Posts by : Alan Donald

Location, location, location!

3D Tour:

Built on one of the nicest pond lots in Belle Hall Plantation and enjoying peaceful views of the water and marsh, this fabulous home with 3-brs. & 2.5-baths plus a huge bonus room that can be your 4th bedroom, playroom or office.

Downstairs you have a formal dining room, a family room with a fireplace, a very practical kitchen with a work island and eat-in area that looks back to the backyard. A pantry, a half bath and a beautiful screened in porch complete the first floor.

This home is perfect for playing and entertaining guests! Most of the downstairs areas have hardwood or laminate flooring.

Enjoy the bird life and natural setting!

The Charleston, SC residential Real Estate Market is On Fire!

Charleston, SC. September 3, 2020

Last week 464 homes went under contract!

We had set the weekly record of 458 homes back in 2018. and we have surpassed that number for 16 of the last 17 weeks! Demand has never been at this level, and certainly not this late in the year.

Inventory continues to drop, we now have less than 3,400 active listings in our MLS, while we had between 5,000-5,500 active listings for most of the last 5 years.

And consequently, it's a Hot Seller's Market! Overall we have 1.9 months of inventory (supply). In other words, 1 out of every 2 new "For Sale" signs that you see will be under contract nex...

Grab your bathing suit because Charleston Water Week is just around the corner! From September 5th to 13th, Charleston will be home to a bunch of exciting water events held across 21 different venues. 

All of these activities will surely make you hungry and thirsty. So be sure to check out the area's awesome array of food, including fresh local produce at our farmers markets, not to mention Summerville's Sweet Tea Festival (9/14-9/18). You might even be able to catch a deal on your meal, especially during this month’s holidays which include Labor Day (9/7), National Tailgating Day (9/5), Chocolate Milkshake Day (9/12), National Pepperoni Pizza Day (9/20) and many others. Click this lin...

The Fastest-Growing Companies in Charleston

Charleston continues to show it's strong entrepreneurial spirit! The 2020 Inc. 5,000 list includes 29 companies from the Charleston metro area that are amongst the fastest-growing private companies in the nation. They represent a wide variety of industry sectors including construction, IT management, and more. A fascinating aspect about the businesses listed is that most of them specialize in helping other businesses grow. For example, Q4Launch, describes their services as "high-quality digital marketing, web design, and content creation to take hospitality businesses to higher levels". No. 2 on Charleston's list is MedTrust, a private amb...

Lowest Mortgage Rates in History: What It Means for Homeowners and Buyers

In July, the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell below 3% for the first time in history.1 And while many Americans have rushed to take advantage of this unprecedented opportunity, others question the hype. Are today’s rates truly a bargain?

While average mortgage rates have drifted between 4% and 5% in recent years, they haven’t always been so low. Freddie Mac began tracking 30-year mortgage rates in 1971. At that time, the national average was 7.31%. As the rate of inflation started to rise in the mid-1970s, mortgage rates surged. It’s hard to imagine now, but the average U.S. mortgage rates reached a high o...

Charleston Probate Real Estate

PROBATE IS NEVER EASY!

Regardless of whether you are Probate Attorney, a Personal Representative or an Executor/Executrix, we can help!
If a loved one or a friend passes away and you were designated as the Personal Representative (or Executor) for the estate, it is very probable that you may feel overwhelmed with the amount of work this generates.  We know that handling a probate is never easy and you will most certainly face some difficult and perhaps emotional decisions. 

We have built a team of experienced professionals to assist Personal Representatives in performing their functions. It includes probate attorneys, financial advisors specialized in es...

Whether you're planning to sell or refinance, a home appraisal is a necessary step in determining the true value of your home. This means your home should be in the best possible condition, so it will be appraised at the highest potential value. While it may be tempting to swing for the fences with big-ticket renovations, there are smaller things you can do to efficiently raise the market value of your home.

Start Small with a Little Spackle
If you've lived in your home for any length of time, you've probably hung things on the walls, put up shelves, or simply had accidents that resulted in minor damage. Now is the time to repair those blemishes. Filling these holes and crevices with ...

We told you this was coming 2 months ago!

Charleston Area Residential Real Estate Sales Surge to New Record High in July

2,400 homes sold in July in the Charleston region at a median price of $305,000 according to preliminary data released today by the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors® (CTAR). July’s home sales mark the largest number of sales recorded in the Charleston region and a nearly 32% increase over last July, when 1,824 homes sold at a median price of $278,450.

Year-to-date, 11,576 homes have changed hands at a median price of $290,515. At this point last year, 11,051 homes had sold at a median price of $277,548. Year-to-date, sales are now up almost 5% and media...

It’s August and the Dog Days of Summer are amongst us! This month’s warm weather makes it ideal to celebrate Campfire Day (1st), National Watermelon Day (3rd), National Creamsicle Day (14th), Dog Appreciation Day (26th) and many more fun August holidays, which can be found here. Plus, don't forget that South Carolina's Tax Free Weekend is August 7-9!

Several Charleston area events previously planned for August have recently been cancelled or postponed due to COVID-19. However, the following fun and interesting events - both live and virtual - are still planned as of the release date of this blog, with participants asked to be mindful of social distancing and mask usage. You can also ...

Port of Charleston, South Carolina & the Southeast to benefit from U.S. supply-chain changes

Putting all your eggs into one basket is never a good idea. According to a newly released international trade report prepared by CBRE, the U.S. supply-chain has taken this sage advice and is now looking to diversify away from it’s over dependence on China, with other growing Asian and European markets in its sight. This has the potential of being very beneficial for the Port of Charleston, which doubled its cargo volume over the past decade, making it one of the four fastest-growing seaports in the U.S.! (READ MORE...)

