Roni's Blog

The #1 Reason Buyers Walk Away From a Deal

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:29:45 GMT

If you’ve seen headlines about more buyers backing out of contracts, that can sound concerning. But one reason stands out above the rest, and it’s something sellers can often get ahead of…

The biggest reason buyers walk away is issues that come up during the home inspection. In today’s market, buyers have more options, so they’re less likely to ignore repairs or warning signs than they were a few years ago.

That’s why it’s so important to prepare before listing. Problems with the roof, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, structure, or even safety issues can create doubt fast. Once a buyer starts wondering what else might be wrong, the deal can get shaky.

The good news is you do not have to fix everything. You just need to know which issues are most likely to matter. That’s where having the right agent helps. I can help you spot potential red flags, decide what is worth addressing before you list, and guide you on whether a pre listing inspection makes sense.

The goal is simple: fewer surprises, more buyer confidence, and a smoother path to closing.

If you’re thinking about selling and want to know what buyers in our market are really paying attention to, let’s talk!

~Roni

Article sourced from keepingcurrentmatters.com

2/24/26 Market Update

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 16:12:16 GMT

Hi friends!

February buying activity continues to show steady momentum across the region. Contract volume is healthy and buyer demand remains present, even if the pace has not fully shifted into the spring surge yet. This past week delivered strong pricing signals, which is always an encouraging indicator for sellers watching the market closely.

A total of 280 residential properties moved under contract. Single family attached activity accounted for 57 of those, including 6 sales above 1 million. The detached segment remained the primary driver with 215 homes going under contract. Median list price held firm at $565,000 with median price per square foot at $274. High end demand was clearly visible with 46 homes above 1 million.

Mount Pleasant stood out again with 34 detached homes under contract and a striking median price of 1.2M. Price strength there continues to outperform most surrounding areas. Summerville, Hanahan, Goose Creek, and Moncks Corner collectively produced very solid contract counts, reinforcing how broad buyer activity still is across the metro area.

The chart above highlights how contract activity distributed across key submarkets this week. Outer suburban areas continue to generate the highest unit volume, while Mount Pleasant maintains exceptional price positioning. This pattern has been remarkably consistent and reflects both affordability dynamics and lifestyle preferences among current buyers.

Overall, the market continues to behave in a stable and constructive way. Inventory is moving, pricing remains resilient, and motivated buyers are clearly active. As we move deeper into the spring season, this is exactly the type of foundation that can support stronger transaction volume.

~Roni

Moving to Moncks Corner: Growing town combines affordability with a laid-back Lowcountry feel

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 16:08:24 GMT

Its roots trace back to the early 1700s, when it emerged as a settlement of stores and taverns at the crossroads of the Cherokee Path and the road between Charleston and Santee. Today Moncks Corner offers a slice of vintage Lowcountry, complete with grand oaks and an expansive waterfront, imbued with a small-town atmosphere where shopkeepers regularly know their customers by name.

Indeed, Moncks Corner can often seem like a throwback to what all of greater Charleston once felt like decades ago —all of it alongside Lake Moultrie, the 60,000-acre reservoir that’s a haven for boaters and anglers. It’s a place where the pace of life is a little slower, where outdoor activities are always close at hand, and where the vibe and the setting combine to create an irresistible allure for many homebuyers in the Lowcountry.

“Moncks Corner is a slower-paced community with fewer people, less traffic, and less density of stores than most suburbs of Charleston,” said Roni Haskell, broker associate and agent at Roni and Co., a Keller Williams Realty affiliate. “It offers a small town feel with Southern barbecue hot spots and seasonal farmers market. The downtown redevelopment project that was approved in the fall of 2025 brings promise of revitalization that will give residents a fresh feel to town, but also attract new residents.”

Morgan Brinson Fann, co-owner and broker-in-charge at Carolina Life Real Estate and Auctions in Moncks Corner, was born in the Berkeley County town and except for one year, has lived there her entire life. “A lot of people have stayed,” she said. “I like going to the store and running into people that I grew up with. It still has that hometown feel to it.”

Kristen Conley, broker and lead at the Conley and Co. Team of Modern + Main Realty, can relate. She lives on the lake in nearby Bonneau Beach, in the home her grandparents once lived in, and has worked in Moncks Corner nearly her entire career. “I like that it’s small, and when you into the bank or a restaurant, people know who you are,” she said. “It’s quiet here. You have that slower pace of life. I can come home and feel like I can relax.”

Others would agree. The 2024 U.S. Census found that Moncks Corner was the third fastest-growing city or town in South Carolina, seeing a 10.2 percent increase in population from the previous year. The town has become a hub of new home construction, with new home communities dotting both sides of U.S. Highway 52. More than 52 percent of all homes sold in the Moncks Corner/Goose Creek area in 2025 were new construction, according to the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors.

In many minds, a Moncks Corner home is envisioned as a residence in an established neighborhood like Fairlawn Barony or Berkeley Country Club, situated on a large lot replete with oaks and azaleas. But more and more often, it’s becoming a newer build in a community like Abbey Walk by Dream Finders Homes, Lakeview at Kitfield by D.R. Horton, or Cypress Preserve by Lennar.

“New construction is really what’s selling the most,” Conley said. “It’s not because older homes aren’t selling — we just don’t have the same type of inventory for those. If we had more inventory in those established neighborhoods, that would 100 percent be a draw. But in new neighborhoods, there are just so many more options.”

Prices from the $200,000s

No question, Moncks Corner has a luxury market — there are several million-dollar listings for new builds in Wassamassaw Plantation, a five-bedroom home on 5.78 acres at 369 Edisto Drive recently hit the market with a list price of $1.35 million, and a 5,100-square-foot home on the lakefront in nearby Pinopolis sold late last year for $1.375 million.

But to many prospective home buyers, Moncks Corner brings something else to mind: affordability.

The average sales price in Moncks Corner since the first of the year is $360,000, Haskell said, making it “a more affordable area for buyers.” The median sales price for the Moncks Corner/Goose Creek area in 2025 was $387,662 —up 1.3 percent from the previous year, according to CTAR, but still well below the Charleston area median of $426,947. So far in 2026, Haskell added, Moncks Corner sales have averaged $177 per square foot.

“There’s definitely availability for first-time homebuyers,” said Fann, who estimated that first-time buyers are 40 percent of her business. “For the longest time, Moncks Corner did not have any townhomes, and now they’re going up everywhere. While anything under $300,000 is going to be hard to come by, it is affordable for a lot of people.”

The abundance of new construction has certainly played a role in that. Of the 148 homes under contract in Moncks Corner as of Feb. 16, Haskell said, 81 of them were new builds or proposed new builds. Available new detached single-family listings began at $369,900 at The Groves of Berkeley by Beazer Home, at $399,410 in Cypress Preserve, at $403,9455 in Lakeview at Kitfield. New townhomes started at $246,490 at Halstead by Starlight and at $259,900 in Abbey Walk, with many more on the way.

“You can find a very nicely appointed townhome in Abbey Walk built by Dream Finders Homes for under $300,000,” Haskell said. "They have a natural gas range, 42-inch upper kitchen cabinets, quartz countertops, a tile backsplash, stainless appliances, a tankless water heater and luxury plank vinyl floors. They live well, look good, and are affordable. For first-time home buyers who have high style, this is a perfect fit.”

The existing home market can be tighter, because Moncks Corner tends to be the kind of place where people hang on to homes in established neighborhoods for a very long time. A recent search turned up just three active listings in Pimlico, an established neighborhood that borders the Cooper River. There were just three in Fairlawn Barony, only one in Berkeley Country Club. Listings were similarly limited in communities such as Stony Landing and Sterling Oaks.

Those neighborhoods tend to appeal to “move-up” buyers, Conley said — people who have already bought their first home in Moncks Corner, and are willing to be patient to find the bigger purchase that comes next. “Those more than likely are people who have been in Moncks Corner for a little while, who have bought in one of those newer neighborhoods,” she added, “and have been waiting for the perfect house to come up.”

Slice of the lake life

Lake Moultrie is among the natural jewels of Moncks Corner, with a southern shoreline that extends from the Hatchery Wildlife Management Area, around the peninsula of Pinopolis, past Overton Park and up to Bonneau Beach. Owned and managed by Santee Cooper, the lake plunges 75 feet at its deepest point, and according to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources offers many anglers the opportunity to catch the largest freshwater fish they will ever encounter.

“Living by the water is a strong draw,” Haskell said. “I have had many clients over the last five years move out of Summerville and seek lake living on Lake Moultrie. It is still close to work and essential life needs for them, but they feel it is a retreat when they go home to living on the lake. The peace that brings them during the week and also the enjoyment on the weekends is what they are seeking.”

Finding that slice of idyllic Moncks Corner lakefront, though, can be easier said than done. Conley lives on the lake in Bonneau Beach, and when she looks out from her backyard she sees not an overdeveloped lakeshore crammed cheek-to-jowl with houses, but largely water and trees.

“The lake in general is still a draw, especially for people who come in from outside the area and are looking to retire here,” she said. “But it’s not like it’s developed all the way around, so if someone is looking specifically for that, it’s probably going to take a little bit of time. You've got a couple of areas in Moncks Corner, Pinopolis, and Bonneau Beach. After that, you’re pretty much going to have to go over to Cross to find anything, and there are only a couple of neighborhoods over there directly on the lake.”

A recent search turned up only a few waterfront listings on Lake Moultrie in the Moncks Corner area, all of them in Bonneau Beach — including offerings of $1.995 million and $2.995 million, both of them active contingent and next to one another on Butter Road. Listings on the Cooper River include a $1.45 million home in Pimlico, and a $699,800 active contingent listing in Berkeley Country Club.

“It’s definitely slim,” Fann said of waterfront options. “Last year I sold one of the highest-priced listings on Lake Moultrie, in Bonneau for about $1.2 million, and it wasn’t even on deep water. Someone local bought it — they had a house in Foxbank and wanted to move to the lake, so that’s what they did. But it is slim.”

It all further accentuates what’s become the general rule of thumb when it comes to real estate in Moncks Corner: new construction is relatively easy for buyers to find, but homes in established neighborhoods and on the lakefront are at a premium. “You’re talking about areas where people don’t move every couple of years,” Conley said. “Once you move into these older, established areas, you’re setting down roots for a while.”

Maintaining a unique identity

Clearly, more and more people have become eager to do just that in the place that calls itself “the Lowcountry’s Hometown.” Between April 1, 2020, and July 1, 2024, the population of Moncks Corner grew 37.9 percent, according to the U.S. Census — from 13,313, to 18,359 over that span. For locals, the population growth and the development that’s accompanied it are evident.

“Every time I go from Moncks Corner and drive down Highway 52 or even Highway 17, there’s something new going on,” Fann said. “There’s only so much land, and there are only two main highways to get to and from Moncks Corner.”

And yet, the town’s slower pace of life and relaxed nature continue to endure. Moncks Corner is “the embodiment of the Lowcountry way of life,” according to its official government website. Hard to argue with that, given the number of people moving there. The fact that it offers an abundance of new, affordable real estate only sweetens the deal.

“Partly the secret is out, but also there are more opportunities in Moncks Corner now with the growth and development,” Haskell said. “A few years ago, I helped a builder secure many lots in Wassamassaw Plantation that they subsequently turned around and built new custom spec homes on. They are beautifully crafted, giving more options to our luxury buyers. So no matter the price point, there are just simply more offerings today than in years past. The land is more affordable, and the municipality makes it easier for the developers to develop and builders to build than some sistering communities in the Charleston area.”

Yes, there can be more traffic getting back and forth to Berkeley High School than there used to be. Yes, it’s easy to look at all those master-planned communities in Summerville and wonder how much further northwest they’re going to creep. But even in the face of unprecedented growth, Moncks Corner has retained its unique identity — as the the scenic lakefront, the established neighborhoods, and the local shops downtown will attest.

“I think for sure that is has,” Conley said. “If you're on Main Street, pretty much everything but the banks is locally owned and operated. Obviously, times change and things grow. And I know as things continue to come this way, there are other things that will start to creep in. But I don’t feel like you’re going to see a lot of commercialized things come into downtown Moncks Corner, because there’s no room for it in that area. I feel like it’s going to maintain that down-home feel.”

Article from https://www.postandcourier.com/moving-to-moncks-corner-growing-town-combines-affordability-with-a-laid-back-lowcountry-feel/article_eff92a29-67fa-44c0-bc14-640b1c5afc95.html

Military Housing

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 15:49:57 GMT

Charleston’s Economy Keeps Moving Forward

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 16:57:57 GMT

A Charleston Economy Update

I always keep an eye on what’s happening beyond real estate, because the bigger picture matters. Right now, the Charleston economy continues to show real momentum. Breeze Airways just announced nonstop service from Charleston to Cancun, with weekly Saturday flights and introductory fares starting at $119 one way. That kind of connectivity is a big deal for our region.

On the housing front, the City of Charleston and the Charleston Redevelopment Corporation delivered four new workforce housing units downtown and announced plans for 200 more affordable units over the next three years. The partnership includes $55 million in planned investment along with a city contribution, which speaks to long term commitment to balanced growth.

Aviation and manufacturing remain strong anchors for our local economy. Delta Air Lines placed an order for 30 Boeing 787 Dreamliners with options for 30 more, while Alaska Airlines announced its largest airplane order ever with Boeing. That deal includes five South Carolina built 787 Dreamliners and over 100 new 737 jets, reinforcing how important this region is to the aviation supply chain.

Downtown development is also continuing at the high end. The Beach Company recently completed The Charles , a luxury waterfront rental project featuring townhomes and residential flats with monthly rents reaching into the five figures. At the same time, a new two million dollar church project has broken ground on James Island, adding another layer of community investment.

All of this matters because strong infrastructure, job growth, and thoughtful development are what support a healthy housing market over time. It’s one more reason I remain confident in Charleston’s long term outlook and why so many people continue to choose this area as home.

~Roni

Charleston Is Growing Fast…and Real Estate Is Feeling It

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 17:29:31 GMT

Charleston real estate started 2025 on steady ground with encouraging signs for buyers and sellers alike. Year-to-date, transactions are up 1.5% compared to this time last year, while median prices remain strong with a 2.3% increase, bringing the current median home price to about $440,000.

Mortgage rates have dipped back under 6.3%, and the Fed has indicated another rate cut may still be coming later this year. Together, these shifts have already started to bring a bit more activity back into our market over the past few weeks.

At the same time, Charleston’s economy continues to surge forward. Roper St. Francis Berkeley Hospital recently opened a new four-story tower that doubles its capacity and expands services into ICU, cardiology, neurosurgery, and orthopedics. This expansion alone is creating 380 new healthcare jobs in our region.

Boeing is also making major moves locally. The company recently secured new Dreamliner orders and has broken ground on a massive 1.2 million square foot expansion in North Charleston. The site is expected to support more than 2,500 construction jobs and eventually add 1,000 permanent positions over the next several years, while increasing Dreamliner production in 2026.

Downtown, Henderson Park and Landmark Properties have acquired land near the College of Charleston for a new student housing project called The Mark Charleston , offering 335 beds across 99 units with high end amenities. In Navy Yard Charleston, 55 new townhomes are planned for Marine Row, with construction expected to begin in 2026.

Strong job growth, major investment, and steady housing demand continue to make Charleston one of the most resilient and exciting real estate markets in the Southeast! If you are curious about what these economic shifts mean for your buying, selling or investing plans, I would love to help you make sense of it all with confidence.

~Roni

Would You Let Eighty Dollars a Month Hold You Back from Buying a Home?

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 18:14:50 GMT

A lot of buyers are waiting for rates to fall into the fives before they make a move. It sounds smart, but the truth is, the savings everyone is hoping for may already be here.

Rates peaked above seven percent in May. Since then, they’ve eased into the low sixes, and that shift alone has already dropped the typical monthly payment on a four hundred thousand dollar home by nearly four hundred dollars. That’s a real difference for anyone who pressed pause earlier this year.

Most experts say rates will stay close to where we are now through 2026, with only one prediction dipping into the high fives.

And even if rates do hit 5.99 percent, the math may not be as life-changing as you think. On an average priced home, that drop only saves you about eighty dollars a month.

Eighty dollars isn’t nothing, but it’s nowhere near the nearly four hundred dollars buyers are already saving right now. And once rates slide under six percent, more buyers will jump back in, competition will surge, and prices could rise enough to cancel out that extra savings anyway.

So the real question is simple. Is waiting for eighty dollars worth missing the opportunities you have today?

If you run the numbers and find a home you love, moving now may put you ahead of the crowd rather than in the middle of it.

Article sourced from keepingcurrentmatters.com

~Roni

Charleston’s Economy Is on a Roll!

Tue, 11 Nov 2025 22:27:33 GMT

Charleston’s economy is thriving and the numbers prove it. From aerospace and technology to manufacturing and healthcare, companies continue to invest heavily in the Lowcountry, creating thousands of new jobs and reinforcing the region’s reputation as one of the Southeast’s strongest growth markets.

Technology and Infrastructure

Google is expanding its footprint in South Carolina with a $9 billion investment to boost cloud and AI infrastructure. This follows last year’s $2 billion data center project in Dorchester County , where the company added 200 new jobs. The expansion reflects a growing demand for digital innovation, and Charleston’s ability to meet it.

Aerospace and Advanced Manufacturing

Boeing continues to anchor Charleston’s aerospace sector with a new order from Turkish Airlines for up to 75 South Carolina–made 787 Dreamliners. Joining that momentum, Eaton announced a $46 million investment in Charleston County to grow its aerospace manufacturing operations and create 50 new jobs.

The region’s manufacturing base is broadening too. Maars , a Dutch architectural wall producer, is opening its first U.S. facility here, adding 10 new positions and a $3 million investment. ABA Automotive , based in Turkey, is bringing its first U.S. operations to North Charleston, adding three new jobs and continuing the area’s strong industrial growth.

Energy and Heavy Industry

Powering Charleston’s industrial future, Santee Cooper and Century Aluminum have extended their Mount Holly smelter agreement through 2031. The extension allows Century to reopen an idled pipeline, boosting production capacity by 25% and adding 100 high-paying jobs to the region.

Construction and Shipbuilding

Charleston’s construction sector is also gaining ground. NEFCO , a national construction supplier, opened its first Lowcountry location, marking its 16th branch. Meanwhile, Keel announced a $67 million investment at its Yonges Island shipyard, creating 170 new jobs and strengthening the local shipbuilding industry.

Emerging Manufacturing Growth

QMP Inc. , a water filtration systems manufacturer, has chosen Colleton County for its first East Coast manufacturing site. The $5.1 million project will bring 233 jobs to the area, further diversifying the region’s industrial base.

And in Berkeley County , MUSC is expanding its healthcare footprint with a $130 million Nexton Medical Center now under construction. The new hospital will feature 70 beds, a 30,000-square-foot outpatient cancer center, and will serve as a major medical hub for the growing Nexton and Tri-County communities. MUSC also received $7 million from The Duke Endowment to support its expanding health initiatives.

All of this adds up to one thing: Charleston is investing in its future. With jobs growing, infrastructure improving, and healthcare expanding, the Lowcountry remains one of the most desirable places to live, work, and invest.

~Roni

What Florida’s Housing Slowdown Could Mean for the Rest of Us

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 18:28:09 GMT

The first shockwaves of the federal government shutdown are already showing up in Florida’s housing market, and experts say the ripple effects could spread across the country.

Flood insurance renewals are on hold, builders are facing delays, and homebuyers using federal loans are stuck waiting. What began as a pause in paperwork is now threatening one of Florida’s biggest economic engines: real estate.

Florida’s housing sector accounts for more than 24 percent of the state’s economy, the highest in the nation. Every home sale in the Sunshine State generates roughly $125,000 in local economic activity and supports about two jobs. So when things slow down there, it can make a real difference nationwide.

Economist Anthony Smith at Realtor.com put it this way: “Given Florida’s large share of national housing activity, even a modest pullback in buyer engagement could visibly nudge national sales and inventory metrics.”

The biggest red flag right now is the lapse in the National Flood Insurance Program, which covers 1.8 million policies in Florida alone. If Congress doesn’t restore funding soon, thousands of homeowners could find themselves uninsured during hurricane season…a risk that could send shockwaves through lending and real estate markets alike.

For now, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are relaxing flood insurance requirements to keep closings moving, but it’s only a temporary fix. New-construction buyers don’t have that luxury, and their closings may be stalled until Congress acts.

While this story centers on Florida, it’s a reminder that real estate markets are deeply connected. What happens there can eventually affect lending, confidence, and sales everywhere - even right here in the Lowcountry.

~Roni

Article sourced from realtor.com

Charleston is Booming! Here's Why That Matters

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 18:25:31 GMT

Even as October slows the real estate pace, Charleston’s economic engine is roaring louder than ever. Major players in aerospace, healthcare, and logistics are driving long-term growth that continues to support our housing strength across the Lowcountry.

Boeing just landed two landmark deals that underscore Charleston’s global importance in manufacturing. Uzbekistan Airways ordered 14 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners (with options for 8 more), supporting nearly 35,000 U.S. jobs tied to the Dreamliner program. Even more impressive, Korean Air announced a purchase of 103 Boeing aircraft, including 25 Dreamliners built right here in North Charleston. It’s Boeing’s largest Asian order ever and supports an estimated 135,000 U.S. jobs. That’s the kind of momentum that keeps Charleston’s economy (and its real estate) strong.

Meanwhile, South Carolina Ports continues to break records. After a soybean facility closure, they partnered with agriculture leaders to move 3 million bushels through Charleston between May and August — a 35% increase in exports early this fiscal year. The port’s continued expansion is vital to trade, jobs, and the flow of goods throughout the Southeast.

And in Berkeley County, MUSC is expanding its healthcare footprint with a $130 million Nexton Medical Center now under construction. The new hospital will feature 70 beds, a 30,000-square-foot outpatient cancer center, and will serve as a major medical hub for the growing Nexton and Tri-County communities. MUSC also received $7 million from The Duke Endowment to support its expanding health initiatives.

~R oni

What the Fed’s Next Move Means for Mortgage Rates

Wed, 17 Sep 2025 17:52:58 GMT

The Federal Reserve meets this week, and all signs point to a rate cut. But before you get too excited, here’s what that really means for mortgage rates.

The Fed Doesn’t Set Mortgage Rates
The Federal Funds Rate is the short-term rate banks charge each other…it’s not the same as mortgage rates. Still, the Fed’s decisions often influence where mortgage rates go next.

Markets Already Priced This In
Investors have been expecting a cut for weeks, especially after weaker jobs reports in August and September. That’s why mortgage rates have already edged down recently. A 25-point cut is likely, and that’s mostly baked in (see graph below). A larger 50-point cut, while less likely, could move mortgage rates lower.

More Cuts Could Come
The bigger story is what happens after September. Markets expect the Fed could cut rates multiple times before year’s end. If that happens, mortgage rates may trend lower into late 2025 and 2026.

Mortgage rates won’t fall in lockstep with the Fed, but if rate cuts continue, affordability could improve. Even small changes in rates can make a big difference, so now’s a smart time to talk strategy.

Connect with me today, and I’ll walk you through what’s working right here in Summerville and the Charleston area.

~Roni

Article sourced from KeepingCurrentMatters.com

New Flights, New Jobs, and What It Means For You

Tue, 12 Aug 2025 18:07:16 GMT

Hi friends,

There’s a lot happening in the Charleston economy right now, and I always say what happens around us impacts our real estate market. So here’s what’s going on behind the scenes that’s worth paying attention to.

Frontier Airlines just announced new nonstop flights from Charleston to Dallas Fort Worth starting October 9. BermudAir is also doubling its service to Bermuda starting August 2, shifting from once a week to twice a week through October. Our airport is keeping up with the growth too— Charleston International just broke ground on a $105 million expansion that adds over 40,000 square feet, four new gates, new food and retail options, and bigger waiting areas. That kind of investment says a lot about where this region is headed.

Up in North Charleston, Gulf Air placed a big order for 12 Boeing 787s, which helps support 30,000 jobs nationwide and gives a boost to local production. Volvo is expanding too—the Ridgeville plant is adding the XC60, their most popular SUV in the U.S., to the production line. That’s on top of the new EX90 electric vehicle. XC60 sales are already up nearly 23% this year, and Volvo has now invested $1.3 billion into their SC facility.

Moncks Corner just got a national shoutout— Camp Hall Commerce Park was named the #1 industrial park in the country by Business Facilities Magazine . The current impact? $3.8 billion statewide and $3.4 billion in the Charleston region. By 2035, it’s projected to generate more than $7 billion for the local economy.

Some other headlines worth noting: Ronald McDonald House Charities is building a five-story expansion in Charleston to triple their capacity for families in medical crisis. On the defense side, Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic has pumped $2.1 billion into South Carolina’s economy, mostly in the Lowcountry. They’ve created nearly 8,000 jobs in Charleston, Dorchester, and Berkeley counties. Virginia-based Davis Defense Group is also expanding their operations here, adding 30 jobs in North Charleston.

The Charleston area is growing in all the right ways. More jobs, more investment, more demand—and that’s always good news for real estate. Whether you’re looking to buy, sell, or just stay informed, I’ve got my eye on the big picture so you don’t have to.

~Roni

Your Questions, Answered

Wed, 30 Jul 2025 13:53:59 GMT

FAQs

Q: Is the market slowing down?

Yes. This is the time of year when we typically see activity start to dip until after the holidays. Last week, 268 properties went under contract across the Charleston area. That’s a noticeable slowdown, but expected.

Q: Are luxury homes still moving?

Absolutely. Of the 216 single-family homes that went under contract last week, 37 were listed over $1 million. And 18 of those were over $2 million. So yes, high-end buyers are still very active.

Q: What’s the median price for a home right now?

The median list price for single-family homes under contract last week was $488,000, at $256 per square foot. In Mount Pleasant alone, the median hit $963,000 at $414/sqft. It’s a tale of micro-markets.

Q: What’s going on in Summerville?

Summerville and Ladson saw 37 homes go under contract last week, with a median list price of $418,000. Only two were listed under $250K. The area's sweet spot is hovering just under $200 per square foot.

Q: Where are buyers still super active?

Hanahan, Goose Creek, and Moncks Corner led the way with 60 homes under contract. Summerville zones (71–76) combined for 60 as well. The affordability in these areas continues to drive volume.

Q: Are there still deals under $300K?

Yes, but you have to dig. North Charleston saw a median of $295K, and that’s with several listings under $250K. These homes are moving fast though…don't wait if you’re looking in that range.

Q: What if I want to sell this fall?

Now is the time to prep. The buyers are still out there, but they’re getting pickier. If your home is clean, priced well, and shows like a model, you’re still in a strong position.

Q: Any trends worth watching?

Homes built around 2001 were the median this past week, and median days on market for pending homes was just 32. That tells us updated homes are selling quickly. Also worth noting: most of the new construction under contract was under 5%.

If you’re thinking about buying or selling before the holidays hit, let's talk about timing. I’ll help you make smart moves based on the actual data, not guesses. Let's talk!

~Roni

Outdoor living opportunities abound in Summerville

Mon, 28 Jul 2025 23:01:41 GMT

Summerville, SC

In Summerville, the Norfolk Southern still rumbles down the railway tracks between Luke and Doty avenues. The soda fountain at Guerin’s, the oldest pharmacy in the state, burbles up sweet treats for smiling children, just as it has for generations. But one aspect of local life is even older than these venerable routines. As far back as 1847, Summerville’s civic leaders placed an ordinance on the books protecting the town’s grand trees. Protecting and enjoying the outdoors have been a part of life in “Flowertown in the Pines” from the very beginning.

Indeed, the Latin motto on Summerville’s civic seal, “Sacra Pinus Esto,” says it all: “The Pine is Sacred.” Scientists and physicians believed the town’s air, “charged with the derivatives of turpentine,” had healing powers. This claim was prominently asserted on the world stage at a conference on tuberculosis treatment held in Paris in the 1890s. Soon thereafter, Summerville’s resort hotels were filled with visitors coming to rest and recuperate in the town’s cool, piney breezes. While developers built a multitude of facilities, the grande dame of these retreats was the Pine Forest Inn, which boasted tennis courts, stables, bowling, golf, a vast network of trails and even a 150-seat “rocking chair room,” considered world-class comforts in their era and proof positive that Summerville has long known how to relax and enjoy itself in style.

While the nearly 180-year-old town has grown dramatically in the past few decades, it is still a place where tradition runs as deep as the roots of a longleaf pine. Realtor Taylor Charpia was born and raised in Summerville; today, his team leads the market in luxury sales in the area, having already sold ten homes at a price of a million dollars or higher this year. While the town has a longstanding reputation for affordability, Charpia says it’s about much more than that. “Many of my clients are coming from Downtown Charleston, the Old Village in Mt. Pleasant … they’re finding historic homes, homes on acreage, where you can walk or take your golf cart downtown. For many buyers, it’s like Mt. Pleasant’s Old Village, just without the prices.”

Summerville isn’t just appealing to the wallet, though. As Realtor Roni Haskell notes, “Fewer people are coming for the price — they’re coming for community and they’re coming for the amenities.” She suggests the new Ashley River Preserve as paradigmatic of the town’s ever-growing commitment to excellent outdoor spaces. “There’s this huge river nestled right by the edge of town that we just haven’t been able to tap into for years … now there are trails, a splashpad, fishing, canoes and kayaks and more.” The opening of the new 43-acre riparian park abutting the Ashley River and Eagle Creek “serves a great diversity of people and interests,” she notes.

Summerville Parks and Recreation’s role in the community could hardly be overstated. From traditional, well-maintained downtown playgrounds like Huger Park, to the nearly seven-mile long Sawmill Branch Trail for walkers and bicyclists, to a municipal boat landing, skate park, pickleball courts, a BMX park, the tournament-grade team sports facility at Gahagan Park and more, the town provides a great quantity and wide selection of high-quality recreation opportunities for its citizens.

Old favorites in full bloom

For as many new amenities as the town enjoys, sometimes it’s the classic venues that mean the most. “Hutchinson Square is definitely my favorite greenspace in Summerville,” Charpia says, referencing the small, handsomely appointed park centrally located on South Main Street. “I’ll go, have a hot dog and a Diet Coke, and just people watch. They redid it about a decade ago, and it was a little controversial, but I think the changes are very well done.” Realtor Pam Bass gives a nod to Azalea Park, an iconic 16-acre flower-filled treasure in the heart of town. “It’s not only beautiful with its gardens, trails and sculptures, but it’s also the centerpiece of the town’s famous Flowertown Festival each spring.”

Events like the Flowertown Festival, a springtime tradition for over 50 years that now draws crowds of hundreds of thousands, demonstrate that Summerville offers numerous good reasons to get out and have fun. “There’s the restaurant scene, lots of events like Third Thursdays (a monthly outdoor arts-and-crafts marketplace), the Italian Feast, the Flowertown Festival -- there’s always an event,” offers Charpia. “You can do as little or as much as you want.” Bass notes, “There’s a real sense of community, with local festivals, farmers markets and neighbors who know each other by name.”

SC Wildlife Federation to Host Forks, Knives, & Spoonbills Conservation Dinner

NEXT UP

SC Wildlife Federation to Host Forks, Knives, & Spoonbills Conservation Dinner

Often, this sense of community becomes the selling point. According to Haskell, the town pitches itself to prospective homebuyers: “It’s a community -- you go out to the shops, go dining, hit up a boutique and you’re going to run into friends. The culture is really strong here; it makes people want to plant deep roots. When people visit, that’s what attracts them to stay.”

“We are seeing a great mix [of people],” Bass declares regarding Summerville homebuyers. “Families moving for the schools, retirees looking for a slower pace and professionals relocating for jobs in Charleston or the Boeing and Volvo plants nearby.” But at the heart of it, she, too, notes Summerville’s “vibrant small-town feel” and “strong sense of community.” Charpia discusses what might be the simplest and surest way to showcase Summerville’s appeal: “I take clients to pregame on a Friday night football.”

From sleepy hamlet to thriving hub

Of course, there’s more to Summerville than the charming Victorian homes that encircle the orderly downtown commercial district — there’s even more than Green Wave football. There’d have to be: From a population of less than 6,500 in 1980, to roughly 22,500 at the turn of the millennium, to more than 50,000 residents today, the once-tiny burg has grown to cover much more territory than in its recent past. “The roads are catching up,” Haskell says. “The infrastructure is coming online. Dorchester and Berkeley County schools are in full growth mode around Summerville, and new parks and recreation opportunities are on the way. It’s all finally really catching up to years of steady growth.” Charpia went even further: “We’ve been blessed with really good leadership, a council and mayor who are willing to make a lot of significant investment in the town.”

Bass notes the result of such wise leadership. “It’s gone from a quaint small town to a thriving hub with shopping, dining and master-planned communities — but it’s done so thoughtfully.” She points to neighborhoods like The Summit and Gadsden Manor for their large lots, established landscapes and accessibility to the town’s historic core. Further afield? “Nexton or Summers Corner … they’ve really mastered the concept of lifestyle communities.”

“Water! That’s what buyers want,” says Haskell. The area’s newest neighborhoods boast some truly enviable high-end aquatic amenities. To wit: The Club at Summers Corner is less a community pool and more a nexus of watery fun plucked from some sunny, five-star all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean. Two giant waterslides tower over a giant beach-entry pool, a splash park for little ones, an adults-only pool with a “Tikihut” bar (one of three at the site) and a covered gathering space with fire pits. Haskell also points to new facilities at Carnes Crossroads, such as “The Perch” (another resort-style community pool) and “The Lake House,” a handsome farmhouse-style amenity center with a cafe, meeting spaces, and even a farm store for community-grown produce.

Really, it feels like things have come full circle. Summerville first found fame during its golden age of resorts, when an appreciation for leisurely living, taking time to walk amongst the pines, and having a vigorous swim made the most of the outdoors, defined the era. In our own time, the legacy lives on. These activities (and many more) aren’t just part of a seasonal vacation; for an increasing number of Summerville homebuyers, they’re an integral part of everyday life.

The Truth About Where Home Prices Are Heading

Wed, 16 Jul 2025 16:41:15 GMT

Here's what's going on:

There are plenty of headlines these days calling for a housing market crash. But the truth is, they’re not telling the full story. Here’s what’s actually happening, and what the experts project for home prices over the next 5 years. And spoiler alert – it’s not a crash.

Yes, in some local markets, prices are flattening or even dipping slightly this year as more homes hit the market. That’s normal with rising inventory. But the bigger picture is what really matters, and it’s far less dramatic than what the doom-and-gloom headlines suggest. Here’s why.

Over 100 leading housing market experts were surveyed in the latest Home Price Expectations Survey (HPES) from Fannie Mae. Their collective forecast shows prices are projected to keep rising over the next 5 years, just at a slower, healthier pace than w hat we’ve seen more recently. And that kind of steady, sustainable growth should be one factor to help ease your fears about the years ahead (see graph below):

And if you take a look at how the various experts responded within the survey, they fall into three main categories: those that were most optimistic about the forecast, most pessimistic, and the overall average outlook.

Here’s what the breakdown shows:

The average projection is 3.3% price growth per year, through 2029.
The optimists see growth closer to 5.0% per year .
The pessimists still forecast about 1.3% growth per year .

Do they all agree on the same number? Of course not. But here’s the key takeaway: not one expert group is calling for a major national decline or a crash. Instead, they expect home prices to rise at a steady, more sustainable pace.

That’s much healthier for the market – and for you. Yes, some areas may see prices hold relatively flat or dip a bit in the short term, especially where inventory is on the rise. Others may appreciate faster than the national average because there are still fewer homes for sale than there are buyers trying to purchase them. But overall, more moderate price growth is cooling the rapid spikes we saw during the frenzy of the past few years.

And remember, even the most conservative experts still project prices will rise over the course of the next 5 years. That’s also because foreclosures are low, lending standards are in check, and homeowners have near record equity to boost the stability of the market. Together, those factors help prevent a wave of forced sales, like the kind that could drag prices down. So, if you’re waiting for a significant crash before you buy, you might be waiting quite a long time.

Bottom Line

If you’ve been on the fence about your plans, now’s the time to get clarity. The market isn’t heading for a crash – it’s on track for steady, slow, long-term growth overall, with some regional ups and downs along the way.

Want to know what that means for your neighborhood? Because national trends set the tone, but what really matters is what’s happening in your zip code. Connect with a real estate agent to have a quick conversation so you can see exactly what the local data means for you.

Roni

The Charleston Economy

Tue, 08 Jul 2025 21:23:29 GMT

The Charleston Economy

CHARLESTON IS BOOMING — HERE’S WHY THAT MATTERS

The Charleston area isn’t just growing, it’s on fire—in a good way. From aviation and healthcare to tech, logistics, and real estate, our region is seeing serious movement. Whether you already live here or you’re thinking about buying or investing, here’s what’s happening around us right now:

Breeze Airways just launched a new nonstop flight from Charleston to Burlington, Vermont. It runs Mondays and Fridays, and it’s a reminder that Charleston is quickly becoming even more connected to the rest of the country.

Pensievision , a Charleston-based company that’s been using 3D imaging to help treat cervical cancer, is now launching into a new frontier—literally. This August, their tech is heading to the International Space Station to help monitor microbial survival in space! Not something you hear every day.

Over on Meeting Street, 200 Meeting just sold for the first time in more than 20 years. The new owner has big plans for renovations and fresh retail. At the same time, SeamonWhiteside bought a 30,000 square foot Class A office building in Mount Pleasant for $4.5 million—another sign that commercial investment is alive and well.

In Summerville, RoadOne IntermodalLogistics has leased a brand new 384,000 sqft industrial space, while Amazon just opened a Same-Day Delivery site in Jedburg Logistics Park. The new facility is bringing over 100 jobs to the area, starting at $18.50/hr.

Charleston County is also putting money behind affordable housing. They’ve opened applications for housing trust fund loans, seeded with over $8 million from local tax revenue. The goal? Support for homeownership, rentals, rehab, and new construction—much needed across our growing communities.

Meanwhile, Roper St. Francis just broke ground on a massive $1.2 billion hospital project. It’ll take four years to complete and employ 3,600 construction workers. That’s not just a hospital—that’s an economic engine.

And finally, the Four Seasons is making its debut in Charleston. The new property will include 139 hotel rooms and 36 luxury residences priced from $5 million. It’s slated to open in 2028, and it’s yet another signal that Charleston’s star is still rising.

If you’ve been waiting to make a move—don’t. This kind of growth affects everything from home values to neighborhood development. Make this market work for you!

Roni

Who’s Really Got the Edge Right Now? 🏡

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 15:32:14 GMT

Who’s Really Got the Edge Right Now? ��

The Charleston & Summerville market is shifting. Here’s what buyers and sellers need to know to stay ahead.

If you're thinking about buying or selling a home in the Charleston or Summerville area, you're probably wondering:
Who really has the upper hand in today’s market? For years, sellers held all the cards. Homes were flying off the market, bidding wars were the norm, and buyers had to bend over backwards to win a deal. But things are starting to change. And while it’s not a full-blown buyer’s market yet, the landscape is definitely shifting.

What’s Happening?

Nationally, inventory is rising. Homes are sitting longer. Sellers are cutting prices and even offering incentives. We’re seeing more homes with price reductions, and days on market are stretching out past pre-pandemic levels in some areas. In fact, May was the first time active listings topped 1 million since 2019.

For buyers, that means more options, more time to decide, and most importantly, more negotiating power.

That doesn’t mean sellers are suddenly out of luck. In many parts of the Lowcountry, especially in desirable neighborhoods and popular price ranges, homes are still moving quickly if they’re priced well and show-ready. But the days of slapping any number on a house and watching it sell overnight? Those are fading fast.

So, is it a buyer’s market?

Technically, not yet. But we’re getting close. Some price points are starting to favor buyers, and in others, sellers still have the edge. It's more of a transition period than a clear-cut shift.

I’ve personally seen this play out in our local market. Buyers are making offers and getting them accepted. Sellers are being more flexible, whether it’s with price, timing, or concessions. It’s not about panic, it’s about positioning. The most successful clients on either side are the ones adjusting to today’s conditions rather than holding onto what worked two years ago.

What This Means for Buyers:

If you’re in the market, now’s the time to start paying close attention. Homes that have been sitting for a while? Those are your opportunity.

Sellers are more open to negotiation, and you're likely to regain things like appraisal and inspection contingencies that were often waived during the peak frenzy. Just be smart, get pre-approved, and know what similar homes have sold for before making an offer.

And for Sellers:

Don’t worry — this is still a great time to sell. But strategy matters. You’ll need to price right, prep your home well, and stay flexible if you want to stand out. The homes that are selling quickest are the ones that are clean, well-staged, and listed at a fair price from the jump.

The Bottom Line:

We’re in a balancing act. The Charleston and Summerville markets are cooling slightly, but we’re not seeing a full reversal. Whether you’re buying, selling, or just waiting to make your move, the best thing you can do right now is to stay informed, stay flexible, and most importantly, go local. National headlines are helpful, but real estate is always about what’s happening in your neighborhood, not someone else’s.

Have questions about your specific price point or area? I’m happy to walk you through what’s happening right here in the Lowcountry and how to make the most of it.

-Roni

Article sourced from Realtor.com

A Quiet Shift in the Market— Now Showing Up in the South

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 20:31:59 GMT

Investor News

Investors are making moves—and if you look closely, they’re not just buying. They’re selling.

According to Realtor.com ’s latest data, nearly 11% of all homes sold nationally in 2024 were offloaded by real estate investors—the highest share on record since 2001. These sales weren’t driven by profit-taking at the peak. They were driven by softening home prices and easing rent growth.

Here in the South, we’re seeing this trend show up across the board. Markets like Georgia and Alabama saw some of the highest percentages of investor sellers. Even in Charleston and the surrounding areas, I’ve personally seen a rise in off-market or quiet listings from owners who once planned to hold long-term.

Why Does This Matter?

Investors are usually the first to adjust. When margins shrink, they act. And their moves often signal what’s coming next in the broader market.

If you own rental property in the Lowcountry, now might be the right time to evaluate whether it’s still working for your long-term goals. And if you’re a buyer? Keep your eyes open. This shift could mean more options—and better terms—in the months ahead.

Want to talk through what this means for your specific situation? I’m happy to break it down with you. The more informed you are, the better your next move will be.

The Charleston Economy

Wed, 08 Jan 2025 16:56:40 GMT

The Charleston Economy

The Charleston economy is thriving! Boeing is expanding in Charleston County with a $1B investment in infrastructure upgrades and plans to create 500 jobs over the next 5 years. Design-Build specialty contractor Wayne Brothers plans to expand its operations in Walterboro. The $35.5M project is expected to create 170 jobs in Colleton County. The investment will include a new facility that will serve as a regional office and operations center.

MUSC is constructing a $175M College of Medicine building, its first dedicated space in over a century. Tech firm, M.C. Dean recently opened the doors to its newest 25,000 sq ft office in the Charleston region.

Bishop Gadsden Episcopal Retirement Community is developing Seafields on Kiawah Island, featuring 89 independent and 16 assisted living residences for those 62+.

Ingevity is dedicating $53.3M over five years to its Charleston County manufacturing site. Charleston welcomed its first gaming services studio, PTW , in a 30,000 sq ft facility, with plans to create hundreds of jobs.

Mesa Land Services, a women-owned company specializing in acquisition and title solutions, has launched operations in Charleston County with a $1.3M investment, creating 24 jobs.

Yay or Neigh: Realtors Give Advice on Equestrian Properties and What to Look For

Tue, 12 Nov 2024 15:34:24 GMT

Yay or Neigh: Realtors Give Advice on Equestrian Properties and What to Look For

By Lisa Iannucci Special to The Post and Courier

Nov 9, 2024

Original article found here.

South Carolina is known among many things for its beaches, its vibrant cities such as the cobblestoned street-lined Charleston, its many golf courses, and, of course, sweet tea. But let's not forget the beautiful creatures who live here, too, including more than 65,100 horses. In 2010, South Carolina even designated The Marsh Tacky as the state horse.

Usually, when people think of equestrian living in South Carolina, they think of Aiken. Aiken is also home to the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum, which honors flat racing and steeplechase Thoroughbred horses trained in Aiken. There is even a stoplight on Whiskey Road with a button that allows horse riders to cross the street safely, as horses have the right of way in Aiken.

However, the Lowcountry offers parcels of beautiful land perfect for raising horses and has its own brand of equestrian living, too. From relaxing trail rides along Seabrook's private beach to public lessons at Middleton Place to highly prestigious and anticipated events like the Steeplechase of Charleston, horses are as much a part of Charleston's culture and history as the people who live here.

The vast Lowcountry lands and suitable year-round weather make it an ideal place to care for horses and for their owners to live, whether the horses engage in professional races or need land purely for recreational enjoyment. These creatures need much space to roam, so finding the right equestrian property for both the horse and the owner is essential. It's a good thing the region has plenty to choose from.

Room to Roam

Location is still an important factor when seeking out equestrian property. While having plenty of space for your animals is vital, homeowners must strike a good balance between having the acreage and being close to everyday necessities.

Barry Kalinsky, a Realtor® with Carriage Properties, just sold an 80-acre equestrian property at 3002 Plow Ground Road in Johns Island. "My clients are serious riders, and part of the attraction to the property was that it's only 20 minutes from downtown, where they were driving an hour to their former barn," he explained. "Because of the great location, they are able to spend more time riding."

The property was priced at $2.75M for 81+ acres of land on Johns Island. Kalinsky said the barn has nice-sized horse stalls, three large pastures, and a large ring that will be converted from dressage to hunter jumper. "This property was also special as it has a nice house for great family time and lots of trails to explore," he said.

Chip Hall, a Realtor with Plantation Services Inc., said that most equestrian operations are located near Aiken and Camden, but he just listed a home on 165.9 acres with a hunting and equestrian component in Kirkland , 51 miles from historic Charleston.

"Equestrian properties are typically in outlying areas like Awendaw, Hollywood, or off of Bohicket Road on Johns Island," said Kalinsky. "The price is largely dependent on the state of facilities as well as the size of the property."

In addition to reaching out to local realtors for a list of available South Carolina equestrian properties or for help finding such a property, a quick search on horseproperties.net lists many for sale, ranging in price from $52,000 for land that you can develop for equestrian use to $11 million for more than 100 acres of land with a 10,000+ square foot main home.

But rest assured that not all homes with equestrian capabilities will break the bank and cost over seven figures. For example, Jessica Oskorep, Realtor, Roni and Co., a Luxury Team of Keller Williams Realty, listed a smaller 2.7-acre lot home at 594 Vandross Road in Moncks Corner for $445,000. The home comes with a barn with an attached run-in and fenced paddock.

Inspections are Key

If you are in the market to purchase an equestrian property, Chandra Ruch, a Real Estate Advisor with ENGEL & VÖLKERS in Charleston, said it is important to first conduct a thorough investigation of both the land, structures, and amenities to ensure it will meet the needs of both the horses and the riders. She offers key points for buyers to remember regarding pasture and space requirements, drainage, access to water, structures and facilities, and location.

