We just took a listing that has previous been on the market in Goose Creek for over 10 months. When we reviewed the past listings prior to our listing appointment, we instantly knew the problem(s) and how we could improve the odds of selling. The problem was presentation! It's the first rule in marketing IMHO. The product must be appealing and packaged properly. This is a lovely home with a fabulous floorplan in a wonderful community but the previous listings didn't convey this. If buyers don't like what they see in the photos, they aren't going to step in the door.
During the first listing, the house was occupied and wasn't showcase properly to entice a buyer. This home is in a neighborhood competing with new construction and a model home making it irrestible to buyers. In second listing, the house was vacant. The rooms looked small, lonely and forgotten. This home needed the dining room needed to be painted and the house needed to be staged. The transformation made by Melissa Marro of First Impressions is amazing as showcased in the photos below. We are expecting amazing results and can wait to report back. What do you think? Which house photos are going to make a buyer schedule a showing? They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I believe they can be worth several thousand dollars in saving carrying costs and helping a seller retain more of their equity. I wish I would have met this seller sooner because I believe if we had taken this listing sooner and made these changes, they would have sold sooner and at a higher price since the market has changed in the last 10 months when they went on the market.
We are Relocation Specialists with Carolina One Real Estate in Charleston, SC. Contact Top Real Estate Agents, North Charleston, SC Relocation Experts, CRS, GRI, ABR. Licensed Realtors® in South Carolina at 843-849-5217 to list your home for sale or to purchase a home in Charleston, Goose Creek, Summerville, North Charleston, Hanahan, Mount Pleasant and the surrounding areas in Charleston County, Berkeley County or Dorchester County, South Carolina. The Charleston Relocation Experts Team specializes in relocations, first time homebuyers and creating marketing exposure to sell your home in the Charleston SC Real Estate market. We can also be contacted at info@CharlestonRelocationExperts.com. To view all North Charleston SC and surrounding homes for Sale Click Here and then click on Search for Homes.
Have you passed by the bright orange building? If you have tire, brakes, alignment, struts, etc, be sure to stop in for friendly and honest service at Geralds Tires and Brakes. They have truly mastered the art of customer service. I've been taking my car to Geralds for over 15 years. I'll never forget my first experience. I was 18 and drove a Mustang. The brakes had been squeaking and this college student was on her own. I took my car into a name brand auto shop known for brakes to find out what was wrong. The techinican told me my brakes needed to be replaced and it would cost $750. $750 to a college student might have well as been asking for my index finger. I couldn't afford $750! I drove away just about in tears wondering where I would come up with the money. I passed by Geralds in the bright orange building and decided to stop in for a 2nd opinion and hopefully a lower price. After 45 mins, a friendly face squatted beside my chair and said, "Ma'm, your rear brakes are squeezing because they need to be adjusted. We took care of it for you and there's no charge. Have a great day!" It was everything in me not to bear hug this man. I said, "Are you sure? Because I just got an estimate from someone else that told me my brakes had to be replaced."
"Yes Ma'm. I'm sure."
Then it dawned on me that this other place tried to rip me off! As I got in my car, there was a single red rose on the passenger seat with a printed note that said, "Thanks for letting us serve you!"
Hello!? They were honest about the work needed. Fixed it. Didn't charge me for it and then give me a rose. Talk about knowing how to treat a lady! I've never gone anywhere else for anything they can do. Granted they are always busy so there may be a wait, but there is always a friendly face to greet you and I know I will get an honest assessment. And I know you will too! Also, if you purchase your tires from Geralds, they offer free tire rotation and flat tire plugs and patches for the life of your tires. Can't beat that!
Geralds Tires and Brakes has 6 Charleston area locations. They are open Monday-Saturday but you'll want to get there first thing in the morning to avoid the long lines. Visit their website, http://www.geraldstires.com, for more info.
There are so MANY fun and wonderful things to do in the Greater Charleston, SC area but the costs can add up, plus it can be tough to know where to start. For a limited time until Dec 31, 2009, you can purchase your "Be a Tourist in Your Own Town" pass which offers residents of Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties free one-time admission to 33 area attractions and discounts at 24 restaurants during the month of January 2010. Visit their website to view which attractions http://www.beatourist.net/attractions.html and what discounts are available. Some popular attractions include Aiken-Rhett House, Carolina Ice Palace, Charles Towne Landing, Charleston Museum, Magnolia Plantation, Middleton Place and The Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon. Popular restaurant offering discounts on the pass include 82 Queen, Bocci's, Morgan Creek Grill, Tommy Condon's Irish Pub and The Library at Vendue Inn.
