<![CDATA[Gloria J May's Blog]]><![CDATA[Choosing the Right agent to sell your home in Charleston, SC]]>  Charleston Buyers agent + Charleston sellers agent = Home SOLD
       How to choose the right agent when selling your home in  
    Charleston, SC

 

What a better person to list your home than a Charleston buyer’s agent...

A  Charleston buyer’s agent knows what people are looking for. They know what matters in the first impression. They can tell you how to get you home ready to sell so that the buyer will want your home a first sight. A Charleston buyer’s agent will take the pictures that all buyers look for when they are surfing the Internet for Charleston, SC Real Estate. They know…..

 

With this being said…read the definitions of a Charleston buyer’s agent

and  Charleston seller’s agent. You would get the best of both worlds if you listed with someone who knows buyers. An Charleston agent who only does listings is limited. They don’t know what the buyer is looking for in today’s market. They forget that there is a large inventory of homes for the buyer to chose from, making
your home just a listing number if not marketed properly.   

 

What is a  Charleston, SC Buyers Agent?

Most home seekers don't understand the importance of having a Charleston Buyers Agent

look after their best interest when purchasing a home. The most important thing to realize is that all these features are available to you without you incurring additional costs! A Charleston, SC Buyers Agents are paid at closing out of the proceeds of the transaction just like any agent except they are there to help you! Imagine you get the protection of their services and experience without any extra fees!

·   They negotiate the best price possible since they aren't working for the seller.
* The Charleston buyers agent signs a contract to represent only you and your best interests
* Using the criteria you provide a Charleston buyers agent will search all possible listings and properties in the local MLS.
* With the Charleston buyers agent experience they can point out the strengths and weaknesses of each property.
* A Charleston, SC buyer agent will give you the truth about a properties value (by doing a CMA), not its perceived value of the seller or listing agent.
* A Charleston buyers agent will guide you through the property inspection and warranties
* The Charleston buyers agent will offer advice on how to make offers on properties. Help you get the best price for your budget.
* The Charleston buyers agent will submit offers promptly and professionally. Keep in contact with selling agent so contract will not fall through.
* a Charleston buyers agent will provide honest and complete financial information about neighborhood properties and how this can affect your future.
* A Charleston buyers agent will respond honestly and accurately to your questions.
* A Charleston buyers agent will negotiate solely on your behalf.
* A Charleston buyers agent assist in choosing the closing authority.
* Perform loan analysis from multiple lenders to find the most favorable loan for your particular situation.
* A Charleston buyers agent will Review HUD-1 settlement statement for accuracy.
* Most importantly a Charleston buyers agent will keep your personal information private from the seller and other agents, something listing agents are obligated NOT TO DO!
* A Charleston  Buyer's Agent

will go to the home inspection and closing with you to guide you with every step and question.

 

What is a Charleston, SC seller’s agent

?

Most homeowners wanting to sell their home don’t understand the importance of having a Charleston seller’s agent to help them sell their home. A Charleston seller's agent

 under a listing agreement with the seller acts solely on behalf of the seller. A seller can authorize a seller's agent to work with subagents, buyer's agents and/or transaction coordinators. A subagent of the seller is one who has agreed to work with the listing agent, and who, like the listing agent, acts solely on behalf of the seller. Charleston seller's agents and their subagents will disclose to the seller known information about the buyer which may be used to the benefit of the seller.

The duties that a Charleston seller's agent and subagent owes to the seller include:

 * A Charleston seller's agent will help you list your home with a price that is appraisable in today’s market. Running a CMA  will accomplish this. (Comparative Market Analysis) 
* A Charleston, SC seller's agent will promoting the home for the best interest of the seller. This is so important in today’s market  where inventory is so high.
* A Charleston seller's agent will fully disclose to the seller all facts that might affect or influence the seller’s decision to accept an  offer to purchase. (Seller’s Disclosure Statement)

* A Charleston seller's agent will keep it confidential the seller’s motivations for selling.