"The horses will need stables, shade structures to get out of the heat, and feed and equipment storage areas," said Ruch. "Be sure the local zoning laws support both the horses and the structures needed. If the property already has existing structures, have a qualified inspector who is familiar with equestrian facilities conduct a thorough investigation."

She also suggests choosing a location near essential services such as veterinarians, feed suppliers, and equestrian communities. "Also, look to see if there are nearby riding trails or training facilities," said Ruch.

How many acres you will need will depend on how many horses you have. "The size and quality of pastures can impact the health of the horses," said Ruch. "One to two acres per horse is optimal if the horses will be turned out on a regular basis."

Oskorep said that some breeds, especially those that are more active, may require more room to run—potentially two acres per horse."

Oskorep explains that horses need room to exercise, which supports their physical and mental health. "Look for properties with large paddocks, arenas, or open fields where horses have room to move freely," she said. Some horses graze only, so you may need more pastures to rotate them to give the grass time to grow, while some can only be in dirt arenas and are only fed hay and grain.

The best thing you can do is take a walk (or drive) around the entire property to see what is available. "Make sure the barn facilities are in good condition, the stalls are large enough, and there is an ample tack room and feed room," said Kalinsky. "Make sure there are pastures for the horses to walk and cleared trails for riding. Check to see if the property is away from noise and if there is room to wash the horses."

Ruch explains that horses require a lot of water. "If you're buying raw land and city water is not available, have the property tested for the feasibility of wells that produce an adequate supply of water," she said.

On the other hand, water on the property can be a concern for the horses. "The land should be dry and well-drained to avoid standing water or mud," said Ruch. "Prolonged exposure to wet or muddy conditions can lead to health issues, such as hoof problems and infections."

Keeping the horses safe on the property is vital to their health and safety, so see what fencing is on the property. "Strong, horse-safe fencing is crucial to prevent escapes and injuries," said Oskorep. "Fencing should be high enough to keep horses contained and made from materials that won't hurt them. They will rub on the fence, lean on it, and try to sometimes go through it."

Before bidding on an equestrian property, Oskorep said to always check the local zoning laws to ensure that the property is permitted for equestrian use. "As well as verifying any regulations about the number of horses allowed per acre," she said.

According to an article in Riding Magazine , it's evident that buying an equestrian property involves significant financial investment, but you should also consider ongoing costs, such as property taxes, insurance, maintenance, and feed expenses. Buying the right equestrian property will come down to what's right outside for your horses and inside the main home for you.

Misconceptions About VA Loans Cost Some Military Buyers

Tue, 05 Nov 2024 16:05:47 GMT

Misconceptions About VA Loans Cost Some Military Buyers

By Barry Waldman Special to The Post and Courier

Nov 2, 2024

Original article found here.

While serving your country, you and your family get uprooted every few years and shipped off to some new town, where you must find yet another place to live. The job conveys some great perks but does not include the pay, making it hard to save, invest, and, most of all, build wealth.

For service members, active and retired, the VA loan can square that circle. Offering mortgages without a down payment or private mortgage insurance (PMI), with reduced interest rates that add up to five figures over the life of a loan, and other smaller advantages, VA loans are a pathway to homeownership for many in the service. Homeownership is the primary conveyor belt to savings and wealth, and it is a powerful advantage for current and past military members.

Yet, 80% of veterans who buy homes do not access a VA loan. But why is that? Lenders and real estate agents say the primary roadblock is a swirl of misconceptions.

Pros and cons of VA loans

Typically, anyone who has served active military duty of 90 continuous days – longer for National Guard and Reserves – qualifies for a VA loan. Although there is a “funding fee” amounting to around 2% of the value of the loan ($6,000 for a $300,000 house), waiving a down payment trims $60,000 off the upfront cost of buying a $300,000 house with the minimum 20% down to avoid PMI. For those with service-related disabilities, even the funding fee is waived.

Because the VA guarantees the loan, most lenders offer lower rates on VA loans than on conventional and FHA loans. For example, according to branch manager Derek Goulette, in mid-October, Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp. charged 6.5% on a traditional loan but only 5.75% on a VA loan.

“On a $500,000 house, it saves $245 a month,” he said. “That is not inconsequential.”

Moreover, a VA loan has fewer closing costs and no penalty for early repayment. Notably, mortgage companies will generally lend to buyers with lower credit scores using a VA loan rather than a conventional or FHA loan.

Combine that with a monthly housing allowance starting at $1,695, most service members or veterans with a 560 credit score and a pulse can buy a house and begin squirreling away a nest egg.

There are some limits, though. The zero-down payment benefit only applies to houses sold for an amount at or below their appraised price. That can be consequential because cash-strapped service members often seek to roll the closing costs into the home price and borrow it all. If closing costs push the sale price above appraisal, the whole deal can fall through if the buyer can’t cover the difference. More on that later.

Most VA loans have a maximum of $766,550. Many lenders require a substantial portion, like 25%, to be put down on any overage. For example, a service member or veteran can buy a $966,550 house with a VA loan, but they must pay a $50,000 down payment to cover the amount above the maximum threshold.

VA loans can purchase multiple houses, but the outstanding debt can’t exceed $766,550.

Buying a home the VA way

Those lofty limits didn’t mean much to Jordan Kelly, Shivan Jameson, and their eight-year-old daughter when they finally purchased their Ladson home with help from Realtor Therese Jenkins and a VA loan. With four years of active duty in the Air Force and another 10 in the Air Force Reserves, Kelly was eager to exercise that benefit. Tired of the big rent increases on their townhouse, they began searching in the heady days of 2022 when home prices were catapulting ever upward. The couple saw more houses than they could recount and were outbid on several properties despite having few requirements besides a yard and an upper limit of $300,000.

Ready to give up and re-sign their lease, they found a place for $240,000 in Ladson’s Grand Oaks Preserve neighborhood with a screened-in back porch and backyard, close to the Air Force Base where Jordan works as a civilian electrician. Without much cash to put down, Kelly and Jameson appreciated the lower upfront costs associated with a VA loan and now make monthly payments about equal to their old rent.

“And we didn't have to save up 20 grand for a down payment,” Jordan noted.

None of this will surprise most military members and veterans who hear tales of home buying during their time in the service. But it helps debunk one persistent myth: the complexity of executing a VA loan and the sale. VA loans have some technical requirements and stricter appraisal rules, but most agents and lenders say they are minor and don’t inhibit closing. That may seem counter-intuitive, given the prohibition against funding the purchase of a property for more than the appraised value. However, while it may introduce a complication, VA loans also require an appeals process in which an agent can present comparable sales to the appraiser for a re-appraisal.

“No other loan product in the mortgage world has that ability,” said Courtney Williams, a 26-year Navy vet and agent for Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Palmetto. He says he has seen conventional loans fail to close because of an appraisal but never a VA loan. Williams has firsthand experience: he’s on his seventh house himself, all bought with government help. “I’ve had a great experience each time,” he said.

Misconceptions about barriers and costs

Still, the misconception that VA loans are more complex scares away buyers who could save boatloads of money, says Billy Simons of The Billy Simons Team at Trident Real Estate, one of whose specialties is military members. An active-duty client afraid to pursue the VA loan came to Simons recently. He guided her through the process and saved her the downpayment, half a point of interest, and mortgage insurance, and the funding fee was waived because she was rated fully disabled. “It probably saved her $25,000, not including interest costs over the life of the loan,” he said.

As for the stricter VA appraisal, Simons says, it has never found anything he hadn’t already pinpointed and brought to the seller’s attention.

Another common VA loan misconception leaves some borrowers scrambling to scrape together funds before they can scout out houses. They believe that because there is no down payment, there are no closing costs. VA loans require most of the same phalanx of fees as a conventional loan – origination fee, appraisal fee, property taxes, attorney fees, credit report charges, title insurance, and so on. The VA limits the amounts of some of these costs, but by and large, a conventional homebuyer would recognize the list of charges, which amount to about 3% of a typical VA loan. On an average Charleston-area house of $400,000, that is $12,000. Borrowers can circumvent the upfront charges by negotiating with lenders to cover the fees and add them to the loan amount. Still, there are limits to how much lenders can cover, and of course, the ultimate price can’t exceed the appraised value.

The key to securing any mortgage is a conversation with a lender before beginning the home search, says Patrick Roberts, who served in the Marines for six years, including a tour in Iraq. A mortgage loan originator at Assurance Financial, he sees two big problems facing folks in uniform in the homebuying market: poor credit and trust in the wrong people. “You’re taught to be a warfighter, not a personal financier, and likely haven’t established those financial habits yet in your 20s,” he said. While the VA will bend over backward to get its people into homes, a credit score of 560 is the minimum for most lenders.

Beyond that, home buyers must be vigilant about unscrupulous lenders, Roberts warns. “Some lenders with exorbitant fees market themselves as offering VA loans. They prey on the ‘veteran’ title. You trust the guy next to you in the infantry with your life, so you naturally trust people who say they have your back.” A good real estate agent can steer borrowers to reputable lenders.

Should peripatetic families, like active-duty military, even be buying houses when they’re skipping town every two years? A VA loan can make it worthwhile by erasing many of the transactional costs, says Therese Jenkins, owner/broker of Beautiful Homes Realty. A Realtor certified as a Military Relocation Specialist can help families determine whether they will build enough equity to fund the sales costs and, if not, how much rent they can earn when they leave. Many military homeowners rent their homes to other military members when they PCS.

With the upward trajectory of the Charleston market, Jenkins encourages all military members to consider it. “Enlisted personnel should be buying houses, but they’re not,” she said. “I have not had a single bad experience where a VA buyer was upside down when they relocated.”

Post & Courier Feature

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 12:14:42 GMT

James Island: Charleston’s cornerstone offers beautiful views and proximity to everything

Original article can be found at https://www.postandcourier.com/business/real_estate/special-advertising/james-island-charleston-s-cornerstone-offers-beautiful-views-and-proximity-to-everything/article_c1662056-704b-11ef-95e6-0bf38fc7a1c9.html

James Island: Charleston’s cornerstone offers beautiful views and proximity to everything

By Lisa Iannucci Special to The Post and Courier

Sep 11, 2024

No matter whom you ask about why they choose to live on James Island, the consensus always comes back to one common answer – it’s simply beautiful.

Sharon Kucharski has been a resident of James Island for years and sells properties there as a real estate agent with Carriage Properties.

“The good ole saying of location, location, location is, in fact, true,” Kucharski said. “As I drive through James Island, I see every color in the beauty of what is true Lowcountry living – the creeks, marsh, large oak trees, moss, many types of birds, views of the Charleston harbor and downtown Charleston. James Island is paradise!”

Location, lifestyle and history

When she relocated back to South Carolina in 2015, Elizabeth Baker chose James Island for its proximity to Folly Beach and its atmosphere. “Buyers love James Island for the more laid-back scenery,” said Baker, Realtor at Re/Max Seaside. “There are not a lot of big buildings, but there is a lot of coastal landscaping flanking the main roads with businesses set back, unlike many of the other areas of Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester counties.”

The good news, though, is that if you want to live in James Island, you will not be too far removed from the downtown area, as James Island is located approximately one mile from Charleston.

“I absolutely love James Island for its quick location to downtown with minimal traffic while still being close enough to Folly Beach for a morning surf or evening walk,” said Marissa Castello, a Realtor at Maison Real Estate. “I also love the Riverland Terrace neighborhood as it’s close to charming local spots like the Terrace Theater, independent boutiques and restaurants, and the farmer’s market behind the Pour House.”

When explaining James Island to area newcomers, Bambi Elstrom describes it as funky and laid-back. “You’re more likely to find a chicken coop and fresh eggs on James Island, and lots of folks have a vegetable garden in their backyard,” explained Elstrom, a broker associate with Charleston Coastal Living. There are numerous places to fish along the island, and it’s a boater’s paradise.”

She goes on to say that in most areas of James Island, there are no HOAs. “So if you’d like to keep your boat on your property, no problem,” added Elstrom. “Also, compared to Mount Pleasant, which is just on the other side of the Charleston peninsula, waterfront property costs much less. James Island is an environment that’s not fussy or pretentious.”

When it comes to its role in American history, James Island was pivotal. James Island, called Charleston’s most urban Sea Island, is located in Charleston Harbor. Wappoo Creek and Charleston Harbor flank James Island on the north, Morris Island and Folly Beach on the southeast.

In the book Brief History of James Island : A Jewel of the Sea Islands, author Douglas Bostick writes, “The story of James Island is one of white planters and black slaves; of great fortunes from the harvest of the land; of wars and social upheaval; of poor farmers, white and black, having to find a path of cooperation for their mutual survival; and of the last crop of the island — the sell-off of the land.”

It is also home to several historic sites, including Fort Johnson, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Another notable site is the McLeod Plantation Historic Site, a former working plantation.

If you would like to become another of over 12,000 James Island residents, home-buying opportunities are available. “Our market on James Island has been remarkable,” said Kucharski. “We also have more x-zone flood properties than any other area close to downtown Charleston.”

Owen Tyler, a Realtor with Owen Tyler & Associates, suggests that buyers might be interested in James Island’s infill builds. By definition, infill development is the construction of new buildings in underutilized or abandoned land lots within urban areas.

“Infill newer builds on James Island blend well with older neighborhoods,” said Tyler. “They are perfect for people looking for newer construction around or in established neighborhoods close to everything. The real estate market on James Island continues to be strong with a wide variety of price points and everything from single-family homes to townhouses and condos.”

If you are working and raising a family, Charles Sullivan recommends both the West Ashley and James Island neighborhoods. “They offer convenience and value,” said Sullivan, partner and broker of Carriage Properties. “Just recently, I’ve noticed an increase in buyers who now reside in Mount Pleasant looking at homes in West Ashley and James Island, particularly in the “lux” segment ($2M+) of the market.”

For example, Sullivan said that one recent listing that closed in the $3M range within the Ellis Oak neighborhood saw more than half of the buyers viewing were from Mount Pleasant. “When asked, they all responded with the desire to cut their daily commute time to certain schools and work,” he said. “The value differential was likely another underlying factor. Values have increased in both markets, but the average dollar-per-square-foot is much higher in Mount Pleasant. That’s why the percentage increase of transaction growth in West Ashley and James Island for the $1M plus price range has recently outpaced all other markets.”

While others said the current James Island market is robust, Glenn S. Phillips, CEO and lead economic analyst at Lake Homes, said, “James Island real estate is similar to most of the rest of the country, which has been in an unofficial real estate recession.”

He explained that it’s not really due to a lack of desirability but is caused by a limited number of homes for sale at realistic prices. “This situation has been driven by the hangover of COVID-era hyper demand and never-to-be-seen-again interest rates,” said Phillips. “However, as we head into 2025, the James Island market will slowly pick up (as it always does eventually). Hesitant homeowners will become sellers, and sellers who are overpriced will be forced to be more realistic. With more homes for sale, more transactions will follow. Not a BOOM, but still more deal flow.”

One example of a home in a more affordable price point that was recently on the market is this three-bedroom, 2-½ bath home that sold for $499,000, located on Timberline Drive. “Perfectly situated close to essentials and leisure options, this Johns Island residence offers a convenient lifestyle surrounded by an array of amenities,” said Roni Haskell, a Realtor at Keller Williams Realty.

Another lower-priced home that closes later this month is this three-bedroom, 2-½ bath home located on Hobson Drive. A spacious 2,044-square-foot home, it sold for $695,000. “This beautifully appointed two-story single-family home offers the perfect blend of southern charm and modern convenience,” said Haskell. “It’s nestled in a serene and sought-after area; this property provides a tranquil escape while being just a short drive from downtown Charleston. The home is not within a HOA, which is very attractive to some buyers.”

Mary Lou Wertz, broker and founder of Maison Real Estate, sums up living in James Island.

“I think James Island is having its finest moment in that folks love the more casual vibe and that its growth feels more organic than some of other more planned communities that are popping up all over,” she said. “There is a wide mix in offerings in that you can find multi-million-dollar contemporary properties on the water, across from mid-century ranch houses that are especially popular with young families. Lots can be larger than you might find in Mount Pleasant or other surrounding areas.”

If you want the best of all worlds, James Island might be the right spot for your next home address.

The Charleston Economy

Wed, 04 Sep 2024 16:14:49 GMT

The Charleston Economy

Charleston's economy continues to be vibrant, driven by significant investments and expansions across various industries. The Berkeley County Emergency Services Training Center in Moncks Corner has secured over $1.5 million in state funding for facility enhancements. The Charleston City Council is progressing toward creating a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district at the Union Pier site, which could generate more than $20 million annually. Breeze Airways continues to expand its routes, adding New Haven as its second destination in Connecticut from Charleston. Lowcountry Oyster Co., a sustainable oyster farm, has embarked on a $6.4 million expansion in Colleton County, and Eve on Containers is setting up a new headquarters in Charleston County, promising over 25 new jobs in the next five years. Charleston-based Adams Property Group has signed four new retail leases at Gas Lite Shopping Center in North Charleston, featuring popular tenants like James Beard-nominated Kiki’s Chicken and Waffles. Chick N Max is planning to open seven new restaurants in the region, bringing up to 175 jobs to Charleston, North Charleston, and Mount Pleasant. Auberge Resorts Collection has launched The Dunlin, a new coastal resort in Kiawah River. Charleston's culinary scene is also thriving, with restaurants Xo Brasserie and Costa making Yelp’s Best New Restaurant in the South list. On the manufacturing front, Polestar, a Swedish electric SUV manufacturer, has started production at its expansive 1,600-acre facility in Ridgeville, employing 2,000 people. These developments highlight Charleston’s robust economic growth and its appeal as a dynamic hub for business and tourism.

Market Update - 8/26/24

Sun, 25 Aug 2024 13:26:59 GMT

Market Update - 8/26/24

Hello from Charleston, South Carolina. I'm standing today in one of my new listings and I'm gonna share about it. It is a beautiful home in a 55 plus community here in the lakes of Cane Bay. But let me talk to you about the market for just a moment. We have picked up a little bit this last week.

We're getting into more of a historical norm for us here in the Charleston region. Two weeks ago, we were a bit slower, probably due to the weather conditions, the storm that we had, but we are getting back into some normalcy, just below 300 sales in our multiple listing service. 300 is kind of a threshold this time of the year tends to be a little bit lower in the 277, 280 range. Come spring and summer, we're about 325 to 340. So that kind of gives you a perspective.

We are historically normalcy for this time of the year. So I had the benefit of sitting through a Berkeley county economics development meeting this past week, and I love watching what the economics development teams around the area have to say because they're the instrument behind our growth. They're watching what the driver is and what is the forecast to come for our market. My business is highly dependent on the economics for this region, and we know that migration is continuing to happen in this area. And so I just wanted to share some insight from that Berkeley county economics development team with you so that you too could be informed about the area.

Here's a few things to note. Real estate is number two to manufacturing for the overall GDP of millions of dollars of growth in the area. When we look at the GDP for South Carolina, real estate comes in second only to manufacturing. And as we know for this area, we have big tire manufacturer, we have aerospace, we have car manufacturers. So all of that feeds into that manufacturing realm.

But real estate comes in second to manufacturing for the state of South Carolina. We have a lot of money produced for the state in form of building and just people moving here in real estate transactions. So I found that to be very interesting. So when we look at employment growth, the Charleston region continues to outpace the United States. When we look at that on a percentage basis, Charleston is at 29% and the United States is at 14%.

Again, that's employment growth over the last several years. Another thing to make mention of the foreign owned affiliates within the state of South Carolina, foreign owned companies, let's say 1200 different foreign countries, have interest in businesses in our state. That's a tremendous variety. And 700, a little over 700, are european owned businesses, companies that are here within the state of South Carolina. We have a lot of interest in South Carolina.

It continues to thrive. I just got a call from someone earlier this week. She has a government based position and she's moving to the area. That is a traditional week for me, is getting some phone call from somebody moving in to our area from currently outside the region. So we will continue to see that kind of growth as long as we have strong economic teams like that are in Berkeley county as well as in Dorchester County.

I know that Charleston county does a great job of that as well. So that's what I have as far as news for market updates, and I'm here to serve you whether buying or selling or investing in South Carolina, let me know how I can help.

Market Update - 8/13/24

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 04:37:49 GMT

Market Update - 8/13/24

Hello, friends. It is August, and the sun is thankfully shining this week. We have been tremendously impacted in our county from the amount of rainfall and then the aftermath of Tropical Storm Debby. So my heartfelt sympathies for all of those that have been affected by this storm, but school is starting up and football is right around the corner from us. How does that impact our market here locally?

It's an interesting conversation, and the listing appointments that I've been going on the last few weeks have all been centered around two things. So I want to bring it to you of what my thoughts are. The question is, one is, is it a good time to sell? Well, here's my thoughts on that. In the south, we do put a lot of focus on football.

I know it sounds crazy. We talk about interest rates, we talk about inventory, and now I'm talking about football in the south. That's right. It does impact us. School starts up and football season starts, and it distracts a lot of buyers for the immediate few weeks.

But once that all kind of settles in, then buyer activity will kick back in. It will be okay. When is the best time to sell? Well, it's when you need to. When your motivation is the highest.

We can sell in any market. That's my message to you. There's pros and cons to selling and getting on the market now versus the spring. Now it's because inventory is lower. I don't like a lot of competition.

In the spring, we're going to likely face more competition. We don't know what interest rates are going to be. We can't forecast that in the future. So if now is the best time and you're motivated, whether it's due to family, work, health, whatever it is, let's have a quick conversation about what the market's doing in your area, and then you can make a decision. If it's a good time to sell.

That's myth number one. Busted. It is a good time to sell whenever the right time is for you.

Myth number two is I'm just going to wait and give a credit to the buyer for carpet painting upgrades like that. Guys, they don't want to do those tasks.

Do it now. Do it up front. It absolutely will bring you great return. Whether it's a wall that needs to be painted or the whole house. Whether it's a room that needs to have new carpet in it or the whole house, please, let's have a conversation about it.

Some of my contractors are willing to take payment at closing. So if the money is a factor I promise you we can work around that and get you the highest net gain in the shortest amount of time. If I can be of any assistance at all, whether buying, selling or investing in the Charleston market, reach out to me. Let's talk.

-Roni

Market Update - 8/5/24

Mon, 05 Aug 2024 13:38:00 GMT

Market Update - 8/5/24

Hello friends. I am coming to you with a quick market update. We have just hit August and the buying activity, it has dipped just a bit, although that's pretty typical for us this time of the year. I don't know that it's going to sustain that way, though, because interest rates are also going down. At least that's what the economists are saying.

And so with that, we're going to probably see a little uptick in our buying activity over the course of the next few weeks. It's going to be interesting to watch how the market goes because we've also got a lot of talk with Olympics going on and election season. So stay tuned. I will keep you updated. But the last week's activity did dip down.

We had 267 sales that happened. And just to give you perspective, back in July we were sitting about 325 to 340. So buying activity has dipped and so have interest rates. Stay tuned. I will keep you updated.

Here's what I want you to know, though. I want to be your go to source for all things real estate. That's what I want people to think of when they think of Roni Haskell, That SC Real Estate Chick. Let me know how I can serve you. Do you have a friend that's looking to buy or sell? Maybe it's this fall, winter or even into next year? Let's go ahead and start the conversation. Let me know how I can assist.

-Roni

Trends and Charleston Economy

Wed, 03 Jul 2024 14:09:29 GMT

Trends and the Charleston Economy

As we look at the year so far, we see positive trends in the housing market. Through May 2024, transactions have increased by 3.2% compared to the same period in 2023. The median sales price has risen by 3.1%, now standing at $425K. However, there has been a slight decrease in the number of properties going under contract so far this year.

The Charleston area economy is booming. Breeze Airways has introduced seasonal flights from Charleston to New Hampshire’s Manchester-Boston Regional Airport on Mondays and Fridays. A $43M affordable housing complex has opened in Charleston's Eastside, revitalizing the historic Henry P. Archer School into apartments for seniors. Originally built in 1934 as an African-American school, the project now includes 89 one and two-bedroom units. The Charleston Parks Conservancy launched a $125,000 campaign to renovate Colonial Lake, aiming to create a sustainable urban oasis, addressing critical environmental challenges and enhancing community livability over the next two years. In Mount Pleasant, the Shem Creek Shrimp Docks and Shrimp Processing Facility are being rebuilt to preserve local shrimping operations and cultural heritage. The College of Charleston is offering an accelerated Executive MBA program for working professionals seeking to elevate their business careers. Local leaders broke ground on the Tri-County Biological Science Center, a state-of-the-art facility to streamline DNA processing and enhance forensic analysis. This project is the first regional collaboration on DNA testing in state history.

Charleston was the fastest-growing life sciences metro hub between 2018 and 2022, with a 67% increase in establishments. Allegiance Flag Supply is expanding in North Charleston with a $6.3M investment, creating 84 new jobs. Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa has opened in West Ashley under local ownership.

Market Update - 4/18/24

admin@devobal.com (DevObal Admin) — Thu, 18 Apr 2024 07:44:01 GMT

Market Update - 4/18/24

The following transcript was taken from a Facebook video on 4/18/24

Hello, friends. I'm coming to you for a quick market update and also to give you a quick property tour of my newest listing. We are in Fieldview right now, which is in the town of Summerville, five minutes from downtown Summerville. It is adjacent to Gahagan Park. I'll highlight some of the details about the property here in a moment. But Fieldview, it is a quaint little small community, sidewalk line street, mature landscaping. But the Gahagan Park has ball fields. They have a playground that's really spectacular. I used to take my children there when they were little. The town of Summerville also has a lot of their community events at Gahagan Park. In fact, the 4th of July fireworks show happens there, and you can sit on the back patio of this home and watch those fireworks. So, lots of great things about Fieldview, and I'll highlight more about the house here at a moment, but it is 500 and/or less.

So if you have a buyer that's looking for quaint property here in town, stay tuned. But in terms of a quick market update, great buying activity this week, 330 properties went under contract. 15% of those guys were a million or more. So our market really is pushing that price limit.

So here's another fun fact, $495,000 was the median sales price. So if you're having a hard time in that, finding some properties in your lower price points of $250,000, $300,000, even upwards to $400,000, there's a reason why a lot of our properties are selling in that median price point of about $500,000 now. So challenge for those that are not qualified for that higher price limit.

It has been a great week with buying activity. 330 properties went under contract this past week, and 15% of those were a million more. So we really are pushing that upward trend on our prices. Our average sales price was $495,000 for our single families this last week. So it's been a challenge for affordability for our buyers that are looking in the $300,000, $400,000 price point. We're finding it to be very challenging for our first time home buyers. But we do have a webinar for buyers that will be on our YouTube channel. We're hosting it live, but we are going to house it on YouTube. So make sure to tap in, watch that webinar because we are going to be highlighting how to be very aggressive as a buyer in this competitive field. If you're interested in buying, selling, or investing in the Charleston region, reach out to me. I'd be glad to assist.

Unlocking Wealth: Investor Webinar Transcript

Thu, 28 Mar 2024 16:18:36 GMT

Unlocking Wealth: Investor Webinar Transcript

Roni Haskell:

Thank you again for joining us today. We're 12:31, we've had several more pop on, thank you all. We are recording this, and so that we can also push it out for those that were not able to join us today. So I'm going to turn it over ... a good use of everybody's time. Russ is local here to the Charleston market. You guys have a couple of locations, I believe, right?

Russell Deal:

Yes, ma'am.

Roni Haskell:

Yeah, so you can work with people even out of state on their taxes and advising as well. I'm going to turn it over to you, you, again, are somebody that I trust, I've done business with, I send people to. And so thank you for being a part of our webinar here, and the floor is yours.

Russell Deal:

Sounds good. Thank you, Roni, I appreciate it. I'm going to share my screen out here, because I do have a little presentation. But before I share it out, just to follow up, a quick intro, I'm a CPA in the Charleston area. We have three offices, Mount Pleasant, West Ashley, and Summerville. I'll have my contact information up on the slide, but feel free to reach out if you need some help yourself, or know somebody that needs some help. We have a very wide range of services that we offer. And within our firm, we're big enough to kind of also have that wide range of knowledge as well as depth of knowledge. So I'm going to share my screen out right now, it's just a PowerPoint to kind of help me gather my thoughts. I'm not just going to read from it, try and be a little bit more exciting than that, but this is me.

I'm with Veris, we call ourselves the proactive CPA. I will touch on that a little bit later, but that's my email address and contact phone number. But if you Google Veris CPA in Charleston, Summerville or Mount Pleasant, you'll find us. The agenda for this meeting, it's only 30 minutes, and taxes are what I do, so I can go a little bit long when I start talking about certain things. So I kind of built this out to make sure that we move things along and make sure that we have time for questions at the end. So the first thing, this is kind of generally four topics that we're going to cover, and then the last is going to be any questions that you guys have, I'll do my best to answer them while we're on this meeting. So first, tax implications and advantages for real estate investments.

Now, the primary advantage is that real estate activities, and not just investing, hold a very unique place in the tax code. There is an entire class of individual called a materially participating real estate professional, that has all sorts of advantages that are specifically written into the tax code. Whether that's the qualified business income deduction, which allows you to exclude up to 20% of your business activities from income tax, or using rental and other what are normally passive losses to offset active income. So that's the primary advantage to the real estate investing. A caution is that not everybody is able to take advantage. So I'm a CPA, I'm a professional myself, I will never be able to qualify as a materially participating real estate professional. Doesn't mean that my family may not, my wife might be able to qualify. So you can think about things like that.

But I, Russell, as a full-time CPA will never be able to be a materially participating real estate professional. And generally you never want to purchase real estate for the income tax benefits. It needs to be a good investment first, and once you find that you really just want to look to structure it so you can take advantage of any tax savings that are out there. And then kind of the ideal situation, and this is one of the things that's nice about real estate, is a lot of the investments that you find, they can be cash flow positive, but for income tax purposes actually generate losses, which is kind of the ideal investment. Not only your wealth is increasing, because you've got this property that's increasing in value, if it can also cash flow itself and generate losses, you're also not really paying tax on the earnings that are coming in. So that's kind of the ideal situation. It's not uncommon, particularly with residential real estate, commercial not so much, but residential it's a very common situation.

But again, you got to make sure that you're eligible to take those losses when you need them. There's nothing more frustrating than thinking that you're going to have a significant loss coming through that's going to offset some taxable income that you might have, and then you find that maybe you can't take those losses for one reason or another. So getting with your CPA usually before the year ends, or honestly even before you get into the investing, kind of on the front end, is the ideal way to make sure that you're not surprised by any of these things. So I'm going to touch on a couple of specific tax items that are real estate specific. The first is a cost segregation study.

So a cost segregation study is when you basically engage a person who is half CPA and half engineer. It's a very, very, very specific niche group of people. And they will tell you, "Hey, you bought this million-dollar building, of this million-dollar building, $350,000 of it is eligible for accelerated depreciation." So normally you would depreciate that building over 39 years if it's commercial, but the accelerated depreciation, you're eligible to take bonus depreciation, which for 2024 right now means you can take 85% of that as a deduction in year one. So it's a way to create some massive losses really fast. Now, all it's really doing is creating a timing difference. You're going to take the depreciation, whether it's all today or whether it's spread out. The timing differences are one of the primary tools that we as tax professionals use to help people plan and ultimately create wealth for themselves.

You do need to be a materially participating real estate professional in order to use this strategy. What I've seen is you have lawyers, doctors that try and do this, doesn't really work. Sometimes they may have a spouse who could qualify as a real estate professional, so putting some of those investments in their name is kind of a way around those limitations. And I've seen these work best as part of a long-term strategy to use tax savings to create opportunities to quickly build a real estate portfolio. Whether you're adding a million dollars of property a year, 200,000... Well, 200,000 will be a little bit small, but 500 to a million dollars in properties a year, kind of stacking them year, over year, over year. So each year you're getting these big losses, you can use the tax savings that you would normally be paying out to the IRS to invest in the next property, and so forth and so forth.

Another one that I get a lot of questions on, and I'm actually... I've been kind of steering people away from these, is a 1031 exchange, also called a like-kind exchange. So since 2018, you can only do a like-kind or 1031 exchange with a real property, meaning real estate that you've invested in that's business property. And a lot of people think that they're really avoiding a gain when they do a 1031 exchange, but really all you're doing is deferring a gain into the future. It can be a good tool, but it definitely has some complications and some limitations.

It's such a complex transaction, and there are so many ways that it can go wrong, that I really try not to go too much into detail when it comes to a 1031 exchange. But what it allows you to do is you basically take the basis in the old property, and that becomes your basis in the new property. So instead of recognizing the gain, you're deferring the gain into the future. But ultimately that gain comes due, unless of course you do a 1031 exchange and then you hold that property until you die, and then your heirs would get a step-up in basis, and then they could sell the property and have zero capital gain. But I try not to plan around dying, even though I know it's going to happen. That's a whole different conversation.

So the specific rules, you really only have 45 days to identify a replacement property if you're going to do a 1031 exchange. All the cash has to be held with a qualified intermediary. So when you go to close on the first property, rather than you getting the money, that money would go to a qualified intermediary, and they would hold it until you go close on the next piece of property. And then you must close on the replacement property within 181 days. And this is what I really don't like, for most of y'all who have done closings on a regular basis, you can think that something is going to close in May, it might actually be December before that property actually closes. And if you've planned on doing a 1031 exchange and not having a taxable gain, and all of a sudden you can't close on that property within 180 days, all of a sudden you have all this taxable income that you really weren't planning on.

So they're wildly complex, there's a number ways that they can go wrong, particularly if there's mortgages either on the original property or the replacement property. So before you just go into one of these transactions, you definitely want to talk to a professional to make sure that you're doing it right, and aren't going to find yourself with accidental taxable income. There are scenarios in 1031 exchanges where you can get what is called phantom income, which is really the worst type of income you can have. You get taxable income, but there's no cash to pay the tax. So it's kind of the worst case scenario.

Next topic I want to cover is leveraging CPA experience for strategic financial planning. Now, before I hop too much further, I'm not a financial planner, I'm a CPA, they are different rules. But I think that every real estate investor needs a team of people. And I broke it down into three parts, I'm sure Roni has a lot more than just the three that I've listed here. But I'm more focused on the finance side of these transactions. So you need a financial advisor, some sort of real estate expertise, whether that's a realtor, a broker, someone who is bringing people together to invest in these properties in a group. Or if you're a professional, you could serve as the real estate expertise on this and then a CPA.

So ideally, each of these professionals are kind of working with you with really one goal in mind, and that is to create and preserve wealth. That's the ultimate goal of investing. It's not necessarily to dodge and avoid taxes, although there can be tax benefits to it, but the end result of what you're trying to do is create wealth for yourself. So the financial advisor, he kind of has a bigger understanding about your entire financial outlook and what your goals are. Do you have a 10-year plan, 20 year plan? Do you want to retire in five years? He knows what your assets are, he knows what your liabilities are. That's the piece that I, as a CPA, very rarely see, I don't see your personal financial statement. If you have money in a checking account, I've got no idea, because that never hits your tax return.

But your financial advisor would kind of bring all that together and help you focus on trying to accomplish those goals, whatever they may be. You'd usually come up with them together. Then the real estate expertise... If you're a realtor, this is a role that you could serve in yourself. The primary goal is to help you identify opportunities and understand the market. Me as a CPA, I have no idea what anything is worth out there, not even my own house. But you, who are in the industry, can have an understanding right here. And I tell realtors all the time, "If you're not buying what you're selling, do you really believe in it yourself? If you're not finding those opportunities and investing, then how can you go out and sell investment properties to other people? No one is going to identify an opportunity like you are, you're going to see properties that probably would never even get to me as an opportunity. Because y'all are out there every single day, and you see what's out there, and you know it's a good deal, and you know what's not a good deal."

And then I shouldn't have put myself last, because I don't think I'm least, but a CPA helps you understand the tax ramifications of the investments. Ideally, you find someone who is proactive rather than reactive. If you're only talking to your CPA at this time of year, it's February right now, you're probably missing out. You really want to be meeting with them before the year ends, because once January 1st has rolled around, there's really not that much that you can do. So if you're not meeting with your guy or lady earlier in the year, reach out to them and ask them. So does that make sense? Good. And then navigating the legalities and regulations. So this is something that I get looped in on at the beginning when people start buying real estate, or really any kind of business activity at the very beginning.

And I would much rather be involved before someone starts, than after they call and they tell me, "Hey, I just bought six businesses, and I put them in an LLC, and I put it in my daughter's name." People do crazy stuff all the time. And what ends up happening is they may think they have a good idea, because they read something on the internet, or heard it on the radio, or saw it on TV, but the reality is they're really just creating kind of this administrative mess that probably me or another professional is going to have to unwind. And it can be pretty expensive. And I charge for my work, but I usually want to be adding value to something. I'd rather add value to you as a client, than just take your money to fix your messes that you've created because you didn't talk to us at the front end.

So the primary thing that... This is one of the first things you want to decide, is entity structure. There's several different ways that you can own investment properties. You can own them personally, like I, Russell Deal, could go out and I could buy a property. I could create an LLC, whether it's a single member LLC or a multi-member LLC, and we could buy a property and own it in that LLC. That would either go directly on our personal return on Schedule E, or if it's multi-member, you could have a 1065 and file a partnership return. Or you can create a corporation. So probably the most common two that I see are people who own it personally or in an LLC. I trend towards the LLC part, there's some administrative cost and headache to being a corporation that can be avoided with an LLC, and you can kind of get the same legal protection.

So understanding when you should create new entities. Should you have multiple properties under one LLC, or should you have each property in its own LLC? What actually is an LLC? So an LLC is really a legal entity, less so than it is a tax entity. There are some elections that you can make that affect how you're taxed, but in general, an LLC is something that's created with a Secretary of State, just like a corporation. And really all it's doing is it limits your liability. And then just understanding what type of entity structure is best going to serve your needs. So whether you're going to own it personally, in an LLC or a corporation, you want to have a plan. And it should ultimately move towards kind of accomplishing what it is you want to accomplish, which is one, to build and preserve wealth for yourself.

And I think a lot of the entity structure here is built more towards the preserving, limiting your risk when it comes to owning properties. Because anytime you own a property, even if you don't have tenants, there is some level of risk. Something can happen, and all of a sudden you have attorneys that are calling you, and they can sue you. So you want to be able to limit that risk kind of as early as possible, and limit and isolate the risk. So there are two different things. Limiting the risk is reducing what you could potentially lose, and isolating it means you want to have each property kind of stand on its own, so you couldn't have a problem with one property that could trickle down to other properties that you might have. For instance, you flip a house over here, buyer goes to sue you because you messed something up, or one of your contractors did.

Right or wrong, it doesn't matter, at the end of the day, it matters what a judge says. But if that was inside one LLC, your liability is limited. You may have other properties stacked up that you either own or in the process of flipping, and you don't want them to become vulnerable just because something happened with this one. So there's not one right answer for everybody, because each person is different. But usually you want to work with your CPA, or some combination of a CPA and an attorney, to determine the structure that's right for you before you even identify the property and make an offer on it. Because even just getting financing on things can be... You have to go about it differently, whether it's you owning it personally, an LLC, or a corporation. And protecting yourself and your assets, it's not just a tax question, but you really want to limit the risk. And there's a couple of different types of risks to consider.

So you could have a tenant or a buyer who could sue you, tenant falls down a broken stair, or a buyer, you mess up the disclosure. Those things are really long, who actually reads them? I hope the real estate professionals are actually reading them. And you get sued. Loan risk, what happens when you're unable to service the debt on your property? Are they going to be able to come after the other 10 properties you own, or are they just going to be able to come after this property? Are they going to come after your primary residence, or is it going to be limited to just this property?

And then market risk, this is one that's probably the most difficult to predict, but what is going to happen if this house that you bought here... Generally real estate tends to appreciate, but certain timings you may find yourself down here, it's all well and good unless your mortgage is up here. So I think most of us are old enough to remember when things like that happened, hopefully we never see it again in our lifetime. But those are kind of the three things that you're trying to limit. That went a little bit faster than I thought, Roni, I actually think that's the last slide that I have. So if anyone has any questions, I'm listening.

Roni Haskell:

Yeah. So one thing that I flagged as a question... And while we are making sure that everyone is able to post their questions, I think it's showing on our end that everybody can, but I'm getting some feedback that maybe they're restricted to that. But one question that I had on the LLC, so if we have each of the properties held in separate LLCs, when we go to file our taxes, do we file each of those separately, or does all of those LLCs come into our personal return?

Russell Deal:

It depends. If you're the only owner, they probably go directly on your return on Schedule E. So for income tax purposes, there's no difference between a single member LLC and you owning it personally, it's taxed the same. It's really just a legal structure with the state of South Carolina, it's reported the same.

Roni Haskell:

All right.

Russell Deal:

And I actually do usually recommend that individual properties get their own entity, to kind of segregate that risk in different properties.

Roni Haskell:

Yes. Well, and that really feeds into the whole concept of having the different advisors. And you're right, you had three, your financial advisor, your CPA, your real estate advisor. Really as I navigate mine, mine includes an attorney for sure in that sector as well. Of course I've mentioned before I've got a financial advisor, an inspector, lender, attorney, CPA, and a contractor. Those are the meat of my pool of professionals, my go-to. But you're right, to get those things started early on, and then so you're not having to redo documents and go back through the legalities of putting things into separate LLCs and all of that later on, it's way easier to get that advice up front on the best structure to take.

Russell Deal:

It is. The attorney's a good one, I probably should have added that to the PowerPoint. Hopefully you only need them for closing, but if you flip enough houses or own rental properties long enough, you're going to need, or need them for something else, it's only a matter of time. So that's a good one to have.

Roni Haskell:

It is. And after you've transacted a few times... Or you can just rely on your real estate professional to put you in touch with the attorney who they're going to be closing with. A lot of the attorneys will charge very little up front to have that initial consultation just for the advising of it. And many of the attorneys will actually help set up trust as well, and so they can hold those different LLCs into a trust for another added layer of protection. Insurance, I guess that's another one to add into the portfolio, making sure you've got the right kind of insurance, and even an umbrella policy over it for legality purposes. Let's see if I had any other questions that I wrote down. Okay, one thing that you had made mention of on the cost segregation, which I personally have done cost segregation on my investment properties. If you own a property in an LLC, does it also qualify as a real estate professional? So if the real estate professional owns that LLC, it still qualifies as the cost segregation, correct?

Russell Deal:

If a property is owned in an LLC, it is still possible for you to take advantage of the cost segregation on that. Generally what people would do, is they would actually make an election to group their real estate activities together, because that's going to allow you to hit that materially participating real estate professional. For any residential rental it's rare that people are going to qualify with just one property, so they kind of group all those activities together, and then that would allow them to take the cost seg. But yes, even if it's in an LLC, you could still take advantage of the cost segregation study.

Roni Haskell:

Okay. So that's a key component if... And there are tax advantages for real estate professionals that others do not get. And do you mind kind of elaborating on that a little bit more, because a lot of our viewers are going to be real estate professionals. Or I know that one that is watching actually his wife is a real estate professional, to be able to transact their personal dealings primarily, so that's helpful as well. But can you elaborate more on the tax advantages for real estate professionals for investments?

Russell Deal:

Sure. The primary advantage is allowing you to use what are normally passive losses, whether it's rental income, which is generating a loss for you, allowing you to use passive losses to offset ordinary income. So if you take me, if I had a rental property that generated $30,000 in losses, I wouldn't be able to take that. It would go to zero for me, and I would carry those losses forward into the future until I ultimately sold that property. Even if... I couldn't offset the money from my practice, from a CPA. But if I was a realtor, and made the same money doing that, and had a rental property that generated losses, I would be able to use the losses from that rental property to offset my income as a realtor. So that's the primary advantage, is basically you're changing passive losses into losses that can offset ordinary income.

Roni Haskell:

Yes, okay.

Russell Deal:

And the cost seg really just creates timing differences, but timing differences are a great planning tool when it comes to your income taxes.

Roni Haskell:

Very good.

Kim:

Okay. We have a question here from Heidi. Her question is, what's the best first step to begin investing? She already has an LLC, what about business credit or income eligibility?

Roni Haskell:

I guess that goes more into the real estate professional and financial side than it does the CPA, wouldn't you agree, Russ?

Russell Deal:

I actually think it goes into both. So one of the first steps, if you've created the LLC, what is it you're trying to do? So you probably want to meet with a financial advisor, meet with your tax professional, to tell them what it is you're trying to do so that they can help you make sure things are structured to where it's going to be most advantageous for you. When it comes to the actual mechanics of getting a transaction done, someone like Roni or your bank is who's going to help you kind of get that financing in place in order to be able to take that actual first step. But as far as getting everything in place so things are structured right, I would meet with your financial advisor and your CPA, and just outline with them, "This is what I want to accomplish. I want to buy three rental properties a year for the next five years. I want to buy three houses a year, fix them up and flip them one a year for the next five years."

Are you buying to hold? Are you buying to sell? Are you ultimately buying [inaudible 00:25:05] kind of move up on your personal house? Because a lot of times people will either own a house themselves, live in it for a while, and then rent it out or vice versa. They might rent out the house that they want to live in, and eventually move into it. So just get with those professionals, and make sure that they understand what it is that you're trying to accomplish, then they can help you structure things in a way that's most beneficial to you. And then talk to your realtor.

Roni Haskell:

Yeah, get your realtor involved early on. Yeah, so it is imperative to have those initial conversations with the financial advisor. Because they can tell you, I've had one investor even ask me, "Should I pull money out of an investment fund in order to buy the real estate?" And so it's just really switching money from... It's reallocating money from one investment fund to another. I mean, I don't even care if it's buying your personal home, it's still an investment. And so you kind of have to look at it that way. In the future, will you be able to sell it, make money on it? Is that the goal? So yeah. But I will tell you, there are a lot of investors so to speak in the Charleston market. So having those conversations upfront and early with those advisors, going ahead and speaking with a lender, if you plan on holding it long-term, you probably are going to want to go into more of a conventional style loan, 20% down kind of structure, maybe even 25% down to get the best interest rate.

Or if it's a flip house, maybe a hard moneylender. If you're using your own cash, having a letter stating what your assets are in the bank. But whatever format it is, we need to have that document in file, Heidi, so that we can know when we find the right property we execute on it very quickly. Because there is a saturation of investors in our market that I've never seen before. But really it's been post COVID, and we just have a lot of opportunity for investors.

Well, I would say we have a lot of investors, the opportunities are slim. And so when a good property comes on, people fight over it. And then just knowing what the layout is, if you need to formulate an LLC, it is not the time to be doing it from contract to close. It is really you've got to have [inaudible 00:27:21] ahead of time. So just taking those initial steps, having those conversations, figuring out what your goals are. And then once it's time, once you've done those steps, then it's time to execute. And as a real estate professional, that's where I step in and help you find that right property. So do we have any other questions from our viewers? And Kim, you are kind of monitoring that.