Passes are $20 for an individual or $50 for a family (up to 4 members). A local ID is required to purchase. Passes are on sale November 1 - December 31 and are valid for use during the month of January 2010. Passes may be purchased by visiting www.beatourist.net, calling 843-853-8000, and are available at any official area visitor center. Take advantage to see your town at a fraction of the cost and enjoy!
We are Relocation Specialists with Carolina One Real Estate in Charleston, SC. Contact Top Real Estate Agents, North Charleston, SC Relocation Experts, CRS, GRI, ABR. Licensed Realtors® in South Carolina at 843-849-5217 to list your home for sale or to purchase a home in Charleston, Goose Creek, Summerville, North Charleston, Hanahan, Mount Pleasant and the surrounding areas in Charleston County, Berkeley County or Dorchester County, South Carolina. The Charleston Relocation Experts Team specializes in relocations, first time homebuyers and creating marketing exposure to sell your home in the Charleston SC Real Estate market. We can also be contacted at info@CharlestonRelocationExperts.com. To view all North Charleston SC and surrounding homes for Sale Click Here and then click on Search for Homes.
For some, the list below can be depressing depending on which state you live in. But on a positive note in looking at the info below, prices have never been lower. In Charleston, SC, Moody's predicted that Charleston would only decline 1 more percent and the bottom would be in the 4th quarter of 2009. Now is the perfect time to buy, enjoy homeownership and be on the incline in the next 5 years. As a seller, you have to ask some tough questions. Can I hang on to the property for at least 5 years? If the rent doesn't cover the mortgage, can I pay the difference? Can I afford the necessary maintenance that may come up in the next 5 years i.e. water heater, dishwasher, HVAC, or roof replacement, HOA fees, regime fees, landscaping, carpet replacement, etc. Sometimes, it may be better to cut losses now when you consider the cost of maintenance and repairs.
On October 6, 2009 at 11:51 am, Steve posted this blog that I think is interesting and would like to share. Please find his original post here.
Steve says:
"Many sellers want to know how long would they need to wait to again see the prices of 2005-2006. Moody's and Fiserv have actually studied this point. Here are the years that different states will probably return to those prices:
Before 2014
Maine Vermont Kentucky Pennsylvania South Carolina Alabama Alaska Iowa Montana South Dakota North Dakota Wyoming Nebraska Kansas
2014-2017
Massachusetts Connecticut Delaware Ohio West Virginia Indiana Wisconsin North Carolina Tennessee Mississippi Arkansas Missouri Louisiana Oklahoma Texas Colorado New Mexico Washington Oregon
2018-2022
New York New Hampshire New Jersey Maryland Rhode Island Illinois Hawaii Georgia Idaho Utah
After 2023
Virginia Florida Michigan Minnesota California Nevada Arizona
There are two ways to look at this data. First, if you are thinking of selling, sell now - don't wait. The other point is, if you are buying this year, in 43 of the 50 states you could see a dramatic increase in value within ten years. I think this data can help both buyers and sellers make good decisions for themselves and their families."
Per Steve Harney's comments, The information was taken from a study done by Fiserv and Moody's which was reported by Seeking Alpha on 9/19. I highly recommend Steve Harney's blog. You can find it at www.SteveHarneyBlog.com
We are Relocation Specialists with Carolina One Real Estate in Charleston, SC. Contact Top Real Estate Agent, North Charleston, SC Relocation Expert, CRS, GRI, ABR. Licensed Realtors® in South Carolina at 843-849-5217 to list your home for sale or to purchase a home in Charleston, Goose Creek, Summerville, North Charleston, Hanahan, Mount Pleasant and the surrounding areas in Charleston County, Berkeley County or Dorchester County, South Carolina. The Charleston Relocation Experts Team specializes in relocations, first time homebuyers and creating marketing exposure to sell your home in the Charleston SC Real Estate market. We can also be contacted at info@CharlestonRelocationExperts.com. To view all North Charleston SC and surrounding homes for Sale Click Here and then click on Search for Homes.