* A Charleston seller's agent will present all offers to the seller and goes over the offer.  Also, help you with counter offers that is for your best interest.

* Disclosing the identities of all buyers and all information about the willingness of those buyers to complete the sale or to offer a higher price.

* A Charleston sellers agent sees that all home inspections, CL- 100 (inspection that is done my Pets control company), loan and other contract agreements are done in a timely manner.

*The Charleston Seller's Agent

will go with you to closing and see that all agreements between you and the buyer have been carried out.

 

So… how can I help you list your home in Charleston, SC? Call me to look at your home and give you a free CMA. I will go over all that needs to be done to get your home on the market now that the market is hot with buyers. It is not the real estate company that sells your home it’s the Charleston real estate agent. Go with the Charleston agent who knows the buyers and the buyers needs…go with me;

 

Gloria J May, Realtor

EXIT Realty Charleston Group

613 Long Point Road

Mount Pleasant, SC 29464

      843-437-7405

 

     gmayexit@gmail.com

 

    http://www.gmaycharlestonhomes.com/


Note: Written by Gloria J May]]><![CDATA[“Historic Charleston, SC Luxury Homes ” For Sale]]>Charleston is a Living Musuem of Historical Homes & Buildings
celebratecharleston.com  This artical was written by Celebrate Charleston. Email this article
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It is always exciting to visit a place that is rich with events, culture and history. There is something magical about choosing a vacation spot that can offer you the delight of the modern city life and the traditions of the old. Charleston, South Carolina is just the place you will want to go if you are seeking great food, recreational activities, relaxing on the beach or all of the majesty of historical architecture.

The establishment of Charleston was formed in 1670, and was named after the English King of the time – King Charles. Due to the English colonialism, many of the buildings that are found within Charleston have been inspired by some of the best English architects. To this day you can find in historic Charleston a variety of magnificent churches, government buildings, plantations and houses that are uniquely designed with the flavour of the English past. It is for this reason that it is sometimes referred to as “Little London”.

Among some of the interesting building you will discover include:

Charleston City Hall- built in 1800, and its purpose was to be another branch for the American bank known as The First Bank of the United States. It was designed with a style recognized as the Adamesque.

Charleston’s County Courthouse, and the United States Post Office- both of these buildings were constructed in the year 1896. Inside these splendid buildings you will discover an interior that surpasses anything you could imagine. The sheer elegance is truly out of this world. There are a number of rooms, marble staircases, woodwork of mahogany, brass trimmings and more.

The Market Hall and Sheds– This market was previously owned by a family before it was given to the city to be used as a public market in 1788. The Market Hall and Sheds is the only remaining market left in Charleston. It is a strong example of Greek Revival architecture, which is also seen in some of the famous historical Charleston churches.

There are over 1400 different buildings that you can find in historic Charleston. You can learn all about these fantastic places and the exciting history of historic Charleston by visiting any one of the great Charleston museums. You can choose to explore the building of historic Charleston on your own, or you can take any one of the number of tours that are made available for you. Many of the tours are interesting and engaging, and if you are looking for a little bit of fun and adventure, you can attend the eerie night tour that leads you into the bowels of the famous Charleston jail that once housed some of the world’s most despicable and murderous criminals.
There are also a number of plantations and historic houses that you can visit during your stay, so make sure you acquire a map. This way you will be able to plan your days, and you will be able to enjoy all the beautiful history Charleston has to offer. 

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HISTORIC CHARLESTON, SC Luxury HOMES FOR SALE-OWN A PIECE OF HISTORY

Have you ever dreamed of living in an old historic home? Well Charleston has just the home awaiting you.  With over 600 homes in the down town Charleston area you can pick a fixer up from $99,000. to a $ 10,300,000 home on the Battery over looking the Charleston Harbor. Dream can come true....

Most homes down town are "Charleston single".Named for the plan of the house, the Charleston Single House building type consists of a one room-wide house that is traditionally two rooms deep with a stair hall built at the main entrance to the home from an outdoor porch (piazza). Single Houses are traditionally two stories high, but larger examples are seen throughout Charleston. The piazza entrance to the home resembles a traditional main entry, but actually leads to the piazza where the main entrance is found.