Kim:

I don't see any new questions.

Roni Haskell:

All right. Well, if there are any, I think people know how to find both of us. Russell, your information was on early. Give it one more time at the close here.

Russell Deal:

Yes, ma'am. Yeah, just russell.deal@veriscpa.com. ...the slide, if someone wanted to take a snip, and I'll share it real fast. But honestly, if you Google Veris and Russell, Veris, Charleston, Summerville, Mount Pleasant, it'll come up and you'll find us pretty easily. But there's my contact information.

Roni Haskell:

Very good. Well, thank you for your expertise, your words of wisdom here, we appreciate your insight. We're always wanting to learn and grow in this business. I'm Roni Haskell, I'm a local to Charleston real estate professional, and I can be found at thatscrealestatechick on social media and on the web. So, all right, that's it for now, thank you again so much.

Russell Deal:

Thanks, Roni.

Roof Care Webinar Transcript

Thu, 28 Mar 2024 16:11:42 GMT

Mastering Roof Care Webinar / SouthPaw Roofing

Roni Haskell:

I'm so excited that Robbie is here with Southpaw, and I'll give him a moment to introduce himself in just a minute. But my pool of professionals is what I call my people, and I can't do what I do at a high level every day and every week and every month, if it weren't for people that are contractors. I mean, I've got attorneys, CPAs, and home inspectors, just this whole collaboration. So you think of real estate as being your realtor, but I'm one piece of the puzzle. I can get you educated, I get you under contract, but once we start discovery, that inspection period and learning what needs to happen in the condition of the property, it's people like Robbie over at Southpaw that really is instrumental not only for me and advising me, but with my clients as well. So it's a win-win. He's quick to execute when I call, get his quotes, let us know the true picture of what we're faced with and what to expect.

So, without further ado, I'm going to go ahead and let you introduce yourself, Robbie, and get into the meat of the discussion about roofs.

Robbie Wachman:

Absolutely, absolutely. Thank you, Roni. You've been a great partner to us, you and your team. You guys are awesome to partner with, definitely roll out that red carpet and we appreciate that. But to start off, I mean, today, talking roofing is not always real exciting, so we'll try to make it as exciting as you can make roofing and then we'll finish up with a little Q&A at the end. I think more people get, they probably get more out of the Q&A than they do the beginning talks, so.

Roni Haskell:

They have a shoe-in to asking all of the challenging questions.

Robbie Wachman:

Absolutely.

Roni Haskell:

So you got a captive audience.

Robbie Wachman:

That's right, but to start off, I mean with Southpaw Roofing, it's a family-owned company and I think that makes us unique in a lot of ways. We don't roof like a lot of other roofing companies. Our business model is partnering with high, high level real estate professionals like yourself, Roni, and your team, and that's our business model. We want to take care of our realtors in the low country and we want to make sure that when you guys call us, we turn that over very, very quickly to make sure that you guys can take care of your customers the way you want to.

So with Southpaw Roofing, it started back about 40 years ago, a guy by the name of Clay Lee started the company and he did all the work himself. He built homes, the roofs, but he learned the trades and he did it the right way. We still hold onto those old school values, really partnering in the community, trying to take care of the nonprofits, take care of youth sports, high school sports, collegiate sports. We really love doing that and getting involved with our community.

But Southpaw wasn't always Southpaw. When we first started it was called Lee Remodeling. When David Noise, David Noyce is the husband of Jamie, and Jamie's father is Clay. So David took over when Clay retired and David was a left-handed pitcher. He went, played baseball at Furman University, and then he played professionally. He jumped around, he played for three different organizations at the professional level. I think he was with Florida and then Pittsburgh or Milwaukee, but he was a left-handed pitcher. When he took over the company, he hired a guy by the name of Dustin Tyra, he's another owner of our company, he was a left-handed pitcher at USC Aiken. So we have a baseball background at Southpaw, and when we got done playing, our whole team is full of ex-co collegiate, ex-professional athletes. So it's a fun dynamic, we have a lot of fun. We work hard but we play hard too. So it's a lot of fun at Southpaw.

Roni Haskell:

Well, you like to be... So the thing with Southpaw, and then we'll move on and talk about roofs, but the company itself is comprised. You're local, based out of North Augusta, South Carolina. You've got a great sector here of residential and commercial. You put on new roofs, you take care, you maintain roofs, and you give back to the community, which is in the same mindset of my team within Keller Williams, but that's one of the reasons we like to partner with you guys. You love the community and you take a lot of pride in it. You're not this mega business so much that you don't care about the clients, it's not just profit for you. You really want to earn the respect and the longevity of those clients, and that's why we've decided to partner with you.

Robbie Wachman:

Absolutely.

Roni Haskell:

But yeah, I'll let you, I know you've got a presentation that you can present to us and talk about the fundamentals of, what do you wish that homeowners knew about taking care of, the maintenance of their roof? What do you find in home inspections that could have been prevented, perhaps?

Robbie Wachman:

Absolutely, absolutely. We've got this little, and we won't go through all this, but our team right here, David, Dustin, we talked about him. Ian Evans, he's our lead sales rep out of the low country, and then Megan runs our marketing.

We can talk about manufacturers, that's a good starting point. Right now we're a IKO-heavy roofing company with Southpaw. Before IKO, we were Owens Corning, before Owens Corning, we were GAF. So that's a lot of jargon that people don't really realize is pretty important, but we want to keep up with technology. Right now, Owens Corning, great shingle, GAF, great shingle. All these manufacturers are pretty similar with what they produce. They have their three-tab 25-year shingles, they have their architectural shingles. As a customer, when you're choosing a roofing company, when you're choosing a manufacturer of a shingle, really understanding the technology behind it is very, very important.

So when we left Owens Corning and went to IKO, there were some key reasons why we did that. One was the size of the shingle. We went from OC that was around 36 inches, to IKO, that's a 40-inch shingle. It's a big deal, it's a lot. On a big roof, that's a lot less seams, a lot less potential leaking points in a roof. Also, IKO is the heaviest shingle on the market. So when we came to Charleston, it was very important to have a very heavy shingle, heavy-granule count on our shingles that we installed.

So IKO also, they are completely self-efficient on the way they build their shingles. Everything that comprises a shingle, they make themselves, which is very good. It cuts out a lot of costs, we can save our customers a lot of money going with IKO,. But when the shutdown happened and most manufacturers were only producing your black, your grays and your weather woods, IKO was still producing every color. So blues, reds, greens, they were producing it all. So, IKO, very strong, it's a USA company, which we love that as well, but-

Roni Haskell:

You got a good product.

Robbie Wachman:

Absolutely.

Roni Haskell:

Got a good product that you can stand behind.

Robbie Wachman:

Absolutely, so we'll keep moving here. Let me scroll down a little bit. All right, this is important. I don't want to get too deep in this, but I mean, with what you do, Roni, obviously curb appeal, energy-efficient, durability, all that stuff is important and we'll get deeper into that as we go through this.

Just going through maintenance, and you can read through this while I'm talking, but when a real estate professional like Roni calls me, basically we're dealing with a repaired den dome or something like that. We're going to come out to the house, we're going to inspect the roof. The things we're looking for, obviously we're going to address all the penetrations. We're going to check pipe boots out. At the top of these pipe boots there's a soft rubber coupling, and that over time will fray, it'll tear, and it'll cause an active leak. That's probably the most common roof issue you're going to run into. So we're going to check those. Pipe boots are very inexpensive, they're about $10. So when we're looking at an inspection report, most times there's an active leak, it's a pipe boot, and it can be resolved very quickly, very cost-effectively. We don't have to charge a ton of money to go out there and fix that thing.

Chimneys, whether it's a brick chimney or if it's a vinyl chimney, hardy chimney, we're checking flashing. We're making sure that water hasn't intruded into that flashing, rusting out the nails and causing issues there. So we're going to do a good inspection there.

The things we look at on our shingles in the low country, we're in the south, we have high heats, we've got pretty extreme weathers, but what we're looking at is we're looking at blistering of shingles. So blistering is going to happen from even if that attic space is properly insulated, properly ventilated, you're still going to find some blistering. It's going to look like small hell. We're going to inspect that, make sure that nothing's been compromised to where there's an insurance claim or anything like that, but we evaluate that. A lot of times, for some reason in the low country, these builders are putting three-tab shingles. Three-tab shingles can't handle the extreme weather that the low country gets consistently every day. So three-tabs aren't going to last a whole lot. Maybe I've seen some in Somerville that have been up seven, eight years and they're already starting to fail. So, we look at that as well. We want to make sure there's no creasing of the shingles from the wind getting up under it and flipping those shingles back.

So we do a really good inspection of all the penetrations, the ridge vent, make sure... One thing that I see a lot when we inspect is there's too many penetrations. So a lot of times some of these builders will over-ventilate a roof, they'll have too many vents up there. Then if we have too much circulation, everything gets stagnant, we have too many penetrations. So what we can do, we can eliminate those and make sure that we have a good air flow through that attic space to maintain a good temperature of the shingles so we don't compromise them.

Gutter cleaning, gutters can create a lot of issues along the eaves and just getting us up there to clean out the gutters and making sure there's no water backing up into these, that's very important as well. But typically what I tell people is every seven, eight years, have us come out. It's free of charge for us to come out and do an inspection, but to have us come out and do a roof tuneup, you're looking at an average about $300 to $400 to do a roof tune up. Replace pipe boots, replace some damaged shingles, clean out gutters. That's pretty low cost to extend the life of a roof. So that's majority of roof care and if you want to stop and have any questions about maintenance, I would love to answer any questions y'all have.

Roni Haskell:

Yeah, well, a couple of things that I noted. Well, first of all, when we get a home inspection, a lot of times things get flagged on that inspection to tie back to the roof. Roof, the boot, the boots that you were talking about, those rubber boots deteriorating, that's probably the number one thing. Nails that have popped up that just need to be put back down. What is the substance that you put over it, Robbie, that seals it?

Robbie Wachman:

We have roofing silicone and roofing caulking, yeah.

Roni Haskell:

So simple fix, but people want to know that all of that... Would you consider those things to be structural integrity of that roof?

Robbie Wachman:

Absolutely, absolutely. I mean, like I said, all this stems to the way your attic is insulated and the way it's ventilated. It gets too hot in there and nails start trying to back out. Typically what we do is we pull those nails out and we go with a thicker gauge now, secure that down and then we put roofing silicone over it to try to eliminate that from happen there again.

Roni Haskell:

So I just learned something in all my decades of selling real estate. I never knew what made those nails pop, but it's actually from the heat internally in the attic, it is actually making those extract.

Robbie Wachman:

That's exactly right.

Roni Haskell:

So that's something new to me. But interestingly enough, just to recap, how often should a roof be inspected? And you said even seven to eight years? I would even perhaps pull that down into maybe the five-year range because those roof boots are probably needing to be replaced in our climate about every five years, wouldn't you say?

Robbie Wachman:

Yeah, typically we replace them two times in the life of a roof. So architectural shingle in the low country is going to last, what, 23 to 25 years. It's a 30-year shingle, probably not going to last the whole life. But yeah, we're talking about getting up there and doing that. Now the cool thing about Southpaw, and I tell realtors all the time, is if you have any type of leak, it could be a plumbing leak, man, you get a plumber out, you're going to spend some money just having them come out. Having us come out, get in the attic, and man, we take a look at the roof line, might not be the roof, but it is plumbing and you figure that out without spending our time. It's not just South Hall, I think there's a lot of roofing contractors that would do that, that can come out and do for inspections. But yeah, I tell you, with anytime there's a huge storm. We have one in January, some pretty high winds. I mean, if you have any questions, give us a call. We'd love to come out and take a look at it. That's one thing we want to provide is peace of mind.

Roni Haskell:

Yeah, well it's something that's imperative. When people buy an investment such as a home, that's an expensive investment. Think about how much maintenance we do to our cars that are a fraction of that investment. The health of a home starts with your foundation and then your roof. If you've got water coming from the roof, it can do a whole lot of damage in a short amount of time. So if you're getting it routinely checked, having Southpaw come do a check, an inspection, and cleaning gutters, these are all things that are very minor that really will make a big impact when we go to list and sell the property. Oftentimes people don't do it, and that's why we're on this webinar is to learn what to do as homeowners, who to call, who to trust as a company base, and then just hopefully bring in value to people whether they're buying or selling or not. Maybe they just want to live in their house for the next 15 years and get the most out of it with the least amount of expense. Well, do these inspections, do a roof maintenance every five to seven, eight years for a small cost.

So, anything else that you can think of that, what's something, I know that roof boots get flagged on inspections. I know that nails, those get flagged on home inspections. What else would you say is the third item that usually gets flagged on home inspections that we should be doing?

Robbie Wachman:

Yeah, I think wall flashing and chimney flashings, I would say gets flagged a ton. Chimney caps, chimney caps resting at the top. A lot of times if you call us before you list that property, a lot of times we can handle all this at a very low cost before that inspector gets out there and starts putting the fear of God in people. But chimney caps, it doesn't necessarily mean we got to replace that thing. Sometimes we can get up there and encoat it and protect it from creating any added rust that it's already up there and that can lessen the cost almost in half of replacing that thing. So, a lot of the things that we can do before that thing even gets listed, can save a lot of time and energy probably for you. Roni.

Roni Haskell:

You mean, be proactive?

Robbie Wachman:

That's correct.

Roni Haskell:

I'm hearing being proactive is better than being reactive. You're right, that's exactly right. So many times things will happen, deterioration will happen on the interior of roof leaks or damage or whatnot, and then it becomes a greater cost, but it also puts doubt into the mindset of the potential buyer of, well, if this was discovered, how big of a deal is it? Then what else was deferred maintenance? So many times I'll go to a list of property and I'll say, well, when was the last time you had your roof inspected? And they said, well, nothing's wrong with it, we don't have any... When was the last time you had somebody in your attic? Let's start with that. They're like, well, they can't remember. So that's what I want to convey to homeowners as a generalized concept, is to maintain the roof. I think you've shared some good wisdom with us today and our viewers as well. So I appreciate you being with us Robbie. And if somebody wants to reach out to you directly to schedule something, how can they reach? How can reach you?

Robbie Wachman:

Absolutely. They can call our office or they can call me directly. That's one thing about us. I mean, none of our salespeople, not anybody in our company have a problem with you calling our personal sales and scheduling directly with us. The quicker we can get the appointment to us, the quicker we can get out there and service you. My phone number is (803) 640-0710, and our office line is (843) 998-0211, or you can visit us on our website at www.southpawroofing.com.

Roni Haskell:

Excellent. Well, thank you again for your time. Hopefully people will take this information to heart and they will have you as a consultant in their back pocket for when the time comes, whether it's needing an advisor for their clients, or maybe it's just homeowners that need to take action in getting their roof inspected before the 9,000 degree weather that we're soon to be facing. So,thanks again and appreciate everybody that was on viewing today.

Robbie Wachman:

All right, thank you Roni.

Roni Haskell:

Take care. Again, I'm Roni Haskell, realtor outside of Charleston, South Carolina. I serve Summerville, Charleston, and the greater Lowcountry and I can be found at ThatSCRealEstateChick.com on the web and on social media. Reach out if I can help with buying, selling, or investing. Have a great day guys.

Market Update - 12/6/23

Sun, 10 Dec 2023 07:07:06 GMT

Market Update - 12/6/23

The following transcript was taken from a Facebook video on 12/6/23.

Hello friends. So, Louie's joining me today. It's been a little while since he's been on camera, so he might be a little camera shy. But anyways, he goes with me most days to work and he's in the car if I go to showings. And so anyways, he's my little buddy. And so this is Louie, my family dog.

So, in preparation for Christmas, I have agent friends all across this country. We do a ton of broker to broker business, meaning they send me buyers and sellers and I will, in response a lot of times, I'll send buyers and sellers. If you're moving out of the area, a lot of times I will refer you to a Keller Williams agent that does a high level of business in another market, so you don't have to research and wonder; who are you going to use? Who's a great agent in another city? I have resources that can tell me who's operating at what level, and are they quick? Are they responsive? What are their reviews? I will call them, have conversations, interview them, and then make sure that I align you for success in that market that you're going to. Or maybe you just are a fan of mine and you watch my videos and you live in a different area and you're moving inside of your own market. Great. Let me connect you with an agent there.

So, this Christmas gift is from my friend Allison Burleson in Birmingham, Alabama. She helped my mother buy and sell in Birmingham, and she sent me this cute little Christmas gift and it says, "Merry Christmas from Allison." And there is nothing to get you in the Christmas spirit like the scent of Christmas and NEST is my absolute favorite. So Allison, thank you for this gift. It smells so good. Too bad we don't have smellevision. It's just wonderful. So, this will be sitting on my desk and I'll be enjoying this all month long. The nice thing about these candles is they last so long, so I'll probably have this for a couple of seasons, but thank you again and I look forward to sending more business to you and hopefully you to me as well.

So here's a quick market update. We have been a little tepid with our sales this last week. So we had 169 homes that went under contract. The median sales price for those properties was, let me get the correct number here, 387,000. So, out of the 169 homes that went under contract, the median list price, we don't know the sales price yet, but the median list price was 387. So, seven of those were over a million, and three of those were over 2 million. So, pretty good sales production. It is down from the last few weeks of numbers. Interest rates though are holding pretty steady, floating right at that 7% mark, which is good. That's fine. We may see a dip in those come spring into the sixes. That's what the projection is, and that will be a real warm welcome to see a 6% interest rate again, but with that we'll come more buyer demand. And so that's just the nature of the business.

Let's see. Here's another interesting statistic, because new construction really does play a part into the projection of the market. If there's a lot of new construction, we are sitting in a very active seller market. If there's very little new construction sales within the seller market, then it tends to be that we are a little more tepid on sales. If the builders are giving a lot of concessions, then that tells us a lot about what our resell market is probably doing as well.

So interesting fact, on the 169 sells that happened last week, very few of those were in new construction. In fact, there were zero. Mount Pleasant, James Island, John's Island, West Ashley, North Charleston all had zero new construction sells. So if you're one of my new home agents that are out there, I was in new homes for many, many years, you are filling that market. However, 21 sales in Moncks Corner, Goose Creek and Hanahan; all were in new construction. So, very heavy in that market in the Berkeley County side. But the other markets, our new construction sales were zero.

So, it's just a telltale sign of what the market is doing right now. And those builders, if you want an incentive-based sale, if you're a investor looking to be able to purchase something here at the end of the year, close it quickly. Those builders are really incentivizing and they have a lot of concessions on their inventory right now. So, if you're an investor, we may need to take a peek at new construction sales in some of these markets where the builders are just wanting to offload their inventory before year-end.

So, that is a snapshot of what's happening in our market. If you have any questions about buying, selling, or investing, reach out to me. I'd be glad to talk, and make sure to say bye to Louis. Louis, you're on camera buddy. All right guys, have a great week. Take care.

Market Update - 10/2/23

Wed, 04 Oct 2023 21:03:31 GMT

Market Update - 10/2/23

The following transcript was taken from a Facebook video on 10/2/23.

If you own real estate, you own an investment, so you should know what the market's doing and the news is going to tell you on a national level what the market's doing. But it's my job responsibility as your trusted advisor in real estate to tell you what we are doing here in the Lowcountry.

So what is the market doing? It's challenging. Buyers right now are chewier than ever, and here's why. They feel like they, and they actually are, paying premium prices in addition to these higher interest rates. So they deserve to be choosier. You deserve to have confidence in what you're buying. They're making sure that they are loving this property. There's more inventory right now. There's more to pick from. Buyers are dragging their feet, so to speak. So it's just important to know that you've got to get your house ready for the market, if you are in fact looking to list it and sell.

It's a partnership when you list with a real estate agent, listen to their advice, take it to heart and act on it. It really is teamwork to get that mission accomplished.

So here's what the market is doing. I get these weekly reports in my inbox and so here's the numbers, here's the stats. 237 total sales happened this past week in real estate in the Lowcountry. 22 of those were over a million, which is phenomenal numbers. I mean, we know that our price point has elevated, but 22 of those. The median sales price for what went pending last week was $425,00, puts us about 230 a square foot.

And here's a number that I've been watching over the years of short sales and foreclosures because when we think about is a market going to tank, what's really healthy in the market? Let me just tell you, that's a pretty good temperature read. If people are having to short sale and foreclose in their properties, that number every week that I watch it is important because if we are not having a lot of hardship in the market, chances are we're going to hold pretty steady. People have more equity in their homes than ever, and this past week we had 3. So 3 out of the 237 were short sell or foreclosure hardship situations. So that's nothing. That's nothing, guys.

So anyways, that's what the market's doing. It's a little bit slower this time of the year, which is pretty expected. My advice to you as always, if you're looking to sell, get the house staged, get it clean. Doesn't matter what price point you're in, people care about those things. Let's virtually stage it. If you don't want to spend money to stage it in person, then let's just virtually stage it and take that approach. People largely can't see past walls that are not painted the right color for them or furniture placements. And so let's tackle that early and upfront. But get your house cleaned, paint it if it needs painting. Power wash it if it needs power washing. Let's do all the things to line you up for success. And if you're living in a house that you don't love, great, you deserve to love where you live. Let's sell it and find something different. But still plenty of opportunity in this market.

Not many of you guys, post a little comment down below if y'all are finding investors in this market and the conversation largely is circling around these, what we call short-term rentals, STRs, 30 days or less rental opportunities. If you're wanting to get educated on the short-term rentals and kind of the different municipalities, reach out to me as well and I'll be glad to share our research with you.

Well, I hope that y'all have a wonderful rest of the week. It's beautiful weather, finally feels like fall here in Somerville. It's homecoming week, so we have tons of activities happening and revolving around that and all the excitement. So hope to see you out around town soon and let me know how I can help. Be glad to be a resource to you.

Key News // Vol 6 // Issue 15 - Money Saving Home Solutions

Tue, 26 Sep 2023 16:02:06 GMT

Key News // Vol 6 // Issue 15 - Money Saving Home Solutions

Money Saving Home Solutions!

Autumn is here and we are starting to experience cooler nights in the Lowcountry. Here are some tips to keep your home warm and save on some energy costs this season.

• Regulating the temperature in your home is important. Use programmable or smart thermostats. These devices allow you to create heating schedules that match your daily routine, ensuring you're not wasting energy when you're not home or when you're asleep. The Department of Energy suggests turning back your thermostat 7-10 degrees for 8 hours a day to save up to 10% on heating costs.

• If you are not utilizing your fireplace, keep the damper closed. When the damper is open and a fire isn't burning, warm air can escape through the chimney. Also consider purchasing energy efficient fire grates. They will draw the cool air into the fireplace while pushing the warm air into the room.

• Take advantage of natural sunlight and let the sun heat up your home. Open curtains/blinds to let natural light in when you're not home and close them when you return to trap the warm air in.

• Ensure to change your HVAC filters monthly. When dirt and dust build up, it makes the entire system work harder resulting in more energy being used.

Your Friday Market Update - 8/11/23

Mon, 14 Aug 2023 18:58:54 GMT

Happy Friday!

The following transcript was taken from a Facebook video on 8/11/23.

Hello, friends. Happy Friday!

I just got done filming another podcast. So I want you to know if you want to find my podcast, I'm really intentional about highlighting community members here in Summerville, which is where I live, it's where my office is, even though my work takes me throughout the Tri-County area.

I do like to showcase the business owners. Right now I'm highlighting the people that are running for the Town of Summerville Mayor. So that's what I've been doing this morning. But make sure to go onto YouTube, to That SC Real Estate Chick, or you can even search me by name. And click the little bell to make sure that you are notified when I have new podcasts, or really anything that drops onto YouTube, because that's where all of my videos remain.

But it's just fun to showcase houses, and showcase people. And this is a community that we live in, here in town. And so I try to take my free time outside of the transactions, and really bring value to you. So thank you for those that are watching and listening to those podcasts.

If you're a podcast viewer or listener, you can also listen to them on any of your platforms. Whatever platform you listen to your podcast, I do stream onto all of the different various platforms for podcasts. So you can find me by searching my name, and For The Love Of Real Estate is how it's titled.

All right, so what has been happening in real estate this week? Listen, I pulled the stats from the same four weeks in 2022 versus 2023, and there are only, in the last four weeks of sales activity, we're 20 sales off from last year. That's where we are in our market right now. So we are paralleling, right now, sales production from 2022.

Now, as we know, the first half of 2022 was the end of the crazy market as we knew it, and it started trailing off as interest rates started climbing.

This year has been more or less flat with sales. Also with interest rates that have, as they've continued to climb, our values have continued to stay about flat. So make sure that as you're listening to the media and the different news sources, of course a lot of that is in national numbers. But here, locally, let me be your guide in telling you what our market is doing. And we are sitting right where we were in 2022 for the same buying activity this time of the year. So I found that to be interesting.

We had 279 total sales, median sales price for those was 417K. Out of the seven sales that happened in Mount Pleasant, I want you to know that every single sale that happened in Mount Pleasant was over a million dollars. So if you're a Mount Pleasant buyer, or if you know of somebody that's wanting to move here, you got to more or less show me the money. Because it is a heavy price tag that comes with that side of town.

So all the sales in Mount Pleasant this past week were over a million. But here's another interesting thing, 40% of those 279 sales were here in Dorchester, Berkeley County. So the majority of the sales, or a large portion of the sales, are right here where I serve very much, with buying and selling.

And so of course, then the rest of it's dispersed. The rest of those sales have been dispersed throughout Johns Island, James Island, down coastal regions, Charleston, West Ashley, Hanahan. But Park Circle area, all of that would be outside. They all share the rest of those transactions. But 40% of the sales in the last week have been right here in Dorchester, Berkeley County.

I do continue to watch the foreclosures and bank-owned sales, because that really is a temperature read as to what our market is doing. If people are being forced out of their homes and forced ... Really, just the economy is ... If the economy goes south and people lose jobs, then a lot of times they end up foreclosing, or having to short sell their properties.

But only ... In the last year, we've been sitting at either zero, and I think the most that we've seen in any given week we're two bank-owned or short sales, and right now we're at four. So we are seeing a little bit of an uptick in that number, but I'm going to be watching that to see if that sustains.

But still, four out of 200-and-almost-80 sales is not hardship. A lot of hardship situations. Of course, my feelings and thoughts go out to anybody that has to be put into that position to lose their home, to go back to the bank. But it's a very, very small percentage in our marketplace that are hardship sales.

So, just interesting. I watch these numbers, I study the market. I care about what happens here, not only for my livelihood because I invest, but also because I am looking for opportunities to advise my clients and those that use me as their trusted realtor to be able to advise them what to do. And when's the best time to sell, when's a good time to buy, and looking at investment opportunities as well.

So if you are looking at buying and selling, let me know. If you just want to know what your house's value is, please do not trust Zillow to give you that number. I have an awesome resource, It's called Homebot. It's like Zillow, but on steroids.

It's a much more comprehensive idea, and I can send that to you. All I need is your email address if I don't already have it, and I'll put you into that system. And it's just adding value to your knowledge base. So let me know how I can assist you, have a wonderful weekend, and I'll see you again next week.

Your Friday Market Update - 5/26/23

Thu, 25 May 2023 16:35:01 GMT

Happy Friday!

The following was taken from a Facebook video on 5/26/23.

Happy Friday, friends. I get to come to you from downtown Summerville. I'm sitting on the porch of one of my listings on South Magnolia. This property is special. It is quite historic. It was built around 1880 and I am honored to be able to represent the seller on this property. So oddly or ironically, an agent from out of our area had called me and said that she's got some buyers that are interested in this house. And she had a busy week, it's end of school activities, just personal things going on.

She probably really wouldn't be able to get over here until Friday or Saturday this week to show the property. But the clients were very interested. "No problem." I told her, "I'm right around the corner. I will be happy to go and show the property." So that's what I've done to date is represent my seller/client, but allow other folks to come through.

Our team does a fantastic job of that with hosting open houses. I'll tell you, we really do a good job of blending a lot of conventional means of marketing in with online marketing as well, retargeting ads and such on Google and on social media. But we still very much... And we never stopped hosting open houses. There are quite a few agents, I'll tell you, they never host them in their listings and they certainly didn't do it in the last couple of years when things were moving on the market so fast.

But I do believe to get the highest and best offer that open houses do work. In fact, I have sold a personal home, a agent friend of mine hosted an open house in one of my properties, my personal home's in Mount Pleasant years ago, and it's sold through an open house. And so I do believe in these conventional means of marketing.

So the marketplace has been strong that interest rates have gone up just here in the last week, about three... Oh, I'm sorry, 0.375% increase in interest rates, which is a bit scary. Those that qualified even a couple of weeks ago, a month ago, they're having to re-qualify under this higher interest rate. They do fluctuate. So if today's rate doesn't suit you just hang tight for a moment and it won't take it long before, hopefully, it'll adjust back down.

But that is having an effect on our buying activity right now. It is constantly changing and the inventory is still very low for the buyer demand that is out there. So we are having to do a lot of marketing for our listings. I am holding a lot of listings right now and strong marketing campaigns behind them.

There are buyers still migrating. In fact, the folks that looked at this property today are not from the Charleston area originally. They are migrating here from out of the state. And so we get a lot of that still happening. So if you know of anybody that's ready to list this spring, I really encourage you now is the time to do it. If we start the conversation now, we can get on the market in June, which will put us into about a July, early August close date.

We really don't want to push it past that very much because we really want to capitalize on this busy selling season that we're having here in the low country. If I can be of any resource to you, give me a call. I'm hardworking and I'm honest in my business practices, and I have an incredible team that supports my efforts as well.

Happy to help in any way. Make sure to stay connected to me at at thatscrealestatechick. And as always, my phone number on all of my marketing is 843 297-1935 and it leads directly to me and I'd be honored to assist. Have a great weekend.

Your Friday Market Update - 5/5/23

Wed, 10 May 2023 16:20:11 GMT

Happy Friday!

The following text was taken from a Facebook live video on 5/5/23

Happy Friday. What a wonderful spring week it has been here in the low country. I'm outside of Charleston, South Carolina in Somerville, and today I'm here hosting, really it's a broker open house, but I kind of take a different spin on it and call it coffee and collab with Ronnie. So I love collaborating with other realtors. Of course, I'm seeking what's in my client's best interest, but to do so, most of the time, most of our transactions happen with another broker on the other side. So I love rapport building. I love collaboration. I like just really learning from other agents, what are they experiencing in the market as well. But I host these events in one of my listings, so that way I give exposure to the listing as well. So let's talk about that just for a minute, because when I primarily are a listing agent, I wear my marketing hat with honor and pride every time I take in a new listing.

But with marketing, I'm marketing. I'm soliciting a buyer. So how do I do that? I'm showcasing it through open houses to prospective buyers. I'm showcasing it to other brokers. I do a wonderful combination of blending conventional means of marketing, meaning open houses, email blasts, these kind of things, phone calls to other agents. Those are still wonderful, traditional, conventional means of advertising. But I blend that with a wonderful social media. We do retargeting campaigns. We do weekly newsletters that highlights our listings. We do virtual walkthroughs and Zillow walkthroughs and all these things to highlight our listing. Our team last year, and one of the things, I'm standing by one of my banners, and we were in the top 1% of all Charleston area real estate agents. I came in the top 1%. I'm there because I do a great job of marketing our listings.

And in fact, where MLS was last year with sales price versus list price, my listings sold for 101%. I think that's on here. Yes, 101% our listings sell over their list price. That's huge. Our listings also sell 14 days on the market on average, whereas the average traditional MLS listing in 2022 was 19 days on the market. Ours sell in shorter days and 98% of our buyer contracts get accepted, which is a much higher percentage than the average as well. So our team is rocking it out there, and I'm so proud to be able to lead this team o

f really professional realtors in this marketplace of Charleston. So let's talk about the market conditions for just a moment.

One of the other agents that came to this broker open house was mentioning how he has short-term rentals, and he's really having a hard time finding investors or lenders that are willing to loan him the money for that. There are a lot of lenders that have pulled out of the short-term rental market, and so it's making it a challenge. Now, he's flipped over to using a local lender who I have a great rapport and relationship with as well. I've sent a lot of business his way, but they are local lender and they shelf their own loans, so to speak.

They loan their own money, and so they're more willing to do these kind of short term rentals. But that's one of the challenges that we have in our market right now. Banks are pulling out of the market. Several of the bridge loans are kind of hard to do right now if you're familiar with a bridge loan. We're finding that it's a challenge to get bridge loans written as well. So we've had some challenges as things shift in our marketplace, but we're able to work around it, find different solutions. I have an incredible lender partner that I work a lot with, so we can find a good fit no matter what your circumstances are. So reach out, let us know what your needs are, whether buying, selling, or investing and my team is always honored to be able to assist you. Have a wonderful weekend.

Your Friday Market Update - 4/14/23

Mon, 17 Apr 2023 16:29:27 GMT

Happy Friday!

The following text was taken from a Facebook live video on 4/14/23

What a beautiful spring day it is. A lot of families in the low country are wrapping up their spring break from the last week. What a fun time for everybody as they've been traveling and just had a more relaxed week. And we've had lots of people coming into town as well because of spring break. And this is such a little hotspot with the beach local to us and...

So, anyways, we have really been enjoying our, I would say, more relaxed week for most families here in the low country. The other day even someone said to me that they were taking a break because it was spring break and I'm like, "But hang on, you don't have kids." And so, but just the mentality of spring break is nice. It just gives us a little more relaxation for one week and as much deserved for so many of us. So, I hope you've had a great week this week.

There's been lots of buying activity in here in the low country, and in my team, we've had a lot of listings. In fact, we've got a lot of open houses this weekend. This week, I was able to list a property. Great house. It's three bedroom plus a loft down... It was built by Crescent Homes years ago but it's down on James Island. So, it's new on the market, and it backs up to trees. And then, if you take this little pathway that behind that house, it actually overlooks the Stono River. It is just beautiful home, and the owners have done a phenomenal job with getting it prepared for the market, so we'll be rolling out some open houses on it.

We still have 204 Simmons that's on the market. The renovated house that I showcased last week.

It's got a couple of open houses this weekend. So, we've got lots. There's a house out of North Charleston that my team is hosting. So, my agent team is going to be spread out all over the low country. I get asked, "Do you get out of Somerville?" Got all the time. All the time. We can represent buyers and sellers throughout the low country. And so, yes, we get out of Somerville. So, just let us know what your needs are.

Let's talk about the sales though. Not as much buying activity as it. Maybe it should be, and it's because I feel like a broken record here, but we don't have the listings that we need to support the amount of buyers that are in our market.

I anticipate based on our statistics right now that we are going to be... In 2023, we're going to be 20% down in our sales versus 2022. That's pretty significant but it's because our inventory. Even though we are up from last year, it's still down. Our interest rates are still peaked up a little bit, but buyers are buying, and they have the understanding that they can refinance at a later date if they do drop down.

So, don't let it pause your buying activity. I would highly encourage you to get out in the marketplace and let us help guide you through the process because the fact is people still migrating here. It's still a very healthy economy. There are families that need to upsize. There are families that need to downsize.

I deal with a lot of estate sales and land sales where people just don't need the property anymore at all. And so, I'm grateful to be able to help families relinquish the asset that is no longer needed in their family. So, there's still many, many reasons why people are buying and selling here in the low country.

Let's talk about statistics for just a moment because we are zero sales in bank foreclosures and short sales this week. Zero sales. That's still telling me that there's a healthy economy and a healthy market in this area. We are having still strong price per square foot. I saw where another agent sent to me. I have connections with agents all across the country, and thankfully, we share information back and forth. And this agent that was based out of a town in Texas sent to me an update that they were down 6% in their sales price for the year. This year comparatively to this time last year.

Guys, that's pretty significant. 6% decrease in a sales price for this town in Texas. We're not seeing that here in the low country. In fact, our prices are holding steady. If not, still climbing just a little bit. And then, the projection is that we'll be back into a more normalized and healthy market come 2024, but our prices are not dropping here. And for that, I'm so grateful for it.

Those of us that invest in real estate and own real estate need to know that your asset is still very secured. And so, that's my message to you.

Listen, if I can help you buy or sell, again, I've got a strong team. The team is growing. We're making these notices all over social media. Harrell is new on the team. Ashley's new and licensed on the team. Of course, we've got Valerie, we've got Allison that worked like crazy day in and day out on behalf of our clients.

So, if you know of anyone, it is such an honor.

Every time I get a text or a phone call of somebody that is connecting me to somebody else that needs our services, please continue to do that for this team. We look forward to staying on the forefront on the top of not only numbers, but just really being an asset to those that are buying and selling. We've got a wealth of knowledge and information and eagerness to help. So, let us know who we can help that's in your sphere.

Thank you and have a great weekend.

Your Friday Market Update - 4/7/23

Tue, 11 Apr 2023 19:15:16 GMT

Happy Friday!

The following text was taken from a Facebook live video on 4/7/23

Happy Friday, friends. I get to finally showcase the interior of this renovated home. It's a hundred-year-old plus property in downtown Summerville. Last week, I recorded from the outside because they were finishing up on the interior of the home, but before we start a quick market update, I want to show you the finished product, and it's a beauty. This construction team has worked really hard over here on Simmons Avenue to produce a fine house. Literally, they had to take it back to the studs in a lot of cases. They have revamped the interior of the home. It had one bathroom, now it has three. They enclosed part of the screened porch. They stabilized the foundation, and basically just rebuilt the house from the foundation up to the roof, so it lives like a new house in all aspects, new plumbing, new electrical, new HVAC, new roof.

We did keep the charm of the old windows, and so it has some of the characteristics and flair that give you that old classic style, but it's going to live like a newer home. So, look at this kitchen. Y'all, the hood, the herringbone backsplash, just the fine details that are featured here. The shaker-style cabinets that are nice and tall. There's just a whole lot of things to love about this house. We did have it staged, and as we've been talking about with the style to design that my team is launching and we've been running those statistics that a house that is staged on average, according to the National Association of Realtors, sells for 6% more. Well, this is a prime example of that because this house would not showcase nearly as well if it did not have certain furniture.

Now, this home was staged by Refresh Your Nest, and so we actually do have furniture in the space, but we can recreate this virtually. If your budget doesn't allow for a fully staged property, we can do it virtually as well, and we'll show some examples. If you want to learn more about that, you can visit my website at ThatSCRealEstateChick.com, and it will give you some prime examples of a before and an after that one of my other home builders recently has done. So, it'll showcase living room and a master bedroom, where we took it before pictures and we virtually staged it. Wow. But isn't this space beautiful? They've got an accent wall. They put a gas line to the fireplace. It has gas lanterns out front, of course the gas range that we just saw, just the high ceilings, the doors and hardware in this house. It goes on and on and on.

We are going to have an open house here today from 11 to 1 on Friday, and then from on Saturday, I'll be here from 10 to 12. So, if you want to come and preview this house or if you know somebody that's interested, come visit, talk to me about real estate. You know that I love to share some numbers and stats, and so even if you're not in the market for purchasing, maybe you just want to come and browse through it. Listen, I love a nosy neighbor. I'll talk to you all day long, and I will showcase this house, and we'll just have a fun time. So, come and see us either today on Friday or tomorrow on Saturday. Also, we're going into Easter Sunday, so all of you families that are rejoicing in that, I am there with you in that rejoicing. Also, this is my personal invitation. If you want somewhere to worship on Easter Sunday with your family, come and join me at Summerville Baptist Church. There's three different services. So, touch base with me and consider that my personal invitation to you to come and worship with my family.

All right, let's talk about the market for a moment. It is still hot, guys. It is hot. That's my message to you. There are buyers. We are going back into multiple offers in many cases. I had to dust off my spreadsheet this week where last year I had this spreadsheet created where it has different columns, itemize and offer one, offer two, offer three. I had to pull that guy back out, and dust him off, and use him this week because we put a property on the market and within 24 hours, I had multiple offers on that property. So, the market is back hot depending on the price point. Our average days on the market though, have gained. Average days on the market, guys. So, it depends on the price point. It depends on what community you're in. I get all of that, but I'm giving you average stats here, and our average days on the market are becoming more normalized, with 44 days on the market being that average.

Our prices are continuing to hold steady. In a lot of cases, we are continuing to see those being driven up, but we are negotiating as well. That's my strong suit. That's what I enjoy doing on behalf of my seller clients. Therefore, I'm back in the game of being able to negotiate for my seller's behalf and a lot of times for our buyer clients as well. If you know of anyone that's looking to buy or sell, my team is anxious. We've onboarded two new agents this week and we are just rocking and rolling. Allison and Valerie out there with buyers this week, they're running the roads. They know the market better. I would say the value of those ladies from a buyer's agent perspective is unprecedented. Our team holds that status in the top 1% for a reason. We work hard for our clients. Reach out to us if we can be a resource to you and have a wonderful Easter weekend.

Key News // Vol 5 // Issue 8

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 16:28:49 GMT

Key News // Vol 5 // Issue 8 - Spring is here!

Spring is here and the temperature is warming up quickly here in the Lowcountry. There are 2,330 active listings in our local market today and 1,821 homes currently under contract.

The housing supply is still way behind demand. We can’t expect prices to correct until we see a big change in supply or demand. After steadily falling over the winter, mortgage rates have started to rise in recent weeks. The recent rise has been driven by what’s happening with inflation. This is concerning to some potential homebuyers as the combination of higher mortgage rates and higher prices have made homes less affordable. You may be wondering if now’s the right time to buy or if you should hold off on your search until rates come back down. If you stay the course, you’ll likely face less competition amongst other buyers to secure your home. There is always an option to refinance later.

Reach out to me to explore your options.

The Charleston Economy
There has been tremendous job growth with many new companies moving to the Charleston area. Volvo is looking to add 1,300 new jobs for a fully electric SUV to be produced in Ridgeville. Work has begun on a $300M battery plant in Colleton County that will bring 575 new jobs to the area. Boeing’s workforce in North Charleston grew by about 950 jobs in 2022. Now, the City of North Charleston is in search of a master developer to own and plan a 70-acre waterfront development on the north end of the former Navy Base. The new Top Golf entertainment facility is officially open in North Charleston and is booming. I recommend booking your bay ahead of time.

_____________________ ____Current Median Prices

___• Summerville: $367K__________________• Mount Pleasant: $700K
___• Goose Creek: $306K________________ _• James Island: $385K
___• Moncks Corner: $367K______ __ ______• West Ashley: $409K
___• Hanahan: $362K___________________ __• Charleston: $520K
___• North Charleston: $290K_____ ________• Downtown Charleston: $1M

Stay tuned for your market updates and follow me on Facebook for a live update every Friday!

Looking to buy a home? Visit thatSCrealestatechick.com to find available homes in the area. Are you or someone you know looking to list their home? Call us at (843) 297-1935 for a consultation.
We are happy to help with your real estate needs!

Coming Events:

March 1-5
Charleston Wine and Food Festival
- 635 Rutledge Ave #101, Charleston -

March 2
Gladys Knight
- North Charleston Performing Arts Center -

March 3
Charleston Remodeling Expo
- Charleston Area Convention Center -

March 11-12
Billy Strings
- North Charleston Performing Arts Center -

March 11
St. Patty’s Day Block Party & Parade
- Old Village, Park Circle -

March 15-April 16
Festival of Houses & Gardens
- Details Here -

March 16
Third Thursday: Youth Art Month
- Hutchinson Square, Summerville -

March 19
Oyster Roast
- Firefly Distillery, North Charleston -

March 19
Latin Taste of Charleston
- Exchange Park, Ladson -

March 23
Leader Golf Event
- The Golf Club at Wescott Plantation -

March 24
Charleston Bluegrass Festival
- Woodlands Nature Preserve, Charleston -

March 25
Run Cane Bay Half Marathon
- 1655 Cane Bay Blvd, Summerville -

Your Friday Market Update - 2/10/23

Mon, 13 Feb 2023 16:10:24 GMT

Happy Friday from Habitat For Humanity's Women Build Day!

The following text was taken from a Facebook live video on 2/10/23

Hey friends. Happy Friday. I'm here at the Habitat for Humanity House that's happening here in downtown Somerville. There's actually two homes going up simultaneously. There's two more that will be started here soon. I love being a participant here at Habitat for Humanity. It's called Women Build, and for two weeks they have women teams that are coming out and helping build these houses. And I love to give back to the community, but I love even more helping families and women who are in need. And so Habitat does a fantastic job of that. So glad to be a participant here today with some other wonderful ladies.

So we're out here hammering, sweeping, doing whatever tasks that they need us to do. At least we're not painting like we did last year. Painting ceilings. That was quite messy. So a quick market update and then I'll walk you around the outskirts of the building that we are constructing here.

But a quick market update. It is great. Buying activity is very, very similar to the buying activity that we had the latter part of 2022, which means that we're about sitting at around 300 sales a week in our MLS. That's pretty good, guys. And in fact, we're still holding steady with our median sales price to be in the 400 range only. We are up to three foreclosures this week, which we've been anywhere from zero to two in subsequent weeks. So we're up to three. Still very minuscule foreclosures in short sales bank owned property sales. So what we are seeing is we are getting a lot of wholesale houses, and that's one of the reasons that we're not seeing a lot of bank owned and foreclosures right now, is because a lot of these properties, you see those signs around that says buy cash. There's wholesalers that are buying it and then they're selling it to investors.

But what people have is more equity in their homes than they've ever had, so they're not having to turn them back over to the bank, which is a wonderful thing when we talk about real estate investments. So let's walk around and let's see what is happening here. It is not too late to be a part of these projects here at Habitat for Humanity. You can always jump in. Visit Dorchester Habitat online and you can sign on to be a participant and a volunteer. But let's say good morning to some of the work crew that's out here.

We've got some of our other volunteers. Kellie Collins, with Cross Country Home Lending is here. And her counterpart, Ellie and my friend Victoria, who's also a realtor, is here to help. We've just got wonderful ladies that are out here today, and of course men. But I look forward to showcasing this house as it progresses along as well. So if we can help you at all with whatever your real estate needs are, let us know. Buying, selling, investing, our team's gotcha. And as always, hope you have a great weekend. I am available 843-297-1935. Thanks guys. Bye now.

Your Friday Market Update - 2/3/23

Thu, 09 Feb 2023 01:03:32 GMT

Happy Friday from Kiawah!

The following text was taken from a Facebook live video on 2/3/23

It is a great day here in Summerville. And I say that not because of the weather, but because I get to showcase this beautiful historical property here. We believe it to be built around 1880, 1890 timeframe. It is old and it is full of character. The reason we don't know the exact age is because our records here in [inaudible] County for these very old types of houses, we don't actually have those original records, so we don't know the exact age. What we do know is that it has been well maintained, and I will showcase it here in just a minute. I'm also going to be here from 10:00 to 12:00 today. The address, 411 South Magnolia. I mean, how more southern can you get from that address?

