CTAR Market Stats – January 2011

Did you check out the Market Stats from the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors for the month of January in Charleston County?  If not, they are up on the side bar for you to see.

The number of new single family detached (SFD) homes to come on the market decreased from 708 in January of 2010 to 622 in January of 2011.  The number of closed sales (SFD) increased 12.7% to 204 closed sales in January 2011 from only 181 closed sales in January 2010.  While the average sales price (SFD) dropped 9.9% in January of 2011 from  the average sales price in January 2010, the percent of original list price received (SFD) remained fairly closed to that of 2010 with a slight .9% increase.  Check out more about the inventory and other stats in the right hand column and email me with specific questions at sallierobinson@williammeans.com.

“The Skinny” on Charleston’s 4th Quarter of 2010 and 2010 in Review

The Charleston Trident Association of Realtors has put out their video of market statistic  for the 4th Quarter (Q4) of 2010 and for the 2010 year in review.

The Q4 inventory decreased by 14.6% from 9,628 units in 2009 to 8,224 units in 2010.  This doesn’t mean that there are not still plenty of homes for buyers to choose from, so quality and value are what buyers are looking for in their purchases.  Sellers will need to provide one or both of these to fight the competition to capture the attention of buyers.  The median sales price increased from $177,687 in 2009 to $190,000 in 2010, a 6.9% increase.

In 2010 overall, the number of closed sales also increased 4.3% from 8,329 units in 2009 to 8,687 units in 2010.  The median sales price went up as well, from $182,500 in 2009 to $188,290 in 2010, a 3.2% increase.  Yearly comparisons show the market peaking in the number of closed sales in 2005 and appearing to bottom out in 2009.  Yearly comparisons also show the market peaking in median sales price in 2007 and appearing to bottom out in 2009. 

Watch the video to find out more about what interest rates seem to be doing over 2011.  Email me with questions and comments about the Q4 and 2010 as a whole at sallierobinson@williammeans.com.

One-Bin Recycling Trial Run

I drove into Belle Hall the other morning and saw the blue recycling bins now styled like the standard garbage cans.  Charleston County has issued these new bins to a few neighborhoods throughout the Charleston area to test out this one-bin method where residents will combine everything recyclable including paper, plastic, glass, and metal instead of having to pre-sort them to be placed manually into the trucks.  These new bins have a top (in my opinion, a welcome change from the open top bins) and will be emptied by the truck instead of being emptied by hand.  Charleston County is hoping that these bins will encourage more recycling by those who currently recycle and will encourage those who didn’t previously recycle to do so because of the convenience of these new bins.  Read more about it in The Post and Courier.  Would you like to see these used in your community and how would they affect you?  Let me know what you think at sallierobinson@williammeans.com  and if I can answer questions about the real estate market in your community.

Christie’s International Real Estate Magazine – Issue 4, 2010/2011

The latest edition of Christie’s International Real Estate Magazine is available online.  Read about the stunning home on High Battery in downtown Charleston on page 81.  Since this issue of the magazine was published, this home has had a million dollar price reduction.  Read more in the magazine as well as the announcement by William Means Real Estate.  For the latest information on homes in Charleston and to help you with your real estate needs contact me at sallierobinson@williammeans.com.

Christie’s International Real Estate is Christie’s Great Estates

Christie’s International Real Estate is the new name for Christie’s Great Estates.  This name more clearly reflects the connections between the Christie’s auction house and the global markets covered by the real estate division of Christie’s.  Take a look at the announcement from William Means Real Estate by clicking the logo above.

Christie’s International Real Estate also launched its new website at www.christiesrealestate.com.   Take some time to browse this new dynamic site and let me know if I can help you by emailing me at sallierobinson@williammeans.com.

CTAR Market Stats – December 2010

CTAR’s December stats are up!  Again there was an increase in closings in Charleston County’s single family detached homes (SFD) with 249 closed in December 2010 over the 236 closed in December 2009.  The median price  for SFD homes came down to $250,000 in December of 2010 from $280,000 in December 2009.  Year to date, there was a 15.9% increase in the number of closings for SFD homes from 2,990 in 2009 to 3,464 in 2010.  Look over the stats in the side bar and let me know if I can send you any on specific areas by emailing me at sallierobinson@williammeans.com.

CTAR Market Stats – November 2010

Be sure to catch them before they go; November 2010 stats from the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors are in the side bar if you haven’t seen them yet.  In Charleston County, there were 254 SFD homes to sell in November 2010 a decrease from the 294 to sell in November 2009.  With that said, year to date, there have been 3,206 SFD homes to sell in 2010 a good increase over the 2,754 SFD homes to sell in 2009.  The average number of days on the market until sale for November 2010 was 99 while the average number of days on the market until sale for November 2009 was 108 for single family detached homes.  Please let me know if you have questions about stats in a particular area by emailing me at sallierobinson@williammeans.com.

“Redo to Recoup”

I was recently talking with a friend about the same thing I found in the article, “Redo to recoup” published a few weeks ago in the Post and Courier.  I think it has some good advice that I’ll pass on to you.  When deciding what to fix up in your home, consider why you are going to do these projects; are you planning on moving soon or a few years from now, or has your home not been updated for several decades?   For example, don’t spend money on expensive paints first when your bathrooms could use a little updating from that pink tile and pink toilet.  You might consider having an inspection done to find out what things need your attention that the buyers will also notice from their inspections.   Ask your agent for some information on what has sold recently in your neighborhood to get a price range of what your home might sell for.  Keep in mind that you don’t want to be putting more money into your home than you can get out when it comes time to sell.  Regular maintenance and getting rid of clutter in your home are also important when considering what will help your sell your home now or later.  Check out this article, “Redo to recoup,” and let me know if I can help you by emailing me at sallierobinson@williammeans.com.

Charleston, the Friendliest City

Charleston was just named the friendliest city in the US by Tavel+Leisure Magazine.  This is in addition to her being named tops in antique stores, bed and breakfasts, and inns.  Check out this article in the Post and Courier.  Let me know if I can help you with your real estate questions and needs at sallierobinson@williammeans.com

“The Skinny” on Charleston’s 3rd Quarter of 2010

The Charleston Trident Association of Realtors has another video out about trends in Charleston’s real estate market.

Realizing that at this time last year, the 2009 Tax Credit deadline was quickly approaching, activity then was unusually strong.  Adding to these circumstances that the Tax Credit ran until the end of April 2010, the number of sales will seem especially low for this quarter.  The median sales price for Q3 2010 is up to $195,00, a great increase of 6.8% over Q3 2009.  A more favorable buying environment has come about with negotiations moving in favor of the buyer with low-interest rates and plenty of inventory.  Check out more about the Q3 market of 2010 in this video and let me know what questions I can answer at sallierobinson@williammeans.com.