Charleston SC - A Better Way of Life

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New Listing in Mt. Pleasant

New Listing in Mt. Pleasant
Call me to view this wonderful town home in Hunter Lake Common. Located near East Cooper Hospital, Mt. Pleasant Library and shopping. Minutes from downtown Charleston and area beaches.
I'm hosting an Open House Sunday, April 11, 1- 4 pm.

Residential Real Estate Sales Increase Again, Median Prices Remain Stable

Preliminary data from the Charleston Trident Association of REALTORS® (CTAR) shows 509 homes sold in the Charleston region in February, at a median price of $179,900. This reflects a 22% increase in sales and essentially no change in median sale price from preliminary numbers reported on March 10, 2009, which showed 417 sales at a median sale price of $179,450.
As of March 10, 2009, CTAR year-to-date data showed 851 sales at an average median sale price of $177,052. This year, CTAR has recorded 940 sales at an average median sale price of $185,500. Year-to-date numbers show a 10% increase in sales and median sale prices are a slight 5% higher than this time last year.

At the close of the month, there were 9,532 homes actively listed for sale with the Charleston Trident Multiple Listing Service, a 4% increase from last month, when there were 9,171 homes on the market

More good news for the Charleston housing market. http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010/mar/01/study-predicts-long-term-growth/

New Words We All Need in Our Vocabulary - Very Funny!

The Washington Post's Mensa Invitational once again invited readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding,  subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.          Here are the winners:                   1. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.          2. Ignoranus : A person who's both stupid and an asshole.                   3. Intaxicaton : Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.                   4. Reintarnation : Coming back to life as a  hillbilly.                   5. Bozone ( n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.          6. Foreploy : Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.                   7. Giraffiti : Vandalism spray-painted very, very high                   8. Sarchasm : The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.                   9. Inoculatte : To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.                   10. Osteopornosis : A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)                   11. Karmageddon : It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.                   12. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.                   13. Glibido : All talk and no action.                   14. Dopeler Effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.                   15. Arachnoleptic Fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a         spider web.                   16. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.                   17. Caterpallor ( n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.  The Washington Post has also published the winning submissions to its yearly contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for common words.                   And the winners are:                   1. Coffee, n. The person upon whom one coughs.                   2. Flabbergasted, adj. Appalled by discovering how much weight one has gained.                   3. Abdicate, v. To give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.                   4. Esplanade, v.To attempt an explanation while drunk.          5. Willy-nilly, adj. Impotent.                   6. Negligent, adj. Absentmindedly answering the door when wearing only a nightgown.                   7. Lymph, v. To walk with a lisp.                   8. Gargoyle, n. Olive-flavored mouthwash.                   9. Flatulence, n. Emergency vehicle that picks up someone who has been run over by a steamroller.                   10. Balderdash, n. A rapidly receding hairline.                   11. Testicle, n. A humorous question on an exam.                   12. Rectitude, n. The formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.                   13. Pokemon, n. A Rastafarian proctologist.                   14. Oyster, n. A person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.                   15. Frisbeetarianism, n. The belief that, after death, the soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.                   16. Circumvent, n. An opening in the front of boxer shorts worn by Jewish men

Homebuyer Tax Credit Has Added Benefits for Armed Services Members, Others

Armed services members, as well as intelligence service and foreign service personnel, who are on active duty and out of the U.S. for 90 days during any part of 2009, get an additional year to buy their homes, to May 1, 20ll.

Another benefit is a waiver on the time of occupancy of the home purchased with the tax credit. Homebuyers who purchase their home using the tax credit must use that home as a principal residence for a period of no fewer than three years, or must forfeit the entire credit. Military, intelligence and foreign service members do not have to repay the credit if they have to sell their home after fewer than three years occupancy due to official business.

Side note:  This is great news for military that want to purchase a lot and build a home.

CW

A New Year a New Positive Attitude

2010- time for a new positive attitude. As a real estate agent and trusted advisor. I will put myself in my clients shoes and make each real estate transaction a first - rate experience!

Feeling Fine in Carolina!

S.C. 6th in poll looking at measures of good life
By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, Associated Press
Friday, December 18, 2009
State rankings

A new study found that people who report more satisfaction with their lives live in states that score well on factors like good schools, low crime and short commuting time.

The state-by-state list, from happiest to least cheery:

1.

Louisiana
2.

Hawaii
3.

Florida
4.

Tennessee
5.

Arizona
6.

South Carolina
7.

Mississippi
8.

Montana
9.

Alabama
10.

Maine
11.

Wyoming
12.

Alaska
13.

North Carolina
14.

South Dakota
15.

Texas
16.

Idaho
17.

Vermont
18.

Arkansas
19.

Georgia
20.

Utah
21.

Oklahoma
22.

Delaware
23.

Colorado
24.

New Mexico
25.

North Dakota
26.

Minnesota
27.

Virginia
28.

New Hampshire
29.

Wisconsin
30.

Oregon
31.

Iowa
32.

Kansas
33.

Nebraska
34.

West Virginia
35.

Kentucky
36.

Washington
37.

District of Columbia
38.

Missouri
39.

Nevada
40.

Maryland
41.

Pennsylvania
42.

Rhode Island
43.

Ohio
44.

Massachusetts
45.

Illinois
46.

California
47.

New Jersey
48.

Indiana
49.

Michigan
50.

Connecticut
51.

New York

WASHINGTON -- People in sunny, outdoorsy states -- Louisiana, Hawaii, Florida, South Carolina -- say they're the happiest Americans, and researchers think they know why.

