Cooling off in the summertime. This is obviously something people really want to do as often as possible in Charleston and buying in a neighborhood with a pool is on many people’s must have lists when searching for Charleston South Carolina homes.

So if you buy in a neighborhood without a pool, are you “up a dry creek bed” without a paddle? Good question.

There are some options:

• You can advertise in the newspaper that you are seeking to become friends with a family with a pool.
• You can design a billboard that says you are seeking friends with certain strings attached.
• You could stand in your front yard in the sprinkler.
• You could look for nearby pools that share memberships.

North...

It was a Friday.  Selling Homes in Charleston SC.

Hi! I am Nat Wallen and I am a Realtor who sells homes in Charleston SC. I am writing this blog for selfish reasons. I plan to document my real estate activities so one day when Hollywood is looking for the next hit show on HGTV, when they are scouring the thousands of blog pages out there looking for an agent that sells homes in Charleston SC, when they are looking for something unique, something so interesting, so complete with content and from a point of view never before seen in a reality show, they will discover me. What happens next you may ask?

My phone rings.

Hollywood then proceeds to:

• Make me an offer.
• We negotiate for a f...

Even better than selling homes in Charleston SC is getting to meet and help the people that buy them. I have had the pleasure of meeting people from all walks of life and could not imagine a better way to spend my days.  I guess you could say that helping people sell and buy homes in Charleston SC is not just my job or even my career, it is my passion.

I have found over the years (and yes I am sounding old by using those words), that there are so many reasons buyers start their search for homes in Charleston SC. Either a need to relocate for retirement, a new job with Boeing Charleston, a growing family with a new member on the way, or by just a simple admiration of the area from a dista...

West Ashley in Charleston, SC offers easy access to Historic Downtown Charleston and several amenities that many locals enjoy on a daily basis. Named for it's proximity to the Ashley River, West Ashley is a suburb of Downtown Charleston that was initially developed in the early 1950's and continues to grow with new housing opportunities to this day.

The roadways are arranged into a series of triangles, connecting with each other to offer easy access from a variety of points to the Interstate, i-526, Downtown Charleston and the site of the Boeing Charleston plant next to the airport. 

I have made this video to help you become acquainted with what West Ashley has to offer. This is just ...

Mount Pleasant SC is a wonderful please to live. Many people have realized this over the past few years, so it is important to be strategic when choosing a place to live because it is becoming heavily populated. Having lived in Charleston, SC my entire life, I went to middle and high school in Mt. Pleasant. I have seen the area grow since the early eighties, and offer insight into what each section of Mt. Pleasant has to offer with this Google video tour. 

If you like this tour, or have suggestions for future tours, please leave me a note in the comments section of this blog post. I look forward to hearing from you!

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Why do people enjoy living in Charleston, SC?  

This is a great question that has left me perplexed and makes me question why someone would pack up and move here. This may seem like a strange concept to focus on, but being a Realtor in Charleston; I am essentially an ambassador of the city and have the conversation frequently with myself and others.  

I Trick My Mind.  

I approach the topic a little differently. Having been in Charleston, SC my entire life, I many times try to pretend to look at the city as if I am a new visitor, as if I had never seen the area before. I try to envision what makes Charleston, SC so attractive. Why do people decide to come to Charleston for their vacati...

Growing up on a farm in Charleston was a really great way to experience childhood.

For those of you who do not know Selkirk Plantation, it is a 1000 acre farm that is located roughly 30 minutes south of Charleston at the end of the Leadenwah creek on the tip of Wadmalaw Island.

It was my Grandmother's farm that my uncle managed, as I never had the chance to meet my Grandfather because he died before I was born. My father had the experience of growing up on a farm in Charleston and wanted us to have the same life. He would take us to Selkirk Plantation every weekend and we stayed there every summer with my grandmother.

I just got off the phone with my uncle who is a cowboy named George W...

Sandhurst in West Ashley is a neighborhood located off of Orange Grove Road in Charleston, SC. Located in the 29407 zip code, it offers both one and two story ranch and traditional homes for sale and were built in the early to mid 1960's and 1970's. Sandhurst in West Ashley is a mature neighborhood and is located close to West Ashley shopping, restaurants and schools. While there are foreclosures in West Ashley, Sandhurst is a neighborhood that is not as transient as others, therefore we do not see many foreclosures in the neighborhood.

Sandhurst in West Ashley offers a family friendly atmosphere, mature yards, close convenience to the Charleston International Airport, and for the most p...

Many people ask me if we have reached the bottom of the market in Charleston, SC on a daily basis and I am sure many realtors get the same question as well. 

Most realtors in the area are not sure what to say or do when this question arises. For me, it is really, really simple...I have a proven method. Flawless.  I break out my crystal ball, gaze deep into the center, focus completely on the mystical sphere and...and.... Nothing. Nope. Nada. No Answers From My Crystal Ball.

So I Revert To My Plan B. The old 8 ball that I bought in the 1980's. Surely shaking the 8 ball will be able to tell me if we have reached the bottom of the market in Charleston, SC. So I go into my garage, turn on ...

The are many great reasons why so many people enjoy living in the Northbridge area of West Ashley.

So why discuss it here in this post? Well first off, this blog is titled “Random Thoughts by Nat Wallen” so why not? Secondly, I recently spoke with a blogging expert and he suggested I write about topics that I am passionate about. As history shows, I have been following his advice. I have written about Taco Boy in Downtown Charleston, Pivotal Fitness Gym in West Ashley, Growing Up on a Farm in Charleston and now living in the Northbridge area in West Ashley.  

Just a point to clarify, am I really passionate about Pivotal Fitness Gym in West Ashley?… No. No, I am not. It is certainly a n...

Okay, I have written about tacos and gyms in Charleston, now let's take this new blogging thing in a completely different direction and talk about… Violin Instructors in Charleston. 

You might ask yourself, violin instructors? Where did this come from? What is going on with this guy? He is all over the boards. 

Great question! Please keep in mind this blog is titled Random Thoughts by Nat Wallen and…since my new blog is really about me writing a blog and only mildly about the topic I am writing about, let me back up and explain. 

As a Realtor, I have been helping many buyers with the new Boeing plant become familiar with the area. What I have found is that there are a variety of req...

My wife surprised me with an impromptu lunch excursion to Taco Boy in Downtown Charleston. I had just finished researching a variety of topics about blogging and I was really excited to write my very first post, so the timing was not ideal. Of course I enjoy spending time with my wife and I was hungry because, well... I am always hungry at work. But I was also motivated to get going and be proactive and publish my random thoughts to the world. 

Her call also came at the right time. I had skipped breakfast, I was stumped, I had writer's block and I had no idea what my first topic should be. I mean, I was picturing my first blog post to be something significant. Something interesting and e...