The pandemic has impacted most of the aspects of our everyday life, from the smaller details to the big events, like buying a home. As expected, buying a home during a pandemic is quite the different affair. But what, exactly, should you expect from the process? 

Everyone thought that the pandemic and the resulting recession would lead to another housing crash, but surprise – the real estate market is positively booming. There have been more homes sold in 2020 than the previous year, and the years before that. What you can expect is stiff competition, low mortgage rates, high prices, and a lot of time spent Zooming. 

Mortgage rates are collapsing

The good news is that mortgage rates ha...

Have you ever heard the analogy that this is just the tip of the iceberg? Well this applies to many scenarios in the real estate market when selling homes in Charleston South Carolina.

To expand on one, and probably the most important, is the actual buying and selling process.

If you were in a boat in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, you would see the seascape in front of you filled with icebergs. Now if you can imagine, the tips of those icebergs are all houses. Homes for sale if you will, many being in the Mount Pleasant and Charleston South Carolina market.

Finding a buyer in this market is a challenge, but compared to the details that soon follow after a contract is delivered, that is re...

Thank goodness the appraisal problem I had last week solved itself!

If you hadn't seen the last blog post, then you may not be aware that I had an appraisal issue. Appraisal issues are not fun. In fact, everything can be going along just swimmingly and the rug can get pulled out from under everyone's hard work.

In this particular case, I had sold a house to some really nice folks and we were going through the closing process. This was no inexpensive sale, as the house was in extremely good condition and priced accordingly. (Let's just say it was near the half-million mark.) So what was the problem?  The lenders appraiser thought it was worth below the half million mark, and like a hot p...

As a follow-up to my blog post about the importance of timing with regards to buying a home in Charleston, I thought it was only fair to also comment on the schedule with sellers.

Having had thousands of listing appointments in Charleston South Carolina, I've met with many sellers from all walks of life. It seems there are two categories. (Well, three categories actually.) There are the ones that are truly motivated, the ones that can take all the time in the world to sell, and the ones that say they can take all the time in the world to sell but really are motivated. I know this sounds confusing, so I'll explain.

Category number one is easy enough. The truly motivated home sellers in Chare...

Finding Homes for Sale in Charleston SC

If you are looking for homes for sale in Charleston SC, there are many offerings and the areas can differ greatly. It is an easy area to understand because it is separated by rivers and marshes. James Island is an area close to the city and enjoys easy access to the beach and the  local restaurants. Mount Pleasant has many homes for sale in Charleston SC that buyers consider because of the school system.

If you are looking for a home, residents are typically generous with their desire to share their experiences. It is a polite city. Simply engaging someone in a friendly conversation can result in a wealth of information about where to look. Of cours...

A Look Back at the Homes For Sale In Charleston SC

There are many homes for sale in Charleston SC to choose from compared to the booming market of the early to mid 2000’s. Throughout late 2005 and well into the 2006 market, the media started to discuss a real estate bubble that most likely going to burst. This discussion in the media had not affected the homes for sale in Charleston SC yet, but early in 2007 the rate of sale started to slow down considerably.

1997 to 2006 was primarily a buyer’s market. When sellers decided to place their homes for sale in Charleston SC during this time, all sold within a few months. When sellers started placing their homes on the market in early 2007, th...

The universe is starting to feel different.  When all I could do over the past few years to avoid negativity and keep pushing forward was to continue trying to help without thinking too much about the economy, optimism is now seeping into my day more often than not.

Yep. Good news to report here. Charleston SC real estate listings are selling and the inventories are starting to fall.

Back in the mid 2000’s, the inventory levels were extremely low. Basic supply and demand made it a challenge to help buyers and houses were hard to find.

Of course one may reflect back on 2005 as a great time to be in real estate, but I remember thinking... “gee, soon buyers will not be able to afford anythin...

A few months ago, most of the people that looked at homes for sale in Charleston SC did not really have to worry about a sense of urgency. The general buying public thought that taking their time was really to their benefit and waiting out the sellers would result in a lower price.

Well this may be the case in some areas, but not all. In fact, there are many homes that are not available anymore. Why? Because they have sold. Buyers are starting to get notes from the media as a prompt to get moving into something before someone else does.

So what happens when a home gets more than one buyer? I mean, what happens other than the seller jumping for joy and high-fiving their kids? Well, there a...

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...

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...