Say "Hello" to Citibot!

Are you tired of narrowly dodging the same pothol...

This month, we celebrate Independence Day (4th), National Hot Dog Day (15th) and a host of other fun holidays.

Many facilities have now reopened and activities have resumed in the Charleston, SC area. This has been accompanied by an increase in the number of live events scheduled for the month of July, compared to recent months.

However, as the number of positive COVID-19 cases has continued to rise locally, several scheduled events have been cancelled or postponed. As for celebrating July 4th this year, the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) has just issued a press release that recommends doing so safely at home. 

As of the release date of this blog, the foll...

U.K. Automotive Manufacturer ARKONIK, LTD. Selects Charleston for its First U.S. Location and North American Headquarters
(Charleston Regional Development Alliance)

The region’s fast-growing automotive manufacturing sector has added a new key player, Arkonik Ltd, a world leader in creating custom vehicles, has selected Charleston for its first U.S. location and North American headquarters.

Established in 2006 and headquartered in the United Kingdom, Arkonik Ltd., specializes in the restoration and customization of Land Rover Defenders for customers all over the world.  They also plan to manufacture an electric vehicle in 2021. Arkonik anticipates steady growth potential for its new Spe...

The Post & Courier reported today (June 20,2020) a 31% decrease in the number of sales for South Carolina (read article below). 

If all the cities in South Carolina behaved like Charleston did, it will be reporting RECORD SALES in June and July!! Because in May, Charleston posted a RECORD NUMBER (ever!) of homes going under contract!

It goes to show that homeowners who rely on public media to make decisions regarding real estate are acting on OLD NEWS. 

The real estate market can change course on a dime! In order to take make WISE BUYING or SELLING decisions, you need to have the LATEST NEWS! 

Get the latest news in your in-box! Sign up to receive our monthly newsletter!

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Charleston, SC Real Estate Has Gone Wild!

What's going on?

Charleston, SC Real Estate Has Gone Wild!

This past week set an all-time weekly record for the number of properties going under contract (525), beating the previous record of 497 (that we had set 3 weeks ago) by 5%. That's an incredible level of buyer demand!

May was the busiest month ever in Charleston real estate history! And it beat the previous record (from last year) by over 10%!

What's going on?

This is great news for home sellers, because inventory (supply) is drastically down! You are selling into an under-supplied market and buyer demand has gone bonkers!

I can think of two obvious factors causing this phenome...

This email I received from The Economist Intelligence Unit is a bit scary. I doubt the US economy will be spared, or that Charleston will be fully insulated from this worldwide slowdown. This is going to affect us, whether we like it or not!

If you are THINKING of selling your home in the next 2 years, consider selling it NOW instead to get a top market price. Demand is very high and supply very low. Book a VIRTUAL APPOINTMENT at bit.ly/BUYSELLVIRTUAL or call/text 843-900-0155.

When the rubber hits the road we will likely see an increase in inventory and very probable price decrease for residential real estate.

However, if you are a long-term planner, or you are buying a home to live...

6-4-20 BREAKING NEWS

33rd annual Blessing of the Fleet and Seafood Festival canceled

June is here and the weather is warming up after one of the most beautiful springs Charleston has had in recent years in terms of weather.  Many facilities and operations have been re-opening, with social distancing restrictions and guidelines intended to protect us from and minimize the spread of coronavirus and COVID-19. We can now dine inside most restaurants, many with outdoor spaces added. Most attractions and outdoor venues such as parks and beaches have opened to the public and are beginning to offer programmed activities and events in June. Some indoor art and museum venues opened in late Ma...

Charleston Businesses Get a Double Whammy

Many of the downtown restaurants, retail shops and hotels that normally would have been serving a high volume of out-of-town visitors at this time of year but had to close partially or totally during the pandemic "stay-at-home" order were just re-opening and looking forward to making up for their losses. Unfortunately the rally in downtown Charleston on Saturday, May 30th to protest police handling of George Floyd in Minneapolis developed into an uncontrolled riot and looting spree along King Street and neighboring streets later that night. Many businesses were affected and saw their windows broken and merchandise looted. Many local volunteer b...

Charleston, SC Residential Real Estate Market Update - June 1, 2020

Buyer Demand

Demand for homes in January and February 2020 was up by 13% compared to last year's numbers, but in March and April demand dropped by 25% due to the COVID crisis. However, in May the market rebounded resoundingly, producing 4 RECORD-BREAKING WEEKS in activity, restoring demand up 12% from last year’s numbers. See the "spike" in demand on the chart below. 

Supply of Homes

The number of homes ON THE MARKET (market inventory) has been reduced from ~ 6300 a year ago, to ~ 4500 today (May 30, 2020).

Months of Inventory

The Months of Inventory (MOI) index shows that the relationship between supply and deman...

Keys to Selling Your House Virtually

In a recent survey by realtor.com, people thinking about selling their homes indicated they’re generally willing to allow their agent and some potential buyers inside if done under the right conditions. They’re less comfortable, however, hosting an open house. This is understandable, given the health concerns associated with social contact these days. The question is, if you need to sell your house now, what virtual practices should you use to make sure you, your family, and potential buyers stay safe in the process?

In today’s rapidly changing market, it’s more important than ever to make sure you have a digital game plan and an effective online m...