The single house is usually sited asymmetrically along or very near one side lot line devoting most of it's unbuilt lot area to a single side yard. The house is "open" to its own side yard with facing porches and large windows. Conversely a single house is "closed" or hermetic with fewer and smaller windows on the side facing its neighbor's side yard so that each house has privacy in its designated outdoor space even when houses are built very close together. Today side yards are often used for parking one car or two cars in tandem with the space sometimes doubling as a courtyard when the cars are removed.

Single houses can be subdivided into two flats or as many as four apartments. Access to the second floor unit(s) may be via an exterior staircase from the lower to upper piazza.

This house type was an adaptation both to allow air to flow through the entire length of the house and piazzas (especially effective if the house is properly oriented to catch the wind).

As Charleston grew into a tourist hub, the Charleston Single House building type became the subject of numerous myths and legends. Among these myths are the reputed fact that the Single House was built as an adaptation to the method of taxation based on street frontage, or that the building type was derived from vernacular structures of Barbados; a lucrative sugar producing country throughout much of the 17th and 18th centuries, where many early Charleston families kept sugar plantations. These facts are popular among Charleston tour guides but are not accurate.

The Charleston Single Housebuilding type is found exclusively in Peninsular Charleston, SC. The building type was built throughout the 17 and 1800s, but abruptly began disappearing some time in the 1890s. It is said that at its peak, the Charleston Single House dominated Charleston with around 4,000 single houses in existence. Today that figure is estimated to be around 2,700.

Gloria J May, Relator
EXIT Realty Chatleston Group

]]><![CDATA[First-time Home Buyer Tax Credit]]>Charleston First Time Home Buyer,

The homeownership tax credit that the federal government created earlier this year is a hard-won tool at your disposal to encourage you to jump off the fence and get into the home buying market.

When you combine the tax credit with today continuing low interest rates, large selection of for-sale inventory, and low home prices, many of the pieces are in place for you to buy now.

How the Tax Credit Works

The First-time Home Buyer Tax Credit was passed this year as part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act (H.R. 3221) on July 30 and targets any individual or household that hasn't owned a home for at least three years. Taxpayers can take the credit on their 2008 tax return if they bought their house this year after April 9.

It worth up to $7,500 and can be taken in a single tax year. Authorization for the credit ends July 1, 2009, so if your customers wait to buy in the first half of 2009 they can take the credit on their 2009 tax return.

The actual credit amount is set as a percentage of the home purchase amount. That percentage amount is 10 percent, so your customers can get 10 percent of the home price credited against their tax liability, up to a maximum $7,500.

Income limits are $75,000 for individuals and $150,000 for households. Individuals whose income exceeds the $75,000 limit but isn more than $95,000 can still take the credit but on a reduced basis. The same thing applies to households earning up to $170,000.

Any house is eligible as long as it a primary residence and is in the United States.

Buyers Have 15 Years to Pay Back

To help keep the program cost effective for taxpayers, the federal government requires the tax credit to be paid back in small, 6.67-percent increments over 15 years. For that reason, some analysts have likened the credit to a 15-year, interest-free loan to help make home buying affordable.

There is one restriction on the type of financing that your customers can use if they plan to take the credit. That restriction is on tax-exempt mortgage financing. That only applies if your clients are using below-market interest-rate financing from a public agency or nonprofit that is funding the loan using proceeds from a tax-exempt mortgage-revenue bond issue. For most buyers, this won't be an issue. It's mainly an issue for low-income buyers using special mortgage financing.

Be a Resource for Clients

NAR Government Affairs has created two helpful documents that you can share with your clients to help them learn more about how the tax credit works. The documents are on downloadable and printable PDFs:

The IRS Web site also offers tax-credit guidance in an article that provides answers to many frequently asked questions. 

This information was provided by REALTOR.org
For more information contact me, Gloria J May @ gmayexit@gmail.com]]>