So...you are in the market for a World Class agent.

WAIT...before you call your sisters friends cousins brother and let him put a sign in your yard just because he is in real estate...READ THIS!!!

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There are over 4,000 Real Estate Agents in Charleston, SC...

Through November of this year there are only 435 agents that have sold at least one home per month in 2010...

Less than 10% of Real Estate agents are making a living in Real Estate...be sure you find one that is!!! You do not want a new or part time agent...there are too many things that can go wrong in transactions these days...not to mention you need...

OK, now that you have a very basic understanding about some basic terms and putting in an offer on an REO let's talk about how to find some of the best deals.

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First, of course, you should find a Realtor that is experienced and knowledgeable in buying and selling general real estate IN ADDITION to being experienced in REO's. I would highly suggest an agent that has worked both sides of these transactions...buying from banks and selling for banks. There are not many of these agents out there and always be sure to make sure they can back up what they say!! What banks have they listed and sold...

Make your home warm and inviting to boost it's value and speed up the sale process.

1. Start with a clean slate

Before you can worry about where to place furniture and which wall hanging should go where, each room in your home must be spotless. Do a thorough cleaning right down to the nitpicky details like wiping down light switch covers. Deep clean and deodorize carpets and window coverings.

2. Stow away your clutter

It’s harder for buyers to picture themselves in your home when they’re looking at your family photos, collectibles, and knickknacks. Pack up all your personal decorations. However, don’t make spaces like mantles and coffee and end tables barren. Leave three it...

A short sale is far from hassle-free, but it’s a better alternative than foreclosure.

And now you’ve got a little help from your friends in D.C. Here are the facts about short sales and how to get started.

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After a short sale, you may qualify for a loan again in two years--quicker than you could with a foreclosure in your past.

Facing foreclosure and tempted to stay in your home until the bank pulls it out from under you? Bad idea. Don’t do it. A much more graceful exit is a short sale, an agreement between you and your lender to sell your home for less than you owe. Although there’s no guaran...

Don’t let pet odors derail your home sale.

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Donald, Jeremy, and Shawn ate lunch today at Taco Boy in Downtown Charleston.  We were joined by fellow agents Lindsey Michael, Becky Johnston, Currie McCullough, and Krystal Martin. 

Taco Boy is a very festive and vibrant Mexican Restaurant featuring fabulous tacos, quesadillas, and large assortment of margaritas!!!! They also have a Habenero Tequilla made in house!

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Donald ate about 5 lbs of chips and enjoyed the shrimp quesadillas while Jeremy and Shawn devoured a wide selection of tacos including: fish, shrimp, chicken, and steak.  We highly recommend Taco Boy  when you are in ...

Whether you are a first time investor, looking for a great deal on a primary residence, or a seasoned real estate investor…this may help.

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First of all...for those of you that don't know a bank owned property, foreclosure, or REO are all pretty much the same thing. (REO-Real Estate Owned) Typically, an owner in arrears on their mortgage payment defaults on their mortgage and goes into foreclosure. The bank takes this property to the county courthouse steps and try’s to auction it off to the highest bidder...that is, as long as the highest bidder bids more than the reserve the bank has set for the property...which typically doe...

In today’s economy, many factors influence the decision to buy a home – job status, financial ability, and family considerations among them. But one of the main reasons to consider becoming a homeowner in the current market is the affordability factor, which will benefit today’s buyers for many years to come. Some experts say that "NOW" is the best time to buy a home in our history due to low interest rates coupled with the over supply of housing inventory.

To put this into perspective, a buyer who purchased a median-priced home five years ago with an FHA mortgage and a  3 percent downpayment would have a monthly mortgage payment of $1,650.00. With today’s interest rates and median home ...

30-Year Mortgage Rates Plumb New Depths
Freddie Mac reports that the average interest on 30-year fixed mortgages slipped to an all-time low, for the third consecutive week, to 4.19 percent.

At the same time, 15-year fixed-rate loans and the five-year adjustable-mortgage rate both also hit record lows. Rates on the former were 3.62 percent, while the latter averaged just 3.47 percent.

Source: The Wall Street Journal, Nathan Becker (10/15/10)

Here is an excerpt from an email sent to a prospective listing client regarding the value of her home now and in years to come:

Hey XXXX...It is really easy to pull comps for your place. There are others for sale and some that have sold that are almost identical to yours.
 
(These are all 3 beds and 2 baths built in 2003-2004)
 
Currently for sale:
                           Square ft     Price
5043 Westview        1240       133,900
5052 Westview        1182       135,000
5047 Westview        1240       130,000
 
SOLD:
5097 Westview        1269       135,500
4093 Napoleon        1260       130,000
5054 Westview        1240       130,500
 
A portion of this email has been deleted for blog use
 
Based on...

Please check out a list of short sale homes for sale in the Charleston area that we now have active on our website.  Visit www.chucktownhomes.com and click on the short sale tab at the top then select the area you are interested in. 

Chucktown Homes offers our clients a complete range of services including:

Residential Sales on New or Resale Homes, and Vacant Lots

Short Sales and Bank Owned Properties

We have teams that specialize in Buyers and Sellers so you can be assured that you have a highly trained dedicated sales professional with very high standards, trust and integrity every step of the way.

We promote your home every chance we get by using an 888# on the sign, print advertising in The Real Estate Book and Homes and Land as well as listing your property on over 13 different websites and the Charleston Trident Multiple Listing Service.   

We take great pride in providing the most reliable, up-to-date info...

FREE list of Short Sales and Foreclosures!!

1-888-210-3348  (Fax or email report)

Charleston County X.600

Berkeley County X.700

Dorchester County X.800

Jeremy 843-478-8532

Donald 843-478-5015 

Welcome to our new website... We've changed our website to better serve our clients with a better more user friendly way to search the MLS.  Please give us feedback so we can continue to improve our services.

Showing our community pride in true Charlestonian fashion, I decided to enter ourselves in last week’s Cooper River Bridge Run. I have never run any sort of race before, so naturally I began training about a month before. Seabrook Island commissioned a tour bus to transport residents to the event, but we decided to drive ourselves so we could have more freedom after the race. Race Day came very early in the morning since we would need almost an hour to get downtown. We planned to park at the Aquarium, but were greeted with squadrons of police officers blocking off streets. Anticipating a sweaty run- I was sporting shorts and a T-shirt, boy was it chilly as we boarded the school buses down...