A new study comparing self-described pleasant feelings with objective measures of good living found these folks generally have reason to feel fine.

The places where people are most likely to report happiness also tend to rate high on studies comparing things like climate, crime rates, air quality and schools.

The happiness ratings were based on a survey of 1.3 million people across the country by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It used data collected over four years that included a question asking people how satisfied they are with their lives.

Ranking No. 1 in happiness was Louisiana, home of Dixieland music and Cajun/Creole cooking.

Rounding out the happy five were Hawaii, Florida, Tennessee and Arizona.

The Palmetto State ranked sixth.

At the other end of the scale, last in happiness -- is New York state.

Economists Andrew J. Oswald of the University of Warwick in England and Stephen Wu of Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., compared the happiness ranking with studies that rated states on a variety of criteria ranging from availability of public land to commuting time to local taxes.

Probably not surprisingly, their report in today's edition of the journal Science found the happiest people tend to live in the states that do well in quality-of-life studies.

Yet Oswald said "this is the first objective validation of 'happiness' data," which is something he said economists have been reluctant to use in the past.

"Very loosely, you could say that we prove that happiness data are 'true,' -- such data have genuine objective informational content," he said.

"Moreover," Oswald added, "it is interesting to uncover the pattern of life-satisfaction across one of the world's important nations."

Oswald urged a bit of caution in Louisiana's No. 1 ranking, however, noting that part of the happiness survey occurred before Hurricane Katrina struck the state in 2005, and part of it took place later. Nevertheless, he said, "We have no explicit reason to think there is a problem" with the ranking.

As if to illustrate the unhappiness in last-place New York, residents attending a meeting Wednesday in rural Queensbury unleashed their anger and cynicism at a state government they described as corrupt, self-dealing and too quick to increase taxes. It was a tirade that had one lifelong resident saying he was ready to flee "this stinkin' state."

Oswald suggested the long commutes, congestion and high prices around New York City account for some of the unhappiness.

He said he has been asked if the researchers expected that states like New York and California, which ranked 46th, would do so badly in the happiness ranking.

"I am only a little surprised," he said. "Many people think these states would be marvelous places to live in. The problem is that if too many individuals think that way, they move into those states, and the resulting congestion and house prices make it a non-fulfilling prophecy."

Besides being interesting, the state-by-state pattern has scientific value, Oswald explained.

"We wanted to study whether people's feelings of satisfaction with their own lives are reliable, that is, whether they match up to reality -- of sunshine hours, congestion, air quality, etceteras -- in their own state. And they do match."

Oswald and Wu used data from CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System collected from 2005-08. The survey, launched in 1984, collects information on a variety of health measures.

The research was supported by Britain's Economic and Social Research Council.

Charleston-Area Residential Real Estate Sales Soar in November
Charleston County Home Sales Double Over 2008 Levels, Leads Regional Recovery
CHARLESTON, SC—(December 10, 2009) The Charleston-area residential real estate market continues to show signs of a strong recovery. Led by incredibly strong sales in Charleston County, preliminary data from the Charleston Trident Association of REALTORS® showed 783 closed transactions in November, with a median sale price of $173,000.

As of December 10, 2008, 435 properties were sold at a median price of $185,503. This month’s numbers reflect an unprecedented 80% increase in sales and the third consecutive month of increases.

This type of activity is uncharacteristic for November, and likely attributable to the passing of the original homebuyer tax credit deadline, which was November 30. The tax credit deadline has been extended to April 30, 2010 and expanded to include provisions for existing homeowners. More information on the new tax credit is available here.

Inventory sits at this year’s lowest level, with 9,429 properties listed as “active” with the Charleston Trident Multiple Listing Service, as of November 30, 2009.

BERKELEY COUNTY
Home sales in Berkeley County were up 65% in November, with 196 sales at a median price of $154,700, compared to November 2008’s 119 sales at $170,000.

CHARLESTON COUNTY
Charleston County showed the greatest gains in the region during the month. Sales doubled over last year, and median prices are within 1%of 2008 levels. 361 properties changed hands in November at a median price of $225,000, in stark contrast to 2008’s 170 sales at a median price of $227,738.

DORCHESTER COUNTY
Sales continued to be strong in Dorchester County, up 42% year-over-year. 199 properties sold at a median price of $150,000 this month, compared to 140 properties at a median price of $169,995 in 2008.

Residential Real Estate Sales Up 31% from October 2008
CHARLESTON, SC—(November 10, 2009) Preliminary data from the Charleston Trident Association of REALTORS® showed a 31% increase in closed sales year-over-year. 721 homes sold this October, as compared to 549 homes in October 2008.

The increase in sales is largely attributed to a more affordable market, as buyers take advantage of the robust inventory of fairly priced homes. In line with the national trend of an 11% decrease in median price, the Charleston area saw median home prices settle to just under $170,000 in October, a 13% variation in price from 2008.

Inventory dropped slightly again, with 10,631 homes currently listed for sale with the Charleston Trident Multiple Listing Service.

BERKELEY COUNTY
Berkeley County sales were up 25% from October of last year; 186 homes sold at a median price of $155,000. In October of 2008, 149 homes sold at a median price of $169,900.

CHARLESTON COUNTY
In the last 30 days, 339 homes sold at a median price of $205,000 in Charleston County. That reflects a 9% increase in sales, from last year’s 312 closings during the month of October.

DORCHESTER COUNTY
Sales in Dorchester County increased by 53% year-over-year; 177 homes sold at a median price of $152,700 compared to 116 sales at $167,663 in October 2008.