Welcome to Charleston Real Estate Blog Sign in | Help

November 2011 - Posts

Wednesday, November 30, 2011 10:20 AM

Charleston new home construction alive and well

Despite the recent new home sales reports indicating new home construction is at the lowest level in seemingly forever, new home construction in the Charleston area can be considered very much alive and well. According to the Charleston MLS, there are
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Tuesday, November 29, 2011 10:04 AM

What's the third quarter S&P Case-Shiller report telling us

It seems like a good time to review the most recent S&P Case-Shiller report and see what it's telling us about home prices. “Data through September 2011, released today by S&P Indices for its S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices,
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Monday, November 28, 2011 8:36 AM

South Carolina property taxes are surprisingly low

One of the most often requested bits of information about a home for sale in Charleston is what the property taxes are. And more often than not if someone is considering relocating to Charleston from a state that has high property taxes, they are pleasantly
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Saturday, November 26, 2011 8:58 AM

Don't tell just anyone you LOVE that PERFECT home

On more than one occasion, when house hunters are searching Charleston homes for sale and inquire about additional information, they give their motivation away by mentioning how much they LOVE a specific home or how PERFECT that home would be for their
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Thursday, November 24, 2011 7:14 AM

Happy Thanksgiving 2011

Happy Thanksgiving. Give Thanks!
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Filed under:
Wednesday, November 23, 2011 8:39 AM

Black Friday and Charleston real estate

Will there be any Black Friday deals in Charleston real estate? This year seems to be about the most over hyped Black Friday that I can recall but if there are any Black Friday deals in the Charleston real estate market this year, at least you won't
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Monday, November 21, 2011 7:59 AM

Nope, you can't buy a home for $6 per square foot

GIGO: Garbage in, Garbage out. In today's information age, we need good information. Incorrect data entry will lead to bad information and incorrect assumptions. Here's an example. I just noticed a home listed for sale in the Charleston MLS at
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Sunday, November 20, 2011 9:37 AM

Charleston real estate blog 5 year blogiversary

Some say the blog is dead. But 5 years ago today I hit the publish button for the first time and at just a couple of posts short of 1600, today is the celebration of the 5 year blogiversary of the Charleston real estate blog. I had no idea what I was
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Saturday, November 19, 2011 7:44 AM

Hiring an agent or a team

There are two models for real estate agents, you can either be a sole practitioner or be part of a team and there are advantages and disadvantages to both. I'm not going to suggest that because I choose to be a sole practitioner that it is the better
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Thursday, November 17, 2011 7:33 AM

Sometimes the perfect home is the best deal

I was recently reminded by a client that the best deal isn't necessarily the lowest price but the perfect home. That doesn't mean that anyone intentionally wants to overpay but there is a percentage of home buyers who aren't as focused on
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Wednesday, November 16, 2011 8:30 AM

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

It was another solid month for the Charleston real estate market in October although home sales did not beat October of last year yet but just a handful of additional late reporting sales will either match last year or edge it out slightly. But, you can
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Tuesday, November 15, 2011 9:18 AM

[Less is Good] Charleston homes available for sale

Despite Gordon Gekko's famous pronouncement in Wall Street that Greed is Good, when it comes to Charleston homes available for sale, less is good (and better). A look at the chart below of the last 3 years of Charleston inventory of homes for sale
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Monday, November 14, 2011 8:48 AM

How to choose a Charleston real estate agent

While a cottage industry of agent ratings, reviews and certifications has sprung up, still the best way to choose a Charleston real estate agent is to get a recommendation from a friend, neighbor or relative who used an agent and was happy with the service
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Sunday, November 13, 2011 7:53 AM

Slow, holidays ahead

Has anybody else noticed how rushed everything is around the holidays as if the stores are going to run out of stuff whether it's food, clothing or whatever and how the parking lots have turned into a NASCAR race for the best parking space. But what
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 2 Comments
Friday, November 11, 2011 8:16 AM

[11.11.11] If you like numbers, today's date is just perfect

Numbers can be magical and today's date is just perfect. There is probably nothing purer than 11.11.11. Next year we'll have our last chance at a magical date on December 12th and after that, it won't be until the next century (doesn't
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Filed under: ,
Thursday, November 10, 2011 7:52 AM

Foreclosures jump 7 percent in October from September

Just about a year after the robo-signing scandal slowed foreclosure activity, apparently the banks have straightened out their procedures and are now picking up the pace. The best line comes from James Saccacio, chief executive of RealtyTrac quoted by
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Wednesday, November 09, 2011 9:08 AM

What's up [or down] with home prices

In my opinion, CoreLogic provides the most comprehensive data on home prices and I just find them to be a better source than either Case-Shiller, Zillow and some of the others who analyze home prices. CoreLogic's Home Price Index (HPI) reports a second
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Tuesday, November 08, 2011 8:49 AM

Election Day, it's a beautiful day to get out and vote

... for the candidate of your choice but most importantly, just vote. Elections are being held today for Mayor in Charleston and North Charleston. Mount Pleasant is holding an election for town council. Joe Riley, the long time serving Mayor of Charleston
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Monday, November 07, 2011 8:25 AM

Mobile Charleston MLS search on your iPhone

It's a mobile world now. I was out shopping the other day and got a discount coupon with my mobile phone since I don't bother to read the newspaper any longer and still want to save money. In fact, several stores were promoting the idea. But more
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Saturday, November 05, 2011 7:00 AM

It's that time again, fall back

I'm not sure why so many real estate websites and blogs (including this one) feel compelled to advise their visitors about changing their clocks from Daylight Savings Time to Standard Time or (why we all seem to have a little weather widget) but as
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Thursday, November 03, 2011 2:33 PM

Mortgage rates fall again to 4 percent but why you can't always get the lowest rate

As a Charleston real estate agent, I generally quote mortgage rates to clients (or readers of this blog) in nice round numbers like 4, 4 1/4, 4 1/2, etc., based on what rates my preferred lenders are currently offering. Back in the old days of 6 percent
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Wednesday, November 02, 2011 1:48 PM

Don't be fooled by low online mortgage rates

One of the most important jobs I have as a Realtor is to insure a smooth transaction when a client buys a home and nowhere can a transaction get more messed up than in the mortgage process. It's just one of the reasons that I insist that clients use
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 1 Comments
Tuesday, November 01, 2011 8:02 AM

Lowcountry Living with a full front porch

If you are planning on relocating to Charleston, you might be interested in a home that looks like it belongs in Charleston rather than looking like it could be anywhere in America. And living in a home with an inviting full front porch is very much Lowcountry
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments