http://www.trulia.com/voices/profile/Real_Estate_Pro-Summerville_SC-235856/The latest answers submitted by Foster Smith to questions asked on Trulia Voicesen-ushttp://www.trulia.com/voices/Home_Buying/What_can_you_tell_me_about_those_townhouses_on_th_-173412Answer by Foster Smith: The Hampton park area has really seen a re-emergence recently. It is safe and convenient to all areas of Charleston. You can go to the beaches on either side of the harbor. Go straight down the penninsular to downtown. Lokk over the trees at night and see the fireworks from Joe Riley stadium. Good place for the money.Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:42:28 PDThttp://www.trulia.com/voices/Using_Trulia/Is_there_a_way_to_feed_directly_from_my_personal_b-97839Answer by Foster Smith: I have this same question...any new developments or answers? Reposting is looking like the only option at this point, but I don't want to have duplicate content and I want to keep my Main blog, www.summervillerealestate.wordpress.com as the originator. Of course, traffic from Trulia is always appreciated. Just looking to see if there are any new thoughts. Thanks!Fri, 2 Oct 2009 12:01:30 PDThttp://www.trulia.com/voices/Foreclosure/My_home_is_being_forclosed_on_due_to_the_mortgage_-166680Answer by Foster Smith: Yes, you can buy a house before, during or after the foreclosure if you are able to pay cash. Otherwise, the damage already done to your credit score will prohibit your qualifying for any future purchase. The length of time before your credit is repaired will depend entirely upon your future faithfulness to repay your credit obligations. Therefore, renting will be your best option for the next 2 to 7 years.Fri, 25 Sep 2009 11:11:13 PDThttp://www.trulia.com/voices/Home_Buying/Today_s_WSJ_Says_Now_It_s_PRIME_Mortgage_Borr-160961Answer by Foster Smith: Mortgage defaults, whether they are prime or subprime mortgage, have a deleterious affect on the prices of houses. However, the more fundamental rule of value will hold more weight. This fundamental rule is the rule of supply and demand. Therefore, the very limited supply of properties South of Broad will continue to counter balance any general negative effect the market is experiencing. Charleston has bucked the national trends many times in the past and is continuing to do so currently.Tue, 8 Sep 2009 08:46:42 PDThttp://www.trulia.com/voices/Home_Buying/I_want_to_purchase_a_home_but_my_credit_isnt_that_-160882Answer by Foster Smith: You should contact a lender and they will look at your credit situation and advise you the steps you need to take to repair your credit. They will also advise you on the length of time it will take to get your credit where it needs to be to buy a house. I have several great lenders who I can refer you to. Good luck!Fri, 4 Sep 2009 05:15:32 PDThttp://www.trulia.com/voices/Property_QandA/I_m_curious_about_something_Many_people_swear_-160284Answer by Foster Smith: When the computer first came out the popular criticism was "garbage in, garbage out". It is still true today. Zillow, Trulia and other such services are broad based on a national level. Their information is general at best in a specific driven economic market. All politics is local and the same can be said of real estate. When dealing with a real estate transaction, a local professional armed with up to date local market data is the only source I would consider.Thu, 3 Sep 2009 09:01:17 PDThttp://www.trulia.com/voices/General_Area/Just_learning_about_Foreclosures_so_bear_with_me_a-144142Answer by Foster Smith: Don't be deceived by this. It is obviously not correct. There are many foreclosed homes available that are real deals. I just bought one personally two days ago. If you would to see a list of current foreclosures visity my site: http://foreclosures.homesofsummerville.com Sincerely, J. Foster Smith, Realtor Carolina One Real Estate 900 North Main Street Summerville, SC 29483 843-974-6029 Foster@HomesofSummerville.comFri, 28 Aug 2009 12:41:33 PDThttp://www.trulia.com/voices/Home_Buying/Why_has_the_price_of_houses_continued_to_rapidly_d-157704Answer by Foster Smith: You are correct Michael. If the land is already in the possession of the owner, the price per square foot would go down. At that point you would want to find a custom home builder to build your home on the land you already own. However, the prices of homes that are already built are at great prices right now. Here is a link to the Foreclosures in Summerville & Charleston area: Http://Foreclosures.homesofsummerville.comFri, 28 Aug 2009 12:34:38 PDThttp://www.trulia.com/voices/Home_Buying/Why_has_the_price_of_houses_continued_to_rapidly_d-157704Answer by Foster Smith: Foreclosures and short sales continue to drive the price of existing houses down. The sale of these homes are resulting in a loss of money for the seller. Builders are not in the business of losing money on the houses they build. Also, the builders already have a fixed land cost which was incurred prior to the economic downturn. Therefore, the development cost for the lot generally is at a 2000 to 2005 level. This is the answer to your question.Mon, 24 Aug 2009 07:51:21 PDThttp://www.trulia.com/voices/Home_Buying/We_are_looking_to_buy_in_the_next_year_in_SC_-151688Answer by Foster Smith: There are excellent schools in both Mount Pleasant and Summerville. Your price range will help you determine which area is going to meet your needs the best. Summerville is known for being in the highly praised, Dorchester District 2 system. Here is a link to school information where you will find an evaluation of all of the schools. Http://Schools.HomesofSummerville.comFri, 28 Aug 2009 12:30:11 PDThttp://www.trulia.com/voices/Property_QandA/I_bought_a_year_old_home_last_year_The_brochure_-157917Answer by Foster Smith: I would contact a real estate attorney for legal advice. However, my practical advice is to have your contractor replace the rotten wood and keep a good coat of paint on the house. Otherwise, lots of negative energy will be spent with very little positive results. If you like the house and you like the neighborhood it would be worth getting happy with your purchase.Tue, 25 Aug 2009 07:42:16 PDThttp://www.trulia.com/voices/Market_Conditions/Average_listing_price_continues_to_decline_while_t-155929Answer by Foster Smith: The price of the current supply is so depressed, particularly in the $300,000 to $600,000 range, that in order to compete, all prices must remain low regardless of decrease in supply. Additionally, there has been a government imposed moratorium on foreclosures in SC for the past 4 months and that artificial measure is about to expire. And when this happens, a new onslaught of supply at depressed prices will hit the market. Therefore, if you are hoping that the market has turned around and the price of your house is stabilizing and going up, you are mistaken. We are probably looking at a 5 to 7 year turn around to return to 2005 prices.Thu, 20 Aug 2009 06:01:49 PDThttp://www.trulia.com/voices/Home_Selling/What_is_the_current_average_broker_fee_in_the_Char-149210Answer by Foster Smith: Commissions are negotiable.Tue, 28 Jul 2009 05:54:50 PDThttp://www.trulia.com/voices/Using_Trulia/Your_website_does_not_sort_to_South_of_Broad_in_Ch-147818Answer by Foster Smith: There are about 100 homes currently available in the "South of Broad" neighborhood. You can view all of them from my website. Please feel free to contact me if you would like more information.Fri, 24 Jul 2009 08:40:48 PDThttp://www.trulia.com/voices/Home_Buying/To_What_Year_In_The_Past_Should_Price_Levels_Be_Sc-146770Answer by Foster Smith: The short, generic answer would be 2000-2004.Mon, 20 Jul 2009 08:50:04 PDThttp://www.trulia.com/voices/Agent2Agent/how_can_i_register_my_company_to_do_reos_for_your_-145450Answer by Foster Smith: Thank you for your request. We don't have any REO properties.Tue, 14 Jul 2009 08:54:38 PDThttp://www.trulia.com/voices/General_Area/Where_canI_get_a_list_of_the_covenants_for_the_Lon-145116Answer by Foster Smith: You can get a copy at the Charleston County Courthouse.Mon, 13 Jul 2009 08:39:16 PDThttp://www.trulia.com/voices/Agent2Agent/Does_anyone_know_anything_about_the_Longborough_de-144150Answer by Foster Smith: This area has the old Charleston feel without the old Charleston problems. It is a beautiful neighborhood on the Ashley river.Fri, 10 Jul 2009 06:33:29 PDThttp://www.trulia.com/voices/Property_QandA/Where_did_you_get_the_price_information_on_this_ho-142483Answer by Foster Smith: I certainly understand your concern, is your house currently listed for sale? If it is, your concern should be directed to your agent. If it isn't, this report will have no bearing on the value of your homeWed, 8 Jul 2009 09:15:26 PDThttp://www.trulia.com/voices/Home_Buying/Charleston_SC_More_foreclosures_coming_-142639Answer by Foster Smith: This is a rare opportunity to be a buyer. Never have interest rates dipped this low in 50 years. Housing will lead the way to recovery and the Charleston area will lead the nation more quickly than many other areas. This is a time for good research and analysis - but not a time for paralysis. I just bought another property today and am in the market constantly investing in our area.Wed, 8 Jul 2009 09:11:52 PDThttp://www.trulia.com/voices/Home_Selling/To_rent_or_sell_-117406Answer by Foster Smith: The analysis of Ashborough is bleak. There are 8 actives in the similar size and age of your home. the average price per square foot is $114.25. The ave. days on market so far is 159. BUT the sold market lists 4 houses at an ave. price per square ft. of $91.23. This puts your house far below what you paid for it. Sell or rent? Selling now before it gets worse is a good option if you need to sell. Because renting it till the market recovers maybe a long wait. The current trend indicates the bottom of the market may be Nov. 2010. The recovery will therefore be around 2015. So if you are willing to rent long term, that is your best option. But I don't want you to make a decision based on thinking the market will be back any time soon. Sincerely, Foster Smith 843-974-6029Wed, 29 Apr 2009 07:18:37 PDThttp://www.trulia.com/voices/Property_QandA/Is_this_house_still_for_sale_If_so_what_is_the_-116293Answer by Foster Smith: No, this house is no longer on the market. There are many other comparable houses that are on the market. I would suggest going to www.homesofsummerville.com and searching for these 3 MLS numbers: 2830250, 2911440, 2909296. These are great houses and very similar to the one that you inquired about. Let me know if I can help.Mon, 27 Apr 2009 07:10:41 PDThttp://www.trulia.com/voices/General_Area/What_are_a_couple_of_the_most_desirable_areas_to_l-115123Answer by Foster Smith: Price drives the answer here. Summerville is 22 miles from Charleston with an interstate hiway giving you access in 25 minutes. The houses sell for about 30% less than the surrounding areas of Charleston. Check out the town on my website www.homesofsummerville.comFri, 24 Apr 2009 07:45:07 PDThttp://www.trulia.com/voices/Property_QandA/How_can_I_find_out_who_owns_this_house_I_want_to-111007Answer by Foster Smith: This property is no longer on the market.Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:32:33 PDThttp://www.trulia.com/voices/Foreclosure/What_condition_is_a_foreclosure_in_-104981Answer by Foster Smith: No good- it probably is not even a house.Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:39:00 PDThttp://www.trulia.com/voices/Financing/We_are_planning_to_buy_a_second_property_should_w-99783Answer by Foster Smith: Buying a house is not like shopping for a car. Dealers may pull your credit report several times in a two day period which will reflect negatively on your score. Pick a lender and go with the best program that fits your needs. Local is good since the Realtor can keep tabs more readily on a local connection. I would not print out a report to take around with me. I would get a reputable lender to issue a pre- approval letter based on what I qualified to borrow. Sincerely, J. Foster Smith Carolina One Real Estate 900 N. Main Street Summerville, SC 29483 Bus 843-974-6029 Toll Free 1-800-942-1828 x 6029 Fax 843-202-8762 Foster@HomesofSummerville.com www.HomesofSummerville.comTue, 17 Mar 2009 07:29:45 PDT