26, 2011 7:42 AM

Lowball offers #FAIL [Sigh]

Sometimes I just don't get it. Of course anyone wanting to buy a home wants to get it at the very best possible price. That was the case when sales were booming and that's the case today. The difference today is that it seems people sometimes
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Monday, July 25, 2011 7:30 AM

Laundry rooms and laundry closets

When viewing homes with a client the other day, we saw a very nice laundry room. I wish I took a picture of it for this post but that brings up one of the subjects of this post, laundry rooms are generally not photographed for Charleston MLS listings
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Saturday, July 23, 2011 7:22 AM

The complete guide to Google +

Have you been to Google + yet. I just got an invite and I'm just getting started. In my opinion, I think it's going to be great. Mashable has an outstanding article to help you get started, The Complete Guide to Google +. And be sure to add me
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Friday, July 22, 2011 7:44 AM

Charleston's most expensive homes for sale

Charleston real estate has homes for every budget but for those fortunate enough to not worry about a budget, here are the most expensive homes currently offered for sale in Charleston . The above link is dynamic and by that, it means that if you happen
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Wednesday, July 20, 2011 7:43 AM

Do you want to see a home for sale in Charleston

Probably. That's why you are reading a Charleston real estate blog and more than likely, the primary reason that you visited this website was to search all Charleston homes for sale. And once in a while, you see a home that you want to see. So what
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Tuesday, July 19, 2011 6:44 AM

Charleston real estate market report, sales, inventory and home prices, June 2011

I'll give the Charleston real estate market an "A" and some of you might be wondering, well how can you do that if sales are down, inventory is still elevated and home prices are down. But that's only at first glance and so let's
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Monday, July 18, 2011 7:58 AM

Check out my new website, CharlestonRealEstateToday.com

... and please let me know what you think. I've had my current website with Point2 since 2003 and I've been very fortunate that many people have told me they really like it. And it's not going away since I just renewed for another year but
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Saturday, July 16, 2011 6:44 AM

Charleston mortgage report July 16, 2010 [Mortgage rates rise slightly]

Since there is a mess in Europe with several countries seemingly broke and being bailed out and those children in Washington fighting over the national debt ceiling of the good old USA, mortgage rates have been declining but hope sometimes trumps reality
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Thursday, July 14, 2011 8:00 AM

Compare property taxes by state

Just about everyone who is considering relocation to Charleston asks me what the property taxes in South Carolina are and thankfully, I am always able to provide them with very good news, that property taxes are very low especially compared to those paid
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Wednesday, July 13, 2011 6:52 AM

May all your dreams come true

Ten years ago when I became a real estate agent, somehow I naively thought that helping clients buy and sell would all be happy occasions. Of course, I should have known better but I was basing it on my personal experiences of buying and selling several
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 7:50 AM

Popular searches for Charleston real estate

A new tool available for analyzing which website pages are the most popular with visitors did and didn't surprise me when it came to what the most popular searches for Charleston real estate were. Because individual search criteria by so many different
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Monday, July 11, 2011 7:36 AM

It's busy at the beach in Charleston this summer

Despite the so so economy and the high price of gas, people still want to go to the beach for a summer vacation. And from what I've heard and seen (picture below), both Charleston real estate investors and vacation / second home owners who defray
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Friday, July 08, 2011 6:02 AM

Travel and Leisure world's best awards, Charleston moves up to number 2

Charleston wins a lot of awards and recognition and we certainly are one of the favorite vacation destinations in the country. With so many things to see and do, the Charleston hospitality industry welcomes visitors pretty much year round. So it's
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Thursday, July 07, 2011 6:36 AM

What does Casey Anthony have to do with Charleston real estate

First, a few disclaimers. I am not an attorney nor do I play one on TV. I was not a member of the jury. I didn't watch any coverage of the Casey Anthony trial. And if I happen to glance at Nancy Grace on TV, I flip the channel asap. And like many
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Wednesday, July 06, 2011 7:11 AM

Narrowing down Charleston homes for sale

Some Charleston home buyers are very specific about what they are looking for while others not only have a wide price range but also no specific area of Charleston that might interest them. And with so many homes for sale in the Charleston area, since
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Monday, July 04, 2011 6:54 AM

It's the 4th of July, Happy Birthday America

The 4th of July is America's Birthday and a time to celebrate with family and friends. And if you like fireworks, today is your special day. Enjoy and have a happy and safe 4th.
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Filed under:
Sunday, July 03, 2011 6:34 AM

Are Bi-Weekly mortgage payments helpful

If you pay your mortgage every month and stay in your home for the full 30 year term, you can have one of those old fashioned mortgage burning parties in exactly 360 months. But if you make an extra payment every year by paying Bi-Weekly, you'll cut
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Saturday, July 02, 2011 6:25 AM

Absorption rate by Charleston area and price range

The absorption rate is a measure of how long it would take to sell all the available homes for sale in Charleston if no new listings came on the market. And it's the best predictor of where prices are going because it basically deals with supply and
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 2 Comments
Friday, July 01, 2011 6:18 AM

Mortgage delinquency rates trending down

Good news for the housing market with mortgage delinquency rates trending down. While the numbers are still well above average (and that is not unexpected), at least they are heading in the right direction. Fannie and Freddie report similar trends. Fannie
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 1 Comments