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So what really is the place called "Charleston"?  It is far more that the historic downtown area that has made Charleton so famous. Home buyers looking for a home in the Charleston area soon learn that the term "Charleston" is broadly applied to the entire Tri-county area of the South Carolina Lowcountry made up of Charleston County, Dorchester County, and Berkeley County. Clients of our company come from everywhere to buy homes here in Charleston. No matter where you are from, you will be at home in Charleston.

Some of our home buyers are Charleston natives; but, most come from other parts of the country.  We have individuals who are moving to Charleston to take advantage of employment opportunities, such as our large military contingent of the Air Force and Navy personnel, and for many other reasons. Some people move to Charleston because they fell in love with the area on a previous visit years ago.  Some of our new arrivals have never been to Charleston before.  Very few have not heard of Charleston's beauty and history. For most home buyers, the vast nature of the local home market presents unexpected challenges - and excellent opportunities.

Our principal focus is to help people, like you,  who may be new to the Charleston area and who want to be sure they find exactly what they need  in a home, quickly.  The first step in this process is to educate our clients on the Charleston market and help guide them in developing a home search strategy.

Location of your real estate purchase

Location should always be the number one concern for a buyer.  Everything else in a home can be perfect, but if you  do not have the right location in Charleston, your beautiful new home will fall short of what you need.  Let's discuss the Charleston area, from the perspective of location.

The first step in the process in locating a home to purchase in South Carolina,  as with any area, is to narrow the geography of your search as much as possible.  Now that you've selected the greater Charleston area for your next home purchase, determine more precisely where you want to live in "Charleston".

Traffic patterns and where you work

If you are currently working, include proximity to work high and your list.  Traffic in Charleston can be difficult if you have to travel on some of the main routes during rush hour so be sure you understand traffic patterns between your place of business in your Charleston neighborhood.

One simple way to narrow things down a bit to the best in areas for you is to locate your place of business and draw a circle around it that extends out no more than the number of miles you are willing to commute to and from your home.  The majority of commuters in Charleston like to be within 20 minutes of their home.  For most neighborhoods in Charleston, a 20 minute drive equates to between 10 and 15 miles. 

Be sensitive to the fact that we have two main arteries in the Charleston area: I-26 then runs from the Summerville area to downtown and 526 that runs from West Ashley , through North Charleston, over Daniel Island, and into Mount pleasant. 528 is a semicircle which is bisected by I-26.  Traffic along these main arteries can be challenging when you're going to your home or to your place of business during peek traffic hours. 

If you work in Mt Pleasant, you may want to consider purchasing a home in the Mount Pleasant area.  Likewise, if you work in other areas of town, buying a home in a neighborhood that does not force you to use either I-26 or 526 during rush hour will be a home buying decision that you will not regret.

Here are a few specific location tips for consideration:

If you work in Summerville, consider buying a home in Summerville, in Hanahan, or in Goose Creek.

If you work in West Ashley, consider making a home purchase in West Ashley, James island, or along the highway 61 side of Summerville.

If you work downtown on the Charleston Peninsula, buy real estate in either Mount Pleasant or on James Island.

If you work in North Charleston, consider owning a home in North Charleston.  Still, because North Charleston is in the center of the area geographically, you could live almost anywhere in the Greater Charleston Area and be within 30 minutes of your place a business.

Are you in the military or are you a military contractor?  If you work on the Naval Weapons Station, consider buying a home in Hanahan or in Goose Creek.  If you work on the Air Force Base, your best bet might be to buy your home in North Charleston or in Summerville.

Schools

If you have children in school, or if you consider resale of your home to be a possibility in the future, schools should also be high on your list when you consider location.  Charleston has some of the best schools in the nation - including silver and gold award schools, schools that have achieved the prestigious Palmetto's Finest recognition, schools that have received numerous national awards, and schools that have been rated in the top 10 to the top 500 in the nation.  Still, the greater Charleston area also has some schools that you may want to avoid.  

Note that the county you select is very important if you want to get your children into a particular school, such as specific magnet school.  For example, if you want your student to attend a Charleston County magnet school, such as the nationally ranked Academic Magnet High School (7th best in the nation)  you must buy a home in Charleston County rather than own a home in Berkeley County or purchase a property in Dorchester County. You address does matter and proof of residence is verified.

Lifestyle

After considering your commute to work and the schools, next on your list should be lifestyle.  One of the interesting aspects of our area is that we live in a place with broad diversity in lifestyle choices. 

Think about what you like to do every day and what you enjoy.  Do you like the thought of living in the country where your closest neighbor's house is an acre or two away?  Do you like to be able to walk from your home to restaurants and to entertainment venues?  Is public transportation in your neighborhood important?  Are you an

active person that wants access to walking trails, parks and planed recreational facilities?  Is having access to the water something you've always dreamed of?  Do you like to spend summer evenings walking on the beach to enjoy a famous Charleston Harbor sunset?  The list of lifestyle considerations is endless and limited only by your imagination.

Here's a quick primer on connecting the dots between lifestyle and location of your home in Charleston.

If you enjoy the beach, and want to be there often, consider buying a home in one of the following areas: Mt. Pleasant, Sullivan's Island, the Isle of Palms, Folly Beach, and James island.

If you enjoy shopping, consider areas near Town Center in Mount Pleasant, Center Point Mall in North Charleston, the Northwood Mall in North Charleston, and the Citadel Mall in West Ashley.  If you prefer old fashioned downtown shopping, be sure to consider the Peninsula of Charleston, especially King Street, as well as the quaint downtown district of Summerville.

