The Charleston Real Estate Advisor

Great Article on Keller Williams Realty in RISMedia

On January 29th, 2009 RISMedia wrote a great article on Keller Williams Realty and despite the downturn in the market,  Keller Williams Realty is out performing the general real estate market by 10 percent.   “Our strategy is no secret. We faithfully follow the sound financial model of leading with revenue - the same model our market centers follow,” said Mark Willis, CEO of Keller Williams Realty Inc. “As we watch companies throughout the country take on billions of dollars of debt, we are proud to say that our company has not one dollar of financing debt and we remain strong and financially sound. It is our joy to be able to give back to our agents during these times.” 

A Great Real Estate Blog Using Video

I wanted pass along what could be the future of real estate blogs and websites.  Ian Watt on the West Coast has developed a great site for real estate customers integrating video into his blog.   I like the format,  do you think Charleston real estate community would like this type of a real estate website?

There are no Lofts for Sale in Gastown Vancouver!!! from Ian Watt Vancouver Condo on Vimeo.

Go Offline with Gmail

Google Mail released a new program that will allow you to access your email even when you do not have an internet connection.  The program is called “Gears” and can be downloaded at the Gears homepage.  For more information see the Gmail Blog.

Keller Williams Charleston Best Buy List - Jan 26th, 2009

The Keller Williams Charleston Best Buy List is connecting buyers and sellers in Charleston with 3 more properties going under contract this week.  Here is what's new for the Keller Williams Charleston Best Buy List for Jan 26th, 2009.  Click here to see all the properties.

New listings:

• 7958 Shadow Oak in Oak Bluff Subdivision for $109,500
• 4819 Piedmont Ave in Ferndale Subdivision for $69,900 

Price Reductions:

• Ivey Hall - $14K Price Reduction!
• North Creek - $74K Price Reduction!

Under Contract:

• 2715 Coddell Ct
• 1535 Fiddler Marsh
• 2448 Surpise

 

For agents:

Instructions for agents on how to post the Best Buy List to their website.

Mortgage Rate Quote for Charleston SC as Jan 21th, 2009

Mortgage rates on home purchases  and on refinancing mortgages moved up from last week.
Bank of America is quoting rates as of 01/21/09:

• Home Purchase Mortgage rates at 4.875% on 30 year fixed mortgage with 1 point,  the APR is at 5.002%
• Refinance Mortgage rates at 5.25% on 30 year fixed mortgage with 1 point,  the APR is at 5.371%

If you are thinking about buying a home for sale in the Charleston area, the rates are still good.

• Home Purchase Mortgage rates at 4.875% on 30 year fixed mortgage with 1 point,  the APR is at 5.002%
• Refinance Mortgage rates at 5.25% on 30 year fixed mortgage with 1 point,  the APR is at 5.371%

If you are thinking about buying a home for sale in the Charleston area, the rates are still good.

The Future of Real Estate - Gary Vaynerchuk

Gary Vaynerchuk was the keynote speaker at INMAN Connect 2009,  addressing the real estate audience on what he believes is the future of real estate.   He starts out saying his goal for the talk is   "not to see any real estate agents faces on bus stop benches."   Listen to what he says,  do you think he is right or should Gary stick to selling wine.  What are your thoughts?  Is this the future of Charleston real estate sales?

Charleston and Mt Pleasant Home Showings Up Again

For the second week in a row, the showings for Charleston homes for sale and Mt Pleasant homes for were up again!   This is a good leading indicator for the Charleston real estate market since an increase in showings indicates an increase in buyer traffic.   The average house takes 30 to 45 days to close.  This should translate in an increase of Charleston homes sold in February and March.

How Close is 4667 Summit Plantation to the Intracoastal Waterway

I have been asked how close is 4667 Summit Plantation (located on Swinton Creek) is to the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean.  From the Google Maps below "A" marks 4667 Summit Plantation on Swinton Creek.   It is approximately 4 miles to the Intracoastal Waterway.  From the Intracoastal Waterway it is approximately 8 miles to the Atlantic Ocean.  4667 Summit Plantation is on the Keller Williams Best Buy List for the Charleston Homes for Sale.

A Better Way to Track Properties for Sale

Dwellicous combines social networking and real estate websites together allowing the customer to see any updates on properties they are interested in from a one location. You can share the information with your family and friends on Facebook and social networking sites. 

For example, you have 5 properties you are interested in. You just bookmark the properties in Dwellicous and any changes in price, photos, comments, etc will automatically updated to you via a RSS feed.  No more logging into the real estate websites and checking the 5 individual listings everyday for any changes.  Dwellicous works on approximately 20 of the major real estate websites.  Try it and let me know what you think.

Clint Swindall Author of Engaged Leadership will be the Keynote Speaker At Keller Williams Family Reunion

Clint Swindall, president and CEO of Verbalocity and world renowned speaker, is bringing his message to Family Reunion as the new keynote speaker.

 

Today's market demands that each and every real estate professional be a leader! Author of Engaged Leadership, Swindall will instill in you the leadership skills that you need to guide your clients through the fear and confusion of the market.

 

The Family Reunion agenda has been slightly adjusted to accommodate Swindall with the State of the Company and the Keynote Address switching slots. Click here to see the new agenda.