When relocating to a new area, its often hard to find out who to call when you need certain services. You can call any joe from the phone book, but we'd like to do a series on local vendors that you may need. For each vendor, we have had personal positive experience with them on our personal homes as well as for our clients that we have referred. It's often hard to find a serviceman that is honest, reliable and reasonably priced. So we will feature vendors with these wonderful traits so you have a firsthand recommendation. If you have need of a recommendation we have not listed yet, please feel free to call or email us for one.
Our first recommendation is for honest, reliable and affordable plumbing services in the Charleston, SC area.
I recently had an elderly client who had a soggy front yard. They instantly called a plumber from the phone book. I happen to check on her and she told me that it was going to cost over $600 to replace the pipe in the front yard from the meter to the house. I asked her to let me send out my plumber, Danny Wheeler of Village Plumbing and Electric, out for a 2nd opinion. He went out the next day and informed the owner that after turning off some valves to the house, he did not believe the pipe in the front yard was leaking. In fact, there was a busted water hose in the front yard. The spigot was turned on but because the hose busted, the nozzle wasn't stopping the water and it was soaking the ground. He also found some valves that needed replacing but the visit overall was only $100. Now, I can't speak for the 1st company that went out, but I can tell you that if you need an honest licensed plumber or electrician in the Charleston, SC area, you can count on Danny Wheeler of Village Plumbing and Electric. He has done lots of work personally for me including wiring an old house, adding new plumbing when we added a laundry room in one of our rentals and more. We have used him to have repairs done after home inspections and we are confident in referring our valued clients to him.
Danny Wheeler can be contact at 843-991-5526. His company served the Greater Charleston area. You can call him for a free quote and best of all, his work is guaranteed for a year! I don't know anyone offering that guarantee. How can you go wrong?
I can't even begin to express the excitement in the air as the announcement of Boeing has settled over the Holy City. Boeing has been part of the Charleston family for a while, but last week, Boeing announced that it will make Charleston home to its second final assembly line for the 787 Dreamliners growing their existing facilities. This addition is estimated to create at least 3,800 jobs and invest more than $750 million within seven years to take advantage of the various inducements. This announcement is HUGE for Charleston as we anticipate the creation of new jobs as being a boost to our local economy as well as the real estate market as new families relocate to the area. Additionally, Trident Technical College will be ramping up to host employee training for jobs at Boeing.
The Charleston Relocation Experts Team is excited to welcome Boeing and its employees to Charleston, SC. You are going to love this place and we can't wait to show you why. When your relocation plans come through, so will we! Call us and allow us to introduce you to the Lowcountry and help you with your real estate needs. We are already approved real estate agents with your 3rd party relocation company to assist you in your relocation. So get a jump start and contact us now to get started.
Relocation Specialists with Carolina One Real Estate in Charleston, SC. Contact Top Real Estate Agent, North Charleston, SC Relocation Expert, CRS, GRI, ABR. Licensed Realtor® in South Carolina at 843-849-5217 to list your home for sale or to purchase a home in Charleston, Goose Creek, Summerville, North Charleston, Hanahan, Mount Pleasant and the surrounding areas in Charleston County, Berkeley County or Dorchester County, South Carolina. The Charleston Relocation Experts Team specializes in relocations, first time homebuyers and creating marketing exposure to sell your home in the Charleston SC Real Estate market. We can also be contacted at info@CharlestonRelocationExperts.com. To view all Charleston Metro area homes for Sale Click Here and then click on Search for Homes.
We certainly understand that is a tough time to sell a house as a seller, particularly for those who purchased after 2004 competing with falling prices, new construction, foreclosures and short sales. Sellers and agents should be reminded of the following when determining price or making counteroffers.
The market value of a home is not...
What you have in it--While we realize this is an important consideration for the seller, it is not for the buyer or appraiser. Market value does not account for all that you have put into your home. Trust me, I put $25K into my house over the last 4 years. We sold it for less than we paid for it. I feel your pain.
What you need out of it--Wouldn't it be nice if we could name our price? Those days are long gone. Fact is for many sellers that need a certain amount to purchase the next house, however, that number doesn't change what a buyer is willing to pay for your house.
What it is appraised for--Appraisel is different from fair market value. Value is determined by the price a buyer and seller agree upon. If you consistently get offers on the same price that you are declining, it's more than likely reflects fair market value.