But it is here literally in downtown Summerville. And you can walk to shopping, dining, different... Say Thursday, there's a theater right here in downtown Summerville. The Flower Town Festival is just a block away. So all of that can be at your fingertips by owning this house. It's being sold furnished too, and an interior designer actually owns it, so it is a showpiece. It's really well done. So anyways, we'll go inside here in a minute.

As a quick market update, we've had a little dip in our interest rate, [inaudible] holding pretty steady right now. The market has been doing well this past week. We've had good sales. Not, again, what we had last year, but nonetheless they have been good sales. Zero short sales and foreclosures [inaudible] the region, and I am speaking through all of the Charleston MLS. Zero of our sales were foreclosures or short sales, bank owned properties. That speaks volumes if you want to know [inaduible] when we were back in 2008, 2009, 2010.

The amount of our sales we were up before, but a large part of those were short sales because of the economy. That's not the condition of the market today. So I'm happy to report that is holding steady. If you are thinking about buying in the Charleston market though, reach out to me. Let's talk because I can introduce you to all kinds of properties in whatever budget that is comfortable for you. Without further ado, let's take a step Inside and look at this house. It has been well maintained over the years. They've even encapsulated the crawl space, which is really important because we do have a humid climate around here. And so we want to make sure the health of the home starts in the crawlspace. And so they have encapsulated that as an excellent condition. Look at this pretty plaque. So 411 South Magnolia.

We're going to walk in on these antique floors. I mean they have been refinished, but they are original hardwood floors to the property, original glass windows. And so when we think about some of the characteristics of these old houses, the high 12-foot ceilings, they're heavy moldings. I love that they kept some of the moldings, the original wood finish, the stain wood finish, it really adds a lot of the character in the charm. It has been sustained over the years, but the windows, it's actually windows that maybe glass that people love now.

They have been well taken care of and they have been refinished as well. The wood pieces and the components, what we call reglazing they have been reglazed just as of last year and on.

So the living room, now we're in the formal dining room. Each of these spaces have their fireplaces and in fact, one out of four fireplaces, one has a gas line that could have gas logs and the other one already has gas logs in it. But look at the size of this room guys. I mean, it is plenty spacious enough to house a large dinner party, a family function. I love these old even down to the old hardware, little storage nooks into the space.

Let's take a look at this room up here. This is one of my favorite rooms in the house because this is what they use as their family room. Now this could be a home office, it could be a guest room, which would put it as a four bedroom if you were to use this as a guest room. And I could see that easily being done, but it too. Here's where the gas logs are in the gas fireplace. This is a cozy...room, honestly. It really has a great feel to it. It's here in the front of the house. You can overlook out into the sidewalk, the passerbys, and just a nice place to lounge right here adjacent to The hub of the home.So then I mean down to even these beautiful light fixtures.

And so now we're here in the kitchen and you can come and have scones and coffee with me, which I felt was appropriate on this Friday morning. But again, from 10:00 to 12:00, I'm going to be here at 411 South Magnolia. So come and visit and you can be enticed by the coastal coffee roasters. My friend Brad Mallet over there. Hi, yes, and had done as well this morning. So we have a gas line now, even though this is an electric range, there is a gas line run to this space. So if you did want to renovate and put a gas range in, the gas line is already there. That's really important because a lot of people do like the gas, and so it's already equipped for that.

All right. It even has a little area that could be a wet bar, just extra storage, pull out trash cans. But look at the natural light. So this area right here actually was in addition to the home at one time. And so this area is not original and obviously a lot of these houses have had add-on over the years.

Now here we are into the backyard and we're sitting on about a half acre property...total, and it follows roughly the fence line. And then there's a fence that you can barely see in the back because of the Azaleas that are covering it. But we've got Crepe Myrtles, we've got Magnolia, actually there's a Magnolia off on the left-hand side. You can't see it right now, but just wonderful landscaping throughout this yard.

This is the, there's two storage buildings. One is a true storage building, and the other one, actually, both of them have electricity. The other one could become a nice little cottage... a workshop, so to speak, which is how they're using it now. It could be a lot of different things. So some options for some extra space to grow into here in the backyard.

While I'm out here, I will make mention these metal roofs were refinished, believe it was a year or two ago. So they had been maintained as well. Again, just really well done gutters along the back to help control the water.

And days like today, I appreciate that. As I'm getting dripped on washer and dryer, neat little built in some storage back here.

Let's take a look at the bedrooms. So look at the sweet wallpaper that's in here and the pink, the faint pink ceiling. Oh my gosh. Now again, this house is being sold furnished. So if it works for you, great. If something does not meet your style, perfectly fine, sell it and then you can replace it. But honestly, the furniture that is in here is so well-thought-out and appropriately sized for the space. So here's that's the second bedroom.

And then last but not least, we're going to take a walk here into the master. Very spacious. It feels great. This is a king-size bed and we still have tons of space to walk around. Look at the wainscoting, the detail work in the wood trims, trim outs that are throughout the space. And again, hardwood floors.

Now this is where now I'm going to go into the master bathroom.This space was renovated a couple of years ago. This tile is to die for. I love the style that she did in here. It really still adds to that old world charm, but it has a fresh new feel to new feel to it. So we've got tile.

These are his and hers closets in here. So that's really easy to keep things divided and it kind of is offset. So that's nice little closet space.

We've got these nice custom shutters in here. Look at these vanities that were hand selected for the space. I mean down to all the little extra details and all of the specialized touches. Big shower, tiled shower with two shower heads. I never got that until recently when I used a shower that had two shower heads and I love it now. So I would imagine that you would too.

So let's take our tour back up to the front as we conclude today. So my question to you is what are your real estate needs? So what are your questions in real estate? Are you curious as to what our market is doing? I'm here to answer all of those questions for you, so please do not hesitate to reach out to me. We'll be working all weekend to make sure that if you want to see property, let us know. If you want to come and have a private tour of this property, let me know. I'm here to serve you. All right, if I can be of a resource, reach out at any time. Make sure to share this with anyone that you think might be interested in living in downtown Summerville. And as always, I'm here for you. Let's talk. Bye now. Have a great weekend!

For the LOVE of Real Estate + Podcast Transcript of Mike Ardis & Drew Silver from LBK Capital

Thu, 09 Feb 2023 01:02:38 GMT

Meet Mike Ardis & Drew Silver from LBK Capital!

The following is a transcript from our latest podcast episode. New episodes every other Wednesday - available on all popular podcast platforms. Thank you for joining us today. I'll see you in two weeks.

Roni: Today I'm joined by Mike Ardis and Drew Silver over at LBK Capital. They're going to share with us how they have built wealth and real estate through multifamily and residential investments.

You're supposed to go ... Well, thank you for that and thank you for the opportunity. I asked you that back then, how did you find me? And you had found me through social media.

Mike: Exactly.

Roni: So yeah, I say that I'm not a listing agent, I'm a marketing agent, that I'm a negotiating agent, and then I get to be a closing agent. Like I said, three hat process. Listing agent, I could put a sign in the yard. But interestingly enough, look, we were supposed to hit the market with your house and COVID came.

Mike: Right.

Roni: And so we held it off the market for probably about 30, 45 days, but you guys ... I mean, I pushed it out and started hosting open houses. I think we were some of the first ones to host open houses, so y'all graciously and bravely allowed me to do that.

Mike: We weren't worried at all.

Roni: No COVID happening.

Mike: That's right.

Roni: Anyways, got to know you guys through being your realtor, and oftentimes that does formulate a friendship. And now I get to help you on the investment side of the business. That's what we're here to talk about today because I really want viewers to understand how to invest. Where do they start? Whether it's whole selling or buying multifamily, buying storage units, buying flippers, fix and flip, holding it for short term rentals. There's so much opportunity in our marketplace for investments, and you guys are doing it really good over at LBK Capital. How'd you get your start?

Mike: Well, I'm in ... My background is construction, so we we were the contractors for investors for about three years and we kind of kept saying we should just do this ourselves. But you have to figure out how to source the deals, how to get the capital, raise the capital, because you can only do so many deals with your own capital. You've got to figure out that piece, and that's a very important piece, obviously. But once we figured that out, we already had the construction experience, so it was just move forward and do it.

But we also partnered with some people that had been flipping and they were able to source the deals and they were able to find the capital, and so we partnered with them. They kind of held our hand through that process for about a year and a half, two years. They ended up moving to Wilmington, their business took them there, and so we decided to keep going hard as we could, just pick up the pace a little bit more and so far it's been great. We kind of ended last year on a roll and I think we're off to a great start from the single family and from a multifamily standpoint starting in 2023.

Roni: Yeah. Good. Well, I can't wait to see, and I'm proudly a part of some of these investments on the fix and flip. So I look for opportunities that have some character and personality, and then you guys determine if it's a numbers game from there and figure out if the numbers work.

Drew, do you want to talk about how do you calculate? How do you know when it's a good investment to dive into?

Drew: Yeah, sure. I know Mike can hit on the single family fix and flip side a little bit better, but you definitely have to work backwards with the numbers. Make sure your exit strategy is in place, that your numbers work, in case you go over budget, go over timelines, all that. On the multifamily side, you of course, and probably the single family side too, want to buy where people want to be. So that base is there that you always have a need for what you're trying to purchase. And then, I mean, we really through relationships like yours and in the community, we try to leverage those to be able to make a profit and sell them and get out when we can.

Roni: And you're not from this area originally, right? I think you're from Miami.

Drew: I wish. I'm from West Ashley.

Roni: Oh, you are from West Ashley. All right. All right. All right.

Drew: Yep. I grew up behind Palmetto [inaudible].

Roni: And you went to the Citadel. You're a Citadel grad.

Drew: Citadel grad 2001.

Roni: What is your tie to ...? Don't you have a tie to Florida?

Drew: I do.

Roni: Okay. What is that?

Drew: So I sold real estate down there in '05, '06. Well, '06, '07.

Roni: All right.

Drew: Miami Beach with a Citadel buddy that ...

Roni: That's what it was. Okay.

Drew: We played baseball together, and he's a broker down there.

Roni: Okay.

Drew: That's the tie to the real estate.

Roni: All right.

Drew: Before this even came about, we just always found ourselves looking at Zillow or looking at real estate or seeing a vacant house and just saying to ourselves, "There has to be a way to make money with that house sitting there vacant."

Roni: Yeah.

Drew: And I think that kind of brewing in the subconscious all these years sparked when we finally took the leap of faith. And Mike and I talk about this a lot, and you've mentioned it in the beginning about how we've met, but really the network is your net worth. So if it wasn't for certain people in this area that started a Facebook group for the multifamily side, that we decided to take a jump and kind of basically head first into, I don't think we'd be here today because we wouldn't have met the partners on certain Florida properties. And it just all kind of came together based on really networking.

Roni: Yeah. Well, you just closed on a multifamily unit down in Florida, is that right?

Drew: We did.

Roni: So you're still investing, not just in South Carolina, but you've got investments going on other places.

Drew: That's right. And we just had a pre-planning WebEx this morning with the county, down in Manatee County. It's a small complex now, but we really bought it for what it's going to be. So it's a seven unit now, but behind it eventually we'll demo the seven units and we're going to build a 96 unit apartment complex.

Roni: Oh, wow. Big project.

Drew: Yeah, big project. Affordable housing. So a certain percentage of that will be affordable because it's desperately needed down there for sure. But I'm sure across the nation, affordable housing is a big need.

Roni: Gosh, it is here in Charleston. I mean, we'll talk about the market here for a second. I mean, we don't have a lot of multifamily here, so let's team up and work on fixing that. I'll be looking for the opportunities, but we do need it. We do need it here, I'm sure Florida does too and across the state. As pricing continues to elevate, which we have all seen in the last couple of years, then there's going to be that housing need is prevalent. The generation ... Those in their twenties and even early thirties, they have a hard time finding affordable housing to purchase or even to rent.

Drew: Yeah, absolutely.

Roni: So let's speak for a moment about people that want to jump into the investment side and it takes a leap of faith, right? There's a lot of people that say, "I wish I could." or they see the Zillow opportunities or such, they're playing on these external sites and they see the potential, but they're yet leery of jumping into it. Or they're like, "Well, I don't have as much capital as what it's going to take to do it." That's one of the reasons y'all formed LBK Capital, I think. And there are other ... There's companies like that that are formulated to give investors or those that are wanting to step into that investment realm, a group to go in with other investors. Speak on that for a minute, how that would look like if you had an investment team, a pool of people with the capital to be able to purchase.

Drew: Yeah, I mean ...

Mike: Just lay out one of our deals is probably the best way to explain that.

Drew: Yeah, if you want to hit on the single family, and I can do the multifamily.

Mike: Yeah, from a single family standpoint, there's hard money. There's private money. You can use a bank, which that's a difficult one.

Roni: Yeah.

Mike: So we're able to use certain companies here in Charleston that you pay for their money, but they allow you to get in and it all comes back to can you buy that deal cheap enough to make the numbers work? So how do you get started? Carefully, and you reach out to people. There's real estate events here locally in Charleston that I think is a great place to start. And then the networking one, social media is a great place to start, but you have to be careful because there's not always the best ... There's people out there that will take advantage of you, so just get to know people. I think most people are a good judge a character, so if you get to know people, you know if that's a person you can trust and maybe put money with.

Roni: Yeah. Yeah. What do you think would be a baseline number? I mean, if I had $10,000 set to the side, could I do anything with that? Is there any option? Or do I need to save up $50,000 to jump into the arena? What is a number that I could play around with?

Mike: Well, I would say the way we do it is ... I mean, we don't really use much of our own money, so I don't think $10,000 is going to get you to where you need to be.

Roni: Yeah.

Mike: In our real estate market today.

Roni: Yeah.

Mike: So yeah, I would say, again, that's part of networking. Understanding the deals that you could be a part of without using your money, and ...

Roni: That's the key.

Mike: That was a year of education for Drew and I.

Roni: Yeah.

Mike: Yeah, I don't know. I mean, there is opportunities, if you have $50,000, $60,000 down, maybe you could be part of a down payment and earn. I think we're paying some investors right now 12.5% on their money, but it needs to probably be around $50,000 to $60,000 in those particular cases.

Roni: Okay.

Mike: It's all predicated on the deal as well.

Roni: Sure. So that's the single family fix and flip, which you and I are involved in numerous deals right now with that. Drew, do you want to kind of talk about the investment, the investor side, the capital that's needed on the multifamily?

Drew: Yeah, sure. So typically on the multifamily side, you got to be kind of careful because if you syndicate, it has to be 506(c) regulated, meaning accredited investors, and that's where you're going to get high net worth individuals that probably already know a lot of the stuff that you're going to tell them anyway.

Roni: Yeah.

Drew: And the typical, what they call share is about $50,000 depending on each deal, but $50,000 for some of your $0 to $10 million deals, and anything higher can be $100,000 to $500,000 chunks. So that's kind of people that are already in the game, so to speak. But if it's somebody that's watching that says, like you said, "Hey, I've got $10,000, $25,000 saved up, how can you get in?" There are 506(b) syndications, 'B; meaning buddy. So if you go meet somebody at an REI event or whatever, and you start that conversation, you now qualify to get into one of those deals at a lower price point. And you've already met them, you feel comfortable and getting on social media, going to these events in person, you can gauge a person pretty well on the trust factor and their credibility.

So for an investor that maybe ... We had one on one of our fixing flips that actually works for Edward Jones was tired of seeing her account dwindle by the thousands every month.

Roni: Yeah.

Drew: She's like, "I'm not doing it anymore." So she pulled out money to put with us so she can actually get a good solid gain back. So each deal is different, but if you've got $10,000, there's a way to get into a deal, whether it be multifamily or single family flips, whatever it is, you just have to get out there and network at these events for sure.

Roni: It's relationships, it's understanding. It's who do you know and where do you get plugged in and where do you want to have the trust to put the money and allocate the funds, so it's just another place to build wealth. It's just another place, a great outlet to build wealth. It happens to be in the real estate investment side. So Drew, when you say that your network is your net worth, will you elaborate on that and explain what that means?

Drew: Yeah, absolutely. So again, we talked about that mental hurdle of thinking we had to have all the money.

Roni: Yeah.

Drew: And so you start going to these events, you attend ... You don't have to pay for some of this stuff to meet multimillionaire that will help you, so you just get out there to these REI events or when you finally are capable, you go to these masterminds and you start rubbing shoulders with people and you realize very quickly that they have plenty of resources, whether it be money, knowledge, whatever. And then now they're in your network. You met them, you shook their hand, you had a drink with them or whatever it may be. But you can literally increase your net worth just through networking.

And locally here, if it hadn't been for Jennings and [inaudible] starting my first million, a multifamily group, again, I don't think we would have multifamily property in Florida, met Danny or Ryan that became partners, all my JV partners on that particular deal.

Roni: Yeah.

Drew: It's just doors open up when you network and your net worth truly increases, whether you see it right away in your bank account or not, but it's coming.

Roni: Yeah, those guys that you're mentioning, Jennings especially, I mean they do a phenomenal job of online educating people. So we'll tag them and make sure to give a high five to those guys. Anybody that's interested can kind of tap into that group as well because they really do a good job of education.

Drew: For sure.

Mike: Absolutely.

Roni: Yeah. You and I have a fondness for David Coggins. You listen to his podcast, and so I just finished up one of his books. Boy is he a hustler.

Drew: Oh, yeah.

Roni: And talk about somebody that has failed and picks himself back up and keeps going. What do you take away from some of his mindset?

Drew: Yeah, so being a seal that he was, he says it a lot, you just never quit. Just don't quit. And we have failed a million times.

Mike: Oh, yeah.

Drew: Over and over and over, over the years. But if you fail forward and you're constantly putting yourself out there, and when I say fail, I don't want anybody that may be watching or listening to feel like that's a bad word. It actually helps you become more successful quicker, so the more you fail and the more often at a faster pace, the quicker you'll succeed. And so his takeaway of never quit, it's okay to fail.

Roni: Yeah.

Drew: Just don't give up because once you give up, then it's over. And I feel like as many times as we've tried stuff and tried to do things and it didn't work out, we never had the mindset of, "Man, that really stunk. I'm not going to try that again." We just kept going.

Roni: It's a lesson learned.

Drew: Yeah.

Roni: With each opportunity. You can't gain knowledge and a strong takeaway unless you put yourself out there. And a big part of investments is just overcoming the fear. Just you got to jump in and do it, right?

Drew: Yeah.

Roni: And you're going to learn something from each deal that you do.

Drew: Yeah, and when you're looking at deals, I can't tell you how many we pass on because they don't ... They fail, they don't meet ...

Mike: They don't meet the criteria.

Drew: Yeah, and then so that's all part of it. And failure is actually a good word.

Roni: Yeah.

Drew: So if you fail at a faster pace, it's just going to help you succeed quicker.

Mike: Absolutely.

Roni: So one of the things I like about you guys is that you are family and by marriage. Your father-in-law is a part of this company as well. The family dynamics, and I get to look at that from and be a part of it because I see ... I know your wife, I know Seth's wife, I know Rob and his wife, and so I just really commend you guys for making what started off as family has now transgressed over into business. Any complications with that?

Mike: Well, the good news is no, because we're just starting.

Roni: Keep good point.

Mike: We've actually got our first meeting next Friday.

Roni: Yeah.

Mike: So everybody will be involved in that. We'll lay out current projects and things like that, timelines and stuff. But I think the timing is right because we're all kind of in our early forties, mid forties, and we have strengths and weaknesses. And I think we've decided ... Or we've kind of realized hey, we can do this and we can do it a lot faster if we pull our resources together and our strengths together versus us trying to do it one at a ...

Drew: All alone.

Mike: Yeah.

Roni: Yeah. Yeah. Well, I really commend you and I look forward to watching this journey as it transpires. But you guys have a lot of respect. I know you do life together outside of work as well, and boating may be a big part of that.

Mike: A little bit.

Roni: Everybody's got to have a little fun, and so that seems to be your fun outside of work. And so anyways, it's just really fun to be a part of that. So thank you for letting me be in y'all's circle and kind of being a trusted advisor, especially in the residential side of the fix and flip piece of it. So anyways, I just look forward to seeing where this goes next.

Speaking on family, Valentine's Day is right around the corner. Any special plans with your spouses? Any secrets you can tell?

Mike: [inaudible] and my anniversary is the 10th of February, so we don't celebrate Valentine's Day. We just do the anniversary.

Roni: Yeah. Yeah. And how many years?

Mike: Gosh, I know that, but you don't ...

Roni: I'm hitting you up, right? And two kids later. Two beautiful kids later.

Mike: The good news is Brent can edit this.

Drew: '06?

Mike: '06. So yeah, do some quick ...

Drew: I think we're at 16.

Roni: Sixteen, yeah. Yeah, got some longevity. Strong as ever. I see it.

Mike: Yeah.

Roni: I see it.

Drew: It'll be pretty low-key for us.

Roni: Yeah.

Drew: I guess your typical Valentine's, maybe a dinner or something out. And then of course, I'll give Sage, my daughter a little something special for Valentine's as well.

Roni: Yeah, winning those brownie points.

Drew: Yeah.

Roni: With the women in the house.

Drew: So that when she turns ... Becomes a tween that she's daddy's favorite.

Roni: That's right. Maybe a daddy date thrown in there would be good. Awesome. Awesome. Well, they will all enjoy it, I'm sure.

So we're in several fix and flips together, Mike. What has been the biggest horror story that you've encountered in these fix and flips?

Mike: Luckily, the ones we've done so far, zero. We were about to close on a property [inaudible], and I went to do the inspection, opened up the crawlspace, and literally there was two and a half feet of water underneath this crawlspace.

Roni: Oh, yeah.

Mike: So luckily I was able to get out of that one, but I kind of knew it when I drove up because it was at the bottom of the hill.

Roni: Yeah.

Mike: And when we walked down the driveway, there were sandbags. And so all the telltale signs of runoff.

Roni: Yeah. Yeah. Well, and I will say there's one that we've ... I mean, you're rebuilding the foundation in some of these houses. I mean, when we're talking about fix and flip, they can pretty ... Some of these are pretty large scale projects, a 100-year-old houses, and you're rebuilding it, like keeping the four walls and the roof and just starting with the foundation and restructuring all the mechanicals inside. It's kind of a fun project for me to watch.

Mike: Yeah, I mean, it's been enjoyable. We have a great team. I think that's why it's enjoyable. Be able to take 100-year-old home, bring it down to really nothing, like you said, and then it's rebuilt and the mechanicals are ready to go in two weeks later, it's pretty impressive. But yeah, that's a pretty big undertaking for sure.

Roni: Yeah, you guys are quick. I've been impressed by how quick your team has been from the time we close until you're putting up the walls and the mechanicals into a property.

Mike: Well, knowing that a short-term debt ... Excuse me, short-term debt, then makes you be quick.

Roni: And you got good ... You got really great help too, I will say.

Mike: Yeah, we have good help.

Roni: I've been around construction for the last 20 years and yeah, your team that you have in place is a big part of the success.

Mike: Yeah, they're awesome.

Roni: Yeah.

Mike: They're great.

Drew: The most work we can get done for free in that first 30 days before that mortgage hits.

Mike: Yeah.

Roni: Yeah.

Drew: Exactly.

Roni: Yeah. Good. Any words of wisdom for somebody that you wish you had known? Like something ... Gosh, somebody could have told you way back when that you would be faced with, an obstacle?

Drew: I think our biggest mental obstacle was we felt like we had to have a million dollars in the bank to make our first deal.

Roni: Yeah.

Mike: Right.

Drew: There are tons of people out there with plenty of money that if you have the right deal and the numbers make sense because it's tied to a hard asset like real estate, they'll give you the money. And so I think that's probably one of the biggest paralysis of analysis type things or objections in your mind that's stopping you from making that first move.

But also, you mentioned trusted advisor. You have to have the right people on your team that are professionals in the market. You, with us here locally, Jason down in Florida is a wealth of knowledge. He grew up down there, knows stuff that's going on behind the scenes at different city council, town council meetings that you would never know about unless you had that contact.

Roni: Yeah.

Drew: So I think between just taking that leap of faith step, overcoming your mental hurdle, and then getting in touch with the right professionals, kind of boots on the ground and people that know what's really going on behind the scenes to give you that competitive edge.

Mike: Yeah, and I would just add that a lot of times you're worried about making that contact and the quicker you make that contact, the quicker things will happen. And I think for us, it took us, gosh, seven, eight years to start really making contact. So we're excited where the next five, 10 years will go. But yeah, don't be afraid to step out on faith and make the call.

Roni: Yeah. Yeah.

Drew: I mean, within the last eight months, or even a year, we're sitting out on the boat, in the long boat key looking out at the water and we're like, "Man, this is our year to make a move." And since then, what? Four fix and flips, the multi-family property down in Bradenton, we're looking at two other properties down in Florida right now on the southwest coast, a little boutique resort, and then a storage facility. And we're making offers on them, and it's just jump in, educate yourself, get around the right people.

Mike: Yeah.

Drew: That network that can help you, and then just take action and fail forward really.

Roni: That's right. Take the risk.

Mike: Take the risk.

Roni: Nobody has ever gotten wealthy by not taking risk.

Drew: At this point, what do you have to lose? You are at the same spot if you didn't try.

Roni: That's right. That's right.

Drew: Yeah.

Roni: Well, I commend you for taking the risk and to putting yourself out there and educating yourself, and you guys are really doing the grunt work. You've been laying that foundation to get educated to where you are now.

Mike: Well, we thank you. We appreciate you because you're a big part of what we do.

Roni: Yeah. Well, it's an honor and privilege.

If you need anything, reach out. Let's talk. I'll see you in two weeks.

Key News // Vol 5 // Issue 4

admin@devobal.com (DevObal Admin) — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 18:11:46 GMT

Key News // Vol 5 // Issue 4

The Charleston Economy
Former NFL players are investing in a new indoor pickleball facility/attraction in Mt Pleasant. It’s supposed to open in winter of 2023. They will have a self-serve tap system for beer and elevated pub fare as well. SC’s third Topgolf location opened in January in North Charleston. Players at Topgolf Charleston will be welcomed to 72 climate-controlled hitting bays spanning two levels. Players take aim at on-field targets and rack up points based on the game they choose to play. The venue is fully equipped with Topgolf's Toptracer ball-tracking technology, enabling players to track their ball's flight path and metrics while playing virtual courses or games like Angry Birds. Players will also have access to a nine-hole mini-golf course, a full-service restaurant with chef-inspired menu items, top-shelf drinks, music and year-round family-friendly programming. A Summerville boat maker plans a new $5M yacht and $45M plant expansion. They are on target to hire 200 high paid skilled labor jobs with benefits. A cold storage warehousing and logistics company is establishing operations near the Port of Charleston with a $50M investment that is expected to create 59 new jobs.

Current Median Prices

___• Summerville: $372K__________________• Mount Pleasant: $725K
___• Goose Creek: $298K________________ _• James Island: $468K
___• Moncks Corner: $343K______ __ ______• West Ashley: $403K
___• Hanahan: $285K___________________ __• Charleston: $498K
___• North Charleston: $309K_____ ________• Downtown Charleston: $795K

Coming Up:

February 1 - 17
Studio Artist Exhibition
- Public Works Art Center, Summerville -

February 4
23rd Annual Oyster Roast
- Su m merville Country Club -

February 4
Lowcountry Food Truck Festival
- Firefly Distillery, North Charleston -

February 10
Be My Valentine Cocktail Making Class
- Firefly Distillery, North Charleston -

February 16
Third Thursday
- Hutchinson Square, Summerville -

February 17
Food Truck Friday
- Summerville Chamber of Commerce -

February 18
Boykin Bash
- Firefly Distillery, North Charleston -

February 18
Cars and Coffee
- Freshfields Village, Kiawah -

February 18
Mimosa Fest
- Music Farm, Charleston -

February 17 - 19
Southeastern Wildlife Expo
- Charleston Marriott, Charleston -

February 19
Winter Charleston 2023 Wedding Festival
- Charleston Area Convention Center -

February 22 - 26
Disney’s Aladdin
- North Charleston Coliseum & Performing Arts Center -

February 23
Charleston Job Fair
- SC Works Charleston, North Charleston -

February 23
4th Annual Women’s Luncheon
- Middleton Place, Charleston -

February 24
Oyster Fest
- South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston -

Stay tuned for your market updates & click the image below to follow me on Facebook for a live update every Friday!

***

Questions about anything above? Contact me at Roni.e.haskell@gmail.com

For the LOVE of Real Estate + Podcast Transcript of Jay Byars from Mortgage Equity Partners & Dorchester County Council

Fri, 13 Jan 2023 01:34:21 GMT

Meet Jay Byars!

The following is a transcript from our latest podcast episode. New episodes every Wednesday - available on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and Spotify.

Roni:

Happy New Year. Roni Haskell over at Keller Williams. I'm a local realtor, and today, I get to be here with Jay Byars, who's on County Council, also, mortgage equity partners and a family-focused man here in Summerville.

Jay:

My whole desire for County Council is just to make this community better. When we moved here, you could see the potential of what Summerville and Dorchester County can be, and just the resources weren't there. That educator background just gives me a vision for what I want to see. It's funny now, just seeing my kids from back in the day, some of them have come to work for me. I've certainly done a lot of mortgages for them, but then, now, I see them and their kids out at the parks that we've built and they're excited about the libraries we're going to do.

Like 12 years on Dorchester County Council, people think you want to be a career politician. No. I'm okay losing an election. We've done some hard things, some things that needed to be done, and I think it's really important people know, on Dorchester County, we didn't have a park system. We didn't have very good libraries. Our library was 40 years old.

When I first got elected as a Republican, conservative Republican, we started talking about trying to do a bond referendum to be able to build these things. Well, in order to do that, means you got to raise taxes. Most [inaudible 00:01:12] don't want to raise taxes. I don't want to pay more taxes than necessary either. But living in Charleston, Charleston's awesome. So we love Charleston. We love going to Isle of Palms. We love going to James Island County Park. But man, it's 30 minutes away, and that's without traffic. I'd love to be able to do those things in my backyard five minutes away from my house. When I start talking about that with people, people are like, "yeah." Well, it's going to cost us this. It may cost us $40 a year, but we're going to have these phenomenal parks [inaudible 00:01:34]. We're going to have first class libraries for your kids now, close to home.

$40 a year, I'm going to spend that in gas and traffic, trying to go down to Isle of Palms, versus just doing something here. So you take that with what we're doing, I feel like we've really transformed Dorchester County. And the next two or three years, you're going to see it a little metamorphosis in just a complete growth to a really modern county. And I'm super excited about being a part of that. We've got a great team. Our county council's great, our staff's great. You don't do this by yourself. You got to have a great team around you. I'm certainly passionate about it. Anybody that's been here, paid attention, you know I'm passionate about this stuff. And it really just comes down to, what do my kids want to see? What do your kids want to see? Are they going live and raise their kids here? What do they want to do? And take your mom out to the park and walk around. We've got those resources now. We didn't have them five years ago, so it's been a fun ride.

Roni:

There's quite a few parks and recreation spaces here, that I wish... My kids aren't grown by any stretch of the imagination, but they're not playing, like they used to, like they used to. And gosh, I wish that I had some of these things that are now part of our community. Because as a realtor, I get to introduce people to Summerville and Dorchester County, but I'm selling houses. But I ultimately, they're buying a house, but they really are buying a community. They're buying a community. Communities are built because of what it gives back to them as a family. And so, they're buying into the schools, they're buying into the parks and the libraries. You have to have the... And road structure. That's a big part of it as well, the roads, being able to commute and not taking an hour to get from one side of town to the other, to get to that activity that you got to go to. So all of that feeds into a really strong community, which is what I really am ultimately selling to families that are migrating in.

Jay:

Absolutely. And the things we've done makes this a better place to live. It's a better place to raise your kids. My girls, and we'll talk about that. But I got a 15 year old and 17 year old right now, and three years ago, I was the coolest dad on the planet. Now, they're teenagers, and maybe I'm not as cool as I used to be. So when the park opened up, I don't get to take them out and push them on the swing like I wanted to when they were eight. And now, they're out there. It's like, "all right, dad, this is cool. Hey, what are we going to do next?" Versus those young kids come in, the community that we built just with that Ashley River Park, we're going to build out on the miles stream and some of it's pine Trace. We're just creating some places where people can go spend time and make memories with their family and go fishing with the kids, do whatever, or just take your parents out.

Roni:

Throw the ball. We got dog parks, all kinds of things.

Jay:

What I like to tell people is "we're building a park, whether you're three years old or 93 years old, there's something for you to do." And that's really our vision is we want to make sure that you've got an opportunity to go outside and understand what makes our place special.

Roni:

So let's talk about family for a minute. You mentioned your two daughters. I've got a 15 year old, a 13 year old, and 11 year old. One thing amongst our... Well, there's a couple of things that parallel within our families, but one of those is that you've got a daughter who's a competitive gymnast, as I do as well. And we've had lots of conversations about... Really both of your daughters, at one time, for a long time, were competitive gymnasts. It's a different mentality with these kids. They have to be self-driven, because they're in the gym. My daughter's in there anywhere from 18 to 20 hours a week. Similar for yours? And it's not as seasonal sport as many are. These girls are in the gym year round.

Jay:

Year round. All the time. Katie Joe, my oldest, is a senior. She's stuck it out. This is her senior year. She loves it. She lives and breathes it. At her level, it's 20 to 25 hours of practice a week. Now, you start thinking about your school plus that practice week. It's a grind. And most of the girls that are in that, when they leave middle school, that's kind of that transition year of, "am I going to stay with this through high school?" And she stuck it out, and kudos to her. She's driven, she's super talented. I love watching her videos and just watching her perform, and you can sit there and watch her. And it just makes your day to see the smile on her face. And she loves working with her teammates, and it really teaches them a lot. When Amber and I talk about doing this with both of the girls and we let them do gymnastics, we looked at it as this is also character development.

Georgia, my youngest, super talented, just at one regional gymnastics, the champion is level six, but didn't love it as much. And so, now, she's playing tennis, basketball, track. So that desire to be competitive went into other things, but it's made them who they are. And it's really going to mold them as young adults. And so, I looked at that as part of their overall character and educational experience, because you know gymnastics ain't cheap. [inaudible 00:06:13] and DaVita's locally here, I think yours is a choice. And now, mine's training at Southeastern Gymnastics, it ain't cheap. It's a time commitment. Just gas back and forth. But I look at it as we're making an investment in those kids, those girls, to what they're going to be as adults, and how they raise their families.

Roni:

We pour into our families. We both feel the same way about doing that. Let's talk about Amber for a minute. She's a friend of mine, your wife, who's also a Keller Williams real estate agent, correct?

Jay:

That's right.

Roni:

What's it like living with one of us?

Jay:

Oh, when I get home and we talk, it's like the last thing I want to talk about is a real estate contract, because I do mortgages for a living. So no, I don't want to hear about that. And so, she's loving it. She loves the real estate. I know that you and she talk, and she sort of looks at you even... She watches what you do and how successful you are. And she just really admires what you've been able to do here. And she's a teacher by nature. And there was just a time, when COVID hit, things just went crazy, gymnastics went crazy, school went crazy, put a lot of stress on us. And I just told her, I said, "look, you're really great at people. You're great at educating." What we do is educating people, whether it's mortgage or real estate, but also, just it's a relationship business. She's great with that stuff, just like you are.

Roni:

So let's talk about mortgages for a moment, because you've been in the business for a while. You've talked about you really like to educate your clients, you've been able to serve them, you're very relational with them. That's how you've built your business so successfully. What brings the most joy? What would you say is the most joyous moment of your business side of...?

Jay:

Being someone that's an educator at heart and just being rewarded by altruistic nature, I love to see people just excited about usually their first home or if they had to overcome some challenges to be able to win a contract, as you know, has been difficult lately. And just get them into that home where they walk those kids in, and they're just excited about that. It is a business that you really can change lives. And being able to educate people about what long product, most of the time, that stuff's really boring to most folks. But when you're that person's trying to figure out, "how do I make my budget work? How could I be able to pay for my kids to do gymnastics or whatever and still be able to buy the house that we want to raise our kids in, in the neighborhood that we want to be in?"

That's important for us. We take that pretty seriously. You can look on the TV and you see all these other mortgage companies and it's really just about cheapest rate, cheapest whatever. And at the end of the day, they don't care about whether or not you're in the house of your dreams or not. They just want to make some money or whatever. We're more about, "look, we're more interested in you as part of our family, part of our friendship, and our relationship circle." And that's important to us. So when we see people excited about what this is going to mean for their family, and there's been times, and you've done this too, where you've been at a closing table and somebody's just so happy they're holding you and crying and what have you.

And we've certainly had that. And then, they go to leave a review online and talk about how great things are. Those are the reasons that we do what we do. It's exciting to be able to do that. It's really rewarding, and it allows us to be able to change lives. Why I wake up every day, whether it's county counselor, whether or not we're going to go do mortgages for folks, it's about, how can we help people, bottom line? That's how I am.

Roni:

That's right. That's right.

Jay:

[inaudible 00:09:27] that's how it works.

Roni:

Yeah.

Jay:

You should get into politics.

Roni:

No, Jay, you've tried a few times. I'm quite comfortable where I am. But although I do appreciate your service to the community at that capacity, in fact, this morning and since you were out of the woods,..

Jay:

I was.

Roni:

Yeah. What were you out there for?

Jay:

So we were out walking. As you know, we built a really nice park on the Ashley River last year. We've been working on it since 2012 when we bought the property. We had to get a referendum to pay for it. Well, we bought additional property on the Ashley River. And the property we're walking on this morning is about 120 acres, really good high property. And it will allow us to expand the 83 acre park that's already on the Ashley River and go across Bacon's Bridge Road. And the property that we were on this morning is just phenomenal. It's beautiful. People don't realize, if you're moving to Charleston, there's a couple things you got to pay attention to. Hurricanes and earthquakes. People don't realize that. This is a seismically active zone. So in that particular piece of property we were walking this morning, there are hills that you don't see in the low country. You're walking up and down hills and topography that you just don't really see, because of the seismically active nature of the Ashley River itself, which is the fault line.

Roni:

Nice. I didn't know that.

Jay:

A lot of people don't, because it's been private property. We now own it. When we open it up, people are going to see it. I'm an upstate South Carolina guy, so I grew up in Spartanburg Greenville. And when I walked through the woods through these hills, it reminds me of the woods that I played in as a kid. You got 40, 50 foot hills that you just don't see in the low country, because the low country is typically pretty flat. And so, the topography is phenomenal. So we're going to be able to do some really special things there. It's about another mile of Ashley River fronted. So that adds to the three quarters of a mile we've got. So we're looking at a lot of trails. We're looking at doing a ropes course through the trees out there potentially, which is nice.

These are really mature old a hundred plus year old trees along the Ashley River. So there's no shortage of ideas that we started talk about today. Just getting out there and walking. And the thing about what we're doing with Dorchester County, and all of County council bought in with this, our staff bought with it, community's bought in with it, we passed a referendum to pay for these things. The low country's special, Summerville is special. Dorchester County is special, but we've also got a lot of growth pressure and we want to be able to conserve those special places, so that people can get outside and really enjoy what makes this place special. So getting out in the woods this morning, I came in here in camo and boots. And we were out walking around and just enjoying ourselves. But I thought I'd change into something a little more appropriate.

Roni:

Although anybody that knows you would know that your camo is highly appropriate for daily wardrobe.

Jay:

It works for me. Hey, what you see is what you get.

Roni:

So I'm going to hit you up since I have you captive audience and we're filming this, I'm going to ask you, I'm a runner. Can we have a nice running trail in this park?

Jay:

Yeah. That's part of what...

Roni:

Y'all heard it.

Jay:

Okay. No, without a doubt. Now, it would be a cross country trail.

Roni:

That's perfect. I'll take it.

Jay:

In fact, what we were walking through today, there's already trails there from the previous landowners, that we would probably just improve, put some boardwalks across some of the creeks. So there's a lot of Cypress Creeks down through there. So we would do some of that, because the Ashley River Park itself, that 83 acres, is phenomenal. It gives us about a mile and a half of trail throughout the park, this getting across. Because we're going to put a ton under Bacon's Bridge Road and be able to connect the current Ashley River Park to what that expansion would be. And then, we're going to build a bridge across the river to Rosebrock Park, which has got a mile and a half of trails. This property's large enough. Plus, we're looking at buying some additional property. You could conceivably, say, five to 10 miles of potential trails through this property. That would be very good cross country trails. Now, we're not going to be paving those trails. It's down by the river. You want to keep the natural area, but throw on your cross country runners and get to work. That's what we're going to do.

Roni:

I've got them. I just don't have any places to use them with a terrain, that if I'm training for something, especially if I'm going to upstate or into the mountains, it's hard to train for a race on trail in our low country.

Jay:

You're absolutely right. Most of it's just flat.

Roni:

Yeah. So I'm excited about that. And my running community will be excited about that as well.

Jay:

I'm personally excited about that, because I look at it and it's like I think about the races we can do, the training that people can do. And I know that you run a lot. I used to run a lot. Now, if I run a hundred yards, I need oxygen. But at the end of the day, I like to be able to get outside and just really get through there. I do a lot more [inaudible 00:13:59] now, so I'll throw on a 30 pound backpack and just kind of go and walk through there and get going fast. I love that. For me, that's just a good workout.

Roni:

Well, and there's a strong community around here for [inaudible 00:14:09] as well. And it ultimately, we'll go back to what you said earlier, there's something for everybody. No matter what their age or their interest is, there's something for everybody. And you have been a strong leader in our community to get this vision created and oversee the implementing of it as well. So appreciate. On behalf of our county, I would like to say thank you, Jay, but behalf of being a friend, I really thank you for coming on today and sharing your advice and highlighting also, not only what you do for the county, but also, what you do for the mortgage side and kind of diving into your personal world as well.

Jay:

Thank you for having me. Appreciate your friendship. This has been awesome.

Roni:

Good. Glad. Thanks. Thanks for joining us today. I'll see you in two weeks.

Your Friday Market Update - 1/6/23

Wed, 11 Jan 2023 20:50:57 GMT

Happy Friday from Kiawah!

The following text was taken from a Facebook live video on 1/6/23

Hello friends. I'm so excited to be here and let's give it a few minutes. See if anybody joins us. I get to be here from Kiawah Island today. Kiawah Island is where I'm located. It's on the coast of the Charleston low country territory. It is in our MLS area and it's in our backyard, so to speak. So you're about, I don't know, an hour from downtown Charleston from here. Hello, hello. Make sure to comment when you come on so that I can see who's joining me today. Look at this background. Look at this. And the weather and the sun for being in January, I tell you what the low country is the place to be. What a beautiful area that we get to live in, right?

Well, as always, I like to come to you on a Friday and bring to you a market update and kind of give you the scoop of what's happening in our region. And so that's what I'm doing today. But just real quick, as I'm kind of waiting for a couple people to jump on, I'm bringing my team here, this is a friend's house that I get to use periodically. And so I'm bringing my team here today to Kiawah, today and we'll stay overnight and into tomorrow. Thank you for joining. And so anyways, we're going to bring the team here today. I'm already hearing some background noise and all. Hopefully you guys can hear me okay, but literally the wildlife is behind me making sounds and so it's really cool.

Anyways, so the team is joining me this weekend, today and tomorrow because we're going to start goal setting. We're going to pronounce what our goals are to the rest of the team. One of the beautiful things about being on a team is the accountability and the camaraderie that we have. And my team is extra special because we really have a unique blend of personalities and experiences and everybody brings something unique to the team. And so what better way to start the new year than to be here in the low country at Kiawah? And so we will enjoy some team building activities and goal setting and then every month we're going to be pronouncing those goals and what we've accomplished to the team at the first of every single month as we go through 2023. It's going to be a great time.

So we'll take some videos and share some pictures of our journey over the next couple of days. But that's what my team is doing today. We are still tapped into work mode, but the beautiful thing is, and I say this a lot to family and friends, is the nice thing about real estate is that we can do it from anywhere. One of the downfalls is we get to do it from everywhere. There's no turnoff switch to our business. But the real estate market's going to be interesting in 2023, and I'm looking forward to it. I personally have already put something under contract. I've got another offer pending and I've got a couple of offers that have been promised to me by the end of the day.

So it's not a dead market and I'm going to keep preaching that because it is not a dead market. It's either a buyer's market, it's a seller's market, it may be a normalized market, which is kind of what we're going into, or maybe it's even an investor's market, but it's always a great time to be in real estate. And people are continuing to build equity in their houses. So don't see these price drops, sellers are oftentimes still overshooting the market. Builders started putting out a lot of inventory and we've seen that throughout the low country. There's been a slowdown from buyer activity of course, because the interest rates, that's exactly what the federal government was looking to do was to control the economy. And so they've raised interest rates to do that, but activity is still happening because people are still going to be moving here. People are still going to want to upsize and downsize and relocate, and their families are going to shift, and jobs are going to transfer and all of that.

So there will continue to be a need for the market. But those that are just joining me, look at this background. So I'm coming to you live from Kiawah Island. Our team, our MLS does cover all of the low country. And so I get to be here from Kiawah Island today. My team is going to be out here working on Kiawah today and tomorrow. I'm housing them at a friend's place here on Kiawah. So we're going to be goal setting and all. So share with me what your goals are for 2023. I know I personally tap into my investment advisor. I like to put money into investments into the stock market, but I have somebody that I rely on to control that and advise me of that. And I meet with that financial advisor at least once a year. Sometimes more often than that. I have a financial advisor. I have somebody that oversees different things in my life, but what about a real estate advisor, guys?

How often are you meeting with your real estate advisor? Have you built so much equity in your house that maybe it's a time to buy an investment property? And what does that look like? I'm sure you have a CPA. You probably meet with them once a year. Don't ever hesitate to reach out to me. I get people that will call me and they'll say, I'm sorry, I might be bothering you. Y'all, it's an honor when my phone rings. And that's an honor every time I get to answer it. So don't ever feel like you're bothering me. If you want to rely on Zillow to tell you what the equity is in your house, you go right ahead. If you want a better resource than that, I've got one. It's called Homebot and I can put into there what your houses actual value is after running the comparative market analysis. And then we can see how much equity you've got in it, and what your loan payoff is, and it will shoot you over a very realistic number. And it's a lot more detailed than Zillow. Do not rely on Zillow, guys.

So let me be your resource with all things real estate. So that's my message. Again, coming to you from Kiawah. Y'all enjoy your weekend. I'm going to go and enjoy mine. You'll see some fun videos and photos over the next couple of days from my team. If I can be of help to you in any way or anybody that you know, guys, family, friends, let me know. And thank you for tapping in. And good morning to those, Kevin, I see you on here. And Braden, I see you on here. And Leslie and Kim. I've got some past clients, some great friends, some business partners that are on here. So thank you to each of you for tapping in. Y'all, enjoy your weekend. I'm here if you need me. Take great care. See you soon.

For the LOVE of Real Estate + Podcast Transcript of Heather Eichelberg from Alair Homes Summerville

Wed, 11 Jan 2023 20:49:22 GMT

Meet Heather Eichelberg!