If beautiful parks are important to you, consider buying a home that is near Palmetto Islands County Park in Mt Pleasant (such as in Snee Farm or in Longpoint Plantation), purchasing your home in an area near  Wanamaker Park in North Charleston, finding a property near James Island County Park, or locating a great home near the downtown Summerville area.

If horses are your hobby, properties located in Hollywood, Johns Island, Meggett, upper Summerville, Ridgeville, outer Mount Pleasant, and rural Moncks Corner may be your best selections for purchasing a home.

If boating is important to you, you can buy a home anywhere and have reasonable access.  There are areas that have better access for specific boating interests.  If you like freshwater fishing for example, consider owning a home near the upper Cooper River or near Lake Moultrie - some of the best freshwater fishing areas anywhere in the state.  Buy a home near a nice boat landing if you trailer your boat. The best boat ramps in the area for access to salt water are: Remley's Point in Mt Pleasant, Wappoo Cut on James Island, Folly River Landing on Folly Island, John P. Limehouse on John's island on the Stono River and County Farm in North Charleston on the Ashley River.

Do you want to own real estate in a golfing community? Charleston golf communities include an are numerous and have a wide range of home styles and prices.

Yes, Charleston living supports about every sort of lifestyle and hobby imaginable.

Drilling down to find your next home

After considering work, schools, and lifestyle, choose a general area of town that best supports these important considerations.  After you have chosen your area of town, began to narrow your search by property type in price.  Many home buyers begin their search backwards.  They begin their search by using the Multiple Listing Service to look for homes by price in size.  Unless you know first where you want to live in town, using the MLS to search by other criteria, for most people, is really a big waste time.  After all, buying the perfect home in the wrong place usually doesn't work out very well. Do yourself a huge favor: narrow your search down to no larger than a 10 miles diameter area before you begin sifting though individual listings.

For example, let's assume you have selected to live in the Summerville area because you determined  that Summerville meets your lifestyle requirements, is the right distance from work, and offers educational opportunities you desire for your kids.  Now it's time to enter the key size and price elements into the equation for your house hunt.  If you want a purchase a house that's  around $200,000, consider homes ranging from $150,000 to $250,000.  Then add the number of rooms you need.  At this point you should be well on your way narrowing your search for the right home.  Your real estate agent has the tools that you will need to get a lot more specific with your home search such as selecting a home based on home style, age of construction, yard size, type of flooring, etc.

Real estate in the Greater Charleston Area, like the people who make Charleston home, is diverse.  we have historic homes built over 100 years ago. The area offers new construction homes in all price ranges in many, many home styles.  Most of our new construction is done by large national builders but we do have numerous custom and semi- custom homes currently under construction.

Existing homes include colonials, antebellum mansions,  Charleston single homes, ranch style properties, two and three story traditional homes, Cape Cod designs, contemporary properties, Tudors, Victorian style, and a wide variety of condominiums, townhomes and patio homes.  Virtually any home style is available in Charleston, Summerville, Mt Pleasant, Goose Creek, North Charleston, West Ashley and any of the other communities in the Greater Charleston Area. 

Perhaps on equal par with selecting home style is choosing a home in a community that offers the amenities that you want.  Once again, your real estate agent has the tools necessary to help you narrow your search down to only those communities that offer the amenities you feel are important to you.

There you have it.  A basic overview of how to approach finding a home in the Charleston market.  Of course there are many nuances that will occur during your home search.  I look forward to the opportunity to help you find that perfect home here in the Charleston area.

Sincerely,

Chris DeLoach

(843)-654-4578

Chris@houseplanrealty.com

Charleston is ranked among the Top 25 Housing Markets : Forbes.com (2009) 

#1 Best Mannered City in America (etiquette expert Marjabelle Young Stewart)

#1 Favorite City by readers of Southern Living Magazine

#1 Best Mannered City in America (etiquette expert Marjabelle Young Stewart)

Top 10 destinations in America (Conde Nast Traveler)

Top Real Estate Markets for Expanding Companies - Expansion Management

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Our mission framework:   To provide real estate services you can always trust

• Simple - direct, easy to understand help in finding the right home
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• Supportive - here to listen and respond to your needs
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• Competent - qualified to handle even complex transactions
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• Caring - your perspective is what matters to us
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• Committed - going the extra mile when and where you need us
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• Straight forward - plain talk with uncomplicated search strategies
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• Knowledgeable - fully market savvy & equipped with strong negotiation skills
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• Gimmick free - no bait and switch, kick back promises, or questionable ways to "earn" your business.
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• Professional -  undeviating courtesy and responsibility to you
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• Honest - meeting and exceeding legal and ethical requirements

House Plan Realty, LLC - Serving Charleston, Summerville, Goose Creek, Hanahan, Moncks Corner, Hanahan, Mt. Pleasant, West Ashley, North Charleston, James Island, Johns island, Sullivans Island, the Isle of Palms and the entire Tri-County area including Charleston County, Berkeley County, and Dorchester County.

 

 

                                                      

 

 

 

 

The term REALTOR® is a registered collective membership mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics. The Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR®) designation is the benchmark of excellence in buyer representation. This coveted designation is awarded to real estate practitioners by the Real Estate BUYER'S AGENT Council (REBAC) of the National Association of REALTORS® who meet the specified educational and practical experience criteria. Chris DeLoach has been cerified as a qualified Short Sale and Foreclosure Resource by Real Estate BUYER'S AGENT Council (REBAC) of the National Association of REALTORS®. House Plan Realty, LLC supports Article 10 of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® Code of Ethics that requires that “REALTORS® shall not deny equal professional services to any person for reasons of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin. REALTORS® shall not be a party to any plan or agreement to discriminate against a person or persons on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin. REALTORS®, in their real estate employment practices, shall not discriminate against any person or persons on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin.”