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February 2012 - Posts

Tuesday, February 28, 2012 8:17 AM

Some Charleston home buyers don't want to use a buyer's agent

... and sometimes a home buyer doesn't know what they might be missing when you try to do it yourself. A buyer called me the other day wanting the name of the listing agent so that she could make an offer on a home. She did not want to use a buyer's
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Monday, February 27, 2012 8:54 AM

Are we trending toward a sellers market in Charleston

As they say on Wall Street, the trend is your friend and a look at the absorption rate in Charleston is certainly good news for Charleston home sellers. As of January 31st, inventory of Charleston homes for sale stood at 8.5 months according to data in
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Saturday, February 25, 2012 7:49 AM

Can you view a home that's under contract [Contingent]

Sometimes, but why would you want to? The other day, I got a call from someone asking me if they could view a home that was already under contract. I happened to be out of the office and busy at the time but I gave a quick answer which was that sometimes
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Friday, February 24, 2012 8:30 AM

A seller does NOT have to accept your full price offer

... so you might be wondering, why not. Actually, a home seller in Charleston does not have to accept any offer at any price or terms so if you happen to see a home you really like, there is never any assurance that you can buy it. That would seem strange
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 8:26 AM

Charleston short sales, how long does it take for a decision

A few years ago a short sale was a classic oxymoron, it was never short in time taking anywhere from 3 to 6 months or longer and rarely resulted in a sale but that's changed lately and many more short sales are now being approved although they still
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 8:03 AM

Selling your Charleston home, the fix up

If you're thinking of selling your Charleston home, do you want to fix it up for sale or just list it as is. Some buyers want homes in mint condition, other buyers would prefer to buy at a lower price and then make improvements. Still others would
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Monday, February 20, 2012 8:12 AM

US News Travel names Wentworth Mansion Number 3 Hotel in US

If you're thinking about traveling first class to Charleston to enjoy one of the many festivals, events and things to do in Charleston or if you want to spend a romantic weekend, you might want to consider staying at the Wentworth Mansion which was
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
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Saturday, February 18, 2012 8:10 AM

Are you using a Charleston real estate agent

... or are you using your Charleston real estate agent. The other day when I was visiting a new home community with a client, the site agent told me a story about a buyer who visited with their agent and then called her up directly and tried to do an
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Friday, February 17, 2012 6:52 AM

Charleston homes for sale are selling FAST

How's the Charleston real estate market doing, you be the judge. Take a look at these 3 screenshots of homes that went under contract in 3, 3 and 5 days respectively. Surprised? Actually so am I. Sure it's been a good start to the new year and
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Thursday, February 16, 2012 7:40 AM

Charleston's 30th Annual Southeastern Wildlife Exposition kicks off spring season

The traditional kickoff to the spring season in Charleston is the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition often referred to as the SEWE Festival. Spring is of course the most beautiful time of year in Charleston and there are events and festivals just about
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
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Tuesday, February 14, 2012 9:03 AM

Charleston real estate market report, sales, inventory and home prices, January 2012

Happy Valentine's Day! And good news in the Charleston real estate market once again this month after the big month in December. Sales continued to trend higher with home sales in January slightly higher on a year over year basis compared with January
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Monday, February 13, 2012 8:05 AM

Pictures of Charleston, a new weekly feature

On my new website / blog, a new weekly feature has just been added, Pictures of Charleston. And because alliteration is always fun, it will be available every Friday with the subtitle, Friday Photos. So far, featured have been St. Philip's Episcopal
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
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Saturday, February 11, 2012 7:37 AM

[Charleston mortgage report] FHA Streamline refinance changes clear roadblocks

A lot of people would like to refinance from a higher interest mortgage rate to the record low rates we've seen for some time but have been unable to do so for a variety of reasons. With HARP II starting in March, the $26 billion mortgage settlement
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Friday, February 10, 2012 6:35 AM

[Opinion] The $26 Billion mortgage relief deal

At long last, the government(s) and five of the nation's largest banks have agreed to a $26 Billion mortgage relief settlement. From Forbes, Why Homeowners Can't Bank on the Mortgage Relief Plan , "With great fanfare, the US Department of
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Wednesday, February 08, 2012 7:52 AM

Selling your Charleston home for the highest possible price

... is the objective of every homeowner. However, the most important word in the title is possible . When listing your home for sale in Charleston, it really doesn't matter what you paid, what you need to sell it for or even what you might like to
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Monday, February 06, 2012 8:02 AM

Some Charleston short sales [Are / Are NOT] a good deal

You would think that when you look at a Charleston short sale for sale that you should be able to get a good deal. But surprisingly, sometimes the price is not all that great but if you happen to really like the home, you might think one of two things,
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Sunday, February 05, 2012 8:16 AM

Sometimes you can see too many Charleston homes for sale

I worked with clients recently seeing homes and we just saw too many in one day. After all, you really only want to find one perfect home and there really isn't a right or wrong number of homes to choose to view and more than likely you will pick
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Friday, February 03, 2012 8:34 AM

Tips for successful showings of your Charleston home for sale

When you're selling your home in Charleston, it goes without saying that a clean uncluttered home will appeal to potential buyers. But there are a few more things to consider to place your home in the best possible light. Let's start with the
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
Thursday, February 02, 2012 8:59 AM

Obama administration announces another mortgage refinance plan

In the administration's continuing effort to successfully help underwater borrowers be able to refinance their mortgages at today's record low interest rates, one more plan has been announced using FHA financing and costing from $5 to $10 Billion.
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments
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Wednesday, February 01, 2012 9:08 AM

Case and Shiller disagree on housing market outlook

In what shouldn't be much of a surprise, Bloomberg reports that, "Residential real estate prices fell more than forecast in November, showing distressed properties are hampering improvement in the US housing market. The S&P Case-Shiller index
Posted by Howard Arnoff | 0 Comments