It begins!  You open your eyes and you realize that you recognize nothing.  With a dilation of the pupil you rise to your feet.   "What in the world am I doing," you ask.  Disoriented you wonder, "Why is this so confusing?" "What is going on?" Much like the amazing television show, LOST, this is an all too familiar feeling for most buyers and sellers of real estate.  For most people, this is the biggest purchase and/or sale of their lives to date.  It can be quite an un-nerving.  The biggest question of all for most people is, "Who do I trust?" Your first step is to find the person who knows what they are doing.  Someone who can "Shephard" you through the process and get you through the good and bad times.  How do you know who that is?  He/She is equipped to do the job and can hold thin... 06/09/2009

Home Buyers and Real Estate Investors in Goose Creek and in the Charleston SC area will continue to offer lower than the Home Seller's Listing Price because the data supports it. Home Buyers and Real Estate Investors in Goose Creek and Charleston SC Area are becoming more Real Estate savy in regards to want they should offer when buying a house.  With the help of their Real Estate agent, home buyers are getting market data to help determine and support their low offering prices.  Unfortunately many home sellers have listed their homes at prices where the rest of the market is, but is not at prices where comparable homes are selling at and as a result many homes are sitting on the market much longer than they need to.  Many home sellers priced their homes at the top of the market in hope... 06/08/2009

That's right I said it!  Realtors do not sell real estate!  Owners of real estate sell real estate. By law one can not sell what one does not own.  Sounds easy enough but many people have a unclear understanding of what Realtors do which leads to frustration. So why in the world do you need a Realtor if they do not sell homes?  A Realtor's primary responsibility is to partner with a home owner/buyer and consult them on how to sell/buy real estate.  This is why a commission is usually paid instead of a flat fee.  Both parties have a stake in the outcome of the home sale.  Here are a few roles that Realtor's play in the home selling process: Trusted Adviser - like very few other professions you absolutely have to trust the person you choose as a consultant.  For most people buying and se... 05/18/2009

Congratulations to the following agents for serving as the Short Sale Team within the Metro North office of Carolina One Real Estate: Anna M. Rose Jim Kelly Diane Newton Marlene Coleman Patricia Cosgrove Rachele Sharme Cindy Norton-Ivy Steve Query The agents on this team are all armed with a Certified Distress / Short Sale Designation and have recognized the importance of providing this value-added service to their business. This team has been trained to navigate through the requirements that need to be met to get all parties to agree to the short sale. They can handle the challenge of short-selling your property and prevent you from succumbing to the many pitfalls that can beset those who are not familiar with the process.   05/16/2009

Crowfield Plantation is a large community located in Goose Creek SC, a suburb of Charleston.  Like most of the country, the homes in the Charleston SC Metro have seen a significant decline in sales.  Crowfield Plantation has not been immune to such market conditions.  As you can see in the graph below, homes sales have dropped off significantly in the last year.  There was a slight rebound last month but with two days left in April it does not appear that March's numbers will be duplicated in April.    Currently there are 111 homes on the market in Crowfield Plantation with a wide range in prices.  If you are interested in buying a home in Crowfield Plantation, please feel free to contact me for more information.  I can provide the right tools to help you make a great real estate purcha... 04/28/2009

CBS Early Show  Money maven Ray Martin weighed in on the 03/14/2009 Edition about whether buying is indeed the way go to now. Question: IS THIS A GOOD TIME TO INVEST IN REAL ESTATE?   Answer: "Yes, it is, and for a number of reasons. For one thing, housing prices are declining just about nationwide. Plus, mortgage rates are at a serious low. Rates on a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage are at a level we won't see again in our lifetime. Finally, if you buy before December 1, you'll get an $8,000 tax credit if you're a first-time buyer or a buyer who hasn't owned a home in the past (3) years. For all those reasons, there'sreally never been a better time to go shopping for real estate.  NBC Today Show Hard baller and former broker Barbara Corcoran said on 03/12/2009 this answer on the NBC Toda... 04/24/2009

Homes sales in Goose Creek SC feel sharply from the final quarter of 2008, which saw sales totaling 140 homes.  The 112 homes sold in the 1st quarter of 2009 is a 25% decrease in home sales from 4th quarter 2008 and a 82% decrease from homes sales from this time last year.  There are currently 412 homes on the market in Goose Creek which include Single Family Detached homes as well as Condos and Townhomes.  Below are the market stats for the first Quarter 2009 for Goose Creek as well as a graph comparison from last year.   Month   Year      Montly Sales     Monthly Vol.   Avg. Sale Price   Avg Days on Market Jan         2009           35                  $5,347,636         $152,789                  81 Feb         2009          32                  $4,647,070         $145,220             ... 04/21/2009

