Invest in Charleston SC Real Estate

(Part 3 in a Series of Multiple Posts About Investing in Charleston SC Real Estate)

I have had the opportunity to help many invest in Charleston SC real estate. In fact, most of them did not know they were investors at the time. They were just buying a house because they needed a place to live.

So why do I say I was helping them invest?

Well, housing has been an integral part of long term wealth building for many years. After the world wars, it sort of happened by default. There was a steady rise in house values, with a few dips and valleys along the way.

For many years real estate was viewed as a long term investment and the 2-3% rise each year was a great return on investment over t...

(Part 2 of a Multi Part Blog Series on Investing in real estate in Charleston SC)

Well, the real estate in Charleston SC has been quite the picture show since I have been involved. I remember being a young buck. The year was 1995. Fresh out of college. I was ready to  embark on a new career. The future; bright, shiny, full of wonder.  Investing my time in this new career in real estate in Charleston SC was an exciting prospect for me at the time.

But looking back, getting a license to sell real estate in Charleston SC might as well have been a license to get married, or go just fishing. I really did not know what I was doing. I just knew I liked meeting people, I love being creative, I have...

(Part 1 of a Series of Articles about Investing in Charleston SC Real Estate)

The Charleston SC realty market is a great investment. Would I have said this in 2008? Yes. Yes, I would have. In fact, I did.

Why? First let me say that it was never meant to be a short term investment. Between 1997 and 2000 we had moderate rises in value. Normal and healthy.

From 2000 to 2004, "Come on in, the water is great!." The short term investors jumped in and the market started to ignite.

From 2004 to 2006, "Total Insanity." Buyers were fighting. People were stressed. Everywhere people talked about real estate. I had to hush someone in a movie theater because they were talking about their latest p...

The market used to be so very different in Charleston South Carolina. When I started real estate in 1995, all I remember is how things always seem to sell, and sell quickly. The next decade proved to be a whirlwind of real estate activity and, looking back in time, 1997 to 2006 showed a dramatic rise in prices. From a day-to-day perspective this meant absolute craziness. I remember sitting in movie theaters listening to conversations before the movie started. The topics were always about real estate. It seemed like everyone was trying to buy, and excited about selling. It was as if that's the way it always was. This was normal for me.  If I didn't sell in the first month, I started to thi...

We all know the three important things about real estate. We have heard it over and over again. Location. Location. Location. This certainly still holds true, but it also makes things a challenge as the area grows.

There many people who would like to find a Houses for Sale in Charleston, South Carolina close to town, but many need a lot of work. Understandably, buyers try to focus in on being conveniently located. This poses a challenge. In fact, it is a challenge that I am currently facing right now on a personal level. No I'm not looking for a home to buy, but I am in the process of renovating my personal home.

We bought the house about nine years ago, and it was semi-renovated at the ti...

Now that the market in Charleston is really starting to heat up, agents are starting to see many multiple offer situation's. And while a lot of people would think that this is beautiful thing for us agents, in some ways it's really not so great.

Every time this happens I think about the buyer. They are making a huge financial and emotional decision, and there's a chance that it may not happen for them. With that being said, handling a multiple offer situation while representing a buyer can be a little bit tricky.

Sometimes the best advice is to put a really strong foot forward, but I try to make it a point to find out exactly where a buyer is coming from prior to offering any opinions on ...