What you heard your neighbor’s house sold for--Your neighbors probably lied. I hate to say it but I can't tell you how many times, I've research properties that sellers said their neighbor sold their house for X price. Well, X price was usually the listing price, but seller actually got Y. Not to mention, the neighbor's house had a private backyard, hardwood floors, granite countertops and 300 extra square feet.
What the tax office says it is worth--Is the tax assessor's office accurate about anything?
What it is insured for--Insurance value is determined in many ways. One if based on replacement cost and with inflation over the last few years, it can often cost more to rebuild your home that it would be to buy an existing home.
Based on memories and treasures--While you love your home, the future buyer wants to make their own memories. Your memories do not have value to the future buyer.
Based on prices of home where you are moving--Do you want buyers making their offers based on where they came from? Probably not so you can see how this argument will not work for you.
Market value is calculated much differently today than 5 years ago. When we consider comparables for a listing, we do look at sold comps, but its important to consider active listings as they are the real competition. Contingent and pending listings show where buyers are biting. It's also important to consider competiting neighborhoods within the immediate area to make sure you are priced in the top 3 to avoid chasing the market on price.
Michele Reneau - Military Relocation Specialist with Carolina One Real Estate in Charleston, SC. Contact Top Real Estate Agent, North Charleston, SC Relocation Expert, CRS, GRI, ABR. Licensed Realtor® in South Carolina at 843-849-5217 to list your home for sale or to purchase real estate in Charleston, Goose Creek, Summerville, North Charleston, Hanahan, Mount Pleasant and the surrounding areas in Charleston County, Berkeley County or Dorchester County, South Carolina. The Charleston Relocation Experts Team specialize in military relocation, first time homebuyers and creating marketing exposure to sell your home in the Charleston SC Real Estate market. We can also be contacted at info@CharlestonRelocationExperts.com. To view all Charleston Metro area houses for Sale Click Here and then click on Search for Homes.
I use to tell sellers you should move out of your house before we put it on the market. Well, not really but it seemed like I was telling them to with removing all the stuff out of the house. Sometimes when sellers have so much stuff, it's hard for the agent and any buyers to look beyond the "stuff." And that even includes me! This home in Goose Creek, SC wasn't so bad, but it doesn't bring me to a point about what is better, a room without a defined function or a vacant one?
When it comes to preparing a home to go on the market, it's important to explain to sellers that there is a Good, Better and Best approach. Often the sellers decision will depend on motivation, time, ability and money on which approach they choose.
This bedroom was used as a catch all room and 2nd office in this 3 bedroom house that already has an office downstairs.
What a buyer needs to SEE in this home is a 3rd bedroom. The house must allow a buyer to envision him/herself and their family in the space. Most people are visual learners which means they are also mostly visual buyers. The house must look and feel a certain way-so that they can see themselves in it.
My first thought was, make it empty! The seller was not going to keep the office furniture anyway so it was a good idea to go ahead and sell it or give it away. So away goes the furniture, but then this room was pretty blah. This blah picture is not exactly going to attract the internet buyer. I wouldn't really call this "Good" but probably "Okay."
My stager, Melissa Marro, brought in some furniture and Viola! This photo makes this room shine, defines the room, and shows off its size and scale. As a empty room, its hard for buyer to know what function this room would serve but this photo really showcases this room. Effective staging can turn Good into Best. Knowing this seller wanted top dollar for their home, we went over the top in each room so that the photos would sell the house. More to come on other rooms in this house. This house sold to an internet buyer that wrote a contract without stepping into this home for 99.5% of list price at 10 days on the market!
REGISTER for the next CSP Elite class, "How to Protect Your Client's Equity through Home Staging" on July 22, 2009 in Mt Pleasant, SC to learn how you can use home staging to list more, sell more and earn more. To register, visit http://cspelite.com/elite_register.php
Contact Michele Reneau, Top Real Estate Agent, NorthCharleston, SC Relocation Expert, CRS, GRI, ABR. 843-814-6680. Michele Reneau is a Certified Staging Professional Instructor and teaches agents how to use staging to maximize their real estate business and Help Sellers Protect their Equity using Home Staging while earning the CSP Elite designation. She is also available for speaking engagements on: How to use social networking to improve your real estate business, Why Home Staging is a Must in Today's Market, How to calculate market statistics and use them to understand and explain to sellers where the market is going using data, Discussing statistics with sellers to help them price their property to sell. Michele is a Certified Residential Specialist with a top real estate team in Charleston, SC. Since 2004, Michele Reneau has personally sold 174 homes while the average agent in the market sells 6 homes a year. Featured on HGTV's House Hunters and Real Estate Executive Magazine. RESA2009 Staging Realtor of the Year Nominee. The Charleston Relocation Experts Team specializes in military relocation, first time homebuyers and creating marketing exposure to sell your home in the Charleston SC Real Estate market. Michele can also be contacted by email at michele@CharlestonRelocationExperts.com.