Home Buyers Beware in Goose Creek and in the Charleston SC area when you purchase a Foreclosed Home The lure of low prices and the potential return on fixing up a foreclosed home has a lot curious home buyers looking at foreclosed homes for their first home or as an investment property.  The cost to repair and fix up a foreclosed home in the Goose Creek or Charleston SC area will vary, but it can be very risking if you do not determine the time to repair and the material costs required.  Depending on you financing, like VA, will require the home to be in a certain condition.  If the home is not in that condition the financing will not be approved.  In other words, proceed with caution when looking to buy a foreclosed home. Experts: Some foreclosed homes too damaged to sell By Drew Griff... 04/17/2009

Agents / Sellers / Buyers- How much do you know about Short Sales? My office recently had an office meeting about why it is important to get educated in knowing and understanding the market of Short Sales.  I found it very interesting that a lot of agents will do a short sale, but don't know much about the process.  I recently looked over the MLS and noticed exactly how many short sale properties were on the Tri-County market.  It amazed me on how many agents put the wrong language within the "Agent Remarks" section.  If you're an agent and you plan on doing a short sale, please do everyone a favor and get educated on these types of transactions.  Short Sales can hurt a seller more vs. helping them if you don't know what you're doing. If you're a seller in need of a short sale or a buye... 04/09/2009

There's a new Web site out there to help home buyers organize, share, and discuss their online real estate search. This site provides a central location where users can collect and consilidate all the homes they like from different sites around the Web. They can also share the listings with friends, family, and their real estate professional. Sign up is FREE and truly provides a one-stop control center for home buyers. Sign up for your free Dwellicious account here: http://dwellicious.com/agentinthecreek/signup Or click on the tiny little Dwellicious logo:     Happy house hunting!! 04/08/2009

  On April 18th 2009 Carolina One Real Estate will host the first annual Crowfield Appreciation Day.  This is an event open to the public and designed for those that both live in Crowfield Plantation or those that are interested in living in Crowfield Plantation.  The event will me held at the Carolina One Real Estate Campus located in Goose Creek SC on 567 Crowfield Blvd. We encourage all to bring their entire family for food, fun, and local vendors.  There will be a free moon bounce, face painting, and various games, music, as well as giveaways and drawings.  We will have Popcorn, Hot Dogs, and Cold Drinks for sale with all proceeds going to the charities of "Helping Hands of Goose Creek," and "The Lord's Ladle."  There will also be an abundance of information on Foreclosures, Short s... 04/07/2009

"How in the world did we get in this mess?"  This is a question that many people ask me when speaking about the current state of the housing market.  As with most complex problems there is no single answer to this question.  It is sort of like a good gumbo.  There is no single ingredient that makes a good gumbo but rather the combination of many.  In my mind a big ingredient for the housing problem can be seen when you look at the increase in the median home prices over the last 18 years in the U.S.  According to the Census Bureau median home prices jumped by 24% from 1990-1995, and 17% from 1995 to 2000.  A healthy increase is from 20%-25%. Then from 2000-2005 the median home price in the U.S. increased by an astronomical 55%.  But, that number is only the average across the U.S.  In t... 04/02/2009

Everyone knows that the real estate market is taking hit nationwide.  This makes it a great time to buy a home.  There are a lot of good deals still left to be had in the real estate market.  This is also the time for sellers to adjust their expectations from that of even a six months ago.  Below is a Homes Sold Report for Crowfield Plantation.  Crowfield is located in Goose Creek SC and is one of the more popular neighborhoods in the Charleston SC metro area.  The graph shows the dramatic decrease in sales from just one year ago at this time.  Consequently sellers are either dropping their prices or in many cases taking their home off the market.  You can also see that most of the homes that are selling are priced under $200,000.  High end homes are not moving right now.  With all of t... 03/30/2009

    First Time Home Buyers in Goose Creek, SC are taking advantage in the current Real Estate Market.  The combingation of low mortgage interest rates and low home prices due to high inventory of homes on the market and lots of foreclosures, there has been no better time than now for a first time home buyer to buy a home.  There are great home deals all across Charleston (i.e.   Goose Creek, Hanahan, Mount Pleasant, Summerville, and etc.).  The $8,000 tax credit is icing on the cake for a first time home buyer if they buy in 2009. Real estate matters: Timing is right for first-time buyers By Ilyce Glink • McClatchy News Service • March 27, 2009 - In the nearly 16 years I've been writing this column, I've never seen a better market in which to be a first-time home buyer. The rising tide... 03/29/2009

