Retirement

After decades of hard work, you've earned the right to live life on your own terms. If you're considering retirement in South Carolina, this beautifully maintained single-story home in Four Seasons at Lakes of Cane Bay offers everything you need to embrace your golden years with style, comfort, and peace of mind.

Finally, a Home That Works for You
Gone are the days of climbing stairs, endless yard work, and home maintenance headaches. This thoughtfully designed single-story home with 2 bedroom suites, 2.5 bathrooms, and a dedicated office represents the freedom you've been working toward your entire life. No yard work, no stairs, low maintenance, no stress—just the freedom to live fully a...

WalletHub, a company devoted to helping consumers improve their financial planning, has published their most recent “Best & Worst States to Retire” ranking, in which Charleston, SC was ranked as the No. 2 BEST PLACE to retire in the U.S. Here are the Top 10 cities. Read the full article.

5 Step Strategy for Downsizing Your Home

In our “bigger is better” culture, there’s an expectation that each home should be larger and grander than the last. But life changes like divorce, kids leaving for college, or even the simple act of growing older can prompt us to find a smaller home that better suits our shifting needs and lifestyle.

In fact, the advantages of downsizing are being increasingly recognized. A “tiny house movement” has gained passionate advocates who appreciate the benefits of living simply at any age and stage of life. Not only does a smaller home typically cost less, it also takes less time and effort to maintain.

Whatever your reasons are for downsizing, the pr...

As more and more baby boomers enter retirement age, the question of whether they should sell their homes and move has become a hot topic. In today’s housing market climate, with low available inventory in the starter and trade-up home categories, it makes sense to evaluate your home’s ability to adapt to your needs in retirement.

According to the National Association of Exclusive Buyers Agents (NAEBA), there are 7 factors that you should consider when choosing your retirement home.

1. Affordability
“It may be easy enough to purchase your home today but think long-term about your monthly costs. Account for property taxes, insurance, HOA fees, utilities – all the things that will be due w...

As more and more baby boomers enter retirement age, the question of whether or not to sell their homes and move will become a hot topic. In today’s housing market climate, with low available inventory in the starter and trade-up home categories, it makes sense to evaluate your home’s ability to adapt to your needs in retirement.

According to the National Association of Exclusive Buyers Agents (NAEBA), there are 7 factors that you should consider when choosing your retirement home.

1. Affordability
“It may be easy enough to purchase your home today but think long-term about your monthly costs. Account for property taxes, insurance, HOA fees, utilities – all the things that will be due whe...

Del Webb Nexton- A New 55+ Community in
Summerville, SC.

The Del Webb Charleston at Nexton Community is now open and welcoming guests of the 55+ active adult community. This community is being developed by Pulte Group and is part of the larger Nexton Community of homes. Guests that reside in the Del Webb Community will have access to various amenities including those of the new Del Webb 2,500 sq.ft. Amenity Center in addition to those of the nearby Nexton Community Center. Amenities include:
-Indoor/Outdoor Saltwater Pool

-4 Pickle Ball Courts

-Garden Plots

-Fitness Center

-And Much More

Del Webb homes start at a base price of $240,00 for a 1,262 sq.ft. home and go up to $356,990...

Looking for an Affordable 1-story home in Charleston, SC?

Attractive, affordable, centrally located and energy efficient!

Easy on the knees, the budget and great for your peace of mind! Close to the airport, shopping, hospitals, places of worship.

This one-story home offers great value!

Call 843-900-0155 to arrange a private showing at your convenience.

More pics & information

Factors to Consider When Moving Seniors

344 Rice Bay Dr. Mount Pleasant - For Sale by The Alan Donald Real Estate Team

Thinking about leaving the cold and the snow? Move to the Lowcountry - Charleston, SC has been voted the Best Place to Retire in the US!

Check out this one-story 3-br. home with easy maintenance and no stairs! Convenient location, only 15 min. drive to the beach, very close to local hospitals, places of worship, restaurants and shopping (including Harris Teeter supermarket, Starbucks, Petsmart and many others). A short drive will take you to Downtown Charleston, where you can enjoy the rich history, wonderful restaurants and vibrant cultural life.

Belle Hall has excellent community amenities including two swimmi...

Have the Cake and Eat It Too...

This is a true story shared by our client Jerry Garner, who specializes in Reverse Mortgages:

"A retired couple in late-60s purchased a home for $250k in Summerville to be closer to their children and grandkids. They moved here from NC and initially thought they needed to sell their NC home first OR take $250k from their retirement savings (this concerned their financial advisor about liquidity) to pay cash for an ideal home for retirement.

Long story short… based on their ages, this senior couple was able to put $125,000 (50%) cash down and moved in with a Reverse Mortgage for Purchase and have no payments. 

Now when their NC home has sold, they can ...

Webinar this Saturday, August 17, at 10:00 am EST.

Charleston, SC - August 15, 2013. Alan Donald, CEO of The Alan Donald Real Estate Team at Keller Williams Realty and Jerry Garner, Reverse Mortgage Specialist at TowneBank Mortgage are teaming up to host a free webinar covering the different options that seniors can use to leverage equity in their primary home to buy a retirement/vacation home, swap their current home for a better one or buy an investment property to increase their monthly cash flow.

"Traditionally when people hear of reverse mortgages they think it is just a method to take cash out of their home to help ends meet," said Alan Donald.  "This is not always accurate: Jerry...

With perks like beautiful weather, plenty of physicians, low cost of living, and the lowest tax bite of all, its no wonder Forbes.com ranks Charleston, SC as one of the best places to retire in the country, and they're not the only ones that think so! David Savageau ranked Charleston second best place to retire in his 2008 book Retirement Places Rates. It was  ranked as one of the top retirement areas by Money Magazine in 2006 and 2007, and included in Tennis Magazine's list of most desirable places to retire in the U.S.A.

Click here to view real estate listings perfect for retirement

What makes Charleston so great? Well for starters we have beautiful weather. With temperatures av...

HUD ANNOUNCES NEW REVERSE MORTGAGE OPTION

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) announced a new modified version of its Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) product. The HECM loan is a reverse mortgage insured by the federal government.

It allows seniors (one of the home owners needs to be 62 or older) to tap into their equity of their home to BUY ANOTHER HOME, cover living expenses and health care costs or have spending money while continuing to live in their home without having to make the mortgage payments that are required with a traditional mortgage or equity loan. 

Don't Be House-Rich & Cash-Poor! 

According to Jerry Garner, a reverse mortgage consultant for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, a growing number of seniors are looking at reverse mortgages as a way to generate tax-free income.  "For people who are 62 years of age or older who need better cash flow - a reverse mortgage can make good sense." 

With a reverse mortgage, there are no monthly payments to make; and no income, employment or credit qualifying restrictions when applying. 

The home does not have to be totally paid off to qualify for a reverse mortgage. In fact, a common use of the reverse mortgage is the elimination of a current mortgage; the senior homeowner refinances into a reverse m...