Charleston Real Estate Podcast with Dave Friedman

How Can You Help Make Us the Best in Charleston?

Hello, and welcome back to our blog! We truly appreciate the continued support you've given us. Without you, we would not have won the title of Best Realtor for Charleston in 2014. 

On a day-to-day basis it's my mission to deliver world class service to our community. Today, our mission is to retain our title as Best Realtor in Charleston. Every year, the Charleston City Paper conducts a contest to determine which business are the best in Charleston. With your support last year, we were privileged to win the Best Realtor category in 2014.

With continued emphasis on customer service and client results, we're hoping to defend our status as the best in town for 2015! In order to do so, we need your help! 

To vote for us as the best Realtor in Charleston, click here! 

Here is how you can vote:

Voting Instructions:

1. Click on link to “Register/Log In” and register your email address

2. If you are registered, then enter your password and go to Step 4. If not, fill out the form and go to stop 3.
3. Go to your email and click on link that is provided.
4. Go to bottom of Shops/Wares section.
5. Go to Best Realtor and Enter Dave Friedman!
6. Click Vote!!  

Voting for the Best of Charleston has already started, and continues until February 17! We would really appreciate it if you took the time out of your day to show your support!

If you have any questions about the contest, or need real estate assistance of any kind, don't hesitate to give me a call or shoot me an email! I look forward to hearing from you!

so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You

may also call me at (843) 972-3833 for a FREE home buying or selling

consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.

It's hard to believe, but the end of the year is upon us! With 2015

right around the corner, there's no better time to take a look back at

what we saw in the Charleston real estate market in 2014.

It's been a fantastic year for values in the Charleston area, as the median home price is up 9% from this time last year. The

average days on market has been consistent over the last 12 months,

hovering around 79 days. While that's pretty low, it's not quite as low

as my listings' average market time, which sits at only 32 days. 

Currently, interest rates are at 4% in Charleston. At

the housing peak in 2007, the median sales price reached a height of

$207,000 before the crash. In February of this year we actually passed

that number, and the median sales price now sits at $217,000. Despite

the highs and lows we've seen in the last decade, home prices have

trended to where they were expected to, according to historic price line

data. 

The most recent housing affordability indicates that Charleston is still a very affordable place to own a home. This

rating doesn't take into account our ridiculously cheap property taxes,

which makes living here even more affordable than the report indicates. 

Looking

ahead to 2015, we expect our inventory to remain low throughout the

year and listings to see an appreciation around 5% to 7%. Interest rates are expected to rise to 5%. Even though a 1% increase doesn't sound like a lot, that rise will actually decrease your buying power significantly. In

other words, for the same monthly payment, you can only afford a home

that is 10% less. This is definitely something to keep an eye on as new construction projects come onto the scene in the new year, as they will have both positive and negative effects on home values in the area.

Please

stay tuned for our next video, as we'll talk about raising money for

foster children around the Charleston area. If you have any questions

about market conditions in your specific area, or would like real estate

assistance of any kind, don't hesitate to give me a call or shoot me an

email. I would love to give you a hand!

Have You Reserved Your Free Pie Yet?

With the holidays approaching, we just wanted to take some time to express our gratitude for all of you. You have made 2014 one of our best years yet and for that we are truly thankful. We hope we have been able to serve you well, whether it was through buying or selling a home, or providing you with information and educating you about real estate to become a better homeowner, buyer, or seller. We would love to continue providing you with valuable knowledge about the real estate market, so keep an eye out for our videos coming in the near future.

To let you know just how thankful we are for your business, we would like to offer you a free pie from a fantastic area bakery. Give us a call at (843) 972-3833 to reserve either an apple crumb or a pumpkin crumb pie by this Friday at noon!

After you get your order in, you can pick up your pie on either Tuesday, November 25th from 10-4 or Wednesday, November 26th from 10-1 at our office, located at 496 Bramson Ct. Suite 200, Mount Pleasant.

If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call at the number above. Happy Thanksgiving!

Don't Miss out on the Winter Selling Season

A lot of people think that the holiday season is not an opportune time to list their home and wait until spring. Actually, people who wait until the spring to list their home are missing out on a ton of great benefits that selling in the fall and winter has to offer. Here are 4 reasons why it is smart to list your home during the holidays:

In the winter, your home has less competition and a better chance at standing out to buyers

There is a much more dedicated pool of buyers out there during the holidays. These people want to find a home, and may have some days off built up to go on showings and look at all the homes out there.

Subtle holiday decorations have been known to make homes show better. It not only improves its appearance for showings, but your online photos look better as well. Just don't go overboard with the decorations.

Interest rates are still historically low, in the 3-4% range, and locking one in now could save you thousands of dollars down the road. Rates are expected to rise by at least 1% in the next year. 

If you have any questions, be sure to give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to answer them for you.