The following is a transcript from our latest podcast episode. New episodes every Wednesday - available on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and Spotify.

Roni:

Thanks for joining me today. I'm here with Heather Eikenberg with Elaire Homes, and we're going to talk about life and business.

Heather, thank you for being with me today.

Heather:

Absolutely. Thank you so much for inviting me. This is very exciting.

Roni:

It is exciting. So you and I have been friends for a long time.

Heather:

Yes, a long time when I think about it because you know how I refer to that commercial that you may or may not have been in all those years ago.

Roni:

You're referring to the boss commercial when my now 15 year old was... Oh, I don't know, maybe three or four months old.

Heather:

Oh, definitely. Yeah, definitely. Not to date you or anything. I mean, you still look great today, but yes.

Roni:

Yeah, it's been a few years. So I have watched you grow in business and kind of segued into some custom home building and representing a builder now. But you and I met a couple of weeks ago, right when you had joined that company and you were talking about kind of the unbelievable opportunity. Your phone rang basically out of the blue.

Heather:

Literally. Yes.

Roni:

Yes. And you were given the opportunity to start working for a company. And your question kind of was in your mind, and what you described to me is a little bit unbelievable. How did you get to this point that this opportunity landed on your plate?

Heather:

Absolutely. So without dating myself too terribly much, I started out about... Gosh, been almost 20 years ago now, and I worked for a very well known real estate company here in the low country for almost 14 years. So anything that came across the... I mean, I'm sorry, came out of the ground, came across my desk. So that could be down to the minutiae of naming streets, getting permits and things from municipalities, you name it. I did it. And then it came to a point in my career there where there was nowhere to go. There was nowhere to grow, and I don't sit still well, and I don't sit behind the desk well, and I had an opportunity to actually go and take that knowledge that I had gained on the development side of real estate and just focus it all on countertops. So I went to work for a local fabricator who just also happened to be my sister, and learned everything there is to know about stone, to the point where I walk in restaurants and bars and people's houses and can identify what they've got going on there.

And we had a great run doing that. And then I had an opportunity to go and work for a stone wholesaler, which I did for a short little time. And like you were mentioning, I got a call out of the blue one day sitting at my desk at the job previous to this one. And it was one of the builders that I had called on when I worked for my sister in an outside sales capacity. And he asked me, "Hey, what are you doing?" I said, "Nothing. What are you doing? What a nice surprise." And yeah, he said, "Would you like to have coffee?" I said, "Sounds great." So we had coffee. That was a Tuesday. We had coffee on Friday, and I literally had no idea what he wanted to talk to me about. But fortunately for me, it was the dream job that I never knew existed. That's what I tell people.

Roni:

And one thing that you had said to me was the persistence.

Heather:

Yes.

Roni:

That was a term that you used, and I think in business in general, but definitely as a fellow woman in business, persistence is kind of the name of the game, right?

Heather:

Absolutely, it is. The squeaky wheel gets the oil. You can use that old analogy because that is definitely this kind of thing. So my new boss, as he is now, really a mentor, believe it or not, because he is younger than me. That's why I say that. But anyway, he said that he had had a layer come and actually do an assessment of his franchise because he has a long-term goal, talking 10, 15, 20 year goal for his company. And he had them come in and take a look at how he could make that move to where he wants to go for his future goals. And he really had a vision that he needed somebody to come into an operational role. Well, when they did the assessment, they said, no, Michael, you as the owner need to just be the owner and run all this operational things.

You need somebody to come in and do the things that you're not comfortable with, getting in those people's faces repeatedly, professionally, politely. But it's just an area where he doesn't typically feel comfortable. So he said, as soon as they told me that I immediately thought of you, which first was a huge compliment for somebody to call you out of the blue. And then we kind of chuckled because I said, well, you might know something about me being persistent. That's how I got your business in the first place. And he laughed. There might have been a Bundt cake in there too, with a little bribery. But that's how we really struck up our relationship.

Roni:

And to your point, and I have leveraged myself in business through the use of other people that are better than me. When I first started thinking about a team, I thought, I'm so busy that I don't have time to do everything and do it to the type A diligence that with exactness and just to the excellence that I really wanted to be accountable to. And so I started looking for people that were like me. I missed the mark because really what I now know as I grow as a leader is I got to find people who their strengths are some of my weaknesses. Right?

Heather:

That's exactly right.

Roni:

Just like you and Michael and business compliment each other. He's got his strengths. You've got your strengths. And they don't necessarily match, but your values and your beliefs and the way you want to operate the business and the idea of how to grow the business is similar.

Heather:

Yes, our goals are definitely aligned. And one thing that I will say about Elaire is that they really invest in their people to learn how they think, learn how they process information, how they share ideas. And you don't really think too much about that on the front side. But as the owner operator, he tells me that it really helps him understand why I do the things I do in the order that I do them. So it's very interesting, and it's all about the work-life balance and how we can elevate each other.

Roni:

Yes, yes. Well, let's talk about custom home building for a minute, because from a real estate standpoint, I get a lot of people who are interested in custom building or large scale renovations, but the whole idea scares them a little, right? They don't know who to turn to or where to start. So give me briefly, just an idea. If a client were to come to you today, if I were to refer somebody to Elaire Homes and they wanted to start just brainstorming with you, what would the process look like?

Heather:

Sure, sure. So everything is a little bit different because as a custom home builder and remodeler, everything is going to be curtailed to that particular individual of their family, their lifestyle, their long-term goals for their home. One thing that Elaire does that's a little bit different I think than most general contractors or a handyman service that you might call on is we are very into the planning portion of it. And by that I mean we come you, let's say you call us, you want to remodel your bathroom. So we come over, we take a look at your bathroom. We ask you, what is your vision? What do you want? What color schemes? We ask a lot of questions. We sort of evaluate the space. And based on our previous experience, we're able to put together what we call a project feasibility overview. And what that does is that gives you a high, low end range.

It's not just a solid quote that we email over to you. We put it together based on our feedback from you, and then we come back and present it to you as a project. We like to look at it as we are your trusted advisor. We kind of speak on your behalf, look out for you. That's why we are accountable to all of our sub-trades. Anything that is ordered and purchased through us is warrantied through us. So in that process of planning, there is a cost associated with that. And sometimes people can be the least bit skeptical, but once they really get to understand why we do that, it makes perfect sense. Because in all of the planning, what you're really doing is mitigating as much risk as possible. We get to understand that you want two sinks and a bathtub and no shower and that sort of thing, and really dial into exactly what you want and you need for your home.

So that's what sets us apart a little bit. So once we go through planning, we come back and we propose like, okay, this is your final budgets. We're really kind of have nailed it down, gotten to exactly where we want to be. And at that point, you can either say yay or nay. So what people don't understand that I think is really crucial. If you pick a contractor and they quote you X dollars, and you say, great, go ahead. But you don't do that planning and they open up a wall, or they pull up your floor and there's mold or there's termite damage or anything like that, you haven't planned. And so you're not expecting this additional cost, and maybe it's $200, maybe it's $20,000, but the planning portion of what we do really makes a difference.

Roni:

One thing that you said early on was what the long-term vision is. And that's where it is time consuming upfront for that planning process and where your expertise and where Michael's expertise can really play in. Because there's a lot of contractors that might be able to execute a project. There are few that really have the... To be able to counsel somebody to get to that vision to then implement

Heather:

That's exactly right. So people, they watch HGTV. Who doesn't watch HGTV?

Roni:

Listen, I have a love hate relationship.

Heather:

Exactly.

Roni:

People, get off course here for just a moment. People always say you, what's your favorite show on HGTV? Listen, I do this for a living. I don't have to be entertained by television.

Heather:

That's exactly right.

Roni:

To get into the houses.

Heather:

And they'll say, oh, I saw X, Y, Z, and I love this. And I'm like, I love all those things too.

Roni:

Let's come back to reality.

Heather:

Yeah. We're not in Hollywood with all the cameras and the glam.

Roni:

That's right. And unlimited budgets and... Yeah. So, well, let's shake it up a little bit and talk about you personally, because you are a longtime resident of Somerville.

Heather:

Yes.

Roni:

Yeah. Born and raised in this area. Family's very invested in this area. I know your mom. I know your dad. I know your sister. And y'all have had a strong presence in Somerville, Dorchester County for your whole life.

Heather:

A long time. Yeah. We moved here in 85 when I was 10. So yeah, I just dated myself, but that's okay. But what I like to laugh about is when I went to school here, there was one high school, Dorchester Road was two lanes, and Berlin Myers did not exist. So to see the growth in how Somerville has really grown up and out, used to be just kind of think of the downtown area, the Garons, the Hutchinson Square over there. But now it's so much more than that. I mean, between Nexon and Kane Bay and Volvo and just all those things, we're going to run out of room eventually.

Roni:

There's two sides to every fence. And some people don't like to see growth. Some do. Which side of the fence are you on?

Heather:

Oh, I'm all about growth. Without growth, there's no return on your investment.

Roni:

It makes it community.

Heather:

Yes.

Roni:

It makes it community. Like the people here that are finding livelihood and giving back to support the community. That's what it's about. That's the side of the fence I'm onto. I love seeing growth, responsible growth.

Heather:

Responsible growth. Absolutely. Absolutely.

Roni:

What would be something, and I'm putting you on the spot here, what would be one thing, maybe two things that you would say are the biggest changes in Somerville from let's say 85 when you moved here to today?

Heather:

Really just the roads and the infrastructure and how you get from point A to point B. I mean, there used to be kind of one way in and one way out. And now, I mean, I could sit here and tell you six different ways I could go home from this point kind of thing. That would probably be number one. And I think I just continue to be amazed at the general population growth. I mean, not just the homes and the apartments and the storage facilities and the new retail things, but just the number of people that come to this city on a daily basis. I mean, it really surprises you if you get down into those statistics.

Roni:

So they say that the net number of people that Charleston, Metro Charleston gain each day is 33.

Heather:

Wow.

Roni:

33. Now, that's accounting for the people that are leaving or death or whatever. And also the people that are migrating to this area. So we are a net gain of 33 people per day, but we can see why. There's a huge level of economy that support that growth and climate. And I get a lot of people that come here for political reasons. It doesn't matter what side of the fence you're on that one, it's just a good environment for people of all ages to that's to come to. Whether it's young, and they're looking for the hip life down in Charleston, which is where I lived when I first moved to Charleston, was downtown, right there on Meeting Street and then up by the Citadel for several years.

And I loved that lifestyle when I was young, and there's a lot of people that are down there. Or when I started looking at, okay, I want to raise a family. Where am I going to live? Well, I'm going to live right in the heart of Somerville.

Heather:

And you did.

Roni:

And I did.

Heather:

You did. Yeah. You sure did.

Roni:

And I still do, and I love it here. I opened this Callow Williams office or helped to open this because I love to work where I live.

Heather:

I was going to say.

Roni:

I want to keep my circle very tight.

Heather:

Exactly. Exactly. I mean, even just the things that we've talked about recently that you have going on with the tree lighting coming up, and we had a great event this past week with our builders and brews and things. But I just think it's so neat to see how like-minded people can come together, share their visions, collaborate with one another, and just both be equally successful. We've kind of adopted the philosophy of collaboration over competition because it's all the two heads are better than one. I can sit here and throw out analogies till we're blue in the face, but there really is something to be said about that.

Roni:

There is. And I appreciate you coming on the show. You and I are very like-minded, and we certainly like to collaborate and share business amongst each other. And I love just your vision for where Elaire is going and looking forward to being able to work with you in the future.

Heather:

Yes. I can't wait to see what we can come up with. I think it's going to be big.

Roni:

All right. Well, thanks for being with me today.

Heather:

Absolutely. Thanks for having me.

Roni:

You bet.

Heather:

Roni, thank you so much for having me today. It has really been a pleasure. I'm excited about our visions, and I just want to remind everybody that with Elaire Homes, living better starts here.

Roni:

I'll catch you next week.

Key News // Vol 5 // Issue 1

Tue, 03 Jan 2023 18:56:01 GMT

Key News // Vol 5 // Issue 1

Happy New Year!

We had an amazing year with helping 85 families buy or sell their homes. Our team ranks as #13 in the Charleston Trident MLS for sales production with a total of $36.4M in production. Thank you for allowing us to serve you and help you reach your real estate goals.
There are 2,743 active listings in our local market today and 1,166 homes currently under contract. The average days on market for December was 38 days.

The Charleston Economy
Redwood Materials, a producer of anode & cathode battery components will invest $3.5B to establish operations in Berkeley County, creating 1,500 new jobs. This is the largest economic development announcement in South Carolina history! Striped Pig Distillery will expand operations in Charleston County, investing $10M and creating 50 new jobs. Boeing of Charleston got busy when United Airlines ordered 100 new Boeing 787 Dreamliners in a contract with an option to add 100 more — the largest widebody aircraft order by a U.S. carrier in commercial aviation history, according to the company. Charleston Harbor is now the deepest harbor on the East Coast at 52 feet after completion of $580M project. At that depth, the biggest ships calling on the East Coast can access South Carolina Ports’ terminals any time, any tide, a news release from the South Carolina Ports Authority stated. Ships filled with record imports and heavy exports can seamlessly sail through Charleston Harbor to SC Ports’ terminals. This depth makes SC Ports more competitive, helping to attract new ship services, first-in-calls and more cargo to South Carolina. A $2M gift from Boeing will allow the South Carolina Aquarium to expand its education programming. The Boeing Learning Lab at the Maritime Center will be the Charleston peninsula’s first waterfront multidisciplinary learning center.

_____________________ ____Current Median Prices

___• Summerville: $371K__________________• Mount Pleasant: $725K
___• Goose Creek: $305K________________ _• James Island: $468K
___• Moncks Corner: $343K______ __ ______• West Ashley: $403K
___• Hanahan: $285K___________________ __• Charleston: $495K
___• North Charleston: $315K_____ ________• Downtown Charleston: $795K

Stay tuned for your market updates & click the image below to follow me on Facebook for a live update every Friday!

***

Questions about anything above? Contact me at Roni.e.haskell@gmail.com

Key News // Vol 4 // Issue 25

Tue, 13 Dec 2022 20:18:32 GMT

Key News // Vol 4 // Issue 25

NEW LISTING ALERT

1724 Refuge Drive, Ladson

3��️, 2½��, 2,444 sqft.
Charming home with lots of custom details throughout adding tremendous value. With a great layout and open concept downstairs it will be a delight to host guests or family gatherings in the home, no-one will be left out of the fun or conversation.

Simmons Avenue, Summerville

3 Vacant Lots ready to be built on. Water and electricity at road. Enjoy easy access to all of Charleston employers and local attractions in this centrally located community with dining and shopping all around.

***

Questions about anything above? Contact me at Roni.e.haskell@gmail.com

Your Friday Market Update - 12/9/22

Tue, 13 Dec 2022 20:14:12 GMT

Merry Christmas!

The following text was taken from a Facebook live video on 12/9/22

What an awesome day to be in the low country. There are so many festivities that are happening this week as we kick off this holiday season. The Summerville Parade is going to be on Sunday afternoon. The Sounds of Christmas, which I'm personally narrating, is going to be on Sunday afternoon, performance at 3:00 and at 5:30. There is just so much liveliness that gets celebrated here in the Charleston region. So I hope that you'll join me as all of the fun is happening.

Today, I'm bringing to you a quick market update to tell you what's happening in the sales within Charleston. Even though it is the holiday season, we've had a pretty good selling week this week with 218 total properties going under contract. 388,000 is the median sales price. 388,000. That's holding pretty strong guys. 10% of our sales this week were in a million dollar plus price point, zero for sale, or... I'm sorry, short sales or foreclosures. So don't expect that to change anytime soon. It's still a strong market, especially if you're a buyer. You're able to find properties that might meet your criteria, and so reach out to us.

This one back behind me is actually on the market. It is in Daniel's Orchard, which is in historic Summerville. It is a wonderful house. I'm going to showcase it here in a minute, but let me tell you about Daniel's Orchard. There are 52 properties in this neighborhood. It's a gem of a location because you're as close to the interstate as you can be and staying in Dorchester County. So it does have Dorchester County schools, which are highly sought after, but it also is close proximity to the interstate and walking distance. And golf carting distance bike rides into downtown Charleston. You can also walk to the elementary and middle schools, which is a huge plus as well.

So there is so much to love about the community. We just showcased the green space. There's a gazebo, there's a fire pit, all overlooking from this house. In a true low country style home it is, from the color of the outside all the way through. Let's go in and take a peek.

So this house is currently listed for $525,000. It is five bedrooms guys, five bedrooms, with the master down. There's some other great features that are in the downstairs as well. We walk in to a nice foyer. It drives me nuts when you walk into a home and you don't actually have a nice greeting spot for your guests or family who are coming to visit. So this does have a nice, really warm, open foyer. Hardwood floors are carried throughout the downstairs.

And let's see. We've got a formal dining room here, wainscotting, tray ceiling, all the things, all the formalities that you would want in your formal dining space. And then we have a nice open concept throughout the downstairs on the back of the home. It has family room with the gas fireplace, big kitchen, tile backsplash, granite countertop, stainless appliances, gas stove top. Again, all the things that you're going to want in your higher-end house. Another great strong perk to this house is this back screened porch.

And I will tell you these houses were built by Pulte Homes and not many of them have this large of a screened porch. So this is a really great perk because you get outdoor living. Let's be honest, it's a big deal for us here in the low country. We love our outdoor spaces, but we do have some little pesty gnats and mosquitoes. So this screened porch will help give you that protection from those.

But if you're looking to grill and just have some nice lounge spot outside, we have a patio and we still have green space. So you're not giving up your yard for the sake of having just the screened porch and patio. You still can have it all. So let's take a walk back inside and I'll tell you about the upstairs of the house.

I guess one other thing to highlight as well, that's a really cool feature, this laundry room is downstairs, but one thing that my house at home does not have that I love about this one, look at this space. It can be a folding table, which is what they use it as. You could line this wall with shelves if you needed additional storage and if you like to stock up at big box stores for all of your paper goods and food items, tons of space, who doesn't need an extra storage pocket?

It has a home office up in the front of the house. Just tons of wonderful features throughout. Upstairs houses the master, it houses three more bedrooms. And let's see... A loft area is upstairs as well. There's no lacking space. The home office can be a bedroom as well, guys. So if you need... Because there's a full bath tucked away over here in the corner. So if you needed a mother-in-law suite, or maybe it's a guest room that's a little protected against the crazy of your family, then it's down here if you needed that.

So tons of space in this house offered again for $525,000. The house will be open this weekend. So stop by from 12:00 to 2:00 just before you head over to the Summerville Christmas parade. You get the chance to stop in and take a peek, learn more about the house and all that Daniel's Orchard has to offer.

Have a wonderful weekend guys, and Merry Christmas.

Key News // Vol 4 // Issue 24

Tue, 06 Dec 2022 23:57:20 GMT

Key News // Vol 4 // Issue 24

The h oliday season is here, and we are getting ready to wrap-up the year! Last month our team helped 9 families buy or sell their homes. We closed on 8 properties and placed a home under contract. There are 3,032 active listings in our local market today and 1,385 homes currently under contract. The average days on market for November was 29 days.

The Charleston Economy
MUSC health system and Quai MD, a deep-tech startup offering an AI-based clinical pathways platform, entered into a licensing agreement to advance their unique platform. Roper St. Francis Healthcare will build a new $1B campus in North Charleston that will include a new hospital and office building. Global startup Eveon Containers selected the Lowcountry for its North American Headquarters. The aeronautics program at Charleston Southern University has achieved designation as a Part 141 pilot school this fall. CSU is the only institution in SC to offer a BS in Aeronautics. Bosch announced that it will invest more than $260M to expand production of electrification products at the North Charleston facility. This will add 350 new jobs to the site by 2025.

Current Median Prices

• Summerville: $390K

• Mount Pleasant: $765K
• Goose Creek: $306K

• James Island: $665K
• Moncks Corner: $349K

• West Ashley: $453K
• Hanahan: $375K

• Charleston: $500K
• North Charleston: $307K

• Downtown Charleston: $755K

Stay tuned for your market updates & follow me on Facebook for a live update every Friday!

***

Questions about anything above? Contact me at Roni.e.haskell@gmail.com

Key News // Vol 4 // Issue 23

Thu, 01 Dec 2022 20:06:47 GMT

Key News // Vol 4 // Issue 23

NEW FEATURED LISTINGS!

203 Bellflower Drive, Downtown Summerville

Enjoy 5 bedrooms and 4 full baths, in the heart of downtown Summerville. Convenient to shopping, interstate access and a bike ride through town, this home h as all the above and lives large with just over 3000 sq ft! Reach out to us for a private showing 843-297-1935

8558 Refuge Point Circle, North Charleston

High quality and impeccable style are in this new 2022 built home. This home faces the community amenities and dock with river access and backs to a tranquil pond. The deep porches are on the front and rear of the home offering many options for outdoor living. Fine finishes include hardwood floors, custom lighting, pocket-style floors, electric fireplace, quartz countertops and more! Reach out to us for a private showing 843-297-1935

OUR PREFERRED VENDORS

Window Gang

Highly recommended window washing company - Window Gang Summerville is rated 5-Stars for the last 5-years in a row!
With courteous and professional staff, WGS works on residential homes and commercial businesses alike for house/building washing, internal/external windows, gutter cleaning and more. Using environmentally friendly solutions that keep windows cleaner longer, they are the “go-to” window experts in the area. Serving Daniel Island, Berkley and Dorchester counties in Summerville.

Dorchester County will be celebrating our 125th Anniversary on Saturday, December 10 from 9am - 1pm at the Ashley River Park (200 Renken Rd., Summerville). Come out to enjoy music, food, and activities!

***

Questions about anything above? Contact me at Roni.e.haskell@gmail.com

For the LOVE of Real Estate + Podcast Transcript of Attorney Tara Frost from Frost Law Group, LLC

Thu, 01 Dec 2022 20:01:33 GMT

Meet Tara Frost!

The following is a transcript from our latest podcast episode. New episodes every Wednesday - available on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and Spotify.

Roni:

Thanks for joining me today. I'm here with Tara Frost and we're going to talk about women, business and faith. Welcome, Tara.

Tara:

Yes. Thank you so much for having me.

Roni:

You bet. I'm glad that you joined me. We've gotten to be friends over the last few years.

Tara:

We have.

Roni:

Yes. And we met because you hired me to list your home.

Tara:

I did. I hired you to list our home in Coosaw Creek and then we've also hired you to help us with some other homes and you've helped some friends and family members of mine.

Roni:

Well, it's an honor and privilege always. But really the best honor is that we've gotten to be friends, and close friends through all of this.

Tara:

This has been a joy. It has been so much fun.

Roni:

Well, I asked you to come onto the show today because I admire you as a women leader in the community of Summerville. And tell us about your years here. You grew up in Summerville, right?

Tara:

I did. I'm actually born in the area, well Charleston area, and grew up in Summerville, went to Summerville High School and have never really left the tri-county area. I went to college downtown at the College of Charleston and then worked in this tri-county area pretty much all my life. And then went to the Charleston School of Law and we did move downtown for a little while, but now we've settled back in Summerville and love it.

Roni:

Tell me about what has changed, the good and the bad maybe, if you have any bad. But you've watched this community grow a lot.

Tara:

I have. And, well, let me clarify. I kind of grew up in a different side of Summerville, so I didn't know how beautiful in town Summerville was. And when we came back and I got to really learn about the area, I just love the look of Summerville. I love the community of Summerville. Everybody here, while it is still growing, it has a really small town feel, which is amazing. And Summerville does a great job of keeping that intact and having all the different events in town. But with the growth does come the infrastructure issues. And there is a lot of traffic, but that's going to happen.

Roni:

This community is attractive to a lot of people. So a lot of people move here. And you're right, the infrastructure is something that's got to keep up with that flow of people that ingress of people that it attracts. But you mentioned community and when we first met, let's go back to the fact that when we first met, you were specifically moving out of Coosaw Creek to move into Dorchester County with a purpose. You told me what your goal was. Let's talk business for a minute because you were very clear on that goal and that was to be in a judge seat, hopefully, right? And so tell us about that journey between years of hospitality, kind of as a background, and then into a little bit of a sales field for a bit. And then on to law school. And just, as you've grown as a leader in your world, let's talk about what that vision was to become a judge. And why would you have that?

Tara:

Well, that's a great question. Well, first of all, you mentioned hospitality. I did spend many, many years in hospitality and it is a very difficult industry as you probably imagine. Weekends, holidays, nights are really where the income is in hospitality. And so I've always wanted to be a business owner. And so it was either go do something different or start my own restaurant/bar. Well, I realized I wanted to do something different. But in between hospitality and law school, I owned a window covering company with my dad. So we were in homes and everything, and I enjoyed that. Went to law school because I just thought the law was a very unique and interesting place to go and business to be in. And so when I was in law school, I realized that I wanted to start my own business there as well.

I enjoyed owning a window covering company with my dad. And that, unfortunately, I got out of that in 2008 when the market kind of took that little dive, as you probably know. But everything happens for a reason. So it was really great. And went to law school. While I was in law school, decided I was going to go ahead and just start my own firm. Started Frost Law Group in 2014. And it's just been great ever since. When we were in Coosaw Creek, we were in the Charleston County area of Coosaw Creek, which is a very small part of the neighborhood. And so I'm not a Charleston County girl, I'm a Dorchester County girl. I'm born and raised in all of this area. And so we realized that I would be better suited to serve the citizens and residents of Dorchester County. And so we moved back to the Summerville area, still managing and running the law firm, but moved back to the Summerville area with the goal to yes, get some sort of seat on the bench, if you will.

Roni:

Well, and congratulations because that goal has recently been met.

Tara:

Yes.

Roni:

And so you are serving the community at the capacity of a magistrate judge, correct?

Tara:

Yes, I am.

Roni:

And still running the law firm. Let's talk for a quick minute because your husband, you must be very influential in your home as well, because your husband is now also an attorney in Frost Law Group.

Tara:

He is.

Roni:

And so what does that look like working with your husband? You all never really take a break from each other much besides when he is playing golf perhaps?

Tara:

Well, I will say-

Roni:

How do you balance it?

Tara:

It started off very challenging. It was not the easiest at the very beginning. We're two very type A personality people. We're very strong willed. But it has been an amazing, amazing ride. We make it work and he is my best friend. I still do a lot of the administrative stuff. I still handle cases, but he just, he's my go-to person and I really, really enjoy working with him. And thank you for saying that I must be influential because sometimes I'm not sure about that.

Roni:

Well, I think there is a lot of mutual respect between the two of you all and you all are really childhood sweethearts, if I might say.

Tara:

We are.

Roni:

And kind of give that tidbit of information. But yeah, you all are very respectful of each other. And I have seen that over the years of dealing with some real estate related and probate and estate work that we've handled cohesively. So I love both of you all and I respect both of you all. But I can see that when you have that in your home, it carries over into your business as well.

Tara:

It does. And you know how Jack can be sometimes. So it's kind of interesting.

Roni:

Yes. Well, tell us more about the work atmosphere. You're very strong in your faith in Christ. And you proclaim that in not only your house, but also in your work world.

Tara:

I do.

Roni:

And so tell us what that looks like? When you bring employees in and such, how does your faith impact your work atmosphere?

Tara:

Thank you for asking that question. I am born again Christian since 2018. So before all of that, none of that was even a concept to me. But since the Lord has come into my life, it has been, he is the captain of my ship. And so I just make sure anybody that comes into my office knows that this is a faith-based family setting. You do not have to feel the same way. I don't force it upon anybody. But it helps me give just a tremendous amount of grace.

I am able to handle situations with a little less difficulty, I guess, if you will. And it flows very, very well. I'm so thankful for all the blessings that the Lord has brought into our business and our personal life. And I will be honest with you, I don't feel like I would be where I am today without the leadership of Christ in my life and in my business. It makes me appreciate so much of everything that we do have. And even just the opportunity of sitting here with you is a blessing and just having our friendship and watching you grow as well as myself. I know we both feel the same way in faith and it's just, I don't know, I could talk about to you about this for hours.

Roni:

Well, and your life of joy is because of Christ. And you are a light into the world of so many.

Tara:

Thank you so much.

Roni:

Well, one thing that I think your motto is don't mistake kindness for weakness.

Tara:

Yes.

Roni:

I think I've seen that somewhere, correct?

Tara:

Yes. Yes.

Roni:

And so you do bring a lot of kindness, and especially when you're working with estates, probates, family matters and such. There's a lot of kindness and guidance that has to happen. But just similarly to my business, we're negotiating a lot, it does not mean that it has to equal weakness. We are both very strong-willed women and very powerful in our businesses. And so I really relate to that motto that you have. I like it.

Tara:

It's funny because I got that when I was doing family law. And as a new attorney, especially a female attorney, you kind of get this behavior back at you with an aggressive behavior. And I always wanted to be kind. And sometimes my clients didn't understand that. They thought that I was a lay down, if you will. But I'm kind of, if you want to compare the turtle and the hare, I'm like the turtle where I'm going to slow roll it, I'm going to know what I'm doing. And then when we're getting to the finish line, it's time to go and I'm crossing that finish line while everybody else is in chaos. But yes, the kindness, don't mistake my kindness for weakness. You're exactly right. Because sometimes when we are kind, being kind is, it's not a weakness. It's actually a very strong thing, especially in the face of a lot of adversity and people coming at you.

And to be able to step back and say, you know what, I'm going to treat these people who are being aggressive with me with kindness. That is a faith-based spiritual attitude. And so now that I'm carrying that in to my faith in my life and my business, yes it is definitely you see that shine a lot more and it makes you stronger. And it makes things actually a lot more enjoyable because when somebody is aggressive with you in a situation like negotiating and stuff, when that is all finished, you find that they respect you a lot more and they're thankful for your kindness. And it just creates a really beautiful growing relationship amongst individuals that are your adversary in the legal profession. Opposing counsel is considered our adversary in those moments. So yeah, that has been a motto I've carried with me. And I know you do too.

Roni:

It's a great one to have. And I appreciate you coming on today, sharing your thoughts and deep diving into your world. You're respected within this community and your friendship means a lot to me. So I look forward to watching you continue to grow and meet those goals.

Tara:

Well, thank you so much, Roni, and I feel the exact same way about you and just enjoy each and every moment we get to spend together. Thank you so much for having me here.

Roni:

You bet. Thanks for joining me. I'll see in two weeks.

Your Friday Market Update - 11/18/22 + Dorchester Habitat For Humanity

Mon, 21 Nov 2022 05:41:13 GMT

Giving Back!

The following text was taken from a Facebook live video on 11/18/22

Hi friends ! This is Friday and I always like to bring you a market update and let you know what's happening in the community. Today, I'm honored to be able to do so from a Habitat property. This morning, they're going to be raising a wall, and it's really just the acknowledgement and the excitement behind the project of building a family a home. We're out here in Dorchester County today in the heart of Summerville. It is a misconception that it's just a handout to these families. It is actually a hand up. To qualify for the housing, the family has to put work into the property with so many hours, and it's a lot of work hours that they have to be participating in the construction of the home, but also they have to qualify for a financing, a mortgage for the property.

So, it is a hand up to these families and I just really am honored to be a part of what's happening here today in Dorchester County. If you ever want to learn more about Habitat, reach out to me. I will plug you into this wonderful organization that's all about families and really giving back to the community that really serves us so well. We'll have some excitement, we'll have some photos and such to post later today of the excitement that's happening here, but as a quick market update, we are down in sales production by a little over 16% from this time last year. We are down a bit in sales numbers, but our volume is actually up in terms of sales prices. So, we are up 20% in sales prices. Guys, that's a pretty substantial number to acknowledge. And so yes, the numbers are down in the amount of sales, but again, we are way up in the amount of pricing.

A true statistic, a median sales price this time last year for the Charleston Trident area was 350, and this year we're at 405. That's the median sales price. That's a huge inflation in our prices. So, kudos to you if you own your property. It is not too late. So, here's an interesting fact as well. Yes, interest rates have gone up, but they're still well below historical averages. In fact, last week we were down about three quarters of a point. So if you're looking to purchase, this is still a good time. In fact, if you watch my TikToks and some of the fun stuff that I post, you'll see that even Dave Ramsey... We posted yesterday that Dave Ramsey is saying, "If you need a house, go ahead and buy it." Interest rates are expected to come back down in the Spring, and at that point you will refinance. Don't not buy the house because of the interest rate, guys. They are still very much affordable.

Here's why. If you, six months ago, were looking to buy a house and I had it listed at 450, you likely were going to be paying 500 for that house. So yes, interest rates are lower, but you are going to be paying a lot more. Today, if I have a listing at 450, chances are we can negotiate on that price. The sellers may be willing and able to contribute towards your closing costs. A lot of our deals right now are getting seller paid closing cost assistance, and yes, the interest rate's up, but you're still going to be calculating out about the same kind of payment. You're paying less than list price and you're getting some concessions. So, it's a give and take. Reach out to me if I can ever help you. If you're looking to buy, sell, or invest in the Charleston market or anywhere, I've got people all over the nation I can plug you into and help you. Let me be your resource and have a wonderful weekend. If I don't get to see you before next week, have a happy Thanksgiving.

Bye, guys.

For the LOVE of Real Estate + Podcast Transcript of Brad Mallet with Coastal Coffee Roasters

Thu, 17 Nov 2022 18:45:13 GMT

Meet Brad Mallet!

The following is a transcript from our latest podcast episode. New episodes every Wednesday - available on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and Spotify.

Roni: Roni Haskell here with Keller Williams in downtown Summerville. I'm here with Brad Mallet today at Coastal Coffee Roasters, and we're going to talk about what makes Summerville so great. Stay tuned. All right.

Brad: All right.

Roni: All right, Brad, so you were just telling me you've been here in Summerville for about 12 years. You could have opened up a coffee shop anywhere, right? Tell me what your vision was when you moved here.

Brad: The vision was to get out of the lifestyle that we had in New York. I worked for a telecommunications company. The children's mom worked in nursing, in the hospital field, and it was just getting very overwhelming. We couldn't focus on ourselves, our children, and our community. It was just getting very corporate-minded and driven and the atmosphere in New York was changing rapidly. So we picked up everything and followed... My best friends at the time, his widow moved to Summerville and we came down, fell in love with it, and just made the big jump to say, "Let's move." And then we decided what are we going to do? So we decided to do a coffee company, roasting. A brewery was actually in the business plan and making a community space.

Roni: And that was what, 12 years ago?

Brad: Yeah, 2010.

Roni: So you beat me just by a little bit into town. Oh, no, no, no, I beat you.

Brad: No, you beat me.

Roni: I beat you just a little bit into town. But we both watched this community grow from what was a much smaller town. And in some ways it still feels that way, right? Because the community and the people here still operate on a very personal basis.

Brad: It's one of those small town feels that you don't want to do anything wrong to anybody because everybody's going to know within the end of the day type of thing. Which is great, because if you're raising children, it's nice to know that somebody else is looking out for your kids too.

Roni: Yeah. And this town certainly has that feel.

Brad: I remember when we had that flood, and then the next day, 50 people just showed up-

Roni: To help you.

Brad: ... in the middle of a pandemic to help us get open because their favorite coffee shop was not going to be open. So they all grouped together and helped bring that to fruition.

Roni: So you are former military.

Brad: Yeah.

Roni: And I'm highlighting this because it is Veterans Day today.

Brad: Yeah. Air Force, aim high.

Roni: Yep. So Air Force. You still give a lot back to veterans.

Brad: Yes. This is our big supporting organization that we contribute to called WhenLifeSucks.org. And while it has a humorous name, what they do is really serious. I mean, it really helps to get a veteran who may be struggling with PTSD, a family member who can't get through, meandering through of the programs where they need the help, and they help do all that. We have a similar mindset of getting people outside.

Roni: So just today, from 11:00 to 2:00, you're doing a lot here at Coastal to highlight and benefit this organization. But that's not the only organization that you benefit. I mean, you're pretty integrated within the community.

Brad: Please don't ask me the list because it's too big. I don't know where it is.

Roni: But that's your way to serve back the community that serves you.

Brad: Yes, absolutely.

Roni: It helps you build your business. My girls, in fact, told me, they said, "Oh, he owns this business. He must be very wealthy." But really-

Brad: You probably get that too.

Roni: Sometimes I do. Sometimes I do. But really we give back to the community and help support by having employees and a place for work. And it's a livelihood that we both have built for ourselves here in Summerville.

Brad: It's an absolute blessing. I recently traveled with April all across the country. It was 51 days, 7,800 miles. And what we took away from it was that this is always going to be home.

Roni: Yeah. Yeah.

Brad: This is a place to come back to. It's a place that you know everybody. And how many people send things out saying when somebody else goes away, please continue to post and share that, because we're getting to see a part of America that I may not have had the opportunity to go see or the time to see. And I have an amazing team that allows me to do that.

Roni: Yeah. It's all about the people, it really is.

Brad: It is.

Roni: Whether it's the employees or the customers that come in. This community has a strong work ethic. Would you agree with that?

Brad: I do.

Roni: Yeah, it's really strong. I mean, there's so much that happens in Summerville culturally. There's tons of organizations. And I don't know that I've ever been a part of a community that's been more philanthropy-based than Summerville.

Brad: That's very true. I agree with that wholeheartedly. And even community-based. So we do the Pledge of Allegiance at 8:00 every morning. You've been a part of that.

Roni: I have.

Brad: And when I go away, it's not relied on my staff to make that happen.

Roni: You have community members to step in.

Brad: Our community will step in. Now, they could be veterans, they could be business owners. It could be political civic people. It doesn't matter. It's the fact that we live in the greatest country in the world and it's not a bad thing to say, "Yeah, I'm proud to live here."

Roni: Yeah, yeah. My roots got very deep here. When I moved from Alabama to Charleston, it was for a six-week internship, but I stayed in Charleston because I loved the culture, I loved the atmosphere, I loved the weather. There are a lot of reasons why I stayed. But when I started to look at having a family, I decided to move to Summerville specifically because I wanted the schools, I wanted the community. I wanted the events that would happen out at the town square. All of that is what I wanted.

Brad: Third Thursday.

Roni: Third Thursday. Although it wasn't a thing when I first moved here, but it has certainly gotten to be. The farmers market on Saturday mornings, which y'all have a presence at as well.

Brad: Yeah, we're there.

Roni: Yeah, I mean, there's just so much. It's almost you don't have enough time to be integrated into every aspect of this community. But there's something here for everybody.

Brad: How many places have you gone, "Well, there's nothing to do here. There's nothing to do here"? And I think that mindset doesn't exist here because there's so much to do. It's almost too many things to do. And we've had these conversations where it's like, "Well, I got four events I got to be at. I can't split myself four ways," so you do the best you can.

Roni: That's right.

Brad: And everybody's supportive of each other, and I think that really, really helps.

Roni: It plays into and it builds that community that we were talking about earlier.

Brad: They say two degrees of separation or seven degrees. It just reminded me of that story where we were trying to... Lost the lock or the key for the lock and we were hacksawing the cable. And the guy that was helping me, Rashawn?

Roni: uh-huh, I remember.

Brad: Was somebody that you went to school with or you guys-

Roni: Yeah, he went to Auburn and I did too. Yeah, graduated. Yeah. So we made a quick connection right out.

Brad: Quick connection right here at Coastal Coffee Roasters. And that happens a lot.

Roni: I bet it does. I bet it does. There's not a time that I come in here that I don't see at least one or two or 10 familiar faces. But that's the community that we're talking about that Summerville really has to offer. Well, I'm proud to be a part of this community and I'm so thankful that we've gotten to be friends.

Brad: Oh, absolutely.

Roni: So the hope is that other people, as they move into town, they can benefit from our services. We can lead them.

Brad: Absolutely.

Roni: Depending on where their interests are, where they want to serve the community, we can point them in the right direction of service as well.

Brad: Absolutely. That's what we're for, just a meeting place to help guide that conversation.

Roni: That's right. That's right.

Brad: Awesome.

Roni: Well, thanks, Brad, for joining me today.

Brad: Absolutely. Have a great weekend.

Roni: Thanks, you too.

Brad: Happy Veterans Day.

Roni: Yes. Thanks for joining. Stay tuned for next week.

Key News // Vol 4 // Issue 21

Wed, 16 Nov 2022 19:57:13 GMT

Key News // Vol 4 // Issue 21

MARKET SNAPSHOT

Active Listings

3,167

Pending

1,469

Median Price

$400,000

Days on Market

NEW FEATURED LISTING!

8558 Refuge Point Circle, Summerville

4 ��️, 2½ ��, 2,869 sq. ft.

***

Time to Renew Your Home Warranty Plan?

Save Money & Switch to Choice Home Warranty!

Why Go with Choice?

-Fast Dispatch for Soonest Service

-Convenient Online Claim tracking

-Vetted Local Contractors

-Plans for Under $50/Month

Help protect yourself form unexpected breakdowns & repairs. To order today, just reach out to me. Or for more details, call 888-275- 2980 or contact my local rep below.

Marcia Germain - 843.990.6065

***

LET’S MAKE A BUYER MATCH

If you know of someone looking to sell that has a property that matches this criteria, please reach out to me.
Area: Summerville
Must Haves:

- Located in Legend Oaks Plantation
- 4+ Bedrooms
- Pool or lot that can accommodate a pool
- Office/flex space
- Budget: Up to $600K

***

Questions about anything above? Contact me at Roni.e.haskell@gmail.com

Your Friday Update + Live from Coastal Coffee Roasters with Owner, Brad Mallet

Sun, 13 Nov 2022 18:34:43 GMT

Happy Veteran's Day

The following was taken from a Facebook live post on Friday, 11/11/22.

Roni: Hey friends, Roni Haskell here in Summerville, South Carolina with my friend Brad.

Brad: Yeah.

Roni: Good morning, Brad.

Brad: Good morning. Happy Veteran's Day.

Roni: You've got a lot happening around here today?

Brad: There's something happening here all the time.

Roni: That's about the truth. But today is special.

Brad: Today is very special and we're celebrating our annual barbecue and Veterans Day from 11:00 to 2:00 and all the monies, which is right through this little hole right here, put checks, put cash, all of it goes to whenlifesucks.org. Look them up, they have an amazing mission to help veterans of all walks of life and their families and getting them back to recovery.

Roni: So Brad is a veteran himself. You were in the Air Force.

Brad: I was, long time ago.

Roni: Long time ago. But he-

Brad: Every year it gets longer.

Roni: ... still you do a lot of things around here at Coastal Coffee, like say the Pledge of Allegiance at 08:00 every morning. You're integrated. Did you start this organization?

Brad: I did not.

Roni: You did not.

Brad: Very actively involved with them.

Roni: Very actively involved and today is so special. So from 11:00 to 2:00 there's barbecue, I heard.

Brad: Barbecue, let's see, which is full pork, so there is.

Roni: Full pork, okay.

Brad: Then we have some hot dogs and we have all kinds of sides from coleslaw. Everything made in house by our staff here too.

Roni: Which do a fantastic job.

Brad: And a big shout out to Ed Carter and his family because they're the ones that actually pay for the food. We prepare it, but they pay for it, for this organization to take, or this event to take place every year.

Roni: It's amazing. I'm so proud of-

Brad: Community helping community.

Roni: Community helping community, serving other people, and that's what we like to do. Like to give back to those that serve us so well. Well y'all stop in at Costal Coffee today from 11:00 to 2:00. Bring some cash, bring some checks, dig deep into those pockets. Let's make a contribution to this wonderful organization and to all of our veterans today-

Brad: Yes.

Roni: ... we really celebrate you, we honor you and thank you for the service that you've given us and our country.

Brad: Absolutely. Thank you so much.

Roni: Have a great day.

Brad: Love to see you.

Key News // Vol 4 // Issue 20

Tue, 08 Nov 2022 19:30:46 GMT

Key News // Vol 4 // Issue 20

FEATURED LISTINGS

275 Sea Cloud Circle, Edisto Island

This 1 bed, 1 bath BEACH condo has brand new floors, new paint, new HVAC and is being sold furnished! It is located within walking distance to restaurants and the m arina. Perfect for a short-term rental or vacation home. You don’t want to miss out on living in this island life condo! To learn more, contact me at Roni.e.haskell@gmail.com.

962 Quaker Road, Saint George

This beautiful property is well maintained with 5+ ac res, a house, and pole barn. The home consists of 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and has an extra family room with a fireplace in addition to a formal living and dining room. Easy drive to large employers such as Volvo and Walmart DC and surrounded by the charm of large country estates. To learn more, contact me at Roni.e.haskell@gmail.com.

SAVE THE DATE

LET’S MAKE A BUYER MATCH

If you know of someone looking to sell that has a property that matches this criteria, please reach out to me.
Area: Summerville
Must Haves:
• Located in Legend Oaks Plantation
• 4+ Bedrooms
• Pool or lot that can accommodate a pool
• Office/flex space
Budget: Up to $600K

Questions about anything above? Contact me at Roni.e.haskell@gmail.com

Your Friday Market Update - 11/4/22 + Game Time!

Sun, 06 Nov 2022 21:49:19 GMT

Gameshow Time!

The following text was taken from a Facebook live video on 11/4/22,

Roni: Hello, friends. Happy Friday.

Allison: Happy Friday.

Kimmy: Happy Friday.

Roni: Look, I've got lovely ladies today. Kimmy and Allison are here to join me and so I told them about four minutes ago that we were going to be playing this game. Y'all ready?

Allison: Oh, we're ready. You better watch out.

Roni: They're so competitive. So on Monday, I had them do this crossword puzzle. I made a team crossword puzzle to see how much they knew and they were intense... I finally had to call it. I was like, "Ladies, we got to stop this." It was fun though. Y'all like games?

Allison: Oh yeah.

Kimmy: Yeah.

Roni: You feel like you know the market?

Allison: Oh yeah.

Roni: Alrighty. All right then. Game on. Whoever snatches the highlighter first will get to answer the question first, and then we'll go to the next one. And I'm going to spit these out, so you have to be quick. All right?

Allison: All right.

Roni: Did Feds raise the rates this week?

Allison: Yes.

Kimmy: Yes.

Roni: You can't answer this question. Kimmy, what did you say? Kimmy?

Kimmy: Yes.

Roni: Yes, they did raise the rates by three quarters of another point, and I don't think they're finished yet. So we are climbing guys. What is driving inflation?

Allison: Consumer spending.

Roni: Consumer spending. There you go. Correct. Consumer spending is. All right. Number of homes that went under contract this week.

Allison: 223.

Roni: Boom. All right. Is this number up or down from last week?

Kimmy: Down.

Roni: Down. Brownie points if you can tell me what the number was last week?

Kimmy: Don't know.

Roni: 237, so we are down from last week. How many short sales foreclosures was this week?

Allison: One.

Roni: One. What's the average?

Allison: 12%.

Roni: How many foreclosures to short sales do we usually have at any given week? Never more than...

Kimmy: Two.