Sounds kinda silly, but it can make a difference in the marketing of your listing/home. It drives me nuts to see the 1st four photo all exterior shots from different angles. The first picture is usually an exterior photo. This picture should demonstrate curb appeal to the max because if a buyer likes what they see here, they definitely want to see more. I can speak from experience because we are in the process of purchasing and we pass over homes that don't have the "look."
Curb appeal means a lot of things and will include a well kept lawn, pressure washing the exterior, removing any debris, etc. Curb appeal can also be enhanced by pops of color. Use hanging baskets with colorful flowers if you have a front porch, potted plants or topiaries on either side of the door, and freshened up flower beds with pinestraw and fresh flowers. Don't forget that curb appeal doesn't stop on the outside. The use of the Internet brings your curb inside.
The arrangement of these photos should be given some serious thought. Here's why: The MLS is a feed for many other home search engines and website, namely I'm talking about Realtor.com, one of the #1 websites where buyers start their search. Realtor.com feeds the 1st four photos to their website even if you do not pay for the upgraded showcase feature.
Buyers are attracted by certain things but you have to at least have the photos for them to even look. Following are my suggestions that should be included in your top 4 photos.
•1. Kitchens can make or break a house. One of the number #1 features I have found a buyer have requirements on is the kitchen. This room must be clean and uncluttered with plenty of light. Upgraded kitchen will win buyers over!
•2. Family rooms especially when photos demonstrate they are part of an open floorplan and have features such as fireplaces, vaulted ceilings or a view.
•3. Bathrooms are #2 on the make or break a house features. If you have a stunning bathroom, this should be featured.
•4. Outdoor living spaces are an extension of a home and bring value to a buyer. If you have a nice size deck, screen porch, gazebo, pool (if it's an asset vs liability), large private backyard or a view, this photo should make the top 4.
All other photos should follow. The Charleston MLS allows up to 24 photos so the more, the better. If you aren't showcasing the home with multiple photos, what are you telling sellers who are researching listing agents about your marketing skills? What other features are worthy to make the top 4 photos?
Contact Michele Reneau, Top Real Estate Agent, NorthCharleston, SC Relocation Expert, CRS, GRI, ABR. 843-814-6680. Michele Reneau is a Certified Staging Professional Instructor and teaches agents how to use staging to maximize their real estate business and Help Sellers Protect their Equity using Home Staging while earning the CSP Elite designation. She is also available for speaking engagements on: How to use social networking to improve your real estate business, Why Home Staging is a Must in Today's Market, How to calculate market statistics and use them to understand and explain to sellers where the market is going using data, Discussing statistics with sellers to help them price their property to sell. Michele is a Certified Residential Specialist with a top real estate team in Charleston, SC. Since 2004, Michele Reneau has personally sold 174 homes while the average agent in the market sells 6 homes a year. Featured on HGTV's House Hunters and Real Estate Executive Magazine. RESA2009 Staging Realtor of the Year Nominee. The Charleston Relocation Experts Team specializes in military relocation, first time homebuyers and creating marketing exposure to sell your home in the Charleston SC Real Estate market. Michele can also be contacted by email at michele@CharlestonRelocationExperts.com.
Mr. Seller called me and needs to tell his house in Dorchester County, SC ASAP because he really can't afford a mortgage payment and rent payment. Besides who wants to throw money down the drain? He relocated his family out of state 2 years ago and rented the property out when it didn't sell. I spoke to the tenants who were more than happy to help the seller sell the home by making the property available for showing because they had been in those shoes before. I previewed the property and stopped in my tracks. I'll just say...clutter, clutter and way too much furniture.