Crowfield Plantation ***StoneHurst***118 E. Hartwick LnGoose Creek, SC  29445Sunday March 29th, 2009From 2pm to 5pm Bedrooms #: 3 Baths#: 2.5 Approx. Sq.ft #: 1751 (Special Note: Sq ft to be verified by buyer) Acres: .24  REDUCED PRICE on this Charming two-story home in Desirable Crowfield Plantation! FROG BONUS ROOM Plus 3 BEDROOMS! Many improvements in last 2 years to include REMODELING the eat-in kitchen, NEW ceramic tile floor, NEW AC Unit, NEW ARCHITECTURAL SHINGLES, NEW CARPETING, NEW PAINT. HOME WARRANTY OFFERED AS WELL!! Family room has Fireplace. Formal Dining in addition to eat-in kitchen. Wood Laminate Floors look great in the Family Room and Dining Room! Kitchen has under cabinet lighting! Large screened porch is great for relaxing in the evenings! Large Patio is great for o... 03/28/2009

In the April 2009 issue of the REALTOR Magazine, there's an article regarding "9 Ways to Beat Negativity".  I found this article interesting so I decided to share it with all of you if you haven't read it already.  9 Ways to Beat Negativity Tell yourself a Positive Story- Life is a story.  The story we tell ourselves and the role we play in that story determines the quality and direction of our life.  The best real estate professionals are able to overcome adversity by telling themselves a more positive story than the rest. Model yourself after success- It's okay to ask for help!  Even in today's market, there are real estate practitioners succeeding.  Seek out those people and ask to meet with them.  Learn from their advice and model their attitudes and actions.  If they can succeed, s... 03/28/2009

    Buyers in Goose Creek, SC are looking for Cheap Foreclosed Homes Just as it is being see in other parts of the country, is happening in Goose Creek, Hanahan, Ladson, Summerville, Mount Pleasant, and the rest of the Charleston, SC Tri county, buyers are looking for cheap foreclosed homes.  For the buyer who is willing to take on home that needs updates and repairs there are opportunities to purchase well below the current market prices and at prices that are tens of thousands and more below what the homes were worth just of couple of years ago.  Buyers flocking to cheap foreclosed homes The Arizona Republic, by Catherine Reagor - Mar. 22, 2009 - A Glendale home that sold less than two years ago for $259,000 sold again three months ago for $113,000. A Phoenix home that fetched $190,0... 03/28/2009

Home Sales in Goose Creek, SC may not be booming, but good deals are abundant. First time home buyers and investors in the Goose Creek, Hanahan, and in the Charleston, SC are finding great home deals.  But many first time home buyers and investors are sitting on the fence, due to the current economy and job security concerns.  If your current employment is with company not being affected by the economy (i.e. healthcare or defense fields), this would be a great time to buy.  Home buyers are being able to negotiate lower prices and great terms when it comes to buying a home. Home sales are scarcer, but they haven't dried up Katy Stech, The Post and Courier, Monday, March 23, 2009 - In step with a devastating national real estate slump, the Charleston area market has posted double digit de... 03/25/2009

How quickly will the stimulus plan work? "The massive inventory overhang in the market and the surge in foreclosures mean prices will continue to fall rapidly. The administration's rescue plan will, in time, slow the rate of decline, but it won't happen immediately." -Ian Shepherdson, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics in Valhalla, New York Source: Bloomberg.com 2/24/2009   "In the most optimistic scenario, if the government stimulus took effect today and put the complete brakes on home price decline, the market would still need roughly a year at the very least to display any kind of recovery in home value."   -Mark Fleming, chief economist First American CoreLogic Source: Seeking Alpha 2/10/2009   What's your thought on this issue? Thanks for Reading!!! Anna M. Rose 03/21/2009

Buying a Home on a Budget in Goose Creek, SC If you are considering buying a home in Goose Creek, Hanahan, or in the Charleston, SC area, the best Real Estate Buying Tip you could follow is to create and live on a budget, especially before you actually buy a home.   By buying home within your budget and not the mortgage companies, you are guaranteed to save thousands of dollars. The benefits of creating and living on budget while you are renting, helps you understand where your money is being spent.  With a budget you can identify and eliminate wasteful spending, pay down any bad debt, save for a down payment for your new home, and save for emergencies (3-6 months of living expenses). As you begin your search for a home to purchase, it will be much easier for you to determine how much y... 03/18/2009