Roni: Never more than two. Our market sees no more than two foreclosures to short sales at any given week. All right. Single family home... Blah, blah, blah.

Single family home median price for this week?

Kimmy: 395.

Roni: 395. Good job, Kimmy. How many 1 million plus properties sold this week?

Allison: Is it 12?

Roni: It is not 12. Kimmy, 1 million plus.

Kimmy: [inaudible]. Eight.

Roni: 17.

Kimmy: 17.

Allison: 17. If we added. If we added, we'd be close.

Roni: Good teamwork, We collaborate on many things. All right. How many homes has our team closed year to date?

Allison: Go ahead.

Kimmy: 73?

Roni: Oh my gosh. So close. It's actually 71. We have a lot that is still pending. We have lot still pending, but we have hit 71 sales.... Or closings I should say year to date. So what position MLS is our team for production year to date out of all 8,000 agents-

Allison: Was that in the note?

Roni: That is not in the note. But I have told y'all this, at least I thought I did. All 8,000 agents in MLS with all the production, how does our team rank?

Kimmy: High? Very high.

Roni: Very high.

Allison: 19.

Roni: 19. Yes. Good job, ladies. Mic drop. These ladies are awesome. And our team is 19 in MLS for production. And that is number of sides that depends on the number of sides. It's how we've calculated that. So fantastic. I mean, I could not be more proud to lead this team and to be a part of what we do every day for our clients.

And the reviews speak volumes. So if you go to Google to SC Real Estate Chick, you'll see lots of people's reviews. Zillow is always a popular one. So we have a lot of people that comment on Zillow about our team. So kudos to both of you ladies.

Kimmy: Thank you.

Roni: And I can't wait to see what y'all have in store for the rest of the week. And we're goal setting, of course for next year. So lots of great things are happening not only within our team, but really in our market and as much as, yes, our market is shifting and that's the conversation that we continue to have, is it stopping? No, it is not stopping. There's still buyers buying. Just ratified two deals yesterday. So got two buyers under contract. One is an investor, which I love when I get to work with investors because they have... It's, it is an exciting business, quite frankly. It's really exciting when an investor is looking at the next opportunity. It kind of keeps me on my toes.

And so anyways, we just put one under contract again, another very old home. And if you watch me on social media, you'll see some of my posts this past week of different things that I find in these old properties around town. And so it's fun.

Kimmy: I know I love walking through an antique story. So even just a home downtown, seeing all the unique features. It's fun. It's really fun.

Roni: It is fun. You never know. And here's the interesting thing too, is there's always a story behind these houses and it gets emotional y'all. I mean, there was one of the houses that I went into this week, not only did I meet the son that was raised in this property grown son that was raised in this property, but then I went in and in one of the door frames how you calculate the growth chart. I mean, we're talking way back and we're talking a couple of generations, were on that growth chart. So we're going to actually take that board out of the kitchen and give that back to the family at closing because-

Kimmy: That is so awesome.

Roni: It is. And it's emotional. You get into these situations and you meet families and just see the houses that every house has a story. That's what I love. That's the passion that's behind what we do every day.

Allison: Absolutely. Absolutely.

Roni: Congratulations. I'm not sure who was a actual winner.

Allison: I think it was me.

Kimmy: It was me.

Roni: You're both winners. And before that, my favorite, Coastal Coffee.

Kimmy: Oh, thank you.

Roni: Take a little pick me up for the weekend. Some fresh roasted coffee from our friends over at Coastal Coffee Roasters.

Allison: Thanks so much.

Roni: You betcha. Y'all have a great weekend. If we can be of any assistance to you, whether buying, selling, or investing, reach out to us. We're available. Watch us on social media like us. Share this if you feel like anybody can benefit from it. We are here for you. Let's talk anytime. Bye.

Your Friday Market Update - 10/28/22

Wed, 02 Nov 2022 20:59:14 GMT

Your Friday Market Update

The following text was taken from the audio of a Facebook live post on 10/28/22.

Happy Friday, friends. Once again, I get to come to you with a market update, and then we're going to show off... I say we because I've got a couple of team members inside. We're going to show off this property that Rembrey Construction is doing.

Rembrey Construction, they are a builder that has come out of Greenville. They have hired me to find them property, vacant land, and they are building. This is a spec home. I just dropped the sign off today. We are going to start marketing this. It is, essentially, located in North Charleston. You can be into downtown Charleston without a lot of traffic. Early in the morning, you're looking at probably about a 20 minute drive. In eight o'clock traffic, you may be looking at it closer to a 30 minute drive. People love this neighborhood because it's quaint and it's tucked back in. It has water access for its neighbors, so there's a nice big pier that people can go and fish off of. You can kayak out there. The neighborhood has kayaks.

It's just a neat quaint area. The first time I got introduced to The Refuge at White Hall was actually a Air Force friend of mine. He was a pilot, and he had to live close proximity to the Air Force base. This is the neighborhood for you. It is across the street from Coosaw Creek, which is a gated community, golf course community. Just there earlier this week and kind of highlighted some about Coosaw. But here's the thing about the Refuge at White Hall is same kind of quality of construction estate style homes, but you're not paying the heavy expenses for being in a gated country club community. Very relatively low HOA fees in fact. So we'll show off this house in a minute.

Let me tell you about the market for a moment. Because whether you own property, if you're looking to buy or sell, if you own property, you need to know what's happening in our real estate market. My task is to be your local expert advisor on what that is. We had about 237 sales, residential sales in our MLS. Guys that is flat with what we've seen in the last several weeks but it is lower than the last two years. We're posting 2018, 2019 numbers for sales. Guys, when we were in 2018, 2019 those were historical numbers for that season that year. And so we're doing quite well with ourselves even though interest rates have gone up, buyers are finally able to find a property that meets their needs and wants. We're in a healthy way of doing business again and I welcome it because in 20 years of being in business, we like to negotiate.

We also like to win for our clients. And so we are finally finding a common balanced market where buyers and sellers are able to both win in a transaction and that's what we are seeking each and every time. All right, so it's still a healthy market. Unemployment rates are down. Stock market improved a little bit this week, which was nice to see. I like to be diversified in my investments. However, until unemployment rates rise a little bit, the federal government's not going to be happy. So we're still going to see some increases in interest rates to try to control this inflation. But that's all happening out there in the wild world of real estate. Let's take a peek inside and I do have a couple of my friends here with me and team members. Allison and Kimmy are both going to be inside deep porch. This neighborhood has certain requirements and the quality of construction again is very high in the Refuge. Until next time!

Key News // Vol 4 // Issue 18

Wed, 02 Nov 2022 20:54:02 GMT

Key News // Vol 4 // Issue 18

Let’s welcome the month of November with open arms. ‘Tis the season of giving and gratitude. Last month our team helped 10 families buy or sell their homes. We closed on 7 properties and placed 3 homes under contract.

There are 3,157 active listings in our local market today and 1,427 homes currently under contract. The average days on market for October was 26 days.

The Charleston Economy
Nucor is now expanding its operations in Berkeley County with a $425M investment. Sweet Grass Vodka is establishing a front door location in Charleston County that will be open to the public. This $1.7M investment will create 47 new jobs. The Charleston International Airport expands its capacity 20% with 2 new gates. Cummins Turbo Technologies has opened its turbo remanufacturing operations in North Charleston which is expected to create 250 new jobs. SC Ports will soon have near dock rail and inner harbor barge operation to ensure fluidity and capacity for the Southeast supply chain. This will be a $550M project.

Current Median Prices

___• Summerville: $381K__________________• Mount Pleasant: $737K
___• Goose Creek: $295K________________ _• James Island: $665K
___• Moncks Corner: $350K______ __ ______• West Ashley: $425K
___• Hanahan: $365K___________________ __• Charleston: $518K
___• North Charleston: $290K_____ ________• Downtown Charleston: $650K

Upcoming Events:

November 1 & 2
The Revivalists
- Riviera Theatre -

November 1-11
Downtown Charleston Walking Food Tour
- 46 State Street, Charleston -

November 3
Gipsy Kings Live in Concert
- Charleston Music Hall -

November 5
51st Charleston Scottish Games
- Riverfront Park, North Charleston -

November 6
Shellabration Charleston Oyster Week
- Bowen’s Island -

November 11
North Charleston Tribute to Veterans
- North Charleston Performing Arts Center -

November 11 & 12
Ya’ll Fest
- Charleston Music Hall -

November 13
HALOS Oyster Roast
- Harborside East, Mt Pleasant -

November 17
Third Thursday: Hero Recognition
- Hutchinson Square, Summerville -

November 18
Stingrays: Frothy Friday
- North Charleston Coliseum -

November 19
2022 Blues Festival
- North Charleston Performing Arts Center -

November 29
Annual Tree Lighting Party
- Stay tuned for your invite! -

November 29
Summerville Tree Lighting Ceremony
- Hutchinson Square, Summerville -

Your Friday Market Update - 9/16/22 + Sweet Tea Festival

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 22:18:53 GMT

Summerville: The Birthplace of Sweet Tea

The following was transcribed from a Facebook live video on 9/16/22.

Happy Friday, friends. Roni Haskell here in the heart of downtown Summerville. So, I am adjacent to the visitor center. And the reason that I am today is because, here in Summerville, it's known as the official birthplace of sweet tea. So, we live deep in the rich history of the low country, and we have flowers by the acre and sweet tea by the gallon. There is history on every corner, and we are loving living here in South Carolina. I love that I get to introduce friends and incoming buyers to this area on a weekly basis. So, we have the Sweet Tea Festival this weekend coming up. It is going to be right here in Summerville. And there is a sweet tea trail, lots of our favorite restaurants in the area are having different recipes, and you can even download a bingo card where you can participate in your favorite different recipes throughout the Summerville area.

So, lots of activity here in Summerville. Most of the tea comes from the Charleston Tea Plantation, which is still a working tea plantation. It is down on Wadmalaw Island just a short drive from here. So, lots of great activities. Lots of rich history here in Summerville that you should be a part of. If you're not already familiar with activities, reach out to me, leave a comment down below, I'll tune you into anything that you might need to know of. On a different matter, this is the fifth day that I am wearing the same black dress. So, this week I have been getting the chance to raise money alongside of other working professional women here in Summerville. We've been together raising money for the Dorchester Habitat for Humanity. And by wearing the same black dress each week, what we're doing is trying to bring awareness to the fact that many women live in poverty. And sometimes they have to make the decision of whether they want to put food on the table, pay their housing bill, or buy a working wardrobe.

So, we have styled our dresses differently each week. And in fact, this morning I put it on, and I thought, "I'm done. I am tapped out. I have no idea what I'm going to style this with." So, that just brings awareness to the fact that these women really are challenged with having to use a very limited amount of funds to buy a wardrobe. And a lot of these women are professionals. Something to know that Habitat for Humanity. So, an average rental rate for low income is 1200 here in Dorchester County. So, the Habitat for Humanity is able to build houses. These women have to put in, and it's not just for women and children. The housing is not. But that largely is who lives in these habitat houses.

So, just to know that the women do have to put back in a lot of working hours into building the home, and they do have a mortgage that's based on what their income can support afterwards. So, it's a wonderful charity. And I'm raising money all through the weekend to continue to benefit this charity. So to date, not including today, but as of last night, I guess I should say, when we calculated it up last, the women that are participating here in Summerville have raised $12,000 for the Habitat for Humanity. If you can find it in your heart and in your wallet and in your weekly accounting to put into this charity, I would love to. And we will share a link down below exactly how you can do that. It's through Facebook, and they do not keep any of the proceeds or fees associated with processing or credit cards. So, make a payment through there to be able to put into this.

So, here's a market update for our area. So, I'm talking specifically about the Charleston region, but some of this is really relevant to a national locale, as well, because the federal government continues to raise rates. In fact, we are looking at upwards of a 1% rate increase coming very soon. At a minimum, it's going to be a three quarter rate increase. What they're trying to do is control spending. They left the rates at historic lows far too long. It benefited many people and benefited a ton of buyers that were in the marketplace, but it also left us with an economy short on inventory. It made those of us that were selling property gain a lot of equity, but what it inevitably did is create a market that was not sustainable. So, we are seeing a correction in that market, and the federal government will continue to raise those rates.

And it is on the short horizon for doing it again. So, if you're in the market to buy, do it. If you're looking in the market to sell your home and reap great benefits, do that, as well. Reach out to me if I can ever be of assistance. Now is a great time to rent, buy. Not rent. Let's take that back. We're going to invest, right? We're going to build wealth in real estate. We are not wasting our money on rent, where it is a great time to invest. It is a great time still to buy. Get in before the rates increase anymore. And it's a great time still to sell. There is more and more inventory on the market, but the days on the market are still short, which has created still a great seller's market. So, let's talk. If you are interested in the Charleston region, I'll be glad to help, and I am available this weekend. Make sure to leave a comment, follow me on social media, and I'll be glad to be your resource for all things real estate related. Have a wonderful weekend.

Your Friday Market Update - 8/26/22 w/Ark Race info!

Mon, 29 Aug 2022 20:34:52 GMT

Market Update and the ARK Race Weekend

The following was taken from Roni's live Facebook video on 8/28/22.

Happy Friday friends. I am here in front of the ARK, which is one of our local charities. It is supporting families that have loved ones with Alzheimer's and dementi a needs. So I'm here, the big race is happening this Saturday, tomorrow morning, and we will be in downtown Summerville as a sponsor for that. These are all local businesses. Look at here. Here are. And we're amongst some of my favorite people here in Summerville and within the Charleston area, but tons of support for the ARK. That is one of the unique things about our community, the quality of life, the support that we give to those that are in need here in the Summerville area and the greater Charleston region is just outstanding. So I'm happy and quite honored to be able to participate in these local events and charities. And so, we will be out there with a tent tomorrow, starting at about seven o'clock, so stop by, visit with us. Even if you're not running the race, come and support those that are and make sure to stop by our tent because we've got some fun giveaways and some fun games to play over at our tent. So stop by and say, hello.

Here's another fun thing that we're doing this week. So this is Summerville High School's first home game and fall season is here. It is so great. I know there's many, many people that are excited that football season is here. We are one of the athletic sponsors this year at Summerville High School. And so, if you're going to the game, make sure to watch the jumbotron, it's going to be a blast. We've done great video work, we've given little snippets of insight for that, that's coming up. But go to the game and watch the jumbotron, we'll have four 30 second ads that play.

But talk about Friday Night Lights, summerville has a history that is like none other. If you do not know about Summerville High School's football history, Google it because it is outstanding. The coaching staff that we've had, quite honestly, just the history of the wins that this town has. And it has been so impactful for the community, but I am auctioning off a parking pass. Now this is a season parking pass, and you can either park in lot A or B by one of the two gates, either one of your choosing, during the whole home game season. So if you are interested in a parking pass for the local high school... for the Summerville High School games, bid on this. I will keep it open until four o'clock today. The money that is accumulated and given for this pass will go to a local charity of the buyer's choice. So it does need to be a local charity, we want to keep the money local and support those in need in our community, in our backyard, so to speak. But give your highest and best bid by four o'clock today and this parking pass to the high school game can be yours.

Thank y'all for tapping in. Make sure to share the video with anybody that you feel might be interested in learning about the local market, the things that are happening within the Summerville community, but also, especially if they are planning on going to Summerville High School games, somebody's going to be a lucky winner of this.

So anyways, let's talk about the market update for a minute, because it has been shifting. For really the first time in a decade we have seen the market, the pendulum swing a little bit downward. So the best way that I can describe this to my seller clients is, I'm not much of a gambler, but every once in a while, as in maybe once every couple of years, I like to go and stand at a craps table. And I'm going to take $100 to the craps table, right? And I like to know that my money and investment is secure, so I'm going to play. If I'm up and I have about $500, and that table starts to turn, so to speak, and I'm down to about 400 bucks, guess what I'm going to do? I'm going to take my money and leave that table, because it has turned, right. And that's kind of what we're seeing with the market shifting right now is, it has started to shift. We've had a huge upswing in value. You're still making money. You're still up from where you started, but it may be the right time to go ahead and list if it's the right time for your family, if there is a strong need for your family to move and go ahead and make that decision to sell now.

So interest rates are climbing, that's a big reason that we are seeing a shift in our market. But let me tell you something. With only 14 days, as in average days on the market for our MLS, it's still a seller's market. So it is not too late, take the plunge, get your house listed, contact me if you have any questions at all, and we can talk about what we need to do and what kind of pricing that we need to put onto it. To give you a couple of market statistics, 213 houses sold, or I should say, went under contract this past week. That is less than what we've been seeing in weeks prior. Five of those were short sales and foreclosures, which is up from where I've been reporting it and that's been at zero, maybe two. We have had five, I'm sorry, foreclosures or short sales in our market. But guys, that still way far less than 1% of our sales, so I'm not concerned about that. If you're looking to invest, it still is the best opportunity to look at either estate sales, which is promising. We can find those on the market. I do a lot of estate work.

So if you're interested in getting into an investment property or we can also find things off the market. So if you're interested in investing and building wealth in real estate, I'm your chick. Reach out to me. I cover all of Charleston market, but I really focus in here on the north area in Dorchester and Berkeley Counties. I'm available this weekend to talk real estate with you. If you have any needs or if you know anybody, share my information with them. Make sure to follow me @thatscrealestatechick and I hope to see you guys this weekend. Don't forget, bid, make your bid down below for the parking pass for the season, okay? Take care. Have a great weekend.

Your Friday Market Update - 8/12/22 + Devin & Property Update

Fri, 12 Aug 2022 17:51:53 GMT

Your Friday Market Update - 8/12/22 + Devin & Property Update

The following was taken from a Facebook live video on 8/12/22.

Roni: Happy Friday friends, Roni Haskel here, realtor base out of the Charleston, Somerville market of South Carolina. And I'm going to take you inside this house here in a moment to showcase all the renovations that have been happening in here. And I'll talk more about that, but first of all, I want to introduce all of my friends to Devin. Hi Devin.

Devin: Hi.

Roni: So Devin is newer on the team. She's been with us for a couple of months now, and as I look to grow my team and mentor agents, and after so many years of doing business here in the area, I really look for the opportunity to be able to pass along what I have learned in this industry. And Devin came about with a lot of passion and tell a little bit about your background. You were ... you came out of college and did what?

Devin: I was a vet tech for a few years. And then I took over my dad's business, it was a small business, and then it was the right time, so I jumped into real estate and joined Roni's team. And we're here now.

Roni: And let me tell you guys, within two months, she has already assisted me with a listing and she's had two closings, which were challenging. Very challenging closings. And she's got another one that is under contract now, and that's just been in the last couple of months. She has a bright future ahead of her.

And I'm so thankful that she's on our team. So you can learn more about Devin on our website at thatSCRealEastateChick. You are going to see her on social media postings. She does a great job of highlighting her business, but I just wanted to put a face with a name, because if you are a buyer on, if you reach out and are looking to buy or sell, Devin can help you with that. So welcome to our team. And I'm so glad that you are here with me today.

Devin: Thank you so much.

Roni: Absolutely.

Devin: I'm looking forward with y'all.

Roni: Yeah, absolutely. All right guys. And also let's talk about the market just for a moment before we showcase this house. I'm anxious to get inside. Let's talk about the market for just a moment though, because that's what I like to come to you on Fridays and share a little snapshot. You hear a lot about what's happening in the media, from the media, I guess. What is your ... what's been your temperature read on working with clients? Are they having a better chance of finding their right house?

Devin: Yes. It's a little slower now, but we're getting into, it takes a few days, but we are finding the home they love.

Roni: Yeah. So there's more on the market. We've got ... back at the early January, February, we were sitting about a thousand listings in our MLS and today we're about 26, 2,700. So that's why your buyers are really getting a better chance of being able to secure a house. Right? Tell us about interest rates. What have you been seeing in terms of interest rates here in the last week?

Devin: They're always fluctuating. We always like to say, "You're marrying your mortgage and you're dating your interest rate." So if you can do the down payment and you can do the closing costs, I would go in and get the home you love. You can always refinance later on when the interest rates drop.

Roni: Yeah. And don't forget, we do partner up with an excellent lender, Kellie Collins, my friend over at Cross Country Mortgage, can do a side by side comparison for you and determine what the best interest rate, the best loan structure all are. So don't be afraid. Just there's no commitments. There's no commitments. Just reach out to us, get an idea of what ... if you're not sitting in the house of your dreams for one reason or another, maybe you need to move across town. Maybe you want to put your kids into a specific school. Maybe the house, you've outgrown it. Maybe you've raised your family and they're all out of the house and now it's time to downsize. Whatever your reasons are for considering a possible move, this is still a great time to buy. It's actually a better time to buy than what it's been in the last year or so.

So I encourage you to get out there. We'll set you up with our lender, just to have that on that initial conversation. But interest rates have dipped a little bit this year. We are expecting the Fed to raise some ... do some changes here in the next couple of months, that will probably likely raise those interest rates once again. But right now they have gone down here in the last week to 10 days. And so buyers are getting a chance to be able to lock in that better interest rate. So reach out to me if you're interested, but great time to buy. Would you say?

Devin: I one hundred percent agree.

Roni: So let's talk about this house, because it's going to be on the market. Devin's going to be sitting over here in some open houses this weekend. So you can come and see her. We're at 1004 Maidstone. It is in Somerville. It is in Pine Forest, which has ... the club at Pine Forest is a huge draw for this neighborhood. It's got golf, it's got tennis courts, actually. In fact, the only clay courts in the area. I love playing out here. When I get the chance to play, I like playing on the clay courts.

What else is over there? I know that they've got a restaurant. They've got a wonderful pool with a grill to attach to it, so you can sit pool side. The nice thing about Pine Forest though, just so you know for the amenities, is if you don't plan to use them, you don't have to pay for them. The HOA fee here in Pine Forest is actually relatively low, very low for being in a nice community such as this and being within just a couple of miles from downtown Somerville.

But if you're not going to use those amenities, don't pay for them. They have different levels of packages. So, all right. This house has taken on a new look. We have done all kinds of changes out here with the landscaping. My friends over at Laurel Landscaping came by, they cut down the shrubs. We had this ... there was a huge crape Myrtle here that was overgrown. That was really covering the whole house. You couldn't hardly see the house and it's such a nice, low country looking house with this front porch. So we had that crape Myrtle taken out.

My friends, like I said over at Laurel Landscaping, cleaned up the yard. It's looking good. Let's talk about this paint. So the interior of this house, as well as the exterior has all been painted. I could have the original color. It was just easier that way, versus trying to go through and get new approval, but it looks completely different, because it was so faded. Hardy plank, just so you know, people think of it as a no maintenance kind of material, but there is some maintenance that has to happen to it.

It actually can disintegrate over time if too much water gets back behind it and it will fade. So about every 10 years or so, you really need to have it caulked well, you need to make sure all the boards are in good condition and repainted, so that's what we did. All the trim on this house has been repainted. My friend that is at [inaudible] Construction redid some of the shingles that were damaged. So the outside is good. It is great in fact. Let's take a look inside.

Oh boy, it feels good in here. We had the HVAC serviced and some repair work done to it. So it is in great condition and ready for the new owners. But everything was painted inside, trim, doors, walls. The walls were dingy, they were damaged and now they're good as new. This color is called Frosty Whites. This is what I use in all of my renovations when I'm tackling a house. It's a nice, neutral color. Frosty Whites over at Sherwin-Williams, but this color is just neutral.

It's not too gray, because I do feel like gray walls limit and they are going to go out of style. So this is a nice, very neutral color that will go with browns, grays, whites, taupes, whatever you need to kind of absorb the color with, this is it. It's a nice baseline color. So I had the whole house painted this color.

The floors were still in good condition. So we left the floors. The hardwood is beautiful. It's very durable. It's not a soft wood. It's actually a true hardwood. So it's in good shape, ready for new owners as well. And then let me show you what I've done with the master bathroom. So in here it was a mess. It was a disaster.

Guys, I'm going to show you some before and after pictures in a different posting. And so we'll have that out as well. But I had new carpet put into all the bedrooms. There are two bedrooms downstairs. The master is separated from the other bedroom, which works great as a guest suite, mother-in-law suite, home office, however you need to utilize that space. But there is a second bedroom and they are a split plan. So it's really nice, so each person has its own privacy.

This has a door that ... the master has a door that leads out to the deck that's out back. Had a bunch of rotten wood on it that got replaced, and that has been stained as well. So, but highlight of this area really is that this tile, so we had to do some supporting from underneath. The tile was cracked because of some wood damage from underneath and the shower had to be replaced. This is not one thing that I had expected to tackle, but once my contractor got in here and started pulling apart and getting ready for the tile to be laid, we discovered a lot of wood rot that was around the shower.

So this has all been done. My friend, Chris Wilson, over at Wilson's Carpet Plus if you need a flooring person, he does all my carpet. He does all my tile work like this. So if you need somebody, that's my go-to source, but Chris is fantastic. They tackled all of this for us and it looks great. Good job guys. I appreciate their hard work and diligence.

We did little, I say little things, but made a big impact. There was a funky light hanging here. So we took back down and capped it off. It was just not needed in a bathroom. I think it would be a perfect place to come in and put a ceiling fan. Who has not needed the fan at this time of the year, when it's hot in humid here in South Carolina? I think that would be kind of a personalized touch that I would make. But the electricity is there for when the new owners take it over and whatever they need.

So here's another area that we did some work. Let's go into the kitchen. And again, if you want to see this house over the weekend, we are going to have it open on Friday, Saturday, Sunday. If you follow me on social media, then you can see what times those open houses will be.

We left the original cabinets. Countertops were still in pretty good condition. They're granite. And then what we did do though, is replace all of the appliances. So we've got nice, really great brand new appliances, Frigidaire. And they are ready for the new owners with warranties and such. So, but this is a nice area, hub of the house, so to speak, it's open to the family room. The family room has a fireplace. This house truly is ready for you.

So if you know of somebody that's looking for a five bedroom house, there's three bedrooms upstairs. So if you need a five bedroom house or knows somebody that does, this is it guys. It's turnkey. It's ready for you. Reach out to me, always, if you have questions related to buying or selling in the Charleston region. I do help clients find other agents across the nation as well. I can find you a referral. If you need anything real estate related, I'm your chick. Let's talk. Reach out 843-297-1935. And Devin, come see Devin. We welcome her to our team. She's going to do amazing things for us.

Your Friday Market Update - 7/22/22 + What's With These Prices Decreases in MLS?

Mon, 25 Jul 2022 05:27:10 GMT

Your Friday Market Update - 7/22/22 + What's With These Prices Decreases in MLS?

The following was taken from a Facebook live video on 7/22/22.

Hello. I'm jumping on for a quick market update and talk about pricing for a bit, and kind of what's going on in the real estate market. Let's give a minute for those that are going to join us to join live. Thank you all for watching this. If you're on a replay, appreciate you a whole lot. My goal every week is to bring you some market statistics. Keep in mind these are some ideas and things that are happening here in our local market of the Charleston region, so that's where I serve. If you're new to watching me, I'm in the Charleston triad area, so Charleston, Berkeley, Dorchester counties. Great coastal community. Anyways, let's jump into talking about what's going on in our market. The pricing, we are starting to see a lot of price adjustments. A lot of people are still overshooting, I believe, in the market, and we're seeing more price decreases than we have seen in the last at least year and a half

I'm seeing them consistently. When I price a property, and I'm kind of preaching to any realtors that watch this as well, can we please get realistic and set expectations for our sellers? I think the sellers have been shooting high because the buyer demand has been high, right? So, some agents and sellers are still overshooting this market, and it's really causing longer days on the market than perhaps it could be, and most definitely causing some people to have to take price decreases, which is long term gain. When I list a property and I'm working with a seller, it's always about hitting the mark on pricing, because we want to sell for the highest possible price in the shortest amount of time. When we do that, we've got to be very diligent in doing our research to make sure that we hit that market price exactly correct.

So, it's really a lot of sellers are overshooting the market in their list prices, and therefore we're seeing not property values decreasing. That's not it. It's that they're just overshooting the market. So, when we list something, let's make sure, and I'm talking to my seller agents out there, just really be diligent in trying to hit pricing ahead of the market. We are starting to see a curve in market. Again, it's not the prices are decreasing. It's just that the buyers, the demand is not there as much, as much as what we've seen in months prior. So, a little bit about our buyer activity, we have decreased some this week, over last week, but our inventory continues to climb, which is a great thing. In my talking with other network agents across the nation, it seems to be that that is consistent across the board.

Our inventory here, last week, I reported that we were about 2,400, and that we were gaining momentum about 100 active listings a week. That has been the course. So, we're at 25, 50 active listings in our MLS right now, which is good, guys. I mean, we want there to be enough. Thank y'all for joining those that are on. I appreciate y'all. If y'all have any questions, post comments down below. I'll try to hit on any questions that we get. But as inventory increases, what it does is it does allow buyers who have been missing out on opportunities, or maybe they've been standing by waiting on things to shift a little bit, to have a better chance. We are getting to see that buyers are able to secure their properties. Investors are starting to be able to secure their properties a little easier. They have more to pick from.

So, that's all a great thing, but what went active this week was 275, so we're about 100... well, maybe about 75 shy from last week, so we have decreased that. Our inventory is increasing, our sales production is decreasing a bit, and we're going to continue to see that. There's a lot of things happening in the economy that are giving same way to why that's happening. Not here to give you an economic update necessarily on national or international things, but there most certainly are some things that are happening in our world economy that are leading us to that. So, let's talk about out of the 275, 213 of those were single family, so we're still seeing a good many condos and town homes going under contract. I think part of that is because they there's some affordability with those.

Interestingly enough, 11%, so last week I reported a much lower number for new construction, but this week we are up to 11% as new construction. Guys, these builders in town, while they once were cutting out realtors, and I will say cut that respectfully, because their commission structure lended themselves to being not realtor friendly. They did not value a lot of the realtor community, but this is not every builder. Let me pinpoint, there are numerous builders in town that really cut back on their commissions, and there are reasons that they did that, but the value there, they didn't need realtors as much in our community to bring them business. That has changed, and so I'm grateful for my realtor community as a whole, that the new construction teams and the builders in town are valuing us again, because really, especially when, listen, I worked in new construction for almost eight years, and I know how resourceful those agents are that are on site, but boy, their diligence is to the builder.

So, if you're buying new construction, you need a good representative to be there to help guide you through. Set expectations, holding the builder accountable,, not only during the course of construction, but even afterwards. Anyways, 11% is new construction, and I'm just happy to report that the builders are valuing our realtor community again with commissions and really even incentives for the buyers themselves as well. We can negotiate a little bit if we are looking at new construction. So, some good stuff happening in the market as inventory increases. We already are starting to normalize and stabilize in our economy or in our MLS market, so bring me any questions that you might have, whether it's on here, or if you want to message me directly, if you're looking to buy or sell in the Charleston area, I'm your girl, that SC Real Estate Chick.

I can be found on social media, and that's what I do every day. Whether you're buying, selling, investing, or renting, let me know how I can assist you. I've got a great team of agents behind me. I've got a great pool of professionals. Introduce yourself, send me a message, and I'd love to connect with you in whatever way and be a great resource to you. Have a good weekend, and I will see you again next week. See you. Bye.

Your Friday Market Update - 7/1/22

Tue, 05 Jul 2022 18:11:56 GMT

What's Going On With The Market?

Hi, friends. It's Friday, which means I'm going to come to you live sharing a little bit of content, information, need to know about real estate in the Charleston m arket, and maybe a little bit of insight about what's happening across the nation. So real quick, this is my sixth Friday in a row to be traveling. Summertime is here and like so many other families, I get to travel and try to keep up with my kids' schedules. Summer is a schedule disruptor, that is for sure. So I'm trying to make the most of it with my family and having a little fun for myself. I hope that you're getting the opportunity to do the same, but what I do not ever tap out of is business.

And I tease a lot of times and I say the beauty of real estate is I can take it anywhere. The downside is I get to take it everywhere. So I'm committed to bringing you information every Friday about what the market's doing, and a little bit of insight, maybe about what to expect in transactions. So thank you for watching live if you are and if you're watching this as a replay, thank you for tapping in. Always set your notifications to alert if you want to. And if you find that it's relevant information and want to share it, please do so. Tag your friends, tag your family, tag your mama, tag your daddy, whoever needs to know about real estate, because if you own property, guess what? You need to understand what's happening in the market today. Because it's an investment. I don't care if you're living in it as your primary residence or maybe you're interested in buying an investment property and building wealth in real estate.

It is always relevant if you own property or are interested in property. So what's happening in the market today? Well, we are learning that there's about 22 active listings in our MLS and the Charleston tri county area, which incorporates Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester County of the Charleston area. But nationwide inventory is starting to gain. So we are seeing more opportunities for buyers. So we're really starting to see this shift from what we would classify as needs and wants.

And so in the past year and a half or so, it's been very focused on what buyers' needs are. There wants, their want list, it really comes very secondary and perhaps even not important if they are wanting or needing housing, then a lot of times we just really have to look and see what is on the market that meets those absolute needs and is in their price point and then go after it with everything we've got. We're starting to see a shift as the inventory increases nationwide, especially in our MLS. We're really starting to see more opportunities for buyers and getting to nail down some more of those wants that they've pinpointed for us.

And so needs versus wants have been very different over the last year and a half. So some things that we've really noticed as well, whereas we've been doing business under that mindset of waving home inspections in some cases in some markets, not in all markets, but in some markets we've been waving home inspections. That's not advised in most cases and it's not a regular business practice that we're seeing right now either. So we're really starting to come back to the basics of our business as usual let's say, and a good, healthier business, a better way of doing business. So let's stay focused on what we can control on our contract agreements. And we are going into more of a due diligence period with clients. And so it just overall a better, healthier way of doing business. And we can really focus on again, those needs for what the seller wants and what our buyer wants.

It's becoming more of an equalized housing opportunity for a lot of our buyers in the marketplace. And I do believe that will continue through the next six months. Our federal government has raised not interest rates, but they've done some impacts on the economy that has in essence raised our interest rates and it has slowed down the buying power a little bit. We are still seeing a lot of buyers on the market. They're just having more opportunities for what they can match with and having a better opportunity to be able to secure the house not only that they need, but also that they want. So if you are ready to buy, if you are... Maybe your rent has increased or maybe it's just, you don't love your house and you've been scared to list it, not knowing what the opportunities would be for the buying side.

Let's talk about it, reach out to me. And now's a great time to talk about what your needs are and also what your wants are. Let's talk about the housing market in our local area though, for just a moment. We've had a bit of a slowdown on the buying side, we had 337 residential properties come on the market and under contract actually let me restate that, 337 residential properties go under contract this past week. Now, where is the buying trend? Where is the most activity happening? It's still in Berkeley County. It has been in Berkeley County and I don't see any end in sight. They do a great economic development over in Berkeley county and we are still seeing that the majority of opportunities for buying and selling are happening in Berkeley County. For instance, 89 out of the 337 properties that went under contract this week, 89 of them were over in Berkeley County and 17 of those were in new construction.

For kind of a reflection on what is happening in the rest of the market, let's use Mount Pleasant for instance. So I've got my report in front of me. 27 properties went under contract over in Mount Pleasant and that is single family properties. The median sales price was $795,000. And that rounds out to be $337 a square foot, $337 a square foot and only three of those are new construction. Versus if we look at that Berkeley County area, those 89 single family properties that went under contract, we are at a median sales price of $370,000 and it's just shy of $200 a square foot. So a lot more value in Berkeley County, great quality of life, but with 17 new construction, we're just seeing a lot more new construction happening over there. And in essence, we're going to see more sales happening over there.

Just to give you some insight for my Summerville viewers, 55 properties sold in Summerville for a median sales price of $339,000, which puts us at $190 a square foot median sales price. So if you own property in those different areas, that'll give you a little bit of a temperature. Now those are median. It all is dependent on your property, your value, the condition of it. Because we understand that market prices not only are reflective of the location, but also the condition of the property. At any time you're interested in learning about what your property is valued at, not because you want to sell it, but just because you're curious, maybe you want to pull some equity, maybe pull a HELOC off of the property and use that money that you have built in because everybody's gained a lot of equity in their homes in the last couple of years. Maybe you're interested in pulling a HELOC and so that you can use your money to go and purchase an investment property. I'm strong on building wealth in real estate.

It's an excellent opportunity. I think we need to be divided in our investments. And so if you're interested at any point in doing that, reach out to me, I'd be glad to share information and insight into the best way to accomplish that goal. At any time, reach out to me, (843)-297-1935. I'm here for your real estate needs. And if you just want some contacts for business partners in the area, I'm a great resource for that as well. Take care, have a great holiday weekend. I look forward to seeing all your pictures and fun that you're having on social media. Make sure to connect with me at any time. Have a great day, bye guys.

Your Weekly Key News!

Tue, 05 Jul 2022 18:08:45 GMT

June/July 2022 • Vol 4 • Issue 3

TODAY'S HOUSING MARKET
During the month of June, we were able to help 19 families buy or sell their homes. We closed on 12 properties and placed 10 homes under contract, including 4 new listings! Inventory has risen from 1,000 active listings to 2,142 in our MLS today. That’s a 110% increase! The current median price in the Lowcountry is $390,000

Current Median Prices

• Summerville: $350K______________ ___• Mount Pleasant: $699K
• Goose Creek: $319K_______ _______ __• James Island: $670K
• Moncks Corner: $345K________ ______• West Ashley: $425K
• Hanahan: $385K_____________________• Charleston: $516K
• North Charleston: $323K_____________• Downtown Charleston: $875K

.
In a move not seen since the mid 90’s, the Federal Reserve raised rates by 0.75%, continuing their plan to slow down inflation. Rates are expected to rise though the end of the year. When the Federal Reserve raises the benchmark interest rate, it affects the rates used to borrow money for homes, vehicles, personal loans - even interest rates on credit cards. In other words, the cost for consumers to borrow money goes up in the form of higher interest rates.

There are some ways you can protect yourself in a rising rate market.
• If you’re under contract: you should lock you rate now.
• If you’re building a home: work with a lender who offers extended rate locks.

We offer extended rate locks for 90 days to 360 days, and some lock terms don’t require a contract on a house. If you’re thinking about buying a house, now is the time to act . By purchasing sooner, you can lock in a lower mortgage rate before the next increase.

CONTACT OUR TEAM TO LEARN MORE!

UPCOMING EVENTS

July 9

Vince Gill
- North Charleston Coliseum & Performing Arts Center -

July 9
Southeast Crab Feast
- Wannamaker County Park -

July 13 - 24
Hamilton
- North Charleston Coliseum & Performing Arts Center -

July 16
Charleston Caribbean Jerk Festival
- Riverfront Park, North Charleston -

July 16
3rd Annual Anime Film Fest
- Charleston Music Hall -

July 21
Third Thursday: Christmas in July
- Hutchinson Square, Summerville -

July 23 - 24
Jurassic Jungle LIVE
- Trident Technical College, North Charleston -

July 29
JuLionfish Festival
- South Carolina Aquarium -

July 30
9th Annual Lady Bug Day
- Magnolia Plantation -

Your Friday Market Update - 6/24/22

Fri, 24 Jun 2022 17:15:14 GMT

6/24/22 Friday Market Update

The following was taken from Roni's Facebook live video on 6/24/22:

Hello, hello, friends. It's Friday, which means I get to come over to you with a quick market update. And what a great week it's been. Beautiful weather today. I'm still in South Carolina. I feel like every Friday I'm traveling. Today, I'm in South Carolina. I'm in Newberry, South Carolina, cute little quain t town just between Charleston and Columbia, little bit closer to Columbia area. And actually, I guess I'm just past Columbia. Anyways, I'm on my way out of town, that's what I know. And I found this cute little town. It's my favorite thing to do when I drive through areas, find a local coffee shop, so that's what I'm doing

Across from me is some music playing there, I guess because it's Friday. Why not? Why not have some fun on a Friday? But this has been a fun week. I've had a couple of investors recently that are looking to sell their homes. Of course, their investment has gone up. Their equity has gone up. And now they're making the decision at the height of the market still to go ahead and sell the house, sell the property. So let's talk about capital gains for a minute before I jump into a market update, because I do want to catch you up on the market and what's happening out there.

But as we prepare to do that, let's talk briefly, and a few people are joining us, thanks for joining if you are live. And thanks for rewatching it. Let's talk about capital gains for a minute, though, because as an investor, you are going to be paying capital gains tax if you sell a house. Now, there's a loophole in that, that you can get out of. And it's, if you have owned the house as a primary resident for two out of the last five years, two out of the last five years, they do not have to be consistent or consecutive.

But if you have lived in it as your primary residence two out of the last five years, you can walk away from that property, selling it with paying no capital gains if you're single is $250,000 that you can walk away with. And if you're married, filing jointly on your taxes, it's 500,000 that you can walk away from that property with. You do not have to reinvest that money. That is a huge misconception. I get it all the time. People say, "Well, I'm selling this house. I've got to reinvest all of this into the next one." That is not the case. Thank you, back in 1997, there was a new tax bill that was put into place. And it allows us as our primary residents to be able to sell it and not pay capital gains. Now, you can do that once every two years. So that's where it really spiked with a lot of people buying and flipping properties every two years, because you can walk away with that not paying capital gains.

Now, say you live in the house and you've been in it for three, four years. And you decide you want to rent that property rather than selling it right away. Great. I can help you do that, but we are going to be having a conversation in about two years down the road. Before we put a tenant in there for the third year, we are going to be making sure that you understand and that your lease is set up so that we can sell that property after two to three years. Because, again, you do not want to be paying capital gains on that. Everybody's equity has soared here in the last couple of years. And if you have lived in your property, you have been renting it for the last two years, let's talk about selling it. Reinvest that money if you want to, to keep it into real estate transactions, but sell the property while you still can and not pay capital gains on that house. Okay?

So I can't preach to you enough. I get a lot of business, a lot of business from landlords, people that want to sell their properties. And I can help you do that. I can also help you set up if you're out of state and we need to take the reins on getting the house prepared for the market and a tenant's been in there. And let's be quite frank, tenants are not easy on houses at all. So we want to make sure that we're lining you up for the best success. And so we will get it prepared. We will paint, we will do carpet, we will send a contractor through. We're going to do all the things that we need to, to help get the highest price in the shortest amount of time. But, let's talk about when the time is right for you. But if you've lived in the house, you're now renting it, let's go ahead and have a conversation if this is at the right time for you to be selling the property. All right?

So that's my spiel on capital gains. Reach out to me if you have any questions, if you have specific property that is in a scenario that you'd like to discuss. Let's talk about it and see what the right time is for you. All right, so let's talk about the market for a minute. Thank goodness our MLS is up over 2,100 properties right now. Now, that is thank goodness because we've been sitting between 1,000 and 1,800. I didn't come to you live last week, I was on vacation. But the week before, I was able to tell you that we had 1,800 properties in our MLS. Now, guys, this continues to climb about a hundred properties a day active in our MLS.

Here's the reason being. Our sales are not going down. In fact, we are sitting almost level with our sales. Properties are still selling. If you're a seller, and this is the time of the year that you would like to sell, if it works out for you and your family and your circumstances, let's sell it. Great. Let's do it. Let's get it on the market. Sellers are still selling. Properties are still changing hands. But, there are more houses coming on the market right now. It's just this time of the year. And it will help buyers. So a lot of buyers that have been fighting and battling over a specific property or buying something that really didn't suit their needs, but they needed to invest into the market, they're finally able to do so. So thank goodness our house market is going up with an active inventory.

Now, with that said, we're still much lower than our customary what normalized market might look like, which is between about seven and 9,000 listings in our MLS. So we're far from that, but I am happy to report that it is starting to climb up. Let's talk about interest rates for a quick minute, because that's affecting a lot of people. And so interest rates are not 6% yet. They're sitting just below that, depending on your credit score, of course, and what kind of loan you're looking to take out. But a conventional 30-year fix is just below for, I would say, a good credit kind of buyer, then we're sitting just below 6%, right around that. So anyways, they have climbed. They are projected to maybe continue to climb, and we will see that that is going to affect our market between the latter half of the year.

I think that the next six months ahead, it is a changing market. It is going to be shifting. That does not mean that your property values are declining. It just means that I may not be able to get seven, eight, 10 offers on your property. But the ones that we are getting, which are one or two per property, are still at list price, which we are pushing our list prices still. But they may not be 20,000 over list price, so we got to come back into a reality check. The market the last year and a half has really set a high precedence for sellers in their expectations. And now, my task is to bring it back down into reality of what a normalized market might look like. We're not quite there yet, but we are starting to soften a little bit, and we are going to start seeing some shifting of some areas.

Things are sitting on the market a little bit longer. Things are decreasing from where their list price is. Some properties are having to come down in the list price before they find the right buyer. So it is starting to shift, the climate's starting to change. And I think the next six months is going to be looking a little different than what we've looked at in the last year and a half. So if you have any questions about the market at all, reach out to me, that's what I do every day. I study the market. I help clients meet their real estate goals, and I too can help you. So if you know of anybody that's looking in South Carolina, or, let's be honest, even across the nation, I have people. I can connect you with a great agent in your market if you're not here in South Carolina. So once again, it's always a joy to be able to bring to you some words of wisdom. If you have any questions at all, reach out to me. I'm around this weekend. Thanks, guys. Take care.

Your Friday Market Update - 6/10/22

Fri, 24 Jun 2022 15:17:38 GMT

Your Friday Market Update - 6/10/22

The following was taken from Roni's Live Market Update on Facebook on 6/10/22

Hello friends, happy Friday, Ronnie Haskell here, your Keller Williams agent out of the Charleston S um merville area. So once again, we're faced with a beautiful Friday and I'm on the go coffee in hand, gets me through my days. I'm an early riser and this is maybe my second, possibly my third cup for the day. But I'm here committed every Friday to bring to you news on the real estate market. That's what I get to live and breathe every week. And so, number one question I always get is how is the market? Well, it's fun to be able to bring you some information about that, to give you some insight, because as I say, oftentimes, it's, if you own real estate, then you need to be in tune with what's happening on the market. So as an expert in this field, I feel like it's my obligation and my duty to be able to respectfully answer that question for you.

So welcome yet again to a Friday live. Let's talk about, can I expect to get multiple offers on my property if I list today? Well, it's kind of strategy question. So when I go to a listing appointment, I talk about what a good strategy is going to be for a listing price. And you, as the seller, get to make that determination of what you want to list your price for, or list the property for. So if you're on a really high end and you overshoot the market, then you're probably not going to get multiple offers on it. However, if we strategize and as I will educate you on, if I was to sit down with you in which I get to do this, oftentimes with my seller clients. But what we look at is the comps, which is telling us what the past sales have been in the area, which is really what an appraiser's going to do.