I advised the seller that while this was going to seem painful for him, it would be more painful to start the marketing process before his home was in showing condition. Why? Because, buyers would walk into the home and say it's nice, but found something else that suited our needs better.
Many agents might have opted to list this property once it became vacant because it looks better empty that it did cluttered. What you can't see if that this home had been gently used and without furniture and dressings, a buyer wouldn't be able to get over all those gently used things (i.e. walls and carpet). Don't get me wrong, they will notice it, but staging a property propertly helps to control where the buyer looks. When done by a professional, it helps create an atmosphere so that the buyers can feel themselves living in a home and they can be more objective to look at the space. After some convincing, the seller agreed on my marketing plan to include the staging. It was painful again b/c of the cost upfront, but it has been my experience that proper staging and pricing equals SOLD! With the staging package, I recommend a price of $200,000. If he chose the option not to stage, I recommended the price of $189,000 because the average sold per sqft in the neighborhood is $86/sqft. Also, the average days on market for this neighborhood was 130 days.
I had First Impressions, my staging partner, do quote to have this vacant property staged. Upon staging this 2200 sqft, 5 BR 3 BA home, we listed it for $200,000 because this home now looked like a model. Here are some before and afters. The pictures convey a completely different house!
Due to the seller's situation, we agreed that if we didn't get 7-10 showing within the first 45 days or an offer, we would reduce the price to $195,000. The cost of a 3 month contract to stage the living, dining, breakfast room, 2 bathrooms and the master bedroom was $1600. The GREAT NEWS is that we didn't have to reduce the price because we got a contract for $196,000 on Day 42!! We closed on this property last week!
So this seller could have opted not to do the staging and would have most like received an offer close to $189,000 but it might have taken 94 days which would have meant he had 94 days of carrying costs to pay the mortgage, electric and water bill and lawn service but instead, he netted $8000 more for an investment of $1600!
$189,000
-$4800 mortgage for 3 mo
-800 utilities
$184,300 NET withOUT staging
$196,000
-$1600 cost of staging
-$1800 mortage for 45 days
-$300 cost of utilities
$192,300 NET with staging
$1600 is significantly less than what would have been our 1st price reduction and it netted the seller over $8000 more. It is our fiduciary duty to help sellers get the most for their money. Would you spend $1600 to get back $8000?
Contact Michele Reneau, Top Real Estate Agent, NorthCharleston, SC Relocation Expert, CRS, GRI, ABR. 843-814-6680. Michele Reneau is a Certified Staging Professional Instructor and teaches agents how to use staging to maximize their real estate business and Help Sellers Protect their Equity using Home Staging while earning the CSP Elite designation. She is also available for speaking engagements on: How to use social networking to improve your real estate business, Why Home Staging is a Must in Today's Market, How to calculate market statistics and use them to understand and explain to sellers where the market is going using data, Discussing statistics with sellers to help them price their property to sell. Michele is a Certified Residential Specialist with a top real estate team in Charleston, SC. Since 2004, Michele Reneau has personally sold 174 homes while the average agent in the market sells 6 homes a year. Featured on HGTV's House Hunters and Real Estate Executive Magazine. RESA2009 Staging Realtor of the Year Nominee. The Charleston Relocation Experts Team specializes in military relocation, first time homebuyers and creating marketing exposure to sell your home in the Charleston SC Real Estate market. Michele can also be contacted by email at michele@CharlestonRelocationExperts.com.
Charleston SC real estate, Military Relocation Expert serving Goose Creek SC, Summerville, SC and surrounding areas. CSP Elite Instructor, How to Maximize Your Client's Equity Through Home Staging.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
stop in for friendly and honest service at Geralds Tires and Brakes. They have truly mastered the art of customer service. I've been taking my car to Geralds for over 15 years. I'll never forget my first experience. I was 18 and drove a Mustang. The brakes had been squeaking and this college student was on her own. I took my car into a name brand auto shop known for brakes to find out what was wrong. The techinican told me my brakes needed to be replaced and it would cost $750. $750 to a college student might have well as been asking for my index finger. I couldn't afford $750! I drove away just about in tears wondering where I would come up with the money. I passed by Geralds in the bright orange building and decided to stop in for a 2nd opinion and hopefully a lower price. After 45 mins, a friendly face squatted beside my chair and said, "Ma'm, your rear brakes are squeezing because they need to be adjusted. We took care of it for you and there's no charge. Have a great day!" It was everything in me not to bear hug this man. I said, "Are you sure? Because I just got an estimate from someone else that told me my brakes had to be replaced."
