Unlocking Coastal Living

One of the things I have learned over the years is that when people begin searching for waterfront property in Mount Pleasant, they often think they are looking for one thing. Then they start asking questions and realize there are several very different types of waterfront living.

A waterfront home can mean a deepwater property with a private dock and boat lift. It can mean a home overlooking a tidal creek. It can mean marshfront views with incredible sunsets. It can even mean a pond-front home in a neighborhood where the water is primarily there for scenery and wildlife.

All of those are waterfront properties, but they are not the same purchase.

Recently, I reviewed active listings, pending sales, and waterfront homes that have closed over the past three months in Mount Pleasant. The information revealed some interesting patter...

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One of the things I have learned over the years is that not every real estate problem is solved by buying or selling a house.

That may sound like a strange thing for a Realtor to say, but it's true.

A while back, a past client called me because she was expecting her third child. She was convinced they needed a larger home. As we talked, she told me how much she loved her neighborhood. She loved her neighbors. Her family was happy there. The schools worked well for them. Everything about the home was right except for one thing: they wanted another bedroom.

When I looked at the situation, I realized they had a loft upstairs that could potentially be converted into a bedroom. Instead of helping them find a bigger house, I suggested they talk with a contractor about making the house they already loved work better for their...

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There is something I have noticed over the years that no one really likes to talk about.

Some homeowners want to sell their home. Other homeowners want a buyer.

Those sound like the same thing, but they are not.

I occasionally meet sellers who believe the process works like this: hire a Realtor, take some pretty pictures, put the home online, and wait for the offers to arrive. If that were true, every home would sell quickly and every seller would be thrilled with the results.

The reality is that buyers are not shopping for houses. They are shopping for their future.

That is where many sellers unintentionally get stuck.

When you live in a home every day, you stop seeing it. The scuff mark on the wall b...

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Every time I drive through parts of Berkeley County and Summerville, I am amazed by the amount of new construction taking place. New neighborhoods continue to expand, model homes are busy, and builders are offering incentives that can make a significant difference to a buyer's monthly payment.

Naturally, it makes me wonder how established neighborhoods are performing.

If you own a home in Tall Pines Plantation, Wescott Plantation, Scanlonville, Harbour View, Copahee View, or Whitehall, are buyers still interested in pre-owned homes? Or are they choosing new construction instead?

I recently reviewed more than 2,000 pending pre-owned home sales and compared them to hundreds of pending new construction sales throughout the Charleston area. While every neighborhood tells its own story, the overall results were encouraging for homeow...

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One of the questions I find myself wondering about lately is whether all of the new construction taking place throughout the Charleston area is changing the market for homeowners who may be considering selling an existing home.

It's a fair question.

Drive through parts of Berkeley County, Summerville, Goose Creek, or even portions of Mount Pleasant and you'll see new homes being built at a pace that would have been difficult to imagine a decade ago. Builders are opening new phases, releasing new lots, and offering incentives designed to attract buyers.

At the same time, thousands of pre-owned homes continue to come on the market and successfully go under contract.

So what does the data actually tell us?

I recently reviewed more than 800 pending...

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