We can go back as far as six months, I don't suggest going any further back, than about three or four months with that kind of sales transactions. But we look at comps, we look at forecasting, what is on the market today and discussing about what market values are for the future. What availability is for buyers in your price point in your area. And then we evaluate what a good list price is going to be. And if we aim right at the top price for your market, then can we expect multiple offers? Perhaps we can, are we probably going to see 10 offers on the house? If it's a really great house maybe, but whereas three or four months ago, the likelihood of getting five to 10 offers on every single listing was pretty high. We're not seeing that right now. On average, we're getting about two to three, maybe five offers on a property.

What you can expect is to still see it at list price, or maybe a little above list price. Again, it's all about strategy. I like to put a house on the market and let it run on the market for two or three days, and call for highest and best. What that allows for the seller to do is for buyers to come in, look at your house, make a determination what they value your property to be. And oftentimes that does funnel up what the market price ends up ending at. So it's all about strategy. There are about 1800 active listings on our market right now, which is higher. Last week I was excited when I got the report that we were up to 1600 active listings on the market, because in months past we've been floating around a thousand. So to last week, be at 1600 active listings, and then this week to hit 1800 listings is phenomenal.

I, as an agent, like to see that, because I want to see that buyers are able to have the opportunity to pick from multiple properties. Not one house, that's the market, and there's one winner and potentially 15 losers on a property. So I like that there are some options for buyers now to be able to tap in, and potentially have a chance of winning. So in our MLS, there were 360 sales. Only two of those are foreclosures or short sales guys, so if you're waiting for the market to shift downward, you're out a luck, because that's not forecasted to happen anywhere to any degree. So when you hear on the news, if you start hearing people say that we're going to be in a shifting market, well, it's going to shift a little bit. Maybe because interest rates are still steadily climbing, we're at least 2%. If not more than where we were at the beginning of the year, which affects people's affordability.

We are in the summer months, which people are planning for their summer moves, which is always great. And so we're seeing a lot of activity right now, but the market's not going downward. The demand is still high. And as a listing specialist, I can tell you, we are still selling properties on average in our MLS within three to five days. That's going to line you up for great success. So don't you worry. We are still going to get you top dollar, and that's what I'm here to tell you. And strategy plays a big part into it. Marketing the property, plays a big part into it, but don't you hold out waiting for the market to shift downward because that's not going to happen. We're going to see a shift in affordability. We're going to see a shift in what people can finance. And so instead of being $500,000, they may be only a $450,000 buyer, and we're not going to see 20% increase in values over the next couple of months. That's just not going to happen.

That's what we saw in the past couple of years, we're going to see on average between eight and 12% increase coming up. And this year that's, what's projected. That's what we're on course for to happen, but that's still excellent gain in property values guys. So that's what I'm here to report to you. Is the market still doing great, it's still healthy. We're still selling properties. So if you're looking to buy in this market, chances are, you can find a house because there is more availability right now than there has been in the last couple of years. So jump in the game if you're looking, and let us know what we can do to help over here at that the Dusty Real Estate Chicks team, I've got several agents with their feet on the ground right now, showing property. One hit the market, in fact, if you're looking, let me share this with you real quick.

There's a house in downtown Somerville that just hit the market this morning. I've texted several of you folks that are in my PI slide, but it's in downtown S u m m erville. The main house has almost 3000 square feet. It is four bedrooms in the main house. This is in the historical section of downtown. There are two cottages, both about 300 square feet each, that you can possibly rent or have as guest cottages. Really nice house, just under 900,000 list price. And I can't wait. I'm going to go show it this afternoon. I don't know who all I'm going to be showing it to, but you can guarantee that I'm going to be there this afternoon, showing it to somebody. I'm waiting, got a couple of people already in my pipeline that want to go see it. So I can't wait.

So if you're interested in being in downtown S u m m erville in it was about 3,100 square feet total. It is six bedrooms total. Then let me know. I'll be glad to add you to my list and show you that property. It's a gorgeous salt water pool out back. You got a nice private lot. So let me know if you're interested or if you know somebody that is interested. I get excited about properties that pop up around downtown Somerville, but reach out to me anytime. I'd be glad to help. Be glad to talk to you. Happy to chat with you about how you can get financing on your next home, and how to make that transition happen.

Your Friday Market Update - 6/3/22 + A Discussion on Solar Panels

Fri, 03 Jun 2022 08:46:08 GMT

Solar Panels: Yes or No? + Your Friday Market Update

The following was taken from a Facebook Live market update on 6/3/22.

Roni:

Hello friends. It's Friday. And I'm coming to you from the office here at Keller Williams. Just been a great week. Gosh, it's been a whirlwind of excitement in the real estate mark et. Lots of things that went under contract in the last four to six weeks. Listings that came on have been closing, so as a team we've been doing a phenomenal job of getting those contracts to closing. Want to bring to you a market update like I do every week, but here's a take two on my solar panels, do or don't. So last week I came to you with that information. The audio got a little bit messed up. That's what happens with live videos. But today I wanted to re-deliver that same message to you. So people ask me oftentimes, "Should I or should I not invest in solar panels?"

My suggestion is do not unless you're going to stay in that house for the next 15, 20, 25 plus years to reap all the rewards out of them. Recently we had a contract where we were representing the buyer's side and trying to get to contract on a property that has $75,000 financed over 20 years in solar panels. How many energy bills could you pay with $75,000? They get sold on the idea because they're told that you can get a $20,000 credit towards your taxes, which is true. You have to qualify for it and file for it, but that still leaves an exorbitant amount of money in expenses towards solar panels. So when asked, should you or shouldn't you, my answer is going to be, unless this is your lifetime residence, don't do it. Even when we go to sell the property, then the appraisal is not going to give you what you've expended. Your return on investment in a short time is not going to be there.

So I think of everything as an investment, everything as an investment, and I'm going to tell you from years of experience, dealing with solar panels, they have not proven to be a good investment for most people. Now, if you're going to live off grid, that's a completely different conversation, and one that is not applicable to this nature, but if it's just a dwelling that is grid based and you're wanting to convert it over to solar panels, let's have a conversation on investment and what your goals are for living in that house before you expense for that. There's a lot of complications with the loan. If you want to not pay those off at closing and turn that over to a buyer to refinance when you go to sell it, so many complications. Short answer, don't do it.

So let's talk about the market for a minute. So with all the flurry of activities, we're still falling short from our numbers back in 2021, which let's be quite honest, were unsustainable market conditions there for a while. As we came out of COVID in 2020, we hit a flurry of activity the latter six months in 2020, and pushed on through with that kind of activity through 2021. But when we talk about we're not to the same numbers, let's give some actual data to that. Let's give some real hard facts, because you're going to hear a plethora of different numbers and data across different portals for news, depending on where you listen to your news. So let's talk about real hard facts for a moment. In our market, that's all I'm talking about here, I'm not talking about national numbers. I have a lot of data for that too, and I'm happy to share that with you, but I'm just talking about our residential numbers here in the Charleston area.

Last year from January to April this time, and I don't have May number... So I don't have May numbers into this data yet. We will have that in the next couple of months, but these are numbers only from January through the end of April. Our MLS had just over 7,200 sales, and that was in 2021. In 2022 it's just over 6,500 sales. So we're about 10% off from last year's numbers. So in the big picture, big scale of things, that's not that big of a deal, but it's not based on the demand. The demand is absolutely still there. It's been based on the limited amount of inventory, how many people are willing to sell their properties and how many buyers are able to buy that. So that's where we've seen the market really shift up with multiple offer scenarios and a lot of buyers not being able to have the chance to secure the house that they want.

So 10% down in production this year, but let's talk about how the market has continued to climb in value. So even though we're 10% less in sales, we are up 15.6% in our sales volume. So the properties are continuing to elevate in value, even though our production numbers are down. So just some great hard facts for you to know. So people will say, "Is this a good deal?" If we're looking at specific property, is it a good deal? Well, does it meet your needs? Can you get financed or pay cash for it? Then it's a good deal. If we can negotiate to terms that suits you, it's a great deal. The best deal, though, was five years ago in all those houses that I was able to sell for those folks, because that they have done well in their equity. But don't waste time, jump into the market. Buy a house, because in five more years, your property values will have soared as well.

So we've seen from seven weeks ago where our MLS had about a thousand active listings, today it's got about 1,600. So we are seeing more opportunities for buyers. More buyers are having success in securing their home purchase. So that's a huge pro and something that I really want to rejoice in with you. If you know of somebody that's looking to buy, or maybe you are the buyer, we are having a better chance of securing those. So as rates, let's talk about rates for just a moment, because they are... Even though they've come down a little bit here in the last couple of weeks, they have elevated from about 3% when we started in January to sitting around 5% today.

What does that mean for a buyer's buying power? Well, for every percentage point that it goes up, it limits us about 10,000 in their purchasing abilities. So for the average buyer, what they could have afforded back in January at a 3% interest rate, then we're about $20,000 less in affordability for that same buyer in today's conditions. Something else to consider, homes that were bought three years ago for 500,000 at about a 3% rate, now we're reselling those houses for about 800,000 at about a 5% rate. So affordability is definitely shifted, is definitely squeezing out more of our middle price point. It's really affecting those first time home buyers with affordability because it's costing on average, with that elevation of price, it's costing people about $2,000 a month on average, between that $500,000 house and 800 now is what it's selling for. So between 500 and 800,000 purchase price, you're looking at about $2,000 month difference in affordability.

So just some facts to think about, but we are seeing some inventory pop up. I've got some listings. Keller Williams has listings. We're one of the largest brokerages here in the Charleston market, so we do a good job of networking within our Keller Williams brand about coming soons and such as we're about to hit the market. If you're looking for something specific, reach out to me, let me know, so I can keep an eye out for it. And if you're thinking about selling, always reach out to me. Let's talk early and upfront about what your value is. If you're just curious about something happening in the market, reach out to me. Thanks, guys. I always appreciate you tuning in and I'll be here for you when you're ready to talk.

Your Friday Market Update - 5/20/22

Fri, 03 Jun 2022 07:50:50 GMT

Dancing With The ARK Stars + Your Friday Market Update

The following transcript was taken from a Facebook live video at the ARK on 5/20/22.

Roni:

Hello, friends. It's Friday again, which means I get to come to you live. And today, I get the honor of doing it from the Ark right here in downtown Summerville. So I want to share all that what is going on here this weekend, but a little bit about the Ark. So I've got my friend, Megan, and you are one of many workers around here, but I've gotten to know you over the years of being involved with the Ark and such. Tell us about what your position here is.

Megan:

Sure. So I am the development director and communications director. So I do, I say all the fun things from fundraising to ma rketing, but yes, we do have an amazing staff. We are a small, but mighty of 10.

Roni:

Yeah. So tenfold. Today, there's a flurry of activity.

Megan:

Almost definitely.

Roni:

Let's talk about though, before we start jumping into about what this weekend is all about. Let's talk a minute about the Ark. So one of the things that I love about our community here within Summerville is we believe in giving back to our community.

Megan:

Yes, definitely.

Roni:

Big time. I've never known of a community like what we have here in Summerville, where we really fundraise and sponsor and give back to the families within our community and serve really.

Megan:

Most definitely. Summerville is such a philanthropic community. I mean, we have so many vital nonprofit-

Roni:

Our weekends really thrive off of what are we going to be doing to give back to the community this weekend? So the Ark though, y'all started the Ark back in 1996, I believe. Right?

Megan:

Yes ma'am.

Roni:

And at that time you were able to serve 10 families. That first year I understood you served 10 families.

Megan:

Yeah.

Roni:

And wow, has it grown. So a little bit about the Ark though, to further the knowledge for the community that may not know. You guys as a group really support those that have family members and loved ones with Alzheimer's.

Megan:

Yes. So our primary goal is to kind of serve that now and to be a resource to these families that are living with Alzheimer's and related dementia. We have a social respite program that gives that family caregiver a break that also keeps that care receiver, socialize, engaged. We like to have fun at the Ark. So in that lesson four hour program, they're getting that stimulation doing activities. And that caregiver is able to take that time to themselves, run an errand or just read a book, whatever that might be. But we do a lot outside of that from education support groups. And again, our primary goal is just to be there for a resource and to kind of let them know they're not alone on this journey.

Roni:

And you really, I can speak knowledgeably from my own family experience, we've had two family members and loved ones that have suffered through Alzheimer's and it's gosh, you really do feel a sense of loneliness because that caregiving does not end.

Megan:

No.

Roni:

I mean, you don't get a break traditionally. And so by having a support system and respite care here within the group of the Ark, it really gives that family the support and the person who has Alzheimer's the support that they need.

Megan:

Most definitely. It is-

Roni:

So it's a big win.

Megan:

... beneficial to everybody.

Roni:

It is. So, but y'all thrive off of donations and support from the community. So you've got big, really understand three big fundraisers throughout the year. So let's talk about the oldest one first. So that's a big race that goes on.

Megan:

Yeah. This will be our 23rd annual McElveen race for the Ark coming up on August 27th, 5K run walk with a one mile fun run in historic downtown Summerville. We do youth challenges, corporate challenges. So it's just a fun morning to come together at 7:30, because we want to be that [inaudible].

Roni:

I've participated many a times as a runner in that. And it's always fun. You get to run through downtown Summerville. So they've got to run. You've got a new fundraiser that I think you've only done, what, one year?

Megan:

No, we've actually done it for four-

Roni:

Four?

Megan:

This would be fourth year. So in ugly sweater dash, which is kind of to get into that holiday spirit-

Roni:

[inaudible].

Megan:

Yeah. Sometime we've had 70 degree weather on December, but it's just a fun time to see the community again, to come together. But our newest one is a car show and that was our board driven fundraiser. That kind of just happened. It was fun to kind of see that's a whole different community of those project. That was really cool.

Roni:

People from different interests and like can come together, but all of it's very family friendly.

Megan:

Yes.

Roni:

And then tomorrow night, let's talk about what is proven to be y'all's biggest fundraiser.

Megan:

Most definitely.

Roni:

And it's called Dancing With the Ark and there are still tickets available at the door, correct?

Megan:

Correct.

Roni:

So if you want to participate, listen up because you can still participate in this event. I've been for numerous years and it's a ton of fun. Let's talk about what's going on tomorrow night.

Megan:

So doors open at seven at the Lowcountry Conference Center. We have such an amazing group of celebrity and professional dancers that have just been donating their time, their energy and hard work for not only raising money for us setting their fundraising goals, but taking dance lessons as well. So tomorrow night they are able to showcase all their hard work and we'll give out two awards, the People's Choice Award, which is the person that raises the most money of the night and the Judge's Award, which is the person that will have the best dance routine of the night.

Roni:

I know these men and women work hard. I mean, they're training for weeks leading up to this.

Megan:

Months too.

Roni:

Months leading up to this. They've been fundraising. Last year, how much money did y'all raise for the Ark for this event?

Megan:

We raised over 120,000 last year, which was a record breaking year. So we are just hoping that we are on track-

Roni:

So the competition is on.

Megan:

Yes, most definitely.

Roni:

So that'll be a lot of fun. Again, a great way to be involved in the social scene within Summerville, but a wonderful cause is benefiting from it at the end of the day. So if you want to participate, you can either reach out to me. We've got the Ark tagged and you can always search online. What's the website that people can go to?

Megan:

They can go to Ark ... A-R-K of sc.org.

Roni:

Fantastic. Well, thanks so much, Megan-

Megan:

Thank you, guys.

Roni: ... for jumping on. I know that y'all are in full preparation mode. There's a U-Haul out front, there's people all over the place. I'm going to let you get back to it. And we're going to talk about some market update. Okay?

Megan:

Thank you guys.

Roni:

Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow night. All right guys. Well, it is fun. It's fun to be able to participate here within the community. And I do love to give back to the community that serves me so well in real estate. So a little bit about what's going on in the market. So if you're not familiar with me, if you're just tapping on and kind of getting started with this, I'm a realtor here in the Charleston market. Specifically, I live and do a lot of my production here in Summerville, although buyer and seller clients take me throughout the Charleston region. I love to watch the market statistics for the Charleston area because people's number one question to me is how's the real estate market. Y'all it doesn't matter where I go. I can go to the dentist. I can go to get my nails done. I can go to the coffee shop and everybody wants to know how's the real estate market. So that's what I like to bring to you.

I watch economists. I listen to not just our local market updates, but really as far as a national pipeline of what the statistics bring, but we're going to talk here about local market here for a moment. So we dipped down last week in our sales production a little bit. We were up into the four hundreds at one point a few weeks ago, we dipped down into the three hundreds and these are homes that have sold or let me say they have gone under contract. I'm looking at contingent properties, things that have gone under contract. And that's the number that I'm providing to you. So there's 367 homes that were sold in our multiple listing service in the Charleston region this week. That is up from last week, but is down from the last couple of years, which is okay guys. It's okay. We can't continue doing the same level of numbers that 2020 and 2021 held, but we're still doing pretty good for 2022.

This week I pushed out three live listings and we have had a flurry of activity. One's already pending status. The other two are getting shown a lot. We've getting offers in on those. Somebody asked me today, what's the average days on the market for my listings? Well, we're still seeing a very short amount of days on the market as in like maybe three or four. And that's only because we are extending, we're doing a highest and best date. So once we hit the market with a listing, we are setting the expectation that we're not reviewing offers and responding for a couple of days. And it just allows all the buyers to have a chance to look at the property, put in their best offer. And then we go under contract with a ratification. So, but 367 houses have gone under contract this last week.

Here's a interesting statistic. 20% of those have been condos or townhouses. So what we call attached dwellings or attached single family homes, 20% have been that. And only 11% have been new construction. And at one point I was given numbers and I was saying that 20% of our sales production each week was happening in new construction sales. Well, that's changed. And a big part to that is because Charleston County, if you apply for a building permit today, you're looking for about 12 months before we can get that building permit back from the county. So because of that and because there's such been a demand for new construction, even in our Dorchester and Berkeley County markets, then we are seeing that the builders cannot keep up with the level of demand. So 11% is new construction. What we are seeing though, is that houses are coming on the market.

So for a while there, we were sitting at a thousand or even less houses that were active in my list. That's entire Charleston region, guys. That's not much, we are upwards of 1400 to 1500 listings active in our MLS now. So things are coming on the market. And so there gives a more chance for buyers instead of getting 15 offers on a single property, I may be only being presented with three or four. They are still in most cases going above our list price. So no worries there. Don't want to set any fear into seller's mind. We are still seeing a lot of owner occupied dwellings come in the market, but I will tell you, most of my properties are investment properties that I'm listing. They've had a tenant in the property for a little bit. And now that investor is seeing that we're kind of at a high point, potentially a high point in our market.

And so they're listing those properties. So those are now getting bought by buyers that haven't had a chance in the market to be able to purchase. So with all of that said, it's still a great time to buy. It's still a great time to list. We don't know what the market's going to do going forward throughout this year. What we do know is that rates are going to continue to climb. So if you're price sensitive, jump in now, let's talk about how to get you into a home, whether it's your personal residence, an investment property, or maybe even a second home, we have a tremendous amount of activity on second home purchases as well. Whatever your needs are in real estate, if you're looking to buy or sell in the Charleston region, please let me be your resource. Let's talk, reach out to me and have a wonderful weekend. And guys, this Ark, that event is going to be happening tomorrow night. Make sure to reach out if you're interested in participating in it, reach out to me. I'll be glad to share details. Have a wonderful weekend.

Your Friday Market Update - 5/13/22

Mon, 16 May 2022 19:00:10 GMT

Live From Piggly Wiggly in Summerville

The following transcript was taken from a Facebook live video on 5/13/22 at 10:30am

Here we are guys. It's Friday again, and I'm excited. Wow. What a whirlwind of a week. I'll give a few minutes for those that want to tap on and hear about a market update. But just for a moment, I'll tell you why I'm here in front of the Piggly Wiggly. So a little bit of trivia for you, for anybody that's watching outside of the Charleston area, the Piggly Wiggly started right in downtown Charleston is where the first one was. We don't have a whole lot of Piggly Wigglys anymore in the area, but the one that's behind me here is in downtown Summerville. And my friend David Smith owns it, operates it, has multiple Piggly Wigglys in the area. He too is a giver to back to the community. And so last year, we had a box here for donations and partnered up with the Piggly Wiggly. And in fact, David and we were able to give big donations over to Hope's House.

Well, this year we were going to be giving donations into the local blessing boxes within our Summerville community. So we'll show you more about it inside, but we are going to be collecting those, but we just love to give back to the community that serves us so well. Yesterday was a big day for Keller Williams agents. And so come on in guys, thank y'all for joining those that are tapping in and I'll give the market update here in a minute. But within Keller Williams family is what's called red date. It's give where you live. And so, that's one of the reasons that I love Keller William's family so much. They do business like I do business. I like to give back to the community that serves me and they see that as a great opportunity.

Keller Williams nationwide, yesterday, shut down offices and a tremendous amount of the agents we're able to serve within the local communities. We filled blessing boxes all over Charleston, but the Piggly Wiggly here will be collecting donations through the end of the month. So we'll walk inside here at a minute and show you where to do that. We're also going to be collecting donations at my office, this Summerville location, the key is called Keller Williams key. And it's right in the heart of downtown Summerville. If you know where the CVS is on North Main Street, we are just adjacent to that. We've got signage and all out, so you can bring your donations there. And I'll give you a little something in response to doing that, a little take home, but thank y'all for giving to the community so well. I know many, many people that follow me on social media are big givers to our community. And so I appreciate that we are like minded in that regard.

So thank y'all again for tapping in. Let's talk about a quick market update, because I'm quite torn over the delivery of this today and here's why. Our market is starting to shift a little bit and our numbers are down on the buying side. In fact, we only had 382 sales that went pending this week in real estate in the Charleston region. 382, that's down from last week [inaudible] also 13. That's huge guys. Our market is shifting and here's why. The rates are continuing to go up. The government feels like it's necessary to increase rates, to get some dampening to all of the buying activity. They also felt like it was a reasonable response a couple of years ago to print a lot of money to feed into our economy. So we saw where that took us. It's going to be a very interesting ride this spring and summer as we go through this season where the government making decisions and it's increasing these rates so rapidly.

I knew that was coming. I did not realize how quickly it would impact our buying power and the buyer's confidence in the market. Now, the reason that I say that I'm quite conflicted with the delivery of that is because I'm listing property. I had three listings last week. I have another three that went live this week. I have another three that will be going live next week. With that means that there's a lot of sellers on the market, which I'm one of many, many agents. Thankfully, I do a lot of production, but that means that listings are coming on the market. Our inventory is up in the MLS. On those listings, I'm still getting multiple offers, which tells me there's still buyers that are out there for our inventory. We still have a huge buyer demand. Where is this year going to take us?

Listen, we used to be able to forecast from history where things would take us. It's going to be interesting because we really don't know. As much as I listen to economists and I love the data that's out there, the truth is it's a weekly change in our market. So it's a lot to keep up with. If you ever want to talk about is it a good time to list your sale? I believe it's an excellent time to list. The market is high. Do I think it's going to continue at the same pace that it's been over the last year with some values going up 20% now? Probably not, but we are going to continue to see the prices go up, but just not at the same pace. It's just not sustainable guys.

And so, I don't think that we are we're forecasting to see a decon in the market in terms of the value of properties. It's just that our market is not going to sustain a 20% increase this year. So that's the short side of the market update. If you want to know any statistics, I have tons of charts and data available. If you want to know what your house is worth, I'm happy to share that information with you. And you can make a determination after getting that data whether it is the right time to sell. It will always be the right time to buy if you need housing. That's a fact. People, no matter what the interest rates are, are going to be buying because in fact, everybody needs a roof over their head and rental prices are exorbitant and there's so few on the market.

So it is a good time to still buy. And my team is structured. We are well structured to be able to assist you with that. Let's go take a peek inside the Piggly Wiggly because I really want to show you where we're going to be taking these donations. And again, the donations are going to be anything that can go into what we call a blessing box. If you're not familiar with that, it's a box that's outside of businesses. Some of them are even outside of homes or churches, but it's where people within the community can go and get dry goods, non-perishables for their family. And so it's a truly a good way to bless the rest, so to speak.

So here's some of the donations that we're looking to get. Anything again, that is non-perishable, any kind of paper products, diapers, bleaches, cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, foods, hand goods, coffee, cereals, snacks, pet food, sunscreen, which is super important at this time of the year for families, socks, hygiene products, all of those items can be donated here at our local Piggly Wiggly. And again, in our Summerville Keller Williams office, it's 126 East North Street. That's a mouthful, 126 East North Street. Most people just know it is one block away from our friends over at Coastal Coffee. And it's adjacent to the CVS.

Guys, thank you so much for tuning into these market updates. Please give to our community through the blessing boxes. And if we can serve you, whether you're buying or selling, let us know. I can always be found on social media at That SC Real Estate Chick, as well as the web. Or you're welcome to give me a call or a text at any time on my cell phone, (843) 297-1935. Have a wonderful weekend and happy buying and selling.

Your Friday Market Update - 5/6/22

Wed, 11 May 2022 17:19:57 GMT

Elevated Sales Production

The following is a transcript from a Facebook live post on 5/6/2022 at 10:30am.

Roni:
Good morning, my friends. It's Friday again, and I proudly am standing here in front of what will be my newest listing. So I'm here on a very quiet and quaint street in downtown Summerville. This is on Tallow. We are golf cart, bike riding, walking leisurely into downtown Summerville distance. And so very few houses come on the market on this street and in this area. And so when I say proudly, they're past clients of mine who are going to be r e -listing their home for sale, and I'm excited to be showcasing it today. It is your typical double porch, low country style home. It is got a two car garage out back, cute little courtyard where they've done an amazing job with planting and it's fenced in. So if you're needing a house in the downtown area, if you know of somebody that is interested, have them reach out to me, I'll give the, all the full details and we'll be publicized the house on MLS very soon.

All right. But let's talk about the market, because that's really what y'all want to hear about on this spring day. Gosh, it is spring here in the low country. And historically that means that sales peak. Well, this week is no different. We're still trailing last year's numbers. However, we are only about 20 sales shy from 2021 sales on a week to week basis. So this same time last year, what I'm saying is this same time last year, we're only 20 sales off. So that has not been the case. We have really elevated our sales production. More houses are coming on the market and that's a big part of it. We were sitting at about a thousand listings in our MLS for, gosh, as long as I can remember, I've been reporting that to you. And so now we're up to almost 1400 listings. We've been between 1300 and 1400 this week.

So with that gives more opportunity for buyers to be able to find their home. If it is any concern of yours at all, I would say that's probably the number one objection for people wanting to list their house is where am I going to go? Well, I will tell you the days on the market are lengthening a little bit. Whereas we have been seeing on our average days on the market, 2, 3, 4 days on the market, it is spanning out a little bit further into about a week's time on the market, which is going to work in your favor if you're a buyer. So don't be leery of listing your house for sale. The chances are well, number one, I've never made anybody truly homeless. And so we will find somewhere for you to go. But if you are looking to put a house on the market, maybe you've had a tenant in it for a period of time. Now's a great time to get it listed. I've got actually several listings coming up here in the next couple of weeks from just that. Houses that have been tenant occupied.

If you are looking to make an investment purchase, this is a great time to do it. Interest rates have climbed a little bit, but they're going to project... They are projected to continue to climb. So I like to build wealth in real estate. I like to have rental properties and I'm looking heavy right now on what that next one's going to be because the prices are not going to get any better. And the interest rates are not going to get any better. We have seen... Let's talk about interest rates for a moment because you probably, if you've been watching any kind of network news, you're seeing it. So let's talk about interest rates for just a moment. We started off the year at one, I'm sorry, at 3.1% on average for our 30 year mortgage. And right now we're sitting at 5.25, 30 year mortgage, and that's an average conventional loan.

They are going to differ a little bit, but that's just if you called a lender today and said, what's your 30 year mortgage? That's right around where they're going to quote you. So that's a pretty significant increase from 3.1 to five and a quarter. Now, what does that tell us? It tells us that buying power of a lot of buyers has gone down a little. All right? So if $500,000 house that they qualified for on a 3% rate, their qualifications may look a little bit different or their qualification may stay the same and their payment has increased, but here's a fun fact that is something worth bringing to you. And we're going to post after this live. I'll post it down into the comments, a graphic to hit hard and show you exactly what I'm talking about here. But historically when rates increase, now we're going back to the nineties.

So I'm going back a few years, but we're going back to the nineties and we're going to talk about historically when interest rates increase, what does that have to do with the market? Well, the market, the properties, the equity in people's houses tend to go up and that's an interesting, it really counters what our mindset might look like. If interest rates go up, property values would decrease, right? But that's exactly the opposite from historically what has happened.

And wh en interest rates go up, it actually gets a lot of buyers off the fence. And we know that rates are going to continue to climb. So we are seeing that a lot of buyers are trying to secure their properties. Whether it's a personal residence, whether it's a second home or an investment property, they're trying to go ahead and secure those at this time. So what does that do? It pushes buyers into the market. They want to get out of rentals. Rental prices have gone up crazy. If you're a rental, which I've been working with several this week, its hard to find a rental right now. In fact, I've got a lady in town who's wanting to rent, can't find a rental. So we're going to look at properties to purchase instead of renting for a year.

So, the rental prices are going up. It's pushing people out of being able to rent. So they're buying now versus six months from now when we know that interest rates are going to continue to go up. So it continues to drive the prices of home values up. And again, I'll share that graphic with you later this afternoon, when I'm back at the computer, with a couple of other ones that are interesting. But if you know of anybody that's looking to buy and sell in this market, send them over my way. Let's talk, let's have the conversation. Let's tap into the lender and just see what we can do. But I'm just here to report to you that the market is still strong. It is starting to soften a little bit, instead of all my listings, I'm getting 15 offers. I may only be faced with three or four. That's okay.

We're okay with that because we are going to get into a little bit normalized market, but the buyers are still there. If you're thinking about selling, now's the opportune time to do it. We're pushing into the summer months when a lot of families move. So let's talk, reach out to me at any time, make sure to follow me on social media at that SC real estate chick and on the web at the same, or by phone (843) 297-1935. If you want more information on this beauty behind me, let me know. I'd be glad to share the details. Have a great weekend.

Your Friday Market Update - 4/24/22

Tue, 26 Apr 2022 10:22:53 GMT

Your Friday Market Update - 4/24/22

This blog post was taken from a Facebook live on 4/24/22 with Roni and Emily from the Public Works Art Center in downtown Summerville, SC.

Roni:
Hey friends, Roni Haskell here with Keller Williams. And once again it's Friday, and today I'm so excited because I get to come to you live from the Summerville Art Center, it's here in the Public Works building. I've got Emily, who's one of the directors up here. And it's a big day here for the Art Center. Tell us about what's happening tonight.

Emily:
It's a big day, it's been a big week for us. We've been preparing for this for months, but tonight is our first fundraising gala. Very limited number of tickets, they are sold out, but we're hoping that it helps us raise money so we can keep doing what we're doing here. We are always free to visit. We are nonprofit 501 C3. We've got summer camps, classes. We can even rent out our space for events. We bring artsy, the artmobile out. What else?

Roni:
Yes. Yes. So I met Emily for the first time at the Flowertown Festival, which if you watch regularly, you will have seen, I highlighted a few weeks ago from the Flowertown Festival. And when I had my daughter out there with her little friend, we stopped at the artsy, the artmobile. It was so cute. They were doing colorful pinwheels for the kids. And so I sat there very patiently for quite a while. It was kind of nice to have a break though. And Emily was there helping the kids color and put their pinwheels together. But you all have everything here. You've got exhibits that rotate every six weeks, right?

Emily:
Three galleries, they change out every six weeks. They come back every month or so and it's all different. We also have 12 studio artists, so they have their own space. And if the door is open, pop in, see what they're working on. All different art mediums. What else?

Roni:
Yeah. Well, they got the art galleries or exhibits that rotate in and out. They've got yoga. I saw you all just started having yoga [crosstalk 00:01:47]-

Emily:
We do. We do yoga on Monday mornings-

Roni:
Monday mornings. Okay.

Emily:
Monday mornings 8:00 to 9:00 yoga, it's only $10. We try to do everything here either free or as low cost as possible. You can also learn pottery here. We have a pottery studio downstairs for kids and adults.

Roni:
Yeah. Birthday parties, you can rent the space out. So if you have a special event, that's going to be special. And so tonight, again, is the gala or a gala. I've put it both ways, depending on where in the country you're from. But tonight is going to be a huge event. It is sold out.

Emily:
It is sold out. If you didn't get your ticket, definitely get it early next year. But also you can still get in on our auction. We've got about 30 pieces for our art auction and all you have to do is, well, I'll find the instructions for you. Text Public Works to a number and then it'll [crosstalk 00:02:33]-

Roni:
We'll post that. We'll make sure to post that so that you can see the link. Also for more information about the Public Works Art Center, you can get onto publicworksartcenter.org.

Emily:
Yes. That's right.

Roni:
.org.

Emily:
Yes.

Roni:
And so you can learn more about the location here. But the neat thing, I mean, this building is historical too. I haven't been here long enough to have seen it as the post office, but it was once the original post office right here in Summerville.

Emily:
Built in 1937. Yeah.

Roni:
1937. And then when I first moved to Summerville, it was the water company. The Commissioners of Public Works water company was here for years and years.

Emily:
They were amazing in helping us acquire this building. We can't thank them enough. So when they moved down the street, a bunch of community leaders came together and said, "We have keep this in the community. Keep this building in the community." So now it is your Art Center. Always free to visit.

Roni:
It is. So it's one of the many, many reasons that families and visitors and all love Summerville. It's right here in the downtown section. We're on the corner of Cedar and Richardson. So it's easy to get to. Walkability to all the stores and the restaurants here in downtown Summerville. Perfect location, but just a neat contribution to our community here in Summerville. So let's go take a quick glance at one of the art studios. And so I will let you lead the way. And you're going to see behind the scenes set up here for what the event will be tonight.

Emily:
We're a little sweaty, a little.

Roni:
Yeah. They've been working hard, but take a look. And show them all of these flowers. Oh my gosh. And all of this was donated. All of the flowers were donated. I understand that the florist, what was her name?

Emily:
Gretchen Cuddy.

Roni:
Gretchen Cuddy. Shout out to Gretchen. Donated all the florals. But you're going to see, look at these things hanging from the ceiling. My friends that are going to be here tonight, [inaudible 00:04:19] one of the sponsors, one of the many community sponsors, but we are in for a treat. No doubt. So not only do we get to be in good company in a beautiful setting, looking at gorgeous artwork, but for some people it may even be their first time to get to come into the Art center. So anyways, but tell us about what we're seeing.

Emily:
So here is the art auction here, along all the walls. A bunch of amazing artists, most of them local. And so what you're going to do is you're going to text Public Works to 843-606-5995, and that helps you join. You can only bid between 6:30 and 10:00 PM. Cut off right at 10:00 PM. But these are just incredible. We've got Shepard Fairey over here. He is more than local, but he's local. He's done a few pieces.

Roni:
How beautiful. What do we know about this style? These are prints, correct?

Emily:
Those are prints, yes. Those are lithographs.

Roni:
They're just beautifully graphic.

Emily:
Yes. [crosstalk 00:05:21]-

Roni:
Here in Summerville we do have like a bird's theme that is around our town. Do you want to highlight on that? Do you know much about that Emily?

Emily:
Yeah. Sculpture In the South. Typically they're here in the vault here and they do bronze sculptures. So they've got a really fun, free activity. We've got the pamphlets here actually, you can grab. And you can go around downtown Summerville and find the birds that are all over hidden tucked in.

Roni:
Think of [crosstalk 00:05:41], but this is Sculpture In the South. They're bronze birds, a variety of bronze birds, all in their tucked away.

Emily:
It's a fun, free activity. Yeah.

Roni:
Yeah. Fronts of buildings and in parks and in all kinds of places.

Emily:
Yeah. Then we've got this big backdrop that's going to move outside. We have photos outside, but someone hand-dyed it for us with indigo. We do Indigo Dye Day twice a year, out in our back parking lot.

Roni:
Oh, look at these. This is a fun, beautiful art piece here. Gosh, I could see that.

Emily:
Cory Hines, she's got two pieces here up for auction.

Roni:
I could see that just being a ton of fun in a kids' playroom or even in an office building.

Emily:
We also have one item [crosstalk 00:06:22]. Absolutely gorgeous. That's Olivia Sangster, she's one of our instructors here and just so much detail. There's like tiny gold detail in it. It's just absolutely beautiful.

Roni:
So that's just some of the insight that you're going to get to share with us this evening if you're coming to the gala, and if not, please come and visit the Art Center. And it is open Tuesday through Saturday, right?

Emily:
That's right. Tuesday through Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday. But we're open 10:00 to 5:00. Often later, we've got classes happening later than that. So come check us out.

Roni:
Come check them out. And they're always at different events. Like third Thursdays, they are open late. You all are huge contribution to our community and we appreciate you all so much, Emily.

Emily:
Thank you so much. It's my favorite place to be.

Roni:
She's been behind the scenes working a little bit.

Emily:
A little.

Roni:
I'm going to turn her loose to get back to business and I'll give you a quick market update. So you bet you. Thank you so much, Emily. Let's head back up here. Look at this. [inaudible 00:07:19]. Oh my gosh. How cool is that? With our little country bird there. Oh, here's another one that is gorgeous. So all of these are going to be on the auction block for tonight. But just a beautiful acrylic there.

Roni:
All right. Let's step out here. Let's talk about the market though for a minute because a lot of my viewers are interested in real estate and that's what I do each and every day and I look forward to always being your contributor knowledge source. If you are buying or selling real estate in the Charleston area, I look forward to working with you. If you know of somebody that is looking to buy or sell, please let them know about me. Share my information with them. I'd be honored and glad to assist. Make sure to comment below, if you have any questions as we go through this, and I'm always happy to reach out to you directly and be able to address any of those questions with you as well.

Roni:
All right. So our market is still peak. So we are in our spring selling season here in Charleston, which is a lot of fun, is a lot of activity, tons of flurry. Lots of listing appointments for me, which is always a great time. Buyers continue to come into the area. The economy is doing fantastic. So while the year to date sales are down about 8% for our area, that's kind of a national number as well, but here in the Charleston MLS, our sales are down by 8%. Our prices are up 14.3%. So that is supply and demand economics 101. Because we have lower inventory, we cannot keep the sales high. The demand is just out the roof right now.

Roni:
So if you're thinking about selling, now is a great time to do it. We will be able to work with you to find where your next place is going to be, but just know that the inventory sales are down, but the price range is up. All right? So we are honored always to help you. There's a lot of reasons why there are people moving to our area. And without getting into all those details, I want you to know that there is a strong demand here. So reach out and I'll be glad to help. 843-297-1935. You can always find me on social media and the web, @thatscrealestatechick. Have a great weekend.

Your Weekly Key News!

Fri, 08 Apr 2022 10:52:29 GMT

Your Weekly Key News! 4/8/22

Today's Housing Market

Our team’s first-quarter was successful with 28 transactions total, including 16 closings and 12 homes under contract. 2021 was a record year, but 2022 sales are being slowed by low inventory. Today, we have less than a thousand active listings in our local market with a median sales price of $375,000.

What’s going on with our economy? A study says that SC ranked #2 in the U.S. for inbound moves in 2021. SC is 1 of 13 states with more people moving in than out. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the reason behind almost a whopping half (46%) of all moves in America was housing. This includes people buying a home or moving somewhere better and/or cheaper.

Breeze Airways has announced they are adding flights from Charleston to San Francisco, Las Vegas, Syracuse, and Fort Myers. Bintelli LLC, a manufacturer of electric vehicles is expanding operations in Charleston County that will create 72 new jobs. A new 250-unit apartment development is underway for the Cainhoy area of Berkeley County.

Stay tuned for your market updates & follow me on Facebook for a live update every Friday!

Current Median Prices

• Summerville: $319K______________ __• Mount Pleasant: $699K
• Goose Creek: $299K_______ _______ _• James Island: $513K
• Moncks Corner: $336K________ ______• West Ashley: $375K
• Hanahan: $325K___________________ • Charleston: $495K
• North Charleston: $280K_____________• Downtown Charleston: $961K

Upcoming Events

April 9
Lowcountry Cajun Festival
- James Island County Park -

April 12
Women, Wealth, Wine
- Harbour Club at Westedge -

April 14
The Price is Right Live
- North Charleston Performing Arts Center -

April 21
Third Thursday
- Hutchingson Square, Summerville -

April 21 - 24
Charleston Jazz Festival
- Charleston Music Hall -

April 23 - 24
2022 High Water Festival
- 1001 Everglades Ave, North Charleston -

April 25
The Piano Guys
- Charleston Gaillard Center -

April 30

Shred Day: Free Shredding Event Tickets, Sat, Apr 30, 2022 at 1:00 PM | Eventbrite

- 215 West 2nd South Street, Summerville -

Your Friday Market Update - 3/25/22

Mon, 28 Mar 2022 04:32:14 GMT

Market Update & 5 MUSTS For Listing

The following is a transcript taken from Roni's Facebook Live, "This Week in Housing" on Friday, 3/25/22.

Hi friends, happy Friday. So, I'm coming to you from my office today, but if you were not on last Friday or got a chance to watch it, I was outdoors at the new Ashley River Park. They had a wonderful grand opening and I went out over last weekend. It's going to be another gorgeous spring weekend so make sure that if you did not get over there last weekend, that you do so this weekend, all right? There's lots to do over there and lots to do around town. It is the end of March. We are right on the cusp of going into farmers markets and all in the upcoming few weekends and I cannot wait. Bu t we are in for a treat of a weekend. In fact, my team is going to be joining a bunch of other Keller Williams agents and we are going to be over at the Riverfront Park, let's see, tomorrow morning in North Charleston, the old Navy Weapons Station or the old Navy base rather, the old Navy base, and we're going to be walking for water.

It's a way to raise money for those internationally that have to literally walk miles in order to get their fresh water. So, we're going to be doing a walk and raising money. So, if you are wanting to join, there is still plenty of opportunity. I'm happy to share the link. It's also, the link is also on my both Facebook and Instagram pages. It was posted yesterday. It went out in this week's newsletter. So, if you didn't get any of that and you want to participate in the walk or if you just want to make a donation for water missions, again, it's international missions that we're raising money for, for clean water for these folks, if you want to participate in any way, reach out to us. But our team's going to have a fun morning over at the Riverfront Park in North Charleston tomorrow.

And so, let's talk about five things that you need to do to prepare your house for the market. It's important, and I'm going on many listing appointments every week and I'm constantly saying the same things. So therefore, I figured I would deliver the message straight to your ears without having to come visit you because the chances are, I'm going to be saying the same thing when do meet. So, here are five things that you need to do to prepare your house for the market this spring. One is finish your projects. Yes it matters, yes that buyers do care whether you have completed that tile work, or you started hanging new light fixtures, and you've still got globes and light bulbs to put up, finish those projects.

It's a seller's market, but they still care. If it's something that was bothering you when you bought it or if you've been in the house long enough that you just, since that it needed that improvement, go ahead and do it. I'm sure that you will find the value back out, the return of investment back out of it. Follow your instinct on that. So, finish your projects is number one. Number two is clean, I mean, deep clean the house. Get into the nitty gritty details. And if you're not a great house cleaner, then hire somebody to do it. Wipe down the ceiling fans, clean the windows, dust, clean the countertops off, clean inside of the oven, cleanliness sells. I don't care what price point you're in, it matters.

So, make sure that you get into the nitty gritty details and all the corners and clean. That's number two. Number three is to paint. Interior and exterior, paint fresh color. Not sure what color to paint? Reach out, I'll be glad to tell you. I've got my favorites list. I can come visit you and I can tell you, my degree is in interior design, that's what I went to Auburn University and came out with. I have opinions on paint colors. So, if that's not your best niche and you're unsure about what color to paint, maybe it's the front door needs freshening, maybe your soffits need some repair work and freshening up with a fresh coat of paint. But whatever it is, go ahead, get it done. Need to know a great painter? I got one of those as well. But paint, interior and exterior, it does matter. And so, that is number three.

Number four is to pack up any belongings that you do not need on a daily basis to get rid of the clutter. I know you've watched HGTV for years and they preach it, and you still need to do it. If there's a question whether that personal picture needs to come down or not, the answer is yes. True that families and buyers that are coming through don't mind lifestyle pictures, you can take the same frames and cut out images from Charleston Magazines, LowCountry Living kind of stuff, anything that's going to appeal to a potential buyer, think of the models that the builders provide, right? They may have lifestyle photos in their frames but they're not so geared towards a specific family. So, if it's in question, go ahead and remove it.

Box it up, because quite frankly, we're going to be, from contract to close, you're only going to have about 30, maybe 45 days. There's a lot to do in that short amount of time. So, the more you do upfront to prepare, box up, get rid of things, donate things, clear out your closets, the better you're going to fill when we do hit the contract to close timeframe and it will be less overwhelming for you. So, number four is to pack up. And number five is to listen when I tell you what the home's value truly is and what we need to list it for. So yes, it's a seller's market and yes, I'm all for pushing a price tag for listing, but buyers are still savvy and it is ideal to list it within the spectrum of what the market can and will support.

And let's list it, maybe push in price a little bit that list it within that spectrum and then let buyers, if there's enough buyers in the market that want your house, let the buyers drive it up in multiple offers. If you list too high, it's the same as in the years past, even though it's maybe a seller's market right now, you can still overprice a property to the point it will not get offers. So, listen to your agent and make sure that you're putting it into a price spectrum that is going to give you the best opportunity for a successful sale. And here's a bonus. If you wanted to go with a sixth one, then here it is. Leave the property during showing. That may mean that you need to pack up and go on vacation for a weekend or for a few days if it's during the week.

But leave the property, and I mean your kids and your animals in tow. Even though you love them, the buyers will not. Take everybody with you, vacate the property during your showings, and if at all possible, take your sweet little cups with you. Okay? So, there's my tidbit of information about getting your house ready for the market to line you up for the best possible price in the shortest amount of time. And as a strong listing agent, that's what I'm seeking to do for you. So, there's my advice. Let's talk about the market updates, which is what I like to bring to you every Friday. We have seen, spring is here and we're seeing great market activity. We are seeing great sales. True, we are still falling behind the craze of sales that happened last year in 2021, but we are still in a very healthy market.

Great sales are being produced. Our listings for MLS this week have increased over previous weeks, which is great. We're back up. We had dipped down below a thousand and here recently, we're back up right at a thousand or a little above in MLS which is strong for where we've been earlier this year. And then, when we talk about the Charleston economy, it's doing great as a whole. One thing I found interesting is that a recent study that was conducted in South Carolina found us that South Carolina, number two in the U.S. for inbound moves in 2021. And so, throughout last year and we are continuing to see this into 2022, but South Carolina ranks as number two in the U.S. for inbound moves. South Carolina is one of only 13 states with more people moving in than out.

And I know exactly where the people are moving from, I talk to them on a weekly basis. They're moving out of other states and they're moving to South Carolina, which continues to thrive our economy. And it's not just people that are retiring here or buying second homes, although we have plenty of that, these are people that are putting back into our economy. We've got lots of great employers. In fact, Breeze Airways, if you're in tune to looking at travels, Breeze Airways, just so they're adding flights into Charleston direct into San Francisco, Las Vegas, Syracuse, New York, and Fort Myers. I have some personal interest in being able to fly direct to at least one of those towns. I've got a great friend in one of those cities that I want to go and visit.