add up, plus it can be tough to know where to start. For a limited time until Dec 31, 2009, you can purchase your "Be a Tourist in Your Own Town" pass which offers residents of Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties free one-time admission to 33 area attractions and discounts at 24 restaurants during the month of January 2010. Visit their website to view which attractions 
looking at the info below, prices have never been lower. In Charleston, SC, Moody's predicted that Charleston would only decline 1 more percent and the bottom would be in the 4th quarter of 2009. Now is the perfect time to buy, enjoy homeownership and be on the incline in the next 5 years. As a seller, you have to ask some tough questions. Can I hang on to the property for at least 5 years? If the rent doesn't cover the mortgage, can I pay the difference? Can I afford the necessary maintenance that may come up in the next 5 years i.e. water heater, dishwasher, HVAC, or roof replacement, HOA fees, regime fees, landscaping, carpet replacement, etc. Sometimes, it may be better to cut losses now when you consider the cost of maintenance and repairs.
can call any joe from the phone book, but we'd like to do a series on local vendors that you may need. For each vendor, we have had personal positive experience with them on our personal homes as well as for our clients that we have referred. It's often hard to find a serviceman that is honest, reliable and reasonably priced. So we will feature vendors with these wonderful traits so you have a firsthand recommendation. If you have need of a recommendation we have not listed yet, please feel free to call or email us for one.
I recently had an elderly client who had a soggy front yard. They instantly called a plumber from the phone book. I happen to check on her and she told me that it was going to cost over $600 to replace the pipe in the front yard from the meter to the house. I asked her to let me send out my plumber, Danny Wheeler of Village Plumbing and Electric, out for a 2nd opinion. He went out the next day and informed the owner that after turning off some valves to the house, he did not believe the pipe in the front yard was leaking. In fact, there was a busted water hose in the front yard. The spigot was turned on but because the hose busted, the nozzle wasn't stopping the water and it was soaking the ground. He also found some valves that needed replacing but the visit overall was only $100. Now, I can't speak for the 1st company that went out, but I can tell you that if you need an honest licensed plumber or electrician in the Charleston, SC area, you can count on Danny Wheeler of Village Plumbing and Electric. He has done lots of work personally for me including wiring an old house, adding new plumbing when we added a laundry room in one of our rentals and more. We have used him to have repairs done after home inspections and we are confident in referring our valued clients to him.
the Holy City. Boeing has been part of the Charleston family for a while, but last week, Boeing announced that it will make Charleston home to its second final assembly line for the 787 Dreamliners growing their existing facilities. This addition is estimated to create at least 3,800 jobs and invest more than $750 million within seven years to take advantage of the various inducements. This announcement is HUGE for Charleston as we anticipate the creation of new jobs as being a boost to our local economy as well as the real estate market as new families relocate to the area. Additionally, Trident Technical College will be ramping up to host employee training for jobs at Boeing. 
Often the sellers decision will depend on motivation, time, ability and money on which approach they choose.
My first thought was, make it empty! The seller was not going to keep the office furniture anyway so it was a good idea to go ahead and sell it or give it away. So away goes the furniture, but then this room was pretty blah. This blah picture is not exactly going to attract the internet buyer. I wouldn't really call this "Good" but probably "Okay."
room, and shows off its size and scale. As a empty room, its hard for buyer to know what function this room would serve but this photo really showcases this room. Effective staging can turn Good into Best. Knowing this seller wanted top dollar for their home, we went over the top in each room so that the photos would sell the house. More to come on other rooms in this house. This house sold to an internet buyer that wrote a contract without stepping into this home for 99.5% of list price at 10 days on the market! 
for many other home search engines and website, namely I'm talking about Realtor.com, one of the #1 websites where buyers start their search. Realtor.com feeds the 1st four photos to their website even if you do not pay for the upgraded showcase feature. 
I had First Impressions, my staging partner, do quote to have this vacant property staged. Upon staging this 2200 sqft, 5 BR 3 BA home, we listed it for $200,000 because this home now looked like a model. Here are some before and afters. The pictures convey a completely different house!
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