And so, I'm having Breeze Airways. When you get an airline like that that sees us as a hub internationally for these kind of direct flights, that speaks volumes about our economy. So, what we are still seeing though is that potential home sellers are a little anxious. If they sell, where are they going to go? And so, we are constantly, as a team leader in this area, I'm constantly writing letters to homeowners asking, "Are you willing to sell?" So, if you come to me and you're wanting to sell but you can't find the right property, I'm probably going to sit down with you and ask, "Well, what properties are you interested in? And let's see if we can find something that's even potentially off-market."

Also, having great relationships with other agents in town, you know who you are, if you listen, I love collaborating and working with other agents in the area, have strong relationships with many and just asking, "What do you know of that's coming up and available for sale in the near future that may align with what my buyers are looking for?" And you as a listener, if you know of somebody, maybe it's a neighbor, or maybe you're interested in selling if the right opportunity is kind of, think about Zillow back in the day when it was like a Make Me Move campaign, they don't offer that anymore but they did for a while and I kind of liked it because it was like, "Well, if you give me the right price, I'll move." Well, I'm basically saying, "Tell me what your price is and let me see if I can find the right buyer for it to align both with success," right?

So, anyhow, but last little bit of information about what our real estate market's doing here, February 2022 was down right at 15% in transactions over February 2021. That is no surprise. We are down in transactions because we don't have the inventory quite frankly. But here's the kicker, is median sales price has risen 14% year to date with the same timeframe as 2021. So, sales are down and sales prices continue to decline. So, whether you're looking to buy or sell in this market, I'm here to help. My team is here. I'd be glad to connect with you or anybody that you might know. We give a great level of service and we will promise to work hard for you. Drop any comments or questions down below. Make sure to subscribe. We're putting out great content with videos, listings and such each week so I don't want you to miss anything. Have a great weekend guys.

Your Weekly Key News! 3/15/22

Mon, 21 Mar 2022 06:21:03 GMT

The following is info from our Weekly Key News email. If you'd like to receive this helpful weekly resource, please sign up here.

We Are Hiring

Position:

INSIDE SALES AGENT

Real Estate License not required

Interested? Reach out to me

843-297-1935 or roni.haskell@kw.com

SHOULD YOU BUY A HOUSE IF YOU’RE WORRIED ABOUT INFLATATION?

You’ve probably noticed prices are going up.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) - which gauges inflation- recently hit its highest point since 1982. When this happens, the Federal Reserve must act by raising the federal funds rate to make the cost of borrowing more expensive. Investors now expect as much as a 50 basis point increase from the Fed in March, which will ultimately lead to higher mortgage rates.

If you’re thinking about buying a house, now is the time to act.

CURIOUS TO SEE HOW MUCH YOU CAN AFFORD?
CONTACT OUR TEAM TO PREQUALIFY!

KELLIE COLLINS

Loan Officer/NMLS 1776559
Office: 854-444-8985
Cell: 843-810-7219
KCollins@houseloan.com

LowCountryMortgageQueen.com

Not a commitment to lend. Borrower must meet qualification criteria. Equal Housing Opportunity. Sources deemed reliable, but not guaranteed. Rates by the decade source MBSQuoteline, 2022.

Experience Matters. Service Matters. Who You Work With Matters.

Your Friday Market Update - 3/18/22

Mon, 21 Mar 2022 05:48:11 GMT

The following is a transcript from Roni's Friday Market Update from Ashley River Park, with special guest, Jay Byars.

Roni Haskell:

Good morning friends. It's Friday, which means I'm coming to you live, not only to deliver a market update, which we'll get to later, but really that's going to come secondary today b ecause I'm here with Jay Byars, and we are here at the brand new Dorchester County, Ashley River Park. This is a project you've been working on for a long time, Jay.

Jay Byars:

It is. We're excited. This has been 10 years of labor of love, so we're excited. We open it up tomorrow for the general public. Everybody's excited to see it.

Roni Haskell:

I know that they are. There's a lot of buzz within our community, so tell us the overall vision of this and what all it's going to give to our community.

Jay Byars:

Sure. One of the things we really wanted to do, in a short term, is everybody loves James Island County Park. Think about what Charleston has at James Island County Park. We wanted to bring all of that here into Somerville. That's the shortest, easiest way to describe it. Splash pad, huge playgrounds, dog parks, trails, three quarters of a mile of river frontage, a six-acre fishing pond, a large rentable pavilion, great restroom facilities, an outfitter building where you can rent kayaks, standup paddle boards, canoes. We're very excited about that. This is the kind of thing that we're just going to continue doing more of. I'm super excited. I can't wait to see everybody enjoying It.

Roni Haskell:

I know. Personally, I can't wait to get out there in the kayaks. That's going to be a lot of fun. Y'all have the adventure race coming up on Sunday, huh?

Jay Byars:

We do. The adventure race Sunday, we're going to 5K run through the park and then everybody's going to jump in their kayaks and they're going to paddle down to Middleton Place, which is eight miles away... with the tide, by the way, because paddling against the tide is not fun. And that'll take about two hours and we'll have some barbecue and blue grass at the end of it, so we're super excited about that.

Roni Haskell:

So is that filled up or is there still opportunity for people to sign up?

Jay Byars:

It's pretty full, but if somebody wanted to get in, I might be able to create a space. I need to know pretty quickly, though.

Roni Haskell:

Here's a little bit of information. Two years ago... Was it two years ago when y'all did the inaugural Ashley River Race, or was it three?

Jay Byars:

Actually, it was 2019.

Roni Haskell:

2019, they had the inaugural Ashley River Race. And who won the women's division?

Jay Byars:

I think it might have been you.

Roni Haskell:

It was me. It was me. So anyway...

Jay Byars:

Toot your own horn. You go ahead and let people know how great you are.

Roni Haskell:

You got it. Listen, I am up for an adventure and I am up for a challenge and you put me on the front line of a race and I'm going to go after it. My friend, Jill Weatherford, many of y'all might know her. If not, she's a treat to know, but she was my partner in that. Anyway, y'all are going to have a great weekend out here. What are the hours of operations?

Jay Byars:

Dawn to dusk.

Roni Haskell:

Dawn to dusk.

Jay Byars:

Dawn to dusk.

Roni Haskell:

And then is there a fee for entry?

Jay Byars:

Yeah, so just like Charleston County Parks, we're going to charge a $2 entry fee. We're selling annual passes for Dorchester County residents for $6, I'm sorry, for $40. And if you are not a Dorchester County resident, you can also buy a pass and I believe it's $65.

Roni Haskell:

That's a year.

Jay Byars:

That allows... it's a great deal.

Roni Haskell:

It's a great offer.

Jay Byars: It allows us to be able to help maintain the park. It also allows people who are outside of the county to help us maintain the park by paying to actually use it. Charleston County's been doing it for 50 years. It works really well, and we're excited about it. That pass will cover up to nine people in a vehicle, so if want shove your entire family and a Volkswagen Bug and try to set a record, you can come out here and then come to the park. And then that'll also cover the future county parks that we continue to build.

Roni Haskell:

Wow. Well, I see there's a lot of potential. Look here. This is the splash pad, I guess.

Jay Byars:

Yeah, this is going to be huge. This is going to be awesome. So if you can get it on the camera, if you look and you see that blue tile out there, the splash pad itself actually is a geographic overlay of the Ashley River Drainage Basin. So when you're standing out on the splash pad, you would be standing in different places within the Ashley River Drainage Basin in the Charleston area. So that's going to be pretty neat for kids and adults to be able to go out and enjoy. I imagine that's going to get used very heavily. I can't wait to see them out here.

Roni Haskell:

What a beautiful... So Seamon Whiteside, right, is the designers and architects that were mastermind behind this. I know there's so many people that were integral part of the planning and such, but we appreciate... now I'm going to speak for the community of Summerville and Dorchester County, but we appreciate your involvement here, your vision.

Jay Byars:

Thank you.

Roni Haskell:

You've done a great job.

Jay Byars:

Well, it wasn't just me, but I appreciate it. I certainly have a passion for it. I think that I learned a lot in 2010 when I first ran for elections, just talking with a lot of constituents, and got ideas from those constituents and how passionate they were to see these types of things happen. And so we just took those ideas and we really put them to paper, and now we put them out here and we've turned the dirt to really turn those into reality. The community certainly gave us the incentive, and then we had a lot of people on county council, a lot of staff, and a lot of just community leaders to help make this happen, so this was definitely a team effort. I think Summerville's been starving for this for about two decades and they've been ready for it, and here it is.

Roni Haskell:

For sure. Well, the vision has come to life and I can't wait for all of the community to be able to see this. I know that you're getting a little glimpse of it here on camera.

Jay Byars:

Little teaser.

Roni Haskell:

We passed by the playground a while ago, and that'll be great for families to be able to come and play. And what we're doing is making our way, I think... I think we're making our way to waterfront over here.

Jay Byars:

We are, we are.

Roni Haskell:

...just crossing over the bridge. How many miles of trails do y'all have out here?

Jay Byars:

In this particular site, we probably have about a mile and a half. The overall goal, we're actually in the process of doing this now. We closed on another 120 acres across the street, on Bacons Bridge Road, that's also on the river. And then we got Rosebrock Park across the river, that's 70 acres with about a mile and a half of trails. We're going to build a tunnel under the road and a bridge across to Rosebrock Park, we're going to connect these two parks, and then we will connect the 120 acres. We'll end having eight or nine miles of trails...

Roni Haskell:

Wow.

Jay Byars:

...With about 300 or 400 acres of riverfront park in the next couple of years, by the time this is all said and done. Plus our Oakbrook and Summerville libraries we'll be able to build. So we're really... this will be huge. This is really just phase one, and so it's going to grow even more. I think people are going to be super excited when they really see what this thing is going to be, and it's just going to be a great opportunity to spend a lot of time outside. This is a special place to be, and there's no need to sit inside and play Xbox all the time. This is what we want to do.

Roni Haskell:

Listen, I can't think of a better weekend to have a grand opening of a park because it is perfect weather out here.

Jay Byars:

Absolutely. God smiled on us big time.

Roni Haskell:

For sure, He did. For sure, He did. Yeah, because last weekend was pretty crummy. So you ordered it up, didn't you, Jay?

Jay Byars:

That would've been a disaster. Yeah, we're definitely getting our Sunday morning weather. We appreciate the good Lord smiling on us. Even our ribbon cutting yesterday, or Wednesday, it was thunderstorms all day, and for two hours, we had nothing. So it was great.

Roni Haskell:

Yeah. Well, good.

Jay Byars:

I think we're going to see a lot of people come out here this weekend and have perfect weather.

Roni Haskell:

Yes. Well, good. Well, we are still making our way over here to the water and [Braden's] behind the camera and bless him, he's having to walk backwards and making sure he doesn't run anything over.

Jay Byars:

He's doing a great job.

Roni Haskell:

He is doing a good job.

Jay Byars:

The fact that he's doing the moonwalk the entire time is pretty impressive too.

Roni Haskell:

So pipe in, let me know if you have any questions. If you want more details on this park, I'll be glad to share it. At the conclusion of all of this, I will reach out to you, but gosh, I just am thoroughly enjoying being out here and I plan on bringing my kids this weekend.

Hey, talk about things happening around town and such. We had a wonderful event last night in the town of Summerville. Hey, Jay, did you make it over to Third Thursday?

Jay Byars:

I did. I stopped by briefly last night before I went and did my first night flight, because I'm working on my pilot's license. So I did stop by a little bit. It was a great night for that as well.

Roni Haskell:

It was a big event and that is just one event of many that we have here in Summerville. We have such a great sense of community and that's what so many buyers are attracted to and a big reason that families and retirees and such land themselves in the heart of Summerville is because of the sense of community that we have to offer around here.

Jay Byars:

Yeah. It's a great place, whether you're retiring or you're just growing up and raising your kids here like we've done. This is just a great place to be, and what we're doing here with the parks, the libraries, the quality of your life is going to be second to none. That's really our goal. Summerville with Third Thursday, it's amazing how much this place is just really growing in a really phenomenally great way for the last five to ten years.

Roni Haskell:

It sure has. And I know my family enjoys it and I love sharing with other people as they're moving into town, about it as well and just tons and tons of benefits and perks, and just good quality of life here. So I'm going to spin around, so you can see the lake, pond behind me.

Let me talk to you a little bit about the market. We have been getting some more activity. Springtime has kicked into full gear for our real estate. Listings are still down from what they have been in the last two years, but guys, I was looking back to numbers of 2019 and we are right there where the numbers were in 2019. So don't think that the market is down at all or listings are down or sales are down. The last couple of years have been historical highs, is what it has produced. And so yes, we're off from the numbers from last year, but it'd be hard to keep up with 2021 numbers, quite frankly.

So we are continuing to climb. We have broken over that 400 mark for sales this past week. We were at 410 with sales within our MLS. We need inventory. If you're thinking about buying or selling, either one, it's a good time. Interest rates are still low. Anything low 4% is low, guys. That's cheap money to be had. We do expect for interest rates to continue to climb throughout the year, so if you're wanting to buy, now's a great time to do it. If you're wanting to sell, now's a great time to do it.

Let's start the conversation. Let's talk about what you need to do to prep your house for sale. I was at somebody's house at 8:30 this morning doing just that you don't have to go at it alone. Don't pull me in when it's time to put the finger on the trigger and push it out into my last. Get me in early. Use my resources to benefit you, whether you're needing consultations on prepping it for sale, what the right vendors and contractors are going to be. I am a wealth of knowledge. I call it my pool of people. My pool of professionals. Tap into me as resource. I'd be glad to share all of that information with you, give you the right counsel on what to do to prep your house for the market this spring and what you realistically don't need to do and spend money on. All right. So reach out to me at any time, I want to be your resource for buying or selling in this Charleston market, 843-297-1935, and make sure to come visit Dorchester County Ashley River Park this weekend. Have a great time.

Your Friday Market Update - 1/28/22

Sat, 29 Jan 2022 13:17:56 GMT

Ten Questions with Kellie Collins From Cornerstone Home Lending

The following is a transcript taken from Roni's Facebook Live Friday Market Update on 1/28/22 at 10:30am.

Roni:

Happy Friday friends, Roni Haskell here @ThatSCrealestatechick at @KellerWilliams. I can't believe another week has blown past us. It's fun to be able to bring these videos to you with content and some market updates. First though, I have my great friend Kellie Collins here. Hi Kellie.

Kellie:

Hi, Roni. Thanks for having me.

Roni:

You're welcome. I gave her a whole maybe a half a day's notice.

Kellie:

Yes!

Roni:

... to be able to join us. And so thanks for being impromptu. But it's fun that you're here and I have a few questions for you. I’ve got 10 questions I want to pose to you.

Kellie:

Okay.

Roni:

So, those that don't know Kellie, she is with Cornerstone Home Lending. She's a great friend of mine. We do social life together. Our families have been connected for as long as I can remember. And now we get for the last year or so we've been doing business together. She's housed here at the Keller Williams office. She has one of her locations here, as well as she has another location as well here in Summerville. So she is a busy lady and she has a team over there.

Roni:

So let's talk. All right, so 10 questions that I want to pose to you. And we'll do this back and forth and then as others are joining us and thank you for joining. If you are on the air, I appreciate you. Make sure to share, tag somebody if you feel like they might be interested in the market update as well. Because I'm going to deliver all those numbers here in just a little bit.

Roni:

All right, Kellie.

Kellie:

All right. I'll get to the quiz.

Roni:

All right, so you are a mortgage lender. Tell people, how does that differ from a banker?

Kellie:

So I specialize only in mortgages. I'm a professional at mortgages. I do not get distracted by also having to open checking accounts, or bring in assets, or do auto loans and things like that. I get to work just on mortgage lending, which makes me the expert.

Roni:

The expert. All right. Well, just so you know, I do have friends that are bankers as well, and I appreciate their business also.

Kellie:

Absolutely.

Roni:

I think they bring a different level of value, sometimes different opportunities that they can do. But I think there's strong value. And what I tell people is that you work the same hours I do.

Kellie:

Unfortunately, yes.

Roni:

And so when people say, "Well, we can't get our preapproval over the weekend." I'm like, "Well, yes you can, because Kellie works seven days a week like we do." I think that's one of your strongest values, and communication too.

Roni:

All right, number one challenge with getting a buyer qualified?

Kellie:

So the number one thing is I don't just qualify somebody because I talk to them and they told me what they made. So I collect documents and that is the number one challenge of collecting. Self-employed borrowers, I need tax returns and I need pay stubs.

Roni:

So you're saying people are not forthcoming with their information?

Kellie:

Sometimes, no.

Roni:

I get it. I can see how that would be, and it's hard to tackle the task of going back and finding all that stuff, especially if you're in the midst of moving, and if you're not an organized person.

Kellie:

Exactly.

Roni:

So number one thing is getting those documents.

Roni:

All right. This will be a fun one. You and I have been friends for a long time. So tell those that are watching something about me that maybe they don't know.

Kellie:

Something we don't know about Roni. Well, something I didn't know about you, I was a little intimidated by you the first time I ever met you, because you're this gorgeous, very put together woman. And then I got to know you and you're silly and adventurous, and I love that about you.

Roni:

Well, thank you Kellie, for all your kind words. And I can be very silly and adventurous and I'll drive my kids nuts with my silly singing sometimes in the mornings. But, we'll save that for another day.

Roni:

It's a stressful job dealing with people's finances and the emotions that come behind it. What do you do as your outlet?

Kellie:

My outlet is really, I work out. So I love to do yoga and lift heavy weights, and throw medicine balls and things because it's a hard, frustrating job. But when you get those endorphins pumping, it just makes everything better.

Roni:

Yes.

Kellie:

[Crosstalk] care of it?

Roni:

It's a good stress reliever. I can attest to that as well. You and I have that in common, liking to work out.

Roni:

All Right. So what would you say is the minimum credit score to get the best interest rate in today's market? What is the minimum credit score that somebody needs to

Kellie:

So the best interest rates typically go to those 740 and above.

Roni:

All right.

Kellie:

But there're some situations where 680 will get you the same credit score.

Roni:

All right.

Kellie:

So try to be around that 680 or higher. And if you're not quite there, I can help with that. Because sometimes if you use all of your monthly expenses on a credit card, then sometimes we’ve just got to pay it down, that a little bit and knock them up your score 40 points and get you that better interest rate.

Roni:

And that brings up a good point. You do counsel people in the buying process. That's another differentiator between Kellie and some other lenders. You do a great job of that.

Kellie:

Thank you.

Roni:

And that's one of the things that I appreciate about you. All right. So what would you say is the minimum credit score that somebody's got to have to even qualify at all?

Kellie:

So technically, there is no credit score, so I'm saying that first. But FHA ask for about 580. If you're strong in other areas, we can qualify you. But if we're looking at conventional, we want to be more around that 640, but again, don't go by what you're seeing, ask me and I can help.

Roni:

Yeah, all right.

Kellie:

Because you never know what your credit score actually is.

Roni:

She's got to get involved very early in the process. One, I'm not even going to show you a house unless you're prequalified because it's not in your best interest to do that. Because I don't want you to get your hopes up for a specific home that you can't buy, all right? So number one, we got to get you prequalified and that starts with Kellie getting involved in the conversation very early on.

Roni:

All right. So let's see what else I've got here for you. One thing that a banker can do that you can't do, since we talked about that differentiator before, what's something that a banker can do that you cannot do Kellie?

Kellie:

I've got some great banking friends and great banking relationships because I don't do lot loans. And I don't do home equity lines of credit. And those things go together with the mortgage process and with making your whole financial life work. So I work with some of the bankers, some of the same ones you work with to make it all work because it works together like that.

Roni:

Well, relationships are key. And the longer I'm in this business, the more I can appreciate that. And that's truly one of, I think my biggest values as a real estate advisor and real estate agent in this process is the relationships that I have with my pool of people. If you ever hear me say that, that is like, Kellie's in my pool of people. I've got bankers that can do the lot loans and the HELOCs, and things like that. And if I don't know the right person, I go to one of my pool of people, one of my professionals and I ask, all right?

Roni:

So I think that whatever your mission is, and you don't do commercial loans either, do you?

Kellie:

I do not.

Roni:

So that would be another instance where we might have to turn to a banker or somebody else to get that accomplished.

Roni:

All right. Well, let's turn it back to me and lighten it up a little bit. What is one funny story that you can tell? Now, we've taken some fun trips together over the years. Gosh, we've spent time out at the lake together with our families, we've been in business and dealt with some pretty challenging stuff. But what would be one funny story that you can tell about me?

Kellie:

Oh my goodness. Let’s see here. So I go back to when we were in Key West.

Roni:

Oh lordy, we're going to go to Key West time. This was a 40th birthday trip, mind you. And I don't know where this is going. All right. Yes, we're in Key West.

Kellie:

We were all there, bunch of gorgeous, powerful women there to celebrate our friend Roni. And we took this sailing trip to the mangroves and we all got in these kayaks or canoes, I think they were canoes. And we're going through, and I was in one with our friend Elizabeth, and we're going in circles, and we have to go all the way back to this boat. And the tide is fighting us and we're both just fighting. And then we get there and Roni goes, "Well wow, that was easy." And we're sitting there going, "What are you talking about? We're all exhausted." And Alison was behind her going, "Well, that's because I made Roni put the oar up because she wasn't doing any good." And it was just the funniest thing.

Roni:

I was the birthday girl. I was the birthday girl. I was not feeling y'all's pain that day. I was sitting back relaxing and enjoying the ride. Thank you, Alison. Yes, that is true.

Roni:

Let's see, so it is said that people have more equity in their homes than ever before. You do a lot of re-fis. So, from what you've seen is that the truth? Do people have more equity in their homes than ever before? And if so, what are people doing with that money when they do refinance?

Kellie:

Oh my goodness. So yes, everybody has equity. If you have equity, one, because the market is just great, which I know you're going to talk about in a minute, but also because if you've lived in your house anytime you've paid down your mortgage. So one of the biggest things that people can do with their equity in their home is work to get out of debt.

Kellie:

So I help a lot of my clients and I counsel them and I actually worked with one couple, a few months ago. They were just in a lot of debt. They lived in their home for five years and they're like, "You know what? We're just, we're tired." Because it's stressful not having to balance credit card debt and car debt. And oh my goodness, saving for student loans and all that fun stuff.

Kellie:

So I ran an analysis for them. I've got so many great tools and I plugged in all their credit card debts. I plugged in their car loans and everything, and I ended up saving them on a cash out refinance. We lumped everything together in a one payment, they saved about $2,000 a month in payments.

Roni:

Wow. That's huge.

Kellie:

Yeah.

Roni:

That is huge, to be able to consolidate debt and pay some things off. And because interest rates are still, even though we've heard them talking about ... Listen, if you turn on the news, you're going to hear them talk about the interest rates are ticking up. Well, all right. But the average interest rate right now is expected to be at 3.75. That's still historically low, correct?

Kellie:

Yes. That is super low.

Roni:

I want to make sure that [crosstalk]. So it's still really, really low, and it's much lower than many other debts that you may be in. So, that's a great use of funds. Refinance the house, use that equity to pay off some other things or consolidate and get out from underneath other debt. Save some money, go on a great trip to Key West, right?

Kellie:

Go on a great trip to Key West. Save for college. Or use some of that extra money just to give yourself some breathing room and better class of life, I mean, really.

Roni:

Yes. Yes, yes, yes, absolutely. All right.

Roni:

So let's see, last but not least, you were telling me yesterday about some power poses, Kellie.

Kellie:

I should not have told you that.

Roni:

So, show me, and the reason, let's start with what is the reason for these power poses?

Kellie:

All right. So, if you're just having a bad day.

Roni:

Yes.

Kellie:

And life is just coming at you because we're in a stressful business.

Roni:

It is, it can be. It can be a joyful business, but it can be a lot of stress too.

Kellie:

Yes. And so if you're just having one of those bad days, we were doing research and I love self-help. That's what I do in my free time. So we learned that power poses, standing in a power pose for two minutes will raise your testosterone. It will help get your endorphins moving, which are those happy hormones. So then you're more willing to take a risk. You're more aggressive in just getting your stuff done. So that's why you do a power pose.

Roni:

All right.

Kellie:

I knew you're going to make me do this and I should have told you no.

Roni:

Oh right, Kellie.

Kellie:

Let's do our power pose.

Roni:

All right. [Crosstalk].

Kellie:

We stand up.

Roni:

Okay. All right, we're standing up.

Kellie:

We're going to pretend we're superwoman. So you know that when the superhero walks in, they put their arms on their hip and they put their chest forward, and they just stand there.

Roni:

Stand proudly, right?

Kellie:

Yes. You stand [crosstalk].

Roni:

Talk about women bosses, that's what we are.

Kellie:

Exactly.

Roni:

Yes. And it does, it makes you feel powerful and confident, which is exactly what we need sometimes.

Kellie:

Exactly. Sometimes.

Roni:

Well, thank you for participating in my 10 questions today and for letting our viewers get to know you a little bit better. And in essence, getting to know me a little bit better. I love doing life with you. And I love doing business with you.

Kellie:

I do too.

Roni:

And it's fun to do it together. Speaking of which, doing business together, we've got an event and if you have tuned into this last week, the last couple of weeks, you've heard about me talking about the event that's coming up tomorrow here at my office at Keller Williams. And it's how to build wealth in real estate. It's great if you've bought your first house, if you haven't, we're going to touch on that maybe just a little bit of what you need to do to accomplish that goal.

Roni:

But tomorrow's meeting, or session really is about how to build wealth in real estate by buying second homes, which is a huge thing right now. It's about buying investment homes, you can get HELOCs, be able to use funds from your existing house, because again, you've got equity, whether you have been in your house for a short amount of time or not, you've got equity built into that house. So take out a HELOC loan, use some of those funds to buy an investment property. And some of the tax advantages and just different things that you can do.

Roni:

Kellie's going to be there tomorrow to talk about the financing side of it, which is a big piece to it. And I'll be there to talk about the opportunities that we have in our marketplace to be able to purchase. I've got team members that are buyer specialists that are in place to help find, they hunt down properties. That's what we do. And so the combination between the two is going to really do well for you, if you are looking to take that step. Maybe you're a year out from being able to buy your first investment property.

Roni:

Now's the time, again, counseling early on will put you into a good positive light and put you into a good place to be able to accomplish that goal, all right? So we will be here starting at 10:00 tomorrow to be able to answer questions, talk about the amount of knowledge that we know. And hopefully those that are in attendance, we've got, I think, what is it, Kim? We've got like 13 people signed up right now. There's still places for you to be able to join. Click the link, it's attached to this. Click that link, join, let us know that you're coming so that we can be prepared for you. And then also, if you will, if you want to put into the comments down below, any questions that you might have for us so that we can be prepared in answering those and addressing those tomorrow, all right?

Roni:

So real quick about a market update, because that's what we're here for. I, as your real estate advisor here in the Charleston market, I like to watch the numbers. I have an investment. I don't just preach about building wealth in real estate, I participate in it. And it's what I do every day in counseling buyers and sellers of what the right time to sell is, what the right purchase price is going to be if you're buying. So I keep a very close eye on the market. I watch economists, I get a weekly contingency report. And so to be able to provide this information to you, whether you're buying or selling right now or not, if you own real estate, you need to know what that market value is.

Roni:

And I'm always happy to run a CMA, a comparative market analysis for you so that you can know what the value, the market value of your property is. But we are only, and I mentioned this in a Live that I did earlier this week, but we are only a couple of sales away from last year's numbers. So we're three weeks into this year, actually four weeks now, aren't we? I mean, gosh, the time is flying by and we know that 2021 was a historically outstanding year for market values and sales in our area.

Roni:

Well, it is no different in the start of 2022, only being a couple of sales off from last year. All the projections are leaning towards this being a very similar year from last year, okay? So if we can and keep sales, and it's a misconception, yes, our MLS is low with inventory, historically low. What is a healthy market? What we're normally at is 5800 listings at any given time in MLS. And right now we're sitting at about 1200, that's low. So you're going to hear about it. And it is true. That does not mean that listings are not coming on the market. They are, we've just got a higher percentage of buyers in our marketplace right now, than we do sellers. So when things do hit the market, the buyer pool is jumping on it and it's not sitting on the market very long. So that's why we continue to see that MLS listings are low.

Roni:

So there're opportunities there though. And I can advise you of how to go about ... If you think this might be the year to purchase, we need to line you up for that success. Maybe you have another house that you're needing to get out from underneath in order to purchase? Well, we know that it's not the right climate to put a contingency to sell onto a house. So how can we meet that goal of being able to get you from one house to the next, without putting that contingency on there?

Roni:

All right, I've got a great solution to that, and I'm happy to walk you through how to accomplish that goal. I do it every day for clients. We can meet that. We just need to have a separate conversation, okay? So there're ways to get you, if you want to sell, jump into the market. Maybe you want to downsize. Maybe you need to upsize. Maybe you need to move communities because the schools. There's lots of reasons why, and we can meet those goals for you.

Roni:

Here's a fun fact. Median sales price in our market in 2007 was $210,000. In 2007, it was $210,000. Right now our median sales price in our MLS is $351,000. That's a huge climb. That's why you need to jump into the market and buy. Whether if you're renting, your rent is going up, it's going up at a higher percentage every year than what our values are going up. So if you are renting, you need to make that first home purchase and we can counsel you into how to accomplish that goal. If it is investing, now's the time to do it because your rate of return on that investment is going to be outstanding.

Roni:

So all of this, again, we're going to be talking about ways to accomplish these goals in tomorrow's session. If you cannot join us for that though, reach out to me please. And Kellie and I will personally sit down with you and we'll talk through the same content.

Roni:

Thank you so much for watching. I'm always here for questions. I'm always here to provide service, whether you're buying or selling. Or if you want to refer a friend to my team, we are never too busy for your referral. We appreciate you so much, and have a great weekend.

Your Friday Market Update - 1/21/22

Mon, 24 Jan 2022 04:02:58 GMT

Welcome Will Bradham with True Homes

The following is a transcript taken from Roni's Facebook Live Friday Market Update on 1/21/22 at 10:30am.

Roni:
Hi friends, Roni Haskell here. So glad that you're joining me again today for this Friday market update. I like to bring you value and number one question I always get every week, every day is, "How's the real estate market?" And as your go to realtor in the area, I want to deliver that hard proven results of why real estate is still an essential business to be in, in terms of investments. Make sure your portfolio is stretched into that real estate realm because it's a wonderful market climate to be in and investment wise.

We're going to talk more about market updates in a little bit, but today I've got my friend Will Bradham, make sure I say that correctly, here with True Homes. True Homes, if you're not familiar with True Homes, they are a regional builder in North and South Carolina and I like the way that they do business. They are very focused on customer, they're very customer friendly and they are very realtor friendly. So with me today is Will, so thank you for being part of the conversation.

Will Bradham:
For sure, thank you for having me.

Roni:
You betcha. So Will's been selling over in Nexton for a while. Kind of give us a quick snapshot of you're coming from and where you're building to in the new neighborhood.

Will Bradham:
Yeah, for sure. So I've been over in Nexton for about four years in North Creek Village. It was one of our flagship communities here in the Charleston region. We've had a lot of success over in Nexton, I believe we were the number two ranked builder for sales over there.

Roni:
How many homes have y'all put into Nexton?

Will Bradham:
We've put right around 400 homes into Nexton and we got another 200 to go.

Roni:
In, you say four years?

Will Bradham:
Yep in about four years.

Roni:
So four years, built 400 homes with raving reviews. I mean, I get asked all the time from people that are moving into the area, looking to build new, they ask me, "Tell me about the builder. Tell me about the builder." And so I have nothing but raving reviews from True Homes. So glad to know about Nexton. Now as y'all are transitioning over to this new development, tell us about it.

Will Bradham:
Yes, so we have officially opened our Homecoming neighborhood on the Dorchester County side of Summerville, just off Highway 165. We're going to be building 1100 homes in there and of course to your ears, I know that's beautiful and everyone's looking because we all know how inventory is.

Roni:
A lot of our people watching, they live in Dorchester County. They're tied into the county in some way.

Will Bradham:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Roni:
And they've been waiting for this opportunity to be presented. So tell us a little bit about the product line, the price point, some of the perks about the neighborhood.

Will Bradham:
So as of right now, we're going to be starting in the three fifties. Later on in the community, we're going to be introducing some town homes and some different product lines. We should have all in all, by the time we're finished, about three product lines in the neighborhood.

Will Bradham:
The community's going to be 1100 homes, like I said, we're on both sides of Highway 165 so you're going to have maybe 550 on each side. It is a full amenity package. We're going to have a pool on each side of the community. We're going to have covered playgrounds-So with the amenities, it's going to be more resort style. So we're going to have a covered playground, that way you actually use the playground around July and August when it's a hundred degrees out. We're going to have two pools on each side of the community for each section, and it's going to be more of a resort style feature so you're going to have corn hole areas, built-in grills, and the HOA is still only $700 a year. So all those perks while still a very reasonable HOA.

Roni:
That is fantastic. Well, so there's... Y'all are one of only two builders that are over there.

Will Bradham:
Right.

Roni:
And so being able to have that opportunity to be in new build, so there's some strong perks to new construction for clients and I deal with both the resale side and new construction, but I will tell you there's some strong features when you build new. One is going to be that you're not going to get into bidding wars typically. You're going to go in, you're going to either buy the spec or you're going to buy a lot and you're going to build. Now do y'all increase your price from the contract to close? Is there opportunity there for price inflation-

Will Bradham:
There's not.

Roni:
... in the sales contract? Some builders are doing that and so we just want to be tuned into that and again, that kind of goes back into the feeding of, y'all are very customer focused and we want to make sure that we're protecting our clients on my side of this deal that once they're under contract, they're not going to have price increases because of inflation of materials or demand-

Will Bradham:
Correct.

Roni:
... before closing. So I like to hear that as a huge plus, so their price is protected, there's really no bidding wars. There is the opportunity to be picking your own materials and the upgrades that you want to build in your house.

Will Bradham:
Yes.

Roni:
So you're not buying something and then feeling like you have to renovate it right away to get it where you want it to be. Warranties are a big deal. You've got a, what 10 year structural warranty on the place?

Will Bradham:
10 years structural.

Roni:
And then two year-

Will Bradham:
Two year mechanical warranty and then one year you're covered on the bumper.

Roni:
This huge, huge. And so the warranties cover you during the ownership of it for largely, not surprising that 15% of the sales in our MLS are contributed to two new construction in just the last week. Sometimes we see those numbers tick up pretty big, but in the last seven days of our real estate market, 15% of our MLS sales have been contributed to new construction. Not surprisingly at all to our inventory throughout our MLS is low, historically low. It's been like that for a while. But just to give you as the listener, a perspective of what we mean by low, we're sitting about 1200 homes in our MLS right now, that is it, within the Tri-County area. New homes to be build, proposed construction, resales 1200.

Roni:
Take us back two years ago to this time in 2020, we were sitting at about 5,600 listings in MLS. So that's what I'm talking about by historic lows, outstanding, but there's opportunity greatly for this new construction piece. And so I'm glad to know that y'all are up and rolling over there and always enjoy doing business with True Homes.

Will Bradham:
Yeah, for sure.

Roni:
So if anybody is interested in learning more about Homecoming, please reach out to me directly and we'll start the conversation and very quickly loop him in. All right. So here's some more statistics about market update. Thank y'all those that are listening in and viewing. I appreciate you being here today. I appreciate you listening because the reality is, whether you're looking to buy or sell this year, if you're invested in any form of real estate, you need to know what the market is doing. What's happening to your investment in your real estate piece. And then as you talk with other people that are maybe possibly moving in the area or thinking about purchasing and investing in our market, is it a wise choice? And so I commend you for being here and tuning in each week. All right, to give you a quick snapshot of the last seven days in our MLS, 329 total residential sales went under contract and 20% of those were attached units, townhouses, condos, that kind of thing. The rest of it, all single family detached. Over 50% of those sales in the MLS happened in Berkeley and Dorchester counties. So chances are, if you're listening to this, most of my viewers and followers are in the, what we call the North area of our MLS, which covers largely Dorchester and Berkeley counties, over 50% of the sales for the last year. And we continue to see that, this area's growing. I remember 20 years ago when I got into this business and I was selling in Dorchester county, a lot of my sales were happening because of the value, people saw it.

They couldn't get as much for their money in Mount Pleasant and in Charleston. So they were buying in Dorchester county because of the value. I will tell you now the majority largely of buyers that are buying in the North area are doing so for the sense of community. It has a strong driving force. The schools are preferred, well, I won't say preferred, but they are a strong pull for families. And that's one reason that Homecoming is so popular because of the schools that are zoned for that community, but 50% of the sales here in the North area. Let's see Mount Pleasant. I mentioned Mount Pleasant a while ago, Mount Pleasant median price is over 800,000 in the last week. 800,000, that's 288 a square foot. That is why there's a straw of driving force for Dorchester and Berkeley counties. The value is still there and you get the layered piece of community and atmosphere.

The MLS median price right now in the last seven days was 375. That's been trending that way for a little while. It has gone up again. I delivered the message last week that our MLS, prices have gone up or the sales prices have gone up 16% in the last 12 months. And that's a rolling 12 months. And so we will continue to watch that as we go through this selling season of this early spring. But right now our median sales price of 375, which is 202 a square foot. And to be able to get into that price range, you're going to be here in the Dorchester, Berkeley counties.New Paragraph

Your Friday Market Update - 1/14/22

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 14:38:33 GMT

Take a Look at Some Surprising Numbers

The following is a transcript taken from Roni's Facebook Live Friday Market Update on 1/14/22 at 10:30am.

Roni:

Hi friends. TGIF. I'm excited to be doing this market update. I used to do these for a while every single Friday without fail. So here we are in January and I'm glad to be back because whether you're looking to buy or not, if you own a property, you're going to be interested in what the market is doing. And that's just the reality. As a realtor, every time I see somebody, I can't tell you how many times a week I get asked, "What's the market like?" That is the number one question that I get asked. And so that's what I'm here to do is to share about that.

Recently, I was in a house for a listing appointment. I said, "How do you know about me?" They said that they had been watching me on social media, but originally they found me on the grocery cart ads at Harris Teeter, if y'all remember those. It's been a little while since I've been on those, but they seemed to work for those years that I was advertising on them. I've considered coming back onto those grocery carts. So, stay tuned and we'll see if that goes into the marketing plan for this year, but it was always fun.

I'm sitting here in a brand new listing and I just pushed it live last night. It was the, gosh, third listing, I think for the week. Well in the last seven days, at least we had a couple go on last Friday and then this one came on, like I said, last night. But I'm here in Cresswind at the Ponds, wonderful 55-plus community. This house in particular, it looks like a model home. In fact, I brought Braeden with me today. He's behind the scenes working. And he said, "Is this lived in or is it a model?" It looks like a model home. It’s 3139 Cross Vine.

Here's a misconception about 55-plus communities - it's old folks. It is not old folk people at all. It is very active and that's why people oftentimes buy or build in these communities - for the lifestyle. There's everything from going out into the lakes and kayaking and fishing. There's pickle ball. One of my past clients here in Cresswind. Hi, Michael, if you catch this later, but Michael he's like, "Save your money now because you're going to want to buy in an active lifestyle community." And it's just a reality. The people here have a great connection with each other. This seller in particular is very friendly. She has found her very best friend here in the neighborhood.

Let's see who we've got. Hey, Elizabeth. I love that you always watched my lives and participate. But again, this is intended to be a market update, but just another great way for me to connect with you guys and kind of bring some value because the market is active and that's what people always want to know. How is the market today? So, that's what I'm here.

And I sat through an economist meeting on Wednesday and they were sharing just about the state as a whole and what the pre-pandemic numbers were versus post pandemic. And where our shortage in inventory is going to lead us into this year and such. So those are the kind of things that I wanted to bring to you. You can't go into a restaurant or into a store without realizing about the labor shortage. And here's one thing that they were saying is that the spending in our state is 4.4% higher now than it was pre-pandemic. I call it a caffeine high that we're still on from the federal government funding our accounts.

Consumer spending is up 4.4%. These restaurants and hospitality have to have not only what the number of employees that they had pre-pandemic, but they've got to have more than that. That's why we're seeing the labor shortage. It's not that the jobs... That people don't want to work, which was exactly what my perception has been for a while. It's not that at all. It's that these businesses are booming because consumer spending is up. So, that was interesting to me to learn that. The federal government funding is starting to cease. We're going to see that continue to die down. And as it does, I think consumer spending will die off a little bit and it will start balancing out with our labor workforce as well.

Something else that I found to be interesting, and I get a lot of this, I'm sitting in a 55 plus community right now. This house is for sale. It is the only, no I'm sorry, it is one of two active listings in Cresswind at the Ponds. There's plenty of opportunity for new construction. Although I say that, there's land. There's land developed, but they have it all on hold or a great deal of it is put on hold. So if you want to buy it a 55-plus community at resale, it is hard to find because so many people that move into our state are doing so because they are retiring here. So, that's another big thing is a lot of our consumer consumers are in the 55-plus. Let me give you one of the statistics that they shared with us. 69% of incoming residences enter our state are at the age of over 55. So, they're not in the workforce. They're consumers spending in our economy and we are having the luxury of enjoying that liveliness within our economy, but they're not contributing to our workforce here.

Second homes, I shared this last Friday, are up substantially. I think it's almost 70% increase from pre-pandemic. Second home purchases are huge, as well as investment properties. We are getting a tremendous amount of investors. They're liquidating their properties around the country, especially in some Northern states. And they're buying here in South Carolina. So, all of that is creating a high sales volume, low inventory. And so we hope to see that balance out at some point. We are at historical lows. We've been there. We're about between 1,300 and 1,400 homes active in our entire MLS guys. Just to put that in perspective, a healthy market would put us at enough inventory to last six months. We are less than one month of inventory in our MLS. So, it is still a seller's market. If you've got the right price point and the right kind of property, it is still very much a seller's market.

So if you're looking to sell, I like to beat the market. I'm not real fair on a lot of competition. So, that's why we're getting listings now. I like to see people list their houses in January and February. Buyers are out there. And so it's a great time to list. Do you have any questions for me as we push through this conversation? Kind of keeping an eye on things. Let's see, I've got my iPad set up here. So if you have any questions and you want to post it later, make sure to make a comment and I'll get back in touch with you. If you feel like this might, this information may benefit somebody that is looking to purchase or sell in the area or just interested in the economics of what our real estate market's doing, tag them and connect them with me. I'd be glad to answer any questions that they have as well.

So last week we were really down in our sales volume and I think, well, it's not, I think I know it's because of low inventory. This week, we're getting back up to some regular numbers and we've had 350 residential sales here in the last week. 280 of those were single families. And that's pretty good. That's showing that there's still a high level, between 280 and 350, there's still a pretty high percentage of that being condos, townhouses, anything that is multifamily. So, we're still selling a good bit of both.

A lot of people ask about foreclosures and short sales. We've only been seeing one or two of those a week in our entire MLS. That is coming a little bit heavier right now. We saw six of our sales last week in the MLS were short sales or foreclosures. We may see that peak up a little bit more as the spring comes about. There is no economist right now out there that I have found that I listen to that is saying that foreclosures and short sales are going to be commonplace. So if you're holding out and trying to find the best property that is perhaps the greatest deal... I had somebody the other day, they said, "Well, if you come across a good deal, let me know." There's no real good deals to be had right now. But you betcha, if I find one, I will send it out to you. But don't hold out waiting for that short sale or foreclosure. Six out of 350 sales, basically. So, not real good statistics there.

We are seeing a little bit of a dip in new construction. They've always been strong in our market. And really within the last year, we've seen it as much as 50% or a little even higher than that of new construction sales that happened. And week by week, right now we're at 20% of new construction sales. So, the reason that I'm seeing that that's happening is because starts are a little bit slower coming out. The materials are still hard to get. I was just on site yesterday with somebody that's ready to close. We're still waiting on windows, garage door openers, and glass for shower enclosures. We have to have those things to get occupancy permits.

And so there's still a strong push with new construction, but just keep in mind that there can be some delays. Right now, new construction contracts, those guys are going to tell you that it's going to take you 9 to 12 months before you close. So, you better have patience on your side, if you want to go with a new construction build, because it is going to be a little bit more time consuming than normal. That's not just here guys. That's nationwide. I had some clients that left here, moved down to Florida, and they're waiting on their home to be built. And they've been waiting for a year and a half from contract to close. So, that is just something that is wildly spread.

Again, thank y'all for anybody that's joining. Tag a friend, if you feel like they could benefit from being a part of conversations on a regular basis about market statistics and such. I've got lots more numbers and statistics that I could share with you. If you're interested in real estate, please reach out to me directly. Let me know. I love the business that I'm in. I love sharing content with you. I love being your resource for all things real estate related. And I don't care if that means finding the right painter, the right house cleaner. I need to replace my flooring and my carpet. And who do I contact for home insurance? You might want to home warranty. You may find that your house is getting older. It's got some age to it and you just want to get in a one year home warranty to cover some of the upcoming costs you know that you're going to be faced with. I've got all the right people. So reach out to me. Again, I want to be all things related to real estate. Happy to help in any way.

We've got a wealth building seminar that's happening January 29th starts at 10 o'clock. We're going to have some great content that comes into that where you get to ask questions. I don't care... It's not geared toward first time home buyers. Although if you're a first time home buyer, great, come because you're going to find tons of information that's going to be beneficial to you. But we are looking for people that are going to be wanting to build wealth in real estate.

What that means is we're going to be answering questions. Where can my down payment come from? If I want to buy a second home or an investment property, what kind of loan opportunities are available to me? Maybe you want to buy a fixer upper and you've got questions about can I take a... What kind of loans are available for fixer upper opportunities that are out there? Maybe you're a DIYer. I am not. I commend everybody that can handle a DIY project. But maybe you're a DIYer, you want to take a house that's got some age and some projects to it. And you've got money for down payment, but you don't have money for the down payment in addition to all of the investments that you're going to have to make for the DIY projects. There's loan opportunities out there. You want to flip properties, you want to get it, fix it up, rent it.

Those are the kind of conversations that we're going to be having during this wealth building seminar. I've got Cornerstone Home Lending that's going to be partnering with me. So, you've got a real estate advisor, you've got a lender. And then in February, we're going to do another one and bring in a CPA. So, make sure to find information on that message, private message me if you want the invite. We've got it out there on both by Facebook and my Instagram pages where you can find that link for that wealth building seminar.

Thanks again, guys, for tuning in and joining me today. I appreciate those that jumped on live. And I appreciate everybody that is watching this as a replay. Make sure to drop a comment so that I know you are here. Have a wonderful weekend and I'll be back with you next Friday.